The National tribune., 1908-11-12
THE POWDER RIVER EXPEDI-
TION.
brilliant Affair which Ended the Civil
War md Chastised the Indians.

War and Chastlsed the Indians.
Editor National Tribune: Permit me,
please, to correct your correspondent,
Mr. George W. McGiIlen. of Co. e. 18th
Ohio Cav, Elizabeth, Ind, who writes
you in regard to Col. Thomas Moon
light being at Platte Bridge at the time
Lieut.. Collins was killed. This appears
in your Oct %. 1908. issue. Your cor
respondent is mistaken. Col. Thomas
Moonlight was not at the Platte Bridge
fight at the time the Indians killed
Lieut.. Collins, of the 1Lth Ohio Cav.
Again, Col. Moonlight was Eot with us
on the Powder River Indian expedition,
which was commanded personally by
Gen. Patrick Edward COnl.or. COM
manding the District Of the Plains. !
was his Acting Assistant Adjutant-Gen-
eral during the months OF June and
July, 1865, while the expedition was
being formed and troops gathered for
the raid upon the Indians. Col. Noon
light, who had been brevetted Brfga-
dier-General, was ordered to Fort
Kearney, Neb., to be mustered out of
the service early in June, 1866, and
there ended his military career. The
18th and 18th Mo. under command of
Col Nelson Cole, with the I'd Mo. L. A,
in all 1,10S men, were marched from
Columbus, Neb.. around the east and
north base of the Black Hills to the
Belle Fourche River, where junction
was made with six companies Of the
10th Kan. Cav, under command Of
Lieut.-Col Samuel Walker. Cen. Con-
nor left Fort Laramie with the left
,.,,,,o rs fI,a txrnr an
on the 30th day of July, 1865. With
him he had 1856 wagons. 68 men, Co.
T, 7th Iowa Cav, under command of
Capt N. J. O'Brien, First Lieut.. John
S. Brewer, Second Lieut.. Eugene F.
Ware Qate Pension Commissioner; go
men of Co. e, 18th Ohio Cav, under
command of Capt. Marshall; 20 men
of Co. K, 11th Ohio Cav, under COM
mand of Capt. J. l.. Humphreyville; ST
men of Co. NJ. I'd Cal. Cav.,I Capt. Al
bert Brown; 40 men of Go. L. I'd Cal.
Cav, Capt. George Conrad; IA men. a
detachment of the I'd Mo. Art; Is men,
detachment of the Signal Corps OF u.
S. Vols, under command of First Lieut..
J. Willard Brown, Second Lieut.. A. V.
Richards (brother of W.. A. Richards,
late Land COMMISSIONER ID men on
detached service from Co. G., 11th Ohio
Cav, commanded by Leut.H John B.
Furay; 95 Pawnee Indians Under COM
mand of Capt. Frank North; "a Winnie
bago and Omaha Indians, Under COM
mand of Capt. Il. w. Nasfg1 together
with six companies Of the t6th Mich.
Cav. (about 200 men), under command
of Col J. HI. Kidd. This expedition
Connor's command--rnet the Indians at
Powder River, whipped them, fought
them again on Tongue River, on the
29th of August, 1865, the 4ast battle of
the civil war, killed 143 Indians, burned
$50 lodges. captured 1,100 ponies,
burned tons of jerked buffalo meat,
buffalo robes and other camp equip
ment; travelled 1870 miles in 33 hours
65 miles from camp to the Indian viii
lage and 65 miles back without rest or
feed for the horses or men except a
very little hardtack and jerked buffalo
meat: turned our horses In with the
Indian pony herd, lassoed and mounted
Indian ponies. fighting our way back to
camp. the Indians (rcmnant of the 100
warriors in the band we attacked) pur-
suing us to within four hours ride of
our wagon train.
The history of this expedition appears
in Vol. /, Civil War Sketches, Nebraska
Commandery, NJ. o. L. U. s.. copy
of which is on file in the War Depart
ment Library, no official report ever
having been made, as the papers were
burned up in Salt Lake soon after Gen.
Connor's return to that city In Noyem-
ber, 1865.-H. L. Palmer, Omaha, Neb.