Col. Nelson Miles | |||||
During the first day of fighting,, both sides suffered heavy losses.
I remained to help care for the wounded and bury the dead. There were fourteen men killed and thirty wounded besides a great many horses were shot and crippled. A long trench was dug into which the dead were placed side by side, and covered over. Many of the men were literally shot to pieces, but no time was taken or effort expended in fixing or cleaning them up in any manner, but were put into the trench with spurs, belts or other wearing apparel upon them. An officer read the burial service and a shot fired over the graves. While I had been so anxious to get in this fight, yet the sights which I witnessed among the dead and wounded took a great deal of this notion out of me. One cannot realize the feeling engendered by taking part in such carnage as a battle produces until they have had the actual experience in warfare. It was a horrible and gruesome sight. - Alexander Cruikshank - scout |