At that time Lieut. Harding turned to Capt. Mills and said: "If
the boy scout will go with me I will make the upper attack, as he
has been over the country and knows the lay of the ground."
Of course I consented, and we marched to the mouth of the ravine
just mentioned.
I pointed out the hill referred to, and the Lieutenant placed a
man on top of it, and we proceeded.
Just before we reached the top of the other hill, Lieut. Harding
halted and formed his men in line, placing them about ten feet
apart, saying: "I have only a hundred soldiers, but I want it to
appear that I have a thousand."
When we first came in sight of the Indians, some were lying
stretched out in the sun, some were sitting down, while a few were
out looking after their horses, everything indicating that they
had just had their breakfast and were lounging around, not having
the slightest idea of an enemy in twenty miles of them, and we
took them wholly unawares.
When the Lieutenant formed his men in line before raising the top
of the hill, he asked me to take charge of his left wing and he
would take charge of his right. As soon as we came in sight of the
Indians, he gave the order to charge.
This was the first thing of the kind I had ever witnessed, and
when I cast my eyes down the line of soldiers I thought it the
grandest sight I had ever seen.
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