USA > California > Siskiyou County > History of Siskiyou County, California > Part 42
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59
The message, "Boyle and Sherwood attacked under a flag of truce," was instantly signalled to Lieutenant Adams, in charge of the signal station at Gillem's headquarters. The intelligence was com- municated to the commanding officer, who sat down and was writing a note to Canby informing him of the event, when the startling cry came again from the signal station, " The Indians are firing on the commissioners."
The consternation in camp was great. Many of the soldiers started on the run for the council tent, but were called back by the officers and made to form in regular line, while the long roll was sounded. Precious minutes were thus wasted before the men were started in double time, deploying in skirmish line as they ran. With them went the surgeons and reporters. They first met Dyar, who breath- lessly exclaimed, "They are all killed but I." Soon Riddle came running up saying, "They have killed them all but me." Then Tobey was met, who said, " Canby, Meacham, Thomas, all kill."
On rushed the troops, but when they arrived at the council tent they found no enemy. In their stead there lay the inanimate forms of the brave soldier and the white-haired peacemaker, covered with blood, the one entirely stripped of its clothing and the other nearly so. Tears sprang to the eyes of that rude soldiery, while the friends of the mur- dered men wept with the depth of their emotion. Tenderly the bodies were lifted up, covered with coats and canvas cut from the council tent, and borne in sorrow to the camp. Meacham was found covered with wounds. Restoratives were applied by Dr. Cabaniss; the wounded man was placed on a stretcher and carefully carried to the hospital, where he recovered in due time.
The soldiers did not stop here. Cautiously they advanced momentarily expecting to receive a volley from their unseen foe. The caution was needless, for the Modocs, content with what they had accom- plished, had retired to their retreat in the rocks, to rejoice over their hellish work.
All thought of anything but a vigorous prosecu-
tion of the war was now abandoned. The fifty Warm Spring Indians under Donald McKay arrived, and preparations were made for a combined attack on the stronghold.
On the morning of the fifteenth of April Colonel Mason advanced on the east, the Warm Spring Indians on the south and Colonel Miller with the main body on the west. The plan was for the three divisions to unite and close in upon the hostiles, the lake forming the fourth side. It was practically the same plan of attack attempted by Colonel Wheaton. The artillery commenced dropping shells into the camp of the enemy, creating the greatest consternation. These " double-shooting guns," were a mystery to the uninitiated savages. They did not like them, although little damage was done by these, except to knock the rocks about and make the stronghold an exceedingly uncomfortable place to stay in, they had the effect of keeping the Indians on the move and taking away the confidence and sense of security they had previously enjoyed. One of these shells was picked up by Shacknasty Jim's brother and a son of Curley-Headed Doctor, exploding in their hands and blowing the two boys to atoms.
The lines advanced slowly on all sides, the most severe fighting being the capture of a bluff on the lake shore. The men crept along until at the base of the hill, and then charged up with a yell, the hostiles beating a precipitate retreat. This point was one from which the Indian camp could be shelled to good advantage, and the troops rested here for the night, Major Thomas bringing his artil- lery to the spot. Contrary to expectation the forces had not been able to effect a junction, and they camped for the night in the positions they had gained.
During the night the Indians built a huge fire at their camp, but Major Thomas trained a gun on it, and scattered them and their fire in all directions. All the next day the shells were freely dropped into the lava beds, keeping the enemy on the anxious seat, while the soldiers cautiously advanced. There were occasional little battles at different points, but. no severe fighting, the Indians evidently feeling their way about to see where they could find a weak point.
Early on the morning of the third day, the lines were again advanced, with the expectation of cap- turing the stronghold. The men moved forward in squads of three, twenty feet between. They moved steadily forward until near the cave, and then with a yell sprang over the rocks into the strong- hold. They had captured an empty cage, for the birds had flown during the night. They had escaped through a gap in the lines to the south.
A small band of them did not accompany the others, but occupied a position near the lake. From this point they fired upon some scattered parties of newspaper men, teamsters, and men with stretchers, killing Eugene Hovey, an estimable young man from Yreka. Before night they were dislodged, and the mutilated body of young Hovey was recov- ered, and conveyed to Yreka.
The loss in the three days' fight was six killed and twelve wounded. It was claimed at the time that sixteen " good Indians " had been made, but it was afterwards discovered that this was sixteen too
PETER PAYSON PETERSON.
