, 1856-02-22

ments in California.
From the Oregonian, Feb 2nd, 1856
"Gen. Wool and the Indian War In Oregon"
The richest Jnrlesque Of the age will be
found below. The first act is from the San
Francisco Daily EreniRg Nelrs of Jan. Is,
which says:
"GES WoOL.--Gen, Wool and staff returned 10 this
city, in the steamer Columbia, which arrived last eve
ming from Oregon. lie is in excellent health and spir
ts Gen. Wool states that the facts connected trh The
Indian ,oar in Oregon hare been greatly srdggrdied
bv the Oregon papers, and that there Is really much
kss danger to be Gpprehended from the Indians LaR is
generally belie1ed He attributes much of the excite
ment the subject to have been prompted by parties
interested in getting up the war. lie driss h there
u any combination among The Indians for hosdfss,
and asserts that the gOuernmet has in he territory
ample force 10 render the inhabitants on e protection
tiey require. The Rogue river Indians are committing
occasional depredatons but do not appear in any force
while the Yakima Indians have retired beyond. the
mountains We learn that Gen. Wool's dispatches 10
Washington will be to this effect.
"The U. s. Commanding officers In Washington
and Oregon territories. have been eft full discretion
cry powers TO act as Circumstances may dicta.e.'
A burlesquc, to be interesting, should
have at least semblanoe Of truth to found
its incidents upon, else it loses caste and
becomes insipid Wqoronounce ule above
10 be false in whole and in detail, and We
propose to prove it by the following, which
purports to be written on the 18th, and
published in the same paper:
"GES WooL.--we zee by the morning papers that
in Oregon some Of the editors are blaming Gen. Wool
and the regulars for not sharing the exposure Of
winter campaign with part Of GovernUr CTrys Nolun.
teerswhich he the Governor, contrary 10 the advice
Of the Colonel Of Volunteers and the old mountaineor
frk..
to endure great deal Of unnecessary hardship"
The only truth in the above extract is
that one paper, viz: the OregORiOn, did
"blame" Gen. Wool for not sharing the ex-
posure of a winter campaign No other
"papers" In Oregon have dared to express
an opinion as TO Gen Wool or anybody
else. The balance Of the paragraphs sim
ply q lie ia all its parts and points. Maj.
Rains when in command OF the regulars,
formally called upon the Governor Of Ore
gon for volunteers TO march with him into
the Yakima country, which is in Washing
ton territory, to aid in putting down and
subduing the tribes Of hostile Indians COM
hined together in war against the whites.
They had already murdered several citi-
zens, among whom was Mr.. Bolon, gov
ernment officer Of the United States; had
burned many houses, stolen and driven of
alarge amount of property, consisting Of
horses, cattle, &C., and committed many
other acts Of wanton hostility, violence, aud
treachery. Gov. Curry called out volun-
teers, in obedience to Maj. Rains request,
sent them on to the Dalles, where Major
Rains was then concentrating his forces Of
10 nj NhoI
Indian country. 1t will be remembered
that Maj, Hallcr had previously been or
dered out into the Indian eeuntry with
what force there was at the Dales, num-
bering only 100 men, all told, and that be
had met with the combined force Of Indi-
ans numbering some 1900 or l500-had
fought them for three or four days and
nights, lost one-6fth Of his command, and
had actually been driven back in state Of
discontinue It Is also truth well known
that that the regulars, under the command
Of Maj. Rains, and the Oregon volunteers,
under the direction Of Gov. Curry, march
cd in concert into the Yakima country
that they encountered large body of com
bined hostile Indians, had fight with
them, which resulted in driving the Indians
across to tho north side Of the Columbia
river. The United States forces, under
command Of Maj. Rains, who also claimed
to be brigadieT-general, under commission
from Secretary Mason Of Washington ter
ritory, and the Oregon volunteers under
command Of Col. Nesmith, returned to the
Dalles. All this was done BY the order Of
Maj. Rains; as the official reports fully
show. The Oregon volunteers Immediately
marched into the Walla Walla coantry,
where the combined Indian tribes bad con-
centrated their forces and were making
hostile and destructive movements against
the whites and inhabitants Of that region.
About this time Gen. Wool arrived at VAN
eouYer He sent small force Of regulars
to the Dalles, aud ordered much larger
force from the Daiies to Vancouver. Gen.
Wool as we have heretofore said, has re-
NAMED constantly at Vancouver; has nev-
er been rod toward the Indian country;
and has utterly refused to recognise, aid OF
advise with the executives Of Oregon and
Washington territories, or the volunteers
already in the field, but, on the contrary,
has denounced their whole proceedings.
Gen. Wool, when Informed that the gov
ernment had ordered the 9th regiment Of
regulars out here, Immediately started for
San Francisco with the avowed object Of
stopping them in California lie was un
fortunately little too late in arriving there,