Comrades, leave me here a little, while as yet ’tis early morn;
Leave me here, and when you want me, sound upon the bugle horn.
In this instance, however, the bugle whose summoning notes I was
supposed to be listening for was one of peculiar structure, and its
tones could only be rendered effective when prompted by the will of the
director at Washington. In other words, I was living in involuntary but
unregretful retirement from active service. I had spent the winter of
1867–’68 most agreeably with many of my comrades at Fort Leavenworth,
but in the spring was forced to see them set out for their summer
rendezvous for operations against the Indians, and myself compelled
by superior authority, or rather by “circumstances over which I had
no control,” to remain in the rear, a non-combatant in every sense of
the word; so much so that I might have been eligible to election as
honorary member of some one of those preponderous departments referred
to by General Hazen in “The School and the Army,” as “holding military
rank, wearing the uniform,” but living in complete “official separation
from the line,” except that I was not “divided from it in heart and
sympathy.” It is a happy disposition that can content itself in all
phases of fortune by the saying that “that which cannot be cured must
be endured.” I had frequent recourse to this and similar consoling
expressions, in the endeavor to reconcile myself to the separation
from my command. For fear some of my readers may not comprehend my
situation at the time, I will briefly remark in parenthesis, and by
way of note of explanation, that for precisely what I have described
in some of the preceding chapters, the exact details of which would
be out of place here, it had apparently been deemed necessary that my
connection with certain events and transactions, every one of which has
been fully referred to heretofore, should be submitted to an official
examination in order to determine if each and every one of my acts had
been performed with a due regard to the customs of war in like cases.
To enter into a review of the proceedings which followed, would be
to introduce into these pages matters of too personal a character to
interest the general reader. It will suffice to say that I was placed
in temporary retirement from active duty, and this result seemed
satisfactory to those parties most intimately concerned in the matter.
When, in the spring of 1868, the time arrived for the troops to leave
their winter quarters, and march westward to the Plains, the command
with which I had been associated during the preceding year left its
station at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and marched westward about three
hundred miles, there to engage in operations against the Indians. While
they, under command of General Sully, were attempting to kill Indians,
I was studying the problem of how to kill time in the most agreeable
manner. My campaign was a decided success. I established my base of
operations in a most beautiful little town on the western shores of
Lake Erie, from which I projected various hunting, fishing, and boating
expeditions. With abundance of friends and companions, and ample
success, time passed pleasantly enough; yet withal there was a constant
longing to be with my comrades in arms in the far West, even while
aware of the fact that their campaign was not resulting in any material
advantage I had no reason to believe that I would be permitted to
rejoin them until the following winter. It was on the evening of the
24th of September, and when about to “break bread” at the house of a
friend in the little town referred to that I received the following
telegram:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
IN THE FIELD, FORT HAYS, KANSAS, September 24, 1868.
GENERAL G. A. CUSTER, Monroe, Michigan:
Generals Sherman, Sully, and myself, and nearly all the officers
of your regiment, have asked for you, and I hope the application
will be successful. Can you come at once? Eleven companies of your
regiment will move about the 1st of October against the hostile
Indians, from Medicine Lodge creek toward the Wichita mountains.
(Signed) P. H. SHERIDAN, Major General Commanding.
The reception of this despatch was a source of unbounded gratification
to me, not only because I saw the opportunity of being actively
and usefully employed opened before me, but there were personal
considerations inseparable from the proposed manner of my return,
which in themselves were in the highest degree agreeable; so much so
that I felt quite forbearing toward each and every one who, whether
intentionally or not, had been a party to my retirement, and was
almost disposed to favor them with a copy of the preceding despatch,
accompanied by an expression of my hearty thanks for the unintentional
favor they had thrown in my way.
Knowing that the application of Generals Sherman and Sheridan and the
other officers referred to would meet with a favorable reply from the
authorities at Washington, I at once telegraphed to General Sheridan
that I would start to join him by the next train, not intending to wait
the official order which I knew would be issued by the War Department.
The following day found me on a railway train hastening to the plains
as fast as the iron horse could carry me. The expected order from
Washington overtook me that day in the shape of an official telegram
from the Adjutant General of the Army, directing me to proceed at once
and report for duty to General Sheridan.
