charge. I had started in a direction west, but on the road, receiving information that the Indians were on or near the Knife River, I changed my course in a northerly direction. On my arrival at this point I corralled all my wagons and the emigrant train, leaving it under charge of Captain Tripp, Dakota cavalry, with a sufficient force to guard against danger, intending to start with pack-mules, but on opening the boxes I found no saddle-blankets. This I replaced with gunny sacks. I then found the bands that go over the packs and under the belly (called cintuas, I believe) instead of being made of webbing or several thicknesses of duck sewed together, and about six or eight inches wide, were made of hard leather about three inches wide. The torture to the mules, when these pieces of what ought to be called sheet-iron were brought tight into their bellies, was such that they were kicking and jumping in all directions and succeeded in either getting their packs off or breaking the saddle. I therefore had to give up the pack-mule system, for two days' march with such instruments of torture would completely use up all my animals. I then pressed into the service all the light private wagons with me, placing in each four of my best mules and hauling 1,000 pounds each. By throwing away all tents, everything but provisions and ammunition, I could move rapidly with a very few wagons. About 3 p. m. of the 26th I succeeded in getting off, and about 10 a. m. of the 28th succeeded in reaching the enemy's camp, about eighty miles' march. All their camp was standing when I reached there, and they prepared for a fight, no doubt with full confidence of whipping me, for they had twenty-four hours' notice of my advance, by a party of my scouts falling in with a war party of theirs not sixteen miles from here. We followed their trail, which led me to the camp. I found the Indians strongly posted on the side of a mountain called Tahkahokuty Mountain, which is a small chain of very high hills, filled with ravines, thickly timbered and well watered, situated on a branch of the Little Missouri, Gros Ventres, latitude 47^15', as laid down on the Government map.

The prairie in front of the camp is very rolling, and on the left as we approached high hills. On the top and sides of these hills and on my right, at the base of the mountains, also on the hillocks in front on the prairie, the Indians were posted; there were over 1,600 lodges, at lest 5,000 or 6,000 warriors, composed of the Unkpapas, Sans Arcs, Blackfeet, Minneconjous, Yanktonais, and Santee Sioux. My force consisted as follows: Eleven companies of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Pollock commanding; three companies of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Pattee commanding; two companies of Dakota cavalry, Captain Miner commanding; four companies of Brackett's Minnesota Battalion, Major Brackett commanding; about seventy scouts, and a prairie battery of two sections, companies of the Eighth Minnesota Infantry, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Rogers; six companies of the Second Minnesota Cavalry, under Colonel McLaren, and two sections of the third Minnesota Battery, under Captain Jones, formed the Second Brigade, under command of Colonel Thomas. The whole of my force numbering on the field about 2,200 men.

Finding it was impossible to charge, owing to the country being intersected by deep ravines filled with timber, I dismounted and deployed six companies of the Sixth Iowa on the right and three companies of the Seventh Iowa, and on the left six companies of the Eighth Minnesota Infantry; placed Pope's battery in the center, supported by two