by Win Blevins
“But I did not remain long here wishing to put the gratest possible distance between me and the Arrickarees I still continued Southward over a smoothe roling ground But what ware my reflection being at least Three Hundred miles [an overestimate] from any assistanc unarmed and u[n]provided with any sort of means of precureing a subsistance not even a pocket Knife I began to feel after passing So many dangers that my pro[s]pects ware still verry slim, mounting some high land I saw ahed of me the river and Quite a grove of timber and being verry thirsty I made for the water intending to take a good rest in the timber I took one drink of water and setting down on a drift log a few minuits I chanced to look [at] the [river] and here came the boats floating down the stream the [men] watcing along the shores saw me about as soon as I saw them the boat was laid in and I got aboard
“I spoke of my friend Gibson whe[n] I was informed he was on board I immediately wen[t] to the cabin where he lay but he did not recognize me being in the agonies of Death the shot having passed through his bowels I could not refrain from weeping over him who lost his lifee but saved mine he did not live but an hour or so and we buried him that evening the onley one of (12) [13] that ware killed at the arrickarees Eleven being left on the sand bar and their Scalps taken for the squaws to sing and dance over.
“Before meeting with this defeat I think few men had Stronger Ideas of their bravery and disregard of fear than I had but standing on a bear and open sand barr to be shot at from behind a picketed Indian village was more than I had contacted for and some what cooled my courage before leaving the grave of my friend Gibson that [day and] before I had an oppertunity of writeing to his friends I forgot his post office and so never have writen We fell down a few miles and lay by several day to wait and [see] if any more men had escaped the but[c]hery when on the third or fourth day Jack Larisson came to us naked as when he was born and the skin peeling off of him from the effects of the sun he was wounded a ball passing through the fleshy part of one thigh and ldging in the other the ball was easily exticated and in a few (a few) days he was hobbling around Larrisson had lain between two dead horses untill the boats left and he saw no other chance of escape but to swim the river then divesting himself of all his clothing he took the water the Indians came running and firing at his head but [he] escaped without further injury the wound Before mentioned he had recieved in the early part of the battle if it can be called Battle supposing no more men had survived the slaughte[r] we again droped down the river
“plenty of nice fat venison”
“And landed under the side of an Isle [Ashley Island] and two men [Jedediah Smith and a French Canadian] ware sent up to [Ashley’s post at] the mouth of the yellowstone and one boat containing the wounded and discouraged was sent down to Council bluffs with orders to continue to St Louis This being the fore part of June here we lay for Six weeks or two months living on scant and frquentle no rations allthough game was plenty on the main Shore perhaps it was my fault in greate measure for several of us being allowed to go on Shore we ware luckey enough to get Several Elk each one packing meat to his utmost capacity there came on a brisk shower of rain Just before we reached the main shore and a brisk wind arising the men on the (men on the) boat would not bring the skiff and take us on board the bank being bear and no timber neare we ware suffering with wet and cold I went off to the nearest timber made a fire dried and warmed myself laid down and went to sleep in the morning looking around I saw a fine Buck in easy gun shot and I suceeded in Killing him then I was in town plenty of wood plenty of water and plenty of nice fat venison nothing to do but cook and eat here I remained untill next morning then taking a good back load to the landing whare I met several men who had Just landed for the purpose of hunting for me after this I was scarcely ever allowed to go ashore for I might never return
“In proceess of time news came that Col. Livenworth [Leavenworth] with Seven or eight hundred Sioux Indians ware on the rout to Punnish the Arrickarees and (18) or (20) men came down from [Ashley’s post on] the Yellow Stone who had gone up [under Andrew Henry] the year prevous these men came in Canoes (came in canoes) and passed the Arrickarees in the night we ware now landed on the main Shore and allowed more liberty than hertofore (at) Col. Levenworth [with] about (150) mem the remnant of the (6) Regiment came and Shortly after Major Pilcher with the Sioux Indians (Indians) amounting to 5 or 600 warriers and (18) or 20 engagies of the Missourie furr Company and a grand feast was held and speeches made by whites and Indians
“After 2 days talk a feast and an Indian dance we proceded up stream Some time toward the last [the eighth] of August we came near the arrickaree villages again a halt was made arms examined amunition distributed and badges given to our friends the Sioux which consisted of a strip of white muslin bound around the head to distinguish friends from foes
“The third day in the afternoon being 2 or three miles from the villages the Sioux made a breake being generally mounted they out went us although we ware put to the double Quick and when we arived the plain was covered with Indians which looked more like a swarm [of] bees than a battle field they going in all possible directions the Rees having mounted and met the Sioux a half mile from their pickets But as soon as we came in sight the Rees retreated into their village the boats came up and landed a short half mile below the village but little efort was mad that afternoon except to surround the Rees and keep them from leaveing the Sioux coming around one side and the whites around the other Quite a number of dead Indians streued over the plain I must here notice the Bravery of one Sioux a Ree ventured out some distance from the pickets and held some tantalizeing conversation with the Sioux, one Siox on a fast horse approached him slowly Still bantering each other to approach nearer at length the Sioux put whip to his horse taking directly for the Ree and run him right up to the [village] then firing at full speed wheeled to retreat the Rees inside of the pickets firing some 40 or 50 of them covered him completely in smoke but Sioux and his horse came out safe and the Rees horse went in through the gate without a rider the Rees friends came out and carried in the man Several Rees lay dead and one in long shot (shot) of the pickets the old Sioux chief Brought one of his wives up with a war club who struck the corps a number of blow with [the] club he tantalizeing the Rees all the time for their cowardice in [not] comeing out to defend thair dead comrad and allowing his Squaws to strike their braves in gunshot of their village a common habit of the Indians in war is the first man that comes to the body of a dead enemy is to take his Scalp the second will take off his right hand the third his left the fourth his right foot the fifth his Left foot and hang thes trophies around their necks to shew how near they ware to the death of their enemy on the field of Battle and in this case a member of our Sioux shewed Trophies one more circumstance and I am done one large middle aged Sioux blonged to the grizzle Bear medicine came on hand [and] feet to the body of a dead Ree in the attitude of a grzzly Bear snorting and mimican the bear in all his most vicious attitudes and with his teeth tore out mouth fulls of flesh from the breast of the dead body of the Ree
