The Racine Journal-Times Sunday Bulletin from Racine, Wisconsin • Page 13

The Best from American Heritage ItACIKE SUNBAT BULLETlH April 17, 1960 See. 1, 13 Cheers at Last for a Forgoffen Hero Editor's Note: Btigadicr-Gcneral Mackenzie fought more battles against the Indians than Custer ever did, yet he died in obscurity, while Custer in failure won immortality. Yet it was Mackenzie crushed the rampaging Comanches, and under Army orders crossed the Rio Grande to punish Indian raiders who were bootlegging cattle. The author of this account is cO 'author also of The Story of the U. S.

Cavalry. By Edward S. Wallace would be to discover and de their hideouts. steep arroyos in ably he pursued the of dust. ing up and down the frequent suffocating in three different attacks in 1871 and 1872, gradually breaking the spirit of these hitherto invincible raiders by his ten-sighted.

Mackenzie at once led acity. On one expedition he his tired men in a hell-for chased them so far west he had leather charge, taking the In It was broad daylight when the Indian villages on the banks of the San Rodrigo River were an opportunity on his returnidjans completely by surprise, to explore the spectacular the dust, powder smoke, vr Duro Canyon knowledge ot and confusion finally settled, 19 Tucked away the obituary column of the New York which was to prove highly use-; braves were dead and many ful.later on. Kills 20 Indians and Captures 130 Sunday Times of Jan. 20, 1889, was a brief notice: (Died) Mackenzie At New Brighton, Stateh Island, on the 19th January, Brig-Gcn. Ranald Slidcll Mackenzie, United States Army, in the 48th year of his age.

This was all the attention given to the death of a ma who was one of our greatest Indian fighters. Department, resulted in How different from that of George A. Custer is the fining 20 warriors, and cap- fame of Mackenzie, who fought many more Indian turing 130 prisoners, while his and never suffered defeat. own losses were only one killed Oistcr graduated from West Point at the bottom of his three wounded. believed to have Gen.

Ranald S. Mackcnzis Little Big Horn in Montana the following Mackenzie was class in 1861, and Mackenzie, more were been killed. The return to U. S. soil was a nightmare.

Aroused Mexican His first successful reinforced by ranch- attack against them, for whichlf-o" and poured forth: the was congratulated by the to harass the Cavalry to join Major Gen- flanks rear of the plodding I against the At 4 in the morning. and Northern after 15 hours of crawling Mackenzie first ment.it finally splashed acro.ss^^^,,j to the Red Cloud ahd the R.o Grande, Mackenzie Tail agencies in the gambled and won. IVIackenzle ted cavalry forays against marauding Indians In Texas, such ns this one tured leaving Fort Blown, near Brownsville, late in 187S. While Mackenzie wa.s attack- Discovers Hide-out I 1 ing the Comanches to the north of cal sample was hus four months Lipans. Mescal- 1862.

Both men became ma- duty as colonel of a Apaches, and Kickapoos, Deep in Conyon jor generals of volunteers Mackenzie's final engage during the Gvii before dfcendeSl with the Comanches came they reached the age of a tornado. He became a when he penetrated their hidc- Custcr was bievcttcd five limes terror than Rebel shot The situation was bad deep in the bottom of the for gallantry and wounded and shell, and his men plotted! ma- He frontier. The situation was bad that jin April, 1873, Secretary of i steep-walled once; Mackenzie, with a year to dispose of him in the William Worth less service was brcvetted sev-! battle, but when that came, Sheridan le seivicc. was Dieseuea sev evanoratcd in the face Pe'-sonally appeared at Fort en times for the same reasonr, in ine race and wounded times; coui- he received another wound, from the Indians which Mo General his life a daily agony. Custer: A 1 met death and disaster in hi.s Oi the Age Ot Z4 second major Indian ennape-l At 24 Mackenzie was a ment, but Mackenzie had five general of volunteers, major encounters and many a spare, frail-looking skirmishes with the same man, 5 feet 9 inches mies.

Beat Comanches in West Texas Clark, near San Antonio, to confer with Mackenzie. Sheridan told him to enter Mexican territory and destroy the raiders. When Mackenzie asked for written orders to protect himself in this gross breach of I Mexican sovereignty. Sheridan pounded the table and shouted: "Damn the orders! Damn the authority! You must assume the risk. We will assume the final responsibility tall and weighing not more than 145 pounds, with an air of quiet reserve.

At the end of the war he had reached the should any result." After the cus.er deb.uN it Jif Leods Regiment was Mackenzie who gave foini. i 0 i 0 and formidable Mackenzie was appointed RiO Grande Mackenzie decided to go ahead. Suddenly, and without Cheyennes such a thrashing colonel in March, 1867 (most that they soon afterward sur- Civil War officers had to take rendered, and it was Mackenzie drastic reductions in rank oncelany previous warning to his who crushed the fierce Co- the war was over), at a time regiment, at dusk on the eve- manches and other maraudinp, when the fury of Indian attacks ning of May 17. 1873, he led Palo Duro Can- The Indians, who were once again ravaging the frontier settlements, sought to lead I him off on a false trail, but Mackenzie doubled back in a fast night march, and at dawn was looking down from the rim of the canyon on the Indian encampments far below. His soldiers dismounted and zig-zagged down a trail toward the bottom.

