I piloted the Lieutenant and George
piloted the orderly. Here Lieut. Jackson invented some new style
of signal to what I had seen before, by taking a tea cup and
pouring powder in it and when he was ready to make the charge he
was to set the powder on fire, which would make a flash, and in
case the orderly was ready, he was to signal the Lieutenant in the
same manner.
We made the circuit and marched up to within one hundred yards of
the Indians, but could not make the attack until near daylight,
the Lieutenant thinking it was so dark that the soldiers were in
danger of killing each other, which was all perfectly true.
When the time arrived for the attack, which was just at daybreak,
the Lieutenant gave his signal, which was answered at once by the
orderly, and the Lieutenant led the way by going in advance of the
force, and I think it was the quickest fight I ever saw. I did not
count the Indians that were killed myself, but was told that there
were between 190 and 200 found dead on the battlefield. They
seemed to raise up as fast as the soldiers would cut them down,
and I think there were two cut down with the sabres where one was
shot. As soon as the battle was over, or when we could not find
any more Indians to kill, George and I got our horses as quick as
we could and went out after our horses, but they had taken fright
at the firing and were scattered all over the country.
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