Ever wondered how 38 soldiers faced an onslaught of 400 Cheyenne warriors and lived to tell the tale? Prepare to be captivated by the harrowing account of the 10th Cavalry, the Buffalo Soldiers, in an 1867 conflict. And that's not all, get ready to unravel the personal stories of these brave men, highlighting a tale of love, revenge, and betrayal that led one soldier to become the most wanted man in Mexico.
Next, we venture into the heart of Kansas, where landowner Tom Nixon's fortunes are on the brink of transformation, thanks to the booming Buffalo Hide Trade. Discover how the advent of the railroad shaped the West and the fates of men bold enough to seize the opportunity. This is an episode that encapsulates the spirit of the American frontier - a story of survival, adventure, and uncharted territories. So grab your headphones and get ready for a riveting journey back in time through the vibrant history of the American West. This is an episode you can't afford to miss!
Our four-man two-wagon team pulled out of Fort Hayes in the early spring of 1871. On our second day out we saw small bunches of buffalo among the low hills. It was a good sign. We found a location near the banks of the Saline River, northwest of Fort Hayes. The Saline River is a tributary of the Smoky Hill. The name Saline is French translation of Namisca, meaning salty.
Speaker 1:
Jim conveyed to me that this area land was full of hostile Indians. He told me of an incident which occurred to a surveying crew of when they were attacked by 30 Cheyenne warriors. These six men had been surveying a route for the Union Pacific Railway in August of 1867. It appears these Cheyenne warriors did not like the idea of the construction of the iron rails for their homeland. Jim clarified as we drove along the river bank. All six of the railroad workers had been killed in the attack. The Union Pacific became upset about the incident and called upon the 10th Cavalry to settle the Indian dispute.
Speaker 1:
A second battle occurred when 38 Buffalo soldiers pursued the Cheyenne out of Fort Hayes. Jim then laughed. The laugh came from Jim like something bigger was about to be said, strained at first, stopping and starting, I could tell by his voice there was more to come from his story. Jim paused from his laughter. Well, it did not take long for those Cheyenne to muster up 400 warriors. Those Buffalo soldiers soon found their units surrounded. Now this quick thinking captain by the name of George Ames rapidly ordered his men to dismount and fight on foot. Ames ordered his men to form a compact defensive maneuver by forming a hollow square around the cavalry horses. They used this formation to march back to Fort Hayes. The battle raged for six hours as the Buffalo soldiers fought off their attackers. That's a lot of shooting. I said, yep. Jim responded it was more of a smoke screen than a firefight. Jim laughed and explained In a 13 mile march those Buffalo soldiers shot off almost 2000 rounds of ammunition and only killed six Indians. Sadly to say, those Indians were not any better at killing soldiers, for they only killed one Buffalo soldier. We both laughed at Jim's statement. Yep, that captain Ames was a smart thinker. That day Jim resolved by a statement. He marched that Indian attack all but ten miles back to Fort Hayes. In fact, I think those Indians were so riled up that they may have gone inside the fort with him, but instead they just rode off.
Speaker 1:
We located a place where there was a good stand of trees along the riverbank. There, at our decided campsite, we saw herds of deer, flocks of turkeys and schools of fish. While unpacking the wagons I asked Jim about his wife. He said he did not want to talk about it and told me to mind my own business. So I readily did what he told me and started helping prepare our camp.
Speaker 1:
Tom Nixon and AC Meyers spent the first day making pegs for stretchin' hides, putting up the tent and gathering buffalo chips and driftwood for the fire. Everyone pitched in and dug a fireplace in the bank and prepared for business. We bellied and hobbled our mules, then turned them loose on the nutritious grass of the river bottoms. We ate broiled venison for supper After pipes and coffee. We turned in Then.
Speaker 1:
Later that night Jim and I huddled over the remnants of an exhausted campfire. He had his share of whiskey that evening, keeping mostly to himself, and began rumblin' about my question, the question about his wife. He stared into the low-blown coals of the fire. I joined the Confederate army when the war broke out, workin' as a grain buyer and a wagon boss, jim said, takin' a stick stirrin' the cinders of the fire. After the conflict ended I got married in 68, and my wife and I drifted down into Mexico. A Spaniard took a fancy to my wife and convinced her she'd be better off with him than with me. He had a lot of wealth and I had nothin' but adventure in my blood, jim said. As I could tell the story he told me it bothered him. Jim shoved the stick deeper into the coals. The sparks from the cinder danced around us and I could see the glow of the fire in Jim's eyes. I killed that rich Spaniard right in front of her, he said. I killed him dead and three of his bodyguards who tried to stop me. Jim's statement brought me to silence, as I knew Jim was in a rage of emotion, so I waited for his next words. They put out a reward for my head, a large reward, offering me debt or alive, jim said as he lay back and rested his head on the saddle next to him.
Speaker 1:
That was the day I walked out of Mexico 700 miles into Texas with no horse and changed my name to White. I looked up at the sky. The big dipper pointed to the North Star. The heavens above me shone brightly with glistening stars, but the smoke in the low-hanging mist from the creek gave me a sense of loneliness as Jim fell fast asleep. An hour afterward I heard a dashing and a splashing in the spring. A band of buffalo was pouring over the bank. I got up in my shirt tail, took my gun and ran along the edge of the bank toward the spring. The dark masses of the animals had clustered on the river bank, drinking from the little pools of fresh water. I could hear their low murmur of satisfaction as they sucked up the fresh water. The bank was crumbling beneath their feet and filling to the sand.
Speaker 1:
As we camped the leeward to the wind, the herd did not sense us. It was a cloudy night. They saw me and scattered. Most of them scrambled up the path leading to the top of the bank and others darted over the sands as it was too dark to shoot with any degree of certainty. I started in the direction of the camp when a snap of a twig broke behind me.
Speaker 1:
I froze for a second and out of the dark appeared Tom Nixon, what are you doing out here? I explored. Well, I saw you leave camp and, with the number of Indians about, I thought I'd give you some backup if needed. Tom replied. So what's your story? I petitioned when are you from and what brings you out here? I was curious and wanted to get the full story out of Nixon. Tom told me he had purchased some land outside of Fort Dodge and was running wood and hay supplies for the army. The owner of the settler's store, a Mr Wright, told me he thought the railroad would soon be approaching Fort Dodge. Wright knew about the Buffalo Hyde Trade Agreement and asked me to come out here and check it out. He said the railroad could serve as a shipping service for the Hyde Trade.