, 1856-03-07

though the water was swift and cold, sue
ceeded in making the crossing The men
took shelter behind some drift-wood, until
they could recover their breath, when
Capt. Keyes ordered charge. This was
promptly obeyed-the Indians delivering
one fire, then run, some up, and some down
the river. Capt. Keyes then scattered his
men through the woods, and ordered LIT.
X. TO Join him, when the covert where the
main body of the enemy had been station
ed during the day, was charged and the
the enemy routed. This position was COW
cred by dense underbrush and large
standing trees, together with a large
amount of fallen timber Through such
country, the enemy were driven about two
miles, until they arrived near Muckleshoot
prairie. Here was hill about 100 feet
high, with slope of about 450 and the In-
dians again made stand. A charge was
ordered, and executed in a gallant style.
In this charge, one man was killed, 2 seri-
ously, and l slightly wounded. During
the entire action, one man was lost killed,
and 9 wouuded-among the latter 1t.
Kautz. The number killed of the enemy,
was impossible to ascertain-one dead In
dian was seen, with the top Of his head
blown of, and several were seen carried
from the field Our force, engaged, amount
ed to 100 men-number of the enemy not
known.
Immediately after the advance of the reg
ular and volunteer forces to the Puyallup,
Green and White river country, it was as,
certained that body of the enemy, num-
bering some forty strong, had flanked the
troops, and in detached parties, under the
command Of Stahie, Quiemuth and Others
had commenced depredations through the
district of country lying between Fort Ms
qually and the head of Puget Sound, and
from thence southward to the Skookum
Chuck, including the settlements Immediately
in the vicinity Of Olympia.
On Sunday, the oath ult., q teamster, (Mr
WV. NoRrHcRAFT, young man universally
esteemed as an honest, quiet, and good citi'
zen), in the employ of the Quarter-master's
department, moving from Nathan Eaton's-
IL miles from 0lympia-to the post on the
Yelm with supplies, was killed, and his team
of oxen driven off by the enemy This was
the first murder committed south of the Ms
qually, and Immediately following this, their
depredations commenced in the county Of
Thurston, the most populous county in the
Territory. Stock was driven off from al
most every settler and the Sunday follow
ing the murder of Mr.. NoRrHcRAF, Mr.. WM
WHITE, one of our most substantial citizens
and farmers, residing near Mr. Eaton's, who,
with his family, were returning from church,
was waylaid by q small party under the
command Of Stahie, fired upon, and Mr. w.
killed-his family only escaping death by
the horse taking fright and running away.
Up to the time of these murders, the dep
relations Of the enemy in the Sound region
had been almost exclusively confined to that
portion Of country lying to the northward Of
Fort Steilacoom, and between the Puyallup
and the Snoqualmie river, embracing the
White and Green river and Seattle districts
which communicates with the Yakima
country by the only two passes Of the Cas-
cades north Of Fort Vancouver This dis
trict Of country was, from the commence
ment Of the war west Of the mountains, the
stronghold Of the enemy, and where their
entire force had heretofore been concentra-
ted. The regular and volunteer force it was
found necessary to push into the stronghold
of the enemy, included all the volunteers that
had been raised by proclamation Of the Gov
ernor, and the entire regular force of the
Puget Sound district, exceptinga guard Of
few men left to garrison Fort Steilacoom.
The enemy, constantly on the alert, be-
came aware of the defenceiess condition Of
the settlements to the southwark of the Ms
qually, and at once, as events have proven,
Thurston county and the entire region at the
head of the Sound, is war ground. The
enemy, in small parties, are now sconring
the whole country, pouncing upon isolated
settlers, driving Of their stock and plunder-
ing their dwellings-the women and children,
in many recent cases, having to flee for their
lives. The heavily timbered bottom lands
of the Nisqually river is now the stronghold
of the enemy, under command of Stahie and
Quimuth, and from this region they move
out at night upon the settlements on the
prairies adjacent, and attack the settlers.
L L Al. A