USA > Montana > Then and now; or, Thirty-six years in the Rockies. Personal reminiscences of some of the first pioneers of the state of Montana. Indians and Indian wars. The past and present of the Rocky mountain country. 1864-1900 > Part 23
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"On leaving the Missouri river for the march north, the command was organized to move with pack trains, leaving the wagons with a strong escort to follow as best they could. Every precaution was taken to conceal the command as far as possible, and the march was made with all the celerity and secrecy practicable. Strict orders were given against firing a shot or in any way disturbing the vast numbers of buffalo, deer and elk which we encountered. In this way we moved from early dawn to dark for four days on the grassy plain and foothills which bordered the eastern slope of the Lit- tle Rockies, and on the 29th tidings regarding the trail to the left reached us. Captain Maus, commanding the scouts, had used his sleepless vigilance to good purpose and had gained the information desired without disclosing his presence or that of the command.
"Here occurred an excellent illustration of the loyalty of the true soldier. Captain Maus and his small band, while en- gaged in their scouting duties, suddenly came upon a huge bear sometimes called the 'grizzly,' but in that region more properly the 'silver tip,' who, evidently conscious of its strength and power, rose upon its hind feet in an attitude of defiance. Captain Mans, with the instincts of a thorough sportsman, quickly brought his rifle to his shoulder and ran his eye along the sight. Just then he remembered the rigid orders against firing and as quickly brought it down to his side, the spirit of
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the soldier overcoming the strong temptation of the hunter. His small detachment then passed on in search of larger game.
"That night I received dispatches from General Howard stating that he had turned his cavalry back to Idaho and was going to move his infantry down the Missouri river, leaving the battalion of Colonel Sturgis, six troops of the Seventh cav- alry, on the Missouri river. This made it clear that whatever encounters we might have with the Nez Perces we were entirely beyond support.
"At daylight on the morning of the 30th the command had its light breakfast and was in the saddle pushing on again in search of the enemy, everyone realizing the probability that a conflict would soon occur.
"Our Cheyenne and Sioux Indian scouts had now assumed a more serious attitude. They were well in front of the com- mand, and began to show more earnestness and activity than they had heretofore. Suddenly one of these advance scouts, a young warrior, was seen bounding at full speed back over the prairie. He said something in Sioux or Cheyenne to the other Indians as he passed them, and it was evident that he brought in- formation of the discovery of the Nez Perces camp. Then an almost instantaneous transformation scene was enacted by these savages. Hats, coats, leggings, shirts, blankets, saddles and bridles were quickly thrown into one great heap in a ravine, or 'cache,' as the Indians call it.
"A lariat was placed over the neck of each war pony, and a double knot around his under jaw. The warrior painted for the fray was bedecked with the usual gorgeous long and high headdress of eagle feathers, and wore a buckskin cover- ing about the loins, which was his only clothing except a pair of buckskin moccasins. Springing upon their war ponies, with rifle in hand, they looked like game champions prepared for
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the fray, or the ideal picturesque warrior arrayed for the fight. They appeared to be perfectly wild with delight, as un- like what they had seemed twenty minutes before as two scenes of a drama.
"A similar spirit was manifested among the entire body of troops. 'The Nez Perces over the divide' was the word that was passed quickly in low tones from mouth to mouth along the entire column. The command immediately took a trot, with an occasional canter, where the ground would admit of it, over the rolling prairie and the grass-covered valleys. Rounding the northeast base of the Bear Paw mountains, the distance that was supposed to be a few miles proved to be eight, and the disposition of the troops was made while they were at a trot or rapid walk, and the pace quickened to a gallop and charge as they neared the camp.
