Chapter 15

Word of Chief White Eagle’s strength was spreading among the other tribes. I was not surprised to see Blackfeet chiefs and Cherokee chiefs come to smoke peace pipe and talk peace. The Blackfeet were the first to show up. The chiefs that came were Brave Buffalo who was around Standing Badger’s age and Fast Wolf who was between White Eagle and me in age.

Brave Buffalo brought his medicine man Medicine Puma and Fast Wolf brought his mother their medicine person White Elk Woman, Green Meadow accompanied White Elk Woman and the brave Stone Bear was added protection. Brave Buffalo felt a smaller group would be easier to protect and could travel faster without drawing a lot of attention.

Their fight with the Crow was beginning to get like ours with the Pawnee. Both sides losing regardless of who won each fight. However, the French in the north were helping the Crow and this was starting to favor them in fights. Brave Buffalo wanted White Eagle to teach him how he beat and dominated the Pawnee.

Both White Eagle and I were hesitant to provide the Blackfeet with firearms. However, if the French were giving the Crow firearms, flintlock rifles and pistols. Then the Blackfeet’s defeat would make us the next target. White Eagle impressed me when he talked with me about how to arm the Blackfeet. He would not allow them to have repeating rifles or centerfire weapons. Only cap and powder revolvers and rifles. I suggested switching cap firing rifles with single shot rimfire rifles.

I said there were a lot of these available cheap due to the repeating rifles and centerfire being more in demand. I did agree that cap firing revolvers would give them an advantage over the Crow but still not make them that much of a threat to us if that should happen. I mentioned that much later, if the white man tried to push us off our land, bettering their arms might be needed.

White Eagle laughed and said he already thought of this and that is why he wanted to make peace with the Blackfeet and have them as allies. I was truly amazed at his logic and foresight.

We had thirty carbines in rimfire 44-40 and thirty cap and ball revolvers in .44 that we were going to provide to Brave Buffalo and his group. Golden Hawk insisted on twenty .36 cap and ball revolvers for the women’s protection arguing the point that we had armed all of our squaws. Her point made and valid, I had to make a trip to town to pick up a dozen cap and ball revolvers, ten .36 and three .44 which is technically a baker’s dozen.

Both Chiefs said that they would return to their tribal chiefs and discuss moving closer to us to allow for each other’s protection. Then asked if we would provide firearms to any others that join with them moving closer to us. White Eagle said that would be decided when they arrived and smoked the peace pipe with him. Again, I was amazed at his foresight, not making promises easily.

Before the Blackfeet left the Cherokee arrived. The shocker was one of the chiefs, Chief Wolf was Fast Wolf’s cousin, their mothers were sisters. White Elk Woman was also Chief Elk’s sister. The tribes had exchanged single squaws and braves when there were not enough in their tribe to provide mates. Yes, they had fights, but most of the time they were great allies and friends.

This caused the Blackfeet to stay an extra two days to visit with their family and friends. I saw this as only strengthening all our ties and future arrangements.

The two Cherokee chiefs were Chief Elk who was about the same age as White Eagle and Chief Wolf who was two years younger than Fast Wolf. Bright Moon was Chief Elk’s wife and close to his age. Four braves Wolverine, Otter, Fox, and Cat along with three squaws Wind blows, Wild Rose, and Small Dove made up the rest of the Cherokee party. Wolverine and Small Dove were mates. They had travelled farther and that was the reason for the larger group.

I talked White Eagle into allowing each of the chiefs a rimfire Spencer as it did not hold as many rounds as the Henry. I explained that by gifting the chiefs a Spencer they would be hard pressed to gift something just as good or better and as he had told me it is better to be owed than to owe. White Eagle just smiled when I reminded him of what he had told me.

Hawk, PW, and DM went with me to town to pick up more firearms. I had to visit COL McBride to explain why I was buying so many firearms and gifting them to Indians. The COL, CSM, CPT Olsen, 1SG Brown, CPL Grand and three PVTs accompanied me back to the two gunsmiths to authorize and approve the sale of firearms to me for gifts to the Indians.

