, 1856-09-05

FACTS Is IRE CASE.
CcaP ie he Valley hadqs, TT. T., |
July so, 1886.
~ II, Eliforr Of %. NaHn.f hapigrtcr;
GENTLEMFN-l have juSt read in youl
paper of May Sd (tri-wcrkly) a letter
signed John T. Wool" dated April %
1886, addressed to you, and mainly occu
pied with dcnUuciation Of the Governors o
Oregon and Washington Territories.
7 In that letter, however, appears the pas
sage hereto annexed, (markcd A. personal
to myself, and injurious TO my military
character The General therein asserts
that l proceeded against the Yakimas
but without the precautions necessary
against savage warfare The pociGca,
ton in support of this charge, is, that
about sixty miles from the Dallcs, on
emerging from Il deep raync, he found
himself, as he reports, confronted by 1900
Indians" or as he elsewhere expresses it,
that l allowed my command to have been
drawn into n sort Of ambush" (See letter
Of Nov 81, with Secretary of Wars report,
EX. Doe
The facts in the case are these. | was
ordered TO detail one company for this ser
vice, and | deemed it necessary TO send out
two companies. further deemed it nee
essary TO suspend the district orders, which
would have Withdrawn Lieut.. Il. IL. Day,
and A men of l. Company, Sd artillery,
to Fort Vancouver, and directed that
this company and howitzcr will he held
in readiness to march at any moment
after the departure OF the infantry, and
will be considered as the reserve to the in
vading battalion, in case of necessity
These were the preliminary precautions;
and en- route there were thrown out habitu-
ally the adranoed and rear guards, and
when in the timber, the tank guards.
What necessary precaution, then, has been
omitted
Now, on the 9Th of October last, when
descending a very long hill in an open
country-yet Gen. Wool says, i" on emerg-
ing from deep ravine, and approaching
stream whose banks were covered with
oak trees and thick underground, the ad-
vanced guard perceived the Indians in their
front. At the moment, q chief showed
himself and harangued his warriors, who
replied with the war-whoop. These sounds
Of courSe exposed the position generally,
and the limited number o. the Indians
they did not perhaps exceed 800 warriors
yet the General says, reported that
| was confronted by 1900 Indians" 1t
happens, moreover, that never did, in my
reports, states the number when at its
maximum to be 1900 Indians. But | did
notice the war-whoop in my report, and cX-
pressly stated that my advanced guard was
drawn in, the troops deployed for action,
and after the rear guard had closed up,
the action was commenced-yet with these
facts before him, Gen. Wool says "allow-
ed my command to full into sort Of am.
buscade." The loss here was one killed
and seven wounded, and the General says,
latter losing two men killed, and some
thirteen or fourteen wounded, one mortally,
he (D escaped from his (my) perilous con
dition," &c.
The field was open to view like q chess
board we could see war parties in the
distance approaching, which swelled the
numbers OF the enemy considerably sew
eral moves Of our adversaries were checked,
until finding my position guarded at all
points, the real attack was developed
Capt. RusselPs company being on the left,
descended the hill, turned the right flank
Of the Indians in the brush, opened fire
upon them en- rererSe, and followed it up
with a vigorous charge The Indians fed,
and left the field in our possession. Dark
ness closed around US before the wounded
were collected. We then advanced mile.
and discovered, on ascending height,
that the Indians were not far of, as their
voices were heard apparently giving orders
for an attack. We examined our ground,
as well as the darkness would permit, and
resolved to hold it we lay all night in
readiness for their attack Daylight, on
Sunday the 7th Of October, showed our
position to be capable Of defense, although
destitute Of wood, grass and water, and
decided me to await there, coming events.
We were surrounded very early in the
morning by six or seven hundred Indians.
and they continued to pour in until even
ing, when l considered the number doubled.
On this morning l wrote my first report,
calling out my reserve of A men, and not
" 1000 men to relieve me-" as Gen. Wool
has stated. The report was written, to be
ready ia case Of disaster, (another precau-
ton of mine) to apprise the command at
Fort Dalles Of our danger. Repeated
charges with the bayonet this day, caused
the Indian skrmshers to keep oil so far as
to render their fire comparatively harm
less. Our loss was now thirteen wounded
and two dead. This evening l considered
my command in imminent danger, and
resolved to extrcate it by u night march.
The troops retired in good order the sep
aration Of the rear guard was Immediately
discovered, and the guide sent Off 10 con
duct it in on our route, while we advanced
to the summit of the mountain to halt
there and rest the weary soldiers. 1t was
only after this that aScertained the char
aPtpr Of nv onide EARLY ON tho oh ,.o