"Orders were sent by Lieutenant Baird, of my staff, to Cap- tain Tyler's command (the Second cavalry) to sweep around to the left and then down the valley and cut off, if possible, the herd of horses from the camp, in order, to use the familiar phrase, to 'set the Indians afoot,' the Seventh cavalry was thrown in line of battle while moving at a gallop, the com- manding officer, Captain Hale, riding in advance. He pre- sented the ideal picture of the cavalier, splendidly mounted on a spirited gray horse, and he wore a jaunty hat with a light gray cavalry short coat, while his whole uniform and equip- ment were in perfect order. Inspiring his followers to cour- age by his own example and splendid heroism, with a smile upon his handsome face he dashed forward to the cruel death awaiting him. The battalion of the Fifth infantry, under Captain Snyder, was deployed in the same manner a little in the rear of the Seventh cavalry at first, and finally extending the line to the left, charging directly upon the camp, while the battalion of the Second cavalry was sweeping the valley
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of the vast herd of 800 horses, mules and ponies there graz- ing. This gallop forward preceding the charge was one of the most brilliant and inspiring sights I ever witnessed on any field. It was the crowning glory of our twelve days' forced marching.
"The Nez Perces were quietly slumbering in their tents evidently without a thought of danger, as they had sent out" scouts the day before to see if there were any troops in the vicinity, and the scouts had reported 'none discovered,' but that they had seen vast herds of buffaloes, deer, elk and antelope quietly grazing on the prairie undisturbed, and no enemy in sight. When the charge was made the spirited horses of the Seventh cavalry carried that battalion a little more rapidly over the plains than the Indian ponies of the mounted in- fantry, and it was expected to first strike the enemy with the Seventh cavalry. The tramp of at least 600 horses over the prairie fairly shook the ground, and, although a complete sur- prise to the Indians in the main, it must have given them a few minutes' notice, for as the troops charged against the vil- lage, the Indians opened a hot fire upon them. This momen- tarily checked the advance of the Seventh cavalry, which fell back, but only for a short distance, and was quickly rallied again and charged forward at a gallop, driving that portion of the camp of the Indians before them.
"At the same time the battalion of the Fifth Mounted in- fantry, under Captain Snyder, charged forward up the very edge of the valley in which the Indian camp was located, threw themselves upon the ground, holding the lariats of their ponies in their left hands, and opened a deadly fire with their long- range rifles upon the enemy with telling effect. The tactics were somewhat in the Indian fashion, but most effective, as they presented a small target when kneeling or lying upon the ground, and their ponies were so accustomed to the din and
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noise of an Indian camp, the buffalo chase, and the Indian habits generally, that they stood quietly behind their riders, many of them putting their heads down to nibble the green grass upon which they were standing. During the desperate fight the horses and ponies were, of course, exposed. The in- fantrymen had become so attached to their strong and hand- some ponies that when one was shot it was a real bereavement to his owner; and in more than one case it was noticed that tears filled the eyes of the soldier as his pony fell dead.
"Sergeant MeHugh had galloped forward with his Hotch- kiss breech-loading gun, keeping in line with the mounted in- fantry, and went into action throwing shells into the camp . with decided effect. The infantry swept around to the left to . inclose that portion of the camp and force the Indians into a deep ravine. The battalion of the Second cavalry had stam- peded nearly every animal in the valley and portions of that command were used immediately in circling the camp in order to inclose it entirely.
"As I passed completely around the Indians over the ground occupied by the mounted infantry and Second cavalry, to the line occupied by the Seventh cavalry, I was shocked to see the lifeless body of that accomplished officer and thorough gentle- man, Hale, lying upon the crest of a little knoll with his white charger dead beside him. A little further on was the body of the young and spirited Biddle. Captains Moylan and God- frey were badly wounded, and in fact a great part of the line encircling the camp was dotted with dead and wounded sol- diers and horses.
"The loss of the Nez Perces was even more severe. The fight had been sudden, rapid and most desperate on both sides.
"From what was at first a wide circle, the troops gradually closed their lines, forcing the Indians into a narrow ravine, and charging them on all sides until the grip of iron had been
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completed. In this way the losses on both sides had been se- rious, considering the number engaged. Captain Carter, in one charge, had 35 per cent of his men placed hors de combat, but I felt positive we had secured the beleaguered Indians in their camp beyond the possibility of escape. I did not, there- fore, order a general assault, as I knew it must result in the loss of many valuable lives and possibly might end in a mas- sacre. I, therefore, directed the men to hold their ground, and then from a high point watched the fight going on further down the valley.
