On September 26—27 it staved off a Comanche attack at the head of Tule Canyon and on the morning of September 28 descended by a narrow trail to the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon. There it completely destroyed five Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne villages, including large quantities of provisions, and captured 1, horses and mules, of which 1, were slaughtered at the head of Tule Canyon.
Afterward, Mackenzie, with detachments of the regiment, made two other expeditions onto the High Plains. On November 3, near the site of Tahoka, in their last fight with the Comanches, the cavalrymen killed two and captured nineteen. Meanwhile, the Indians in Mexico had renewed their marauding in Texas.
This time Mackenzie led a larger and more extensive expedition into Mexico, restored a system of patrols, and reestablished peace in the devastated region of South Texas. Outside Texas, Mackenzie and the Fourth Cavalry administered and controlled the Kiowa-Comanche and the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservations for several years, and after the annihilation of George A. In the autumn of Mackenzie with six companies of the Fourth Cavalry subdued the hostile Utes in Southern Colorado without firing a shot and in August forced them to move to a reservation in Utah.
Immediately thereafter, the Fourth Cavalry was transferred to Arizona, where Mackenzie was to assume full command of all military forces in the department and subdue the hostile Apaches. Within less than a month the Apaches had surrendered or fled to Mexico, and on October 30 Mackenzie and the Fourth Cavalry were transferred to the new District of New Mexico.
By November 1, , when W. Royall replaced Mackenzie as colonel, the Fourth Cavalry had forced the White Mountain Apaches, Jicarillas, Navajos, and Mescaleros to remain peacefully on their respective reservations.
From to the Fourth Cavalry operated against the Apaches in Arizona. In the regimental headquarters was moved to Walla Walla, Washington.
The regiment was on the Mexican border in Texas from to Initially, the military escort saw little action. The Sioux seemed to be avoiding or ignoring the survey party. For Custer, the mission turned into something of a lark.
He spent much of his time shooting buffalo, antelope, elk and other animals. To find good hunting, he often led the 7th Cavalry far away from the survey party and the main body of the military escort. On August 4, , Custer was far ahead of the rest of the force, camping along the Tongue River in southeastern Montana. Suddenly, a large band of Sioux warriors appeared on the horizon and attacked.
The group was led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Custer, who had been taking an afternoon nap, reacted quickly and mounted an effective defense. After a brief skirmish, the tribesmen withdrew. When Sturgis became convinced that he could not overtake the Indians before they reached the Missouri River he decided to delay his march.
It was reasonably certain that Chief Joseph would at least diminish the rate of his march as soon as the troops ceased pushing him, and thus Miles would have a better opportunity to place his command in position.
By a happy combination of skill and luck he was able to seize the opportunity, and on the 30th September, at a point a little northeast of the Bear Paw Mountains in Montana, his Cheyenne scouts discovered the Indian village. The Indian camp had been most admirably selected for defense; it lay in the valley of Snake Creek and was traversed by deep coolies in such a manner as to afford concealment, and give protection from fire from what direction soever the position was approached.
In the banks of these coolies and ravines a most skillful system of rifle-pits was constructed. When the troops sighted the village it seemed accessible from all sides, except perhaps the east. The gallant troopers burying their spurs into their horses' flanks, rushed forward to the attack. The Indians held their fire until the squadron was within point blank range when they saluted it with a murderous volley; but on they charged to within twenty yards of the Indian line.
In the charge Troop K Hale had wheeled to the right to attack a body of Indians which enfiladed the attacking line. Moylan, commanding A and D, when he discovered the perpendicular bank, saw that it was impossible to descend it, wheeled his troops about, withdrew, and formed on the right of the 5th Infantry, some two or.
Fuller, with a detachment of five men, marched without a change of horses three hundred and fifty miles in five days. During this movement the fire was very heavy, but the Indians were so close that they shot too high. Up to this time the loss in Troops A and D was three killed and four wounded. While moving to the rear, Captain Godfrey, marching in rear of his troop, had his horse shot under him. Hale also charged up to an impassable ravine, withdrew about two hundred yards and dismounted his troop to fight on foot in a somewhat isolated position on the right.
For some time almost the entire Indian force was concentrated on him, inflicting severe loss. Troops A and D dismounted and advanced to his assistance at double time under a galling cross-fire, sustaining a heavy loss. In this advance, Godfrey, who had remained mounted, was wounded and taken from the field. After Moylan placed his line in position and was in the act of reporting to Hale, he was shot through the thigh.
Soon after Hale himself was killed while encouraging the inexperienced young soldiers of his command. Biddle had been killed in the first charge. There was now but one officer, Lieutenant Eckerson, for duty with the three troops. All the First Sergeants were killed, also several sergeants and corporals. The squadron of the Seventh Cavalry now occupied the high ground east of the village.
Lieutenant Romeyn, 5th Infantry, in command of Troops A and D, 7th Cavalry and Company G, 5th Infantry, was ordered to charge simultaneously with Lieutenant Carter, and Company I, 5th Infantry, from the southwest end and endeavor to cut the Indians off from their water supply. The rifle pits were reached, but the Indians drove the force back.
Romeyn was shot through the lungs. This practically ended the fighting for the day, and during the night the troops were posted around the Indian village and threw up such intrenchments as they could with the tools at hand. The pounder arrived on the evening of the 1st October and by burying the trail in the ground, and using very light charges of powder some shells were dropped in among the Indians, inflicting great loss.
Miles had several parleys with Joseph, and finally, on the 4th October, he surrendered his people—four hundred and eighteen in all—of which eighty-seven were men. One hundred and four escaped to Canada. In this engagement Miles' losses were: two officers and twenty-two enlisted men killed; four officers and thirty-eight enlisted men wounded, of which the Seventh Cavalry lost two officers and nineteen enlisted men killed, and two officers and twenty-seven enlisted men wounded, a total loss of fifty-one out of one hundred and eight men engaged—very nearly fifty per cent.
Miles' command numbered during the first two days, three hundred and twenty-three men and thirty Cheyennes, it was afterwards increased by forty men of Brotherton's Company of the 5th Infantry. Sturgis reached the Missouri at Carroll on the 1st October, and the same day received orders from Miles to move forward rapidly and cautiously—that he had Joseph surrounded.
On the 4th, when within two hours' march of the battle-field, he received orders to halt—that the surrender was complete.
After a few months of rest and recuperation a permanent camp was established at Bear Butte, in the Black Hills, all the regiment, under Sturgis, being present except Troop F, which remained at Fort Totten. In September the Cheyenne Indians left their reservation in the Indian Territory crossed the States of Kansas and Nebraska, committing depredations along their route of march. They evaded all pursuers and were apparently heading for the great agencies in Dakota. The possible introduction of an openly hostile element into any of these great camps was viewed with great apprehension by the military authorities, and stringent orders were issued to prevent it.
Under telegraphic orders the camp at Bear Butte was broken up, and the command, under Tilford, moved with as much dispatch as possible to a point near this Agency to observe it, and in conjunction with other troops, to keep out the Cheyennes, capturing them if possible. When the Cheyennes found that their scheme of joining the Sioux was frustrated, and that the gateways to the North was held by troops, they broke up into small parties so that they might sneak through the line.
One band did escape around the western end of the Black Hills. Another was captured by a squadron of the 3d Cavalry under Captain J. This band, when in the first camp after surrender, experienced a change of heart and positively refused to accompany Johnson any further. They burrowed in the ground and otherwise constructed a most skillful system of defense.
Two troops of the Seventh Cavalry and a piece of artillery went to the assistance of Johnson. When the Indians saw the resources and preparations of the troops for immediate action, they concluded to come out of their holes and to go with their captors.
In November the regiment was relieved from duty in the field, and after detaching two troops to establish a cantonment on the present site of Fort Meade, S.
The next summer regimental headquarters and six troops garrisoned the new post of Fort Meade, Dakota. Aside from maintaining camps of observation on the Little Missouri River during the summer, escort duty in the construction of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads, scouts and expeditions for special purposes, the service in the Department of Dakota after was confined to garrison work.
