What if you found yourself right in the middle of the 19th century, amidst battle cries and war whoops, witnessing the Northern Cheyenne, a formidable military group, valiantly evading their pursuers? Are you ready to feel the tension rise as the battle ensues at Punished Woman's Fork? This episode catapults you into the heart of this thrilling historical event, providing you with a ringside view of the Cheyenne Exodus and the unforgettable battles that marked this era.
As the episode unfolds, you will virtually journey through southwest Kansas, where the Cheyenne clashed with local ranchers, adding to the tension that was already palpable in the air. You'll experience the fear seeping into Dodge City as Colonel Lewis assumed personal command following reports of Cheyenne sightings. And then, brace yourself for the standoff at the Punished Woman's Fork of the Smoky Hill River, as the Cheyenne prepared to face off with the soldiers. The anticipation, the suspense - it’s as real as it was back then.
Don’t miss out on our dramatic narration of the Battle at the Canyon Rim, where Colonel Lewis, despite being knocked to the ground, rallied his men to fight. We'll give you an in-depth description of his final moments, his courageous attempt to retreat, and the ultimate victory of the Cheyenne. This episode is more than just a retelling of historical events; it's an immersive experience that transports you back in time, making you a witness to the Cheyenne Exodus. So, are you ready for a gripping walk through history? Wild West Podcast proudly presents Cheyenne Exodus Part II: The Battle of Punished Women’s Fork.
Return of the Great Hunters
Cattle Drives Website
Legends of Dodge City Website
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What if you found yourself right in the middle of the 19th century, amidst battle cries and war whoops, witnessing the Northern Cheyenne, a formidable military group, valiantly evading their pursuers? Are you ready to feel the tension rise as the battle ensues at Punished Woman's Fork? This episode catapults you into the heart of this thrilling historical event, providing you with a ringside view of the Cheyenne Exodus and the unforgettable battles that marked this era.
As the episode unfolds, you will virtually journey through southwest Kansas, where the Cheyenne clashed with local ranchers, adding to the tension that was already palpable in the air. You'll experience the fear seeping into Dodge City as Colonel Lewis assumed personal command following reports of Cheyenne sightings. And then, brace yourself for the standoff at the Punished Woman's Fork of the Smoky Hill River, as the Cheyenne prepared to face off with the soldiers. The anticipation, the suspense - it’s as real as it was back then.
Don’t miss out on our dramatic narration of the Battle at the Canyon Rim, where Colonel Lewis, despite being knocked to the ground, rallied his men to fight. We'll give you an in-depth description of his final moments, his courageous attempt to retreat, and the ultimate victory of the Cheyenne. This episode is more than just a retelling of historical events; it's an immersive experience that transports you back in time, making you a witness to the Cheyenne Exodus. So, are you ready for a gripping walk through history? Wild West Podcast proudly presents Cheyenne Exodus Part II: The Battle of Punished Women’s Fork.
Return of the Great Hunters
Cattle Drives Website
Legends of Dodge City Website
Order Books
After the Northern Cheyenne departure from the Darlington Reservation on September 9th and the Battle of Turkey Springs, they traveled north into Kansas Territory. They customarily convoyed as a tightly formed military group with 92 men, 120 women, 69 boys and 79 girls. They could find no buffalo or game to hunt, so they relied on stealing Rating. Parties fanned out to cross the flatlands, pillaging ranches, pirating food and horses. The pursuit was on from settlers to military personnel. Yet this small band was never surprised traveling through defensible terrain. They were a military society on the move, under disciplined leadership and masterful strategies to thwart attackers who would stop their journey. North Wild West Podcast proudly presents Cheyenne Exodus, part 2, the Battle of Punished Woman's Fork. By this time, hemphill and his company was four days out of camp supply. Hemphill, 2nd Lieutenant Matthew Leeper and 46 enlisted men embarked with six-pack mules and four days rations. Also accompanying the group was the post interpreter and famed scout Amos Chapman. Chapman, a seasoned frontiersman, was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Buffalo Wallow Fight during the Red River War of 1874-75, a fight that led to the amputation of one of his legs. Moving north and unable to locate the Indians or Rendlebrock, hemphill pushed to Fort Dodge. This deviation from Hembrite's orders would haunt Hemphill.
