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Sir,

I respectfully state the facts of ght with Indians on the 21st.

On the morning of the 21st at about 11 o'clock .!. my picket on "ilot hill

reported the wood train threatened by Indians on Sulli#ant $ills.%ieutenant &olonel etterman claimed, by rank, to go out. I ac(uiesced , gi#inghim the men of his own company, that were for duty, and a portion of )&)company, 2nd *attn. 1+th .S. Infantry.

%ieutenant -. . -rummond, re(uested to take out the ca#alry. $e did so.

!y instructions were e/plicit. )Support the wood train, relie#e it and report tome. 0o not engage or pursue Indians at its e/pense. nder no circumstancespursue o#er %odge rail idge.)

*efore the command left, I instructed %ieutenant .$. ands, egimental 3uarter!aster, to repeat these orders. $e did so. earing still that the spirit of ambitionmight o#erride prudence, I crossed the parade and from a sentry platform, haltedthe ca#alry and again repeated my precise orders.

In half an hour the picket reported that the wood train had broken corral andmo#ed on to the "inery.

t 12 o'clock ring was heard towards "eno &reek, beyond %odge rail idge.&aptain en 4yck was immediately dispatched with infantry and the remainingca#alry and ordered to 5oin &olonel etterman. he men mo#ed promptly and onthe run, but within little more than half an hour from the rst shot, and 5ust asthe supporting party reached the hill o#erlooking the scene of action, all ringceased.

&aptain en 4yck sent a courier back with the report that he could see and hearnothing of etterman, but that a body of Indians, on the road below him, werechallenging him to come down, while larger bodies were in all the #alleys forse#eral miles around.

!o#ing cautiously forward he retrie#ed from the spot where the enemy had been

nearest, forty nine bodies, including those of *re#et %ieutenant &oloneletterman and &aptain .$. *rown. &aptain en 4yck fell back slowly, reachingthe fort without loss.

he following morning, I took eighty men and went to the scene of action. heroad on the little ridge where the nal stand took place was strewn with arrowheads, scalps, poles and broken shafts of spears. he arrows that were spentharmlessly from all directions showed that the command was suddenlyo#erwhelmed surrounded and cut o6. 7ot o8cer or man sur#i#ed.

etterman and *rown had each a re#ol#er shot in the left temple. s *rown

always declared he would reser#e a shot for himself as a last resort, so I amcon#inced that these two bra#e men fell, each by the other's hand, rather than

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undergo the slow torture in9icted upon others. %ieutenant -rummond's body wason the road between the two e/tremes, with a few others.

"ools of blood on the road and sloping sides of the narrow di#ide showed whereIndians bled fatally, but their bodies were carried o6

t the northwest or further point, and apparently where the command rst fellback from the #alley, reali:ing their danger, I found citi:en ;ames S. heatly andIsaac isher, each ha#ing one hundred and #e arrows in their naked body. hewidow and family of heatly are here. he cartridge shells about him, told howwell they fought.

*efore closing this report, I wish to say that e#ery man, o8cer, soldier, or citi:en,recei#ed burial with such record as to identify each. etterman, *rown and-rummond lie in one gra#e. he remainder also share one tomb, buried, as theyfought, together, but the cases in which they were laid, are clearly placed andnumbered.

I was asked to )send all the bad news). I do it as far as I can. I gi#e some of thefacts as to my men whose bodies I found < =

!utilations

4yes torn out and laid on the rocks.

7oses cut o6.

4ars cut o6.

&hins hewn o6.

eeth chopped out.

;oints of ngers. >sic?

*rains taken out and placed on rocks with other members of the body.

4ntrails taken out and e/posed.

$ands cut o6.

eet cut o6.

rms taken out from socket.

"ri#ate parts se#ered and indecently placed on the person.

4yes, ears, mouth, and arms penetrated with spear heads, sticks and arrows.

ibs slashed to separation with knifes.

Sculls >sic? se#ered in e#ery form from chin to crown.

!uscles of cal#es, thighs, stomach, breast, back, arms and cheek, taken out.

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"unctures upon e#ery sensiti#e part of the body, e#en to the soles of the feetand palms of the hand.

ll this only appro/imates to the whole truth. he great real fact is that theseIndians take ali#e when possible and slowly torture.

@our Obedient Ser#ant=$enry *. &arrington =&ol. 1+th Infantry