hem a complete surprise. Keeping the command
wholly out of sight, until we were within a mile of the Indians, the
General halted the advance guard until all closed up, and then issued an
order, that, when he sounded the charge, the whole command was to rush
into the village.

As we halted on the top of the hill overlooking the camp of the
unsuspecting Indians, General Carr called out to his bugler: "Sound the
charge!" The bugler for a moment became intensely excited, and actually
forgot the notes. The General again sang out: "Sound the charge!" and
yet the bugler was unable to obey the command. Quartermaster Hays--who
had obtained permission to accompany the expedition--was riding near
the General, and comprehending the dilemma of the man, rushed up to
him, jerked the bugle from his hands and sounded the charge himself in
clear and distinct notes. As the troops rushed forward, he threw the
bugle away, then drawing his pistols, was among the first men that
entered the village.

The Indians had just driven up their horses and were preparing to make a
move of the camp, when they saw the soldiers coming down upon them. A
great many of them succeeded in jumping upon their ponies, and, leaving
every thing behind them, advanced out of the village and prepared to meet
the charge; but upon second thought they quickly concluded that it was
useless to try to check us, and, those who were mounted rapidly rode
away, while the others on foot fled for safety to the neighboring hills.
We went through their village shooting right and left at everything we
saw. The Pawnees, the regular soldiers and the officers were all mixed up
together, and the Sioux were flying in every direction.

General Carr had instructed the command that when they entered the
village, they must keep a sharp look out for white women, as he was
confident the Indians had some captives. The company which had been
ordered to take possession of the village after its capture, soon found
two white women, one of whom had just been killed and the other wounded.
They were both Swedes, and the survivor could not talk English. A
Swedish soldier, however, was soon found who could talk with her. The
name of this woman was Mrs. Weichel, and her story as told to the
soldier was, that as soon as the Indians saw the troops coming down upon
them, a squaw--Tall Bull's wife--had killed Mrs. Alderdice, the other
captive, with a hatchet, and then wounded her. This squaw had evidently