The subject of this sketch is a native of Tondern, Germany, in the Duchy of Schleswig, where he was born March 13, 1825. He was the third son of Peter P. and Helena Catharina Peterson. Young Peter was sent to school at an early age, and when thirteen years old entered the high school, where he acquired the rudiments of the higher branches of learning. He was of a wild and reckless disposition that chafed under the restraints of school, and at the age of fifteen abandoned his school and other advantages and entered the commercial marine serv- ice. He sailed from Bremen as ship boy, ordinary seaman and able-bodied seaman for four years, vis- iting the ports of the Baltic and North seas and several times crossing the Atlantic. In 1844 he was induced to leave his ship in New Orleans and engage in the American service, there being better prospects for advancement. He eagerly grasped every oppor- tunity on the voyage to learn to speak and read the English language, which he soon accomplished. In August, 1844, he sailed in a vessel loaded with cot- ton from Apalachicola to Liverpool. The second day out she sprang a leak that could not be overcome, a gale came up, and the captain beached the vessel on Santa Rosa island, on the gulf coast of Florida, the crew reaching shore on a raft of cotton bales. He returned to New Orleans and for three years sailed before the mast and as mate in various ships, chiefly between New York and Liverpool. Apprised of his father's death a year after it occurred, he hastened home in 1847. He then went to the Danish school of navigation at Tonning, where after a preparation of only three weeks he passed the examination and received a master's patent or diploma. He remained there that winter as assistant instructor, and in the spring of 1848 shipped in a Danish vessel for Rio de Janeiro and other ports, returning to Hamburg in the spring of 1849. He then went to Havre de Grace, and then to New York, as third mate of the Ameri- can ship St. Denis, full of German and French pas- sengers. He coasted all summer and then shipped as seaman on the Tuscarora from Philadelphia
to Liverpool. On the return voyage, with 660 pas- sengers, they stranded about midnight in a severe storm off the Delaware coast, south of Cape Hen- lopen. The passengers and baggage were saved, but the poor sailors lost everything but their lives. He went to Philadelphia hatless and shoeless, where he declared his intention to become a citizen, perfecting his naturalization in August, 1851. After a few weeks he embarked in the bark Venezuela, in the trade to Venezuela. In 1850 he joined Empire Lodge, No. 104, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Pennsyl- vania. In 1851 he went as second mate on two voyages to Rio de Janeiro, and then as chief mate on the brig Calvert, from Baltimore to the Atlantic ports. He was taken sick on board and left the vessel in New York, and was for a few weeks in the Staten Island hospital. He then sailed for San Francisco in the clipper ship Golden Gate. He left New York about the first of November, passed Cape Horn about Christmas, and reached San Fran- cisco February 3, 1853. He went up the coast to Crescent City and back to San Francisco; then to Portland, Oregon, taking on a load of lumber at St. Helens. On his return to San Francisco he left his entire sea outfit, books, papers, etc., in charge of a supposed friend, and started for the mines via Crescent City and Smith river, with little money and no experience. For two years he mined with poor success on Smith river, Sailor diggings, Jacksonville, and Cottonwood. He went from the last place in 1855 to Scott Bar, where he worked with varying success until 1872, gaining the good-will of all his neighbors. Being somewhat crippled by a sprained ankle, he resolved to become a school teacher, and prepared himself and successfully passed a rigid examination, and entered upon his new field of labor. He taught three terms at Sciad, one at Scott Bar, Franklin School of Scott valley, three terms, Union District in 1879, and Cedar Park School in 1880. As a resident of the county he takes great interest in all that tends to advance the prosperity of the people. He is a member of Evening Star Lodge, No. 186, Free and Accepted Masons, at Etna.
FARM OF THOMAS PATTON, 315 ACRES 2% MILES SOUTH OF FORT JONES, SISKIYOU CO.CAL.
157
HISTORY OF SISKIYOU COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
high, not a Modoe having been slain in the battle. Old Shacknasty's Man was found dead in the cave, having died from the effects of the wound received in the other battle. The head was cut off and taken to camp and claimed to be the head of John Schonchin. This was soon found to be a mistake by those familiar with that warrior's features.
