Martin SMITH

Sources:

Family Bible, Louise Reed Cory
Iowa, Johnson, Liberty - 1870 US Census, film # 1421009
Iowa, Ringgold, Lincoln - 1880 US Census, film #1421013
Iowa, Ringgold, Lincoln - 1885 Iowa State Census
Wyoming, Converse, Box Elder - 1900 US Census, Page 1

Notes:

                   Children listed as Clifford,Lewis, Infant son, N.C.Smith, Mrs. James Lam,and Mrs. Minnie Moffett. Information from Great-grandmas scrapbook?

Following is a newspaper article From Stella Reed's Scrapbook, copies in posession of David Reed Family, Leroy Reed Family, Brad Jackman Family-

Battle of Fort Caspar As Seen by Eye-Witness Told

Martin Smith, 93 years old, and an early settler in this section before there was any thought of a city of Casper, came is to the Tribune-Herald office Friday, to tell a story about Fort Caspar. The celebration of Caspar Collins Day at old Fort Caspar on Saturday reminded him of the story of the battle of Fort Caspar as told to him by an eye witness, in about 1903.
Mr. Smith, in the livery stable business in Glenrock in the early 1900s, was lured by a salesman to drive him through the country to call on his customers, there being no train service to most towns. Casper was the terminus of the C and NW, in those days. It a as while on this trip that he met the eyewitness to the Battle of Fort Caspar who told him the story as he remembered it.
The man who told him the tale was a French Canadian, living on Twin creeks, about 12 miles South-east of Lander; he is not now able to recall his name, but remembers it as something like De Muir. This man was by trade a bridge builder, and had built bridges at several places along the Platte, at fort Fetterman and several other locations. He was in the process of building a bridge at Platte Crossing (later Fort Oaspar) at the time of the battle with the large horde of Arapaho, Cheyenne and Sioux Indians.
Mr. Smiths story follows, quoting the French-Canadian.
He said that the Indians came over a little hill, shooting arrows into the fort.  The commanding officer asked for volunteers to drive the Indians away.  Nineteen soldiers volunteered for this detail, and the young officer, Lt. Caspar Collins made the twentieth man to volunteer.  He was a visitor at the little frontier outpost, having stopped off enroute to visit his uncle, the commanding officer at fort Steele.
The commanding officer advised against his going with the party, saying that it was hard to tell what might happen.  Lt. Collins insisted however, saying that he had never seen an Indian scrap, and would like the experience.  So the commanding officer allowed him to lead the sortie against the Indians who were riding toward the fort and shooting arrows.
The man who told Mr. Smith this story, said that he stood on top of one of the cabins of the fort and watched the battle, which lasted only a little while; the soldiers were so much outnumbered that soon they were all killed. He said that when the soldiers reached the band of Indians who had ridden toward the fort, who turned and rode up a little rise in ground, hundreds of Indians swept down on them from both sides, and killed them all.
Asked if the man had made any particular reference to the death of Collins, Mr. Smith did not remember that he had told anything about that, just that they were all killed.
The eyewitness told Smith that the commanding officer sent out a detail after the Indians had left, to bring in the bodies and that one was filled so full of arrows that they held the body up off the ground when it was laid down.
Asked about the nearby Custard Wagon Train massacre, Mr. Smith said the man did not mention it.
Some accounts say that this tragedy could be seen from the fort; many disagree. This story seems to bear out the fact that it could not be seen from the fort, because it is logical to believe that the man telling the story would have mentioned that episode also, if he could have seen it at the time he also watched the Battle of Fort Caspar.
Two brothers came to Wyoming in 1885 from Iowa, Martin Smith and his brother Charles smith - who is now 95 and lives in Savage, Mont. Mr. Smith recalls many Interesting events of the early days, and was often at Fort Fetterman, and Deer Creek Station at Glenrock. He knew most of the early Settlers of this section in that day.  Also he knew many who were involved in the Johnson County Invasion.
He and hist brother were the first settlers in Boxelder Park, and they had many warnings  from the stockmen to leave the country, but they refused to be frightened away from their holdings.  He spoke of the many settlers driven out by the stockmen who were determined to keep the range for themselves and their large herds.
Mr. Smith said he had been all over this section, before the city of Casper was dreamed of.  He came to Casper from Glenrock to make his home, about 1940, living then at the CY ranch, where his son was foreman for Carey.  He now lives with his daughter Mrs. Minnie Moffet of 113 South Lincoln.