Speaker 1:Arriving in Fort Dodge on September 14, hemphill came under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William H Lewis, the Fort Dodge commander. Lewis had orders to take control of all troops coming into his post and direct operations from there. Lewis agreed to let Hemphill go back south to try to locate the Indians Drawing rations. Hemphill left Fort Dodge to scout the area around Bluff Creek. On September 16, the soldiers reached the Collar Ranch and discovered an Indian trail. They spent the night by the ranch and started on the trail the following day. Along the way, two lead ranchers and eleven of their cowboys joined Hemphill's command, bringing their total of fighting men to 62. The cattlemen had engaged with a party of Indian warriors earlier and even managed to kill one. In addition, they claimed the Indians stole a large number of their ranch's horses. If true, this would only make the Indians harder to pursue because they increased their supply of fresh mounts. The soldiers, on the other hand, only had the horses they were riding currently. Fortunately, amos Chapman continued to prove his worth as a scout under these austere conditions. He led the troops on the trail until they intercepted the main body of Indians on the upper reaches of Big Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Semeron River, on September 18. Pushing ahead, the troops spied a horseman in front of them, riding at a gallop Soon. After they found the warriors, it was a chilling sight. Suddenly, along a ridge, in the breaks of Sand Creek, an estimated 75 to 100 warriors appeared before them, deployed in a battle skirmish line. The Cheyennes were surprised and automatically reacted by establishing a protective front behind which their women and children could move to safety.
Speaker 1:Fresh from their victory over the two companies of Fort Reno Cavalry, little wolf's men held no reservations about engaging in combat with hemp hills, even smaller force of soldiers. Keeping to his orders to try to bring the Cheyennes in peaceably, hemp hill continued to approach them without firing, but once the troops were within six to eight hundred yards, the Cheyenne opened fire. Hemp hill responded by swerving off obliquely to the right, his men now returning fire. This behavior by hemp hill was noted to be erratic as he moved to the rear, trying to find high ground on which to make a stand. The Cheyennes, observing hemp hills retreat to the rear, only emboldened their attack on the column, opting to fight on foot. Hemp hill dismounted the company and formed a skirmish line, hemp hill ordered several men to guard the pack mules and every fourth man to hold the horses, affording him. With only 30 or so men as combatants, little wolf's warriors carried the fight to the troops, advancing and driving the skirmishers back. One soldier was severely wounded.
Speaker 1:After two horses were struck by Cheyenne gunfire, sergeant Samuel A Trask and several other troopers mounted a counter charge. Trask described the action that followed. We pursued them back, continuing to fire as fast as we could on a gallop till the Indian skirmish line arrived back to the reserve. When they came together, as if in council, myself and party were within about 300 yards, I judge, of this body of Indians that came together. I was behind a little knoll and remained there a few minutes. I dismounted from my horse and fired into the crowd and as soon as I fired, the other men with me fired also mounted. The Indians then deployed a line with greater numbers than before and swept down on us. I called out to the other men to retreat to the company and I mounted my horse and followed up. The Indians charged down on the company. I don't know the distance. When I arrived at the company, it was formed behind a small rise on the prairie and as the Indians came up they delivered a fire into them.
Speaker 1:Chapman saw that the Indians were about to surround the troops. He warned Hampill that they were much too strong and would soon have the command corral if it did not get out of there. Hampill wisely formed his company and galloped north to Bluff Creek, with the Cheyennes following for a short distance before turning back to their families. The wounded man was left at Coller's Ranch to be picked up by an army ambulance and a medical officer. Although 70 or 80 well-armed drovers eventually complimented Captain Hampill's detachment, he refused to attack even the smallest of the bands of Cheyenne operating south of Fort Dodge.
