The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1909-08-05
w lNSROW VICTORY.
story OF Indian Battle Told
In Old Letter. = -

I
! prosperous and growing State of Mon
tana.
The letter was writtento his young
er brothers just out OF college back in
the East by young man who was ac-
companying an exploring expedition
as naturalist. While lacking In de-
tails il yet paints a picture of incl
dents that in those days happened in
the WEST not very uncOmmonly. The
Charley Reynolds spoken of in the
letter is that celebrated scout and
gentleman - sometimes known as
| Lonesome Charley - who for some
years was chief of scouts at Fort Lin
coin. Neb., and who less than a year
after the date of this letter was killed
by the Sioux and CheyenneS on the
banks OF the Little Big Horn River
when Clusters command was wiped
out of existence and Reno's suffered
I so severely.
At the time this letter was written
/ Camp Baker and Fort Lewis were
military posts, each garrisoned by a
single company OF soldiers. They are
now the one a flourishing town on
Big Trout Greek, fork of the Judith
River, and the other military reser-
walton about forty miles east of Hell
ena, Mont.
The letter, dated at Camp Baker
August 1, 1875, reads as follows.
while you have been Staying the
woodcock right aud left and now
while you are loading cartridges for
the rail have not been idle. 1 have
had my first regular grouse shooting.
The young sharp-tailed grouse are
about as large as banties, the young
sage grouse as large as common hens
and the young blue or dusky grouse
about the size Of cartridges. All of
them are delicious eating, and 1 have
done what i could to keep the camp
supplied with them. l suppose that
in all l have killed between seventy
five and 100 Of them, and of these not
six have been shot on the ground. OF
/ course l have missed great deal, but
on the whole with a properly loaded
/ gun l think l can stop them three
times out of five. I have not taken
many birds as yet owing to lack OF
time. 1 have, however, managed to
take two specimens of the rare Neo-
corys spragueii and two or three of
Aegialitis asiaticus var, montanus,
Coues. Almost all my grouse have
been killed with cartridges loaded for
small birds, and 1 can assure you it
seems somewhat absurd to see a full
grown sage grouse at twenty-five
yards fall to a half ounce of dust. ]
killed my first dusky a week or so
ago. Have only got three or four
skins.
THE day before we got to Camp
Lewis small party of Sioux came to
that post in the evening before sunset
and tried to run of the herd. Now
it so happened that there were
camped near Lewis about $50 lodges
Of the Mountain Crows, a tribe friend
ly to the whites and bitterly hostile
to the Sioux. AS soon as they saw
the hostiles they started after them
The Sioux ran and at dark the trail
was lost and about three-quarters OF
the CrOws-300 in number-returned
to camp. The other 100 camped on a
mountain side and sent out scouts on
the highest hills to watch for the en-
envy. Next morning the scouts re.
ported that the Sioux thinking all the
Crows had gone back we're returnins
to make another attempt on the post
and before long the main body OF the
Crows could see the enemy comins
directly toward them. The unlucky
Sioux came right up to where the
Crows were ambushed and the latter
fired and killed 1--WE, and then charg
ing killed two more before they coulC
get into the timber. The Crows los
one man. but he was a great chief; IL
fact, one of their principal war chiefs
He was named Long Horse. A Siou,
shot him in the side just below tn,
ribs, the ball passing just in front o
the spine and coming out at the othe
side. Long Horse fell, but manage
to raise up again and to shoot deat
the Indian who had wounded him
Then he died
I'VE had been about an hour II
camp and Charley Reynolds and
were taking q bath in Trout Creel
near the post, when we heard severa
shots and whoops, and as three mel
had been killed a few days befor
within quarter Of a mile where w
bank and looked about We saw fou
Indians riding down the bluffs sing
ing and yelping and occasionally firini
a shot. Three OF them were NIGEL
dressed and had war bonnets trimme
with the tail feathers of the golde
eagle; the fourth was naked and car
ried in one hand pole. at the end O
which dangled bunch Of long blac
hair. We had heard about the chas
after the Sioux and saw that thi
must be the Crow party returning
We hurried into our clothes and 500
saw the women and children comm
out TO meet the party. Pretty 500
the procession came down the hill al
dressed out in the finest war costume
They were all in black paint and som
of them had splendid bonnets reach
ing from their head away down t
their horses TANKS Some of ther
had only shirts on and their make