An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill (Colonel W. F. Cody)Buffalo Bill
History
An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill (Colonel W. F. Cody)
Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill, 1846-1917; Entertainers -- United States -- Biography; Pioneers -- West (U.S.) -- Biography; West (U.S.) -- Biography
When we had ridden three miles we met Lieutenant Ward. He had run into
a party of Indian hunters. One of their number had been killed in the
encounter, and one of Ward's horses had been wounded.
At the end of five miles we came in sight of hundreds of Indians,
advancing up the creek to meet us.
They formed a complete line on our front. General Carr, who wanted to
strike their village, ordered the troops to charge, break through the
line, and keep straight on.
No doubt this movement would have been successfully executed had it not
been for the daredevil, rattle-brained Lieutenant Schinosky, commanding
Company B. Misunderstanding the orders, he charged on the Indians on
the left, while the rest of the command swept through the line. The
main body was keeping straight on toward the village when it was
discovered that Schinosky and his company were surrounded by five
hundred Indians.
To save the company, General Carr was forced to order a halt and hurry
back to the rescue. During the short fight Schinosky had several men
and a number of horses killed.
Valuable time had been consumed by the rescue. Night was coming on. The
Indians were fighting desperately to keep us from reaching their
village, whose population, having been informed by courier of what was
going on, was packing up and getting away.
During the afternoon we had all we could do to hold our own with the
mounted warriors. They stayed stubbornly in our front, contesting every
inch of ground.
The wagon-train, which had been ordered to come up, had not arrived.
Fearful that it had been surrounded, General Carr ordered the command
to return and look for it. We found it at nine o'clock that night, and
went into camp.
Next morning, when we moved down the creek, not an Indian was to be
seen. Village and all, they had disappeared. Two miles down the stream
we came to a spot where the village had been located. Here we found
many articles which had been left in the hurry of flight. These we
gathered up and burned.
The trail, which we followed as rapidly as possible, led northeast
toward the Republican River. On reaching that stream a halt was
ordered. Next morning at daylight we again pulled out. We gained
rapidly on the Indians, and could occasionally see them from a
distance.
About eleven o 'clock that morning, while Major Babcock was ahead with
his company, and as we were crossing a deep ravine, we were surprised
by perhaps three hundred warriors. They at once began a lively fire.
Our men galloped out of the ravine to the rough prairie and returned
it. We soon succeeded in driving the enemy before us. At one time we
were so close upon them that they threw away most of their lodges and
camp equipment, and left their played-out horses behind them. For miles
we could see Indian furniture strewn in all directions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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