At Fort Leavenworth I halted in my journey long enough to cause my
horses to be shipped by rail to Fort Hays. Nor must I omit two other
faithful companions of my subsequent marches and campaigns, named
Blucher and Maida, two splendid specimens of the Scotch staghound, who
were destined to share the dangers of an Indian campaign and finally
meet death in a tragic manner--the one by the hand of the savage, the
other by an ill-directed bullet from a friendly carbine. Arriving at
Fort Hays on the morning of the 30th, I found General Sheridan, who had
transferred his headquarters temporarily from Fort Leavenworth to that
point in order to be nearer the field of operations, and better able to
give his personal attention to the conduct of the coming campaign. My
regiment was at that time on or near the Arkansas river in the vicinity
of Fort Dodge, and about three easy marches from Fort Hays. After
remaining at General Sheridan’s headquarters one day and receiving his
instructions, I set out with a small escort across the country to Fort
Dodge to resume command of my regiment. Arriving at Fort Dodge without
incident, I found General Sully, who at that time was in command of
the district in which my regiment was serving. With the exception of a
few detachments, the main body of the regiment was encamped on Bluff
creek, a small tributary of the Arkansas, the camp being some thirty
miles southeast from Fort Dodge. Taking with me the detachment at the
fort, I proceeded to the main camp, arriving there in the afternoon. I
had scarcely assumed command when a band of Indians dashed close up
to our camp and fired upon us. This was getting into active service
quite rapidly. I was in the act of taking my seat for dinner, my ride
having given me a splendid relish for the repast, when the shouts
and firing of the savages informed me that more serious duties were
at hand. Every man flew to arms and almost without command rushed to
oppose the enemy. Officers and men provided themselves with rifles
or carbines, and soon began delivering a deliberate but ineffective
fire against the Indians. The latter, as usual, were merely practising
their ordinary _ruse de guerre_, which was to display a very small
venturesome force in the expectation of tempting pursuit by an equal
or slightly superior force, and, after having led the pursuing force
well away from the main body, to surround and destroy it by the aid of
overwhelming numbers, previously concealed in a ravine or ambush until
the proper moment. On this occasion the stratagem did not succeed. The
Indians, being mounted on their fleetest ponies, would charge in single
file past our camp, often riding within easy carbine range of our men,
displaying great boldness and unsurpassable horsemanship. The soldiers,
unaccustomed to firing at such rapidly moving objects, were rarely able
to inflict serious damage upon their enemies. Occasionally a pony would
be struck and brought to the ground, but the rider always succeeded in
being carried away upon the pony of a comrade. It was interesting to
witness their marvellous abilities as horsemen; at the same time one
could not but admire the courage they displayed. The ground was level,
open, and unobstructed; the troops were formed in an irregular line
of skirmishers dismounted, the line extending a distance of perhaps
two hundred yards. The Indians had a rendezvous behind a hillock on
the right, which prevented them from being seen or disturbed by the
soldiers. Starting out singly, or by twos and threes, the warriors
would suddenly leave the cover of the hillock, and with war whoops and
taunts dash over the plain in a line parallel to that occupied by the
soldiers, and within easy carbine range of the latter. The pony seemed
possessed of the designs and wishes of his dusky rider, as he seemed
to fly unguided by bridle, rein, or spur. The warrior would fire and
load and fire again as often as he was able to do, while dashing along
through the shower of leaden bullets fired above, beneath, in front,
and behind him by the excited troopers, until finally, when the aim of
the latter improved and the leaden messengers whistled uncomfortably
close, the warrior would be seen to cast himself over on the opposite
side of his pony, until his foot on the back and his face under the
neck of the pony were all that could be seen, the rest of his person
being completely covered by the body of the pony. This manœuvre would
frequently deceive the recruits among the soldiers; having fired
probably about the time the warrior was seen to disappear, the recruit
would shout exultingly and call the attention of his comrades to his
lucky shot. The old soldiers, however, were not so easily deceived, and
often afterwards would remind their less experienced companion of the
terrible fatality of his shots.
After finding that their plan to induce a small party to pursue them
did not succeed, the Indians withdrew their forces, and, concealment
being no longer necessary, we were enabled to see their full numbers
as that portion of them which had hitherto remained hidden behind a
bluff rode boldly out on the open plain. Being beyond rifle range, they
contented themselves with taunts and gestures of defiance, then rode
away. From the officers of the camp I learned that the performance of
the Indians which had occupied our attention on this afternoon was
of almost daily occurrence, and that the savages, from having been
allowed to continue in their course unmolested, had almost reduced
the camp to a state of siege; so true had this become that at no hour
of the day was it safe for individuals to pass beyond the chain of
sentinels which enveloped the immediate limits of the camp. Before
it became known that the Indians were so watchful and daring, many
narrow escapes were made, and many laughable although serious incidents
occurred--laughable, however, only to those who were not the parties
most interested. Two of these serio-comic affairs now recur to me.
There was a beautiful clear stream of water, named Bluff creek, running
through camp, which supplied bathing facilities to the officers and
men, a privilege which but few allowed to pass unimproved. Whether to
avoid the publicity attending localities near camp, or to seek a point
in the bed of the stream where the water was fresh and undisturbed, or
from a motive different from either of these, two of our young officers
mounted their horses one day without saddles and rode down the valley
of the stream perhaps a mile or more in search of a bathing place.
Discovering one to their taste, they dismounted, secured their horses,
and, after disposing of their apparel on the greensward covering the
banks, were soon floating and floundering in the water like a pair
of young porpoises. How long they had been enjoying this healthful
recreation, or how much longer they might have remained, is not
necessary to the story. One of them happening to glance toward their
horses observed the latter in a state of great trepidation. Hastening
from the water to the bank, he discovered the cause of the strange
conduct on the part of the horses, which was nothing more nor less
than a party of about thirty Indian warriors, mounted, and stealthily
making their way toward the bathing party, evidently having their eyes
on the latter, and intent upon their capture. Here was a condition of
affairs that was at least as unexpected as it was unwelcome. Quickly
calling out to his companion, who was still in the water unconscious
of approaching danger, the one on shore made haste to unfasten their
horses and prepare for flight. Fortunately the Indians, who were now
within a few hundred yards of the two officers, were coming from
the direction opposite camp, leaving the line of retreat of the
officers open. No sooner did the warriors find that their approach was
discovered than they put their ponies to their best speed, hoping to
capture the officers before the latter could have time to mount and
get their horses under headway. The two officers in the meanwhile were
far from idle; no flesh brushes or bathing towels were required to
restore a healthy circulation, nor was time wasted in an idle attempt
to make a toilet. If they had sought their bathing ground from motives
of retirement or delicacy, no such sentiments were exhibited now, for,
catching up their wardrobe from the ground in one hand and seizing the
bridle rein with the other, one leap and they were on their horses’
backs and riding toward camp for dear life. They were not exactly
in the condition of Flora McFlimsy with nothing to wear, but to all
intents and purposes might as well have been so. Then followed a race
which, but for the risk incurred by two of the riders, might well be
compared to that of John Gilpin. Both of the officers were experienced
horsemen; but what experienced horseman would willingly care to be
thrust upon the bare back of a flying steed, minus all apparel, neither
boots, breeches, nor saddle, not even the spurs and shirt collar which
are said to constitute the full uniform of a Georgian colonel, and
when so disposed of, to have three or four score of hideously painted
and feathered savages, well mounted and near at hand, straining every
nerve and urging their fleet-footed war ponies to their highest speed
in order that the scalps of the experienced horsemen might be added
to the other human trophies which grace their lodges? Truly this was
one of the occasions when personal appearance is nothing, and “a man’s
a man for a’ that,” so at least thought our amateur Mazeppas as they
came dashing toward camp, ever and anon casting anxious glances over
their shoulders at their pursuers, who, despite every exertion of the
former, were surely overhauling their pale-faced brothers. To the
pursued, camp seemed a long way in the distance, while the shouts of
the warriors, each time seeming nearer than before, warned them to urge
their steeds to their fastest pace. In a few moments the occupants of
camp discovered the approach of this strangely appearing party. It was
an easy matter to recognize the warriors, but who could name the two
who rode at the front? The pursuing warriors, seeing that they were not
likely to overtake and capture the two knights of the bath, slackened
their pace and sent a volley of arrows after them. A few moments later
and the two officers were safe inside the lines, where they lost no
time in making their way to their tents to attend to certain matters
relating to their toilet which the sudden appearance of their dusky
visitors had prevented. It was a long time before they ceased to hear
allusions made by their comrades to the cut and style of their riding
suit.
