Join us for a haunting journey as we unmask the tragic tale of the Cheyenne Exodus. We assure you, by the end of this episode, you will have gained a deep understanding of the grim realities faced by the Cheyennes as they were forced away from their northern homes, their plight at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency under the care of John D. Miles, and their desperate pleas to the government which fell on deaf ears. This episode is a stark portrayal of man's inhumanity to man - a story of disease, despair, and death, as 47 Cheyennes succumbed to the harsh conditions of that first winter in Oklahoma.
We also delve into the gripping events leading to the Battle of Turkey Springs. We uncover the history of William Lewis, his West Point education, and his career fighting Native Americans. Prepare yourself to be thrust into the middle of the action as we follow Captain Rendlebrock's command of two cavalry companies on a daunting chase of the Cheyennes. As our narrative unfolds, you will feel the tense atmosphere of the parley that led to no peace, and the ensuing battle that left soldiers without water or ammunition. In addition, we shed light on the significant role of frontier forts like Harker, Wallace, Fort Hays, Lawrence, and Dodge, and their interplay during these perilous times. These forts provided mutual protection and support, becoming vital lifelines during the Cheyenne Exodus.
Return of the Great Hunters
Cattle Drives Website
Legends of Dodge City Website
Order Books
Join us for a haunting journey as we unmask the tragic tale of the Cheyenne Exodus. We assure you, by the end of this episode, you will have gained a deep understanding of the grim realities faced by the Cheyennes as they were forced away from their northern homes, their plight at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency under the care of John D. Miles, and their desperate pleas to the government which fell on deaf ears. This episode is a stark portrayal of man's inhumanity to man - a story of disease, despair, and death, as 47 Cheyennes succumbed to the harsh conditions of that first winter in Oklahoma.
We also delve into the gripping events leading to the Battle of Turkey Springs. We uncover the history of William Lewis, his West Point education, and his career fighting Native Americans. Prepare yourself to be thrust into the middle of the action as we follow Captain Rendlebrock's command of two cavalry companies on a daunting chase of the Cheyennes. As our narrative unfolds, you will feel the tense atmosphere of the parley that led to no peace, and the ensuing battle that left soldiers without water or ammunition. In addition, we shed light on the significant role of frontier forts like Harker, Wallace, Fort Hays, Lawrence, and Dodge, and their interplay during these perilous times. These forts provided mutual protection and support, becoming vital lifelines during the Cheyenne Exodus.
Return of the Great Hunters
Cattle Drives Website
Legends of Dodge City Website
Order Books
We would like to remind our listeners. Immediately following the show we will once again bring Greg Heller on board to discuss what the relationships were like between the Frontier Forts. On June 25th 1876, the Northern Cheyenne were present at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and had contributed to the defeat of George Armstrong Custer's troops. As a result, they were pursued by the US military until they surrendered. One of the conditions of their surrender was that they joined their southern brethren in the Indian nation at the Darlington Indian Agency. During the summer of 1877, a large band of approximately 1,000 Northern Cheyennes moved southward in the direction of Fort Dodge on their way to Indian territory. The Cheyennes were being transferred from the Red Cloud Agency of the Dakotas under government supervision. They had participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn the preceding year. Several braves still wore clothing taken while counting coup against the men of Custer's United States 7th Cavalry. When the Indians camped near Fort Dodge in late July on their way to camp supply, many residents of Dodge City turned out to view the Red man and his natural state. To compliment the residents of Dodge City's visits to Fort Dodge, many of the Cheyennes spent several days in town going door-to-door begging and periodically performing native dances for the gratification of their curious hosts, unknown to the Dodge citizens. They would later have a second opportunity to behold many of these same Indians, but under considerably less amicable circumstances.
Speaker 1:Wild West podcast proudly presents the Cheyenne Exodus. The Cheyennes had been reluctant to abandon their home in the north and had finally agreed to do so only after obtaining the assurance of several of their leading chiefs. These chiefs, including Standing Elk, dolknife, wild Hog and Little Wolf, received the government promise that the tribes would be provided with annuities in the south. An additional assurance was that returning to their northern hunting grounds if their home within the Indian territory near Fort Reno proved unsatisfactory. They arrived at Fort Reno Indian territory on August 5, 1877, and were transferred to the care of John D Miles, the Indian Bureau's agent at the neighboring Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency. But unfortunately this relocation opened a new chapter in the anguish of Dolknife's people.
