OCT 5: Help Arrives

Col. Wesley Merritt. (Credit: library of Congress)

On Oct. 5, 1879, Col. Wesley Merritt and five columns of troops from the 5th Cavalry Regiment arrive at Mill Creek in Colorado to relieve a U.S. Army detachment besieged by Utes.

On Sept. 29, Ute warriors at Mill Creek ambushed forces led by Maj. Thomas T. Thornburgh, who were there at the request of Indian Agent Nathan Meeker. During the fight, Thornburgh and 13 men were killed, including all of his officers above the rank of captain.

Surviving troops dug in behind wagon trains and animals' bodies for defense. One man rode hard to get out a request for reinforcements. The U.S. forces held out for Merritt’s arrival on October 5.

Also on September 29, Meeker and 10 of his employees were killed by Ute warriors at the nearby White River Indian Agency.