THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL - COLONEL HENRY INMAN (surface ebook reader .TXT) 📗
- Author: COLONEL HENRY INMAN
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Crimson Pennant, Bows Strung, And Quivers Full Of Barbed
Arrows. In addition To These Weapons, Which, With The
Hunting-Knife And Tomahawk, Are Considered as Forming The
Armament Of The Warrior, Each One Was Supplied with Either
A Breech-Loading Rifle Or Revolver, Sometimes With Both--
The Latter Obtained through The Wise Forethought And Strong
Love Of Fair Play Which Prevails In the Indian Department,
Which, Seeing That Its Wards Are Determined to Fight,
Is Equally Determined that There Shall Be No Advantage Taken,
But That The Two Sides Shall Be Armed alike; Proving, Too,
In this Manner, The Wonderful Liberality Of Our Government,
Which Is Not Only Able To Furnish Its Soldiers With The
Latest Style Of Breech-Loaders To Defend It And Themselves,
But Is Equally Able And Willing To Give The Same Pattern
Of Arms To The Common Foe. The Only Difference Is, That If
The Soldier Loses His Weapon, He Is Charged double Price
For It, While To Avoid Making any Such Charge Against The
Indian, His Weapons Are Given Him Without Conditions Attached.
In the Line Of Battle Before Us There Were Several Hundred
Indians, While Further To The Rear And At Different
Distances Were Other Organized bodies, Acting apparently
As Reserves. Still Further Behind Were Small Detachments
Who Seemed to Perform The Duty Of Couriers, And Were Held
In readiness To Convey Messages To The Village. The Ground
Beyond Was Favourable For An Extended view, And As Far As
The Eye Could Reach, Small Groups Of Individuals Could Be
Seen In the Direction Of The Village; These Were Evidently
Parties Of Observation, Whose Sole Object Was To Learn The
Result Of Our Meeting With The Main Body And Hasten With
The News To The Village.
For A Few Moments Appearances Seemed to Foreshadow Anything
But A Peaceable Issue. The Infantry Was In the Advance,
Followed closely By The Artillery, While My Command,
The Cavalry, Was Marching On The Flank. General Hancock,
Who Was Riding With His Staff At The Head Of The Column,
Coming Suddenly In view Of The Wild, Fantastic Battle Array,
Which Extended far To Our Right And Left, And Was Not More
Than Half A Mile In our Front, Hastily Sent Orders To The
Infantry, Artillery, And Cavalry To Form In line Of Battle,
Evidently Determined that, If War Was Intended, We Should Be
Prepared. The Cavalry Being The Last To Form On The Right,
Came Into Line On A Gallop, And Without Waiting To Align
The Ranks Carefully, The Command Was Given To "Draw Sabre."
As The Bright Blades Flashed from Their Scabbards Into The
Morning Sunlight, And The Infantry Brought Their Muskets
To A Carry, A Contrast Was Presented which, To A Military
Eye, Could But Be Striking. Here In battle Array, Facing
Each Other, Were The Representatives Of Civilized and
Barbarous Warfare. The One, With Few Modifications, Stood
Clothed in the Same Rude Style Of Dress, Bearing The Same
Patterned shield And Weapon That His Ancestors Had Borne
Centuries Before; The Other Confronted him In the Dress
And Supplied with The Implements Of War Which An Advanced
Stage Of Civilization Had Pronounced the Most Perfect.
Was The Comparative Superiority Of These Two Classes To Be
Subjected to The Mere Test Of War Here? All Was Eager
Anxiety And Expectation. Neither Side Seemed to Comprehend
The Object Or Intentions Of The Other; Each Was Waiting
For The Other To Deliver The First Blow. A More Beautiful
Battle-Ground Could Not Have Been Chosen. Not A Bush Or
Even The Slightest Irregularity Of Ground Intervened between
The Two Lines, Which Now Stood Frowning and Facing Each Other.
Chiefs Could Be Seen Riding along The Line, As If Directing
And Exhorting Their Braves To Deeds Of Heroism.
After A Few Moments Of Painful Suspense, General Hancock,
Accompanied by General A. J. Smith And Other Officers,
Rode Forward, And Through An Interpreter Invited the Chiefs
To Meet Us Midway For The Purpose Of An Interview.
