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Lieutenant Casper Collins: Fighting the Odds at Platte BridgeWild West | 8 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
About the same time, a large group of Indians had gathered on the bluff northwest of Platte Bridge Station where Collins’ party had been attacked. Mitchell Lajeunesse, a half-blood scout who lived in a tepee near the station, ventured out. He discovered that the Indians were squabbling, much as the bluecoats had done. The Cheyenne warriors called the Sioux warriors cowards for not taking the bridge, and the Sioux accused the Cheyenne of ‘friendly fire’ when they came down the hill after the retreating soldiers. According to Lajeunesse, the Indians nearly came to the point of turning their weapons on each other. Subscribe Today
Custard, meanwhile, was still headed eastward along the telegraph road, having broken camp and hitched up the mule teams at dawn on July 26. The wagon train crossed the alkali flats, rode along the ‘Rock Avenue’ past the ‘Devil’s Backbone’ formations and Emigrant Gap. Custard and his men were unaware of the tumult up ahead at Platte Bridge.
About 9 a.m., east of Red Buttes, he encountered a telegraph patrol of 30 men of the 11th Ohio. For several days, mounted warriors had blocked their way back. They hailed the wagon train with great joy and invited them to join forces with them behind the breastwork of wagons they had set across a small peninsula. According to one of the patrol, Custard said, ‘You Ohio fellows, decked out in buckskin and fringe, think you know too much about this Injun business. We have been South, where fighting is done, and we know how to do it.’ A string of profanity floated down to the Ohio men as they watched Custard and his wagons scale the dividing ridge.
About 11:30 a soldier from the station spotted the wagons hurtling up the last little ridge west of the fort. The Indians didn’t miss the wagons either. Sergeant Merwin and his crew fired the howitzer as a warning.
Custard detailed Corporal James Shrader to take four men and ride ahead to see what the firing was about. Indians who had been hidden by the bluffs sprang forward in the northeast, east and south. Cut off, the riders plunged into the river. Private Edwin Sumners, seeing 15 Indians approach, refused to go along and was last seen being pursued by several warriors. Shrader and Private James Ballau reached the south bank. Ballau’s horse was shot from under him. His last words were, ‘Jim, what shall we do? We shall all be killed!’
After a brief skirmish, Shrader and the two other advance riders abandoned their horses and took to the sagebrush and a deep ravine. They crept over several ridges. As they ran the gantlet toward the post, about 20 Indians tried to head them off. Soldiers at the fort called out for the trio to take to the gully while they covered them. A group went out to meet them, and all reached the stockade safely, probably only because the Indians turned their attention to Custard’s wagon train.
After the Indians had cut Shrader off from the wagon train, some of them began attacking the train about noon. Custard’s force, in more of a frantic stampede than an orderly maneuver, managed to corral the wagons into a hollow south of the road. As the whooping Indians charged the wagon corral from the east, the soldiers grabbed their carbines and repulsed them, inflicting many casualties. While the Indians retreated, the soldiers hurriedly formed barricades of bedding, bales and boxes. Most fired from under the wagons,but four men inside one wagon did deadly execution through slits cut in the canvas cover.
Still, the Indians surrounded them. For four hours, the soldiers fought on, doing all they could to hold off the enemy. Sergeant Pennock, watching from the fort, later penned in his diary: ‘All this we could plainly see from the station, but we could do nothing for them….We could see the Indians in swarms charge down on our boys when they would roll volley after volley into them.’ Lieutenant Walker stated that the Indians scattered ‘like a flock of birds shot into.’ Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 19th Century, American Indian Wars, Historical Conflicts, Native American History, Wild West
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8 Comments to “Lieutenant Casper Collins: Fighting the Odds at Platte Bridge”
Why is that they call a white guy brave for killing indians but when indians kill the whites they are savages????