Speaker 1:After several clashes with Captain Hampill, the Cheyennes split into small bands and initiated a series of atrocities as they continued their flight. Several extensive trail herds on their way to Dodge City which were found along the path of the Indian were raided and several drovers killed or mutilated. Many trail hands abandoned their livestock and rode for Dodge City, while others sought out the military detachments operating in the area and joined forces with them. The following excerpt is from an article entitled Henry Ford and Mr Goodnight by Alan Boy explains the impact the escaping Indians had on Dodge City and surrounding communities.
Speaker 1:As the Cheyenne moved through the once-open land of southwest Kansas, dotted now with ranches, they had at first attempted to purchase horses to replenish their beleaguered stock. Instead, local ranchers, already aware of the Indians' escape from the reservation as settlers, responded to their needs with raised weapons. No one will ever know precisely how few people were killed during this part of their trek, but it seems likely that between September 17th and 22nd the Cheyenne were responsible for a handful of deaths. The deaths included the undoing of a black cook at the Chapman and Tuttle Cattle Spread 20 miles south of Dodge. Additionally, the Indians had stolen about 20 horses and killed 100 sheep. As a result, every rancher and pioneer within 30 miles of Dodge had come into the city seeking protection. By Thursday evening the Nebraska State Journal reported dozens of men and women killed in raids In.
Speaker 1:The New York Times reported panic and all kinds of fighting just outside Dodge City. The paper said a house was burning just two miles to the south of town where a farmer had seen the Indians coming and fled. The Russell Kansas Reformer reported that a Swedish farmer, hearing of the impending danger, bundled his wife and two children into the old prairie. Schooner mounted one of the ponies and struck off across the country, leaving his family in the barnyard. He had forgotten to hook up the traces. The combination of demands for elective action from the Department of Missouri and his officers repeated ineptness in cowardice in the field so irritated Colonel Lewis that he recalled the detachments on September 20th and assumed personal command. Captains Rendell, brock and Hamphill were both later convicted of cowardice and dismissed from the Army.
Speaker 1:By September 20th, numerous reports of Cheyenne sightings, or roaming bands, had reached Dodge City and the citizens were feverishly prepared to receive the expected assault. But unfortunately the citizens' efforts were quickened by the news that several citizens had been massacred to the southwest, near Meade City. At the same time, the town of Meade was saved only after offering several dressed bees to the starving Indians. Rumors swept Ford County that Cheyenne were killing every cattleman and family in southern Kansas. Well before morning the fearful began to pour into town from nearby farms and ranches. Those who could boarded the train, while others hitched up their wagons and headed east. Those without means simply began walking east. Colonel Lewis rode to town to calm the citizens, during which time he selected JJ Webb, bill Tillman, aj Anthony and Robert Wright all experienced planesmen to scout the area. They brought back a report that 200 warriors were in the area Working together. Lewis and Kelly spent the rest of Tuesday working to calm the town's citizens. The mayor of Dodge City, james Kelly, was informed that only 27 men remained at Fort Dodge while their fellow troopers were in the field searching for the Indians.
Speaker 1:Fearing Dodge City would not be protected, kelly wired the governor for rifles to arm the local citizens. At first the governor hesitated, finding it difficult to believe that a town that existed by the gun needed more of the same. Still, eventually, the requested weapons were forwarded and distributed among the men. Ironically, several months later, after the Cheyenne scare had subsided and there was no further danger of attack, the governor was forced to threaten legal action before he could persuade the mayor to collect and return the weapons to the state arsenal. A locomotive was constantly kept ready at the Dodge City Depot and periodically several well-armed men occasionally boarded the train to scout along the tracks to both east and west of the town. Thus, when a fire broke out on a farm near the southern edge of the city limits on September 22, the residents were sure the anticipated battle had commenced. However, with further investigation, Wyatt Earp and several of his comrades indicated the blaze had been started by an unattended stove rather than the Cheyennes.
