Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-07-28

WulCll Was woven DdSkeCWOrk OF raw 4
hide thongs, the meat was hooked onto
these by the squaWs and taken to camp
and strung on poles in the sun to cure.
When we began to see these evidences
of the proximity of our foes we were
feeling pretty good. 1t was on the
evening OF the third day of our march
which was the third of September, that
we went into camp near a small pond
of water and had just got our horses
picketed out when we saw one of our
scouts. think it was Frank Lafla1n-
boise coming at headlong speed
We knew what that meant, and the
pond CT water happened to be in his
way, he was in too big hurry to go
around and while boots and saddles
were sounding. he was floundering in
the slough. The fight was on at
Whitestone Hill, and we burned the
wind getting theEe. Major House
had been ahead with the advance
guard, and coming on to the camps
suddenly was recognized by the color
of his horses and Immediately attacked.
The fight was raging fiercely when
Sully came up and turned the tide 1t
was getting dark and that was all that
saved the remains of that mighty camp
death or capture. Those who had
horses escaped in the darkness. Gen
eral Sully captured the chief, Big Head,
and about 200 prisoners, consisting of.
women and children, chiefly the entire
camp and equipments and the seasons
catch of jerked buffalo meat and penn
lean, all of which was piled up in great
stacks. like hay stacks, and burned.
Sully lost about fifty men and they
were horribly mutilated There was
not a whole set of features in the lot,
and as they were laid out in a row on
the green sward, there was roar went
UP from their comrades, and rush
made for the coral where the prisoners
were guarded that threatened annihila-
tion of the bunch, but a triple row of
guards was thrown around them and
they lived. 1t was here that took
my first scalp, under circumstances
which, While not rejecting much
credit to me, is very satisfying to this
dav.
''On the day following the fight
came across the body of a highly
dressed brave, and dismounting to pos
sess my self of his beaded pouch and
CULVER. I drew from said pouch lot
of clock wheels, and three scalps of
fair-haired women. This made me
bloodthirsty and I then added his scalp
to the collection. though it did not
come off so easily as l thought it
would. had the fiendish satisfaction
of.using his own knife, and subsequent
ly taking more with this same knife.
Z Two days more were spent in clean
ing up the debris and scouting the sur
rounding country. 1t was here that
brave Sergeant Rogers of Co. H lost
his life together with two of his COM
panions. In the early morning after
battle with thirty men, he followed
party of six into an ambush of 800 and
there ensued a race of thirteen miles
with tagged horses with 500 Indians
literally at their heels. The first man
went down by his horse falling and
throwing him over his head. He was
tomahawked before he could get on his
feet. The next man went down the
same way, and springing up got one
foot in the stirrup. and was cloven with
a war club while in the act of rising
to the saddle. They had gone about
five miles and had widened out and
threw away their accoutrements. Rog-
ers' horse stepped in a hole and both
went down, the horse recovering first
got away from Rogers, who had barely
time to get up on his knees and as
they surrounded him, he laid out three
with his trusty revolver before they
stances of personal bravery, but it is
not within the scope of this article to
describe them. Lieutenant Leovett of
my company went into the fight ON his
own account, and was cut into pieces
by the squaws surrounding him and
tearing him from his horse. He had
no business there but could not stay
out, and hesitated to use his sword on
women one minute too long. We had
met the Indians and they were ours.
so we marched back and put them on
reservation"
Quite Amicab1e.
why did you quit your job7 Did
= 49,