The other affair to which I have alluded occurred about the same
time, but in a different direction from camp. One of the officers,
who was commanding a troop, concluded one day that it would be safe
to grant permission to a part of his command to leave camp for the
purpose of hunting buffalo and obtaining fresh meat for the men. The
hunting party, being strong enough to protect itself against almost
any ordinary war party of Indians that might present itself, left
camp at an early hour in the morning and set out in the direction in
which the buffalo were reported to be. The forenoon passed away, noon
came, and still no signs of the return of the hunters. The small hours
of the afternoon began to come and go, and still no tidings from the
hunters, who were expected to return to camp after an absence of two
or three hours. The officer to whose troop they belonged, and who was
of an exceedingly nervous temperament, began to regret having accorded
them permission to leave camp, knowing that Indians had been seen in
the vicinity. The hunting party had gone by a route across the open
country which carried them up a long but very gradual ascent of perhaps
two miles, beyond which, on the level plain, the buffalo were supposed
to be herding in large numbers. Anxious to learn something concerning
the whereabouts of his men, and believing he could obtain a view of
the country beyond which might prove satisfactory, the officer, whose
suspense was constantly increasing, determined to mount his horse and
ride to the summit of the ridge beyond which his men had disappeared
in the morning. Taking no escort with him, he leisurely rode off,
guided by the trail made by the hunters. The distance to the crest
proved much further than it had seemed to the eye before starting. A
ride of over two miles had to be made before the highest point was
reached, but once there the officer felt well repaid for his exertion,
for in the dim deceptions of a beautiful mirage he saw what to him
was his hunting party leisurely returning toward camp. Thinking they
were still a long distance from him and would not reach him for a
considerable time, he did what every prudent cavalryman would have
done under similar circumstances--dismounted to allow his horse an
opportunity to rest. At the same time he began studying the extended
scenery, which from his exalted position lay spread in all directions
beneath him. The camp, seen nestling along the banks of the creek at
the base of the ridge, appeared as a pleasant relief to the monotony of
the view, which otherwise was undisturbed. Having scanned the horizon
in all directions, he turned to watch the approach of his men; when,
behold! instead of his own trusty troopers returning laden with the
fruits of the chase, the mirage had disappeared, and he saw a dozen
well-mounted warriors riding directly toward him at full speed. They
were still far enough away to enable him to mount his horse and have
more than an even chance to outstrip them in the race to camp. But no
time was to be thrown away; the beauties of natural scenery had, for
the time at least, lost their attraction. Camp never seemed so inviting
before. Heading his horse toward camp and gathering the reins in one
hand and holding his revolver in the other, the officer set out to
make his escape. Judgment had to be employed in riding this race, for
the distance being fully two miles before a place of safety could be
reached, his horse, not being high-bred and accustomed to going such
a distance at full speed, might, if forced too rapidly at first, fail
before reaching camp. Acting upon this idea, a tight rein was held and
as much speed kept in reserve as safety would permit. This enabled the
Indians to gain on the officer, but at no time did he feel that he
could not elude his pursuers. His principal anxiety was confined to the
character of the ground, care being taken to avoid the rough and broken
places. A single misstep or a stumble on the part of his horse, and
his pursuers would be upon him before he could rise. The sensations he
experienced during that flying ride could not have been enviable. Soon
the men in camp discerned his situation, and seizing their carbines
hastened out to his assistance. The Indians were soon driven away and
the officer again found himself among his friends. The hunters also
made their appearance shortly after, well supplied with game. They had
not found the buffalo as near camp as they had expected, and after
finding them were carried by a long pursuit in a different direction
from that taken by them in the morning. Hence their delay in returning
to camp.
