USA > Idaho > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 15
USA > Montana > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 15
USA > Washington > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 15
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21 There were 22 block-houses or stockades erected by the settlers during the war, as follows: at Davis', Skookum Chuck, Henness, near Mound prairie, on Tenalcut prairie, at Nathan Eaton's, two on Chambers' prairie, one at Bush's, Goodell's, Ruddell's, Rutledge's, two at Tumwater, one at Dofile- meyer's, one on Whidbey Isl., one at Port Gamble, one on the Cowlitz (Fort Arkansas), one on Mime prairie, one at Port Ludlow, one at Meigs' Mill, two at the Cascades, one at Boisford prairie. Rept of W. W. De Lacy, capt. cng. W. T. V., in Wash. Mess. Gov., 1857, 55. Others were subsequently erected by the volunteers and troops, to the number of 35 by the former and 4 by the latter, or 62 in all. One at Cowlitz landing, French settlement near Cowlitz farm, Chehalis River, below the Skookum Chuck, Tenalcut plain (Fort Miller), Yelm prairie (Fort Stevens), Lowe's, on Chambers' prairie, two at Olympia, one at Packwood's ferry (Fort Raglan), two at Mont- gomery's crossing of the Puyallup (Fort White), two at Connell's prairie, two at crossing of White River, South prairie (Fort McAllister), on the Dwamish (Fort Lander), Lone Tree point, on the Snohomish (Fort Ebey), on the Suoqualimich below the falls (Fort Tilton), on the Snoqualimich above the falls (Fort Alden), Port Townsend, Wilson's Point, Bellingham Bay, Skooknm Chuck, Vancouver, Fourth prairie (near Vancouver), Washou- gal, Lewis River, Walla Walla (Fort Mason), Michel's fork of Nisqually (Fort Preston), Klikitet prairie, near Cowlitz. The regular companies built Fort Slaughter, on Muckleshoot prairie; Fort Maloney, ou Puyallup river; Fort Thomas, on Green river; and a block-house on Black River. Id.
122
INDIAN WARS.
qually the Hudson's Bay Company's steamer Otter, an armed vessel, to remain for a time, and by her also fifty stand of arms and a large supply of ammunition to General Tilton, in compliance with a request for- warded by Acting-governor Mason, November 1st.
The volunteer forces called out or accepted having all reported for service, Captain Maloney arranged a campaign which was to force the friendly Indians upon their reserves, and to make known the lurking-places of their hostile brethren. Lieutenant Slaughter was directed to proceed with his company to White and Green rivers; Captain Hewitt, who was at Seattle with his volunteers, was ordered to march up White and Green rivers and place himself in communication with Slaughter; while Captain Wallace occupied the Puyallup Valley within communicable distance, and Captain Hays took up a position on the Nisqually River, at Muck prairie, and awaited further orders. Lieutenant Harrison, of the revenue-cutter Jefferson Davis, accompanied the expedition as first lieutenant to Slaughter's command. Upon the march, which be- gan on the 24th of November, Slaughter was attacked at night at Bidding's prairie, one mile from the Puy- allup, and sustained a loss of forty horses during a heavy fog which concealed the movements of the Ind- ians. On the morning of the 26th E. G. Price of Wal- lace's company, while attending to camp duty, was shot and killed by a lurking foe. The chiefs who commanded in the attack on the night of the 25th were Kitsap and Kanascut of the Klikitats, Quiemuth and Klow- owit of the Nisquallies, and Nelson of the Green River and Niscope Indians. During two nights that the troops were encamped on this prairie the Indians continually harassed them by their yells, and by crawling up out of the woods which surrounded the little plain, and under cover of the fog coming close enough to fire into camp in spite of the sentries, who discharged their pieces into the surrounding gloom without effect. Being reenforced on the 26th with
123
DEATH OF LIEUTENANT SLAUGHTER.
twenty-five men of the 4th artillery, just arrived at Fort Steilacoom, Slaughter divided his force, Wal- lace's company encamping at Morrison's place, on the Stuck, where they remained making sorties in the neighborhood, while the main command were occupied in other parts of the valley, no engagement taking place, as the Indians kept out of way in the day-time, which the heavy forest of the Puyallup bottoms ren- dered it easy to do.
