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NARRATIVE OF JAMES SWEENEY.* I was born in County Sligo, Ireland, in 1838, came to Amer- . ica in 1846, landed in New York. In May, 1855, I enlisted in the 5th U. S. Infantry, at Rochester, was sent to Governors Island, N. Y., where I remained about one month, was then ordered to Corpus Christi, and from there to Ringgold, Texas, where I joined my regiment. In the Winter of '55, we were ordered up the Nueces River after Apache Indians, who had been causing trouble with the Piutes and some white settlers. There were in the command three com­ panies of the 5th Infantry and three companies of the mounted troops. We got between Eagle Pass and San Antonio, but did not succeed in coming up with the Indians. They had traveled Northwest to avoid the troops. We spent three months there then returned to Ringgold, where we remained through the Summer of ,56. That Fall the 5th Infantry was sent to Florida. Part landed at Tampa. I was with the balance, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Wade. We landed ·at Fort Myers. We were sent to clean up the Seminole Indians, who had been causing depredations and threatening settlers. We were sent up into the cypress swamps and everglades, where we remained eight months hunting Indians. We had numerous small engagements, mostly bushwhacking. We had one fight at Beily'd Garden, under Lieutenant Win­ gatez and Lieutenant Archer, where we surrounded the Indians, about two hundred. We killed between seventy and eighty. The rest escaped. Our loss was four men killed, and two wounded. We attacked the Indians at Palm Hommock, where we lost three men. We then started to return to Fort Myers, following an old Indian trail. This led us to where the Indians had concealed their squaws, children and old men. We surrounded the camp and cap­ tured sixty squaws, nine old men, and many children, all of whom were taken to Fort Myers. Captain Pratt, 4th Artillery, and Lieuten­ ant A. P. Hill were in command. Our troops went with General Harney from Fort Myers to Key West by boat and then returned to Fort Myers, where the Indians surrendered to General Harney. * This narrative was written by J". Ross, Mackenzie, Y. D., as related to him by James Sweeney, now living at Carrington, Foster County, North Dakota, where he located in the Spring of 1883, and has resided continuously, respected by all who know him, for his rug­ ged character and sterling honesty. By his industry, he bas acquired, and now in his de­ clining years, enjoys an independent competency. He traversed much of the Northwest in the days of placer mining. (202) Narrative of James Sweeney 203 The Government was preparing to send the Indians to the Creek country, when General Harney was ordered to Utah, taking the 5th Infantry with him. We were in New Orleans four days and were then sent to Jefferson Barracks, where we remained ten days. From there we were shipped to Fort Leavenworth where we remained two weeks and then took up our line of march for Salt Lake. When we reached Fort Kearney, we stopped for orders. Then we re­ newed our march, but stopped one day at Laramie. Winter over­ took us at Ham's Fork, on the Green River and we went into Winter quarters. I should mention here that after I enlisted and had joined my regiment, the boys always called me "Bill" instead of my proper name "James" or "Jim" and during my army life, and afterwards in the west, I was known as Bill Sweeney, as many had known me in the army. The Mormons having burned all the' grass, our mules all died. In order to move the Army in the Spring, it was necessary to pro­ cure mules and for this purpose Captain Marcey, was sent with a detachment of men to New Mexico. This detachment was made up from the 5th and 10th Infantry, with some civilians attached to the army. I was one of this detachment. While I was on guard duty at Fort Bridger, four of us stole one hundred pounds of flour. We also bought ten pounds of s~gar and six pounds of coffee of the Sutler, which we divided and took with us. When we started, Tim Goodale and Jim Baker, two squaw men, with their squaws, were our guides. They got lost when we were about the head of Bitter Creek and, instead of crossing the Rockies, they kept on the West side and got lost in the snow. In consequence our mules commenced to die. Then Mariana, eli Mex­ ican, told Captain Marcey we were lost. Captain Marcey put him in charge as guide. We crossed the rockies. It took us five days to do so. By this time most of our mules were played out, and our grub was gone. We were compelled to live on mule meat. It was our main diet for seventeen days. We even ate old "Billy", a pack mule about forty years old, who would always break out of the pack train, and follow Captain Marcey's mare. During the time we were getting through the snow, it was so deep that it was neces­ sary for the men in turn, to go ahead of the mules to break a trail. In this the four of us who had the flour, sugar and coffee, were called on more often than the rest as we were better nourished and stronger than the other men, excepting Corporal McLeod, of the 204 James Sweeney 10th Infantry who was a very powerful man, and had wonderful endurance. One night, soon after we got out of the snow, we were camped by a small stream. It was very cold. Some of the men perished from starvation and exposure. Captain Marcey was standing by a camp fire shivering when I went up and told him if he would come over to our camp fire he would be more comfortable. He did so, and when he got there I gave him a cup of coffee and a biscuit. He asked where I got it. I told him we stole it from one of the wagons and that was the reason we were stronger than the rest. He laugh­ ed, but after that every morning and night he got his coffee and biscuit. The guides were still uncertain as to where we were. We struggled on for several days, until one day about noon, we came to a small stream. Mariana came and told the Captain that he thought he knew where we were but was not sure until he would go to see an aspen grove that he thought he had seen twenty years before. When he returned he said he was all right, that we were one hundred and twenty miles from Fort Garland, New Mexico. The Captain then told him to take his (the Captain's) mare, and go to Fort Garland, or as far as the mare would carry him, to remove the saddle, turn the mare loose and proceed on foot. From the time he left us, he returned in four days, bringing two ambulances, a Doctor, some mules and provisions. We remained there two days when teams came out and, took us to Fort Garland. When we got in they had put up tents on the parade grounds for us. Captain Marcey objectep to putting his men in tents, and demanded the best quarters in the post. They vacated two barracks, which we occupied. Captain Marcey went on to old Mexico, and purchas­ ed a lot of mules, we remained at Fort Garland until March, 1858. We then started back, being reinforced by three companies under the command of Colonel Loring, and three companies of the third and seventh infantry, under Colonel Morris. When we ar­ rived at Cherry Creek, where Denver is now located, we met about forty miners, prospecting under Old Denver, and a man named Gregory. The Colonel supplied them with provisions to last them two months. We continued our march down Cherry Creek to its junction with the South Platte. The water was high and we had to build a ferry-boat which delayed us some time. This was sometime in "May '58. We then resumed our march. When we reached the Green River, it was in flood. We there rceived word from Fort Bridger, that they had only three days' provisions left. We put Narrative of James Sweeney 205 heavy lines across the river and made a pontoon bridge out of our wagon boxes. Then, with two eight mule teams, we got provisions across by hand and by swimming the mules and started the provis­ ions for Fort Bridger. We took all our supplies across the impro­ vised pontoon bridge and moved sixty miles to the fort. The reason the army at Fort Bridger was short of provisions was that the Mor­ mons had captured two supply trains and burned them before the cavalry got up. We remained at Fort Bridger about three days and then started for Salt Lake under the command of General Albert Sidney John­ ston. When we reached Salt Lake, we formed a line in front of Governor 'Cummings' headquarters and he requested General J ohn­ ston to move the troops out of town three miles across the Jordon River. General Johnston disliked to do so and I heard him say that he would give his plantation for the chance to bombard the City for fifteen minutes, but he compiled with the request of the civil authori­ ties, and moved the troops out of the city.

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