These and similar occurrences, added to the attack made by the Indians
on the camp the afternoon I joined, proved that unless we were to
consider ourselves as actually besieged and were willing to accept
the situation, some decisive course must be adopted to punish the
Indians for their temerity. No offensive measures had been attempted
since the infantry and cavalry forces of General Sully had marched up
the hill and then, like the forces of the king of France, had marched
down again. The effect of this movement, in which the Indians gained
a decided advantage, was to encourage them in their attempts to annoy
and disturb the troops, not only by prowling about camp in considerable
numbers and rendering it unsafe, as has been seen, to venture beyond
the chain of sentinels, but by waylaying and intercepting all parties
passing between camp and the base of supplies at Fort Dodge. Knowing,
from my recent interview with General Sheridan, that activity was to
characterize the future operations of the troops, particularly those
of the cavalry, and that the sooner a little activity was exhibited
on our part the sooner perhaps might we be freed from the aggressions
of the Indians, I returned from the afternoon skirmish to my tent
and decided to begin offensive movements that same night, as soon as
darkness should conceal the march of the troops. It was reasonable
to infer that the war parties which had become so troublesome in the
vicinity of camp, and made their appearance almost daily, had a hiding
place or rendezvous on some of the many small streams which flowed
within a distance of twenty miles of the point occupied by the troops;
and it was barely possible that if a simultaneous movement was made
by several well-conducted parties with a view of scouting up and down
the various streams referred to, the hiding place of the Indians might
be discovered and their forays in the future broken up. It was deemed
most prudent, and to promise greatest chance of success, to make these
movements at night, as during the hours of daylight the Indians no
doubt kept close watch over everything transpiring in the vicinity
of camp, and no scouting party could have taken its departure in
daylight unobserved by the watchful eyes of the savages. Four separate
detachments were at once ordered to be in readiness to move immediately
after dark. Each detachment numbered about one hundred cavalry well
mounted and well armed. Guides who knew the country well were assigned
to each, and each party was commanded and accompanied by zealous and
efficient officers. The country was divided into four sections, and
to each detachment was assigned one of the sections, with orders to
thoroughly scout the streams running through it. It was hoped that
some one of these parties might, if in no other way, stumble upon a
camp-fire or other indication of the rendezvous of the Indians; but
subsequent experience only confirmed me in the opinion that Indians
seldom, if ever, permit hostile parties to stumble upon them unless
the stumblers are the weaker party. Before proceeding further in my
narrative I will introduce to the reader a personage who is destined
to appear at different intervals, and upon interesting occasions, as
the campaign proceeds. It is usual on the plains, and particularly
during time of active hostilities, for every detachment of troops to
be accompanied by one or more professional scouts or guides. These
guides are employed by the government at a rate of compensation far
in excess of that paid to the soldiers, some of the most experienced
receiving pay about equal to that of a subaltern in the line. They
constitute a most interesting as well as useful and necessary portion
of our frontier population. Who they are, whence they come or whither
they go, their names even, except such as they choose to adopt or
which may be given them, are all questions which none but themselves
can answer. As their usefulness to the service depends not upon the
unravelling of either of these mysteries but little thought is bestowed
upon them. Do you know the country thoroughly? and can you speak any
of the Indian languages? constitute the only examination which civil
or uncivil service reform demands on the plains. If the evidence on
these two important points is satisfactory, the applicant for a vacancy
in the corps of scouts may consider his position as secured, and the
door to congenial employment, most often leading to a terrible death,
opens before him. They are almost invariably men of very superior
judgment or common sense, with education generally better than that
of the average frontiersman. Their most striking characteristics are
love of adventure, a natural and cultivated knowledge of the country
without recourse to maps, deep hatred of the Indian, and an intimate
acquaintance with all the habits and customs of the latter, whether
pertaining to peace or war, and last but most necessary to their
calling, skill in the use of firearms and in the management of a horse.
The possessor of these qualifications, and more than the ordinary
amount of courage, may feel equal to discharge the dangerous and trying
duties of a scout. In concentrating the cavalry which had hitherto been
operating in small bodies, it was found that each detachment brought
with it the scouts who had been serving with them. When I joined the
command I found quite a number of these scouts attached to various
portions of the cavalry, but each acting separately. For the purposes
of organization it was deemed best to unite them into a separate
detachment under command of one of their own number. Being unacquainted
personally with the merits or demerits of any of them, the selection of
a chief had necessarily to be made somewhat at random. There was one
among their number whose appearance would have attracted the notice of
any casual observer. He was a man about forty years of age, perhaps
older, over six feet in height, and possessing a well-proportioned
frame. His head was covered with a luxuriant crop of long, almost black
hair, strongly inclined to curl, and so long as to fall carelessly over
his shoulders. His face, at least so much of it as was not concealed by
the long, waving brown beard and moustache, was full of intelligence
and pleasant to look upon. His eye was undoubtedly handsome, black and
lustrous, with an expression of kindness and mildness combined. On his
head was generally to be seen, whether asleep or awake, a huge sombrero
or black slouch hat. A soldier’s overcoat with its large circular cape,
a pair of trousers with the legs tucked in the top of his long boots,
usually constituted the outside make-up of the man whom I selected
as chief scout. He was known by the euphonious title of “California
Joe”; no other name seemed ever to have been given him, and no other
name ever seemed necessary. His military armament consisted of a long
breech-loading Springfield musket, from which he was inseparable, and
a revolver and hunting-knife, both the latter being carried in his
waist-belt. His mount completed his equipment for the field, being
instead of a horse a finely-formed mule, in whose speed and endurance
he had every confidence. Scouts usually prefer a good mule to a
horse, and wisely too, for the reason that in making their perilous
journeys, either singly or by twos or threes, celerity is one principal
condition to success. The object with the scout is not to outrun or
overwhelm the Indians, but to avoid both by secrecy and caution in
his movements. On the plains at most seasons of the year the horse is
incapable of performing long or rapid journeys without being supplied
with forage on the route. This must be transported, and in the case
of scouts would necessarily be transported on the back of the horse,
thereby adding materially to the weight which must be carried. The mule
will perform a rapid and continuous march without forage, being able
to subsist on the grazing to be obtained in nearly all the valleys
on the plains during the greater portion of the year. California Joe
was an inveterate smoker, and was rarely seen without his stubby,
dingy-looking brierwood pipe in full blast. The endurance of his
smoking powers was only surpassed by his loquacity. His pipe frequently
became exhausted and required refilling, but California Joe seemed
never to lack for material or disposition to carry on a conversation,
principally composed of personal adventures among the Indians, episodes
in mining life, or experience in overland journeying before the days
of steam engines and palace cars rendered a trip across the plains
a comparatively uneventful one. It was evident from the scraps of
information volunteered from time to time, that there was but little
of the Western country from the Pacific to the Missouri river with
which California Joe was not intimately acquainted. He had lived in
Oregon years before, and had become acquainted from time to time with
most of the officers who had served on the plains or on the Pacific
coast. I once inquired of him if he had ever seen General Sheridan?
