Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/641

 of the weather. When found, the whole extent of ground covered by the dead and wounded was comprised within a few hundred feet, showing how little time they had in which to move.

Finding it impossible to bring in all the dead, the bodies of the soldiers were piled together and covered with sage-brush, which the Indians subsequently fired. The wounded, and the dead officers, were carried on stretchers, lashed upon the backs of mules, and the ghastly procession returned through the storm to camp, where it arrived at half-past eight on the morning of the 27th.

The loss of so many officers and men deeply affected the whole army. Soldiers who had been in the service all their lives wept like children. The discontent which had prevailed since the command devolved upon Gillem became intensified, and officers and men did not hesitate to say that had an experienced Indian fighter, instead of young officers just from the east, been sent upon this reconnoissance, or had these young officers received the proper orders, the disaster need not have occurred. The effect on the public mind was similar, which was at first incredulous, then stunned. "Whipped again 1 whipped again!" was the universal lament.