f came riding by.

When he was not more than thirty yards away I fired. The next instant
he tumbled from the saddle, and the horse kept on his way without a
rider. Instead of running back to the Indians, he galloped toward the
soldiers, by one of whom he was caught.

Lieutenant Mason, who had been very conspicuous in the fight and had
killed two or three Indians himself, came galloping up the ravine, and,
jumping from his horse, secured the elaborate war-bonnet from the head
of the dead chief, together with all his other accoutrements.

We both rejoined the soldiers. I started in search of the horse, and
found him in the possession of Sergeant McGrath, who had captured him.
McGrath knew that I had been trying to get the horse, and he had seen
me kill its rider. He handed the animal over to me at once. I little
thought at the time that I had captured the fastest running horse west
of the Missouri River, but this later proved to be the fact.

Late that evening our wagon-train arrived. Mrs. Weichel, the wounded
woman, had been carefully attended by the surgeons, and we placed her
in the ambulance. Gathering up the prisoners, squaws, and papooses, we
set out for the South Platte River, eight miles distant, where we went
into camp.

Next morning, by order of General Carr, all the money found in the
village was turned over to the adjutant. Above two thousand dollars was
collected, and the entire amount was given to Mrs. Weichel.

The command now proceeded to Fort Sedgwick, from which point the
particulars of our fight, which took place Sunday, July 11, 1869, was
telegraphed to all parts of the country.

During our two weeks' stay at this Post, General Augur, of the
Department of the Platte, made us a visit, and complimented the command
highly on the gallant service it had performed. Tall Bull and his
Indians had long been a terror to the border settlements. For their
crushing defeat, and the killing of the chief, General Carr and the
command were complimented in General Orders.

Mrs. Weichel was cared for in the Post hospital. After her recovery she
married the hospital steward. Her former husband had been killed by the
Indians. Our prisoners were sent to the Whetstone Agency, on the
Missouri, where Spotted Tail and the friendly Sioux were then living.
The captured horses and mules were distributed among the officers and
soldiers.

Among the animals which I thus obtained were my Tall Bull horse and a
pony which I c