“What, Gineral Shuridun? Why, bless my soul, I knowed Shuridun way
up in Oregon more’n fifteen years ago, an’ he wuz only a second
lootenant uv infantry. He wuz quartermaster of the foot or something
uv that sort, an’ I hed the contract uv furnishin’ wood to the post,
and, would ye b’leve it? I hed a kind of a sneakin’ notion then that
he’d hurt somebody ef they’d ever turn him loose. Lord, but ain’t he
old lightnin’?” This was the man whom upon a short acquaintance I
decided to appoint as chief of the scouts. This thrust of professional
greatness, as the sequel will prove, was more than California Joe
aspired to, or, considering some of his undeveloped traits, was equal
to; but I am anticipating.
As the four detachments already referred to were to move as soon as it
was dark, it was desirable that the scouts should be at once organized
and assigned. So, sending for California Joe, I informed him of his
promotion and what was expected of him and his men. After this official
portion of the interview had been completed, it seemed proper to Joe’s
mind that a more intimate acquaintance between us should be cultivated,
as we had never met before. His first interrogatory, addressed to me
in furtherance of this idea, was frankly put as follows: “See hyar,
Gineral, in order that we hev no misonderstandin’, I’d jest like to ask
ye a few questions.” Seeing that I had somewhat of a character to deal
with, I signified my perfect willingness to be interviewed by him. “Are
you an ambulance man ur a hoss man?” Pretending not to discover his
meaning, I requested him to explain. “I mean do you b’leve in catchin’
Injuns in ambulances or on hossback?” Still assuming ignorance, I
replied, “Well, Joe, I believe in catching Indians wherever we can find
them, whether they are found in ambulances or on horseback.” This did
not satisfy him. “That ain’t what I’m drivin’ at. S’pose you’re after
Injuns and really want to hev a tussle with ’em, would ye start after
’em on hossback, or would ye climb into an ambulance and be haulded
after ’em? That’s the pint I’m headin’ fur.” I answered that “I would
prefer the method on horseback provided I really desired to catch the
Indians; but if I wished them to catch me, I would adopt the ambulance
system of attack.” This reply seemed to give him complete satisfaction.
“You’ve hit the nail squar on the hed. I’ve bin with ’em on the plains
whar they started out after the Injuns on wheels, jist as ef they war
goin’ to a town funeral in the States, an’ they stood ’bout as many
chances uv catchin’ Injuns az a six-mule team wud uv catchin’ a pack of
thievin’ Ki-o-tees, jist as much. Why that sort uv work is only fun fur
the Injuns; they don’t want anything better. Ye ort to’ve seen how they
peppered it to us, an’ we a doin’ nuthin’ a’ the time. Sum uv ’em wuz
’fraid the mules war goin’ to stampede and run off with the train an’
all our forage and grub, but that wuz impossible; fur besides the big
loads uv corn an’ bacon an’ baggage the wagons hed in them, thar war
from eight to a dozen infantry men piled into them besides. Ye ort to
hev heard the quartermaster in charge uv the train tryin’ to drive the
infantry men out of the wagons and git them into the fight. I ’spect
he wuz an Irishman by his talk, fur he sed to them, ‘Git out uv thim
wagons, git out uv thim wagons; yez’ll hev me tried fur disobadience uv
ordhers fur marchin’ tin min in a wagon whin I’ve ordhers but fur ait!’”
How long I might have been detained listening to California Joe’s
recital of incidents of first campaigns, sandwiched here and there by
his peculiar but generally correct ideas of how to conduct an Indian
campaign properly, I do not know; time was limited, and I had to remind
him of the fact to induce him to shorten the conversation. It was only
deferred, however, as on every occasion thereafter California Joe would
take his place at the head of the column on the march, and his nearest
companion was made the receptacle of a fresh instalment of Joe’s facts
and opinions. His career as “chief scout” was of the briefest nature.
Everything being in readiness, the four scouting columns, the men
having removed their sabres to prevent clanging and detection, quietly
moved out of camp as soon as it was sufficiently dark, and set out in
different directions. California Joe accompanied that detachment whose
prospects seemed best of encountering the Indians. The rest of the
camp soon afterward returned to their canvas shelter, indulging in all
manner of surmises and conjectures as to the likelihood of either or
all of the scouting parties meeting with success. As no tidings would
probably be received in camp until a late hour of the following day,
taps, the usual signal from the bugle for “lights out,” found the main
camp in almost complete darkness, with only here and there a stray
glimmering of light from the candle of some officer’s tent, who was
probably reckoning in his own mind how much he was losing or perhaps
gaining by not accompanying one of the scouting parties. What were the
chances of success to the four detachments which had departed on this
all night’s ride? Next to nothing. Still, even if no Indians could be
found, the expeditions would accomplish this much: they would leave
their fresh trails all over the country within a circuit of twenty
miles of our camp, trails which the practised eyes of the Indians would
be certain to fall upon in daylight, and inform them for the first time
that an effort was being made to disturb them if nothing more.
