Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1901-09-12

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and killed four, putting the others to
fight. ave then returned to our po-
position" wrote Rein Bowie, "and
all was still for FIVE minutes
Then from hill red with Indians,
and so near that the voice Of a mount
ed chief urging his men to the charge
could be heard plainly, came yells
and vicious volley. "Who is loaded?
cried James Bowie. ~ am" said
Cephas Hamm. Then shoot that
chief" And Hamm, firing, broke the
Indians leg and killed his pony.
The chief went hopping round the
horse, his body covered with his shield;
four of the Texans who had reloaded
fred and the man fell. Six or eight
of his tribe advanced to bear away
the body, and several of these were
killed by the Texans. The whole body
of Indians then retreated behind the
hill with the exception of few who
lodged from tree to tree, out of gun
shot.
Presently, however, they covered
the hill again, bringing up their bow
men, for the first time in the fight.
There was rapid shooting on both sides
another chief advanced on horseback,
and James Bowie brought him down
Meanwhile a score Of Caddos who
had succeeded in getting under the
bank of the creek IN the rear Of the
Texan party opened fire at 40 yards,
and shot Matthew Doyle through the
breast. Thomas McCaslin ran forward
to avenge him, and was shot through
the body. The firing became general
from all quarters. The Texans, find
ing their position in the trees too
much exposed, retreated to the thicket,
where they dislodged the riaemen un-
der cover of the creek, who were in
point blank range, by shooting them
through the head as often as they
showed above the bank.
In the thicket, where they were
well screened, they had clear views
of the hostiles on the prairie. 1--WE
bafled their shots, wrote James Bowie,
"by moving six or eight feet the mo-
ment we had fired, for their only mark
was the smoke of our guns. They
would put 20 balls within the space
of pocket-handkerchief in the spot
where they saw that smoke"
In this fashion the fight was kept
up for two hours, and James Correll
was shot through the arm. Seeing
that the Texans were not to be dis
lodged from the thicket, the savages
resorted to fre-for the double pur-
pose of routing the little party and
of carrying away their own dead and
wounded under cover of the smoke,
for the rifles of the rangers had brought
down half dozen at every round.
They set fire to the dry prairie grass
to the windward of the thicket; the
flames fared high and burned all the
grass as far as the creek; but there
they bore away to the right and to
the left, leaving clear space of five
acres around the camp. Under cover
of the smoke the hostiles carried away
their dead; while the Texans scraped
away the. dry grass and leaves from
their wounded comrades, and piled
rocks and bushes to make himsy
breastwork.
The Indians re-occupied the trees
and rocks in the prairie and renewed
their firing. Suddenly the wind shift
ed to the north and blew hard. The
red men were quick to see the advan-
tage and seize the chance. One Of
their braves crawled down the creek
and set fire to the high grass. Robert
Armstrong killed him-too late. Down
came the flames, 10 feet high, straight
for the camp The shouts and yells
of the Indians rent the air, and they
fred 20 shots in a minute.
Behind the screen Of smoke the Tex
ans held council Of war. If the In
dians should charge them under COW
er of the fire they could deliver but
one efectual round. Even then the
sparks were flying SO thickly that no
man could open his powder-horn but
at the risk of being blown up. Bow
les determined if the Indians charged
"to deliver that one round, stand back
to back, draw our knives, and fight as
long as one was left alive" On the
other hand, should the Indians not
charge, and should the Texans still
stand their ground, they might be
burned alive. In that case each man
would take care of himself as well as
he could until the fire reached the
ring of cleared ground around the