As well as I can remember, in this fight Gen. Crook lost forty-two men killed, twenty-one wounded, and sixty horses killed.

That night I heard one sergeant ask another in the presence of Gen. Crook when the dead would be buried, but the question was not answered.  The next morning the General told me to take as many men as I wanted and see if I could recover the dead bodies.  I said.  “General, if you will wait until night I will take my men and if there are any dead bodies left on the battlefield I will try and get them, but I do not propose to take my men and stick them up for a target to be shot at by the Indians when they have no show whatever, for I will not ask my men to go where I will not go myself.”

He said:  “Suit yourself about it,” and turned and walked away.

That night I took my entire scout force, besides twenty soldiers that volunteered to go along, and descended the mountain.  We worked hard all night, and all that we could find was twenty-one bodies, and that day they were buried, after which we commenced making preparations to return to headquarters.

Up to that time I had not had a chance to talk to Lieut.  Jackson concerning the battle in Black canyon, as we had both been busy ever since.  When on a march it was my custom to ride ahead of the army, so the morning that we were ready to start back I had given my orders to the scouts, had mounted, and was just ready to start, when Lieut.  Jackson said:  “Wait a minute, Captain, and I will ride with you.”

The reader will understand that by this time the Lieutenant and I were as intimate friends as though we were brothers, and when he told me anything I could rely upon it, and I had always made it a rule to be punctual with him.  If he would ask me a question I would always answer it the best I could, and if I asked him for any information, if he knew he would tell me.  And here I would like to say that while Gen. Crook bore the name of being a great Indian fighter, I know for a fact that Lieut.  Jackson planned more victories two to one than Gen. Crook did himself, and had it been in the Lieutenant’s power to have kept those soldiers out of Black canyon, they never would have entered it.

That morning after we had ridden a short distance he mentioned the fight and said:  “Cap, that was a horrible affair.”  I said:  “Lieutenant it was not half as bad as I thought it would be, for when I saw you go down there I did not expect to see half of the boys come back.”  He said:  “Had it not been for the infantry coming to our rescue just when it did not a horse would have come out of the canyon, and but very few soldiers.”

I asked him where the next move would be and he said that Gen. Crook was going to return to the fort and we would go farther out on the road to protect the emigrants, who would soon begin to move toward California.  For the next two or three days everything was undergoing a change around camp; rigging up packs and fitting up in general.