River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-07-19
Col. BrOdie'S Two Wounds
Famous Rough Riders Story OF Two Thrilling
Episodes IN His Eyentful Career.
HIr WAS strange coincidence, .

TT WAS a strange coincidence, -
said Col. Brodie, the second in
command of the famous rough riders
the other day, as he with few of that
scattered band of famous fighters were
waiting for train to Williams. Its
astrange coincidence that / was wound
ed when / was a lieutenant, just fresh
from West Point, on the oath day oil
June, by Apaches out here, and it was
the gath day Of June, over 20 years
later, / was wounded at Los Guaymas
in Cuba, and nearly in the same place
II was nothing but a kid then. and
was stationed at Fort Grant. A short
time afterward l was sent to Fort
Apache during the outbreak in '73
built up the place, and was helping Il
keep the red cusses in shape there with
few men. / rode into the country Oh
horseback, over 200 miles. and you'd
have TO ride $50 more miles to get tc
the nearest point on the railroad to
the north.
eve had been cooped up at Fort
Apache for over four months withou.
any mail; the men were getting rest
less-guess il was enough to make
them restless, too, for we expected the
whole herd of Apaches down on us
at any time. You never could tell
what old Geronimo would do. One day
the captain gave me detail of Is men
and told me to go TO Fort Grant for
mail and a few supplies. il was over
100 miles and through the Indian
country all the way, hills and desert
where iackrabbit would have trouble
to keep on a trail. About half way out,
eight of my troopers deserted. There
was no use in my trying to get them
back again, for you couldn't find them
in the first place to get them back
again, and / couldn't have took 'em
back with me if ] had found them, be-
cause l didn't have enough men to
do it.
ave had been lodging hostile bands
of Indians for some time before we
had a brush with them. Coming up
through a long draw we jumped up a
band of about 10 or 20 and the music
commenced. There was no way of get
ting in any fancy moves on them,-we
were in the bottom of .ong draw. or
canyon, Just about wide enough for
an ordinary road. 1t was either go
ahead, retreat or climb a side of the
canyon. There wasn't much to hest
tate over: we would have had a long
retreat down that draw and been potted
if we attempted to climb the sides of
the canyon. My sergeant was an old
timer, as were a number of my little
band. They knew as well as | did that
the only thing that would save us
was q quick dash right into them
something that the Indian cant stand
a little bit unless they outnumber you
ten to one. We gave them a yol.ey to
stir them up, and let them know we
were coming, and had the satisfaction
of seeing three or four of them drop,
then, yelling like lot of hyenas. we
started down the draw on a dead run,
headed straight into them. Each
trooper swung out his siX-shooter
ready for snapshot at the first In
dian he could reach. The old sergeant
was close at my heels, with every fell
low hugging down close to the saddle.
] turned half around in my saddle just
before we struck them, and as | did so
bullet broke through my saddle horn
and another cut through my vest and
ripped me across the stomach about a
half-inch deep.
THE PEACHES couldn't stand the rush.
We run them up the canyon about a
mile before they could find any side
breaks to get out of and scatter We
lost three troopers in the fight. After
il was over we went back to where they
were, rolled them in their blankets and
buried them among the rocks a best
we could. There wasn't much ceremony
or tears for the poor fellows-we hadn't
time for it; we all expected the same
thing all the time; besides there was
a splendid possibility of the whole
bunch of us going the same way before
we got through, without anyone left
to roll us in a blanket. If the poor In
dian gathered in band of blue-coats.
he also gathered up their hair, and left
a flock of buzzards to do the rest.
after burying the troopers we
struck a trail up the canyon side and
camped in a clearing where we could
command a view of the country sur
rounding, and doctored up our wounds
as best we could; mine was painful.
but only a flesh wound. ! think | was
sorer over my ruined new coat and vest
than from the wound,
"The band Of Indians circled around
our camp again that afternoon. and
we exchanged long shots with them,
without doing any damage to either
side. As soon a night came we struck
out for Fort Grant as fast as we could
make ii through the night. and eIuded
them. An Indian won't fight at night.
anyway. unless YOU force him to.
eve reached the fort late the next
day. The closer we came to it the less
danger there was. for troops from the
fort kept the country round pretty well
cleaned up and quiet.
I'VE stayed at the fort for several
days. until our wounds healed, before
making a return trip. The colonel in
command Of the fort insisted on my
staying there for time. rs there were
over zoe hostile Indians on the warpath
scattered all over that country. He
told me that il was foolish to make the
attempt, and never expected to see me
alive again. but | was young, and had
told the captain I'd be back as soon
as | could make the trip with the mail
and supplies, and wouldn't stay.
81 didn't know ii at the time, but
learned afterward that the Indians /
had the running fight with coming over
belonged 10 a sub-chief and a relative
of old Geronimo, but | found il out
coming back We hadn't been out two
days when they sighted rs; luckily.
it happened just about shutdown. They
took a few shots at us. then went into
camp just over a hill from where we
were camped. We could hear them
holding powwows and singing while
making preparations 10 dangle our
scalps in their belts the next day.
81 remember l sat looking into the
campfire that night wishing was back
home and wondering what in thunder
to do when the old sergeant came over
to me and asked:
"Lieutenant, YOU don't think we can
lick tibet hull outfit, do you?''
'''No, sergeant; cont What do you
think we'd better do?'
"'Well. think we he'd better build
up big fire, so they kin see it, then
drift out of this
And we did. We struck a trail and
f5llowed il all that night. About day