s post about 2,000 of what was considered friendly
Indians. Most of these Indians had been captured during the spring
campaign. They had brought in with them most of the prisoners that had
been captured on their raids upon the stage-lines and the ranches. General
Connor, desiring to get these Indians removed as far as possible from the
hostile Indians, under my order moved them south toward the Republican
River, in charge of two companies of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, commanded
by Captain Fouts. These Indians did not take kindly to this movement, and
the escort sent with them was not as large as it ought to have been. When
they were sixty miles south of Fort Laramie they were communicated with by
a band of hostile Indians who followed down the opposite side of the
Platte River, and early in the morning they attacked their escort, killing
Captain Fouts and four soldiers, and wounding seven others. In the fight
there were a great many Indians killed and wounded, but these Indians were
allowed to go south with their arms, to convince them that we put
confidence in them and did not treat them as prisoners. With the aid of
the other Indians on the north side of the Platte, they forced the escort
to intrench itself, by doing which the train and the women and others who
had been rescued from the Sioux Indians were saved, as word was gotten to
Fort Laramie and relief was sent. The Indians after this fight crossed the
North Platte River and moved north toward the Black Hills.

Colonel Moonlight, in command of Fort Laramie, as soon as he heard of this
revolt, went to relieve the intrenched party. The Indians, however, had
crossed the Platte River. He followed them. When within ten or fifteen
miles of the band, through carelessness in taking care of his horses, the
Indians turned upon him, stampeded his stock, and, in fact, drove off 200
or 300 head of it, leaving his command on foot. The attack of the hostiles
frightened the horses so that they could not be controlled, and they ran
towards the Indians. Moonlight and his command had to march back to
Laramie, a long distance, without food or transportation, as they had
started out with only one or two days' rations. Colonel Moonlight was
immediately relieved of his command, but the damage had been done, which
gave the hostile Indians great encouragement. General Connor sent this
dispatch:

JULESBURG, June 15, 1865.

(Received 9:50 p. m.)

_Major-General Dodge_: