USA > Washington > Walla Walla County > An illustrated history of Walla Walla County, state of Washington > Part 12
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"I therefore prefer charges against General Wool. I accuse him of utter and signal in- capacity, of criminal neglect of my safety. I ask for an investigation into the matter, and for his removal from command."
And now that we have allowed the gov- ernor to tell his own story of the final struggle in the Walla Walla, every reader asks, "And how did it come out ?" Gilbert pronounces that the Indians got all they wanted, and that so, the great Walla Walla war of '55 and '56 must go down in history as an Indian victory. After Stevens had reached The Dalles, Wright went back again for a short time to Walla Walla, with a force increased by one company. But having reached the scene of the council and the farewell fight, he held an amicable meeting with the hostile chiefs and assured them that "The bloody cloth shall be washed, past dif- fcrences thrown behind us, and perpetual peace must exist between us." He even went so far as to recommend that the Walla Walla treaties should never be confirmed. Steptoe, by Wool's orders, issued a proclamation that no whites
should return to Walla Walla, except Hud- son's Bay People and missionaries. Wool, in general orders of October 19th, expresses the hope that Wright, "warned by what has oc- curred, will be on his guard against the whites, and prevent further trouble by keeping the whites out of the Indian country." But Step- toe had got his eyes partly open by the events of the season, and a little later he ventured to suggest that a good, industrious colony be permitted to settle in the Walla Walla valley. Wool promptly stepped on the suggestion by de- ciaring that "The Cascade range formed, if not an impassable barrier, an excellent line of do- fence, a most excellent line of separation be- tween two races always at war when in contact. To permit settlers to pass The Dalles and occu- py the natural reserve is to give up this advan- tage, throw down the wall, and advance the frontier hundreds of miles to the east, and add to the protective labor of the army."
Governor Stevens did not mince matters in summarizing this war and its results. His let- ters, both to Wool directly and to the War Department, might, without putting too fine a point on it, be styled "vitriolic." To the frontiersmen of the country it seemed shameful surrender. After the bitter struggle of those frigid winters, after all the tedious traversing of dusty plains and snowy and precipitous mountains, after the lives lost and the many wounds received, and especially after the bril- liant and well-deserved victories won, then to have the regulars step in and rob them of all the fruits of victory by a practical capitulation to the hostiles-that was a pretty hard dose for Stevens and his constituents. We need not blame the governor for some rather strong talk.
Thus at the close of 1856 the Walla Walla valley was, by military order, remanded to bar-
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barism. In 1857 the present Fort Walla Walla was established, and a force in charge of Lieu- tenant-Colonel Steptoe lay inactive at the fort.
One thing interesting to note in connection with mustering out of the volunteers is that the horses which they had captured on the Grande Ronde were sold at such a good price as to pay the entire cost of the expedition. Sales were for scrip issued by the territory. which depreciated but little. The total amount of script issued was $1.481,475.45. The gen- eral testimony of witnesses of those times is that there was a remarkably high morale on the part of all the volunteer forces, and that this was due very largely to the character. abil- ity, and magnetic influence of Washington's first governor, certainly the greatest man in the official history of those times. And so there was "quiet in the land by the space of a year." In 1858 the Yakimas became so troublesome that Wright began to conclude that they were not such desirable citizens after all. Major Garnett was accordingly sent into their country with a strong force, and he seized and executed a number of their chiefs and braves, killed seven hundred of their ponies, and secured quiet at last in the land of the sage-brush.
And now, though no battle was to be fought again on Walla Walla soil, it was the outfitting point for the most remarkable disaster in the history of the territory, one which, if it had not been for the ever faithful Nez Perces, would probably have anticipated the Custer massacre in completeness and horror. This was the
STEPTOE DEFEAT OF 1858.
Steptoe set ont in May. 1858. to go with two hundred cavalry to the Spokane country, though those powerful and independent Indians had warned the troops to keep out, alleging that
they were neutral and would not allow either Yakimas or whites in their country. Steptoe. or more strictly speaking his subordinates, com- mitted a most egregious and incomprehensible blunder in starting from Walla Walla. On account of the great weight of provisions and baggage, a brilliant quartermaster ( said to have been Lieutenant Fleming) conceived the idea of omitting the greater part of the ammuni- tion, by way of lightening the load. . As Joseph McEvoy expresses it, the force was beaten be- fore it left Walla Walla.