Thus passed another week of extremely disagreeable service, the weather being both cold and rainy. On the 3d of December Lieutenant Slaughter, with sixty men of his own command and five of Wallace's, left Morrison's for White River, to communicate with Captain Hewitt, and encamped at the forks of White and Green rivers, on Brannan's prairie, taking posses- sion of a small log house left standing, and sending word to Hewitt, who was encamped two or three miles below, to meet him there. While a conference was being held, about seven o'clock in the evening of the 4th, the troops permitting themselves a fire beside the door to dry their sodden clothing, the Indians, guided by the light, sent a bullet straight to the heart of Slaughter, sitting inside the doorway, who died without uttering a word. They then kept up a con- tinuous firing for three hours, killing two non-com- missioned officers, and wounding six others, one mor- tally.22 Nothing that had occurred during the war cast a greater gloom over the community than the death of the gallant Slaughter.
Captain E. D. Keyes, whom Wool had left in com- mand at Fort Steilacoom, now notified Mason that it was found necessary to withdraw the troops from the field, as the pack-horses were worn down, and many of the men sick. This announcement put an end for the
22 The officers killed were Corporal Barry, 4th inf., Cor. Clarendon of Wallace's co .; mortally wounded, an artilleryman of Keyes' co .; and severely wounded, privates Beck, Nolan, McMahon, and Grace. Olympia Pioneer and Dem., Dec. 14, 1855. Slaughter's remains were taken down White River to Seattle, and sent to Steilacoom, where was his family.
124
INDIAN WARS.
time to active operations against the Indians, and the troops went into garrison at such points as promised to afford the best protection to the settlers, while the volunteers remained at places where they might assist, waiting for the next turn in affairs.
The snow being now deep in the mountain passes, communication with the Indians east of the Cascades was believed to be cut off; and as the Indians west of the mountains had ceased to attack, there seemed nothing to do but to wait patiently until spring, when General Wool had promised to put troops enough into the field to bring the war to a speedy termination. Thus matters moved along until the companies mus- tered into the service of the United States on the Sound were disbanded, their three months' time hav- ing expired.
For several weeks the citizens of Seattle had been uneasy, from the belief that the friendly Indians gath- ered near that place were being tampered with by Leschi. About the 1st of January, 1856, it was dis- covered that he was actually present at the reserve, making boasts of capturing the agent; and as the authorities very much desired to secure his arrest, Keyes secured the loan of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's steamer Beaver, and sent Maloney and his com- pany to seize and bring him to Fort Steilacoom. But as the Beaver approached the shore to effect a landing, Leschi drew up his forces in battle array to meet the troops, who could only land in squads of three or four from a small boat. Finding that it would not be safe to expose his men in such a manner, and having no cannon to disperse the Indians, Maloney was com- pelled to return to Steilacoom without accomplishing the object of the expedition.
Keyes then determined to make another effort for the capture of Leschi, and embarking for Seattle in the surveying steamer Active, James Alden command- ing, endeavored to borrow the howitzer and launch of the Decatur, which was refused by the new commander,
125
GANSEVOORT'S CAMPAIGN.
Gansevoort, upon the ground that they were essential to the protection of the town, and must not go out of the bay. Keyes then returned up the Sound to pro- cure a howitzer from the fort, when Leschi, divining that his capture had been determined upon, withdrew himself to the shades of the Puyallup, where shells could not reach him.
Captain Gansevoort took command of the Decatur on the 10th of December, 1855, three days after she had received an injury by striking on a reef, then un- known, near Bainbridge Island, and it became neces- sary to remove her battery on shore while repairing her keel, a labor which occupied nearly three weeks, or until January 19th, when her guns were replaced. Very soon after a young Dwamish, called Jim, noti- fied Gansevoort that Indians from the east side of the mountains, under Owhi, had united with those on the west side under Coquilton, with the design of dividing their forces into two columns, and making a simulta- neous attack on Steilacoom and Seattle, after destroy- ing which they expected to make easy work of the other settlements.
The plan might have succeeded as first conceived, Hewitt's company being disbanded about this time, and the Decatur being drawn up on the beach; but some Indian scout having carried information of the condition of the man-of-war to the chiefs, it was de- cided that the capture of the ship, which was supposed to be full of powder, would be the quickest means of destroying the white race, and into this scheme the so-called friendly Indians had entered with readiness.
Gansevoort, feeling confident that he could rely upon Jim's statement, prepared to meet the impend- ing blow. The whole force of the Decatur was less than 150 men and officers. Of these a small company was left on board the ship, while 96 men, eighteen mariners, and five officers did guard duty on shore.