Among the scouts may be mentioned the capture by Lieutenant Bell of a band of Canadian half-breeds in the autumn of Troop F was present and participated in the capture of the remnants of Sitting Bull's and Gaul's camps at Poplar River Agency, during the winter of On the 11th June, , Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis, Brevet Major General, U. General James W. Forsyth, Lieutenant Colonel 1st Cavalry, succeeded to the Colonelcy. Regimental headquarters and one squadron were transferred to the Department of the Missouri during the summer of The next year the remaining squadrons followed the first, one taking station at Fort Riley, the other at Fort Sill, Indian Territory.
The troops stationed at Fort Sill did their share of duty on the "cattle trail" leading through the Territory. In the autumn of , the regiment, except Troop E, was united for the last time at the field manoeuvres of that year on Chilocco Creek, Indian Territory. In September, , Troops L and M were skeletonized, and the officers and men merged into other organizations. The year is memorable for the Sioux outbreak after a peace of more than ten years. The history of this disturbance of the friendly relations which had existed for so long a period is full of interest, but only a passing reference can be made to it.
Religious fervor, including the belief in the advent of a Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the return of the buffalo and the departure of the white man from the Indian country, seized the savage mind; and its manifestations in the ghost dance and other ceremonies gave rise to the belief on the part of agents and others that the entire Indian nation meditated war.
Whether this belief was correct or not has never been definitely decided. In November the agent at Pine Ridge, South Dakota, not equal to the emergency which presented itself, deserted his post of duty, reported his Indians on the eve of war and called for military protection. The headquarters and eight troops of the regiment formed a part of this force.
At the same time troops were placed at strategical points north of this agency, in the Department of Dakota. One of these commands was located on the Cheyenne River in observation of Big Foot's band, and of other Indians camped in that city. Nothing of a hostile character occurred at Pine Ridge Agency for several weeks after the arrival of the troops. This was called the hostile camp. These negotiations, which looked to bringing these Indians into the agency, were progressing with a fair prospect of success until the news of the killing of Sitting Bull near Standing Rock was received, when they were to some extent interrupted.
They were, however, resumed until broken off by an actual collision between the Indians and troops. Big Foot was a bad Indian, a disturbing element.
In his camp the followers of Sitting Bull, who escaped when he was killed, found an asylum. There were also other renegades from the Missouri River agencies. On the night of the 22d December he escaped. Brooke informed Whitside on the 27th that Big Foot must be in his front, and directed him to "find him, to move on him at once and with rapidity, to capture him, and if he fought to destroy him.
Whitside did capture him on the 28th, without a fight, about six miles from Wounded Knee Post Office. The Indians were conducted to the camp which had been left standing on the Wounded Knee.
They were assembled, counted, and rations issued to three hundred and fifty persons; one hundred and twenty bucks, the rest women and children. Whitside reported his successful capture and requested reinforcements, that the disarmament, which was to be consummated on the morrow, be accomplished without bloodshed. In response to his request Forsyth arrived during the night of the 28th with Regimental Headquarters and the second squadron; two Hotchkiss guns under Captain A.
Capron, 1st Artillery; and Lieutenant Taylor, 9th Cavalry, with his troop of scouts, to which was attached Lieutenant Preston, 9th Cavalry. They trained for overseas deployment and combat during World War II. The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were deactivated in May The last all-black units were disbanded during the s. Buffalo soldiers had the lowest military desertion and court-martial rates of their time. Many won the Congressional Medal of Honor , an award presented in recognition of combat valor that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Today, visitors can attend the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, a museum dedicated to the history of their military service.
Who Are The Buffalo Soldiers? Buffalo Soldier Museum. Buffalo Soldiers. National Park Service. Buffalo Soldiers and the Spanish-American War. Ninth United States Cavalry. Texas State Historical Association. The Ninth Regiment of Cavalry. Army Center of Military History. The Tenth Regiment of Cavalry. World War I and the Buffalo Soldiers. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.
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