The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-08-13
NEW HISTORICAL WORK ON THE
EARLY INDIAN WARS TO BE
PUBLISHED SOON
Gives Graphic Account of Wagon
Box and Hayfield Fights; Tells
Story of Forts Phil Kearney and
G. f. Smith, Around Which Bloody
Battles We're Fought.


! and E. A. Brinistool, of Los Angeles
! author of Trail Dust of a Mavericks
The Bozeman Trail gives accurate
! ly compiled historical accounts O
: the blazing of the overland route
| into the northwest, and particular
J the story of the bitter warfare TO
two years, from 1866 to 1868, alonl
, the Montana boundary line that fol
lowed the governments efforts t.
open and keep clear road for golt
seekers north from the Oregon trai
to the Montana goldfields through
the Powder river country.
The story of the Bozeman Trail i.
: one of the most thrilling and inter
esting in all the annals of IndiaI
warfare in the west. The trail lee
through the choicest hunting ground!
of the Sioux and Cheyennes, who
united under Red Cloud. The route
was red with the blood of both In
dian and white disputers of the ter.
ritory, and of emigrants who sought
passage through the forbidden ter
ritory.
From the day when Col. Henry B
Darlington met Red Cloud at the
Fort Laramie peace conference, in
June, 1866, where the great Sioux
leader refused all overtures of peace
as long as his hunting country was
invaded by the whites, and openly de-
fled the United States troops by go
ing Immediately on the warpath, to
| the fall of 1858, when the govern
ment abandoned the forts and the
Powder river country, the Bozeman
Trail swarmed with Red Clouds war
riors. The rebuilding of Fort Reno
and the erection of Forts Phil Kear-
ney and G. F. Smith, at widely-sep-
arated points along the trail, threw
the savages into ungovernable rage.
Skirmishes and fights were of almost
daily occurrence. Thrilling encoun-
tiers with the red defenders of the
Powder river country, and all along
the Sweetwater and North Platte
rivers, to the south, were numerous
and bloody.
In this history of the northwest's
thrilling days in the sixties, the au-
thors present for the first time, many
interesting facts regarding those
frontier days, and of life at the three
forts along the Bozeman Trail. Much
new material is given from actual
participants in the events related.
The chapters on the Wagon Box
and Hayfield fights, the former oc-
curing near Fort Phil Kearney, and
the latter near Fort C. F. Smith are
probably the most spectacular and |
extraordinary engagements between |
white men and Indians ever fought |
This is entirely new and original ma
terial, from authentic and reliable
sources. The stories are from men I
now living who participated in those
fights. The Hayfield fight is a ia
booed topic in army circles, for rea-
sons explained in the narrative. 1t /
Is given from information furnished /
BY civilian employee of the sutler at Il
Fort Smith, who was one of the Hay-l
field defenders.
The desperate fight at Platte
Bridge station, prepared from the
1iary of Lieutenant William Y. Drew,
Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, is a hith-
,rto unpublished account of that dis
astrous affair. In it Lieutenant Cas-
par Collins and more than twenty
brave men met awful deaths at the
lands of the Indians.
OF special interest are the accounts
If Red Cloud, the great Sioux war
thief. New and important facts
lbout this wonderful Indian general
Ind orator, never before published,
ire presented from accounts furnish
I'd by James H. Cook, an intimate
riend for 35 years of the noted war
ior. These disclose noble qualities
nd splendid traits of character
which the average white man never
bought existed In the breast of this
lntutored savage of the plains. Red
loud was the greatest Indian of his
ime-a keen, shrewd, daring, relent-
ess enemy in war-a staunch, I'M
werving friend in peace.
The volumes present large
mount of fresh and interesting in
Idents In the life of this greatest of
"the Napoleon of the
.ockies," gathered from men who
ere personally acquainted with
ridger. No man ever lived who so
thoroughly knew the Rocky noun
lin region as Jim Bridger. He was
ways consulted by the government
hen expeditions were to be sent
ut or military maneuvers executed.
8 q guide he stood unrivaled. No
ainsman understood so thoroughly
le wiles and stratagems OF Indian
arfare. This material is of unusual
Importance to those interested in the
estern scouts, guides and trailers.
The illustrations are many. Few
ave hitherto appeared in print. The
awnings of Forts Laramie and Hal
ok, as we'll as those of the stage
i'd telegraph stations along the
latte river end Oregon trail, are
ON originals made in 1853, by
ugler c. Moellman, Eleventh Ohio
avalry, who was stationed at Platte
ridge. The drawing of Fort Phil
most valuable and un-
yual picture-is by Bugler Antonio
icoN, Second U. 8. Cavalry, made
the fort in 1857. 1t is the first
ew ever printed of the 'shated fort
, the Little Piney." Many photo
raphs were taken by the authors
ID others during trips to the Va
ous points Of interest The plans
! battles were specially drawn from
formation furnished by those who
therein. II