The captured fortifications challenged the admi- ration of the military. Across the main plateau had been built a gallery, commanding the approaches from all sides. From this they could sweep the ground where the caves were for five hundred yards. After carrying the erags, the troops had still this open space to eross before they reached the stronghold, a feat there were not men enough there to have accomplished, had they been opposed. The loss of life here would have been fearful. Fifty men could hold this place against a thousand, but the " double-shooting guns" and the lack of water had constrained the garrison to vacate, which they easily did, their non-combatants having been sent to a place of safety several days before.
The whereabouts of the savages was now a ques- tion of great interest, not only to the soldiers but to the settlers for miles around. So long as they were safely cooped up in the caves, they ceased to be an object of fear to the people, but now that they were again an unknown quantity, all the former uneasiness and anxiety returned, followed by a stampede for places of safety. It was feared they would break up into small bands and commit rav- ages in many places. In this emergency Mckay's Warm Spring scouts did good service. They soon found that the hostiles were still in the lava beds, and were occupying a position nearly as strong as the old one, and about six miles south of it. They did not remain inactive, but emerged from their retreat in small parties, firing upon scouts and couriers, attacking provision trains, and even firing into headquarters. Their boldness and the rapidity with which they moved from point to point com- pletely puzzled and nonplussed the military. They maintained that two thousand men would not be sufficient to surround the lava beds and capture the hostiles, in a place where one thousand men could lie concealed in a small area, and where the besieged could fly to new strongholds as fast as driven from the old ones. More troops were sent for, and the government began to realize what a contract it had taken.
As it was every one knew better how to fight them than did those engaged in the work, and there was not a newspaper editor in the country who did not tell just how the thing could and should be done. The " phunny man" lapsed into innumerable para- graphs and some even descended to poetry. The "sweet singers" all through the land trained their lyric pens on the event, and poetry of all kinds, grave, gay, sarcastic, blood-curdling and tear-pro- voking, crowded the newspaper columns. The fol- lowing is a fair sample of the style most affected:
LAVA-LINDEN.
In Klamath, when the sun was low, The lava beds held Mr. Lo,
Who dared to fight and wouldn't go, For all the Peace Commissioners.
In truth it was a gallant sight,
To see a thousand men of might, With guns and cannons day and night Fight fifty dirty Indians.
For every foot of lava bed They threw a pound of hissing lead, A ton for every Modoc head, In three days roaring battery.
Fire, Gillem, all thy cannons brave,
Till Scarface Charley, in his cave,
And Captain Jack shall find his grave, With all his bloody chivalry.
We'll bless you when you've killed them all, The men and women great and small, And not a babe is left to squall Its hatred of our victory.
For this is Freedom's chosen land, The heritage of all that's grand; And the millennium's at hand, So great is our humanity.
Among all the nonsensical propositions put for- ward in the papers there was one good one. This was, to offer a reward of one thousand dollars for each Modoc head. There were plenty of men who understood how to fight Indians, who could have been thus indneed to go into the lava beds and main- tain a bushwhacking war with them until they were exterminated or surrendered, the troops meanwhile sconting around the outside to protect the settlers. This seems eruel, but it was far less cruel than the method they were employing, which had resulted in nothing but the death of more soldiers already than there were Indians engaged in the fight. From a financial point of view, also, it would have been a wise course to pursue.
Although Major Thomas had done good work with his artillery, he thought that he was too inac- tive, and solicited command of a reconnoitering expe- dition. He was given command of a force that started on the morning of the twenty-sixth of April towards the Sand Butte cave. There were in all sixty-six officers and men, Major Evan Thomas, in charge of the force, Batteries A and K, Fourth Artillery, Lieutenants Albian Howe and Arthur Cranston, Lieutenant Harris, Company E, Twelfth Infantry, Col. T. F. Wright, Assistant Surgeon B. Senig with assistants.
