882 THE GHOST-DANCE RELIGION [eth.ann.14 



Red Cloud's men came in and surrendered and reported that the old 

 chief was practically a prisoner and wanted the soldiers to come and 

 rescue him from the hostiles, who were trying to force him into the war. 

 They reported further that there was much suffering from cold and hun- 

 ger in the Indian camp, and that all the Ogalala (Red Cloud's people 

 of Pine Ridge) were intending to come in at once in a body. 



On the 3d of January General Miles took up his headquarters at Pine 

 Ridge and directed General Brooke to assume immediate command of 

 the troops surrounding the hostile camp. Brooke's men swung out to 

 form the western and northern part of a circle about the hostiles, cut- 

 ting them off from the Bad Lands, while the troops under General Carr 

 closed in on the east and northeast in such a way that the Indians were 

 hemmed in and unable to make a move in any direction excepting 

 toward the agency. 



On January •"> a party of hostiles attacked a detachment of the Hixth 

 cavalry under Captain Kerr on Grass creek, a lew miles north of the 

 agency, but were quickly repulsed with the loss of four of their number, 

 the troops having been reinforced by other detachments in the vicinity. 

 In this engagement the Indian scouts again distinguished themselves. 

 ( War, HI.) The effect of this repulse was to check the westward move- 

 ment of the hostiles and hold them in their position along White Clay 

 creek until their passion had somewhat abated. 



( >n January 5 there was another encounter on Wounded Knee creek. 

 A small detachment which had been sent out to meet a supply train 

 coming into the agency found the wagons drawn up in a square to 

 resist an attack made by a band of about 50 Indians. The soldiers 

 joined forces with the teamsters, and by tiring from behind the protection 

 of the wagons succeeded in driving off the Indians and killing a num- 

 ber of their horses. The hostiles were reinforced, however, and a hard 

 skirmish was kept up for several hours until more troops arrived from 

 the agency about dark, having been sent in answer to a courier who 

 managed to elude the attacking party. The troops charged on a gallop 

 and the Indians retreated, having lost several killed and wounded, 

 besides a number of their horses. (Colby, 7.) 



Amid all these warlike alarms the gentle muse Calliope hovered over 

 the field and inspired W. II. Prather. a colored private of troop I of the 

 Ninth cavalry, to the production of the ballad given below, one of the 

 few good specimeus of American ballad poetry, and worthy of equal 

 place with " Captain Lovewell's Fight," " Old Quebec," or anything that 

 originated in the late rebellion. It became a favorite among the, troops 

 in camp and with the scattered frontiersmen of Dakota and Nebraska, 

 being sung to a simple air with vigor and expression and a particularly 

 rousing chorus, and is probably by this time a classic of the barracks. 

 It is here reproduced verbatim from the printed slip published for dis- 

 tribution among the soldiers during the campaign. 



