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Show 12 REPORT OF THE COJIIMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. the three chief leaders of all the non-treaty Indians, agreed to go upon the reservation with their several bands. In accordance with this agree-ment, arrangements were made to visit the several localities on the reserve suitable for the settlement of their bands. The first visit was made on the 8th of May, to the valley of the Lapwai, for a location for Joseph and his band. The next day Looking-Glass and White Bird visited the valler of the Clearwater, at the mouth of Kamiah Creek. Here,an~o~tilg~ rl(amiohI ~~dianl,so,o kiug.(;lass prn~posrdt o settle upon the spare l n ~ ~odf st his rnllcg. On the lot11o f Mas th6s.v ~iroceetleds olno sixteen or eighteen miles uv the Clearwater. where tbed found a countrv abounding in wood, water; and grass, with plenty of krahle land. ~ d : couraged by Looking-Glass, White Bird settled upon this as his location. Havingaccomplished this part of their plans, the Indians met on the 15th of May, at Fort Lapwai, to hold a final council in regard to the removal of their bands to these localities, and agreed to remove their stock and settle thereon in thirtv dars. So confident were General Howard. lusp6!ctor \Tatkir~s,and"~\~Mc~orntt cith of tlre ho~rrstpo f pnrp,se of tlri Indiana as disl,laxed ill tbeir roollcils, a~ldt heir dvfil~itua t . l r~: t io~f )~~ I~omru.t hat they felt iustifie~li n telerra.~ ~b.i.l tllc~ csu ~~c.c.sstt'uerl n~illation ot' nuy danger of R I '~o ~~tbr t r2~nkd, the > I T ) I ) ~ O ) I C ~ I~~ U~~e n c e ~rebllueo\ .ill of all uoll.tleatj Iudians to suitable lromc-a wilLiu thu lim~tsof the reser-vation. One day, however, prior to the expiration of the time fixed for their removal (namely, June 14,1817,) open hostilities by these Indians be-gan by the murder of twenty-one white men and womeu on White Bird Oreek, near Mount Idaho, in revenge for the murder of one of their tribe. The few hoops under the command of General Howard were ordered out at once, and on the 17th of June Captain Perry made the first attack in a caiion of Hangmads Creek, near Spokane, 75 miles east of Lewiston, losing thirty-four men. On the 4th of July the attack was renewed by Colonels Berry and Whipple at Kamiah, near Dotton-wood on Salmon River, with a loss of thirteen men. The next battle was under the immediate command of General Howard, which occurred on the.12th of July, on the South Forkof thealearwater, near the month of Cottonwood Creek, the government sustaining a loss of eleven killed and twenty-six wounded. On the 19th of July the Indians were re-ported as having fled on the Lolo trail to the buffalo country east of the Bitter Root Mountains, having crossed the Clearwater 20 miles below Eamieh. At this junctnre, Joseph showed adispositiou to surrender, Red Heart and twenty-eight followers having voluntarily given themselves up; but the threateninp attitude of White Bird compelled him to aban-don this design and jo~n the others in their flight to the Bitter Root Mountains, By this parley of Joseph, the Indians gained four days' advance of the troops which were sent in their pursuit. By forced marches, however, General Gibbon, on the 9th of August, came upon the Nez Per& camp, at Big Hole' Pnss, Montana Territory, 136 miles from Missonla, making an immediate attack. Both sides lost heavily. General Gibbon himself was wounded and sustained a loss of seven offi-cers and fifty-three men. From this battle-field the Indians fled down the Bannack trail to the vicinity of Bannack City, where they turned southwesterly to Horse Prairie, and proceeded on to Old Fort Lemhi, on the Mormon Fork of Salmon Itiver, south of Salmon City, After passing into Idaho, the hostiles again turned eastward and crossed into Montana, evide,ntly making their way up Henry's Fork of Snake River, in the vicinity of Lake Henry, toward the Yellowstone Park, with General Howard in pursuit. |
