_Indian Troubles during construction._
History of 1864-1865-1866-1867-1868 and 1869--Government Posts
Established--Major North and His Pawnees--Ex-Soldiers Ogallala--Plum
Creek--Sidney--Battle At Julesburg.
The country through which the Union Pacific Railroad was built was the
hunting grounds of the Pawnee, Sioux, Arapahoes, Crows, Blackfeet,
Bannock, Snake and Shoshones, the first three on the plains and the
others to the west. These were among the most warlike tribes of the
West, and during the construction of the road they were the occasion
of serious trouble, not to speak of the annoyance and delay as well as
the extra expense occasioned.
The following summarizes the conditions existing on the plains during
the time the road was under construction.
During the summer of 1864, the whole line of the Overland Stage from
St. Joseph, Mo., to Salt Lake City, was subject to Indian
depredations, so much so, that Ben Holliday, its proprietor, asked the
Government for five soldiers at each of the stage stations, and two to
accompany each coach. Without these, he stated, he would discontinue
the line.
The year 1865 was known as "The Bloody Year on the Plains," and its
history is one constant account of attacks, skirmishes, depredations
and murders by the Indians.
Notwithstanding the Peace Conference at Laramie in May, the year 1866,
was not much better and the relations between the whites and the
Indians were kept at a fighting point, culminating in the massacre by
the Indians at Fort Phil Kearney of eighty-one regular soldiers.
The year 1867 opened with troubles all along the line. The Government
inspectors reported "Indian depredations have caused serious
embarrassment to the locating, construction and operation of the line.
Constant and persistent attacks have occasioned great delay and
expense." The Government aroused to the dangers of temporizing, pushed
a large number of troops into the field, restored old and built many
new posts. This, together with the ease of communication resulting
from the rapidly extending railroad, had a deterrent effect on the
Indians.
1868 was a repetition of the preceding year. A Peace Conference at
Fort Laramie called for April was not attended by the Indians until
November. Numerous attacks were made by them on the whites and the
country kept in a turmoil. During the fall there was desperate
fighting and the army assisted by citizens soldiers punished the
Indians as they had never been punished before, resulting in a much
better condition of affairs during 1869 and thereafter. Nearly all the
Indian troubles occurred on the plains and east of Cheyenne. West
thereof, either owing to better organization on the part of the
railroad and military, or else to the intimidation of the tribes,
there was but little annoyance from this source.
The surveying parties were as a rule accompanied by a small detachment
of regulars and to this fact may be attributed their comparative small
loss of life. While they lost but few of their number, still they were
compelled to work at great disadvantage and frequently brought to a
full stop by the presence of war parties in numbers too great to be
ignored.
They, the surveying and engineering parties, were not so strong
numerically as the grading outfits and did not have their resources.
The different parties not only were frequently driven in but a number
of them were obliged to fight for their lives. The station Hilldale,
Wyo., perpetuates the name of one engineer, Mr. Hill, who was killed
near this place by the Indians while locating the road. Another victim
of the Indians was Colonel Percy in charge of an engineering party on
the preliminary survey. He was surprised by a party of them
twenty-four miles west of Medicine Bow, Wyo.--retreating to a cabin he
stood them off for three days, at the end of which time they managed
to set fire to the building and when the roof fell in he was compelled
to get out, whereupon he was attacked and killed. This took place near
Hanna Station, Wyo., which was originally called Percy in memory of
the Colonel.
Realizing the necessity of military to protect the construction
forces, the Government established numerous forts or posts along the
line, viz:
Fort McPherson, Neb. (originally called Cantonment McKeon, then
Cottonwood Springs Cantonment). Established February, 1866.
Fort Sedgwick, Colo., about four miles from the town of Julesburg,
Colo.
Fort Mitchell, near Scotts Bluffs, Neb., a temporary proposition
occupied only during the construction period.
Fort Morgan, Wyo., not far from Sidney, Wyo., established May, 1865,
abandoned May, 1868.
Fort D. A. Russell, near Cheyenne, Wyo., established July, 1867, still
occupied as an army post.
Fort Sanders, Wyo., near Laramie, established June, 1866.
Fort Fred Steele, fifteen miles east of Rawlins, established June,
1868.
Fort Halleck, twenty-two miles west of Medicine Bow, abandoned 1866.
General Sherman had prophesied that the influx of graders, teamsters,
with their following would bring enough whiskey into the country to
kill off all the Indians, and that the only good Indians were the dead
ones.
One of the most valuable forces during the building of the road was a
battalion of four companies of Pawnee Indians mustered into the United
States' service under the command of Major Frank J. North, January
13th, 1865, this action being taken at the instance of General Custer.
