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The cause is not impor- tant, l)ut the trouble finally became serious enough to warrant the call upon the Secretary of War for the support of troops to repress tur- Ijulence and disorder amongst the Indians of that nation. In September an expedition was organized in the l)ei)artment of the I'latte, and the following troops were ordered out : one company of die 4th Infantry under Lieutenant Butler D. Price; Trooj) K, 3d Cavalry, Caj)- tain Lawson commanding ; and two troops, 1) (Lt. J. V. S. Paddock) and F (Captain J. S. Payne), of the 5th Cavalry. Major '1'. '1'. 'I'hornburgh, 4th Infuntry, commanded the whole, and Acting Assistant-Surgeon Crimes was the medical officer. This command was concentrated at Fort Steele, Wyoming, on the llnion Pacific Rail- road, and marched south from that jjoint to- wards White River Agency about the 21st of September. Nothing of an unusual character occurred during the first few days of the march, nor was itsujjposed that anytiiing of a serious \()i.. Xl.ll. 107. nature would hapi)en. The agent had asked for one hundred soldiers and more than druble that number were in this c()lun,n. The troojjs were c// roiitf to a certain |)oint to preserve order, not expecting to make war. The Utes understood that, and the ■ very evenmg preceding their attack upon the trooi)s, the chiefs entered , the soldiers' camp, partook of their hospitality, and assured them of their friendship. 'I'he report of (leneral Crook says, " The last message M eeker ever sent to Thornburgh was to tht eftect that the Indians were friendly and were flying the United States flag. Yet, in the face of all this, tht very next morning these Indians, with- out provocation, treacherously lay in ambuscade and attacked the troops with the result already known." This, Ceneral Crook says, is not war, it is murder; and the General, as usual, is correct. But is it not strange that, with all the horrible examples fur- nished us in past years, we have never been in the habit of preparing for murder as well as war? It seems at least unfortunate that all our Indian wars must of necessity be inaugurated with the massacre or defeat of the first detachment. It may be interesting, if not instructive, to give a few examples. The Modoc War of 1872, in which so many valuable lives were lost, was begun by the ad- vance of half a troop of the ist Cavalry. This force rode up to the Indian camp, dismounted, and were standing to horse, with probably no thought of being murdered or of any serious trouble. It is reported that while the officer in command was talking to the chief a rifle was discharged by an Indian, either acciden- tally or as a signal, and that instandy thereafter firing on the troops took place and a number were killed and wounded. Tiie Indians, about sixty in number, taking advantage of the con- fusion among the trooj)s, retired to their strong- hold in the lava beds, murdering every white man eii route. In this stronghold tiiey defied the Covernment, massacred a commission com- posed of prominent men sent to them in peace, and withstood the attacks of 1300 soldiers for months, and until both food and water gaveout. «:i7 4tjino ^^&nmm^mn9^^^^^m^^mim!^^m^mmm!^m^^mmm^^m mf^ m 838 BESIEGED BY THE UTES. ^-^:55^*?ft-d Sy;, """''*''"'' '■"''~'*^A where tlechii which wastiii troojjs tack. mainii enem\ Anion and S of thi tlie be wounc of the reniov It is Si ih mj!J-M"''ij ■I liESIEGKD BY THE UTES. 84. nd all be- leir noble I tbe field, them for- inlooked- them still perhaps, I too late jnfidence, to repair It the sac- i-asanoble •ed by all. awing him any in the )ukl have m a match they could 3 the fight like ecpial )n this first nteer was ike one of jle steal his :he nearest volunteers avalry, was and he ac- liles to the jrced upon ' the senior imand, was tely within k^er. It was 1 the moun- of the tops On these d while be- themselves, any soldier i)rk, or while soldiers re- s not known ig the siege. WW close be- open attack e attempted. )r table, anil 1 the stream, ing the day, to fill their vere almost ;nemy, who, I found con- the river in of the party e breastwork solute neces- sity, even if it cost life, another party was sent part of the breastwork, ami were used to jiro- out, this time under escort of armed men. As tect the Mving, soon as the party was fired upon, the escort Kxciting accounts have been laiblished of discharged their guns, and although firing in the situation ofa party of our countrymen held the dark and at random, it is supposed that one fast by the ice of tlie frozen north. It may be or more (A tiie enemy were wouniled ; at any said that they had rations, were c:(jmparatively rate the Indians fled, and the troops were not comfortable, and had