Seattle at this time occupied a small peninsula
126
INDIAN WARS.
formed by the bay in front, and a wide and deep swamp at the foot of the heavily wooded hills behind. The connection of the peninsula with the country back was by a narrow neck of land at the north end of the town, and the Indian trail to lakes Washington and Union came in almost directly opposite Yesler's mill and wharf, where a low piece of ground had been filled in with sawdust. The only other avenue from the back country was by a narrow sand-spit on the south side of the Marsh, which was separated from the town only by a small stream. Thus the longer line of defence was actually afforded by the swamp, and the points requiring a guard were those in front of the sand-spit and the lake trail; and it was thus that Gansevoort disposed of his force, three divisions being placed to guard the southern entrance, which was most exposed, and one directly across the northern trail.
For two nights guard had been maintained, when on the 24th the Active reappeared at Seattle, having on board Captain Keyes, Special Agent Simmons, and Governor Stevens, just arrived from east of the moun- tains after his escape from the hostile combination in that country. It does not appear in the narratives whether or not they had a howitzer on board. Leschi, at all events, had already left the reservation. Next day the Active proceeded down the Sound to visit the other reservations, and learn the condition and temper of the Indians under the care of agents, and Captain Gansevoort continued his system of guard-posting.
On the beach above Yesler's mill, and not far from where the third division, under Lieutenant Phelps, was stationed, was the camp of a chief of the Dwa- mish tribe, known to the white settlers as Curley, though his proper name was Suequardle, who pro- fessed the utmost friendship for his civilized neigh- bors, and was usually regarded as honest in his pro- fessions, the officers of the Decatur reposing much confidence in him. On the afternoon of the 25th
SEATTLE IN DANGER.
127
REFERENCE.
a. North Block House.
b. Mrs. Holgate's House.
c. Yesler's Mill.
d. Yesler's House.
e. Madame Damnable.
f. Plummer's House.
g. Plummer's Hen House.
A. Howitzer.
{. South Block House.
k. Tom Pepper's House.
1. Esplanade House.
m. Yesler's Wharf.
2. Barricades.
I CURLEY'S CAMP
- 3RD-D
Lake Trail
NECK
LES.S. Decatur
2ND.DI
1$
DIV .
SANO SPIT
Bank Brontes
TECUMSEH'S CAMP
De
SCALE
80
100
240
320
440
Kof a Mile
ATTACK ON SEATTLE.
Hills and Woods thronged with Indians
128
INDIAN WARS.
another chief from the lake district east of Seattle, called Tecumseh, came into town with all his people, claiming protection against the hostile Indians, who, he said, threatened him with destruction should he not join them in the war upon the settlers. He was kindly received, and assigned an encampment at the south end of town, not far from where the first, sec- ond, and fourth divisions were stationed, under lieu- tenants Drake, Hughes, and Morris, respectively.
At five o'clock in the afternoon the Decatur crew repaired to their stations, and about eight o'clock Phelps observed, sauntering past, two unknown Ind- ians, of whom he demanded their names and purpose, to which they carelessly answered that they were Lake Indians, and had been visiting at Curley's encamp- inent. They were ordered to keep within their own lines after dark, and dismissed. But Phelps, not being satisfied with their appearance, had his suspicions still further aroused by the sound of owl-hootings in three different directions, which had the regularity of sig- nals, and which he decided to be such. This impres- sion he reported to headquarters at Yesler's house, and Curley was despatched to reconnoitre. At ten o'clock he brought the assurance that there were no Indians in the neighborhood, and no attack need be apprehended during that night.
Two hours after this report was given, a conference was held at Curley's lodge, between Leschi, Owhi, Tecumseh, and Yark-Keman, or Jim, in which the plan was arranged for an immediate attack on the town, the 'friendly' Indians to prevent the escape of the people to the ships in the bay,23 while the warriors, assembled to the number of more than a thousand in the woods which covered the hills back of town, made the assault. By this method they expected to be able to destroy every creature on shore between two o'clock and daybreak, after which they could attack the vessels.
23 The bark Brontes was lying opposite the south end of the town.
129
JIM SAVES THE TOWN.
