A Fight to Survive

A Fight to Survive. . , Inside the corral the small body of soldiers expected defeat and the same fate as Fetterman’s command. As they took up positions of their choosing, between, behind, or inside the wagon boxes, the men prepared for the worst. Some removed their shoe laces so that the string could be used to attach their toe to the rifle trigger when the end was near. Others stockpiled ammunition and weapons. While the Allin Conversion was the most prominent weapon of the fight, Spencer carbines and an assortment of pistols were also used. Some accounts indicate that only the marksmen fired while others reloaded the rifles for them. During the fight Powell gave few orders other than an initial command of “shoot to kill.” Jenness took up a position in the covered box with four civilians. It is reportedly here that after being told to keep down, Jenness replied “I know how to fight Indians” and promptly fell dead of a head wound., Acts of valor were quite common in the corral. A private named Max Littman stepped from the safety of the corral to give covering fire for the retreating sentries at the beginning of the fight. On two occasions Privates Sam Gibson and John Grady ventured from the corral, once to knock down tents which were obscuring the field of fire, and a second time to retrieve water for the thirsting defenders. Indian fire arrows ignited the dry hay and manure, which, combined with the hot August sun and gun powder smoke, made conditions in the corral miserable. In the corral, in addition to the death of Lieutenant Jenness, privates Haggerty and Doyle were killed, and two others wounded.