only to wait for a return l)revented after that from getting water at night sufficient for the next day. With the dawn of the second day com- menced the firing upon the troops from the li ill-tops. Not an Indian could be seen on whom to return the fire ; only a ])ufir of white smoke indicated from time to time 'hf-m* < - 1' ■ ■ '''' ' UIES WATCHING KOK TIIR KKLIKK COI I'MN where the bullet came from; and as there waslit- tle chance of finding the Indian at the spot from which he had fired, there seemed to be no use wasting ammunition on s])ace, and firing by the troops was kept up only to jjrevent open at- tack. On this day nearly all the animals re- maining alive were easily disposed of by the enemy , and some men werekilled and wounded. Among the latter were Lieutenant Padilock and Surgeon (Irimes. The long weary hours of this (lay must have been trying indeed to the besieged. 'I'he suffering and groans of the wounded seemed more terrible than the sight of the bodies of the dead, which could not be removed except at the expense of other lives. It is said that afier night these bodies became of the sun to thaw their prison doors and set them free. But these soldiers, altliough nearer home, w ere brought to a stand where a life was called for at every crack of the rifle, and where to them the light of day was the season of dis- tress. From the number of lives already lost in this short time, and the number of wounded reipuring care and increasirg the anxiety, and considering the time that must elapse before help could possibly reach tpem, an hour here contained more real suftering than could be felt in many days of waiting only for the sim to shine. Aside from being constantly harassed by the enemy from the outside, an incitlent occurred on the inside of the works this day that came near finishing the lives of some of the wounded. One of the horses was shot in such a manner as to make him irantic and unmanageable. He charged about the inc'osure in a furious way until exhausted, and Uien fell into the pit among the wounded, fortunately no one was injured, but some of the men said that in their nervous ^ ■29 to|lfe|iJ;ir|«|^^^^^^^^^^ Ki V.J ■. (■ V B i « i ^:! 5 15 g :f iiiiillllllBH I?! ui 11 1 liESIEGED BY THE UTES. 843 _f.U 0OlicRtMi''iirDN condition they thought the whole Ute nation had jum])c(l from the tops of tlu' hills to the bottom of the pit. At an early hour on the morning of Ortoher 2(1, the sentinel heard thea])i)roach of a column of horsemen, and the besieged soon wel- comed Captain Dodge, 9th Cavalry, at the head of his troop. The captain, having heard of the situation, came at once to the assistance of his comrades, and managed to get through to the in- trenchment without losing any of his men. This rein- forcement of two officers and fifty enlisted men added materially to the fighting strength of the command, and they brought with them also the cheering news that the courier had passed 4hrough safely. The horses upon which this party rode were soon disposed of by the enemy, and Dodge and his troop became as much of a fixture as any of the besieged. 'I'he gallant dash made by these colored troop- ers brought them into high favor with the rest of the command, and nothing was considered too good for the " Bufifalo " soldiers after that. Captain Dodge almost immediately received well-merited promotion, and was the hero of the campaign. Leaving the besieged to worry through the days and nights that are to pass before relief can reach them, we will go with the swiftly riding courier, and see what follows his arrival at the railroad. On the morning of October 1st, our cjuiet garrison at Fort D, A. Russell, near Cheyenne, Wyoming, was aroused by the information re- ceived from Department Headquarters, that Thomburgh and most of his command had been massacred by the Ute Indians, and that the few ofticers and men remaining were intrenched, protecting the wounded and fighting for their lives. The commanding officer. General Wesley Merritt, fortunately possessing all the charac- teristics of a true cavalryman, always had his command well in hand. At this time he had four troops of the 5th Cavalry and one com- pany of the 4th Infantry, and when this sudden call reached him all that was necessary was to sound " boots and saddles " and go. The order to take the field reached us about 8 A. M., and at 1 1 a. m. we had saddled up, TIDINGS OK THE KKl.lEF COLUMN — LISTENING TO OFFlCHKs' CALL. had marched two miles, and were loaded on the cars, — horses, eijuipments, pack-mules, ra- tions and all, — and were under way. We reached Rawlins Station, our stopping place, about I A. M. next morning, and met there four companies of the 4th Infantry, also ordered for field service under Cieneral Merritt. The rest of that night was spent in preparing for the march. The infantry, in wagons, were on the road by 10 a. r[. ; the cavalry marched a little later, but overtook the infantry about twenty-five miles outat 5 p. m. Then all pushed on together until 1 1 p. m., when it became nec- essary to halt and rest the animals. At 7 a. m. we were on the road again, and continued marching until 11 p. m., at that time reaching the camp of the infantry company left behind by Major Thomburgh. Here a short rest wa?