Three of the scouting columns can be disposed of now by the simple
statement that they discovered no Indians, nor the remains of any
camps or lodging places indicating the recent presence of a war party
on any of the streams visited by them. The fourth detachment was that
one which California Joe had accompanied as scout. What a feather it
would be in his cap if, after the failure of the scouts accompanying
the other columns to discover Indians, the party guided by him should
pounce upon the savages, and by a handsome fight settle a few of the
old scores charged against them!
The night was passing away uninterrupted by any such event, and but a
few hours more intervened before daylight would make its appearance.
The troops had been marching constantly since leaving camp; some were
almost asleep in their saddles when the column was halted, and word
was passed along from man to man that the advance guard had discovered
signs indicating the existence of Indians near at hand. Nothing more
was necessary to dispel all sensations of sleep, and to place every
member of the command on the alert. It was difficult to ascertain
from the advance guard, consisting of a non-commissioned officer and
a few privates, precisely what they had seen. It seemed that in the
valley beyond, into which the command was about to descend, and which
could be overlooked from the position the troops then held, something
unusual had been seen by the leading troopers just as they had reached
the crest. What this mysterious something was, or how produced, no one
could tell; it appeared simply for a moment, and then only as a bright
flash of light of varied colors; how far away it was impossible to
determine in the heavy darkness of the night. A hasty consultation of
the officers took place at the head of the column, when it was decided
that in the darkness which then reigned it would be unwise to move to
the attack of an enemy until something more was known of the numbers
and position of the foe. As the moon would soon rise and dispel one of
the obstacles to conducting a careful attack, it was determined to hold
the troops in readiness to act upon a moment’s notice, and at the same
time send a picked party of men, under guidance of California Joe, to
crawl as close to the supposed position of the Indians as possible,
and gather all the information available. But where was California Joe
all this time? Why was he not at the front where his services would be
most likely to be in demand? Search was quietly made for him all along
both flanks of the column, but on careful inquiry it seemed that he had
not been seen for some hours, and then at a point many miles from that
at which the halt had been ordered. This was somewhat remarkable, and
admitted of no explanation--unless, perhaps, California Joe had fallen
asleep during the march and been carried away from the column; but this
theory gained no supporters. His absence at this particular time, when
his advice and services might prove so invaluable, was regarded as
most unfortunate. However, the party to approach the Indian camp was
being selected when a rifle shot broke upon the stillness of the scene,
sounding in the direction of the mysterious appearance which had first
attracted the attention of the advanced troopers. Another moment, and
the most powerful yells and screams rose in the same direction, as if
a terrible conflict was taking place. Every carbine was advanced ready
for action, each trigger was carefully sought, no one as yet being able
to divine the cause of this sudden outcry, when in a moment who should
come charging wildly up to the column, now dimly visible by the first
rays of the moon, but California Joe, shouting and striking wildly to
the right and left as if beset by a whole tribe of warriors. Here,
then, was the solution of the mystery. Not then, but in a few hours,
everything was rendered clear. Among the other traits or peculiarities
of his character, California Joe numbered an uncontrollable fondness
for strong drink; it was his one great weakness--a weakness to which
he could only be kept from yielding by keeping all intoxicating drink
beyond his reach. It seemed, from an after development of the affair,
that the sudden elevation of California Joe, unsought and unexpected
as it was, to the position of chief scout, was rather too much good
fortune to be borne by him in a quiet or undemonstrative manner. Such
a profusion of greatness had not been thrust upon him so often as to
render him secure from being affected by his preferment. At any rate
he deemed the event deserving of celebration--professional duties
to the contrary notwithstanding--and before proceeding on the night
expedition had filled his canteen with a bountiful supply of the
worst brand of whiskey, such as is only attainable on the frontier.
He, perhaps, did not intend to indulge to that extent which might
disable him from properly performing his duties; but in this, like many
other good men whose appetites are stronger than their resolutions,
he failed in his reckoning. As the liquor which he imbibed from time
to time after leaving camp began to produce the natural or unnatural
effect, Joe’s independence greatly increased until the only part of
the expedition which he recognized as at all important was California
Joe. His mule, no longer restrained by his hand, gradually carried him
away from the troops, until the latter were left far in the rear. This
was the relative position when the halt was ordered. California Joe,
having indulged in drink sufficiently for the time being, concluded
that the next best thing would be a smoke; nothing would be better to
cheer him on his lonely night ride. Filling his ever present brierwood
with tobacco, he next proceeded to strike a light, employing for this
purpose a storm or tempest match; it was the bright and flashing colors
of this which had so suddenly attracted the attention of the advance
guard. No sooner was his pipe lighted than the measure of his happiness
was complete, his imagination picturing him to himself, perhaps, as
leading in a grand Indian fight. His mule by this time had turned
toward the troops, and when California Joe set up his unearthly howls,
and began his imaginary charge into an Indian village, he was carried
at full speed straight to the column, where his good fortune alone
prevented him from receiving a volley before he was recognized as not
an Indian. His blood was up, and all efforts to quiet or suppress him
proved unavailing, until finally the officer in command was forced to
bind him hand and foot, and in this condition secured him on the back
of his faithful mule. In this sorry plight the chief scout continued
until the return of the troops to camp, when he was transferred to the
tender mercies of the guard as a prisoner for misconduct. Thus ended
California Joe’s career as chief scout. Another was appointed in his
stead, but we must not banish him from our good opinion yet. As a
scout, responsible only for himself, he will reappear in these pages
with a record which redounds to his credit.
