Lest We Forget, VII

Lest We Forget By Dr. Seymour B. Young, of the First Council of Seventy VII. — Bear Lake Expedition On the return of the volunteers from the North Platte to Fort Bridger, July 2, 1862, preparations were made for a gen- eral inspection of the lines of mail and telegraph stations, with a view of placing them in perfect condition preparatory to our return home, August 1, 1862, as the term of our enlistment expired on that day. However, on the night of the 3rd of July, five soldiers be- longing to the U. S. Cavalry company, stationed at North Platte, took it into their heads to desert; and, with horses, saddles, blankets and side arms, they succeeded in leaving the camp in the dark hours of the night without being discovered. On the following morning it was found that their tracks pointed in a westerly direction. Colonel Collins immediately telegraphed Sergeant McNeil, at Fort Bridger, informing him of the desertion, with a request that he watch for and apprehend these deserters. When the message reached the Fort, the Sergeant was soundly sleeping, from the effects of too much Fourth of July; but in the afternoon he was aroused, the message sub- mitted to him, and he at once applied to Captain Smith for a platoon of men to accompany him and Lieut. John Quincy Knowlton, with a party of nine others of the command; these were soon in readiness to take up the march numbering eleven men, including the U. S. Sergeant. Before leaving camp, how- ever, Captain Smith gave the following instruction to Lieut. Knowlton, that while he was making all necessary efforts to trail and capture the deserting troopers from Colonel Collin's com- mand, he seek to discover the location of Chief Washakie, who was supposed to be camped somewhere on the southeast shore of Bear Lake, and instructions were given to have a friendly talk with this chief of the Shoshones, and induce him, if possible, to call home his young Indian warriors and prevent their further participation, with other hostile Indians, in making raids upon the emigrant trains and destroying the government mail stations and telegraph lines, and by his influence, for the future, prevent the destruction of these lines of communication across the continent, and counsel his young men to cease their

LEST WE FORGET 513 war upon the white people generally. Leaving camp about sundown, July 4, 1862, we took our line of march in a north- westerly direction, and about ten in the evening made our camp for the night at Yellow Creek. On the following morning, we resumed our journey, fol- lowing Yellow Creek to where it joins the Bear river. Further on we arrived at Smith's Fork of the river, and crossed this tributary on a toll bridge, after riding through the overflow of the stream for several hundred yards until we reached the eastern terminus of the bridge. After paying the mountaineer fifty cents for each man and horse, we were allowed to cross. Sergeant McNeil declined to go farther with the party as he had learned from Lieut. Knowlton that we intended to make the circuit of Bear Lake Valley, and that meant the swimming of Bear river several times, and he claimed that he could not swim; consequently, requested that he be left at the bridge at the mountaineer's home. When we returned from the expe- dition from Bear Lake Valley, he would gladly join us and ac- company us back to Fort Bridger. Lieut. Knowlton readily granted his request, and the following morning we proceeded on a westward course along the Bear river; reaching Thomas Fork, another tributary of the Bear, we halted and made prepa- ration for swimming this swollen mountain stream; here we gave some assistance to a company of emigrants, on their way to the Snake river country and Oregon, in their efforts to es- tablish a line across the river to pull their luggage and wagons over by the aid of a wagon box for a ferry boat. The vol- unteers then proceeded to swim with their horses across the stream, and on the west bank unsaddled, turned their horses out to graze, while the men dried their clothing in the sun and prepared to eat a dinner of hard bread and a cup of cold water. A lone Indian suddenly appeared sitting on his ponv at the top of the bluff near our encampment. Lieut. Knowlton made signs to him to come down to us. He responded, and when he arrived in camp we found he had been out on a hunt for game, and that he had succeeded in killing an antelope, which he had lashed behind his saddle. Our interpreter made a proposition that he furnish the meat for our dinner, and we would furnish the bread, and he to eat with us. Accordingly he took the carcass from his saddle and delivered it to our cook who proceeded to cut and slice from the hind quarters and the loin of the antelope enough choice meat to make a dinner for eleven hungry men, the In- dian included. Dinner over, we returned the balance of the antelope to the

