The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-22
BRITISH, DEFEATS.
Ex-Speaker Street Has Some
thing to Say About Them.
Laughs at Reports of Ambushes
by the Beers.
THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE
What an Old Indian Fighter
Knows Of Surprises.
Never One In All History of
Frontier Warfare.
THEY AREIMPOSSIBLE

Ex-Speaker w. D. Street of the
Kansas house of representatives is an
old time scout and Indian fighter, and
the reports of the British -F3oer war
have revived the spirit of the past in
him.
In conversation with State journal
reporter he said:
Il think these ambuscades and sur
prises reported by the British troops in
South Africa are greatly overworked.
They are made to do duty in shielding
incompetent and inefficient officers from
the grave blunders they have made.
1T is apparent that when the truth
is told they have been outgeneraled
and whipped at every turn. The idea
that commanding officer marching IN
an enemys country should ram his
command in column of tours up against
an enemy in battle array appears sim
ply ridiculous. There was not pri-
Vate in the United States army who
had seen six months service on the
plains during the Indian campaigns
but would guard against surprise and
could handle a column of troops better
than the great British generals are re-
ported to have done.
There are but few places in the his
tory of warfare in this country where
a general of the United States army
has been surprised. The most notable
perhaps was at the battle of Pittsburg
Landing or Shiloh. 1t has been stated
that the first notice the Onion forces
had of the approach of the enemy was
when the Confederates were charging
into camp and among the tents where
the boys in blue were eating their
breakfast. History tells the rest. The
northern lines were steadily beaten
back until they were at the river bank,
when reinfOrcements arrived that
- y raa1
should ever be surprised or caught in
an ambush and such condition would
indicate ignorance or carelessness.
II was with Custer on the famous
winter campaign against the southern
Indians through southwestern Kansas,
western Indian Territory and the Pan
handle of Texas in the winter of
186S-'69 The Nineteenth Kansas vol
unteer cavalry and the Seventh United
States regular cavalry made up the
expedition. / have seen other expedi-
lions before and since but that one is
photographed in my mind more wildly
than any other. can see them strug-
Cling through the SHOWS and Billiards
without food or shelter, enduring pri-
vations that made the StOutest hearts
quail. The suffering from cold and
hunger made strong men cry like chill
dren. But in all this there was no OPP
portunity given for surprises from the
enemy. 1t was they who were surprised
to find US charging into their camps in
storm. That the Kansas boys after
their horses had starved to death or
been abandoned would attempt to
march thousand miles on foot through
an unknown and desert country and for
days without ratiOns in pursuit of IN
dams mounted on their hardy ponies, to
finally overtake and capture them was
a surprise not only to the Indians but
to all the military experts of this
country.
"Ambushes and surprises were never
thought of. They would have been i'm
possibilities, so completely were the ar
engagements made to guar1 against
such eEigencies, and so perfectly was
every detail carried out during the
march or in camp.
Let us begin with the breaking of
camp and the preparation for the days
march, for days and days not a bugIe
was sounded, not gun fired and ad-
vance scouts had told Gen. Custer that
we were nearing the enemy. and strict
orders were issued against firing a gun
or sounding the bugle. The guards qui-
city awoke the officers at the earliest
dawn and they passed the orders down
the lines of sleeping soldiers, the roll
was called, the details made. breakfast
eaten and the line of march was taken
up. First and usually several miles in
advance marched a detachment of
guides and scouts made up of white
men and friendly Indians, following
them and spreading out like the outer
rim of a fan marched other scouts, fol-
lowing them came a small detachment
of the advance guard of the troops,
then the advance guard after them fol-
lowed the ortops usually in columns of
tours and if the nature of the country
would permit, one regiment marched on
either side or the trains Which at times
were massed in lines of two or four
wagons, after the main column came
the rear guard, followed by a small
detachment of troops and scouts that
brought up everything from the rear,
on either side of the command and
about a half a mile distant and ex-
tending from the advance guard to the
rear guard, in open order marched a
line of fiankers, sufficiently close to each
other to command all the ground be-
tween, beyond these on either flank
were scouts ever on the alert for a
lurking enemy. When the halt was
made for the noon or night the hankers
were replaced by picket guards whose
posts were far extended in every direc-
ton to give the alarm of the approach
of an enemy while at a distance closer
into the camp was another line of
guards that completely encircled the
camp.
In localities where there was the
least apprehension of a surprise, or the
near proximity of Indians, scouts were
frequently beyond to recOnnoiter the
country beyond the extreme outposts
and circle the entire encampment dur
ing the night.
ITO read about the surprises and am
buscades that have come upon the
British in South Africa makes me tired
They were simply defeats. Such disas-
ters would have been impossible with
us.
But must not forget to say that
Custer generally rode well up to the
front with a scout or two and a few
soldiers, they never caught him mapping
even if they did overpower and defeaE
him finally, at the battle of the Little
Big Horn. They did it with superiol.
numbers. He knew they were there but
niscalculated the fighting qualities Of
the Sioux
Made Young Again.