Speaker 1:While Dodge City braced itself for an attack that never came, colonel Lewis gathered every available man. Lewis, ill at the time with dysentery, received orders from General Pope to take charge of the pursuing troops when they reached the vicinity of Dodge. Despite his disability, lewis had entrained from Dodge City to Pierceville on September 24 with one company of 19th Infantry and mocks, two troops of 4th Cavalry. At Pierceville, houdou Brown and other scouts informed Lewis that they had located the trail of the Cheyennes with 150 ponies headed northeast. Lewis met Rendell Brock at Cimarron Station and assumed command of the consolidated force. Amos Chapman, along with Houdou Brown, led six other scouts one upon E. The scouts were ordered to keep the troops on the Cheyenne trail, search for water and forewarn the expedition of danger.
Speaker 1:Lewis' force pursued the Cheyennes again on September 26, following a 50-foot-wide trail leading to the north across the Kansas prairie. The scouts rode at the front, followed by an advance guard of 30 cavalrymen. Then came Lewis and his staff officers at the head of the four companies of cavalry in columns of two. Lumbering along at the rear were the wagons carrying the support equipment and provisions and at times Bradford's infantry unit soldiers. The colonel, anxious to redeem the good name of the command after the mediocre performance of his troops south of Fort Dodge, pressed the troops steadily until the Cheyennes were located on September 27.
Speaker 1:The Indians were positioned on the Punished Woman's Fork of the Smoky Hill River, 30 miles south of Fort Wallace. The Indians, exhausted by the long weeks of sustained flight and suffering greatly from hunger and exposure, dug in along the walls of a ravine and, prepared to give battle, little Wolf's strategy was to position his main fighting force among the rocks and cutbacks of the canyon, draw the troops into it and then close the trap with riflemen posted along the canyon walls. To protect the women and children, doleknife places them in an overhang cave at the far end of the main branch of the canyon. Rifle pits were dug above and in front to protect the cave. The Cheyenne trail he had been following now descended with considerable abruptness into a long, wide valley, a valley that over eons had been chiseled out of the prairie by perennial flooding of the stream. Under his binoculars, lewis scanned the countryside ahead At this vantage point. Lewis halted his command at the bank of the stream. But unfortunately, browsing through his field glasses, lewis could not perceive that punished woman's fork terrain tended the makings of a classic Cheyenne entramment.
Speaker 1:Ahead of the command, the northward flowing channel of the stream made a 90 degree bend to the east. At the apex of the curve, another canyon cut in from the northwest. This gorge, where the main fighting would take place, eventually became known as Battle Canyon. It was composed of two dry-bedded forks the principal fork split at the far end, and the smaller secondary fork lying perpendicular to the larger one near its mouth. As these ravines narrowed to closure at their far end, their banks became increasingly sheer and pocked with enormous boulders that had broken off the cap rock. It was late in the afternoon. The sky was darkening Above Lewis. The clouds, gathered in a silver fade, from the strongest gray to soft whites, commanded the skies above the battleground. A storm brewed in the west when Colonel Lewis deployed his men for the assault. Lewis hoped his planned assault would bring an end to the embarrassing odyssey of his illusive prey.
Speaker 1:Lewis led his columns forward up the river valley. The scouts were two to three hundred yards ahead. Followed by officer of the day Hemphill and the advance guard made up of men selected from the various units, the command marched forward past the command post, keeping together and formed a skirmish line. All of his companies formed in separate lines north of Lewis' flag. Through his binoculars, lewis watched Bradford and the infantry take their positions. Then rifles were ready, fingers paused and, on command, knelt down facing the distant canyon about five hundred yards away.
Speaker 1:As soon as the infantry was lined up on the high ground, directly across from the mouth of the canyon, lewis moved his force forward. He observed little movement from the Cheyenne, at most only a glint of metal. It took about twenty minutes to organize the attack. Lewis, protected on his right by the valley wall and on the opposite high ground by the infantry company, directed his officers to move in short rushes, one company at a time. He mounted his horse and rode ahead of the leading companies.
