The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-10

was on the bald hills or bars east of the
| valley. There were at least 10 men in
my company beside myself who had
been all over, that ground before and
| who knew that we could intrench our
| selves there, where there was a good
| water supply and could have the village
and the Indians well in range. so that
| we could hold them and prevent them
| from breaking camp. There was no
| shelter for them and ii would be i'm
possible to dislodge us from that posi-
| ton. Accordingly while General Glib
bon was directing the destruction of
| the village, my company and part of
Bradley's men who had been with us
| all the time from the start their COM
| pany and mine being the only ones that
We're mounted on the trail, had started
| toward the bar for the purpose of 10
eating our position. At this time the
| firing had ceased, as ] have said. Cen
| eral Gibbon saw us and rode up to me
| with the remark: Where in HI are you
going?' l told him and he asked who
| gave the order. Not wishing to injure
Captain Rawn, / made no reply Glib
bon then ordered the men back The
soldiers started at once and / told nv
men that it was not advisable to di-
vide our forces, so we fell back with
them. Dave Morrow was standing at
my sid" while this conversation was in
progress, and as We turned to go back
he was killed.
This delay that was caused by the
attempt to burn the village had been
used to good advantage by the chiefs.
Joseph, White Bird and Looking Glass
could be heard urging their men to fur
Their combat. White Bird addressed the
men who had committed the murders in
Idaho and accused them of bringing on
the war and then turning towards. 1t
turned out afterward that these very
men were killed in the ensuing fight.
so it was that the Indians rallied.
BY the time we had reached the village
again the bullets had begun to fly The
Indians had regained their courage and
those who had gone around the lower
end of our line We're up on the hill act
ing as sharpshooters and picking off our
men. They did considerable execution.
This was the time that Gibbon was
wounded. He gave orders to fall back
to the trail that we had left and We
had to cross the creek again, wading
the cold water and fighting our way
through the dense willows
THE Indians were on Doth sides of
us and in front by this time. When
they saw us begin to fall back thew
thought that it was a retreat and they
fought like tigers. The bullets We're
thick then. They drove US up toward
the bluff again in this manner Had |
we withdrawn to the open side of the |
valley, their attack would have been |
impossible. Two-thirds or more of my |
company followed me through the |
brush and we drove out the Indians |
that were in front of us and fought our |
way to the bluff once more.
BY this time the grove of pines on
the point of the bluff was full of In |
dams. We attacked and drove them out |
of this timber and scattered them into |
the brush below. We thus worked our
way along the high trail again, toward |
make a good position for our intrench-
ments. We had left the grove we'll in |
our rear, when one of my men called |
my attention to the fact that the SOL |
diers behind us had halted in the pine
grove and We're digging rifle pits. This
surprised me, as / could not understand !
why any soldier should halt his men
in mob, al, {,
back and asked a soldier who was dig
ging who had given the order to stop
there. General Gibbon stepped out from
behind a small tree and informed me
that he was in command of that body
of men. l believe that / swore some in
reply, but I don't want you to print
what I Said. The general insisted upon
holding that position and / brought |
back my men. This placed my COM
pany on the extreme left of the line and
our men We're thus on the very point of !
the bluff. We made the best of it and
began to dig our rifle pits. The men
We're wet and cold and, whenever pos
sible, got into the sunshine to warm
and dry themselves. All worked hard
till each had his pit for protection from
the Indians, who had come back into
the timber above US.
There were many instances of con-
spicuous drawer among the volunteers,
1t is not easy to select andy for special
but l want to give YOU the
names of Bunch Sheriff., Tom Sheriff.,
Lynde Elliott Barnett Wilkerson. John
and Riley Cooper as especi-
ally worthy of note. The company was
a splendid body of men and did its
work splendidly. The murders of set
tiers across the range We're avenged
by the death of more than 100 braves.
When we had buried our dead. Howard
and Gibbon continued the pursuit of
Joseph and We went home. That is
about all there is to it,
TX