USA > Washington > History of Washington; the rise and progress of an American state, Vol. III > Part 30
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
The last report proved not to be true, though some hostiles had probably been seen in that neighborhood. But it was true enough that Leschi was among the peaceable Indians on the reservation, accompanied by his warriors. They had evaded all the troops, both regulars and volunteers, who were on the watch for them, crossed over to the island during the night, and were there almost within sight of the fort and its garrison. Keyes had only to find means to cross the narrow channel separating the island from the mainland, with a moderate force, and they would be at his mercy. This he might do by the aid of the Decatur, or the Jefferson Davis, should either be in the vicinity, as they might be, so far as the Indians knew, or by one of the Hudson's Bay steamers, and one of them, the Beaver, was then lying at Fort Nisqually. The survey steamer Active had also recently arrived in the Sound from San Francisco, with a considerable supply of arms and ammunition, much to the satisfaction of the settlers, though of this fact Leschi may have been ignorant. But knowing what he did, his visit to the island was a bold move that he would never have dared to make in the presence of an active enemy.
As neither the Decatur, the Davis nor the Active were within call, Keyes sent to Fort Nisqually for the Beaver, which was immediately placed at his disposal by Dr. Tolmie, and Maloney with thirty men was sent to the island, with instructions to destroy Leschi's boats and capture him if possible. But the Beaver was unable to approach near enough to the shore to enable the soldiers to land, and as she had no cannon, it was impracticable to land them in boats, so the expedition was a failure, and Leschi and his braves were allowed to laugh at the helplessness of their enemies.
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This bold move ought to have suggested, and doubtless would have suggested to a more experienced Indian fighter than Keyes was at that time, that the hostiles must have a reason for their activity, of which he was not then aware. What this reason was, was made apparent two or three weeks later when Seattle was attacked by a large number of Kliki- tats, and other Indians who had found their way across the mountains, after the unsuccessful invasions of their country by Haller and Rains.
These reinforcements for the hostiles in the Sound country had crossed the mountains in small parties probably through the Snoqualmie Pass, which up to that time was unguarded, and by the Nachess road, after Maloney's retreat, and while Leschi and his band still held the crossings of the White and Green rivers. Their coming had renewed the hopes of Leschi's scattered warriors, and emboldened them to make the attack on Slaughter's party. Their hopes had been far- ther raised by the withdrawal of the troops from the valley, after Slaughter's death, and by "the temporizing policy" of Captain Keyes,* which he was beginning to think had caused them to suspend hostilities. It was in fact encourag- ing them to make a bold move, which they hoped would end the war, destroy the settlers, and restore them to the pos- session of the country.
Their plan was to attack Seattle and Steilacoom simul- taneously, and if successful, the settlers would be at their mercy; they could dispose of them at their leisure. It seems to have been arranged that the Klikitats should strike Seattle, while Leschi would take care of Steilacoom, and it was evidently to secure reinforcements for this attack, that he made his visit to the island. He was unsuccessful, and
* Keyes' letter to Mason, Jan. 10, 1856.
SEATTLE IN 1864
From a photograph in the possession of Clarence B. Bagley.
THE RISE AND PROGRESS A081 KI HITTASE
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of their country Pler and Rains
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
therefore his part of the undertaking was not attempted. But Seattle was attacked by the largest force assembled by the Indians in any battle west of the mountains. Seattle, in January 1856, consisted of a few cabins, a sawmill, and one or two stores, all grouped together within the space now bounded by Second Avenue, the Bay, and Jackson and Madi- son streets. From this area the trees had been cut away, but the stumps still remained, and no street had been graded. Most of the houses were on a small, low-lying peninsula, extending south from Yesler Way, and separated from the mainland by a marshy arm of the Sound, the northern end of which was being slowly filled with the saw dust from Yesler's mill. At its southern end this peninsula was nearly united to the mainland by a sandspit, running out from the eastern side, and through the opening between its end and the peninsula, the tide ebbed and flowed through a channel deep enough to be unfordable. Near the north end of the marsh was a small hill, or mound, all trace of which has long since disappeared, and on it a blockhouse had been hurriedly constructed, shortly after the White River mas- sacre, when nearly all the men in town had marched away with Captain Hewitt to relieve the settlers. On the beach, not far away, was Yesler's mill and cook house. Beyond Second Avenue, and the northern and southern bound- aries named, the forest remained undisturbed and un- broken, save by an opening toward the east, where a narrow trail led from the mill to Lake Washington, then known as Lake Duwamish. The forest made an excellent hiding place for besieging savages, and the little village, nearly all parts of which lay within easy range from it, would have been an easy prize but for the presence of the Decatur.