The expedition was made in May. The wild torrent of Snake river was running bank- full from the floods of summer as the com :- mand crossed. Timothy, a chief of the Nez Perces, with a few followers, was living then at the mouth of the Alpowa, and by his efficient aid the soldiers crossed the wicked looking stream in good order and good time, and con- tinned on their way, the brave old Nez Perce accompanying them.
On May 16th the force reached a point near four lakes, probably the group of which Medical Lake is one, though there seems to be a rather curious difference among the survivors as to where all this happened. But wherever it was, here the Indians gathered in strong force and evidently with hostile intentions. Steptoe, re- alizing the dangerous odds, decided to return. the chief Salteese assuring him that if he would retire they would not attack. It is said that one of the friendly Nez Perces struck Salteese. telling him that he was speaking "two tongues."
On the next day at nine o'clock as the sol- chers were descending a canyon to Pine creek, just about where Rosalia is now located. the attack was suddenly made. Throughout the forenoon the retreat and fight continued. The ghastly consequences of the blunder about the ammunition began to stare them in the face as
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man after man had to cease firing. Captain O. H. P. Taylor and Lieutenant William Gas- ton were in command of the rear guard, and with amazing courage and devotion they kept the line intact and foiled all efforts of the In- dians to rush through. They sent word to Steptoe to halt the line and give them a chance to load. But Steptoe deemed it safer to make no pause, and soon after those gallant heroes fell. A fierce fight raged for possession of their bodies. The Indians secured that of Gaston, but a small band of heroes fighting like demons got the body of the noble Taylor. One notable figure in this death grapple was De May, a Frenchman, who had been trained in the Crimea and in Algeria, and who made havoc among the savages with his gun barrel used as a sabre. But at last he, too, went down before numbers, crying, "Oh, my God, for a sabre."
At night fall they had reached a point said to be somewhere on the east flanks of Steptoe Lutte, though there is a difference of opinion as to the exact location. Here the disorganized and suffering force made camp, threw out a picket line for defense, and buried such dead as they had not been forced to leave. In order to divert the Indians they determined to bury their howitzers and leave the balance of their stores, hoping that if the Indians made an attack in the night they might succeed in stealing away. The Indians, however, feeling sure that they had the soldiers at their mercy, made no effort at a night attack. There was but one chance of salvation, and this was by means of a dif- ficult trail through a canyon, which the Indians supposed to be entirely unknown to the whites. But by the good favor of fortune or Providence the Nez Perce chief Timothy knew this pass. Without him that next day would doubtless have seen a grim and ghastly massacre. Dur-
ing the dark and cloudy night the soldiers mounted and in silence followed Timothy over the unwatched trail. Michael Kinney, well known in Walla Walla, was in charge of the rear guard, and is our chief authority for this narration.
The horrors of that night retreat were probably never surpassed in the history of In- dian warfare in this state. Several of the wounded were lashed to pack animals, and were thus led away on that dreadful ride. Their sufferings were intense, and two of them, MIc- Crossen and Williams, suffered so unendurably that they writhed themselves loose from their lashings and fell to the ground, begging their comrades to leave some weapon with which they might kill themselves. But the poor wretches were left lying there in the darkness. During that night they followed, generally at a gallop, the faithful Timothy, on whose keen eyes and mind their lives depended. The wounded and a few whose horses gave out were scattered at intervals along the trail. Some of these finally reappeared, but most were lost. After twenty-four hours they found that they had ridden seventy miles, for the yel- low flood of Snake river suddenly broke be- fore them between its desolate banks. Here the unwearied Timothy threw out his own peo- ple as guards against the pursuing enemy and set the women of his tribe to ferrying the force across the turbulent river. This was safely ac- complished, and thus the greater portion of the command reached Walla Walla in satety irom that ill-starred expedition.
Individual narratives of experiences on that expedition have been given by men long after living in Walla Walla. Among these was John Singleton, Sr., now deceased, who told the writer that being without a horse, he crawled on his hands and knees during the greater part
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of two days, running at night, until he at last reached Snake river and was put across the stream by the Nez Perces. His knees and hands were worn to the bone. . \ soldier named Snickster reported that he and Williams, rid- ing one horse. had reached Snake river, when the Indians overtook them and in a spirit of grim pleasantry told them that if they could swim the river they might escape. Plunging into the river with their horse, they soon found the Indiant bullets boiling around them. Will- iams and the horse were almost immediately killed and Snickster, with an arm already broken, swam the rest of the way across Snake river. This story is told in several ways, and Michael Kinney considers it a fabrication. Mr. Singleton, however, told the writer that he con- sidered it as true. Joseph MCEvoy also regards it true, though he claims that Williams was killed in the battle. It was generally accepted as true in early times. But we would doubt the possibility of any one. even under the most favorable circumstances, swimming Snake river in flood time with a broken arm.
WRIGIIT'S EXPEDITION.
The sequel to the Steptoe defeat furnishes a more creditable chapter in the history of our Indian warfare. General Clark at once ordered Colonel Wright to equip a force of six hundred men, proceed to the Spokane country and casti- gate the Indians with sufficient severity to set- tle the question of sovereignty forever. On .August 15th Colonel Wright left Walla Walla on his northern campaign. In the battle of Four Lakes on September Ist, and in the bat- tle of Spokane Plains on September 5th, Col- o1:el Wright broke forever the power and spirits of the northern Indians. The severest blow which he struck them was the killing of nearly
a thousand horses. In his report Colonel Wright thus summarized the results of this campaign: "I. Two battles were fought by the troops under my command against the com- bined forces of the Spokanes, Cœur d'Alenes and Palouses, in both of which the Indians were signally defeated, with a severe loss of chiefs and warriors, either killed or wounded ; 2. One thousand horses and a large number of cattle were captured from the hostile In- dians, all of which were either killed or ap- propriated to the service of the United States; 3. Many barns filled with wheat or oats, also several fields of grain with numerous caches of vegetables, dried berries and camas, were de- stroyed or used by the troops: 4. The Yakima chief, Owhi, is in irons; and the notorious war chief. Qualchen, was hanged; the mur- derers of the miners. the cattle stealers, etc. ( in all, eleven Indians ), were hanged : 5. The Spokanes, Cœur d'Alenes and Palouses have been entirely subdued, and have sued most ab- jectly for peace on any terms: 6. Treaties have been made with the above named nations. They have restored all property which was in their possession, belonging either to the United States or to individuals. They have promised that all white people can travel through their country unmolested, and that no hostile Indians shall be allowed to pass through or remain among them; 7. The Indians who commenced the battle with Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe con- trary to the orders of their chiefs have been delivered to the officer in command of the Uni- ted States troops ; 8. One chief and four men, with their families, from each of the above named tribes, have been delivered to the officer in command of the United States troops, to be taken to fort Walla Walla and held as hostages for the future good conduct of their respective nations: 9. The two mounted howitzers aban-
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HISTORY OF WALLA WALLA COUNTY.
doned by the troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe have been recovered."
The following words from General Clark's report show how completely the policy of Wool had been reversed. "Some time since I was persuaded that thie treaties made by Governor Stevens, superintendent of Indian affairs for Washington Territory, with the Indian tribes east of the Cascade range, should not be con- firmed. Since then circumstances have changed
and with them my views. The Indians made war and were subdued. By the former act they lost some of their claims to considera- tion; and by the latter the government is en- abled and justified in taking such steps as may give the best security for the future."
Thus the land rested at last from strife, and no general Indian war thereafter disturbed the "Valley of Many Waters."
CHAPTER VI.
INDIAN WARS OF THE 'FIFTIES-CONTINUED.
