The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-08-02
The
FIGHT AT ELEPHANT
ROCK
BY BUFFALO BILL.

| i4o II the SNbl9 VI the DdlLie--
now nearly torgotten-at elephant
Rock at the South end OF Beaver
| Valley in the winter OF 1868. Maj
| or-General Eugene A Carr was In
| command. one OF the brayest. wisest
! Indian lighters who ever lived
i am proud that ne once spoke OF me
as his friend and that he trusted me-
\ big war party of dog soldiers
I ttanatical renegades collected from a
dozed different tribes) were out and
Were making themselves danger to
! the whole district Their atrocities
| We're at last 50 great that Carr had
| orders 10 so after them and never Ia
let up in his pursuit till they were
| crushed.
For months We followed them, and
| caught up with them at last near Ele-
| plant Rock, Coming upon their
fresh trail there, Carr went into
camp. sending an advance force OF
skirmishers under Lieut. Ward to
locate the enemy. | acted as guide
TO the skirmishers. Ward sent me
on a line parallel to his own, and un-
eXpec:odly came up with so large a
force o. Indians that he was almost
cut of%belore Carr with reinforce
ments could get to his relief A
quick battle sent the Indians scatter
ing.
Next day the chase kept up, the
saNages making a gallant running
fight Of it. This sort OF thing con-
tinued three days. All that time, al
most, was in the saddle. Then came
the climax.
The rest of the adventure | am GO
ing TO quote from Gen, Carr's own
official account Of the affair. He
wrote.
The Indians had got into four
raynes which headed near tho trail,
two ON each side. Babcock disnounted
his men and formed them In circle
and stood the Indians OFF. | sent
Lieut. Bradley with the next company
to open communications, and the In
dams. suppOs.ng the whole command
was coming, went on as before.
Reaching the scene we could see the
Indians scattering in retreat
a figure with apparently a red
cap, rose slowly on the hill. For an
instant it puzzled me, as 1t wore the
buckskln and had long hair, but ON
seeing the horse | recognized that 1t
was Codys Powder Face, and saw
that the rider was Buffalo Bill
without his broad brmmed sombre-
70. On closer examination | saw his
head WAS swathed In a bloody hand
kerCnief. His hat had been shot off,
the bullet ploughing his scalp bad
~ for about five inches. 1t had
ridged long the bone and was bleed
ing profusely very close call, but
Il lucky one.
Il cook the gallop and ran the In
dians for twelve miles and across the
Republican River and up the bluffs
on the south side, whore they scat
tered in every direction after drop
ping good deal of plumber. We
but could not catch them under the
or without means of
some counter strategic cunning, SO
We went back and eamped north OF
the Republican, The advance guard
had been relieved. the Indians severe
ly punished with loss on our side of
but four or five killed and few
wounded: this, with Babcoek's horse
wounded and Cody's narrow escape |
as the resulting casualties.
The object of the campaign was
nearly accomplished, but our great
est need was supplies which the not |
trail had sidetracked In the excite |
ment of a necessary pursuit of the |
defiant foe. As the country was in
tested with Indians and 1t was fifty |
niles TO the nearest supply point, |
Fort kearny, on consultation with |
Cody he decided 1t would be best to /
the job himself of going
for supplies.
gave him the best horse in the |
)utflt and when twilight arrived he
started after patching up his head a
little, to bring relief and meet us at
1 point northwest about a days
march.
These We're about the most def
ate directions any scout got in the
.rackless wastes in those days. and
he faithful fulfilment Of them show
I'd the peculiar sixth sense or aeumen
possessed by scouts like Cody.
Cody, returning. reached us safe
y, making a successful ride of fifty
niles during the night, arriving at
fort kearny at daylight He had
.hased and fought Indians all day.
been wounded and superintende the
oading of supplies.
And when through his rare from
Ter instinct he reached Us, he had
ar4s.F .1Fs,g .tsF IL