"As the cavalry charged the camp a few of the warriors, including White Bird, ran out, secured their horses, and fled to the hills. As the battalion of the Second cavalry swept down the valley the Indian herd became somewhat separated. Cap- tain Tyler captured some 300 of the ponies; Lieutenant Ge- rome another large band, and Lieutenant McClernand, who had swept on still further, finally secured upwards of 300 more three or four miles down the valley. While driving them back, the small number of Indians who had escaped, under- took to rescue the animals and made several counter attacks, which were all snecessfully repelled by the judicious and brave action of McClernand and his men. The ponies were all finally gathered up in a secluded valley in rear of the command and proved to be 800 in number.
"That afternoon our train came up under the escort of Cap- tain Brotherton, and this escort, together with the Napoleon gun, was used in strengthening the line then encircling the Indian camp, making the escape of the Indians doubly diffi- cult. As a result of the desperate encounter, I found that the two officers before mentioned and twenty soldiers had been killed. My assistant, Adjutant General George W. Baird, while carrying orders and inspiring the command with his own bravery, was severely wounded, his right arm being broken
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and part of one ear shot away. Besides Captains Moylan and Godfrey, Lieutenant Romeyn was also injured while leading a charge, together with thirty-eight soldiers.
"The Indians ocenpied a crescent-shaped ravine, and it was apparent that their position could only be forced by a charge or a siege. The first could not be acomplished without too great sacrifice, while the latter, in my judgment, would be almost sure to result satisfactorily. My one concern then was whether the Sioux Indians, whom I knew to be encamped un- der Sitting Bull north of the Canadian boundary line, some fifty miles distant, and to whom the few Indians who had been able to escape from the village had fled, might not come to the assistance of the Nez Perces. During the last eight months numbers of disaffected Indians, who had been driven out of the valley of the Yellowstone and its tributaries had sought refuge on Canadian soil and joined the large camp of Sitting Bull, thus greatly increasing his force. I afterwards learned, however, that when the Nez Perces' messengers reached the camp of Sitting Bull, instead of coming to the assistance of the besieged, the whole camp, numbering between 1,000 and 2.000 Indians, who evidently had not forgotten their expe- rience during the autumn and winter, immediately moved forty miles further back into the interior of the Canadian ter- ritory. But as I did not know this fact until several weeks later, I was bound to make provision for this large body of Indians should they advance to the assistance of the Nez Perces.
"I, therefore, desired that the military authorities should have some intimation of my position, and to that end sent word to General Terry, commanding the department, who was then at Fort Benton, nearly 100 miles to the west, apprising him of our movements and success. I also sent orders to Gen- eral Sturgis to move up and join us without delay. He was
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then eighty miles to the south and separated from us by the Missouri river. I likewise informed General Howard of our position.
"As we were besieging this camp of Indians and holding their large herds of stock in the valley, with our large num- ber of wounded to be cared for, I did not relish the idea of be- ing besieged in our turn by the hostile Sioux, and, therefore, took every precaution possible to meet such an emergency. We had no interpreters who could talk Nez Perces well enough to be of any use; some of the scouts could speak Chinook and they called out to the Indians to surrender. Joseph came up under the flag of truce, and from him we learned that the principal chief, Looking Glass, and four other chiefs had been killed, besides a large number of others killed and wounded. Joseph was informed that they must surrender by bringing up their arms and laying them on the ground. They pre- tended to do so and brought up a few, which amounted to noth- ing, but hesitated greatly about surrendering the balance.
"While this was going on I directed Lieutenant Gerome to ascertain what they were doing in the village, supposing that he would go to the edge of the bluff and look down into the camp. But misunderstanding my instructions, he went down into the ravine, whereupon he was seized and held until he was exchanged for Chief Joseph.
"It continued to snow during the day, but the siege was pressed continuously and a sharp lookout kept for any force that might come to the assistance of the Nez Perces. On the morning of the third day the ground was well covered with snow, and the scouts reported a large body of black objects on the distant hills, moving in our direction. This occasioned much excitement among the troops, and every eye was turned to the north, whence it was feared that Sitting Bull's hostile Sioux and possibly the Assinaboines and Gros Ventres (both
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of whom were known to be to the north of us) might be mov- ing to the assistance of the Nez Perces.