^. taken, and at dawn of day we resumed the march, reaching the entrance to Big Bear Canon about 4 p. m. This was a rough, ugly looking place to enter with a command at night, especially with the knowledge of disaster in front and not far oft". But the situation called for the greatest exertion, as well as the taking of all the chances, and although we had already made an unheard-of march that day, and on previous days, every man was anxious to go on, and even the animals seemed to be under the influence of the hour. While they were be- ing rubbed down and fed, the men had their coffee and hardtack, and just at dusk we started 844 BESIEGED /fV TlfE UTES. J (lit' for the last march, li()|)iiig soon to reach tliosc wc knew to ho in distress, and who could only 1)0 saved by our coming. ( letting through • hat canon at night was a desperate undertak- ing, leaving the Indians entirely outof the ([ues- tion, and on looking at the breakneck places afterwards by daylight, over which we had passed, it seemed a miracle that we succeeded in getting through without losing all the wag- ons carrying the infantry, and some of the horsemen as well. The cavalry was in the lead, but the "charioteers," as the infantry were called, followed close behind, and on the down grade occasionally ran into the rear of the cav- alry column. On the ascent the infantrymen ("lonoral Merrill at this time was some dis- tance ahead with the cavalry, and crossing the last hill he entered tiie -alley just at dawn of day. It was yet too dark to see the intrench- ment, but the column, while pressing on, was soon brought to a halt by a challenge from the besieged. A trumpeter was then sunmioned and oflicers' call sounded. This brought ail hands to the top of the l)rea.stwork, and a lively c'leor answered the last note on the trum|jet. A wild scene followed this coming together of old comrades, and while it was g./ing on, the enemy, although at their posts within easy range, did not fire a shot. Nor did they seem to be alarmed by the arrival of this over|)()wer- 'i III' KKI.IKl- 1(11 HMN. — I. jumped from their wagons and pushed horses, wagons and all up the grades. On reaching the summit each party boarded its wagon, and, with a cheer, away they went down the grade on the run. All were under so much of a strain that fatigue or sleep was not thought of. Thus it was, up one hill and down another all night, and no light-artillerymen were ever more ex- pert at mounting their limbers, than these in- fantrymen in getting out of and into those wagons on the run. Between 4 and 5 a. m. we reached a point about four miles from the intrenchment, and at that hour saw a sight that made the blood run cold. A citizen wagon train, hauling supplies to the agency, had been cap- tured by the Indians, and every man belonging to it had been murdered, stripped, and partly burned. As we had had no news from the front since leaving the railroad, this was something of a surprise, and as may be imagined, at that hour in the morning, not a pleasant opening for the day. The wagon train, for the last few miles, had been stretching out a little, but on reaching this spot it was observed that all in- tervals were rapidly closed up and kept closed. But notwithstanding this depressing sight, some rude jokes were made, as usual, by the old sol- diers in passing, and recruits were made to fear that before another sun should rise they wcjuld be broiled m like manner. ing force, but were for the time being quiet spectators of this grand reunion, their portion of the fun probably being in the supposition of " more horses, more shoot him." The Cleneral, having the responsibility, was probably the only one of the party in accord with the Indian idea, and consecpiently, not wasting much time on congratulations, he im- mediately set to work to prevent the loss of more men or horses. The rear was safe in the hands of the in- fantry, and the cavalry was ordered to take the nearest hills on the flanks. This accom- jjlished, the Cleneral moved out a short distance to the front, having a troop of cavalry as escort, but did not advance half a mile before being fired upon. We, however, recovered the body of Major Thornburgh, which up to that time had lain upon the battle-field of the first day. Un- der existing circumstances, a civilized enemy, o* si":h an one as we are taught to fight in text- jooks and in field manoeuvers, woukl have made a hasty retreat over the mountains, and any strategist in command could have made certain calculations, but these Ute Indians, in- stinctively brave and not at all instructed, had the utmost confidence in their power to resist any number of soldiers attacking them in their mountain homes. The Sioux Indian, on the open jjlains, likes >.ifcw« W I* 1 1 <| - tijfc *.