Speaker 1:John DeBras Miles, a Quaker, was born on June 7, 1832 to parents of English and French lineage in Dayton, ohio. Miles grew up on a farm in Miami County, ohio. Miles, the Indian Bureau's chief representative of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency, was, in the opinion of most observers, an able and diligent administrator who performed a challenging task as well as anyone could. Before assuming his position as agent in 1872, miles had acquired a diverse repository of experience that prepared him well for his duties. John Miles attended business college in Richmond, indiana, and began teaching when he was 17. He entered the merchandise and milling industry at the age of 20.
Speaker 1:In 1868, president Ulysses S Grant appointed Miles as the agent of the Kickapoo Agency in Atchison, kansas. He was assigned to Darlington in 1872 following the death of Brenton Darlington, the agent for whom the Bureau was named. Consisted by his wife and brother. On a modest annual salary of $2,400, miles directed the activity of 14 agency employees. He superintended the procedures to obtain and distribute food and supplies to more than 5,500 Indians, some of whom were perceived as the most dangerous of any on the continent and the least inclined to tolerate civilized efforts.
Speaker 1:The more significant number of his Indian dependents were sensibly well-satisfied with the gradual absorption of the American culture he administered. They recognized that their former nomadic mode of life was no longer attainable. They were growing accustomed to supporting themselves by farming, raising cattle or earning money through employment provided through the agency. But the Northern Cheyenne were disappointed with their new home and soon became dissatisfied with the treatment they received there. They balked at the rationing system imposed upon them by the agency, which deprived headmen of authority to distribute goods to members of their bands. In addition, they did not mix well with the Southern Cheyennes already enrolled at the agency. To make matters worse, the Cheyenne chiefs Dolknife and Wildhog refused to send their children to the Native American. School miles had set up, and in the spring they refused to plant crops and settle down.
Speaker 1:The winter was tough on the nearly 1,000 Northern Cheyennes who had relocated to the camp. The Northern Cheyenne felt betrayed, for they understood from senior military officials like Crook that they would be free to return north if they wished, but found that choice was refused to them. They were essentially imprisoned. Being used to the dry climate of the high plains of Montana, they were defenseless against disease in the more humid Southern region. 47 Cheyennes died that first winter in Oklahoma. They were homesick and the gravest of all their afflictions, they were starving.
Speaker 1:Dolknife and his sub-chiefs, old Crow, wildhog and Little Wolf, pleaded in vain for relief. Why did the great father insist that they live in such an unhealthy spot? Why could they not return to the north among their friends and relatives? Dolknife reiterated that his people would never again go on the warpath if their request would be granted. But for the sake of their little children and their wives would not the government allow them to return to their own country where they had always lived. But this pitiful plea of the Cheyennes was met by the government with a stern refusal. Doleknife's people must content themselves where they were. They caused Uncle Sam trouble enough, though, only fighting for their homes and their land.
Speaker 1:On September 6th 1878, acting on a report that some Northern Cheyennes had left the reservation prisoner ordered his cavalry force, under the command of Captain Joseph Rendelbrock, to encamp within sight of the Indians' village which they had moved to a location several miles from the agency. Rendelbrock's orders were not to interfere with them unless they moved farther from the agency's offices where agent Miles requested to re-enroll them to determine whether some were absent. Ordered to return, the Indians delayed for two days. Mixed blood interpreter Edmund Guerriere, a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, visited Little Wolf and Doleknife's camp on September 9th and asked Little Wolf to come to the agency to speak with agent Miles.
Speaker 1:Little Wolf, a man of native dignity and gentleness, gained his reputation for military ability during his battles against the Comanche in Kuyua and led a military society called the Boestring Soldiers. By the time Little Wolf was 30, he had become a prominent chieftain of the Northern Cheyenne, leading a group of warriors named the Elkhorn Scrapers during the Northern Plains' wars. Now, in his late fifties, little Wolf could still outrun all the younger Cheyenne warriors. He had two sons who were called Pony and Woodenthigh by whites. He also had a daughter, pretty Walker, and two wives, quiet One and Feather on Head.
