The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-01-26
HOW CORp'L PIKE persisted.
The Story of the Army Surg con Who At
tended Him. 2

tended Him.
Editor National Tribune: Lieut. Jane.
Pike was, withsa portion of the 9Th u. S
Cav, stationed at Camp Logan, At tn
ley, Ore, at the time of his csSth.
l was Surgeon at the camp.I arrived
at the camp on Sept AT z -. M, after ;
long, hard Journey from Portland, Ore, b.,
| stage and horseback. Twas unused Il
such travelling, and was we'll tired out
The doctor whom | was to relieve iron
duty there had Ieft.a few hours before no
waiting for my arrival. So thatwhen ar
rived was on duty almost before report
ing to the commanding officer. In fact
| was; for before / had dismounted from
the large, tail, awkward, hardbackeo
horse that took me from Canyon City, u
miles, TO the military post, Twas met and
told that | was at once to prepare to &C
out to see an officer who had been shot III
an Indian fight about Is miles distant
| was sore and tired but young thank
God. | could not do such service now
prepared a few bandages and few in
struments, such as could be taken, for
temporary use, and with an Of1icer-Lieut
hoffman, | believe-and mounted escort
of hall a dozen men, followed by an am
bulance wagon, started UP the mountain
gulch To find the officer who had been
shot He had been taken by his men six
or eight miles from the Indian camp to a
rancher's house, where we found him.
1t was my first meeting with Lieut..
Pike, of civil war fame. My acquaintance
with him was short but intimate. | hard
IL lost an hours time from that evening
at the old farmer or wOodman's ranch up
in the Blue Mountain range of Oregon
until, five days later, he said "GOOd-by
Doctor, and died.
Lieut. Pike had been sent out with a
few soldiers the day before Sept. 5, 1860
to capture a small band of Indians who
t,.aI Ixnns III - v-n
discovered their camp at once. and on the
4th made preparations to, capture it. He
approached with his small squad of men
on foot, leaving their horses secreted at a
distance, and before daybreak, having ap-
preached stealthily to within a few yards,
ordered a charge, leading it himself.
Pike was man who had no fea. and
too little caution. As his men were few
in number, he had ordered each one to
seize the arms of the Indians the first
thing, and destroy them, as they could
not guard or hold them and use their own.
Pike was the first man to seize a gun
from the Indians, and, striking the breech
of il upon the ground to break the stock j,
ex oloded its contents iyae his right thigh
about six inches from. the. groin. Still
fighting off the Indians, he fell His men
seized him quickly. and fled with his
body, while the Indians also fed to the
brush. 't's -
Camp Logan was newly established,
and men and officers were quartered in
tents while building Of timber houses was
going on. 1t was situated hi2h up in the
and snow fell early and the
weather was cold. The wotind Pike had
received was a bad and dangerous one,
even under more favorable circumstances.
On the third day he was attacked with
titanus, or lockiaw, and died on Sept. 8,
1867, at II p. m. r
Pixies intellect was, clear as a bell up
to the last moment, and was active. He
r cpeatedly asked if he was going to die,
and talked quite a little. ~ was young;
he was my first patient, at least, To die,
and | felt the situation iseenly. | sat by
his side muchy3of thestime for the two
days preceding his death, and he held my
hand in his with a strong pressure up to
the last. | was SO impressed by his
clear mind and strong personality that,
after leaving him after death had taken
him, and going to py tent to rest and
sleep, | could not Sleep, for his hand
seemed 10 still hold mine all the night,
and could not. for a whole minute at a
time, get rid of the impression.
We buried him on SUNDAY morning.
think it was on the rising ground to the
east of the camp. | read the service and
acted as Chaplain, as doctors often had
10 do in those days.
Twenty years afterward / visited the
spot where | buried him, and found the
mound. The slab we had placed at the
head Of his grave was gone, and the cattle
that feed on the hills had paved much of
the earth away. | soon afterwards wrote
to the Quartermaster-G General of the Army
asking that his remains be removed to
some National Cemetery, and received
very kind reply, but | believe that no
action TO that effect has yet been taken.
He still lies near where he fell. proving
his unexcelled bravery and patriotic de-
votion to duty as a soldier.-Dr. l.. E.
Holmes, Butte, Mont.