Beaverhead county, and had a hard fought and bloody engagement, lasting
several hours. When the battle was nearly ended, stray bullets kept
coming and killed several of Gibbon’s men before any one could tell
where they came from. Finally one of the soldiers discovered that a
redskin had climbed and fortified himself in a fork of a large tree and
about thirty feet from the ground. A fatal shot was sent and “he fell
like a dead squirrel,” as one of the men said. The Indians retreated,
leaving eighty-nine dead. Gibbon lost twenty-nine killed and forty
wounded. Bostwick, the interpreter, who was at Gibbon’s office, and
of whom I have made mention in my letter, “The Indians Stealing My
Horses,” was one of the killed.
Gibbon was burying the dead when Howard came up. Joseph knew that
Howard must be near, and perhaps this saved Gibbon from meeting the
same fate as Custer, for the Indians outnumbered him more than three to
one.
A magnificent monument has been erected on this sacred ground in memory
of those who crossed the main range of the Rockies, and, but a few days
later, went down “through the valley of the shadow of death” for the
sake of generations to come.
After the battle Joseph crossed into Idaho, killing many settlers on
the way, for now all the Indians were in a rage. It appears that he
hardly knew where to go; finally he took to the mountains and into the
National Park. Here he met some tourists, and two of them, Charles Kenk
and Richard Detrick, were killed by his warriors, while at the same
time an Indian named Charley was doing all in his power to pacify the
other Indians; at this juncture Joseph interfered and forbade his men
to harm any more of them. But they were all taken as prisoners for
several days. The women who were in the party were treated with the
greatest respect, for which Joseph received great praise through the
Eastern press as well as that of the West. Howard was still on their
path, and Joseph knew it, and knew that his only hope was to get to
Canada. From the National Park he went due north as near as the lay
of the country would permit, killing several settlers and destroying
property as he went. This time he came in contact with Colonel Sturgis,
but made his escape.
In the latter part of September news came to Fort Benton that the Nez
Perces were heading to cross the Missouri river and on to Canada.
Knowing that there were but few people at the several trading posts
further down the river, Major Elges, who was in command at Fort Benton,
sent what men he could spare down the river in a Mackinaw boat, while
he and Colonel J. J. Donnelly, with thirty-five mounted citizens, with
rifles and belts full of cartridges, crossed the country. Many of them
were picked marksmen, “old prairie men,” who would just as soon go
into a fight as eat a Christmas dinner. On their way they learned that
Joseph was heading for Cow island. On their arrival there they found
that the Indians had crossed the river and had a fight with a small
party of men that were guarding some goods that had been taken off a
steamboat and piled on the levee. Joseph took some of the goods and
burned the balance. But this brave little party, who were intrenched,
fought like demons, and, although one was killed and three of them
wounded, they stood off the enemy and held their fort. Judge Foley, now
of the city of Belt, was one of them. About the same time Joseph was
having a fight with O. G. Cooper, Frank Farmer and other freighters,
who were in camp on Cow creek, a few miles further north, when he
had already robbed and was burning their wagons. Without hesitation,
the Benton party took a hand in the fight, in which E. B. Richardson
(Bradley) was killed. Colonel Donnelly, who had been an officer in the
Civil War, borrowed a small boat from Captain McGarry, of the steamer
“Benton,” and sent two men with a dispatch to General Miles, who was
in camp several miles down and on the south side of the river. Runners
were sent by Major Elges on the north side to direct Miles the way the
Indians had gone. The balance of the party were watching the course of
the Indians, which was to the Bear Paw mountains. Miles immediately
crossed to the north side on the steamer that brought his command up
the river. Afterwards Miles met Donnelly, thanked him for the dispatch
and thanked the citizens for what they had done.
The Montana volunteers who served against the Nez Perces in 1877
numbered 442, who were from different localities and were recognized by
the war department as belonging to the Montana militia of that year,
and their names are on the rosters of the court of claims, who drew pay
for their services. In the list I find “Donnelly’s Company, No. 5,”
consisting of the following names:
John J. Donnelly, William Foster, Sol A. Jantis, Charles B. Buckman,
Louis Cobell, Joseph Morrison, J. W. Hanna, W. B. Smith, Samuel Neall,
J. C. Lilly, Ed L. Smith, John Samples, C. E. Deanville, Ed Tingle,
James Dare, G. A. Croff, C. S. Davis, J. H. Evans, Hiram Baker, Crow
Davis, Trev Hale, Murray Nicholson, Powder Bull, William Preston, P.
H. Estes, Wolf’s Head, George Farmer, Jos. Gauty, Isaac N. Clark, Eph
Woolsey, J. W. Tattan, Richard Maloney, Thomas O’Hanlon, John Egan, W.
S. Evans, George C. Smythe, John Kavanaugh, E. B. Richardson, George
Hammond, Martin Moran, William Rowe, William Murphy, Jeff Talbert and
Nicholas Walsh.
I make mention of this little company of citizens because they were
my neighbors and because they were the last volunteers that fought in
the final battle in the last Indian war in Montana. Colonel Donnelly
was then and is now an attorney at law at Fort Benton, and Judge J.