Speaker 1:The Colonel, apparently skeptical of the fighting courage of the command, moved from company to company, urging the cavalrymen to uphold the honor of the service as the scheduled time of the assault approached. Then, pulling his sword, he ordered the advance. The sun was low, nearly behind the troops. The sky's fresh colors brushed up on the canyon walls, as if the rays were destined to create a vast work of art, one given to those capturing a dramatic moment in one soul. Hemphill swung right and led his company along the valley rim. At two hundred and fifty yards a few shots rang out from the Cheyenne. Lewis gave the order to open fire. Two companies ran forward several yards then fell recumbent. The men carefully aimed at the smoke from the canyon and fired a collective volley. Then they reloaded while companies B and F ran by them and fired a second volley. Billy Jackson moved forward up the valley near the entrance to battle canyon. He gave the following account of this phase of the battle After a white man showed himself, he was shot by the Indians, and whenever an Indian showed himself he was a mark for the soldiers and scouts.
Speaker 1:One time Ben Jackson saw me and motioned me over to where he was. I went over and he said Brown, go to the top of the hill and look into that little valley. I did so and could see that the valley was full of Indian ponies. Sixty or seventy ponies, all with pacts on, but no Indians. I stuck my head over even more, thinking I might get a sight of an Indian. One shot at me and missed my head by half an inch. I did not stick my head over that rock again I went back to where Ben Jackson was.
Speaker 1:The soldiers advanced in rushes for about 30 minutes, one company covering another, until the leading line of soldiers was within a hundred yards of the canyon rim. Lewis continued to ride his horse back and forth in front of Cheyenne's rifles, his scouts repeatedly warning him that exposing his person to the gun sites of the waiting Cheyenne's was foolhardy. Still, the gritty officer persisted, undoubtedly hoping his examples of open disdain for the fighting prowess of the Indians might spur his men into giving a good account of themselves. Once the shooting started, as Lewis turned to shout orders to his rear companies, his horse was struck in a hind leg. The horse went down backward, rolling over him as he fell to the ground. Some soldiers started to run to Lewis's aid, but he stood up and motioned them away. Lewis shuffled forward and took a rifle from one of the soldiers.
Speaker 1:Though they were close to the rim of the inner canyon, the rifle pits continued to hide the Cheyenne. To compensate for the lack of targets, lewis ordered the companies to reload together and fire on his command, hoping the power of a more concentrated volley would break the Cheyenne's resolve. When the fierce volley fire sliced through the ravine, the Cheyenne warriors became concerned when they observed the cave at the northwest end of the canyon. The cave-like limestone overhang proved surprisingly vulnerable. The women and children who had there were forced to dodge ricocheting bullets from the heavy volume of fire. In retrospect, little Wolf and Wild Hog's decision to fight here nearly proved fatal to the band. To offset the charge, one of the marksmen in the rifle pits, strong left hand, took careful aim at the single officer, boldly walking back and forth. Then, aiming low, he squeezed the trigger on the buffalo rifle. Suddenly to the trap Cheyenne.
Speaker 1:Down in the canyon a strange lull occurred. After a few moments a warrior shouted back that the soldier's chief had been hit and was down. Several warriors climbed to the canyon rim and watched the line of soldiers in confusion. Only a hundred yards away, zechariah Lohr of Company F and David G Badgley of Company B got up and ran toward the wounded Lewis. Several Cheyenne sharpshooters shot at the two men, knocking them down.
Speaker 1:Lewis was stunned by the force of the bullet and lay still for several moments. At first the blood didn't gush in a constant outflow but was in time with the beating of Lewis' heart. Then, a few seconds later, the blood came thick and strong, flowing through his fingers as they clasped the ripped flesh. Then he felt the blood move over his hand, the syrupy fluid, no warmer or cooler than his skin. After a few moments the blood was still leaving his rapidly paling flesh, but his pulse became slower, weaker. Finally he sat up and tried to stop the bleeding in his right leg by making a tourniquet out of the long leather strap from his holster. Then Lewis, using his belt as a tourniquet, wrapped it around his upper thigh, using the barrel of his pistol as a lever to tighten and reduce the flow of blood pouring from his leg. He couldn't stand. Corporal Sharn McFadden ran to Lewis and lifted the bloody officer from the ground. Then, walking swiftly, bullets flying near his body, the young Irishman carried the commander towards the wagons. A quarter mile away, the surgeon, witnessing Lewis' being injured, drove an ambulance to meet him.
