Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-11

lodges to the Cheyenne camp Of
Chief Two Moons, consisting most
ly Of agency Indians. He-Dog
broke company with Ogallala Chief
Crazy Horse. his lifelong friend,
to do it. But Crazy Horse and
another man Of spirit, Sitting Bull,
had no idea of dragging their
women and children several hun
dred miles across badlands In dead
of winter. They stayed put.
Gen. George Crook headed
north from Fort Fetterman, Wyo-
ming Territory. on March l. On
March II Cheyenne. on the over
land telegraph line. got q little
news Of him. and sent this message
clicking over prairie and mountain
to The Star: "On the 7th instant
Gen. Crook left the main camp at
Fort Reno, taking q pack train
and Is days rations for cavalry,
and struck out after the Indians
known to be north Of that place.
Since which date nothing has been
heard OF him."
Had the operator known it, he
could have reported action that
very day. For that was the day
of Reynolds Fight.
Gen. Crook (the Indians called
him Three Star") had gone on
down the Powder River. and across
what is now the Montana line he
found Sioux pony tracks. They
led to broken country. and his
mules shoes were too smooth to
enter 1t. He made camp and
sent Col. Joseph J. Reynolds, a
reduced Civil War general, to fol-
low the tracks and. If possible, find
Chief Crazy Horses village.
Wrong Village
What followed was error piled
on error.
Col. Reynolds scout was one
Frank Grouard, known to the
Sioux as Sitting With Upraised-
Hands. He had been captured by
them years before and adopted
into Sitting Bulls family. He
spoke Sioux well. Stanley Vestal,
who has spent more than 40 years
looking into this kind of matters,
says Sitting Bulls two nephews
told him Grouard was skillful and
efficient.
Be that as it may, Grouard had
to walk all night at 60 below on
the night of March Is. At day.
break, in a heavy fog. he found
an Indian village-105 teepees.
Peering as best he could-willows
and cottonwoods were scattered
about. for this was in a low bot
TOM and Of Powder River-Grou-
ard thought he recognized some
Of the horses. He had seen them
before, while with Crazy Horse.
He went back and told Col. Rey-
nolds he had found Crazy Horses
camp.
Never was a man more mis-
taken. It was not Ogallala Sioux,
but Cheyenne camp. and the
cheyennes were not on the war
path at all.
A plan Of attack was made
quickly. The object was to kill
or capture all in the village. Col
Reynolds split his command into
four attachments. One was to
charge the camp, he held another
in reserve, a third was to round
up the Indian ponies. The fourth
detachment was to occupy the
near slope of steep. rocky hills
which. were about half mile back
of the village and intercept all
those fleeing.
The first body of troops went
tearing in, achieving complete
surprise. Nevertheless, the fight
was hot for a few moments, as
the Indians gave way slowly. The
reserves had to be thrown in
When they were the Indians broke
for the rocky hills behind.
Col. Reynolds fourth detach-
ment should have been there. But
it had stopped on the way to fire
from the flank into the village
melee, and there was no one on
the slope. to hold the Indians
They took the hills, quickly found
cover among the rocks, and re-
turned such fire as they could
with the few guns they had.
That was all there was to the
fight. Col. Reynolds let them stay
there. Indian casualties were one
warrior killed, an old woman
wounded, an old blind squaw
taken prisoner: Col. Reynolds lost
four killed, six wounded.
But the mistakes were not yet
over. What follows is almost be-
yond belief. Col. Reynolds found
the Cheyenne village crammed
with dried buffalo beef, warm
shaggy robes and agency goods
It was plentifully supplied with
ammunition. He captured TOO
ponies.
Col. Reynolds had several choices
with six wounded, in far-below-
zero weather. He could have put
his tired, freezing command into
the teepees to eat and warm up
He could have loaded a hundred
or more ponies with buffalo meat
and robes and driven them back
with him as rations and comfort
for his command, shooting the
rest of the ponies to keep them
from the Indians.
Instead, Col. Reynolds burned
the camp forthwith - teepees
meat, robes and all. Gle left one
lodge standing for the old blind
squaw.) He abandoned his
wounded, to fall into Indian hands
With only one dav'a rations. he