The command advanced towards the Modoc camp until noon, when they halted for dinner in a small hollow or sage-brush plain. On one side was quite a high hill of scoria, about five hundred yards long, extending east and west. On the east end of this was a long ridge of lava rock, while on the west end were masses of rocks. It was between these two that the command commeneed to take its noonday meal. The Indians were secreted in the lava ridge on the east and in an old crater in front of the hill. The Indians had hidden themselves when they observed the approach of the soldiers. The officers were con- gratulating themselves upon having seen no Indians, and a signal corporal was sent to the ridge on the right to signal headquarters. They had advanced but a short distance when they were fired upon, while at the same time a volley was poured in from the left upon the soldiers who were munching their rations. Great was the confusion caused by this unexpected attack. Colonel Wright ordered a por- tion of Company E to fall rapidly back and occupy
158
HISTORY OF SISKIYOU COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
the ridge below, to cover the retreat of the troops. A party of Modocs, however, had anticipated this movement and occupied the position, pouring from it a deadly fire upon the detachment. Completely surrounded now, the troops abandoned all discipline, and each one sought safety for himself. Some sue- ceeded in fleeing beyond the range of bullets and hastened towards camp, while others gathered in little parties in hollows among the rocks, and fought desperately all the day.
Mckay's Warm Spring Indians were a few miles distant, and hastened to the rescue of the doomed band; but upon their approach were fired upon by both parties, and.dared not advance. « The Indians continued to pour their fire into the Hollows oceu- pied by the men, being so close that they even threw rocks at them, until they supposed all were killed. Only one Modoc lost his life in this affair. A private, named Benham, lay in a hole with sev- eral dead men around him, and heard an Indian call out for them to come and fight like men, and also, "Boys, come out and go home; we don't want to kill all of you." Getting no response, the savage stepped boldly out from his hiding place, and was laid low by a bullet from Benham's rifle. The soldier was instantly fired upon and mortally wounded. This was Indian Ike, who had killed no one that day, and in his eagerness to shoot this soldier had pushed ahead of Hooka Jim, and met his death in consequence:
From the beginning the firing could be heard at the camp, and about two o'clock stragglers began to arrive with the intelligence that Thomas had been defeated, and cut to pieces. Major Green was at once dispatched with a force to the scene of trouble, but owing to a want of knowledge of the ground and situation of the combatants, did not arrive until daylight. The Indians had effected their retreat, and the troops could do nothing but look after the dead and wounded. All the officers but Lieutenant Harris were killed, and he died a few days later. Surgeon Senig was wounded, and suffered the amputation of his foot. Lieutenant Cranston and five men were found lying dead in a hole, several days after the fight. There were twenty-five killed and seventeen wounded, among the former being Louis Webber, of Scott valley, who was with the surgeon.
On the third of May, General Jefferson C. Davis, who had been assigned to succeed General Canby, arrived and took charge of operations in person. He was an able and energetic officer, and enthused the troops with new energy and courage. They sadly needed it, for they had lost all confidence in their officers, who simply led them out to be slaught- ered, without accomplishing anything.
On the seventh of May, a wagon train, escorted by fifteen men, was attacked by the Modocs, seven miles from headquarters, and in the rear of Colonel Mason's camp. Three men were wounded, seven- teen animals captured, and the wagons burned, before assistance arrived. The same day MeKay's scouts penetrated to the new stronghold and found it deserted. They saw the remains of twenty-five camp-fires, a natural cistern, from which the water had been exhausted, this being the probable cause of the evacuation, and the trail of the savages
leading south towards the Snow mountains. This was a move that had long been feared, and great exertions were made to head them off. On the night of the ninth, Captains Hasbrouck and Jackson, with one hundred and twenty cavalry and the Warm Spring Indians, camped about twenty-five miles from headquarters and south-east of the lava beds, near Saras or Dry lake.
During the night, the Modoes, who were hovering in the vicinity, thirty-four strong, leaving their horses some distance in the rear, crept cautiously up to the camp. Just as day was breaking they fired into the camp, killing one soldier and wounding eight. They expected to stampede this force as they had that of Major Thomas, and to aid in this had sent a small detachment to cut off a pack-train that was bringing them water. This movement failed, and was followed by a quarrel which resulted in the division of the hostiles a few days later. The Warm Springs, headed by Mckay, rushed up on the flank, and saluted the astonished Modoes with a volley. Crying out, " The Warm Springs! The Warm Springs!" they fled, closely pursued by the scouts and troopers, who kept them running until after dark. So hotly were they pur- sued that they had not time to get their horses, which fell into the hands of the pursuers. Some of them were loaded with ammunition, and a : this was supposed to be their reserve supply, it was thought, as it afterwards proved, that this loss deprived the hostiles of the sinews of war. One Warm Spring and one Modoe, Ellen's Man, were killed.