They proved most effective, notwithstanding their somewhat ludicrous
appearance. They were furnished the regular soldiers' uniform which
they were permitted to modify to suit their individual ideas and
taste. As a rule their head dress was the customary Indian one of
feathers. Their arms were the regulation carbine and revolver of the
cavalry to which they added on their own accord, hatchet, knife,
spear, etc., and when fighting was to be done they would strip down to
the buff or rather the copper skin.
The construction forces at this time were being annoyed by the
Cheyennes and Sioux, both of whom were the bitter foes of the Pawnees.
Fort Kearney was the headquarters of Major North and his Pawnees and
their duty was to protect the construction forces while at work.
As illustrating conditions existing, the following is of interest: A
large body of Indians appeared on the scene near Julesburg, Major
North and forty of his Pawnees started from Fort Kearney to the scene
of the anticipated trouble. On the way he found the bodies of fourteen
white men who had been killed by the Indians and their bodies
mutilated beyond recognition, their scalps torn off, tongues cut out,
legs and arms hacked off and their bodies full of arrows. On arriving
at Julesburg, he found the place besieged. Falling on the Sioux, he
put the whole band to fight, killing twenty-eight in the transaction.
This party of Indians had but a few days before surprised a party of
fourteen soldiers, killing them all. Soon after this trouble broke out
with the Cheyennes. Major North and a party of twenty of his Pawnees
started to look into the matter, and while out, struck a band of
twelve Cheyennes. Taking after them, the Major was the only one who
could get near them on account of his men's horses being tired out,
but being better mounted, he was able to get within gun shot and
killed one of the Cheyennes. Seeing his Pawnees were some distance in
the rear, the whole party turned on Major North. He shot his horse,
and using its body for a breastwork, fought the whole party, killing
or wounding nine of them and held them at bay until his men were able
to come up. This fight was considered one of the most daring on the
Plains and added greatly to the fame of the Major and his Pawnees.
After the completion of the road, Major North retired, and in company
with W. F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) went into the cattle business near
North Platte.
As has been stated, many of the officers and men engaged on the work
were ex-soldiers accustomed to the use of arms. The construction
trains and in fact all of the workers were liberally supplied with
arms, principally rifles, and it was the boast that ten minutes any
time was long enough to transform a gang of graders or track layers
into a battalion of infantry. Every man on the work was armed, and it
was the custom for the graders to carry their guns to and from their
work, keeping them stacked within easy distance while at actual work.
"The front" was seldom bothered. As a rule there were too many at hand
to make an attack attractive. It was the little detached parties or
single individuals that were most often molested. After the rails were
down, the trains passing to and from the front and the employees at
the isolated stations and most especially the section gangs were in
constant danger.
Among the first serious experiences was that of a construction train
near Ogallala, Neb. A party of Sioux decided to capture it and compel
it to stop; they massed their ponies on the track, with the result
that there were some twenty or more dead horses, without damage of any
consequence to the train. The trainmen used their guns and pistols to
good advantage, resulting in a number of the Indians being killed.
Later on, one of the Sioux of the party, on being interviewed, said,
"Smoke wagon, big chief, ugh, no good."
At another time, the Indians succeeded in capturing a freight train
near Plum Creek and held it and its crew in their possession.
General Dodge, the Chief Engineer, with a number of men, train crew,
discharged men, etc., was running special, returning from the front to
Omaha when the news reached them, and to quote the General's own
words:
"They (the men on his special train) were all strangers to me. The
excitement of the capture and the reports coming by telegraph brought
all of them to the platform and when I called on them to fall in and
go forward and retake the captured train, every man on the special
went into line and by his position showed he had been a soldier. We
ran down slowly until we came in sight of the train. I gave the order
to deploy as skirmishers, and at the command they went forward as
steadily and in as good order as we had seen the old soldiers climb
the face of the Kennesaw under fire." The train was quickly
recaptured.
Another incident occurred in the same locality, four miles west of
Plum Creek, in July, 1867. A band of Southern Cheyennes, under Chief
Turkey Leg, took up the rails and ties over a dry ravine. It so
happened that the train was preceded by a hand car with three section
men--encountering the break, the car and men fell into the ravine and
one of their men was captured and scalped. In his agony, he grabbed
his scalp and got away in the darkness as had his two more fortunate
companions. The engineer discovered the break by the light of his
headlight, but not in time to stop his train, and the engine and two
car loads of brick, immediately following it, toppled into the ravine
with the balance of the train, box cars loaded with miscellaneous
freight, piled up and round about. The engineer and fireman were
caught and killed in the wreck. The conductor, discovering the
presence of the savages, ran back and flagged the second section
following, which was backed up to Plum Creek Station. In the morning
the inhabitants of Plum Creek, together with the train crews, sallied
out to give battle with the Indians, but found they had departed. From
the cars, they had thrown out boxes and bales, taking from them
whatever had struck their fancy. Bolts of bright colored flannels and
calicoes had been fastened to their ponies, which streamed in the
wind, or dragged over the prairies. Major North and his Pawnees were
at the front scattered in small detachments between Sidney and
Laramie; within twenty-four hours they arrived on the scene in a
special train. Following the trail, in about ten days they fell upon
the Cheyennes, one hundred and fifty in number, and killed fifteen,
taking two prisoners, one of them the nephew of Turkey Leg, their
chief.
