The Native American Experience by Dee Brown

The Native American Experience by Dee Brown

Author:Dee Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781504049580
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2017-10-07T04:00:00+00:00


He went on to tell of Bridger’s report, of the purchase of a few bushels of corn from a contractor, of the welcome arrival of sixty thousand rounds of Springfield ammunition. “I ought to have, if possible, a hundred thousand more, and from Laramie more ammunition for my 12-pounder field howitzer and mountain howitzers. … Red Cloud is known to command the parties now immediately engaged … they are determined to burn the country, cut off supplies, and hamper every movement.”17

Next morning when Frances Grummond awoke after her first night of unsound sleep in Fort Phil Kearny, she found that snow had drifted into her tent, “covered my face, and there melting trickled down my cheeks until if I had shed tears they would have been indistinguishable … pillows, bedding, and even the stove and the ground within the tent were also covered.”18

Almost a foot of feathery snow had fallen on the fort, but the sun was out bright and warm, and by afternoon most of it had melted. The Indians kept to their lodges this day, and Captain Ten Eyck chose the peaceful interlude for a post arms inspection. His report to Carrington was blunt: “Many Springfield rifles unserviceable. Some men not armed at all, because of thefts by deserters and others. Want pistols and carbines, as rifles no good for mounted men.”19

With most of the snow gone by Wednesday (the 19th) the hostiles came back just after breakfast, as Peter Damme was marching the regimental band out on parade. Their objective was the open camp of Bailey’s miners across the Piney. Frances Grummond watched the incident from inside the stockade; it was her first experience of hostile Indian attack and she described it vividly.

“Quite a large body of Indians suddenly appeared at the summit of the hill in full warpaint, brandishing their spears, giving loud yells and lifting their blankets high in the air as they moved down slowly in an attempted charge upon the miners’ camp. Between one and two hundred Indians were scattered along the crest of that hill, but hardly three minutes had elapsed after they first came in view before the smoke and crack of the miners’ rifles, out from the cottonwood brush that lined the bank of the creek, had emptied half a dozen warriors’ seats and brought down three times as many ponies, while the cheers of the miners and their perfect confidence in defending their camp were enlivened by the music of the 18th Band which Colonel Carrington had play on the parade ground, while the whole garrison was under arms ready for a fight, and three howitzers were ready to open their fire in case of need. A small detachment had been sent to support the miners …”20

Colonel Carrington, having grown accustomed to these monotonous raids, reported the same incident much more succinctly. “A large force attacked the miners encamped across Big Piney. … A shell from the fort scattered them; no stock was lost; miners pursued several hours in view.



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