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
This warship had been cruising northward and south- ward from Seattle ever since her arrival, early in October, the object being to keep all Indians, particularly the warlike Haidahs from Alaska, whose visits were very much feared by the settlers, advised that she was on the lookout for them. On a recent visit to Bainbridge Island, she had run upon an uncharted rock, at ebb tide, and been so severely damaged that she had returned to the harbor with difficulty. There she was beached not far from the mill, and the carpenters were employed for several days in repairing and getting her afloat again.
Meantime her officers had been informed that hostile Indians were lurking in the neighborhood, and Captain Gansevoort, who had by this time succeeded Sterrett in command, kept the beach patrolled by a strong guard at night, to protect both ship and town against surprise. Some of the townspeople thought this entirely unnecessary, believ- ing there was no considerable number of hostiles in the neigh- borhood. There had been some difference of opinion among the townspeople as to the danger of their situation for some weeks previous. As early as the preceding Sep- tember, Chief Seattle had given warning that Indians were coming from east of the mountains to kill all the whites. Many thought this so improbable that it caused them little anxiety, but a few were anxious, and some of the women met and prayed together that the Lord would send them protection against their savage enemies. When the Decatur arrived in the harbor a few weeks later, her coming was regarded by these people as an answer to their prayers .*
There was a small camp of friendly Indians a short distance north of the blockhouse, but they had been
* Mrs. Abbie J. Hanford, in the Washington Historian, April, 1901.
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accustomed to camp there when they wished ever since the settlers came, and their presence or absence was not par- ticularly noted. The chief of this band, known as Curley, had so often and so loudly boasted of his friendship for the whites, that they believed they could rely upon him to give them warning in case any danger threatened them. But Captain Gansevoort and his officers distrusted Curley, find- ing that another Indian, known as Jim, who was much attached to Dr. Williamson, of the town, was far more trust- worthy. He not only brought in more information than Curley did, but it was generally reliable, and often different from that offered by the other.
On the evening of January 2Ist Jim notified the doctor that a large number of Klikitats had crossed the mountains and joined Leschi and his hostiles, and of their plan to make a simultaneous attack on Seattle and Steilacoom. Owhi, one of Kam-i-ah-kan's principal lieutenants, was in com- mand of the eastern Indians, he said, while other chiefs of less importance accompanied him. He was unable to tell how many warriors were with them, but gave their number as h-i-u-very large .*
Jim's report did not greatly alarm the settlers, when it was made known to them. They had seen no strange Indians in the neighborhood. The hostiles had assembled so quietly that no one suspected their presence. Captain Hewitt's company had recently returned from the White River Valley, and been disbanded, there being so little indi- cation of further trouble, that there seemed to be no need to remain there. It had been arranged to keep a small guard,
* Hiu is the Chinook word for many. When pronounced h-i-u it means very many, and if further prolonged it means a very great many indeed.
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
at night, at the head of the bay and along the bank of the Duwamish River, as that was the only direction from which an attack was looked for, and even this was not very rigidly maintained. Nobody seems to have remembered the Sno- qualmie Pass, or to have thought of Indians assembling on and near Lake Washington, and so keeping themselves under cover until they could take the town by surprise.
But Gansevoort maintained his patrol, and to be still fur- ther prepared, stationed a small howitzer on shore, opposite the sandspit at the lower end of the peninsula, to prevent any considerable body of the enemy from crossing at that point. During the night his guards covered a line nearly three- quarters of a mile in extent, or from the southern end of the peninsula to the blockhouse. These precautions were regarded as quite unnecessary by many citizens, and by none more so than by Governor Stevens, who had just returned from the Blackfoot country to his capitol, and was now making a tour of the Sound in the Active. He paid a visit to Gansevoort on the evening of January 24th, and on the 25th made a speech to the settlers, in which he expressed the belief that New York and San Francisco were not safer from attack than Seattle was at that moment.
But the governor was mistaken. The forest surrounding the city was at that moment full of hostiles, and they would already have begun their attack, but for a disagreement among their chiefs. Some of these, as Jim reported, had been in favor of making it while the Decatur was still fast on the beach, because she would easily be boarded while there, and all the arms and ammunition she carried captured. Others thought it better to wait until she was floated, and anchored off shore, and then, when all on board were asleep, after their night of watching, it would be easier to surprise
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them. The Indian Jim claimed to have been present when these plans were discussed, and to have proposed, or at least to have favored, the latter. It was adopted and Jim imme- diately reported the fact to the officers of the Decatur.
On the night of January 25, 1856, the weather was chilly, but perfectly calm, so that the sailors and marines, as they paced back and forth on their beats, could hear the slightest sound made anywhere along the shore, or in the town. The officers were on the alert, expecting an attack. About IO o'clock the hoot of an owl was heard from the forest, and this was soon answered by another, and then others from various points around the edges of the town. As these cries had not been noted before, it was easily suspected that they were signals made by the Indians, and this proved to be the case. But no attack was made until morning, and at the usual hour the guard was withdrawn, and the sailors returned to the ship to get their breakfast.