"It had been reported that the moving column was a large body of Indians. Every officer's field-glass was turned in that direction, and as the long, dark column moved through the midst of light snow, slowly developing its strength as it made its way towards us over the distant hills and rolling prairie, I watched it with very great anxiety. Considering our condi- tion, the large herd of captured stock we were holding, and the hostile camp we were besieging, and the number of our wounded, such a formidable reinforcement would, of course, be a very serious matter and the thoughts ran quickly through my mind as to the best dispositions to make in order to hold what we had gained and repel any effort, no matter how strong, to rescue the besieged or overcome our small but very efficient force. We could use our artillery and quite a large portion of our troops against any additional enemy and still keep the fruits of victory already gained. The mysterious and apparently formidable force drew nearer, when some of the scouts on the extreme ontposts shouted 'buffaloes !' and it was a most gratifying cry. The relief occasioned by this an- nouncement was like that afforded to the marines by the ap- pearance of a beacon light or like sunlight bursting through the dark and angry clouds of a storm.
"The snow and cold caused great suffering to our wounded, although they were made as comfortable as possible, and while the siege continued detachments were sent some five miles dis- tant up into the Bear Paw mountains to get poles with which to make travois and stretchers, knowing that the wounded must soon be transported to the nearest hospital.
"On the evening of the 4th of October Howard came up with an escort of twelve men, remaining in our camp over night, and was present next morning at the surrender of Chief Jo-
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seph and the entire Indian camp. As Chief Joseph was about to hand his rifle to me, he raised his eyes to the sun, which then stood about 10 o'clock, and said: 'From where the sun now stands, I fight no more against the white man.' From that time to this he has kept his word. Those who surrendered with Chief Joseph and those taken outside the camp num- bered 400. There were killed twenty-six in all, and forty-six wounded. The work of securing the arms of the Indians, burying the dead, and preparing the wounded for their long journey occupied the entire day; but on the following morn- ing we commenced our slow and difficult march back to the Missouri river."
Immediately after the surrender of Chief Joseph, a runner was sent to Fort Benton with a message to be forwarded to the war department, and General Terry, on his return from North- west Territory, who was at Fort Benton at the time, received the following dispatch :
"Chicago, October 11, 1877. "To General A. H. Terry, Fort Benton, M. T .:
"The honorable secretary of war expresses to me his con- gratulations to General Miles and yourself, upon the important success achieved by the capture of Joseph's band of Nez Per- ces on October 5th. The general of the army also desires me to offer his congratulations to General Miles and his com- mand, and to assure them that the capture of Joseph's band is exceedingly important especially on account of the influence on other Indians in Oregon who have been watching the result of Joseph's movements with intense interest. To these well-mer- ited commendations I again offer my own to General Miles and the officers and men who have brought about this exceedingly desirable result.
"(Signed.)
P. H. SHERIDAN, "Lieutenant General."
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NELSON A MILES, LIEUTENANT GENERAL COMMANDING U. S. A.
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Copyrighted by R.B. Scott.
(Photograph taken in 1898.)
CHIEF JOSEPH.
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This was the last Indian battle fought in Montana; and the "straw" which broke the Indians' back was when Miles captured Chief Joseph. This brave soldier, who is now the commanding general of the United States army, is still on the . trail of the enemy, for it was but yesterday, July 25, 1898, that, after a skirmish with the Spanish troops, General Miles successfully landed the American expedition on the island of Porto Rico. Those who surrendered with Chief Joseph num- bered 413 by actual connt; about 100 escaped into Canada, Chief White Bird among the number. The killed numbered twenty-six and forty-six wounded. Among the killed were Chief Looking Glass and Joseph's brother. Miles had forty- three wounded and twenty-two killed, who are now peacefully sleeping safe from battles, pain or sorrow, in a little dell over- looked by cliffs and ancient mountain pines.
Although those mothers' sons never had a monument to mark their beds of clay, nevertheless the high peaks of the Bear Paws, touching the sky, can be seen, from hundreds of miles on all sides and are pointed out by the passer-by, saying: "There's where lie twenty-two of American patriots."
Most of the Indians were taken to the Indian Territory, but Joseph was taken to Washington, D. C., to give an account of his wicked ways.