Speaker 1:Little Wolf obliged the request from Guerriere and reported to Miles who had heard that three Northern Cheyenne men had already started north. Little Wolf denied the claim. Miles then asked for ten of Little Wolf's band to keep his hostages until he could complete a count of all of Little Wolf's people. He would not confirm or deny the reports that some had already left the reservation with an accurate count. Little Wolf refused. He thought he would never get those ten men back if he handed them over.
Speaker 1:As he stood to leave the council, little Wolf shook hands with all present and stated my friends, I am now going to my camp. I do not wish the ground around this agency to be made bloody. But now listen to what I say to you. I am going to leave here. I am going north to my own country. I do not want to see blood spilled about this agency. If you are going to send your soldiers after me, I wish that you would first let me get a little distance away from this agency. Then, if you want to fight, I will fight you and we can make the ground bloody at that place. The Indians offered one excuse or another. Finally, the military gave them an ultimatum and made it understood they were to return to the agency on the morning of September 10th and they must comply with the agent Miles order.
Speaker 1:On the night of September 9th 1878, the Cheyenne camp pitched some little distance from Fort Reno, in a quiet valley. It did not present its usual activity of romping children, chattering squaws and lively young bucks. At least so thought the centuries who were posted where they could keep keen eyes on all the movements of Dolknife and his people. But had these centuries passed among the tepees, they would have observed an unusual stir and much excited whispering among the inmates. The pony herd was quietly driving in, and after darkness had settled down, the animals were quickly packed, saddled and made ready as if for a journey of no small proportions. This was to be a flight and there would be no chance to pause and set up tepees. When everything was in readiness, old Dolknife placed himself at the head of his devoted little band and away they started northward. And the Cheyennes were miles away when the rising sun showed to the bewildered centuries.
Speaker 1:Little Wolf and Dolknife led their people away under the unsuspecting eyes of the soldiers camped nearby. They left their lodges standing for two primary purposes First, it deceived the soldiers and second, they could travel lighter and faster without them. Additionally, the army would have difficulty tracking them without their lodges, bringing their lodges required at Trevoy, which left more sign for the soldiers to follow. This trick was eerily similar to how the Sioux and Cheyennes left their village on the Pony Fork of the Arkansas River in April 1867, when fleeing General Hancock's forces, traveling light and with a head start, enabled the Sioux and Cheyennes to evade custers pursuing soldiers. Not everyone in the village left. Chief American Horse decided to stay.
Speaker 1:At 3 am on September 10th, american Horse and the Indian Police awakened Agent Miles and informed him of the Northern Cheyenne's departure. When the Northern Cheyenne escape was discovered early the next morning, rendell Brock set out on their trail with orders to overtake them and return them to the agency If possible. He was to accomplish this object without resorting to force, for Mizzner feared violence among Indians still in the reservation who felt sympathy with their fellow tribespeople. All military posts to the north along the anticipated line of march were immediately advised of the Cheyenne's departure. Additionally, military orders were issued to prepare and send troops into the field to halt the wayward band. 2000 Amokal Sands fighters responded. Troops from nearly all nearby posts were ordered out and General Pope, who commanded the Department of Missouri, was in complete charge of active operations against this little, insignificant but desperate band of Cheyenne fugitives.
Speaker 1:But despite all this unworried activity, old Doleknife and his little army kept going straight ahead like a bull, going through a brush fence and meeting with little opposition. He urged his followers on day and night. 50, 60, 70 miles daily did his devoted band travel, although impeded, with scores of little children and old, infirm people. It was a thousand miles to Sitting Bowl away in Canada, to the north. It would require a brave heart and the brain of a born general to lead his followers through the cordon of troops which were being hastily thrown around him. But on he went. Nevertheless, rundlebrock, already in the field, chose to shadow the Indians rather than engage them. Before Fort Dodge could send adequate reinforcements and supplies, his unit moved north and west from the agency with difficulty through rough country. Rundlebrock and his men pushed hard, traveling 60 miles on their first day out. On the afternoon of September 10th he sent a courier to camp supply with a request for reinforcement. Rundlebrock's unit resumed their march until 10 pm when they made camp after traveling 52 miles in 14 hours.