Fortunately for the inhabitants of Seattle and the Decatur's crew, Jim was present at this council as a spy, and not as a conspirator. He saw that he needed time to put Gansevoort on his guard, and while pre- tending to assent to the general plan, convinced the other chiefs that a better time for attack would be when the Decatur's men, instead of being on guard, had retired to rest after a night's watch. Their plans being at length definitely settled, Jim found an oppor- tunity to convey a warning to the officers of the De- catur. The time fixed upon for the attack was ten o'clock, when the families, who slept at the block- house, had returned to their own houses and were de- fenceless, "with the gun standing behind the door," 24 as the conspirators, who had studied the habits of the pioneers, said to each other.
During the hours between the conference at Cur- ley's lodge and daylight, the Indians had crept up to the very borders of the town, and grouped their ad- vance in squads concealed near each house. At 7 o'clock the Decatur's men returned to the ship to breakfast and rest. At the same time it was observed by Phelps that the non-combatants of Curley's camp were hurrying into canoes, taking with them their property. On being interrogated as to the cause of their flight, the mother of Jim, apparently in a great fright, answered in a shrill scream, "Hiu Klikitat copa Tom Pepper's house! hi-hi-hiu Klikitat!"-that is to say, "There are hosts of Klikitats at Tom Pep- per's house," which was situated just at the foot of the hills where the sand-spit joined the mainland, and which was within range of Morris' howitzer.
Instead of being allowed to breakfast, the men were immediately sent ashore again, and given leave to get what rest they could in the loft of Yesler's mess-house, where refreshments were sent to them, while Captain Gansevoort ordered a shell dropped into Tom Pepper's
24 Hanford's Ind. War, MS., 9-16; Yesler's Wash. Ter., MS., 9-11; Phelps' Rem. Seattle, 6-14.
HIST. WASH .- 9
130
INDIAN WARS.
house, to make the Indians show themselves if there. The effect was all that could have been anticipated. The boom of the gun had not died away when the blood-curdling war-whoop burst from a thousand stentorian throats, accompanied by a crash of mus- ketry from the entire Indian line. Instantly the four divisions dashed to their stations, and the battle was begun by Phelps' division charging up the hill east of Yesler's mill, while those at the south end of town were carrying on a long-range duel across the creek or slough in that quarter. Those of the citizens who were prepared also took part in the defence of the place. Astonished by the readiness of the white men and the energy of the charge, the Indians were driven to the brow of the hill, and the men had time to re- treat to their station before the enemy recovered from their surprise.
Had not the howitzer been fired just when it was, in another moment the attack would have been made without warning, and all the families nearest the ap- proaches butchered before their defenders could have reached them; but the gun provoking the savage war- cry betrayed their close proximity to the homes of the citizens, who, terrified by the sudden and frightful clamor, fled wildly to the block-house, whence they could see the flames of burning buildings on the outskirts. A lad named Milton Holgate, brother of the first settler of King county, was shot while stand- ing at the door of the block-house early in the action, and Christian White at a later hour in another part of the town. Above the other noises of the battle could be heard the cries of the Indian women, urging on the warriors to greater efforts; but although they continued to yell and to fire with great persistency, the range was too long from the points to which the Decatur's guns soon drove them to permit of their doing any execution; or if a few came near enough to hit one of the Decatur's men, they were much more likely to be hit by the white marksmen.
131
ASSAULT REPULSED.
About noon there was a lull, while the Indians rested and feasted on the beef of the settlers. Dur- ing this interval the women and children were taken on board the vessels in the harbor, after which an at- tempt was made to gather from the suddenly deserted dwellings the most valuable of the property contained in them before the Indians should have the opportu- nity, under the cover of night, of robbing and burning them. This attempt was resisted by the Indians, the board houses being pierced by numerous bullets while visited for this purpose; and the attack upon the town was renewed, with an attempt on the part of Coquilton to bear down upon the third division in such numbers as to annihilate it, and having done this, to get in the rear of the others. At a precon- certed signal the charge was made, the savages plung- ing through the bushes until within a few paces be- fore they fired, the volley delivered by them doing no harm, while the little company of fourteen marines met them so steadily that they turned to shelter themselves behind logs and trees, in their character- istic mode of fighting. Had they not flinched from the muzzles of those fourteen guns-had they thrown themselves on those few men with ardor, they would have blotted them out of existence in five minutes by sheer weight of numbers. But such was not to be, and Seattle was saved by the recoil.
As if to make up for having lost their opportunity, the Indians showered bullets upon or over the heads of the man-of-war's men, to whose assistance during the afternoon came four young men from Meigs' mill, the ship's surgeon, Taylor, and two others, adding a third to this command, besides which a twelve-pounder field-gun was brought into position on the ground, a discharge from which dislodged the most troublesome of the enemy in that quarter.
