Show HEMMED IN I BY REDS General Howards Description of a Desperate Battle IT FOLLOWED A MASSACRE The Merciless Nez Perccs The Only Spring of Pure Water Held by the Enemy The Result Xcw YOIIK Jan S lSnlSpccial correspondence cor-respondence of TUB HEIIALDJ The present pres-ent situation among the Sioux reminds the writer of a closely contested battle of 1ST7 of which he formed a part Take the map or the country and find Lewiston which is situated at the junction of the Clearwater with the almost interminable intermin-able Snake then let the eye run eastei ly a distance equivalent to seventy miles till it crosses the south branch of the Clearwater there due north from the village of Mount Idaho you reach a rough uninhabited plateau pla-teau That plateau was the battle ground There between a dry ca on and the Branch occurred the tierce combat between some 500 Xez Perces and about the same number of United States troops The young chief 3Sez Perce Joseph led the Indians Though the Xez Perces had never before bad a war with the white men bcasting of never having shed a white mans blood they had frequently waged contests with more eastern tribes They were superb horsemen and had so trained these ponies that like shepherd dogs they would understand under-stand and obey their owners These Indian In-dian horsemen were probably the best mounted skirmishers in the world at the commencement of the Nez Perce war The war began in a series of m a acres which the Indians committed in the region around Mount Idaho The white women und children who wera wounded in the outbreak but not fatally were gathered into that stricken village Joseph at the same time in the low ground of the White bird caflon assembled all the Indians who would join the war His men were then variously estimated to number from three to seven hundred General Howard providentially prov-identially at Lapwai when the frightful news came sent forward under Colonel Perry two troops of cavalry with instructions instruc-tions to check the hostiles and stop the murders Meanwhile with the intention speedily to follow he himself was hastily bringing together afLapwai from the various vari-ous posts the soldiers of his department Perry had but ninety men He made a forced march through Granpovillc to the AVhitebird canon attacked the Indians at once but suffered a mortifying defeat He lost in thefight and retreat over a third of his men killed outright of those hit only the slightly wounded escaped death for at this time the Indianswere killing all their prisoners r inn CHARGE As soon as the general had collected a suf V ficent force he marched against them drove Joseph down he Whitebird creek and forced him to cross to the west side of C the Salmon river Then with considerable difficulty he crossed his own command into that same country between the Salmon and I the Snake which is as rough and rugged as Switzerland and immediately set himself to follow the Indians trail They had hurrIed hur-rIed down the left bank of the Salmon over the mountainous cragstowardthe mouth of that swift river and without hesitation re crossed mad stream atCraig ferry Our troops unlike the Indians who swim their plucky ponies and drag their skin rafts after them were here obliged to delay for two or three days constructing and attempting at-tempting to use a large timber raft But meanwhile the general had sent back on his Lapwai route the regular cavalry part of which was to hold Nortons ranch and part V to brine up supplies from Fort Lapwai Eleven cavalry mcn of this force under Lieutenant Rainswent out from Nortons to reconnoitre It was just after Joseph and his Indians having got over Craigs ferry werp turning back to pass between ort > ns and Grangeville and aiming further north toward Kamiau The Indians IL L In-dians evidently surprised the lieutenant and his partyand without mercy massacred them all Again seventeen mounted volunteers L volun-teers about the same time set out from Mount Idaho to go to Nortons when they also were cut off by a swarm of savage warriors war-riors and several of them were slain General V Gen-eral Howard about this time lot his new raft in the wild torrent and could not effect V ef-fect a crossing just then through Indian messenger James Ruben who swam hiV S hi-V horse across the fierce river he heard I of the state of matters at Nortons and vicinity and as the best thing to do turned vb back on his trail and by the help of a few skiffs recrossed the Salmon and Whitebird The pack horses and mules held by their halters would follow a skiff four or five at a time but would take the water in no other way Forced marches were now made by the troops to intercept the Indians A small number of volunteers which the general had sent back before him across the Salmon Sal-mon by the Rocky canon now pushed on boldly after the Indians who appeared toe b to-e moving toward Kantian The savages soon stopped to gather food and new recruits re-cruits from the Lapwai reservation for their reputed success was fast bringing to them the hesitating They pitched their lodges in the valleys along the Clearwater near the mouth of the Cottonwood creek The volunteers cautiously avoiding them ascended Round hill a high butte in the neighborhood and put themselves on the watch During the first night however a party of Indians stole nt their horses setting aoout forty of them on foot but did not undertake to further molest them General Howard had already sent word by a daring ollicer to these volunteers vol-unteers to stay there quietly while ho was working his troops around the Indian campy b camp-y the way of Jacksons bridge with a view to get beyond the entire hostile force and if