The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
GEN. HENRY As an INDIAN FIGHTER
Remarkable March He Made with tho Ninth
Cavalry to Relieve Pine Ridge AGENCY.


in suppressng that instruction, notably the
famous march made by him and n detachment Of
the Ninth Cavalry To tho tclict Of the agency i'm
mcdiatcly following the bloody conflict between
hostile Sioux and the Seventh Cavalry at Wounded
Knee Creek on Dec. 20 1890. In the afternoon OF
Dec. "a Gen. uhcn Major Henry received orders
To move out at once from Pine Ridge Agency and
head off Big Foot. Sioux chief, and his follow
ers, who had been taken prisoners some time be-
fore by a detachment OF troops north OF the White
River. but had made their escape and were sup
posed 10 be heading toward the Bad Lands TO join
the hostllcs there
The "gcneral"the service call meaning to
strike tents and pack mules and wagons
was sounded about in the after
noon and shortly aftcrward boots and
saddles" rang out The light hearted troopers
Of the Ninth had become weary Of camp,
and welcomed the prospect Of activity in the field.
Mai. Henry with three troops and two lIotchkiss
guns called by the Indians the guns tina, shoot
to-day and Kill tomorrow" because Of the cNplo.
slvc shell OF the First Artillery, under Lieut.
Hayden commenced the fifty mile march. leaving
one troop behind 10 escort the wagon train.
The ride that frosty Christmas eve tried the
endurance 81 the troopers To Its utmost The cold
was intense that water frozc solid In the can
teens. Notwithstanding the constant shaking. At
4 o'clock on the morning Of Christmas Day the
battalion reached Cottonwood Springs. at the
base Of the position Of the Indians in the Bad
Lands The troops then rode 10 Harvey Springs,
and from that point secuted the surrounding
country for scvcral days N find Big Foofs Trail
but It was nt,crward found that the willy chief had
passed Ia the eastward
Meanwhile. farther south on the Pine Ridge
Reservation. exciting incidents were happening
4 hntt AZ t,,p E.,su mil ayr Ire ed
by Major S VI whi,esldc. left Pine Ridge Agency
on Dec 20 for the region east ~ the agency Ia
head OF Mig Foot In the event that he cyadcd the
troops On White River aud went In that direction.
The Seventh went into camp on Wounded Knee
Creek soon after DARK on that day and scouting
parties were Immediately cent out IN various
directions In search Of the enemy.
These failed to discover any trace ot the fleeing
Sioux until Sunday. Dec rs. when the camp 81
Big Foot was UNEXPECTEDLY discovered The
hostilcs surrendered without resistance That day
orders sent for the remainder Of the Seventh
Cavalry, under Brig Gen. James W. FORSYTH to
proceed To Wounded Knee and Join the rest Of the
recimcnt On Monday morning Dec 20 while
disa rming big Foot and his followers a fight was
prccpitatcd nv the cNhortation 81 an Indian "mcdi.
cine man resulting IN one of the hlo"diest battles
IN border warfare
News ~ the battle soon reached the thousands
81 heretofore "friendly' Indians cncampcd IN the
vicinity 81 Pine Ridge agency. sixteen miles
away Mischief makers made them believe that
tn" white truops had diSarmcd big Foot and his
people. com "'llct them Ia stand in a row. had
then deliberately shot them down, and trRt the
ftirnilc Indians At the agency would rccriY the
shrle treatment when the troops returned. The
Indians were cNrii"d by these cNapgeratiuns. at
ono" doomed war onin' and gsthr-rl in threat.
ching manner on th" hills surrounding the agenc".
Spies reported that th.v intended e. hvcncc the
:" cnl,"frslagrh'ct 81 Zig F"%, and nis followers
~ this time IN" only II pns ~ the agency were
=, out tnrcr bundled AID MY tnfan'tym"n.
consisted ~ only about s"vrntv. five men.
Toward evening the siamp".liny Indians. MIN
herring IN the neighbrrhout 81 one tho"snni eight
hundrrd warriors alone. cpmmrnCrt firing an N"
agency. and kept this IN for some time bu, mac
M nitenp, 20 enter Their ht" WAS returned by
the Indian polio" aud a few of The soldiers. who
defended the puintS ~ attacf.
Matters had now hoe IN" - serious that con.
