The National tribune., 1904-08-18

Phillips saw that the rebel officer had
gained Scoop on him by taking ad-
vantage of the ignorance of the
Corporal, and had reason to suspect
that the message about exchange of pris-
oners was only pretext to gain some
knowledge of our situation. 1t would not
do to let him return to the rebels with the
information he had thus obtained, although
the rebel officer claimed to be as yerdant
as the Corporal, and perfectly innocent of
any intention of spying on us. AS Phil
lips had no real evidence to the contrary,
the only remedy, he concluded, was to hold
the fellow as a prisoner for few days.
position could be effected, and then to have
him conducted back outside our lines
blindfoded, which was done.
During the time that this rebel officer
was detained he was we'll treated by our
officers, but not allowed to go outside the
room he was confined in at Phillipss
headquarters. In the interval our officers
piled him with liquor, in an endeayor to
loosen his tongue and find out some Of the
| rebels secrets; but he wasn't such a fool
as they took him for, and they learned
nothing valuable.
1t was the custom of our commanding
officer to send out mounted patrols or
roads, to watch for signs of the enemy.
Shortly after this fag-of-truce bearer
had returned to his command, one morn
ing May 20, '63) mounted scouting
party had just returned from a recon
noissance on the Fort Smith road, and the
officer in charge was making his report in
| the Adjutant's office, that there was no
| sign of rebels on that route, when just at
that moment a breathless runner came
rushing in to tell that the prairie out
| along the Fort Smith road was swarming
with rebels. who were killing all the pick
cts and herders and driving off the herds
of mules and horses. At the same time
scattering rattle Of firearms in that di-
rection seemed to confirm the messen-
gers statement, although the astonished
officer of the patrol insisted that there
were no signs of an enemy near the road
as he came in.
| In a moment all was excitement. Col
Phillips was about the most excited per
son l saw. He was sure that Cooper's
| whole rebel force was coming in TO take
| the place. The Indian regiments were
quickly formed and moved out in the di
rection of the firing. but when they reached
! the grazing grounds-our Indians being
afoot and the rebels well mounted-it was
only in time to see the enemy retiring into
the timber on the Fort Smith road, as they
had come. driving our herds of mules and
horses before them.
| Our men succeeded in getting near
enough to the enemy as they crossed the
bayou entering the timber, to exchange a
few shots with their rear-guard, killing q
few rebels here, but could recover none
of the stock, and as a further chase OF
. mounted men by infantry would be hope
less, they stopped and turned back to take
account of our losses.
| As the rebed raiders were all Cherokees
commanded by old Stand Waite himself
all the time that the antagonistic forces
were in hearing of each other both sides
which is their style of expressing defiance
of their enemy.
PIcKETs MURDERED AS THEY SLEPT.
/ i had mounted my mule and ridden ou
with our Indians, and as we passed one o.
our picket stations we found every mar
of that picket guard killcd-seemingly
from the signs, to have all been asleep
some Of them lying in their shirts ant
drawers under temporary blanket awnings
where they had probably been enjoying {
comfortable sleep, from which they hac
walked up in the ''happy hunting ground
of the Indian. AS the weather was yer.
warm, our Indian pickets frequentl,
stripped to shirt and drawers willie OF
duty, and spent most Of their time sleep
ing:
The rebels appeared to have surrounded
post was asleep-and shot them dead be
fore they had time to awake or get up
If any had awakened before being killet
there was no sign of it, for the bodies la.
just where they seemed to have been sleep
ing.
1t was at first thought that the rebels
had got away with all our herds, ant
when it became evident that our mel
could not recover any of the stock tha
the enemy was driving off, and we foun,
that they had apparently killed all tn,
herders as well as pickets, l struck ou
for the grazing ground where my herd hat
been, to see if could find anything of III!
herders or mules.
4 SOME HERDS SAVED.
1t so happened that had gone out Will
the herd that morning, and had helped my
two herders, a white man and q negro, t
drive the mules farther north, near tn,