possibe compel Joseph to accept battle Tile iOta of luly was a busy day Country wagons were used to carry a third of the infantry at a time while the rest were marching That day by this help they made thirty eight miles the longest one days march of the campaign The command crossed southhrinch of Clearwater I Clear-water and encamped between that and the main river at Walls farm This place was at least a dozen miles beyond the Indian lodges on northeastern edge of the wild rough plateau before named where the battle was destined to be fniicrhh Joseph Whitebird Hoolhoolsute Olicut Josephs tall brother and Lookingglass who had just joined after being for sometime some-time neutral agreed in council that they were now strong enough to engage the I main force They knew now from what direction their enemies would approach them They would get together all mounted conceal themselves in the deep valleys of the Cottonwood the Blear water branch and the neighboring canon and be ready to run up the valley of the branch toward to-ward the east and make an attack at the word Each chieftain had his men told off The women like regular quartermasters cared for the baggage and the herd of spare horses and were always to keep well back from the thick of the contest and stay where the lodges were pitched Joseph just before the battle was confident of victory vic-tory 1 1 p THE INDIANS VVEHE COMING BACK Now turn to the little column of white men a few troops of horse a few companies compa-nies afoot three howziters and a gating gun all told less than a single regiment of the rebellion With scouts well ahead and I covered with skirmishers they moved I quietly along the unused trail they hunt r their way slowly through an extensive forest for-est they probe the ravines and crown the few bare hills till about noon they merge into comparatively open ground Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Fletcher temporarily on the staff takes a sudden impulse to try his field glass He gallops off to join the headmost scout A few hundred yards being gained Ion I-on a knoll to the left of our path he catches the first glimpse of the Indians The general then dispatched an aide to Captain Trimble with the instructions Take your troops and push straight on westward to the river and watch out in that direction The aide went with Trim ble to scout the peninsula General Howard How-ard then rode over to Fletcher and saw plainly numerous mounted Indians in motion mo-tion They seemed to have just discovered his approach and were taking on a shadow of formation As the general was looking he said Let the column keep well closed up and come forward quickly Soon the four pieces of artillery were at Fletchrrs knoll and Lieutenant Otis commanding them was firing endeavoring to reach th amasses a-masses of Indians that engaged bis attention atten-tion Our little column on the trail hurry ing forward had well nigh passed ttie deep calico and the cross ravine near it and were coming together on the Hat plateau opposite the mouth of the Cottonwood when it was I discovered that the Indians were galloping back as fast as they could up the main I branch on both shores mostly concealed by I by high banks Their leaders turned to I I the left into the Grand caflon and were passing at a run ana into a cross ravine which pave them good cover Of course the troops to confront them must now face about because their enterprising en-terprising enemy is nearly in their rear and there is danger of being caught before we are ready and also of their cutting off some supply packmules that are bearing ammunition and food Tired mues with heavy loads will often lag behind and bother the best of quartermasters quartermas-ters It was just this way that the same Indians had turned Perrys flank at White bird It was the same gamE that the Sioux under Sitting Bull had played with Custer in Montana And how they now sped on yelling and running their horses A moment before everybody was made to believe that the Indians were trying to escape es-cape lor Chapman the guide had said They cannot get away except by the big < I 0 V V caftan back there Now Chapmans error was evident they were not escaping At once we took the offensive The small batter bat-ter went back at a double quick It was guarded by the troop of Captain Winters Winters galloped around the head of the cross ravine and there jnst beyond the bluff down in the low ground he found some Indians already dismounted hiding and waiting Instantly dismounting his men he put them into line while the horses were led back by a few troopers The firing began at once Carbines and rifles cracked gatling guns rattled and the howitzers boomed away Meanwhile several mounted Indians striving to keep beyond the range of the guns kept extending their line until it became a great enveloping curve Colonel Col-onel Mason the inspector seeing how needful need-ful it was to lengthen our bending line hurried up Captain Burtons company of infantry It quickly took Winters place pushing his troop off to the left The first Indians that came out of theca the-ca onwe would call them Hankers succeeded suc-ceeded in disabling two mules that were loaded with howitzer ammunition and they killed the packers in charge By this time Captains Whipple and Perry had dismounted dis-mounted their cavalrymen and prolonged Winters line so much that they could cover the fallen mules by rapid fire andso they saved the ammunition from capture A brave messenger had during the moles I guided the main supply train till Captains Wilkinson Aidedecamp came to help him They successfully mussel the train near the cavalry horses and well beyond the hostile fire Just as speedily