Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-05-19

narQSnpS OF tne tTdA anu the oeaay
which had made it impossible for the
soldiers and citizens to reach the In
dian camp before daylight. 1t further
stated that the Indians had broken
camp and moved on. Later in the day.
another messenger informed General
Gibbon that the Indians had again
gone into camp and that Bradley's
awaiting the arrival of General Gibbon
and the infantry.
Gibbon took his men from the wagons
and rationed them with one days
provisions and 80 rounds of ammuni-
ton each. Leaving 20 men to guard
with the main body and ordered the
wagons to move up as quickly as pos
sible. Despite his haste, it was nearly
shutdown when General Gibbon reached
Bradley's camp. After a meager supper
of bareback and raw pork, the soldiers
. lay down to rest without shelter OF
blankets or the warmth of campfires.
| Indian Camp Located
During the day Lieutenants Bradley
! and Jacobs had secuted the Indian
camp They had learned its exact stu
alton and were ready with the most
minute information when General
Gibbon arrived. In scouting the camp,
Lieutenants Jacobs and Bradley with
Corporal Drummond crept to a thick
edge of the camp. The two officers
climbed a tall pine tree and were en-
abled TO see the entire Indian village.
Obviously, according to what they
saw. Chief Joseph was planning to
camp and rest for several days. Sew
eral Indian herders lazily watched
hundreds of horses that grazed on the
prairie along the banks of the Big
Hole river. Squaws were busy pitching
tents, making beds. cutting lodgepoles,
preparing provisions, and cooking
meals. After a brief look, the lieuten-
ants sent their dispatch to General
Gibbon which caused him to hurry to
their camp.
At 10 o'clock on the night of Aug. 8,
the weary soldiers were aroused from
their sleep by the whispered commands
of the officers. With the utmost silence,
they moved under the guidance of Joe
Blodgett. volunteer, and Lieutenant
Bradley, toward the Indian camp. Five
miles were covered without arousing
the alarm of Chief Joseph and his
band. The soldiers could see smoldering
campfires and hear the bowling of the
hungry Indian dogs.
The soldiers crept to within a few
hundred yards Of the slumbering In
dian camp; they again crossed the
creek and assembled its eastern bluff.
Here, a large herd of ponies was found,
but, although some of the animals
neighed, the ponies did not stampede
and again the soldiers were successful
in not alarming the Indians. Down
the side of the steep bluff thickly over
grown with jackpines and sagebrush,
the soldiers and citizens picked their
way until they reached the position
overlooking the Indian camp and with
in $50 yards of the nearest Indian
lodges.
On South Bank of River
The Indian camp was pitched on the
south bank OF the Big Hole river at
the confluence of Trail and Ruby
creeks. 1t was in an open meadow,
partially surrounded by dense thicketss
of willows. Eighty-nine lodges formed
V with the angle upstream. Below
the camp, four or five hundred ponies
we're tethered to stakes and willows.
The Indians had tied them in order
to be prepared for any emergency.
General Gibbon and his command
halted here and lay down to await the
coming of daylight. 1t was . O'Clock
in the morning.
AS soon as it was light enough to
see, the soldiers resumed their advance.
They made their way down the bluff
into the valley. wadcd the icy river,
the water coming nearly to their arm
pits. Two companies. SannO's and Com
ba's. deplOyed as skirmiShers Logan,
Williams and Rawn, with their COM
panieS went to the extreme right to
cross and attack the camp near Ruby
creek, while Lieutenant Bradley, with
his soldiers and citizen scouts, was
sent downstream to strike from the
lower end
AS the troops we're cautiously advanc-
ing. an Indian rode out of the willows
directly in front of Bradley'S men. He
had neither seen nor heard the soldiers
and was within few feet OF them
when he and his horse were shot down.
The soldiers charged the Indian camp.
Surprise Is Complete
Panic-stricken the Indians rushed
from their lodges only to be driven
back by the suddenness and ferocity
screamed. dogs barked. The surprise
was complete and the Indian camp
was in an uproar. Some of the warriors
fled from their tents without their
gins and had to return later under
terrific fire to obtain them. Others,
who had presence enough of mind to
take their weapons, were too excited
and frightened to use them. All stam-
peded into the brush.
The soldiers were shooting to kill.
Many Indians were shot at such close
range that their flesh and clothing
were burned by gunpowder. Comba and
Sanno and their companies had struck
Vic camp az Lie APEX y! ti!e v. 1LIeS
we're pouring lead into the Indians as
they streamed from their lodges. The
soldiers fired Unfortunately at ev-
erything that moved. Women and
children, reused from sleep, ran away
screaming with terror, begging by
signs for mercy. Some few women
armed themselves in desperation. 9th
ers ran into the river, holding their
babies aloft in mute appeal.
In n short time however the In
dams recovered from their surprise
and gained protection behind the river
banks and even in the very bed of the
stream. The soldiers were now on open
ground and the Indian volleys took
terrible effect. The fire was especially
destructive along the upper end of the
line
At the bend of the river, where the
upper end of the line was situated, the
greatest slaughter of the day took