The only rule COL McBride set was what White Eagle and I had already agreed upon, NO Centerfire weapons or repeating rifles. I asked that only Spencer repeaters be allowed for the chief of each tribe. And I would write out a letter with the name and tribe of every Spencer I gifted out. COL McBride agreed that would be acceptable. I had also been told that he had 75 rolling-block, split-breech carbines and 90 cap firing revolvers that were sitting in his armory unused since they had switched over to the centerfire cartridges. He also had over 3000 rounds for these firearms that he would sell to me for $2 a pistol and $3 a rifle. And $1 for 10 rounds. That would cost me $300 for the ammo, $180 for the pistols, and $125 for the rifles, bringing the grand total to $605. COL McBride laughed at my quick math and said $600 for the whole batch.

I asked to be allowed to store the weapons at the fort and only request what I needed at the time. He agreed and said that was a really good idea. This meant I only had to buy .36 caliber cap firing pistols. Both gunsmiths were happy to take $2 per pistol and only let me buy 1/3 of the caps they had in stock. I did order 2000 caps from each. I was able to purchase nine Spencer repeating rimfire rifles, and 67.36 revolvers. I took 30 cap revolvers and 30 rifles along with 27.36 revolvers leaving the rest at the fort.

Chief White Eagle, who was very impressed but managed to hide his surprise, completely shocked all the chiefs at the firearms that were being provided. We had short classes to ensure everyone knew how to load, unload, shoot, maintain, and clean the firearms.

The next day we had planned a hunting trip to provide meat for the trip home and to allow them to get used to the new firearms. With us still available to answer questions and give pointers. We made an early start the next morning and had been heading mostly north as that was the direction the buffalo had been moving.

The shooting scared all of us, there was not a lot but several repeated shots being made just over the next hill.

We were not a small hunting party by any means. My three wives and I along with the Comanches White Eagle and Golden Hawk, Standing Badger, Running Deer, Big River, Red Feather, and their squaws and the young squaws Singing Wolf, Silent Grass, and Red Duck. Black Bear, Strong Wind, Bitter Water, Butterfly, Small Deer, Little Owl, and Bird Woman from the Sioux. Bear Claw and Little Deer from the Pawnee. All six of the Blackfeet and the ten Cherokee made our hunting party only 40.

As a new addition assigned to the fort, the small patrol had been accompanying the wagon train since they were traveling in the same direction. A Chippewa war party was attacking the wagon train and patrol. From the looks of things, the wagon train and been caught completely unaware and had not been able to circle the wagons. This put the patrol in the bad position of trying to protect the entire line of wagons.

There looked to be about 30 Chippewa braves in their war party. And they had the wagon train and patrol in a serious crossfire.

I quickly suggested we spread out and form a line and slowly advance firing on the side closest to us and hopefully the Chippewa would flee when seeing they were now outnumbered.

It was amazing at the firepower our group brought to the fight. Everyone only fired three times and the entire Chippewa party on our side of the wagon train was decimated even their horses were down. There was just too much firepower directed at them. I actually felt bad for not limiting everyone to just one shot to start and allow the Chippewa to surrender or flee.

The far side had not recognized our interference and were continuing to shoot at the patrol and wagon train.

White Eagle suggested part of our group go left and another go right while I and a very few go to the wagon train and patrol to try to keep them from firing on our group.

Golden Hawk stated that she, my wives, and the squaws from each of the tribes to go with me. Me because I look white and the squaws because they are not as threatening.

I stated that anyone riding up armed would be a target. Hawk said that they all would put their rifles in the scabbards and only have a pistol in hand for defense. It would be obvious they were squaws. So that ended up being the plan. White Eagle and his Comanches went with the Blackfeet to the left. Black Bear, the Pawnee and Cherokee went to the right.

Hawk, PW, DM, Golden Hawk, Butterfly, Little Deer, Blue Sky, Loud Duck, Sitting Wolf, Silent Grass, Red Duck, Small Deer, Little Owl, Bird Woman, White Elk Woman, Green Meadow, Bright Moon, Wind Blows, Wild Rose, and Small Dove made twenty squaws riding with me which is half our group. Golden Hawk was correct the wagon train people and patrol did not shoot at us.

When we reached the wagon train, I knew the real reason quick, fast, and in a hurry! Everyone I could see either had an arrow or more in them. A few had been shot since it was obvious that not all the Chippewa had firearms.