Howard followed Joseph for two months and a distance of nearly two thousand miles. It cost the regular army one hun- dred and seventy-nine lives, and the Northwest half that many of its citizens.
When writing the above article I wrote to General Miles ask- ing him for permission to quote his letter, or if he would kindly write me another one on the same subject. In reply, he sent me the following :
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"Headquarters of the Army, "Washington, Jan. 26, 1899.
"Mr. Robert Vaughn, Great Falls, Montana:
"Dear Sir: I have your letter of the 9th instant. So far as I know, you are at liberty to copy the letter referred to in your letter, but I do not at present recall it and would like to know what it is, if convenient for you to give me the informa- tion.
Very truly yours, "NELSON A. MILES, "Major General Commanding."
After finishing the Nez Perces campaign letter, I sent to General Miles a copy of it, and in reply received the follow- ing communication from Lieutenant Colonel Mans :
"Headquarters of the Army, "Washington, March 4, 1899. "Mr. Robert Vaughn, Great Falls, Montana :
"My Dear Sir: Some time ago you kindly sent to General Miles an excellent article on the Nez Perces campaign, in which you quote from General Miles' book. The article is certainly very good. The general has been too much occupied to write anything further at this time, but it is believed his book stated very clearly the main facts regarding this can- paign. He says that he does not see any reason why you should not quote from his book, if you so wish.
"I am sure you are right about the service that was done by the Montana people. A number of scouts from Montana were under my charge, as I had command of both the white and Cheyenne Indian scouts in the location of the Indians after they crossed the river. By the aid of these scouts word was sent to General Miles regarding Chief Joseph's band, as well as the direction in which they were going, etc., and in time to be
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of assistance to him in locating their camp, where we joined him about the commencement of the fight.
"The men of those days were a brave and hardy race, inured to all kinds of hardships, excellent shots, and made a class of fighters of which we have no equal for the kind of warfare in which they were engaged. As civilization advances this tpye is fast disappearing.
"I should think it would be very interesting for you to write the history of those times, in which your state is espe- cially interested.
"With the kindest regards and the thanks of the general for your kind wishes, believe me,
"Very truly yours, "MARION P. MAUS, "Lieutenant Colonel, Inspector General."
At the time, Joseph was looked upon as a great general, and, no doubt, if it had not been for the Benton parties and other citizens aiding Miles to locate the Indians, Joseph would have carried out his plan and escaped into Canada.
ROBERT VAUGHN.
Great Falls, Montana, July 26, 1899.
AN ENGLISH TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN SCOUT.
The Western pioneer will appreciate the following tribute to the American scout by that gallant English soldier, General Baden-Powell, the hero of Mafeking, at one time, the chief scout and "rough rider" in the British army :
GENERAL BADEN-POWELL
Scouting as a fine art had its origin in America, when the pioneer settled first upon the shores of the new country which stretched away, away, to the westward, how far they knew not. What wonders, what dangers, what secrets were held by that unknown country by the forest primeval they likewise knew not.
They were surrounded by hostile savages, who came and went like shadows, who found their way as straight as the flight of a carrier pigeon through countless miles of trackless forest ; who appeared and disappeared as quickly and completely as the elfs of the fabled fairy-lands. But the instinct of self-preserva- tion sharpened their wits; no man sleeps soundly when danger threatens.
They learned first the secrets by which the Indian made his way from place to place, and tracked his foe for vengeance or his game for sustenance.
They quickly discovered how by training and vigilance the eye became quick, the ear alert, and the touch sensitive.
A crushed blade of grass or a weed, a broken twig, a bent bough, all these things were to the Indian as they are to Sherlock Holmes, sufficient to construct a theory as to the character and numbers of those he pursued.
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ROBERT S. S. BADEN-POWELL, MAJOR GENERAL ENGLISH ARMY.
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From him the white man quickly learned his lore, but he could add to it something which instantly made him the superior of the red man, and that was, a higher order of intelligence and reason, and that conquered the aborigine and drove him farther and still farther from the lands of his fathers.
As time passed, some striking figures emerged from the peo- ple, as all history demonstrates men have done in all ages.
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