War Letters, Indian Campaigns
[author unknown]
Hist. Indians - Depredations
Aug 27, [1864?]
Dear Brother Minaus,
. . .
The very day I reached
home from the river I found the Militia of our Co. together with Marshall
& Washington were under orders to be in immediate readiness to go out
and fight the Indians, who were reported to be robbing trains driving off
cattle & Mules and burning ranches & killing the inhabitants all along
the government road from Marysville to Denver. Being one of the Militia of
course I was under marching orders too and as I never had fought any i thought
I might as well try my hand on Indians as any body, so with the shortest notice
I had my gun and fell right into line. With scanty supplies & no outfit
we were put on a forces march until we reached 47 miles from here or 17 beyond
Marysville. We found the town of Marysville full of men women & children
who had fled there from the settlements west for an asylum. We found that
although there was much exaggeration, Yet many had been killed, hundreds of
cattle driven off and many ranchers had driven their cattle & mules south
and were probably camped in large numbers on White Rock Stream, a southern
tributary of the Republican about 50 miles from where we then were. We immediately
turned our course over the prairies South procured guides and made our course
way where we hoped to find Indians. after surmounting the greatest obstacles
we finally reached the Republican, scouted every where but found no Indians.
Our General lost his horse making a charge on some buffalos as well as some
two or three others. We then...
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