as it could bo done Trimble was brought back and all the remaining companies were put into position po-sition Our line had now its infantry on the right and next in succession its artillery artil-lery and cavalry all acting as infantry I was a thin line shaped like a crescent The Indians by along curved line less continuous con-tinuous fully enveloped ours CIIIEF JOSEPH Joseph and his warriors executed their movements without hesitation Opposite our right they were lower than we behind L rocks logs and trees there They constructed V con-structed some rude barricades At most other points they found shelter and were usually out of sight Near our left Hank upon a small hill one Indian early in the I action purposely exposed himself to view throwing up his red blanket defiantly as you might unfurl a flag and leaping about with it from point to point At that time we had an occasional sight of others in the II edge of a neighboring wood Our enemy distributed his best shooters at various points One group was so located as to command our only spring of water which was situated some distance out from ou 1 left The river behind us was so far down I and so much exposed to skirmishers from the other bank that nobody ventured there Thus hemmed in with savages very numerous numer-ous and fighting with all the fierceness o f Arabs without drinking water and with every man posted in a defensive line the situation in the beginning was it must be confessed not erj encouraging In the afternoon several enterprising Indians In-dians crept furtively toward Captain Ban crofts and Lieutenant Hauglievs company fronts seized a ridge and with good shelter shel-ter from it began firing not thirty yards off In the skirmish that ensued Captain I Bancroft Lieutenant Williams and several 1 I of their men were badly wounded Cantain I I I M P Miller the senior artillery officer i I ran to Bancrsfta front and called out Cheer and charge Haughey and his company obeyed the call and joined Ban croft in the cheer and charge and the ridge was promptly cleared The Indians ran back for safety to the barricades that they had lately left All the right wingCap tain Evan Miles leading his own infantry rushed forward making two or three charges and covering tho howitzers which had almost suffered capture gained important impor-tant ground In one or another of the charges made captains Pollock and Jocelyn and lieutenants lieuten-ants Eltonhead Farrow Wood Baily Duncan I Dun-can and their men played an active part We had not as yet done much but merely taken the out works ot Josephs sheltered line Following up the excitement Wilkinson Wilkin-son gathered all the available men who from any cause were not in front includ ing horse holders orderlies extra duty and train men and with them madea rush from the right down into the ravine This attempt at-tempt drove in some worrisome sharpshooters sharp-shooters and made our exposed right flank more secure Fletcher and Otis pointed the howitzers and helped on all the excit ing charges by landing shells so as to explode ex-plode them among the Indians but this noisy work only made the warriors cling more closely to their barricades Farther to the left the Indians soon attempted tho white mans favorite game In squads they too yelled and charged but Winters Morris Ferry and Whipplo quickly arrested ar-rested these onsets and sent the Indians back with severe loss But as darkness came on our comrades did not take a very hopeful view of tho field Cut off from all communication with the outside world our water supply still in the enemys hands with every fighting man on the linea single sin-gle one long and thinand with Indians numerous enough to encircle our whole front the night was cheerless indeed New barricades were constructed on both sides The Indians were noisy and like Goliath of old frequently defied their foes Many of our officers risked their lives by going in the night to the spring to bring back water VV V to refresh their men greatly encouraged V them In the daytime it had not been safe to nass from one part of our line to another t V V To avoid a shot our officers found that they must creep like children to and from the front One hearty officer Captain Pollock whom Captain Miles commends for bravery brav-ery when asked how he so largo a mark had passed from the centre to the Haul of V his company answered in a half whisper Oh being too fat to crawl I rolled V I JAMES REUlinX INDIAN SCOUT Matters were yet substantially unchanged it dawn except that an offensive plan had bepn promulgated It was first to recover over the spring second that every man hould have his breakfast not omitting a cup of coffee for each third to withdraw Captain Millers artillery battalion all that yero serving as infantry from the frontline front-line Fourth at an hour appointed Miller was to firm a column move southward pierce the hostile curve and when just far enough across face to his right and roll up that line The howitzer battery and all other troops were sjipport and follow up Millers movement if it should be successful success-ful But Joseph S2eming to anticipate some contrivance against him had his own offensive offen-sive plan He set in motion a herd of ponies some three hundred strong and directed di-rected them across the space which was not overed by our troops He did it doubtless with a view to stampede our animals and possibly break our ranks and terrify our men They ran swiftly as a herd of wild animals can keeping well together but were themselves turned from their straight course by the discharge at them of a few pieces and they disappeared as suddenly as they came without doing us any perceptible percep-tible