90 return as sreciilv aS r"sshlc from Wli,c River
II gcnc-anv feared that tho Indians would
attack md "r'"r III" agency under cover 81 dn-k.
ness In chewing Thu. orler 10 return tho Ninth
performed feat o' long distance riding which
has rarely been surnrssrd nv ~ large body Of
rooms In less than fort" minutes after tho rnu-
ri"r had ridd"n int" camp with news 81 the exciting
events har"ning further south the squadron
had commenced the Journey through country
filled with hrS'il" Indians to Pine Ridge agency.
n"nrlv nftv mics away
III was now 10 . lock .i ni.Nt" wrote their
commander in dcscri hing the ride The wind
was cold and ss il hnwlrd ort of the canyons
and Sw"ut ov"- the valley II carried with II the
WIS no moon; the n'rht was inIv darl,. even The
patches NJ snow which Law hc-c srd there IN tho
ground rave n" rrlrf 10 TO eye. Nuf1"d in
THEIR shaggy buiTaln 0v-rcnn's and hooded by
the '-roearu" fur NJ used nv our Western n pr,s
The negro trnpocrS looked like meaningless bun
dies ths' had been lied in some WV ~ IN" backs
III their horses. Through CANYONS whrrc black
w"lls Sc"-l"d T. ~ Cnmrr 's.i"- III the GaT, ness
Of the night over hnt'c> who.r r'>'s r"r' 80 'y""l
srar wounded S'',r srl n,-r'li,'rc r-,r,kS fhr
command S,.rl at 4 r"r' hi'N ,""'d have killed
horses that had "ot h""n hnr'caCd bv practice,
">onrir- r,ull =. Ncn-t hit tho CHATTER ~ the
hoo'a r"d IN" - n'.irc ~ the carhinrs -S they
- n'rI rhc ,rr'"''ir 'raprirrs IT tho saddles 81.
'"r,c = Ven o''oT 4, rrh 80 usual laugh md
rlrl ,di01 "r"rs 81 tn" dlracv troo"rrs were not
C"r' 81 hoe !" the march Vow and 'h'n cr,ne
~ u" thew his crrrCv aud muscle ir'o dcS'cr.
a'- "Turt 10 rc"r the wagon 'rnin near us: figures
hlurS and We knew n" ~ what moment We might
he trri UNION tccn-d ngl' tho effort was made
10 reach the agcHcy hcfo.,r h'vhrcaG. in the ho,c
th-t darkness ard the Indians 81 cr~,inon would
protect us from attack in he meantime"
The rcwsrr-cr CORRESPONDENT" md n'hc, dwell
ers nj tho little agency hotel had lust finished
thrir hrcNtfrs,s IN M" r'Ornirg Of lc' 80 when
n conwoiinr nutSid" drew the attention Of all
II the arrival II tho Ninth aud a. the colorcd
on the waV 10 their former camp south ~ the
agency, there was n general fcc'inS of relief among
rcc'cd nj every moment 10 hear the wnr.whoop
81 the Sioux rs thcv dashed on The agency When
n frw miles from tho agency the officers of the
Ninth. never dreaming that the hoSti'rs would
attack them Ur their wagon train So clos" tn the
agency, pushed ahead MOS" rAridlv. leaving one
tr op To- cscor' the wagon train. ltwrS soon left
few miles hrhiud. ari was heNrrctetlv at
tackled by the Sioux ~ rlair sight ~ the agency
One irnorcr was kill,d Currorrl Wilson, of
the wr-Dn train Guard, volunteered a, the risk
Of his life 10 ride Ia the rgcrcr ~ stsucc
When he reached the CAVa'-y camp manv of
the exhausted truD '"rS were already asleep. tHv.
ing thrown themselves mrrn the ground after
csrirr for their horses They were soon aroused
and in = few moments Were sgnin moWnicd and
gallnnirC 20 the rescue NJ the wagon train md
lis ruard Snrr of the troopcrs did not even
wait 10 saddle their horSrs, 20 Quickly did they
resrord 10 the call for HELM Nftcr sharp Skir
mish the no tiles wee driven hack and the wagon
train moved into the arcrCy,
Ths' afternoon the Nnth was called 10 the
assistance II the Seventh. which had turned
from The Wounded Ener battlefield nj ridnirht
the n,rht before and had been sent 10 defend u
Catholic mission school north Of the agency,
which had been attacked by the hostile Sioux.
Tho two regiments stood hcir ground until dusk
when they slowly fell back tn the agency The
Ninth hnd ridden 100 miles in twenty-tw two hours
md in that time had participated in two fights
with Indians,
Sort OF Proprietor.
From he Ua,hin ton Er,ninG star
The stranppr who WAS travelling an horsehecL