Nothing was accomplished by the four scouting parties except, perhaps,
to inspire the troops with the idea that they were no longer to be
kept acting merely on the defensive, while the Indians, no doubt,
learned the same fact, and at the same time. The cavalry had been lying
idle, except when attacked by the Indians, for upward of a mouth. It
was reported that the war parties, which had been so troublesome for
some time, came from the direction of Medicine Lodge creek, a stream
running in the same general direction as Bluff creek, and about two
marches from the latter in a northeasterly direction. It was on this
stream--Medicine Lodge creek--that the great peace council had been
held with all the southern tribes with whom we had been and were then
at war, the Government being represented at the council by Senators
and other members of Congress, officers high in rank in the army, and
prominent gentlemen selected from the walks of civil life. The next
move, after the unsuccessful attempt in which California Joe created
the leading sensation, was to transfer the troops across from Bluff
creek to Medicine Lodge creek, and to send scouting parties up and
down the latter in search of our enemies. This movement was made soon
after the return of the four scouting expeditions sent out from Bluff
creek. As our first day’s march was to be a short one, we did not break
camp on Bluff creek until a late hour in the morning. Soon everything
was in readiness for the march, and like a travelling village of
Bedouins, the troopers and their train of supplies stretched out into
column. First came the cavalry, moving in column of fours; next came
the immense wagon train, containing the tents, forage, rations, and
extra ammunition of the command, a very necessary but unwieldy portion
of a mounted military force. Last of all came the rear guard, usually
consisting of about one company. On this occasion it was the company
commanded by the officer whose narrow escape from the Indians while in
search of a party of his men who had gone buffalo hunting, has been
already described in this chapter. The conduct of the Indians on this
occasion proved that they had been keeping an unseen but constant watch
on everything transpiring in or about camp. The column had scarcely
straightened itself out in commencing the march, and the rear guard had
barely crossed the limits of the deserted camp, when out from a ravine
near by dashed a war party of fully fifty well-mounted, well-armed
warriors. Their first onslaught was directed against the rear guard,
and a determined effort was made to drive them from the train, and
thus place the latter at their mercy, to be plundered of its contents.
After disposing of flankers, for the purpose of resisting any efforts
which might be made to attack the train from either flank, I rode back
to where the rear guard were engaged, to ascertain if they required
reinforcements. At the same time orders were given for the column of
troops and train to continue the march, as it was not intended that so
small a party as that attacking us should delay our march by any vain
effort on our part to ride them down, or overhaul them, when we knew
they could outstrip us if the contest was to be decided by a race.
Joining the rear guard, I had an opportunity to witness the Indian
mode of fighting in all its perfection. Surely no race of men, not
even the famous Cossacks, could display more wonderful skill in feats
of horsemanship than the Indian warrior on his native plains, mounted
on his well-trained war pony, voluntarily running the gauntlet of his
foes, drawing and receiving the fire of hundreds of rifles, and in
return sending back a perfect shower of arrows, or, more likely still,
well-directed shots from some souvenir of a peace commission, in the
shape of an improved breech-loader. The Indian warrior is capable of
assuming positions on his pony, the latter at full speed, which no
one but an Indian could maintain for a single moment without being
thrown to the ground. The pony, of course, is perfectly trained, and
seems possessed of the spirit of his rider. An Indian’s wealth is most
generally expressed by the number of his ponies. No warrior or chief
is of any importance or distinction who is not the owner of a herd of
ponies numbering from twenty to many hundreds. He has for each special
purpose a certain number of ponies, those that are kept as pack animals
being the most inferior in quality and value; then the ordinary riding
ponies used on the march or about camp, or when visiting neighboring
villages; next in consideration is the “buffalo pony,” trained to the
hunt, and only employed when dashing into the midst of the huge buffalo
herds, when the object is either food from the flesh or clothing and
shelter for the lodges, to be made from the buffalo hide; last, or
rather first, considering its value and importance, is the “war pony,”
the favorite of the herd, fleet of foot, quick in intelligence, and
full of courage. It may be safely asserted that the first place in the
heart of the warrior is held by his faithful and obedient war pony.
Indians are extremely fond of bartering, and are not behindhand
in catching the points of a good bargain. They will sign treaties
relinquishing their lands, and agree to forsake the burial ground of
their forefathers; they will part, for due consideration, with their
bow and arrows, and their accompanying quiver, handsomely wrought in
dressed furs; their lodges even may be purchased at not an unfair
valuation, and it is not an unusual thing for a chief or warrior to
offer to exchange his wife or daughter for some article which may have
taken his fancy. This is no exaggeration; but no Indian of the plains
has ever been known to trade, sell, or barter away his favorite “war
pony.” To the warrior his battle horse is as the apple of his eye.
Neither love nor money can induce him to part with it. To see them in
battle, and to witness how the one almost becomes a part of the other,
one might well apply to the warrior the lines--
But this gallant
Had witchcraft in ’t; he grew into his seat,
And to such wondrous doing brought his horse,
As he had been encorps’d and demi-natur’d
With the brave beast; so far he passed my thought
That I, in forgery of shapes and tricks,
Come short of what he did.
The officer in command of the rear guard expressed the opinion that he
could resist successfully the attacks of the savages until a little
later, when it was seen that the latter were receiving accessions
to their strength and were becoming correspondingly bolder and more
difficult to repulse, when a second troop of cavalry was brought from
the column, as a support to the rear guard. These last were ordered
to fight on foot, their horses, in charge of every fourth trooper,
being led near the train. The men being able to fire so much more
accurately when on foot, compelled the Indians to observe greater
caution in their manner of attack. Once a warrior was seen to dash out
from the rest in the peculiar act of “circling,” which was simply to
dash along in front of the line of troopers, receiving their fire and
firing in return. Suddenly his pony, while at full speed, was seen
to fall to the ground, showing that the aim of at least one of the
soldiers had been effective. The warrior was thrown over and beyond
the pony’s head, and his capture by the cavalry seemed a sure and easy
matter to be accomplished. I saw him fall, and called to the officer
commanding the troop which had remained mounted to gallop forward and
secure the Indian. The troop advanced rapidly, but the comrades of the
fallen Indian had also witnessed his mishap, and were rushing to his
rescue. He was on his feet in a moment, and the next moment another
warrior, mounted on the fleetest of ponies, was at his side, and with
one leap the dismounted warrior placed himself astride the pony of his
companion; and thus doubly burdened, the gallant little steed, with
his no less gallant riders, galloped lightly away, with about eighty
cavalrymen, mounted on strong domestic horses, in full cry after them.