^.*, f . C *.j V j. *- .« r*i' BESIEGED liY THE UTES. 84 s some (lis- fjssing tlu- t (hiwn of • intrciuli- 1)^' on, was ;c from tlic ;iimmonc(l roiiglu all nda lively e trumpet, ogether of ng on, the itliin easy they seem iveri)ower- to show himself as much as |)ossil)le, thinks to intimidate his foe by such (lis|)lay, and by showing himself at ditU'erent points in a short space of time, to make several Sioux out of one. On the contrary, the wuoreaboutsof the Ute Indian amongst the rocks of the mountain side, nearly his own color, cp- not easily be discovered ; he is not known until the crack of his riHe is heard and his enemy falls, and even then the smoke covers a change of posi- tion. It is therefore impossible ever to get a Sioux into the mountains to fight, or to get a Ute out on the ])lains for the same purpose. (leneral Merritt, on seeing that the Indians were still determined and prepared to dispute bearer of the flag was allowed to cross the val- ley and enter our lines. Me |)roved to be an employe of the Indian Department, and had been sent up from the Uncumpahgre Agency to stop the war, the White River Utes, witli whom we were fighting, being in a way under the control of Colorow, th'; chief of the Un- cumpahgres. It is supposed the Indians were ready to stop anyhow, seeing the amount of force m)w on the ground and prepared to pun- ish them. This virtually raised the siege and ended the war. Leaving a light picket line to watcii the enemy, the rest of the troops were with- drawn and marched back to the intrenchment, .% ^ y^^.t^k , 1HE KKl.IEK COLUMN. )eing (|uict eir portion iupi)Osition ;ibility, was ' in accord uently, not ons, he im- the loss of of the in- ed to take his accom- 3rt distance y as escort, ;fore being d the body lat time hail : day. Un- zed enemy, ght in text- /ould have ntains, and have made Indians, in- ructed, had er to resist lem in their plains, likes any advance on the part of the .soldiers, ordered three troops of cavalry and all the infantry deployed to the front at once. Notwithstand- ing the fatigue of the long march and no break- fast, the men sprang to their feet and moved forward as if for the first time that day. Quite an exciting skirmish resulted from this advance, and the enemy went dancing round on the hill- tops like monkeys, under the short-range fire of the cavalry carbines ; but when the infantry battalion, which had deployed behind the crest, came up to the top and opened fire, a change of scene was at once perceptible. The first vol- ley from the infantry rifles made a rolling sound through the mountains like artillery ; the Utes ceased the ballet performance and disappeared behind the hill, but sdll kept up their fire on both infantry and cavalry. The troops, how- ever, adopting the Ute tactics, kept quite as well sheltered, and as it was not the intention to advance further that day, everybody being worn out, the tired soldiers actually went to sleep on the line of battle, a few men being on the lookout and firing occasionally. About noon there seemed to be some ex- citement going on among the Indians, and a large white flag was displayed to view. P'ield- glasses were at once brought to bear, and it was discovered that a white man was waving the flag. Firing on both sides ceased, and the Vol. XLIL— 108. where a jollification was now in order. 'l"he wounded were taken out of the loathsome place where they had suffered so many days, and made comfortable. Those who had not been able to was)h since the first day's fight now made themselves more presentable and showed their true faces. The fearful stench from the intrenchment, owing to the material used in its construction, was such as to necessitate a change of camp, and the whole command, accompanied now by the rescued party, moved back on the road about one mile, to clean ground and plenty of pure water. An unconquerable desire to sleep and rest then overtook these worn-out soldiers. All forms and ceremonies for the rest of that day were dispensed with, and the valley, lately ring- ing with the sound of men in combat, was now as quiet and still as was its wont. In this short campaign there were 13 men killed and 48 wounded, out of a command 1 50 strong.i The papers throughout the country mendoned