Governor Stevens reached Olympia early in January, 1856, and found that the storm of war was in full blast from east to west. The Sound Indians, aided by the Yakimas, had ranged over the greater part of the region adjacent to the sound and had killed many settlers. Governor Stevens, full of courage and resources, roused the dis- heartened settlers and set on foot measures for saving the territory by the equipment of an army of one thousand volunteers, organizing forces of friendly Indians, issuing script for meeting expenses, seizing necessary stores and implements, inducing the settlers to get back again upon their farms and plant their crops, and sending Secretary Mason to Washington to acquaint the government with their plight and needs. In the very midst of his appeal the Indians by a sudden attack seized Seattle and destroyed the most of it. Nevertheless the brave words and acts of the governor roused the faint-hearted and the territory speed- ily got itself into a better posture of defense and finally of attack. The Washington volun-
teers were equipped and the Second Regiment. under command of Colonel B. F. Shaw, started in the summer of 1856 for Walla Walla.
Meanwhile the Oregon volunteers had been spending that dismal winter and spring at Walla Walla and vicinity. The first American fort of the regular army at Walla Walla was laid out on the location of McBride's stable, one of the old log buildings remaining there until a few years ago. The volunteers camped at a later time higher up the creek near the present location of the ranch of Patrick Lyons.
During the spring Colonel Kelly returned to Portland, leaving Colonel T. R. Cornelius in command. The detachment set forth from their camp on Mill creek on March Ioth and proceeded to the Yakima country, meeting and dispersing the Indians whom they met there, and then passing on to the Columbia ; they re- turned to Oregon and disbanded. They had rendered signal service, having broken up the Indian forces of both the Walla Walla and Yakima countries.
While they were doing this one of the most
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IHISTORY OF WALLA WALLA COUNTY.
ciaring blows struck by any of the Indians fell upon the settlers up and down the Columbia, near the Cascades. The famous old block house there is a souvenir of that epoch. As- sociated with it also is the memory of the fact that Phil Sheridan fought there one of his first battles, distinguished, as he later was, for dare- devil courage and impetuosity. That Cascades disaster was one of the most cruel and severe that the settlements had suffered.
The United States troops at that time made The Dalles their chief headquarters and the force there had their hands full with wars and rumors of wars from Walla Walla, Yakima and the Cascades. The officers more especially concerned with the campaign on the east side of the mountains were Colonel Wright. Colonel Steptoe and Major Raines. It is to be remem- bered that there were three distinct forces op- erating in the country, viz .- United States regulars, Oregon volunteers and Washington volunteers. Governor Curry, of Oregon, and Governor Stevens, of Washington, were in en- tire harmony, believing alike in a vigorous prosecution of the war, but the United States . forces were entirely aloof from them in sym- pathy of aim and action.
We have already outlined the achievements of the Oregon volunteers. In May Colonel Wright moved from The Dalles to Yakima. There he found a force of twelve hundred or more defiant Indians, whose evident strength seems to have led Colonel Wright to crave peace without a battle. He shaped his policies in the direction of acceding to the demand of the Indians that he withdraw from the country and exclude settlers therefrom.
In July the Second Regiment of Washing- ton volunteers, under Colonel B. F. Shaw. moved up the river and on July 8th camped on the place now owned by the heirs of Alfred
Thomas, about two miles above Walla Walla. Learning that the hostiles were in force in the Grande Ronde valley. Colonel Shaw determined to move thither and strike. Pushing rapidly over the mountains he encountered the savages on July 17th, and in the most decisive battle thus far fought he scattered them in all direc- tions. The excellent Life of Governor Stevens, by his son, Hazard Stevens, contains a pictur- esque account of how Colonel Shaw, with his long, red beard and hair streaming in the wind. swept down like a hurricane upon the foe and drove them fifteen miles, clear across the valley. Colonel Shaw's own version is so clear and vivid that we believe our readers will enjoy its perusal. More clearly than any present de- scription could. this account preserves the flavor of the time in which it happened; that time. which. only forty-five years ago, seems so re- mote from our own.
BATTLE OF GRANDE RONDE, JULY 17, 1856.