“But I will not tire you with details of the savage habits of Indians to their enimies but I will merely state that it is easy to make a savage of a civilised man but impossible to make a civilised man of a savage in one Generation
“The third day in the afternoon one of the Ree chiefs came out alone offering terms of peace a Schedule was drawn up to be confirmed on the morrow in a half hour after this was undestood our Sioux packed up and ware out of sight also the most of the Missourie companies men
“The night was Quiet but the two previous we had a lively picture of pandimonium the wa[il]ing of squaws and children the Screams and yelling of men the fireing of guns the awful howling of dogs the neighing and braying of hosses and mules with the hooting of owls of which thy [were] a number all intermingled with the stench of dead men and horses made the place the most (most) disagreeable that immaginnation could fix Short of the bottomless pit In the morning however our Quiet night was easily accou
nted for the Rees having dserted thair village early in the night previous a few men with an Interpeter ware sent forward to hunt them up and bring them back they returned about noon not being able to overtake them one circumstanc I must not omit to mention Captain [Bennett] Riley since General Riley who gave California her constitu[ti]on was present and in command of company of Company A. .6.th Regiment and requested pemition to lead a forlorn hope into the villag but was denied that honour he then became allmost furious and swore that he demande the prviledge stating that they had been laying at garison at Council Bluffs for 8 or 10 years doeing nothing but eating pumpkins and now a small chance for promotion occured and it was denied him and might not occurr again for the next 10 yeares (again)
“We Remained one night more in our stinking disageeable camp when we loosed cable and droped down stream 4 men of our mountanier corps was left behind and in an hour after we left a great smoke arose and the acursd village was known to be on fire three Squaw 2 verry old and feeb[l]e and one sick and unab[l]e to move ware found to have been left as not worth caring for these ware removed into a lodge which was preserved Col. Levenworth had given special orders that the village be left unmolested & ordered the boats landed and role called to assertain who if any ware missing the sargent called over the roles rapidly and reported all present then [the inference was that] it must be Souix
“Fort Keawa”
“We having to hunt for our living we soon fell behind the Col. and his corps droping down to a place called fort Keawa [Kiowa] a trading establishment blonging to Missourie furr Company
“Here a small company of I think (13) men [under Andrew Henry] ware furnished a few horses onley enough to pack their baggage they going back to the mouth of the yellow Stone on their way up they ware actacted in the night by a small party of Rees killing two of thier men and they killing one Ree amongst this party was a Mr Hugh Glass who could not be rstrand and kept under Subordination he went off of the line of march one afternoon and met with a large grissly Bear which he shot at and wounded the bear as is usual attacted Glass he attemptd to climb a tree but the bear caught him and hauled to the ground tearing and lacerating his body in feareful rate by this time several men ware in close gun shot but could not shoot for fear of hitting Glass at length the beare appea[r]ed to be satisfied and turned to leave when 2 or 3 men fired the bear turned immediately on glass and give him a second mutilation on turning again several more men shot him when for the third time he pouncd on Glass and fell dead over his body this I have from information not being present here I leave Glass for the presen we having bought a few horses and borrowed a few more
left about the last of September [1823] and proceded westward over a dry roling highland a Elleven in number I must now mention honorable exceptions to the character of the men engaged at St Louis being now thined down to onley nine of those who lfet [left] in March and first Jededdiah Smith who was our Captain Thomas Fitzpatrick William L. Sublett and Thomas Eddie all of which will figure more or less in the future in [the] evening we camped on White clay Creek [White River] a small stream running thick with a white sediment and resembling cream in appearance but of a sweetish pu[n]gent taste our guide warned us from using this water too freely as [it] caused excessive costiveness [constipation] which we soon found out
“We prceeded up this stream one day [Trees] not in sight since we left the Missourie part of the nxt day same when our guide infomed us to take what water we could as we would not reach water untill about noon the next day our means of taking water being verry small we trailed on untill dark and camped on a ridge whare the cactus was so thick that we could scarcely find room to spred our Blankets Starting early about 11 oclock we arived at our expected water But behold it was entirely dry not even dam[p] mud to be found but here we found a few Shrubby oaks to protect us from the scorching sun We rested perhaps half an hour 15 miles to the water yet and being all on foot and a pack horse to leade can we if we hold out reach it before dark we urged and hauled our stubron horses along as fast as posible our guide getting a long way ahead and finely out of sight my pack horse being more tractab[l]e than most others I soon got ahead of my companions and we got strung out a mile in (tingth) [length] the country some what roling and one steering off to the right or left in search of water we ware not onley long but wide and it appeared like we might never all collect togather again I followd as near as possible the last appeance of our guide but deveating slightly to the right struck on a hole [of] water about an hour before sunset I fired my gun immedeately and then ran into the pool arm deep my horse foloing me