The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-07-02
Craze their tired horses within a few
yards of the road.
Awful Fetterman Massacre


II December 6, 1866, Colonel w. J
Fetterman, an active and dashine
| officer with "a fine war record was
ordered to relieve the wood train
which had been attacked two miles
from the fort and had formed a cor
raj of the wagons for defense. He
left the post with a detachment OF
cavalry and mounted infantry, mum
bering 40 men. with orders to rescue
the wood party and drive the Indians
across Lodge Trail creek. At the
same time Colonel Darlington, with
rs mounted infantry, crossed Piney
creek, hoping to outflank the Sioux
as they retreated. Fetterman at
tackled the reds and relieved the
wood train, and then chased the
Sioux four miles, but the Indians, be-
ing heavily reinforced at that point,
turned and charged his command.
The cavalry suddenly gave way, leav-
II ing Colonel Fetterman, with Cap
tain Brown, Lieutenant Wands and
IA men to face a war party of Sioux
more than 100 strong. They stood
the Indians off till Darlington ar
rived, but Lieutenant Brown, a SER
/ geant and several men were killed.
i
| chief of the Sioux, took personal
| command of the siege of the fort. On
| December 81 a train numbering 80
men, with escorts and drivers, start
ed for the pine woods after timber
A few hours later the watchers in the
fort saw a signal from their lookout
on Sullivant Hill, which read many
Indians on wood road-train corral
ed and fighting against heavy Odds"
At once 80 men were detailed to go
to the rescue, with Colonel Fetterman
and Captain F. H. Brown, the regi-
mental quartermaster, in command.
Lieutenant Grummond also volun-
teered to accompany the relief party
and he was placed in charge of the
cavalry detachment. Two civilian
| ontiersmen-Fisher and Wheatly-I
who happened to be in the post and
who were armed with the then newly
invented Henry Repeating. rifle, Of
fered their services and were accept
ed as members of the party. Fifty
of the soldiers were armed with
Spencer repeating carbines, which
were new and had just recently been
received at the post. The other 80
soldiers had Springfield muzzle-load- |
ing rifles.
Colonel Fetterman marched his
command rapidly upon the Montana |
road, crossed southwest to cut off the |
Indians who had corraled and were
holding at bay the train of timber
wagons. AS Fetterman's command |
reached the foothills leading to the
crest of Sullivant hill, Indians ap-
peared on his front and flank. So
forming his men as skirmishers, he
moved up the hill to the ridge above
the creek. the Sioux keeping just QUIZ.
of range and slowly retiring.
Hear Roar of Battle
The picket on Sullivant Hill then
signalled that the Indians had left
the wood train, and that the latter
was moving toward the pine timber.
Fetterman and his men were seen to
advance, cross the apex of the ridge
and disappear down its further side.
In few minutes dropping shots were
heard, and then scattering fire
which grew until it developed into a
steady roar of musketry, telling to
the anxious listeners at the fort the
tale of desperate fighting beyond the :
ridge. The assistant post surgeon
with one man gallOped nearly seven
miles to the wood train, and finding
that in good order, started for the
ridge where Fetterman's command
had disappeared. He found it occu-
pied by the Indians, so he returned !
and reported at the post. Captain .
Ten Eyck, with rs men-all that ,
could safely be spared from the fort ;
then started for the ridge to help |.
Fetterman. ~
By this time the firing had slack !
ened. Soon it stopped completely, =
and as Captain Ten Eyck topped the
ridge, he saw the valley beyond fill :.
I'd with Indians, dashing about on =
or dismounted, brandish-l :
ng their weapons and haunting his !,
men and daring them to come down 7
Ind fight Ten Eyck saw that hist .
mall command could not cope with :,
he horde of Indians, so he held his :,
ground and sent back to the post for =,
! howitzer. But the Indians evident :,
y feared flank attack from the fort !.
nd began to withdraw. :,
Whole Command Wiped Out n
Then Captain Ten Eyck rode down O
INTO the valley to little ridge. AS n
hey reached the top of this ridge, a
hey came upon sickening sight. IL
Iere, within a space less than sob,
eet square, lay the bodies of Colonel O.
Captain Brown and IS Ire
nlisted men. Each body was strip fl
ed naked, scalped and hacked; the 81
kulls beaten in with war clubs and b;
be bodies mutilated horribly and tt
lmost beyond recognition. IN
There was no evidence of a great til
.ruggle; no indication of protract- fu
defense. Few empty shells lay on bt
he ground. The truth was plain. w,
Command had, after a
INNING fight, run out of ammuni- W!
on. The Indians, aware of this, de
I'D suddenly hurled themselves in a sh
ense mass upon the retreating M
oops, riding them down, shooting, Ca
gearing and clubbing them to death. ia
was almost replica of the Custer on
ght, which was to follow decade tn
ter. ex
Meanwhile Lieutenant Grummond DO
Id dozen enlisted men, who had tn
zen with Fetterman, were missing. CO
arkness was falling and it was i'm ed
,ssible to search for them that day. tic
he next day the body of the lieuten- mt
- - 10 l.