"We arrived in the Grande Ronde valley on the evening of the sixteenth, and camped on a branch of the Grande Ronde river in the tim- ber. sending spies in advance who returned and reported no fresh sign. On the morning of the seventeenth, leaving Major Blankenship, of the Central, and Captain Miller, of the Southern battalions, assisted by Captain DeLacy, to take up the line of march for the main valley, I pro- ceeded ahead to reconnoitre, accompanied by Major Maxon, Michael Marchmean, Captain John and Dr. Burns. After proceeding about five miles we ascended a knoll in the valley from which we discovered dust rising along the tim- ber of the river. I immediately sent Major Maxon and Captain John forward to recon- noitre and returned to hurry up the command which was not far distant. The command was
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HISTORY OF WALLA WALLA COUNTY.
instantly formed in order: Captain Miller's company in advance, supported by Maxon, Henness and Powell's companies : leaving the pack train in charge of the guard under Lieu- tenant. Goodwin, with a detachment of Goff's company under Lieutenant Wait, and Lieuten- ant Williams' company in reserve with orders to follow on after the command.
"The whole command moved on quietly to this order until within half a mile of the Indian village, when we discovered that the pack train had moved to the left, down the Grande Ronde river. At this moment a large body of war- riors came forward, singing and whooping, and one of them waving a white man's scalp on a pole. One of them signified a desire to speak. whereupon I sent Captain John to meet him and formed the command in line of battle. When Captain John came up to the Indians they cried out to one another to shoot him, when he retreated to the command and I or- dered the four companies to charge.
"The design of the enemy evidently was to draw us into the brush along the river, where from our exposed position they would have the advantage-they no doubt having placed an ambush there. To avoid this, I charged down the river towards the pack train. The war- riors then split, part going across the river and part down toward the pack train. These were soon overtaken and engaged. The charge was vigorous and so well sustained that they were broken, dispersed and slain before us. After a short time I sent Captain Miller to the left and Major Maxon to the right. thie latter to cross the stream and cut them off from a point near which a large body of warriors had collected, apparently to fight, while I moved forward with the commands of Captain Hen- ness and Lieutenant Powell to attack them in front. The Major could not cross the river,
and on our moving forward the enemy fled after firing a few guns, part taking to the left and part continuing forward.
"Those who took to the left fell in with Captain Miller's company, who killed five on the spot and the rest were not less successful in the pursuit, which was continued to the crossing of the river, where the enemy had taken a stand to defend the ford. Being here rejoined by Captain Miller and by Lieutenant Curtis with part of Maxon's company, we fired a volley and I ordered a charge across the river, which was gallantly executed. In doing this Private Shirley, ensign of Henness' company, who was in front, was wounded in the face. Several of the enemy were killed at this point. We continued the pursuit until the enemy had reached the rocky canyons leading towards Powder river, and commenced scattering in every direction, when finding that I had but five men with me, and the rest of the command scattered in the rear, most of the horses being completely exhausted-1 called a halt and fell back, calculating to remount the men on the captured horses and continue the pursuit after night.
"I found the pack train, guard and re- serve encamped on a small creek not far from the crossing, as I had previously ordered them to do, and learned that a body of the enemy had followed them up all day and annoyed them, but had inflicted no damage beyond cap- turing many of the animals which we had taken in charge and left behind.
"I learned also that Major Maxon had crossed the river with a small party and was engaged with the enemy and wanted assist- ance. I immediately dispatched a detachment under Lieutenants Williams and Wait, sending the man who brought the information back with them as a guide. They returned after
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HISTORY OF WALLA WALLA COUNTY.
dark without finding the major, but brought in one of his men whom they found in the brush, and who stated that one of the major's men was killed and that the last he saw of them they were fighting with the Indians. At day- light I sent out Captain Miller with seventy men, who scouted around the whole valley with- out finding him, but who unfortunately had one man killed and another wounded whilst pursuing some Indians. I resolved to remove camp the next day to the head of the valley, where the emigrant trail crosses it and con- tinue the search until we became certain of their fate. The same evening I took sixty men under Captain Henness and struck upon the mountains and crossed the heads of the canyons to see if I could not strike his trail. Finding no sign, I returned to the place where the major had last been seen, and there made search in different directions and finally found the body of one of his men (Tooley) and where the major had encamped in the brush. From other signs it became evident to me that the major had returned to this post by the same trail by which we first entered the valley.
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