Speaker 1:As the ranking field officer, western Indian territory, lieutenant William Lewis, the commander of Fort Dodge, was ordered to stop the Cheyennes. A graduate from West Point in 1849, lewis spent his entire career fighting Indians, first against the Seminoles in 1857, and then toured Utah as part of the Mormon expedition with Albert Sidney Johnson. Guided by Jim Bridger, lewis surveyed the Mountain Meadow Massacre site. Prompted to, captain Lewis was ordered to Fort Union, new Mexico, in 1860, where he fought the Navajo in Colorado and across New Mexico. On July 4th 1874, he took command of camp supply and was 55 years old when he took command of Fort Dodge in 1877. Lewis was first advised of Dole Knife's approximate location and direction of travel on September 10th when scouts reported them moving toward the Kansas border approximately 20 miles north of camp supply At Fort Supply, the courier was given the new orders from Colonel Lewis.
Speaker 1:Lewis ordered the dispatching of two cavalry companies under the separate commands of Captains Rendlebrock and Hemphill to Sand Creek and Bear Creek, both directly south of Fort Dodge and just north of the Kansas border, to engage the Indians. As a result, a company of the 4th Cavalry under Captain William Hemphill was ordered north on the 90-mile wagon road between Fort Supply and Fort Dodge, kansas. The following day, september 11th, captain Rendlebrock's command broke camp and continued north along the trail. Throughout the day the tracks grew fresher, but the soldiers were still unable to overtake the Indians. As soon as they ran out of sufficient light to follow, the command went into camp. On September 12th, the troops made 45 miles and encamped near a waterhole heavy in alcohol and brine. Soldiers that drank it became sick. The horses would not drink it and the men could not refill their canteens from it. On September 13th, the command finally caught sight of the fleeing Indians in the vicinity of Turkey Springs, north of the Semeron River, near present-day Freedom. Oklahoma Scouts, or wolves as the Cheyenne called them, had spotted the soldiers' approach. The Indian leadership hurried the women and children north to the water source of Turkey Springs.
Speaker 1:While the warriors moved south to prevent the cavalry's advance, rendlebrock stopped his command on an open plain flanked by canyons and ravines. In typical cavalry fashion, he employed his men in a dismounted skirmish line. The dismounted skirmish line tactic called for three out of four troopers to dismount and deploy in a line with about three to five meters between each man, while every fourth man acted as horseholder. Cavalry units widely accepted this tactic of line deployment, but it did reduce the unit's fighting strength by one quarter. After spotting Little Wolf on a high rise of a cliff, rendlebrock ordered his scout Chalk to establish a parley.
Speaker 1:Chalk rode out to converse with Little Wolf and explained the soldiers did not wish to fight. Instead they wanted the northern Cheyenne to return to Darlington. Whether Chalk spoke Cheyenne remains a mystery. However, the conversation likely took place through the universal sign language known to all Plains tribes at that time. Captain Sebastian Gunther another officer with the detachment and a veteran of the recent Red River War of 1874 and 75, later testified Chalk and Little Wolf used sign language for the meeting. Whatever method of communication was used, little Wolf replied that they would not return to the reservation, they were going home.
Speaker 1:At this point Chalk spied several of his stolen ponies. About 250 yards from the cavalry line he rode steadily up an embankment and into the cavalry formation, seizing a revolver from one soldier, and mounted a second horse. Chalk then turned his horse and made a wild charge against the seven-stun Cheyenne holding the horses. When Chalk reached within firing range of the seven Cheyenne, he emptied his revolver in a salvo of fire, hitting five Indians. The remaining two unharmed Indians fired back, hitting Chalk's thighs and bowels, dropping him to the ground. The shooting incident between Chalk and the seven Indians opened the battle. A portion of the Indians charged the soldiers attempting an encirclement, while others fired from the bluffs surrounding the troops.
