The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-12-18

some place that would give US some
show, as we would have to fight sew
eral times our numbers. So We broke
camp with all the bravado, even sing
ing some of our western songs. We
wanted to show them We were not
whipped before the fight came off.
After getting all in good shape
We moved down the river but had not
gone very far when we saw them fol-
lowing US. As it was then getting
dark we were forced to 60 into camp
in q very peculiar place, something
in the shape like horseshoe. This
place was made by the water as
there was dry creek running through
it. On one. side of this creek there
was high wall of rock which pro
| jected out over the top some fifteen
or twenty feet and in case Of an at
tack we could use it to a good ad
vantage, but that world put our wag-
| ons on the opposite side Of the creek
| from US In this creek there was no
water II was some six or seven
feet deep and about the same in
width on the top. II was made b.
hard rains as the water came down
out of the foothills and as It had 4
great fall the water ran with great
! force down through il.
Shortly after getting things Ill
shape one OF the worst storms com
menced that | had ever seen. II
ratned and hailed for two hours and
after the rain and hail had stopped
the wind blew and It was so dark
you could not tell whether you were
in Dakota or Colorado. Our colored
| soldiers were on the same side of the
creek with our wagons, bat that was
not over twenty feet from Us.
Night Attack on the Plains.
Shortly after It had stopped rain
ing and hailing the Indians made
| their attack. They raised hat yell
| Of theirs and when they did so they
were in among our colored soldiers
| and the fight Lecame fierce IN a
| moments time. But they were mis-
taken in our situation. They sup
| posed We were all on the same side
! Of the creek, but large body OF In
dams on OUT side soon found out
their mistake.
| We opened up on them with our
] breech-loadirg guns and IN few min
utes they stopped firing. Three o. the
colored soldiers came over on our
! side. but they were so excited We
! could not find out anything by them.
! Shortly the Indians came back at Us
and we could make out the white tops
| Of our wagons. VIE had something
| to shoot at and as We could see by
their firing they we're trying to get
| TO the wagons. we concentrated all
our fire on the wagons and after
| a little while they stopped shooting
! and as we we're anxious to find out
| the condition everything was in
around our wagons the half-breed said
he would go over and see.
| Now the water in that ditch was
something fearful, but he went on
through it all right and after a little
while he came back AMI reported
some mules killed and all of the
/ others gone. Just at this time the
| Indians came back and made another
effort to get TO the wagons and this
| time they made It lively for us as
they knew just where We were, but
our time was not yet
| They opened fire on US from two
different directions and did us some
damage this time. We fought them
! for some time this way. and during
| this time some of them crawled up
SO close we had to fight them hand
, to hand and it looked as If every man
would have to look out for himself.
| The worst of these fights was with
| Pawnee Pete and very large Indian.
Just at this time We We're all engag-