There is no doubt but that by all the laws of chance the cavalry should
have been able to soon overhaul and capture the Indians in so unequal
a race; but whether from lack of zeal on the part of the officer
commanding the pursuit, or from the confusion created by the diversion
attempted by the remaining Indians, the pony, doubly weighted as he
was, distanced his pursuers and landed his burden in a place of safety.
Although chagrined at the failure of the pursuing party to accomplish
the capture of the Indians, I could not wholly suppress a feeling of
satisfaction, if not gladness, that for once the Indian had eluded the
white man. I need not add that any temporary tenderness of feeling
toward the two Indians was prompted by their individual daring and
the heroic display of comradeship in the successful attempt to render
assistance to a friend in need.
Without being able to delay our march, yet it required the combined
strength and resistance of two full troops of cavalry to defend the
train from the vigorous and dashing attacks of the Indians. At last,
finding that the command was not to be diverted from its purpose,
or hindered in completing its regular march, the Indians withdrew,
leaving us to proceed unmolested. These contests with the Indians,
while apparently yielding the troops no decided advantage, were of the
greatest value in view of future and more extensive operations against
the savages. Many of the men and horses were far from being familiar
with actual warfare, particularly of this irregular character. Some
of the troopers were quite inexperienced as horsemen, and still more
inexpert in the use of their weapons, as their inaccuracy of fire when
attempting to bring down an Indian within easy range clearly proved.
Their experience, resulting from these daily contests with the red
men, was to prove of incalculable benefit, and fit them for the duties
of the coming campaign. Our march was completed to Medicine Lodge
creek, where a temporary camp was established, while scouting parties
were sent both up and down the stream as far as there was the least
probability of finding Indians. The party, consisting of three troops,
which scouted down the valley of Medicine Lodge creek, proceeded down
to the point where was located and then standing the famous “medicine
lodge,” an immense structure erected by the Indians, and used by
them as a council house, where once in each year the various tribes
of the southern plains were wont to assemble in mysterious conclave
to consult the Great Spirit as to the future, and to offer up rude
sacrifices and engage in imposing ceremonies, such as were believed to
be appeasing and satisfactory to the Indian Deity. In the conduct of
these strange and interesting incantations, the presiding or directing
personages are known among the Indians as “medicine men.” They are
the high priests of the red man’s religion, and in their peculiar
sphere are superior in influence and authority to all others in the
tribe, not excepting the head chief. No important step is proposed or
put in execution, whether relating to war or peace, even the probable
success of a contemplated hunt, but is first submitted to the powers
of divination confidently believed to be possessed by the medicine man
of the tribe. He, after a series of enchantments, returns the answer
supposed to be prompted by the Great Spirit, as to whether the proposed
step is well advised and promises success or not. The decisions given
by the medicine men are supreme, and admit of no appeal. The medicine
lodge just referred to had been used as the place of assembly of the
grand council held between the warlike tribes and the representatives
of the Government, referred to in preceding pages. The medicine lodge
was found in a deserted but well-preserved condition. Here and there,
hanging overhead, were collected various kinds of herbs and plants,
vegetable offerings no doubt to the Great Spirit; while, in strange
contrast to these peaceful specimens of the fruits of the earth, were
trophies of the war path and the chase, the latter being represented
by the horns and dressed skins of animals killed in the hunt, some of
the skins being beautifully ornamented in the most fantastic of styles
peculiar to the Indian idea of art. Of the trophies relating to war,
the most prominent were human scalps, representing all ages and sexes
of the white race. These scalps, according to the barbarous custom,
were not composed of the entire covering of the head, but of a small
surface surrounding the crown, and usually from three to four inches
in diameter, constituting what is termed the scalp lock. To preserve
the scalp from decay, a small hoop of about double the diameter of
the scalp is prepared from a small withe, which grows on the banks
of some of the streams in the West. The scalp is placed inside the
hoop, and properly stretched by a network of thread connecting the
edges of the scalp with the circumference of the hoop. After being
properly cured, the dried fleshy portion of the scalp is ornamented
in bright colors, according to the taste of the captor, sometimes the
addition of beads of bright and varied colors being made to heighten
the effect. In other instances the hair is dyed, either to a beautiful
yellow or golden, or to crimson. Several of these horrible evidences
of past depredations upon the defenceless inhabitants of the frontier,
or overland emigrants, were brought back by the troopers on their
return from their scout. Old trails of small parties of Indians were
discovered, but none indicating the recent presence of war parties in
that valley were observable. The command was then marched back to near
its former camp on Bluff creek, from whence, after a sojourn of three
or four days, it marched to a point on the north bank of the Arkansas
river, about ten miles below Fort Dodge, there to engage in earnest
preparation and reorganization for the winter campaign, which was soon
to be inaugurated, and in which the Seventh Cavalry was to bear so
prominent a part. We pitched our tents on the banks of the Arkansas on
the 21st of October, 1868, there to remain usefully employed until the
12th of the following month, when we mounted our horses, bade adieu to
the luxuries of civilization, and turned our faces toward the Wichita
mountains in the endeavor to drive from their winter hiding places the
savages who had during the past summer waged such ruthless and cruel
war upon our exposed settlers on the border. How far and in what way
we were successful in this effort, will be learned in the following
chapter.