In response To This Invitation, Roman Nose, Bearing a White
Flag, Accompanied by Bull Bear, White Horse, Gray Beard,
And Medicine Wolf, On The Part Of The Cheyennes, And Pawnee
Killer, Bad Wound, Tall-Bear-That-Walks-Under-The-Ground,
Left Hand, Little Bear, And Little Bull, On The Part Of The
Sioux, Rode Forward To The Middle Of The Open Space Between
The Two Lines. Here We Shook Hands With All The Chiefs,
Most Of Them Exhibiting Unmistakable Signs Of Gratification
At This Apparently Peaceful Termination Of Our Rencounter.
General Hancock Very Naturally Inquired the Object Of The
Hostile Attitude Displayed before Us, Saying To The Chiefs
That If War Was Their Object, We Were Ready Then And There
To Participate. Their Immediate Answer Was That They Did
Not Desire War, But Were Peacefully Disposed. They Were
Then Told That We Would Continue Our March Toward The
Village, And Encamp Near It, But Would Establish Such
Regulations That None Of The Soldiers Would Be Permitted
To Approach Or Disturb Them. An Arrangement Was Then
Effected by Which The Chiefs Were To Assemble At General
Hancock'S Headquarters As Soon As Our Camp Was Pitched.
The Interview Then Terminated, And The Indians Moved off
In the Direction Of Their Village, We Following Leisurely
In the Rear.
A March Of A Few Miles Brought Us In sight Of The Village,
Which Was Situated in a Beautiful Grove On The Bank Of The
Stream Up Which We Had Been Marching. It Consisted of
Upwards Of Three Hundred lodges, A Small Fraction Over Half
Belonging To The Cheyennes, The Remainder To The Sioux.
Like All Indian Encampments, The Ground Chosen Was A Most
Romantic Spot, And At The Same Time Fulfilled in every
Respect The Requirements Of A Good Camping-Ground; Wood,
Water, And Grass Were Abundant. The Village Was Placed on
A Wide, Level Plateau, While On The North And West, At A
Short Distance Off, Rose High Bluffs, Which Admirably Served
As A Shelter Against The Cold Winds Which At That Season Of
The Year Prevail From Those Directions. Our Tents Were
Pitched within A Mile Of The Village. Guards Were Placed
Between To Prevent Intrusion Upon Our Part. We Had Scarcely
Pitched our Tents When Roman Nose, Bull Bear, Gray Beard,
And Medicine Wolf, All Prominent Chiefs Of The Cheyenne
Nation, Came Into Camp With The Information That Upon Our
Approach Their Women And Children Had All Fled from The
Village, Alarmed by The Presence Of So Many Soldiers, And
Imagining a Second Chivington Massacre To Be Intended.
General Hancock Insisted that They Should All Return,
Promising Protection And Good Treatment To All; That If
The Camp Was Abandoned, He Would Hold It Responsible.
The Chiefs Then Stated their Belief In their Ability To
Recall The Fugitives, Could They Be Furnished with Horses
To Overtake Them. This Was Accordingly Done, And Two Of
Them Set Out Mounted on Two Of Our Horses. An Agreement
Was Also Entered into At The Same Time, That One Of Our
Interpreters, ed gurrier, A Half-Breed cheyenne, Who Was In
The Employ Of The Government, Should Remain In the Village
And Report Every Two Hours As To Whether Any Indians Were
Leaving There. This Was About Seven O'Clock In the Evening.
At Half-Past Nine The Half-Breed returned to Head-Quarters
With The Intelligence That All The Chiefs And Warriors Were
Saddling Up To Leave, Under Circumstances Showing That They
Had No Intention Of Returning, Such As Packing Up Every
Article That Could Be Carried with Them, And Cutting and
Destroying Their Lodges--This Last Being Done To Obtain
Small Pieces For Temporary Shelter.
I Had Retired to My Tent, Which Was Some Few Hundred yards
From That Of General Hancock, When A Messenger From The
Latter Awakened me With The Information That The General
Desired my Presence In his Tent. He Briefly Stated the
Situation Of Affairs, And Directed me To Mount My Command
As Quickly And As Silently As Possible, Surround The Indian
Village, And Prevent The Departure Of Its Inhabitants.