They were scarcely on board, however, when they were again ordered on shore. There had been some unusual movements about the camp of the Indians during the night, who were supposed to be friendly, and Captain Gansevoort who was on deck with his glass, through which he had been carefully observing the camp and the forest beyond, saw something that caused him to order his men to the shore again before they had time to get their breakfasts. What he had seen, whatever it was, was so significant as to demand his own presence on shore, and he was one of the first to land. As the returning boats reached the shore the men were quick- ly, but as quietly as possible, disposed in the positions they were to hold in case of attack. He then ordered a shell to be dropped in Tom Pepper's house, which was on the main- land not far from the southern end of the peninsula, by the
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howitzer opposite the sandspit, and another in the woods from one of the guns on the ship, to develop the enemy, if any were present.
These shots had the expected effect. They were instantly answered by a volley from the timber, at all points surround- ing the town, accompanied by the usual yells and beating of drums. The town was instantly aroused. Those citizens who had so confidently believed that there were no hostile Indians in their vicinity, now saw that they were surrounded by swarming hostiles. The members of Hewitt's company, so recently disbanded, hastened to get their rifles and par- ticipate in the conflict, while the women and children hurried from their cabins to the blockhouse, and other places under the guns of the Decatur. Fortunately for these, the guns of the Indians had generally been emptied, in response to the first cannon shots, or many of them would doubtless have been shot down as they ran through the streets to places of greater security. As it was, not one was injured.
The first volley fired by the Indians showed that their line completely encircled the town, on the land side, and that while not one of them could be seen, they were present in large numbers. Undoubtedly they might have captured the town, in spite of the Decatur, if they had attacked it more boldly. Its defenders were not more than 175 in all, 120 of whom were from the ship, the remainder being citi- zens. But for the presence of the vessel the town would have been easily taken, even if its inhabitants had been on their guard, as they were not, and all would have been massa- cred.
But it was not possible for savage warriors to overcome the opposition they met. Concealed and protected by the timber, they made a vigorous but ineffectual fight during most
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
of the day. Volley after volley from their rifles was poured into the town, but their bullets did little injury, most of its defenders being either beyond range or effectually concealed in the houses, or behind stumps and other objects, which saved them from injury. Meantime the guns on board the Decatur, and the howitzer at the southern end of the penin- sula, continued to drop shells and solid shot, or to scatter charges of grape and shrapnel, at points along the Indian line where the smoke from their rifles indicated that such messengers would be most useful. All the forenoon the roar of the cannon and the sharp crack of the rifles continued. The ground along the hills beyond Second Street was torn up by exploding shells, and many of the trees along the edge of the forest were splintered by the grapeshot and shrapnel. Still the Indians held to their work and, above the crack of their rifles, their yells and whoops were frequently heard, mingled with the screams of their women, who were every- where urging them on to greater efforts.
There was a lull in the battle about noon, the Indians apparently having withdrawn to refresh themselves with a feast which their women had prepared by slaughtering the cattle belonging to the settlers, which they had captured early in the fight. During this short respite the women and children were removed from the blockhouse, and other places in which they had taken refuge, and taken on board the Decatur, and the ship Brontes, which was then lying in the harbor, where they were cared for until all possibility of danger was past. Among these children was C. H. Han- ford, at present judge of the federal court, who was then about seven years old.
An effort was made at this time, by some of the citizens, to remove as much as possible of their property, they had left
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
in their houses when they had abandoned them earlier in the day, as it was expected that the Indians would endeavor to set fire to them during the night. A few of these were successful. The Indians, seeing what was going on, resumed the battle, and it was continued with vigor during the remainder of the day. At one time a considerable body of the enemy, in the neighborhood of the lake trail, mustered courage to make a charge on a party of marines, consisting of only fourteen men, who were stationed in their front. This charge was firmly met and, when the Indians began to show signs of yielding, was followed by a counter charge by which they were driven back into the woods, from which they did not again show themselves. Had they been successful in breaking the line of the defenders at this point, they would doubtless have captured the town. This was the critical moment of the battle, and the firmness and courage of these fourteen marines doubtless saved the day.
The fighting continued, with more or less vigor, during the afternoon, but without any noteworthy result on either side. Occasionally when a shell would be dropped at some point on the attacking line where the Indians were thickest, its explosion would be followed by demonstrations indicating that some unusual damage had been done by it, and the marines and citizen-soldiers would take new courage. These shells were something entirely new to the Indians, and they were quite unprepared for them. They had never before seen guns which fired bullets that would shoot a second time after they had landed in their own immediate neighborhood. To their savage minds this was a very great medicine, for which no Indian necromancer could provide a counteracting influence.
