Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-12-21

To those who believe that the
Indian wars of Montana involved
little loss of life. n view frequently
expressed, history has an answer.
The answer Is, there were more
lives lost In ratio than during the
Civil war. n fact which discl0ses
that Indian warfare may have been
3 series Of small engagements, but
Ii was exceptionally deadly. I'm the
memoirs Of Gen. c. A. Woodruff
Is contained comment On this fact
which he In turn t0ek frem the
records Of General Sheridan. The
hatter's annual report fer 1877
states:
During the last two years QST5
and 1870 the ratio OF loss Of officers
and men In proportion to the number
engaged in this (western) division IN
Indian wars has been equal b or
greater than the ratio OF loss on either
side in the Russ-Turkey campaign or
in the late Civil war In this country.
take pleasure In saying that both
officers and men throughout the d.
vision have shown a commendable de-
votion TO duty and deserve the appro-
bation Of the country"
General Woodruff continued:
II propose to speak OF events that
during these two years. with only such
sidelightS as are necessary to make
my story Ineligible While shall be
free with the personal prOnoun,
really do not want you to think that
I was alone in Montana--there were
others.
Casualties Were Heavy
THE number OF soldiers killed In
the department commanded by Cen
erals Terry, Cook and Howard was
greater than the number killed In the
Philippines from May !, 1893, to Sept.
30, 1899. and nearly twice the number
Of soldiers and sailors, regulars and
volunteers killed in Cuba and Porto
Rico during the same period
I'm February, 1876. the interior de-
partment asked that Sitting Bulls
band OF 80 or 40 lodges, and not ex-
ceeding 10 warriors, and Crazy Horses
band. not to exceed 200 warriors, be
forced upon their reservation. The In
terror department estimated the hostile
warriors at about 270 Before the end
came the troops faced more than 1000
warriors.
General Crook took the field at
Fort FetterInan, Wyo., with 500 men;
General Gibbon from Fort Shaw,
Mont, with 200 men and q week later
joined by 200 men from Fort Ellis,
Mont: Terry with the Seventh
cavalry and the sixth infantry. about
800 from Fort Abraham Lincoln, N. D.
The country included between these
four points and the British line Is
200. 600 square miles equal to the area
Of New England and New York state,
with absolutely no settlement, no roads
and no trace of civilization.
Cold and Heat
General Gibbons command, TO
which belonged, left Fort Shaw, IS
miles west OF where Great Fails stands
today, March II, 1875, at noon, with
the thermometer 20 degrees below
zero: that night 1t fell to 40 below.
On the Rosebud the following sum-
mer before we returned, the thermom-
eter registered Ill degrees In the
shade In other words, we experienced
change Of outer clothing. In warm
weather we went in our shirt sleeves.
In cold weather we put on our over
coats. You could tell the brand of
flour we used by reading the MARKS
on the sacks used for reseating our
trousers: and / have seen a general
officer sit on the bank Of the Yellow
stone, wrapped In meditation, while his
lInderclothes dried after he had washed
them in cold water.
We were absent until Oct. 10, and
for five months of this time we never
saw a house or a building OF any
kind. During this period we had no
fresh meat excepting q few buffalo
and deer. During the summer the
marched 100 miles, and
some OF our attachments $500 miles.
We had q few encounters with the
Indians, discovered and buried Clusters
dead (there were ITO Of these, but 10
bodies we could not ftnd); dispersed
the Indians. numbering 2y6e0 to 5000
rescued Renos command
and carried the wounded. SS in num-
Der, TO the steamer 10 miles away"
General Woodruff then describes the
battle Of the Big Hole. he says:
"Of the IL officers in Gfn0on's COM
nand, IA bullets found bfIle<s tn tf1car
bodies. Three were killed or died OF
wounds and four were severely wound
I'd. The entire command lost 81 killed
" MORALLY wounded. and 80 wounded,
III but severely: u larger percentage
II loss than that Of the Light Brigade
It Balaklava.
1.-THE Indians left 80 unburied Om
he field, and Joseph admitted q l@m
II 208 killed or mortaIly wounded
o more than Gibbon took into battle.
Surgeon Missing
Owing TO the rapidity for concen-
ration, the command was unable 70
ecure the services Of a surgeon, and
eceived no professional attendance
NTH Towards command arrived three
lays later Twelve days after the fight,
It the end Of a 240-mile march, we
rot the wounded home to our post.
General Gtbbon himself was wounded.
I'VE marched days and nights with
nut water, days OF the most terrible
old without fires or warm food:
marched through the wilderness that
ried mems souls, and lastly, battIed
nth savage foes who made no pre-
ense of concealing their habit OF
the wounded and mutfiating
ne dead. Wounded men were without
he blessing Of anaeSthetics when an
peration was necessary
It Is estimated that while eating
meal on a uiaYaN vnax will have fnw~