Another occurrence took place in April, 1868, near Elm Creek Station,
a band of Sioux attacked, killed and scalped a section gang of five,
and on the same day attacked the station of Sidney, coming out on the
bluff above it and firing down on the town. At the time of the attack,
two conductors were fishing in Lodge Pole Creek, a little way below
the station; They were discovered by the Indians, who charged on them
and shot one who fell forward as if killed. The other happened to
have a pistol on his person with which he kept them at a distance
until he reached the station, where he arrived with four arrows
sticking in him and some four or five other bullet and arrow wounds,
none of which proved serious. His companion also recovered.
Another serious attack was made on a train near Ogallala Station in
September, 1868. The ends of two opposite rails were raised so as to
penetrate the cylinders, the engine going over into the ditch and the
cars piling up on top of it. The fireman was caught in the wreck and
burned to death, the engineer and forward brakeman, riding on the
engine, escaped unhurt. The train crew and passengers being armed,
defended the train, keeping the Indians off until a wrecking train and
crew arrived. Word being sent to Major North, who was at Willow
Island, with one Company of his Pawnees, he came to the scene,
followed the Indians and overtaking them, two were killed, the balance
escaping. The following month the same party attacked a section gang
near Potter Station, driving them in and running off a bunch of twenty
horses and mules. About fifteen of Major North's Pawnees started in
pursuit, overtook and killed two and recovered the greater part of the
stolen stock.
The great battle of construction days occurred near Julesburg in July,
1869. The regulars, under General Carr, and the Pawnees (one hundred
and fifty); under Major North, had put in two months scouting for
several bands of Cheyennes and Sioux that had been raiding through the
Republican and Solomon Valleys, attacking settlements, burning houses,
killing and scalping men, women and children and raising Cain
generally. They ran them to earth near Summit Springs where they were
encamped. On July 11th, they surprised and attacked the Indians who
were under the leadership of Tall Bull, a noted Cheyenne Chief. One
hundred and sixty warriors were slain, among them Tall Bull. He was
seen as the attack was made, mounted upon his horse with his squaw and
child behind him trying to escape. Being headed off, he rode into a
draw or pocket in the side of a ravine where some fifteen other
warriors had taken refuge. He had been riding on a very fine horse,
this he took to the mouth of the draw and shot. He then sent his squaw
and child out to give themselves up; this they did, the squaw
approaching Major North with hands raised in token of submission. She
then advised the Major there were still seven warriors alive in the
draw, entreating that their lives be spared. As the Indians were
shooting at every man they caught sight of, it was impossible to save
them and they were finally shot down. Among the prisoners taken was a
white woman who had been captured by the Indians on one of their
raids. She had been appropriated by Tall Bull as his squaw, and when
the village had been attacked, he had shot her and left her in his
tepee supposedly dead. Soon after the fight commenced, she was found
by one of the officers who, entering in the lodge, saw her in a
sitting position with blood running down her waist. She was a German,
unable to speak English, and up to this time had supposed the fight
was between Indians. On realizing that white men were in the vicinity
and thinking when he started to leave her, that she was about to be
deserted, she clasped him around his legs and in the most pitiful
manner, begged him by signs and with tears not to leave her to the
savages. After the fight she was taken to Fort Sedgwick where she
recovered, and in a few months afterwards married a soldier whose time
had expired. During the fight the troops captured nearly six hundred
head of horses and mules, together with an immense amount of
miscellaneous plunder, including nineteen hundred dollars in twenty
dollar gold pieces that had been taken from the German woman's father
at the time he had been killed and she captured. Of this sum, nine
hundred dollars was turned over to the woman; six hundred dollars by
the Pawnees, and the balance by the regulars. Had the latter been as
generous as the scouts when the appeal for its restoration was made,
every dollar would have been returned.
The above incidents are but a few out of thousands that occurred
during the stormy construction days. They illustrate the trials and
dangers encountered by the hardy pioneers. It was not only at "the
front" that trouble was incurred, but after the building had
proceeded, the section men, station employees and train crews were in
constant danger. At the stations, it was a rule to build sod forts
connected by underground passage with the living quarters to which
retreat could be had in case of Indian attacks. For some time small
squads of soldiers were stationed at every station and section house
along the line, being quartered in sod barracks.
With the completion of the road and the establishment of regular train
service, immigration soon poured in to such an extent as to make the
settlers numerous enough to protect themselves, and it was not long
until "Lo," like the buffalo, was only a memory.