By Tia on Jan 21, 2009 at 12:52 pm
well i acctullay read the story of Crazy Horse a Indian leader was friends with him i think in about in the 1870’s
By Jack on Feb 4, 2009 at 2:40 pm
the indans were named savages by whites thats why
By Grant on Apr 7, 2009 at 7:30 pm
The story goes (and this has been repeated throughout the Collins family as well) that Caspar was very interested in the Native American cultures. His father was the commander of his unit (Lt. Col. William Collins) and allowed his son to visit friendly tribes in the area. The story goes that he and Crazy Horse, who was shy and a bit of an outsider, even though he was a great warrior, became friends. No on knows for sure what happened on that day, but he lead 20 soldiers out and according to some accounts, tried to stop hostilities. There’s even a story that Crazy Horse tried to warn him to get out of the area. But none of us were there and we don’t know for sure. A lot of truth has been replaced by (1870’s white) propaganda and legends. I don’t know why a white man would be called a hero for killing a Native American, nor do I know why Native Americans were called savages, other that ignorance, fear, greed, and racism.
By Liz on Apr 22, 2009 at 4:16 pm
love the info on casper collins. because my kids r related to the famous LT Collins, they r his cousin, by a few generations. their greatgrand mother was christina casper. who married dominico ziccardi. i was told by family relatives that christina casper was the little girl that ran/walk across the Brooklyn Bridge when it was built in 1880’s.
By phyllis nalick on May 15, 2009 at 8:42 pm
My great, great, great grandfather, Jonas Robinson was a trooper in the 11 th ohio vol cavalry, I believe company c of the 1 st battalion.
By Paul Robinson on Jul 1, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Bob Specht Native Casperite, Geologist, and historian of the west
Fort Caspar or Upper Platte River post was not a true Stockade post. Only The trading post had a stockade around it. The trading post was taken over by the army in about 1861 and was used as the Generals quarters. The telegraph shack was close to the south end of the bride where the howitzer was located to protect the bridge. The troopers at that time had tents outside the post on all sides. The restored post as you see today was based on Caspar Collins’ drawings that his father, Lt Colonial William Collins had instructed his son to do to beef up some of the existing old pony express stations along the trail.
After the battle of 1865, Fort Casper rivaled the size of Fort Laramie with a Garrison of about 360 men until the post was abandoned in 1868. The post extended out to the south and east to where the Fair grounds is located and to the water purification station is. I suggest you visit the Fort Caspar Museum in Casper if you get the chance.
As for the different in the name’s between Fort Caspar and the existing incorporated City of Casper, Wyoming, came about in 1889. At that time the town was part of Carbon County with the existing county seat at Rawlins, Wyoming along the Union Pacific Rail road line built in 1868. When taking down the information on the then towns name of Caspar, the clerk wrote it down as Casper, Wyoming.
If it had not been for his Father’s retirement from the military in March of 1863, the post may have been named Fort Collins. Collins father was given the honor first and the post on the Pouder River , where he conducted the operations along the Oregon trail, was given that name of Fort Collins, Colorado.
To help answer your question as to why white men call Indians savages comes from fear. Remember we came to the new world to spread the Gospel of the good news to all man kind. The early Puritans and pilgrims came to the world and had developed relationships with the native American’s. Over time when you have people colonizing that don’t believe in a God and don’t want to understand another man’s culture, they are different from us and are heathens or savages. Yes Caspar came to the west at age 14 or 15 to visit the west and his father and did have or had built relationships with the Natives as his father had build a good resolution with the Native Americans. I have also heard that Caspar may have be friend Crazy Horse as well. If you have questions you can also write me at rspecht@yahoo.com
Descendents of Lt Colonial William Collins’ brother moved in the State and have settled near North of Glendo Wyoming. This I have learned from Jay Collins, town council member of Glendo, Wyoming and a good friend of mine.Bob Specht
By Bob Specht on Aug 31, 2009 at 12:16 am
I think that Major Anderson was coward and stupid. He should have gone out at night to rescue my Great Great GrandGrandunlce Commissary Sgt. Amos Jefferson Custard. Lt Collins should have ignored the orders of Maj. Anderson and make the Major order one of his own officer’s to lead the doomed rescue attempt.
By Doug Custard on Nov 8, 2009 at 9:03 pm