In the midst of the afternoon's work, Curley, who had been disappointed so far of his opportunity to make himself a place in history, and becoming excited
132
INDIAN WARS.
by the din of battle, suddenly appeared upon the scene, arrayed in fighting costume, painted, armed with a musket and a bow in either hand, which he held ex- tended, and yelling like a demon, pranced oddly about on the sawdust, more ludicrous than fear-inspiring, until, having exhausted some of his bravado, he as suddenly disappeared, thus giving testimony that his friendship for the white race was no greater than his courage.
This defiance of his quondam friends came from anticipating an occasion to distinguish himself at a later hour of the day. Toward evening the assailing Indians were discovered placing bundles of inflam- mable materials under and about the deserted houses, preparatory to a grand conflagration in the evening, by the light of which the Indians on the reservation and those in the two camps on the beach at Seattle were to assist in attacking and destroying the block- house with its inmates. This information, being gathered by scouts, was brought to Gansevoort in time, who resorted to shelling the town as a means of dis- persing the incendiaries, which proved successful, and by ten o'clock at night firing had ceased on both sides.
Shells had much more influence with the savages than cannon-balls; for they could understand how so large a ball might fell a tree in their midst, but they could not comprehend how a ball which had alighted on the ground, and lain still until their curiosity prompted an examination, should 'shoot again' of it- self with such destructive force.25 What they could not understand must be supernatural, hence the evil spirits which they had invoked against the white people had turned against themselves, and it was use- less to resist them. In short, they felt the heavy hand of fate against them, and bowed submissive to its decree. When the morning of the 27th dawned
25 No report of the number of Indians killed ever appeared, nor could it be known. It is probable, however, that many were killed and carried off by their friends. Numerous guesses have been mado, varying from 10 to 50.
133
FORTIFICATIONS AT SEATTLE.
the hostile force had disappeared, taking what cattle they could find; "the sole results," says Phelps, whom I have chiefly followed in the narration of the attack on Seattle, "of an expedition which it had taken months to perfect, and looking to the utter annihi- lation of the white settlers in that section of the country." I have it from the same authority that news of the attack was received at Bellingham Bay, a hundred miles distant, in seven hours from its com- mencement, showing the interest taken in the matter by the tribes all along the Sound. Their combination was to depend upon the success of the movement by Leschi and Owhi, and it failed; therefore they con- cealed their complicity in it, and remained neutral.
Leschi, however, affected not to be depressed by the reverse he had sustained, but sent a boastful message to Captain Gansevoort that in another month, when he should have replenished his commissary depart- ment, he would return and destroy Seattle. This seeming not at all improbable, it was decided to erect fortifications sufficiently ample to prevent any sudden attack; whereupon H. L. Yesler contributed a cargo of sawed lumber with which to erect barricades be- tween the town and the wooded hills back of it. This work was commenced on the 1st of February, and soon completed. It consisted of two wooden walls five feet in height and a foot and a half apart, filled with earth and sawdust solidly packed to make it bullet-proof.26 A second block-house was also erected on the summit of a ridge which commanded a view of the town and vicinity, and which was armed with a rusty cannon taken formerly from some ship, and a six-pounder field-piece taken from the Active, which returned to Seattle on hearing of the attack. An esplanade was constructed at the south end of the town, in order to enable the guns stationed there to sweep the shore and prevent approach by the enemy from the water-front; clearing and road-building being carried
26 Yesler's Wash. Ter., MS., 9.
134
INDIAN WARS.
on to make the place defensible, which greatly im- proved its appearance as a town.
On the 24th of February, 1856, the United States steamer Massachusetts arrived in the Sound, com- mander Samuel Swartwout assuming the direction of naval matters, and releasing the Active from de- fensive service at Seattle, where for three weeks her crew under Johnson had assisted in guarding the barricades. About a month later another United States steamer, the John Hancock, David McDougall commander, entered the Sound, making the third man-of-war in these waters during the spring of 1856. The Decatur remained until June. In the mean time Patkanim had stipulated with the territorial author- ities to aid them in the prosecution of the war against the hostile tribes. For every chief killed, whose head he could show in proof, he was to be paid eighty dollars, and for every warrior, twenty. The heads were delivered on board the Decatur, whence they were forwarded to Olympia, where a record was kept.27
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