Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-05-20
RscoTlscti6ps Of the Big Horn Expedition
Against the Sioux in 1875.
INDIAN FIGHTERS AGAIN SERVE TOGETHER
Instances Of General Bubb's Bravery
at Fettermnn Ferry--LieuteRant
sIbIey and His Famous
scoutinE Trip.
ldier General J. W. Bubb, who has

against the Sioux. Both were at that time
Young lieutenants. General Bubb had
been promoted from the ranks during his
service I'm the civi war, while Major sib-
ley was then a young officer just out of
West Point They served throughout
General Crooks Big Horn and Yellowstone
expeditions, and General Miles cam
paiEn through Northumberland Bubb
with the Fourth infantry and Major Sib-
ley, then, as now. with the Second cav
airy.
One little incident Of lieutenant Bubb's
bravery is related by. the famous war
correspondent. afterward Congressman
John +. Finerty. in his hook. ''Warpath
~ Bivouac, or the Conquest OF the
Sloux." The incident occurred in Wyom-
ing I'm May, 1875. 1t is thus described
by Mr. Finerty:
Some officers informed us that the
ferry between the camp and Fort Fetter-
man had broken down. and that we could
not get out mall or send dispatches. The
river at that point is so rapid and so full
of whirlpools that few men care to swim
IT and most horses refuse to do so. A
wagon driver, together with a sergeant
and two private soldiers of the Second
cavalry tried the experiment OF swimming
their horses over a few days before and
all we're drowned 1t was absolutely neces-
sary for us to cross the river.
When we reached the ferry we found
that It had been patched up in a temper
airy manner and concluded to go across
When near the Fetterman bank the rope
broke and we should have been swept
down the stream az the imminent risk OF
drowning but for the heroism OF Lieuten-
ant and Commissary Bubb, who plunged
into the river on horseback, caught a
cable which somebody threw toward him
and towed us in safety TO shore amid the
p1audits OF the spectators"
The sfbIey scout.
General Bubb was engaged in nearly all
OF the celebrated engagements Of that
war.
The "sibley Scout" is famous among In
dian fighters as having one OF the mar
rowest escapes from savages now on rec
ord. It was in 1876 at the time of the
Custer massacre, when Lieutenant Sibley
was ordered out with twenty-five mounted
men to look about the country and see
what was going on Frank Grouard, a
half breed and chief OF the United States
scouts. accompanied sibley. The young
officer was fresh from West Point and
rather inexperienced in frontier warfare,
cautious General Crook bsde him heed
the scouts advice should emergency arise,
and on the trooper started almost at the
same time when Custer, a hundred miles
away was being cut to pieces by the cut
threats OF Sitting Bull.
Mr.. Finerty was also on this expedition.
He tells FIRST in his book of his meeting
with Lieutenant Sibley and later has a
page portrait Of Lieutenant Sibley and
devotes a chapter to ''The Sibley Scout-A
Close Call" In describing his Introduction
20 Lieutenant Sibley, he says;
Captain Sutorius introduced me to two
officers OF the Second cavalry, Captain
Wells and Lieutenant Sibley. Lieutenant
sibley. with whose career l was destined
to be linked under circumstances which
subsequently attracted the attention Of the
continent and which will long live in the
tales and traditions of our regular army,
was young West Pointer. who had dis
tinguished himself under General Reynolds
I'm the attack upon and capture OF Crazy
Horse on March II OF that eventful year"
Joe De Farthe I'm his Life and Adventures
OF Frank Grouard. Chief OF Scouts" also
had a full page portrait OF Lieutenant Sib-
ley and a chapter called. "a Miraculous
Escape" describing the incident OF which
Major sibley was,the here.
Run Into Hostile Territory.
The incident was as follows: The scout
ing party travelled two days without incl
dent. As It neared the mountains Grouard
who always Travelled ahead OF the soldiers
suddenly signaled 10 halt. Signs of In
dams were seen From an eminence COM
manding a vast area of rolling country
little specks could be seen here and there.
The glass proved that each speck was a
squad OF several Sioux in war costume
2 The specks began TO concentrate. They
moved toward the trail made by the troops.
but without discovering IL for a long time
They were entirely ignorant of the pres
ence Of the soldiers. After holding a pow
WOW one OF the Indians CHANGED to ride
toward the telltale trail. He found IL and
returned TO the other braves, waving his
blanket and gesticulsting. 1t then seemed
to the young cavalry oficer as though In
dams fairly sprang from the earth In all
directions 10 see what had been discov-
cred. There were swarfhs OF them. but
happily they were miles away. Then began
the race for life.
The horses were urged up the mountain.
ON came the Indians. They were seen
occasionally along the canyons in the rear.
The band had divided and was trying to
head on the soldiers and surround them.
Suddenly, as the soldiers assembled the side
of gulch and gained a small plateau. a
party Of redskins sprang at them, firing
their rines and yelling. The men scat
tered like sheep. Lieutenant sibley or
dered the men to FIRE even II they did not
aim at the enemy. for a rife made noise
like a cannon amid those hills. Finally
the men got together and Lieutenant sibley
ordered a retreat IN a slope to a bit OF
wooded ground. which protected them from
. the IRE OF the Indians. This was about
O'Clock in the morning, Mr. sibley de-
Ecribes the situation as follows:
The Indians begai. to gather about us
more rapidly. The situation was CROWNS
more serious every minute. My men wer,
doing good work with their rifles u
pleased me TO see one man shoot a noted
Sioux chief right through the heart The
old sinner never twitched a muscle after
the lead hit him, We never knew how
many we killed. because when an Indiar
Is shot his comrades keep him out OF sight
Well we held them on for four hours, ant
they were four hours Of hot work. / car
tell you. My scout then told me that tn,
Indians were on three sides OF US. We had
one chance left TO retreat. and this chanc,
was fast lessening because fresh Indians
were coming"
The Escape.