514 IMPROVEMENT ERA Indian, paddled our own horses, mounted, and resumed our journey, advising the Indian to pilot us to his encampment. This he refused to do, however, but a little persuasion with the exhibition of a loaded revolver convinced him that it would be very necessary for the white man to have his way. Accordingly, we followed him on the trail which he pointed out to us and resumed our march till we came within the vicinity of the Indian Camp near the present location of the town of Mont- pelier. Of course, this was a barren plain then, with no sign of a white man's habitation visible in all the vast expanse of Bear Lake Valley. Approaching the Indian camp we saw a band of warriors mounted, swiftly riding what is known to plainsmen as "the war circle." As they rode this circle, we could hear their whoops and yells of defiance. We immediatelv ordered our Indian prisoner to ride at the forefront of our little troop, and shout to his red brothers that the white man intended peace not war. As soon as we came within hearing distance, and seeing one of their red brothers in our lead making signs of peace, they immediately ceased their war circle, and several of the principal men came riding towards us with a message that we would be permitted to enter their camp, an invitation which we accepted. We were conducted to the Council wigwam. As night had al- ready set in, to show our fearlessness, and to make believe our perfect confidence in the Indians, we immediately removed sad- dles, bridles and ropes from our wearv mounts and left them free to graze and mingle with the Indian ponies belonging to the village Then after a hasty bite of supper from our mule packs, we spread our blankets in the open and lay down for a few hours of much needed rest, but it must not be supposed that anv of our party sleot very soundly, for they realized that the redmen outnumbered our partv ten to one, and under the blankets during the night our hands were in close contact with our firearms. At break of day we arose and adjusted our clothing, ate hastilv a small ration of hard bread, sent two of the party out among the bands of Indian horses to separate and bring in our own. In this they were entirely successful, and we soon fixed our bedding and baggage on our pack mules, saddled our horses and stood ready for the command to mount and away; and yet we waited for some kind of communication from the war chief or leading men, as no word had been spoken to us by the Indians since we entered their camp at sunset the eve- nine before. The silence of the Indians seemed to us somewhat ominous,

LEST WE FORGET 515 and we began to look around for some sign of life among them. We soon discovered, however, that we were not the only ones awake and alert, for several Indians were observed closely watching our movements from behind rocks and willows on the outskirts of the camp. Lieut. Knowlton made a sign, beckoning them to approach, and soon three or four young warriors with the medicine man of the village came. To these the officer gave the information that we were on our way to see Washakie, and he offered two of their young men each a shirt, if they would accompanv us down to the river bringing with them a skin lodge. With this we wished them to construct a lodge boat to ferry our packs across the Bear river. The mentiotf of the name of Washakie, the Great Chief of all the Shoshone i seemed to change everything in our favor, and now we wer ^ quickly supplied with the desired help for crossing the river. Here the Indians showed themselves experts in guiding the lodge boat from the east to the west bank, laden with our packs and saddles. Steering for the west shore, we immediately swam with our horses in the wake of the boat across to the opposite bank, making the crossing in safety without loss. Ve paid the two Indians the stipulated price; namelv, two shirts, thus filling our part of the contract, vet the Indians were not satisfied ; they were no doubt hungry, for thev demanded bread. The onlv ration we had left consisted of about ei<jht pounds of hard bread crumbs; we divided these with the Indians anrl sent them away happy. Then we saddled our horses, packed our mules and started on an old, blind Indian trail leading in a southerly direction, taking us through the Bear river bottom0, now covered with from two to four feet of water, the overflow of the tributaries of Bear Lake. On emerging from several miles of wading, we reached higher ground at a point not far from where the citv of Paris is now located; then we continued our march to the South on the trail leading us through a very dense thicket of willows as high as the heads of our men, when mounted on their horses. Suddenly we came to an opening in this dense willow-copse, of several hundred yards in extent, and found ourselves in the midst of a band of hostile Indians, another companv of Chief Bear Hunter's band with whom we had camped the night before. Within this opening was the Indians' camp, about twenty or thirty tepees, and near bv was a band of Indian ponies grazing. Among the Indian horses one of our partv recognized a fine saddle horse belonging to Samuel W. Rich- ards, of Salt Lake City. Knowing the high valuation in which this animal was held by Brother Richards, and believing that