damage Our operation for the second day commenced com-menced about sunrise Miller had Otis battery located as to shell the bushes and hollows inthe neighborhood oftho spring Perrys and Rodneys men who were waiting wait-ing on foot near at hand during the shelling at the command and with DO little shouting made a series of charges from hillock to hillock till the ground was cleared of enemies farand near Immediately picket posts were so chosen and occupied that a man going with a pail to the water could nbt again be molested Soon little fires had started and camp kettles were steaming steam-ing The handy soldier cooks sent from each company made ready the hot coffee and warmed up the food so that before two hours had expired officers and men had been cheered and refreshed by a respectable respecta-ble breakfast The third thing devised to take away from the front several companies compa-nies was not so easy to execute There was strong protesting Oh no general our lines are to weak already It is not safe But the general remained firm and shouldered should-ered all the risk Captain Miller then cautiously cau-tiously withdrew his four companies while captains Miles and Perry stretched out V their battalion lines to fill the gap so created It was fortunate for us perhaps that Joseph did not comprehend what we were doing so made no attack while the companies were in motion Miller at half past two the time designated was just ready to start across the ravine held by the Indians His entire command in waiting were tilled with hope and expectancy prepared pre-pared to take up tho parts assigned them when lo a big dust it rose some two miles away toward the southeast It was Captain Jacksons troops that had been coming from Fort Klamath with instructions in-structions to join us they were escorting supplies Immediately the expectant artillery artil-lery battalion was ordered to push out and meet the coming cavalr Miller moved at once and rapidly taking the Indians by surprise so that only moderate skirmishing arose when he was crossing their liacs It required however more than an hour to bring in the new troops some fifty strong and tho provisions Millers column began to move quickly toward us and to encounter quite a storm I of bullets fitfully striking the ground around him He had again pierced the Indian In-dian line when his men faced suddenly to his left and charged Rodneys company laving halted a moment let the others pass then followed some distance in rear to guard against the repeated attempts of he Indians to get around one flank or the I other of tho moving front There was i spnie obstinate resistance at Josephs barricade bar-ricade some rapid firing but no Indian dreamt of such a rolling up After a few more wild shots ana a few bold but vain efforts to gallop around Millers command the Indians gave way en masse and began to run down the ravines and the steep I slopes to the Oljarwater branch and then I to wade or yr 1m to the other shore More quickly than one can tell it our force had taken up the pursuit the infantry in-fantry artillery and Winters troop on foot and the remaining cavalry on horseback THE INDIANS WERE MOVING V that is all who had time to get to their horses and mount The gatlings fairly flew to the riverbluff with Jacksons troop abreast of them in lively support there they opened a brisk fire on the retreating hostiles The howitzers little later came galloping to the same heights with Trim bles mon close behind them and they I t 1 I r I threw their bursting shells into tho living ravine and amid the waiting lodges beyond the river Tho fugitives mainly went back I by the routes they had come down cross ravines into the large canon and thence out 11 into the river but some tumbled over the rocKs and crags and sped mounted or dismounted dis-mounted down the roughest inclines till the river was alive with wading crowds of I frightened ponies and Indians It was now I simply flight and pursuit Everything except ex-cept the cannon and packs took the footpaths foot-paths or watercourses to get first to the branch The Indians gained the south bank by the time the cavalry got to the other The women and the herds were already al-ready in full retreat when the warriors overtook them running up every hollow that led from the river when suddenly a host or warriors all mounted appeared to be turning back and getting ready for another an-other fight This considerably disturbed the commander of the cavalry Perry and his men stopped as they emerged from the water on the Indian side As they had halted they were ordered to ferry over the footmen using their horses as tho water was rather deep and swift for a ford This was done but the Indians return movement move-ment was brief it was certainly a ruse and good one for time was consumed by it the terrified women and children were protected and the cover of night onmore thoroughly sheltered all the fugitives from effective pursuit The abandoned Indian camp fell into our hands with robes blankets utensils for cooking and provisions of various kinds The losses in killed and wounded were not I so great as one would have supposed They did not exceed on both sides a hundred people peo-ple and were as afterward proved about 1 equally divided Over a hundred prisoners were subsequently gathered in and sent to Fort Vancouver as a result of this battle It was by this remarkable contest at the Clearwater that the northwest was for a time cleared of hostile Indians but it inaugurated in-augurated the long chase before mentioned Another year of desperate war with the Bannocks and Piutes was necessary to procure and establish a permanent peace O O HOWAKD MajGen Commanding |