OLD FORT SMITH. 



MAJ. E. R. P. SHURLY, U. S. A. 



In 1865, after the close of the war, the 

 Government authorities had leisure to. take 

 up Indian affairs. For some time the dif- 

 ferent tribes had been in an unsettled state. 



Rich gold mines had been developed in 

 the vicinity of Virginia City, and a general 

 stampede of thousands of prospectors fol- 

 lowed. In a short time the place grew from 

 a straggling hamlet to a town of consider- 

 able size. Now the route, West of Green 

 river and the mountains, to Virginia City, 

 was roundabout and difficult. There was 

 another road, however, via Fort Laramie, 

 up the Eastern slope of the Big Horn 

 mountains. Most of the distance was 

 through one of the finest countries in the 

 world. Good grass, game in plenty, and 

 magnificent scenery; but there was one 

 drawback to this route — the Indians. 



The Sioux and Kiowas objected to hav- 

 ing the last of their hunting-grounds dese- 

 crated by the whites. Here were found 

 buffalo in thousands, elk, antelope and 

 bear. The country was fruitful, in season, 

 with wild plums, grapes and berries; while 

 the streams were alive with trout. Not- 

 withstanding the objections of the Indians, 

 the authorities at Washington decided to 

 take possession, establish posts and open a 

 shorter route to the Gallatin valley. 



The 18th infantry, to which I had the 

 honor to be appointed, was stationed at 

 Louisville, enjoying peace and the hos- 

 pitality of that pleasant city. One day it 

 received an order to repair to the " land 

 of the Dacotahs " without delay; there to 

 establish the necessary posts to protect 

 emigration, and to open a route to Vir- 

 ginia City, Montana. 



Why the 18th should have been selected, 

 which had only recently returned from the 

 front, was to us a problem, unless it was 

 because the commanding officer was not 

 in the graces of Secretary Stanton. The 

 story was told that the Secretary, on open- 

 ing another letter from our Colonel, who 

 was after a " soft snap " in the East, turned 

 to his clerk and demanded: " Which is the 

 next place to hell to send a regiment? " 

 " To the Powder river country," was the 

 reply. 



'' Then order the 18th infantry there at 

 once," commanded Stanton. 



It would have been well if the old 18th 

 with its 3 battalions had gone; but before it 

 could start, it was divided into 3 regiments. 

 The 2d battalion was numbered the 27th, 

 and sent to the Powder river country. This 

 regiment did a great deal of fighting; and 

 about 200 officers and men are buried at 

 Forts Reno, Phil. Kearney and C. F. 

 Smith, sacrifices to an impotent Indian pol- 

 icy on the part of the Government. 



In 1866 not a wagon train passed up or 

 down that did not have to fight its way. 

 The 27th established the 3 posts mentioned. 

 I was attached to the column of Gen. John 

 E. Smith, who, in 1867, with 350 men, left 

 Fort Sedgwick the 2d of May, arriving at 

 Fort Phil. Kearney July 3d. The General 

 was a gallant officer. He had made his 

 mark while commanding a division in the 

 Army of the Tennessee. 



When Gen. John E. Smith's column, as 

 it was called, reached Fort Phil Kearney, 

 it was suggested to the General that an old 

 boiler and engine, then at the post, could 

 be used toward building a saw-mill at Fort 

 Smith. These were parts of a mill burned 

 by the Indians. Accordingly, the quarter- 

 master, Gen. Daudy, caused a 6-wheel 

 truck to be made for transporting the en- 

 gine. Drawn by 12 yoke of oxen, it was, 

 after much trouble, hauled to Smith. Then 

 it took all the expert mechanics in the 

 ranks to get the thing into shape. 



It was a wonderful mill when completed. 

 All of the running gear wa^ made of wood. 

 An original saw-mill, surely; but by its aid 

 the question of lumber for the new bar- 

 racks was settled. 



Old Fort C. F. Smith was situated on 

 one of the most pleasing sites in Wyoming. 

 It was built on a bluff 500 yards from the 

 Big Horn river, and a mile above the great 

 canyon that extends Westward 100 miles, 

 to the Stinking Water river. Fort Smith 

 was one of 3 posts built to hold the Indians 

 in check. It was a stockade post, and once 

 stood an assault against a force of Indians 

 20 times the strength of the. garrison. Af- 

 ter our arrival, the old wooden barracks 

 were replaced by buildings of adobe, the 

 bricks being made by the men, the lumber 

 sawed at the mill. 



The Indians were bad. The Government 

 did not mean war, but the Sioux and Arap- 

 ahoes and Kiowas did. They lost no op- 

 portunity to let us know it. 



We were then considered as out of the 

 world; and were so far as getting news 

 from the East was concerned. Months 

 intervened between mails. Wagon trains 

 were strongly guarded, and even then there 

 was constant fighting with the large bands 

 of Indians, who took advantage of any inat- 

 tention of the escort to li jump the train." 



The garrison a the fort was most of the 

 time in a state of siege. A man going from 

 the stockade to the river took chances. 

 Occasionally our friends the Crows (Abs- 

 racas) to the number of 300 or 400, would 

 camp near us. Then we had lively times. 

 Their old enemies, the Sioux, would come 

 in to give them a fight; and the garrison 

 would look on. 