it for a day or two as " the Ute affair," and there it rests, being one of several instances where the percentage of loss is greater than that experienced in battles of which monu- ments are being erected and elaborate me- 1 Killed 8 ^ per cent., and 32 per cent, wounded. i ;«^#- 846 BESrRGED BY THE UTES. ^ INIANTKV COVERING THE WITHDRAWAL OF CAVAI.RV. morials published to commemorate deeds of bravery. After the command brought down by Gen- eral Merritt had been well rested and was ready for another advance, it proceeded through the mountains to WHiite River and the agency. It was a beautiful bright morning in October when we bade good-by to the rescued com- mand under Captain Payne, whose faces were turned towards home, while we marched south to rescue the employes at the agency. The in- fantry and wagon train marched on the road, while the cavalry were well out on the flanks and in advance. The white horses of B Troop, 5th Cavalry, could be seen npw and then wind- ing along the crests of the hills on one side, while the blacks of A Troop kept pace with them on the other. No attack could have been made on that column without due warning, and the result was we crossed the high hills and wound through canon after canon, reaching the valley of White River and the agency without hearing a shot or, to my knowledge, seeing an Indian. At the agency a horrible sight presented it- self. Every building had been burned, the bodies of all the male employes were stretched upon the ground where they had been mur- dered a few days before, and the women had been carried off into a captivity worse than death. After the dead had been buried, the command went into camp on White River. The Indians had taken to the mountains, and in order to follow them it was necessary to abandon wagon transportation and fit up pack trains. AVhile these preparations were going on, we had still another sad experience, and a reminder that the Utes were still near us and relentless enough to take any advantage pre- senting itself. , A party under Lieutenant Hall, regimental quartermaster, was sent out to reconnoiter and look for a trail across the mountains from White River to Clrand River. With this party was Lieutenant William Bayard Weir, of the Ordnance Department, and his sergeant, Humme. Weir went out as a volunteer to ac- company Hall, and to hunt. As the party were riding along on the trail, a small herd of deer was discovered off to the left in a ravine. Weir and Humme went after them, while Hall kept on to the front. He had not gone far, however, before he saw fresli Indian signs, and soon af- terwards heard sliarp firing to his left and rear. On turning back to ascertain the cause and to help Weir if he should be in trouble, he was fired upon himself, and discovered that he was surrounded by Indians. He covered his party as quickly as possible in the dry bed of a stream near at hand, and kejjt the Indians off until after dark. Then riding into camp he first discovered that Weir had not come in, and reported that he was probably killed. The battalion of the 5th Cavalry was turned out at once, and, as it was 10 p. m., we had an all- night marcli ahead of us. Just at dawn we reached the place where Weir had left Hall, and we took his trail and followed it up until we found his dead body lying cold and stiff on the mountain side. This seemed indeed an unnecessary sacrifice. Weir was a noble fel- low, beloved by all, and the gathering of that sorrowing crowd of soldiers about his body was a sad experience even to the oldest of them. His face still bore the familiar and kindly ex- pression we knew so well. An overcoat was wrapped around the body, and it was then strapped on a cavalry horse. We returned to camp as sad a funeral procession as one could well imagine. The country through which we were then operating was a howling wilderness ; it is now traversed by railroads and covered with vil- lages and farms. Children at play unwittingly trample the grass over the graves of soldiers who gave their lives that they might live and thrive, and communities throughout the West generally send representatives to Congress, some of whom, in the peace ind plenty of their comfortable homes, fail to recognize, in Wash- ington, the hardships, privations, and sacrifice of life suffered by the army, before their pros- perity could be possible or the lives of their constituents assured. In this the simple duty of soldiers was per- formed, and no cretiit is claimed, but should not the record of past deeds such as these, ac- companied by the prosperity that has followed, at least guarantee a more generous feeling for the army by all citizens, more especially by those who are called upon to support it ? E. V. Sumner, Lt.-Colonel sth Cavalry, U. S. A.