The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1909-08-19
Omaha, Aug. 1s, 1909

Omaha, Aug. 13, 1909.
Hamlin F. Eaton,
Oakes, N. D.
Dear Sir: Seeing notice in the Ma
tional Tribune of Aug. 5th of the dedi-
cation of monument on the battle
field of Whitestone Hill, Sept. 3rd
next [46th anniversary of the battle]
by the people of Dickey county, North
Dakota, in which Whitestone is located
in memory of the soldiers of the Sixth
Iowa Cavalry and Second Nebraska
Cavalry, who were killed in this fight,
I write to say that I was in the &C.
tion, being sergeant in Company ''M''
Sixth Iowa Cavalry major Houses
battalion) c. I. F. NJ. the battalion
who found those hostiles on day of bat
tie. l wish to thank you personally
and through you the good people of
Dickey county for their great thought
fulness and consideration in commem-
Grating this event, and the services of
the Sixth Iowa Cavalry in protecting
the people on the frontier in those
years of the great Sioux war from
massacres by the Indians, some of
whom were in the New Ulm and Spirit
Lake butcheries, in showing your appre-
citation and keeping alive to the COM
ing generation the sacrifices made and
lives lost to peaceably settle the Da-
kotas. Those poor fellows who gave
up their lives in line of duty on this
battlefield of Whitestone Hill and whose
remains were buried on the battlefield
and were soon dug up by the coyotes.
and their bones bleached white on the
hills. It certainly is to me very graft
flying and pleasing that the good people
of Dickey county have appreciated
their deeds in erecting lasting testi-
monial.
The Sixth Iowa Cavalry was handi-
capped in not having war correspon-
dent along to tell our hardships and
fight our battles. Our histories do not
mention the services Of the Sixth Iowa
Cavalry in this Indian border war and
if not for the good people Of Dickey
county this Whitestone Hill battle and
the services of the Sixth Cavalry would
eventually be forgotten.
The Sixth Iowa Cavalry was fortun-
ate in its field officers. Its first colonel,
D. S. Wilson, was West Pointer and
Colonel S. M. Pollock, it's second col
onel, who was with US most of our
time, was a fine officer as also our
three majors, Crane, Ten Brook and
House, were good soldiers-I believe
that the Sixth Iowa Cavalry was not
excelled but by few cavalry regiments
in the army for intelligence and discip-
line. A great majority were farmer
boys and frontier plainsmen, who could
shoot straight and were good horsemen.
A few days before the battle we had
seen by the fresh "signs" that we
were in the vicinity Of the hostiles and
small scouting parties were sent out
for short distances as but the morning
of Sept. 3rd Major Houses battalion
started having two days rations in their
haversacks. The major took along the
chief guide, Frank LaFrambois. The
trail getting quite shot" about noon,
Major House halted the battalion to
rest the horses, which we picketed
close by, and gathered buffalo chips to
make coffee. Soon q horseman was
seen coming on a eallop over the hills
to the eastwhoproved to be LaFrambois
saying the Indians were found camped
on small lake-twenty lodges of them
five miles to the east. Major House
had his bugle blow Saddle up"
Every trooper ran for his horse and
fell into line and in few minutes we
were going swiftly over the hills to
catch the Indians, leaving the coffee
untouched. We soon found we were
amidst 5000 hostile savages and had
"more bear" than we wanted. La.
Frambois had been sent back to Genera
Sully to tell of finding the Indians anc
to hurry forward with the command
Other couriers were sent to tell of tht