Next morning at an early hour, the command started out on a hunt for Indians.  General Carr having a pretty good idea where he would be most likely to find them, directed me to guide him by the nearest route to Elephant Rock on Beaver Creek.

Upon arriving at the south fork of the Beaver on the second day’s march, we discovered a large, fresh Indian trail which we hurriedly followed for a distance of eight miles, when suddenly we saw on the bluffs ahead of us, quite a large number of Indians.

General Carr ordered Lieutenant Pepoon’s scouts and Company M to the front.  This company was commanded by Lieutenant Schinosky, a Frenchman by birth and a reckless dare-devil by nature, who was anxious to have a hair-lifting match.  Having advanced his company nearly a mile ahead of the main command, about four hundred Indians suddenly charged down upon him and gave him a lively little fight, until he was supported by our full force.

The Indians kept increasing in numbers all the while until it was estimated that we were fighting from eight hundred to one thousand of them.  The engagement became quite general, and several were killed and wounded on each side.  The Indians were evidently fighting to give their families and village, a chance to get away.  We had undoubtedly surprised them with a larger force than they had expected to see in that part of the country.  We fought them until dark, all the time driving them before us.  At night they annoyed us considerably by firing down into our camp from the higher hills, and several times the command was ordered out to dislodge them from their position and drive them back.

After having returned from one of these little sallies, Major Brown, Captain Sweetman, Lieutenant Bache and myself were taking supper together, when “whang!” came a bullet into Lieutenant Bache’s plate, breaking a hole through it.  The bullet came from the gun of one of the Indians, who had returned to the high bluff over-looking our camp.  Major Brown declared it was a crack shot, because it broke the plate.  We finished our supper without having any more such close calls.

At daylight next morning we struck out on the trail, and soon came to the spot where the Indians had camped the day before.  We could see that their village was a very large one, consisting of about five hundred lodges; and we pushed forward rapidly from this point on the trail which ran back toward Prairie Dog Creek.

About two o’clock we came in sight of the retreating village, and soon the warriors turned back to give us battle.  They set fire to the prairie grass in front of us, and on all sides, in order to delay us as much as possible.  We kept up a running fight for the remainder of the afternoon, and the Indians repeatedly attempted to lead us off the track of their flying village, but their trail was easily followed, as they were continually dropping tepee poles, camp kettles, robes, furs and all heavy articles belonging to them.  They were evidently scattering, and it finally became difficult for us to keep on the main trail.  When darkness set in, we went into camp, it being useless to try to follow the Indians after nightfall.