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
As the afternoon advanced, and the shadows of evening began to gather, it was discovered that the Indians were mak- ing preparations to burn the buildings which were nearest their line, as it was expected they would, and it was feared that as darkness gathered they might burn the town. To prevent this Captain Gansevoort's gunners continued to shell the woods, and dispersed the incendiaries before their work was fairly begun. Firing along the Indian line gradu- ally ceased until about ten or eleven o'clock in the evening, when it was discontinued altogether, and when the morning of December 27th dawned, the Indians had all disappeared, after having burned a few of the houses which were nearest the timber, and taking with them most of the cattle belonging to the citizens.
During this battle only two persons were killed on the side of the defenders of the town. One of these was a young man named Robert Wilson, who had been fighting behind the safe shelter of a stump; he was hit by an Indian bullet while changing his position for one further from the Indian line. The other was Milton G. Holgate, a brother of Lemuel J. Holgate and Mrs. E. Hanford, who was shot and instantly killed, near the door of the blockhouse, early in the battle. None were wounded, although several had narrow escapes. How many of the enemy were killed or wounded was never known. Lieutenant Phelps says the Indians afterwards admitted twenty-eight of the former and eighty of the latter. That some were killed and more wounded is certain, but as is usual with Indians in battle, they were carried away and their number carefully concealed.
The number of the Indians engaged in this attack has been variously estimated, but of course has never been accurately known. The Indians themselves probably did not know
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how many warriors were present, and if they did they did not then or afterwards give any information about it. Lieu- tenant Phelps, who was an officer of the Decatur, and took an active part in the fighting, thinks there were at least a thousand present. But he is inclined to magnify the services rendered by the Decatur, and the dangers her officers and men encountered. Others have placed the number much lower. It is certainly known only that the attacking party was largely composed of Klikitats, and other Indians from east of the mountains, and that there were a h-i-u lot of them.
During the night of the 26th they disappeared as quietly as they had come. Many of them possibly retired across Lake Washington, and recrossed the mountains to their own country. Some followed Leschi and his warriors up the White River Valley, plundering and burning the deserted homes of the settlers as they retreated. Two days later there was not a house standing in King County, outside of Seattle, except at Alki Point.
A few days after this battle Leschi sent word to Captain Gansevoort that he would return in another month and destroy the town, but this threat was hardly necessary to admonish the citizens that it was now time to make prepara- tions for their defense. The work was begun immediately. Mr. Yesler furnished a ship's cargo of lumber which he had recently sawed for shipment, to be used for fortifications, and with this and other material a barricade five feet high and surrounding the town, was constructed. It consisted of two board walls about eighteen inches apart, with the space between packed with dirt and saw dust. This made a fairly reliable wall of defense. Another blockhouse, near the first, was built, and the two were connected by a passage with a strong stockade on either side. These
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blockhouses were provided with two small cannon, one of which was obtained from the Active. Many of the stumps that still encumbered the streets were dug up, or burned out, to clear the ground in case of a second attack, and so the first public improvements in Seattle were begun. A company of volunteers numbering fifty-one, of which Chief Justice Lander was made captain, was organized and the defense of the city committed to its care. From that time forth the settlers felt that they were secure against any attack, and so they continued until the end of the war.
CHAPTER XLVII. WAR AT CROSS PURPOSES.
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G OVERNOR STEVENS had now returned, and the war was to be prosecuted henceforth with vigor, and for a clearly defined purpose. Hereto- fore it had been but weakly waged. The regular troops under Wool's management had done little but march and countermarch, while Mason, laboring under the dis- advantage of acting for another and not for himself, had called only for volunteers enough to defend the settlements, and had used them for defence only. They had fought well when opportunity offered, but had made no aggressive campaign, and had accomplished little. The Indians had not yet felt the real power of their arms. The murderers of McAllister and Connell, of Miles and Moses, as well as those of the White River settlers, and the goldseekers east of the mountains, were still at large and unpunished. Pro- secuted in this manner the war might never end. Until the hostiles were made to feel that the government was strong enough to enforce respect for its treaties, and those among them who had murdered innocent settlers were surrendered, tried and punished, the settlers would be con- stantly menaced by their incursions.
The governor's return journey from the Blackfoot coun- try had been full of perils. Through no fault of his own, the council held there had been prolonged far beyond the time when it should have terminated, and it was not until October 28th that his party was ready to leave Fort Benton. A thousand miles of mountainous country had now to be crossed, at a season a month later than had been expected. The prospect was discouraging enough, but the real difficul- ties and dangers of the situation were yet to be learned.
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