Speaker 1:Moments later a messenger ran to Chapman. A second scout by the name of Houdou Brown overheard his message. I hadn't been there very long until a soldier came down and said Colonel Lewis has been shot and was wounded. He was on his horse giving orders. This Pawnee Indian pulled him off his horse and told him he would get shot. He was not off his horse very long when he got shot through the main artery of his thigh. Some soldiers were sent up the canyon where Lewis laid wounded to carry him down on a stretcher. Two soldiers were shot and wounded. We had a young doctor with us by the name of Davis and it seemed he could not stop the flow of blood.
Speaker 1:The sight of Colonel Lewis falling before the Cheyenne suddenly depleted what little appetite his men had for combat. The firing gradually died down after Lewis was wounded and carried bleeding from the field. The lines of soldiers waited for the officers to sort out who was in command. The sunset and the wind velocity increased dramatically when it was difficult to see at all in the gusts of dust and dirt. As it grew dark inside the canyon, a few Cheyennes sent back reports that the soldiers had stopped advancing and at least some were retreating toward the wagons. During this brief skirmish the Army scouts had captured 60 ponies from the Indians lightly guarded herd.
Speaker 1:But the Cheyennes emerged from the contest relatively unscathed. Then it grew pitch dark, the glimmering sky covered with clouds. The battle was over. The women and children came hesitantly from the cave. It was confusing and frightening to them. Like broadface singing wind found herself alone, her father missing and presumed dead from the fighting. There was no time to waste in searching Each person touching the next in a single line.
Speaker 1:The Cheyenne climbed out of the little box canyon and headed northwest. In the retreat, the Cheyennes were forced to leave their pack animals behind. Instead, a few young warriors were sent ahead to bring back the remaining horses. While the command junior officers debated the proper tactics for a second attempt to overrun the ravine, which was to be made the following day, the Cheyennes slipped out of their entrenchments under the cover of darkness and continued the journey northward. Lewis had suffered dramatically through the night, although his pain was moderated by numbness in his arms and legs. Nevertheless, his condition was grave.
Speaker 1:When the command reached Chalk Creek the following day, mock ordered 25 cavalrymen under Gardner to escort the Colonel, three wounded soldiers and Dr Davis to Fort Wallace. Fort Wallace lay 40 miles to the northwest. Ann Root, lewis passed out several times and eventually died in the ambulance. I left the wounds open. Davis reported later and watched them for four hours taking the compress off the artery, but there was not the slightest hemorrhage. Upon examination after death, I found a clot had formed in the artery, one and a half inches long.
Speaker 1:Udu Brown, who had guided the detail across the uncharted country of western Kansas to Fort Wallace, went with Lieutenant Gardner to the commanding officer, colonel Brevet, major General Jefferson C Davis, to give an account of the recent engagement. News of the fight and death of Lewis soon flashed over telegraph wires. Gardner also carried a report from Mock, written at his camp on Chalk Creek on September 28. The message was telegraphed from Wallace to General Pope. At Fort Leavenworth we found the Indians waiting for us about 5 pm in the canyons of Punished Woman's Fork. Colonel Lewis and three men were wounded. We got one dead Indian, 17 dead saddle ponies and 62 head of stock.
Speaker 1:We were prevented by dark from following up on our success. I followed the trail this AM to the point from which I detached 25 cavalrymen to escort Lewis and two wounded men to Wallace. The Indians, I think, will cross the railroad about Sheridan. I will be on railroad in their trail sometime tomorrow, unless they lay and wait for us. The whole outfit is together, I think, and probably will cross the railroad tonight. If you desire me to follow beyond the railroad, I wish you would send me two light wagons, about 8,000 pounds of corn and 800 rations. Please send, if possible, dr Davis or a sub to me with a detail that takes Colonel Lewis to Wallace. I will put out on the trail immediately. The following day the news was received that their colonel had died while being moved to Fort Wallace for medical attention. The bullet had struck the veteran soldier in the thigh, rupturing the femoral artery, and Lewis had bled to death before a surgeon's help could be obtained.