But they were The Indians poured forth from their lodges, mounted ponies, and fled up the canyon or hid behind huge boulders. The troopers charged after them, but the Indians had too much of a head start. Mackenzie, deciding further pursuit would be useless, burned all the deserted lodges and property, and ordered about 1 ,400 of the Indians' horses shot. The destruction of these sup- i Black Hills of Dakota Territory. Red Cloud defiantly refused to move his camp closer to the agency until Mackenzie's troop- surrounded his lodge at night and captured him.

In October, Mackenzie led a cavalry column with Indian auxiliaries against Chief Dull Knife and his band of Northern Cheyennes, who had been lurking near the Powder River since defeating Custer in In a surprise attack at dawn, his men destroyed the village, killed about 40 Indians, and captured some 600 ponies. The surrendered, and the troubles in the north ended. Mackenzie, hack at Fort Clark in Texas, was again called to cross the Rio Grande when his cavalry gave chase to raiding Kickapoos and cattle thieves. On this particular raid Mackenzie was forced to give up the chase when his guide fell ill and the water ran low. Returning toward the Rio Grande, he found his way blocked by Mexican troops.

Mackenzie asserted he would fight his way through if necessary. The Mexicans gave way. Soon afterward Mexico agreed Weekly The terror of the Texas frontier In the 1870 'i wai quick'itrlklng Indian band, well armed and mounted, which off lettlert' itock, burned their eablni uid then disappeared. the White River Utes had gone on the warpath, killing 30 white men and wounding 44 more. Mackenzie rushed to the spot and soon had the rampaging Utes under control.

The resulting hue and cry against them in Colorado brought about an order for their expulsion westward into Utah Territory. The Utes, however, refused to move, and swore they would die fighting to remain in their homeland. Again Mackenzie was called Indians in west and fi- and outrages had put acro.ss the Rio Grande. Inl was a mortal to police the border, and the achieved what nally brought peace to that 'n worse shape than any otherjihe van rode the impatient and to the Indians' spirit. Bv'dian troubles then con.sidered his greate.st suc- commander with his last of them had ended.

guides and a detachment of; Seminole scouts. Behind, in! a column of fours, rode the Is Rushed North bloodiest of frontiers. section of the country. In failure Custer won immor- powers in Washington had de- tality, while Mackenzie, a con-'cided that he was the man to spicuous success, died unwept clean up this dreadful mess, and unsung. 1 Mackenzie decided that the His Civil War service in way to subdue the ram blue-clad troopers.

All that night they rode After Custer's Death self would fill a book. A typi-lpaging and murderous Indians toward the southwest, pound- After Custer's debacle at the cess with the Indians. Unarmed, he personally delivered an ultimatum to some 20 truculent chiefs; they must decide at once whether to go or fight. Mackenzie's next campaignlThe chiefs, used to the shilly- Rampaging Utes Put Under Control dumfounded; In less than 10 minutes they agreed to go. By Mackenzie was getting a reputation as tlTe Army's prime trouble shooter.

In October, 1882, upon the strong recommendation of U. S. Grant, he was promoted to brigadier general in the regular Army. Marries Widow, Purchases Ranch Mackenzie had remained bachelor, but now he again met the love of his younger days, Florida Tunstall, a widow. They became engaged and he bought a ranch near his headquarters at Fort Sam Houston In San Antonio.

But this sudden happiness must have been too much for hli old wounds, the extreme rigors and hardshipi of all his seasons of campaigning and a serious fall he had taken years before at Fort Sill all had begun to take their cumulative toll. His friends noticed that he was becoming Increasingly irratlonaL Finally, In December, 1883, he had to be sent east to an asylum In New York. The following spring, retired for dia- ability contracted in the line of duty, he went to live with his sister in New Brighton, Staten Island, and there five years later he died. So died unnoticed a splendid soldier who had been the finest Indian-fighting cavalryman of them all. took him to Colorado, where shallying of Indian agents, were him, A number of factors- (Copjrlght, American Punllnhtiif Ina.) Desperately Need Your Used Furniture WE'LL GIVE YOU For Your USED FURNITURE IN TRADE on any new LIVING ROOM or BEDROOM SUITE Nothing reserved take your pick we'll give you off! WeVe had numerous requests to supply summer cottages and cabins with used furniture and must fulfill our ob igation in a limited time CHOOSE FROM OVER 60 CHAIR AND SOFA SUITES and 3-PC.

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