As an instance of Miles’ capacity in handling men, this is what Baldwin says in a private letter, afterward made public, of the orders he received: “When I was given command of this battalion opposite the mouth of Squaw Creek, and the General took command of a less number of men, it was a question as to which would find the hostile Indians, and with the only order or suggestion given by him in that earnest manner characteristic of him, he said, ‘Now, Baldwin, do the best you can. I am responsible for disaster, success will be to your credit; you know what my plans are, and what we are here for.’” There is a dashing, manly ring about such words which I rejoice to recognize. It is a great soldier who can first choose and then trust his subordinates. Footnote 105: At the battle of King’s Mountain, in the American Revolution, the small loss of life among the Americans was due to the fact that the English, trained marksmen though they were, firing down the slopes of the mountain, overshot their opponents, although they had them in full view all the way up the slope; and it is the tendency of troops always to do the same thing. Troops on a level usually fire too low, and the ground between the advancing lines of soldiers is often plowed up by bullets from the depressed muzzles, which should have gone into the breasts of the approaching enemy. Footnote 106: Each lodge accounted for from five to ten persons. Footnote 107: See close of this chapter for another account of the Lame Deer Fight. Footnote 108: These affairs are to be discussed at length in a forthcoming volume. Footnote 109: “On the Border With Crook,” Captain John G. Bourke, U. S. A. Footnote 110: Colonel Brainard won his commission by his heroic conduct in the Greely Arctic Expedition, 1881–4.—C. T. B. CHAPTER TWELVE What They Are There For A Sketch of General Guy V. Henry, a Typical American Soldier I. Savage Warfare The most thankless task that can be undertaken by a nation is warfare against savage or semi-civilized peoples. In it there is usually little glory; nor is there any reward, save the consciousness of disagreeable duty well performed. The risk to the soldier is greater than in ordinary war, since the savages usually torture the wounded and the captured. Success can only be achieved by an arduous, persistent, wearing down process, which affords little opportunity for scientific fighting, yet which demands military talents of the highest order.