W. Tattan, J. H. Evans, William Rowe, J. C. Lilly, Louis Cobell, John
Kavanaugh and others are citizens of Fort Benton and vicinity at the
present time.
After crossing the river, Miles went right after the Indians. Now,
for the first time, Joseph realized that there was a “Rough Rider” on
his trail, for Miles then was as daring a rider as there was in the
country. After being in the saddle for four days he captured Joseph in
the Bear Paw mountains, and but a few miles from Canada. The day before
the surrender General Howard came up with an escort of twelve men,
remaining with Miles over night, and was present next morning at the
surrender of Joseph and his entire force of 400. And when the conquered
chief with his men came into camp he first offered his arms to General
Howard, who declined to receive them, at the same time waving him
to General Miles. This was considered at the time a generous act on
Howard’s part, for then he was the ranking officer. Now Howard had come
to the end of his long march of nearly two thousand miles, crossing up
and down the Rocky mountains in pursuit of the Indian Chief Joseph and
his desperate band. It was a feat or achievement of personal heroism,
hardihood, persistence and pluck. The extracts below are from a private
letter written by Colonel Corbin, of the “Sitting Bull Commission,” to
a friend in the East. He says:
“Of course, we are feeling glad at the happy close of the Nez Perces
business--it has been the most remarkable of all our Indian wars; and
in a stern chase no troops could have caught them as long as they
did not want to be caught. They left their former homes with at least
three good horses to each warrior and a reserve of at least a thousand
head for families and pack animals. So they were on a fresh horse
every third day. While after a few days’ march Howard’s horses were
worn down, and it required every effort to get them through the most
damnable passes you can imagine, in the highest range of the Rocky
mountains. Howard’s troops have endured hardships seldom, if ever,
known to the American soldier. They have been in the sun and rain so
long that any of them would make a first-rate model for a veteran.
Howard, himself, is looking like a frontier teamster after a long
streak of bad luck.
“When the Nez Perces surrendered to General Miles, they were yet well
provided with provisions. They brought to bear all the cunning of their
race and had the most improved arms; in fact it would seem that they
had taken advantage of all our experience in war. Their camps were
like ours when going to Atlanta, marked by rifle pits thrown up every
night, and the site of their last stand is wonderful in its hastily
constructed fortifications.
“Lieutenant Jerome of our escort was a prisoner two days, and was well,
even kindly, cared for, the women digging a trench for his protection
from the fire of General Miles’ troops. The men wounded in the first
charge of Miles fell into the Indians’ hands. They were disarmed and
assured of their safety. The admiration felt for Joseph’s pluck and
general conduct is very warm among both officers and men. They fought
until nearly three-fourths of their warriors were either killed or
wounded in open battle, and when worn out by Howard, Gibbon, Sturgis,
Norwood and Miles, they hoisted the white flag and came down from their
mountain fastness and each surrendered his rifle to General Miles in
person.”
There is no doubt but that Chiefs Joseph and Looking Glass have proven
themselves to be the greatest leaders, displayed the best generalship
and carried out their plans with more skill than any of the American
Indians that ever waged war against our government.
No one can give a better account of the last battle with Chief Joseph
and his band of Nez Perces than General Nelson A. Miles, himself. The
general says:
“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 Little 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 engaged 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 Maus, 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 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 cavalry, 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 command, 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
information 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 covering 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 the
fray, or the ideal picturesque warrior arrayed for the fight. They
appeared to be perfectly wild with delight, as unlike 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 Captain 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 commanding officer, Captain Hale, riding in advance. He presented
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 equipment were in perfect order.
Inspiring his followers to courage 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 of the vast herd of 800
horses, mules and ponies there grazing. 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 infantry, 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 surprise to the
Indians in the main, it must have given them a few minutes’ notice, for
as the troops charged against the village, the Indians opened a hot
fire upon them. This momentarily 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 infantry, 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 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
infantrymen had become so attached to their strong and handsome 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 McHugh had galloped forward with his Hotchkiss breech-loading
gun, keeping in line with the mounted infantry, 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
stampeded 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 gentleman, 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 Godfrey were badly wounded, and in fact a great part of the
line encircling the camp was dotted with dead and wounded soldiers 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 completed. In
this way the losses on both sides had been serious, 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, therefore, order a general assault, as I knew it must
result in the loss of many valuable lives and possibly might end in a
massacre. 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. Captain Tyler captured some 300 of
the ponies; Lieutenant Gerome 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, undertook to rescue the
animals and made several counter attacks, which were all successfully
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 Captain
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 difficult. 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 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 occupied 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 accomplished 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 under 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 experience during the autumn and
winter, immediately moved forty miles further back into the interior of
the Canadian territory. 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 General Sturgis to move up and join us without delay.
He was 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 number of wounded to be
cared for, I did not relish the idea of being 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 pretended to do so and brought up a few, which amounted to
nothing, 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 of whom were
known to be to the north of us) might be moving to the assistance of
the Nez Perces.