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Casualties of The Fetterman FightImagine yourself back in 1866, December 21 to be exact. You are a young recruit serving at an outpost in Dakota Territory called Fort Phil Kearny. It is a young fort, only started the previous July. Since its beginnings there have been many troubles with the Indians. Raiding parties steal horses, mules, cattle, whatever they can get. Often the raids occur every 2 or 3 days. Most of the men with you are young, some are from other countries, with little or no experience at Army life. The commander of Fort Kearny is Col. Carrington. The man leading you now is Capt. William Judd Fetterman. With him is Lt. George W. Grummond. There are 80 military men and 2 civilians marching this time. At first you had been ordered to relieve a wood train because it was believed by your superiors to be under attack. You have left the fort and are now marching north. It is cold, very cold, but you keep marching until you come to a ridge about 5 miles north of the fort where you come upon the Bozeman Trail. All of a sudden INDIANS! Many, many Indians. You are surrounded. The cavalry that had been beside the infantry until moments before, is now north of you, dismounting and starting to fight. There is chaos everywhere. Every man starts shooting, men falling all around you. Weird, eerie war cries from the Indians. You can't tell which tribes they are, but have heard there are Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe in this area. These are their last great hunting grounds and they will defend them. There are so many Indians, maybe upwards of 2,000, compared to only 82 of you and your companions. The firing is slowing now, lasting for less than a half-hour. Silence now. Capt. Tenodore Ten Eyck arrives, but too late for you and your friends. He finds bodies stretched out along a mile and a half of ridge, all dead, all horribly mutilated. Half of the bodies are taken back to the fort that afternoon. The rest will be retrieved the following day. Due in part to the Fetterman Fight, Col. Carrington will be ordered elsewhere, his superior in Omaha will also have a change in locations. December 21, 1866 was the second largest major victory for the Indians, the first being nine and one-half years later, and 80 miles further north at a place called Little Big Horn. Co. A Roster - Second Battalion, 18th Infantry Co. C 18th Infantry Co. E 18th Infantry Co. H. 18th Infantry Unassigned Second Cavalry, U. S. A. Troop C Commissioned Officers Citizens Co. A Roster - Second Battalion, 18th Infantry ACKERMAN, Private Fred BATZLER, Private William BURKE, Private Thomas BUCHANAN, Private Henry DEHRING, Private Mavemelian DULE, Corporal William GOODALL, Private George E. R. GORDON, Private Francis S. HARLEN, Private Michal KELLY, Private Martin LANGE, First Sergeant Augustus LENNON, Corporal Robert MURPHY, Sergeant Huge SHANNON, Private Patrick TAYLOR, Private Charles N. THOMAS, Private Joseph D. THORRY, Private David TIMSON, Private John WALTER, Private Albert H. WEAVER, Private John M. WOODRUFF, Private John Co. C 18th Infantry ACRONS, Private Henry E. BAUR, Corporal Gustave A. GALLAGHER, Corporal Patrack O'Garra, Private Michael RAYMOND, Sergeant Francis ROONEY, Sergeant Patrick ROSENBURG, Private Jacob SMITH, Private Patrick SULLIVAN, Private Frank P. Co. E 18th Infantry BURRELL, Private George W. CALLIMANS, Private Timothy MAHAR, Private John MORGAN, Sergeant William QUINN, Corporal John WATTERBURY, Private George N. Co. H. 18th Infantry BISSEL, Private Ephriam C. CARSTON, Corporal Frank DAVIS, Private George DOLAND, Private Perry F. GRIFFIN, Private Asa H. KEIL, Private Herman KEAN, Private James KINNEY, Private Michael PHILLIP, Corporal George REED, Private Delos SHARKEY, Corporal Michael SMITH, Sergeant Alex Unassigned MADDEN, Recruit Thomas Second Cavalry, U. S. A. Troop C AMBERSON, Private Thomas BAKER, Sergeant James BROGLIN, Private Thomas BUGHUE, Private William CORNOG, Private William CUDDY, Private Charles CLANCY, Private Pat DEMING, Private Harry S. DORAN, Private Hugh B. FITZGERALD, Private Andrew M. FOREMAN, Private Nathan GAMFORD, Private Charles GILES, Private John GREEN, Private Daniel HORRIGAN, Corporal Thomas F. HOUSER, Private Ferdinand JONES, Private Frank KELLY, Corporal James McCARTY, John McCOLLEY, Private John McGUIRE, Private James B. METZGER, Bugler Adolph NUGENT, Private George W. PAYNE, Private Franklin RYAN, Private James WILLIAMS, Private Oliver Commissioned Officers FETTERMAN, Capt.William J. (Brevet Lt. Col.) 18th Infantry BROWN, Capt. Fred H., 18th Infantry GRUMMOND, Lieutenant George W. , 18th Infantry Citizens FISHER, John WHEATLEY, John |
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