Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-07-28
sioux Campaign OF &.
An Interesting Account Of the Now
Famous Battle Of White Stone
Hill.
Generals Sully and Sibley March Across
Minnesotn and the Dakotas to
Apple Creek.
Some Closely Contested Battles and
Hair Breadth Escapes Interest
ingly Related.

/ ANSaeLSas ---.
IS J. D. 5Harker of Tappen writes an in
teresting account of the campaign
against the Indians in the early COS,
eliminating in the battle OF White
stone Hill. He says:
"The arrangements between General
sully and sibley were as, follows: sully
was to march up the Missouri river
from Sioux City. Iowa, and sibley was
to march across Minnesota and Dakota
and they We're to form a junction at
the mouth Of Apple Creek, a point near
the present; site of the city Of Bis
marc,. In pursuance of this plan the
Sixth Iowa cavalry, during the season
scf 1862 marched gaily across the state
Of Iowa and fcraged for pies and
cakes and things among the farmers
in way that will be remembered by
the old settlers to this day-arriving
at Sioux City, Major Houses battalion
was sent forward as far as Fort Pierce,
there to await the arrival of the rest
1 of the troops. Arriving at Fort Pierce
the battalion consisted of a black
horse company; a sorrel horse COM
pany, and it was the color of the horses
that precipitated the battle Of White
stone HILL, Big Head the Sioux
chieftain, was at Pierce when these
troops arrived there and knew the
number of troops to be but 400 and the
color OF their horses as above noted.
1t so CHANGED as a coincidence of war,
that these same companies were the
first to reach the hostile camp on the
E3rd of September, 1868, and Big Head
recognizing the horses and men,
thought that was all the troops there
were, and that ne had a pudding, and
proceeded to carve it-with great show
of bravado he rushed the attack-but
l am getting ahead OF my story. The
balance of Sully S command having. ar
rived at Pierce, the expedition started
up the river. The first day out one
of the bug hunters'-as the scientific
corps of collectors accompanying the
expedition was called-got a little too
far in advance in his zeal for speci-
mems, and got scalped His was first
blood for, the, Sioux. There were three
Of them connected in it, and the scouts,
.Laflambois and Giyord, quickly had
their trail. and coming up to them
after long fight from behind rocks
and such as! the open country afforded
killed them all and stuck their heads
on poles 1t had been a good deal like
playing at soldering before, but this
incident made things begin to look
like war; The next day we struck
the buffalo and all thoughts of Indians
were driven from our minds. After
that we were never out of sight of
them. There were millions, and we
lived off the fat of the land. Arriving
at a point about thirty miles east OF
the mouth Of Apple Creek, a scouting
party was sent over to see If Sibley
was there. 1 was one of the platoon
and will never forget the sixty-mile
ride in half day; arriving. on high
bluff near the mouth OF Apple. Greek
we saw Sibley's camp spread: out on
the fat bottom lands below us. 1t
looked as if it might have been the
camp of julius Ceasar. There ap-
peared acres of rifle pits and breast
works freshly thrown UP, but Sibley's
men were not there, the camp was
abandoned, but there We're plenty OF
Indian trails visible. After a hasty
survey of the spot and the trails lead
ing away from it, we rode headlong
without breaking a gallop-bacS to
camp. Sllllys did not spend any time
looking for Sibley, but Immediately
changed his course from north to
southwest. Following the trails Of
the Indians we were then about thirty
miles east of the mouth of Apple Creek.
and we moved in a southwesterly difec-
ton with dispatch. The second day
we began to come onto the freshly
stripped carcasses of slain buffalo, and
we knew we were nearing our quarry,
It was the custom among the Indians
for the hunters to, follow the buffalo
and kill, the sQuaWs coming after them