Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far WestDrannan, William F.
History
Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West
Drannan, William F.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America -- Wars
In this little battle we got six Indians, and they killed two of
our men and three horses. Lieut. Jackson thought it would now be
advisable to increase the number of scouts and have a sufficient
force together to be able to protect ourselves, for we were to
remain here a month longer, and if in that time we were not able
in some way to get at the Indians we would return to the fort and
wait until spring.
Two weeks later I was out on a scouting tour when I saw a small
band of Indians coming out of Black canyon and making their way
westward. When they were within ten miles of our headquarters I
got to count them, finding there were forty in the band, all on
foot. I decided that they had started on a hunt and I would keep
my eye on them to see where they would camp for the night. By this
time I had all the water in this region located, and when I would
see a band of Indians late in the evening I could tell about where
they would camp.
As soon as I had decided where those would camp I telegraphed to
Lieut. Jackson the situation. Where these Indians camped was
within six miles of our quarters, but a miserable place to enter
with horses, but I thought we could ride within a mile of the
place on horseback.
The Lieutenant, however, was well acquainted with the ground, and
as soon as he read my message he mounted his cavalrymen and
started, and met me within a mile of the Indian camp. Dismounting,
he and his men started on foot to the camp, and he told the
soldiers to walk lightly, and when in sight of the camp to get
down and crawl, but to be very careful not to break a limb or
twig. I was very much disappointed in not getting to see this
fight, for after I had sent my message to headquarters my horse
fell with me and dislocated my right knee.
Lieut. Jackson said that he had never seen Indians fight harder in
the dark than they did. He had three to their one, and said if it
had been daylight he thought they would have held the soldiers in
check for some little time. He did not think that he got all of
them. In this action he lost--two men killed and seven wounded,
two of whom died afterwards from their wounds.
I was laid up for a month with my knee, having to go on crutches
most of the time, and it has given me more or less trouble since,
even up to the present time. After we had arrived at our
headquarters the Lieutenant concluded that as it was getting late,
we had better move in the direction of the fort, and we started,
making ten miles a day, and keeping out a strong force of scouts,
thinking they might be able while in the mountains to capture
small bands of hunting Apaches, but no more Indians were seen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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