516 IMPROVEMENT ERA the Indians had come by it dishonestly, Lieutenant Knowlton ordered Sergeant Spencer to rope the animal for the purpose of recovering it to the owner; then there was something doing! A hunched-back Indian rushed to rescue the horse, placed his knife against the rope a little way from the neck of the animal and was about to sever the rope when he was thrown to the ground by Spencer, rolling over several times when he struck the earth, but not being seriously injured, however. He regained his feet, and rushed upon Spencer with his knife ready to strike, Spencer grabbed the uplifted arm and gripped it with such force that the knife fell from the Indian's hand. The Indian was then thrown again with more violence, and did not return to renew the fight, but skulked away into the wil" lows. Suddenly we saw the wikiups deserted, and we heard the twang of bow-strings and the click of gun locks from hiding places and secure protection in the dense willows behind which the Indians skulked. Lieut. Knowlton immediately gave orders for every man to dismount and each seek a separate path for himself out of the ambush making way to open ground in a southerly direction. In this we were successful, and thus escaped from the threatened attack- without the loss or injury of any of our party. Continuing our march to the south we came suddenly to a mountain stream known as Swan Creek, into which some of our boys rode, in an effort to make a crossing, but the current was so swift that the horses were carried off their feet and thrown helpless upon the shore from which they entered the stream. We then discussed the propriety of going up or down the stream in search of more favorable crossing; places, when sud- denly there appeared a lone Indian, approaching from the south, who proved to be friendly. He was from Cache Valley, and immediately piloted us on a trail leading over a steep moun- tain spur around the head of the rushing stream, and then pointing us to the trail leading to Washakie's camp left us to pursue our journey. About sunset we arrived at the camp of the Snake chief, were made welcome by him, and after finish- ing our small ration of hard bread crumbs, we rolled in our blankets and had a good, peaceful, uninterrupted night's rest. On the following morning, Washakie was informed of our attempt to recover the stolen horse and he promised us that he would send one of his men to the belligerent camp in the wil- lows, near Swan Creek, have the horse brought to his camp, and, if possible, find the Indian who stole the horse and have him punished. We learned after our return from the expe- dition that Washakie had taken the thief and given him a very

LEST WE FORGET 517 severe whipping when he was brought into camp with the stolen horse. Remaining here the remainder of the day, Washakie discovered that we were without provisions. He brought from his wikiup about fifty pounds of flour. Laying it on the ground, he said, as he drew his finger across the center of the sack, "This part is for you, and this part is for me and my papooses;" thus dividing the flour with us equally with his own family. We immediately set to work making and baking bread, and with plenty of fish, with which we were supplied by the Indians, we partook of a square meal the like of which we had not had for two days past. The following morning, July 10, we left the camp of our friend Washakie, taking, by his request, a near relative who appeared to be in the last stages of tuber- culosis, to give him and his squaw safe escort to Fort Bridger, where he hoped to be benefited by treatment from the Post physician. Two young Indians accompanied us, bringing with them a new skin lodge, with which to ferry the sick man, his squaw and our packs and camp outfit, across the Bear river. On arriving at the crossing, we assisted the Indians in constructing a lodge boat on which the invalid and the luggage of our camp was safely carried over the river. The troopers swam the river with their horses. This crossing was made without accident or loss and immediately our march was taken up for headquarters, at Fort Bridger, where we arrived safely on the evening of the 13th of July, and the full account of the expedition was given, by Lieut. Knowlton, to Captain Lot Smith who had ex- pressed some anxiety in the last three days for the welfare of the expedition. When we left camp on the Fourth of July we only carried rations for five days, and, of course, Captain Smith, be- ing aware of this fact, looked for our return at the expiration, or very soon after, the five days had expired, but he made this remark to comrades in the camp who inquired about our ex- tended absence, that, surely some one or two of the party would get out alive and soon make a report of the results of the ex- pedition. Our party brought safely to Fort Bridger the poor sick man and his squaw who had been committed to our care by Chief Washakie. Our report concerning our interview and threatened collisions with the two hostile bands of Indians and final safe arrival at Washakie's camp, his warm friendship and acts of kindness expressed to the party with safe conduct of his relatives to Fort Bridger, was the final report of the expedition that left headquarters on the Fourth day of July, under Lieut. Knowlton, for the purpose of capturing some deserters from Col. Collin's command on the North Platte. The expedition so

518 IMPROVEMENT ERA well planned and executed was a subject of congratulation from our Commander. Although we did not find any deserters, we did find Washakie, the great Shoshone Chief, and on our return trip we picked up Sergeant McNeil, from the Bridge at Smith's Fork and brought him safely back to Fort Bridger. The visit to Washakie, and obtaining his counsel and friendship, was in strict accord with the advice given by Presi- dent Brigham Young, when he spoke to the officers and vol- unteers in Emigration Canyon as they were leaving Salt Lake City to engage in the service of the Civil War. At Dawning At the birds' first matin note, Eager from my couch I spring, For the summer's early morn, Trysting time to me doth bring. Forth, with ne'er delaying steps, Haste I to the magic grove, — Where the birds in rapture trill, — There to meet my dainty love. With noiseless tread she soon appears, Clad in cool and misty gray, — On her brow a glowing star, Dartling forth a silvery ray. In her arms are violets blue, 0 her freshness, fragrance rare! Sweetness in her deep, dark eyes, Sweetness in her flowing hair! On my brow a dainty kiss Falls as light as moonbeam's ray, Then my Lady blushes red, — Rosy glows the robe of gray. Clasp I eagerly her form For a moment, — then she's gone; But the day's more perfect made, For I've seen my Lady Dawn. La Verkin, Utah Linda S. Fletcher