Speaker 1:The following is Rendlebrock's first-hand account of the Battle of Turkey Springs. With the first shots fired, I recognized the chance of any peaceful resolution vanished. I estimated that the Cheyenne War Party numbered approximately 120 to 150 warriors. From the number of muzzle flashes this was far larger than the 85 I initially presumed. I immediately gave the order to employ a skirmish line. My biggest fear was that the Indians controlled the water source in the area and that there was no water behind my soldiers. If we were to be pinned down, we would not have a water source to replenish our thirst.
Speaker 1:I soon realized the fighting broke out and the mounted Indians began moving down the ravines on both sides of our flanks. Unfortunately, the ground we were forced to defend put my outfit in the wrong position and we were shot at from all directions. The fighting raged throughout the day, with our unit remaining on the defensive. We were forced to times to counterattack, which kept the Indians from overrunning our positions. The sun beat down that afternoon and it was not too long until both men and animals craved water.
Speaker 1:When night fell, our besieged unit was unable to get much rest. Even though the Indians called off their main attack, they continued to fire rounds into our camp. At the end of the day, our command suffered two killed and three wounded, as well as the loss of six horses. The lack of a surgeon meant the wounded received little more care than what their untrained comrades provided. The lack of water was even more traumatic. The thirst among the men was so great that some men attempted to drink horse urine.
Speaker 1:Finally, on the night of September 13th, I decided to withdraw from the field. The following day, a shortage of water and dwindling ammunition reserves took a toll on my detachment's morale and safety. As light dawned on September 14th, I gave the orders to retrograde on a back trail to a located drinkable water source near the Semeron River, some seven miles distant. The back trail led us through a defile where we traveled through in a single column to make it out. Once reaching a path of escape, our march headed south.
Speaker 1:As the Cheyenne constantly harassed my command. During the retreat, the Indians killed an additional soldier. Nevertheless, the Indians kept the pressure on us for nearly six miles until they called off their attacks. At this point, the Indians rejoined their families and continued their trek north. Once the warriors departed, the Battle of Turkey Springs was over.
Speaker 1:The failure of our unit to return the Northern Cheyenne to the reservation peacefully was a disappointment. During this fight at Turkey Creek, the US Army learned how persistent and well-armed the warriors were. In addition to a multitude of 1873 Springfield Carbines taken during the Custer Battle, the Northern Cheyenne had shotguns, henry and Winchester repeating rifles, pistols and, of course, bows and arrows. After disengaging from the fight at Turkey Springs, rendell Brock reached the Cimarron River, watered his horses and men and then turned west-southwest to camp supply for a reconstitution. He and his battalion finally staggered into that post on the evening of September 16th, greg, just a prelude to this next section. I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about your understanding of the relationship between the various frontier forts, such as it was like Harker, wallace, fort Hayes, lawrence, dodge any cooperation, or lack thereof, as the case may be.
Speaker 2:Well, actually they worked pretty close together. They were stretched out along the various trails, of course. Harker, hayes and Wallace were along the Smoky Hill Trail. Lawrence, dodge, aubrey were along the Santa Fe Trail. So they worked together protecting each other. Let's take Dodge City and let's go out about 60 miles and have a 60 mile radius around that, and then Fort Larnard do you have a 60 to 70 mile radius around that? Well, those two races overlap. So we're working with each other, protecting that area, supporting each other. And Fort Harker, they supported everybody because in 69, they finally became remains the pliedie though for all the frontier forts out the west. So there was quite a bit of. They worked together a lot.
Speaker 2:One of the things that would happen we would bring oh, let's go with Fort Zara down on the Santa Fe Trail and freight's coming up to the trail, fort Zara, they change wagons. We go down from Fort Harker, we pick up those wagons, we bring it up here and we put it on the train and then we take the butt in on the train back down to Fort Zara. Or we've got an escort, a stage escort or a wagon train escort that we go to. It's going towards Fort Hayes where we'll pick them up. So Fort Hayes will meet halfway and pick up the escort. So all the frontier forts working very, very close with each other. They had to survive and here at Fort Harker we had the main hostages.