Easily Said, But Not So Easily Done. Under Ordinary
Circumstances, Silence Not Being Necessary, I Could Have
Returned to My Camp, And By A Few Blasts From The Trumpet,
Placed every Soldier On His Saddle Almost As Quickly As It
Has Taken Time To Write This Short Sentence. No Bugle Calls
Must Be Sounded; We Were To Adopt Some Of The Stealth Of The
Indians--How Successfully Remained to Be Seen. By This Time
Every Soldier And Officer Was In his Tent Sound Asleep.
First Going To The Tent Of The Adjutant And Arousing Him,
I Procured an Experienced assistant In my Labours. Next The
Captains Of Companies Were Awakened and Orders Imparted
To Them. They In turn Transmitted the Order To The First
Sergeant, Who Similarly Aroused the Men. It Has Often
Surprised me To Observe The Alacrity With Which Disciplined
Soldiers, Experienced in campaigning, Will Hasten To Prepare
Themselves For The March In an Emergency Like This.
No Questions Are Asked, No Time Is Wasted. A Soldier'S
Toilet, On An Indian Campaign, Is A Simple Affair, And
Requires Little Time For Arranging. His Clothes Are
Gathered up Hurriedly, No Matter How, So Long As He Retains
Possession Of Them. The First Object Is To Get His Horse
Saddled and Bridled, And Until This Is Done His Own Dress
Is A Matter Of Secondary Importance, And One Button Or Hook
Must Do The Duty Of Half A Dozen. When His Horse Is Ready
For The Mount, The Rider Will Be Seen Completing His Own
Equipment; Stray Buttons Will Receive Attention, Arms Will
Be Overhauled, Spurs Restrapped; Then, If There Still Remain
A Few Spare Moments, The Homely Black Pipe Is Filled and
Lighted, And The Soldier'S Preparation Is Complete.
The Night Was All That Could Be Desired for The Success Of
Our Enterprise. The Air Was Mild And Pleasant; The Moon,
Although Nearly Full, Kept Almost Constantly Behind The
Clouds, As If To Screen Us In our Hazardous Undertaking.
I Say Hazardous, Because None Of Us Imagined for One Moment
That If The Indians Discovered us In our Attempt To Surround
Them And Their Village, We Should Escape Without A Fight--
A Fight, Too, In which The Indians, Sheltered behind The
Trunks Of The Stately Forest Trees Under Which Their Lodges
Were Pitched, Would Possess All The Advantage. General
Hancock, Anticipating That The Indians Would Discover Our
Approach, And That A Fight Would Ensue, Ordered the
Artillery And Infantry Under Arms, To Await The Result Of
Our Moonlight Adventure. My Command Was Soon In the Saddle,
And Silently Making Its Way Toward The Village.
Instructions Had Been Given Forbidding all Conversation
Except In a Whisper. Sabres Were Disposed of To Prevent
Clanging. Taking a Camp-Fire Which We Could See In the
Village As Our Guiding Point, We Made A Detour So As To
Place The Village Between Ourselves And The Infantry.
Occasionally The Moon Would Peep Out From The Clouds And
Enable Us To Catch A Hasty Glance At The Village. Here And
There Under The Thick Foliage We Could See The White,
Conical-Shaped lodges. Were The Inmates Slumbering,
Unaware Of Our Close Proximity, Or Were Their Dusky Defenders
Concealed, As Well They Might Have Been, Along The Banks Of
The Pawnee, Quietly Awaiting Our Approach, And Prepared to
Greet Us With Their Well-Known War-Whoop? These Were
Questions That Were Probably Suggested to The Mind Of Each
Individual Of My Command. If We Were Discovered approaching
In the Stealthy, Suspicious Manner Which Characterized our
Movements, The Hour Being Midnight, It Would Require A More
Confiding Nature Than That Of The Indian To Assign A
Friendly Or Peaceful Motive To Our Conduct. The Same
Flashes Of Moonlight Which Gave Us Hurried glimpses Of The
Village Enabled us To See Our Own Column Of Horsemen
Stretching Its Silent Length Far Into The Dim Darkness, And
Winding Its Course, Like Some Huge Anaconda About To Envelop
Its Victim.
The Method By Which It Was Determined to Establish A Cordon
Of Armed troopers About The Fated village,
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