Troops were stationed in the lava beds to prevent thein from regaining their old strongholds, and the next day Captain Hasbrouck and Mckay ran them into a rocky fastness some twenty miles south-west of the original stronghold, where Hasbrouck endeav- ored to keep them while he sent for reinforcements and mortars to shell them out. For several days a brisk skirmish fire was maintained. The place was then surrounded and the troops closed in, only to find for the third time that their prey had eluded them. The entire cavalry force was then sent out to scour the country and find Captain Jack, who had developed so strongly the qualities of the Irish- man's flea; three times had they put their hand on him, "and he wasn't there."
While these events were happening, Colonel Gil- lem was superseded by Colonel Wheaton as second in command, a tardy acknowledgment of the injus- tice done the latter by his removal after the January fight.
A trail was found leading towards Sheep mount- ain, and while the lava beds were closely guarded to prevent them from regaining a position there, Captain Hasbrouck followed them, coming up with and attacking them at the Hole in the Ground, a few miles from Fairchilds' ranch, killing an old squaw named Limpy. They fled to Indian Springs and sent in word that they would surrender to Fair- childs if he would promise them their lives. Having satisfied them on this point, Fairchilds went out four miles, on the twenty-second of May, and brought them in. They proved to be mainly the Hot Creek band, seventy in all, sixteen braves, of whom the principal ones were, Shacknasty Jim, Hooka Jim, Bogus Charley, Bill Shacknasty, Steamboat Frank.
159
HISTORY OF SISKIYOU COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Curley-Headed Doctor, Curley-Headed Jack, Watch- in-tate, William, and Little John. They were cold, hungry, and nearly naked, having fought until it was impossible to hold out longer.
They said that Jack, with twenty men, had gone towards the Pit river and Goose lake country, and Major Green, with two detachments, commanded by Captain Jackson and Captain Hasbrouck, was sent by two routes to the country east of the lava beds. Headquarters were moved to the peninsula on the east side of Tule lake, known as Boyles camp, and the captured Indians were also taken thither.
And now comes an example of the beauty of the Indian, and especially of the Modoc, character. Bogus Charley, Hooka Jim, Shacknasty Jim and Steamboat Frank, agreed to assist in the capture of their late companions if they were guaranteed immunity from punishment. Hooka Jim and Bogus Charley were the two worst Indians in the tribe, the former being the leader in the Lost river murders, as well as assisting in the massacre of the peace com- missioners, who were so treacherously led to their death by Bogus. These Indians, with General Davis and John A. Fairchilds, reached Green's camp, seventy-five miles east of the old headquarters, May 26th, and the next day the Modocs were sent out upon a scout. They returned the day after with the information that Jack and his band were on Willow creek, twenty miles to the eastward.
The commands of Captain Jackson and Captain Hasbrouck were sent out after them. With the former were Fairchilds, McKay, twenty-eight Warm Springs and two of the renegade Modocs. With Hasbrouck were twenty Warm Springs and the other two traitors. Arriving at the creek about two o'clock in the morning, the commands separated, Jackson going up the right bank, and Hasbrouck up the left. As Jackson arrived on the ground first, the Modocs succeeded in crossing the river and making their escape, the bluffs preventing pursuit by the cavalry. Jack's sister, Mary, and six squaws were captured here, and Boston Charley came in and surrendered.
In the morning the trail of the fugitives was found and followed by the Indians and troops for twenty-seven miles, the Modoes being overtaken at dusk on the bluffs at the head of Langell valley. The troops charged up the slope, when the Indians came out and said they wanted to surrender. Scarface Charley came into the lines, gave up his gun, and asked permission to go back for his family, Major Green granted this, telling him to have the others come in or he would charge them, and then went into camp for the night. Doctor Cabaniss and Boston accompanied Scarface, the Doctor soon returning with the report that the Indians were afraid to come through the lines in the dark, but would do so in the morning. When morning came, however, only Scarface, Boston; Schonchin, and eight others, with their families, were there. Cap- tain Jack and the others having departed for other scenes. His lease of liberty was short, having fled directly towards a detachment under Captain Perry, that had been sent out to ent off retreat to the south. With Perry were Warm Spring George and four others of MeKay's scouts, who captured a Modoc scout about three miles from where Jack had
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.