124 Reminiscences of 



sunk their personal animosities, their heritage, and 

 combined in a general league against the invaders. 

 The opportunity was seized when the Civil War in the 

 United States had reached its greatest height, when 

 the government, requiring all its power, had with- 

 drawn to a great extent its forces from the frontier. 

 The injuries, aggravated by acts of retaliation given 

 and received, inflamed the Indians to more desperate 

 acts of valor and cruelty than they had ever exhibited 

 before. 



With scarcely an intimation of their purposes, they 

 suddenly and simultaneously attacked the route over 

 the plains. Sweeping down upon emigrant teams, and 

 the small settlements which had been established every 

 twelve or fifteen miles upon the route, as stations for 

 the mail and stage lines, they massacred the whites 

 indiscriminately men, women, and children, often 

 scalping and mutilating the bodies of their victims. 

 The wagons and buildings, after being divested of all 

 that pleased the savage eye, were given to the flames. 

 In one place, for a distance of one hundred and fifty 

 miles, the route was made desolate. From other 

 places the inhabitants and emigrants were driven to 

 central spots, where for days they were besieged by 

 their savage foes. The military station at Julesburg, 

 where a considerable number of troops were congre- 

 gated, as well as emigrants, was surrounded for a num- 

 ber of days by a large body of Indians who, cutting off 

 communication in every direction, made desperate 

 efforts to obtain possession of it, and were only re- 

 pulsed by the use of canister and grape. 



The number of Indians engaged in these outrages 

 was from ten thousand to fifteen thousand, though at 



