Collection of Nebraska Pioneer ReminiscencesDaughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska
History
Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences
Daughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska
Frontier and pioneer life -- Nebraska; Nebraska -- History
When fifteen years old I enlisted in Company B, Second Nebraska Cavalry,
and went to Fort Kearny. Our company relieved the Tenth Infantry, which
went to the front. In less than twenty days this company was nearly
annihilated at the battle of Fredericksburg.
While at the fort a buffalo hunt was organized by the officers, and I
had an opportunity to go. Our party went south to the valley of the
Republican. The first night we camped at the head of the Big Blue, and
the second day I noticed south of us, about eight miles distant, a dark
line along the horizon extending as far east and west as the eye could
reach. I inquired what it was and an old hunter replied "buffaloes." I
could not believe him, but in a few hours found he was right, for we
were surrounded by millions of them. They were hurrying to the east with
a roaring like distant thunder. Our sportsmen moved in a body through
the herd looking for calves, not caring to carry back the meat of the
old specimens. Strange to say this tremendous herd seemed to be
composed of males, for the cows were still on the Oklahoma ranges caring
for their calves, until strong enough to tramp north again. We noticed
an old fellow making good progress on three legs, one foot having been
injured. One of the party wished to dispose of him, but his wooly
forehead covered with sand, turned every bullet. Finally the hunter
asked me to attract his attention, while he placed a bullet in his
heart. In doing this, he almost succeeded in goring my pony, but I
turned a second too quickly for him. I was near enough to see the fire
flashing from his angry eyes. In a few minutes he fell with a thud.
Several years after the war being over, I worked for the Union Pacific
railroad company. At Kearney, in 1869, we met the Buck surveying party,
who had come west to lay out, for the government, the lands of the
Republican Valley. In this company was a young man from Pontiac,
Illinois, named Harry McGregor. He left a home of plenty to hunt buffalo
and Indians, but found among other privations, he could not have all the
sugar he wished, so at Kearney he decided to leave the party and work
with us. This decision saved his life, for the rest of the surveyors,
about ten in all, after starting south next morning, were never seen
again. They were surprised and killed by the Indians. Their skeletons
were found several years later, bleaching on the Nebraska prairie.
MAJOR NORTH'S BUFFALO HUNT
BY MINNIE FREEMAN PENNY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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