Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-01-24
Account of the Fight with the Puget
Bound Indians.

| The Washington Intelligencer contain.
the following account of the recent battl,
between the sailors and marines of the United
States steamer Massachusetts and the Puget
Sound Indians These Indians inhabit The
! British possessions north of Washington ter
ritory. whence they came DOWN on the y mer.
lean side in immense canoes, each containing
thirty or forty persons, and, it may be, half a
dozen canoes, for the purpose of plundering
and piliering. They are so superior in bra
very to the Flatheads, that the numerous
| tribes of the latter suffer them TO do pretty
mach as they please, and the white inhabi.
tants follow their example. As the Danes
in olden times secured the coast of England,
plundering aud matreating the inhabitants,
so these Indians scour Puget Sound, from
one end to the other, unti, through persua-
sion and surfeit of maraudiGg, they return
again to their country.
Lieut.. Semmes, Lieut. Forrest and twenty
more sailors and marines, with howitzer,
landed two hundred yards below the camp of
these Indians who had refused to come on
board the vessel
The men were drawn up in line, while
Lieut.. Semmes went forward with the inter-
prefer to tell heir chiefs, who also advanced,
that they must either leave in their canoes,
or he would take and destroy them. They
would make no promise to that effect, but,
returning to their camp, danced sort Of war
dance about it for some minutes, then, scizing
their arms jumped into the forest just behind.
Lieut.. Semmes, with Lieut. Forrest and the
men, except those tending the howitZer, Of
which / had charge, made straight for the
woods, for the purpose CT outlankiRg the
Indians and charging them. This the steep
0f bn i,un ipo oil
very fortunate it was, too, as the end showed
the force to be entirely too small the enemy
having four or five times the number. They
then made charge up the beach on the
Indian camp. Which side commenced firing
do not know; bnt it seemed Simultaneous.
The first firing on our side was q discharge
of canister from the howit2er through the
camp. found it very difficult to keep the
men from taking up their rifles and leaving
the howitzer 10 itself, the sayages were so
tWmenting to them--pocring at them from
behind the trees above, and cracking away at
them.
The captain Of the gun even said, ooh,
Mr.. -, just let ME have my rifle for one
crack, please !" The howitzer was now order
ed up to the camp to join the charging party,
where We returned the hot firing from the
woods above with our rifles and muskets
while our men behaved like back
woodsmen in taking shelter behind the
canoes and in the Indian huts, only firing
when they could see an enemy. The battle
was now varied by n big gun on board ship
believing forth discharge Of grape among
the enemy The little steamer Traveller
from Whluh we landed, had o howitzer on
board under the charge OF one Of our officers,
( Mr.. Cummin masters mate,) and o shot
al I, -. i.
sets. Taking advantage Of the firing now
and then OF big gun, some of our party
laid down their rifles, took up axes that they
found in the huts, and proceeded to chop up
the canoes. Five or six thoy teot.oyei, -
the sixth was too well protected. They then
together Gil or the contents OF The
huts in pile and set fire to them.
About this time, one Of our men, Gustavus
EnglCbrecht by name, was killed by n shot
in his forehead, while lie had his head above
a canoe gazing at dead savage, whom he
had Just brought down with his rifle. Poor
fellow he was a great favorite on board,
both with the officers and men, and very few
euualled him as Il marksman, while in courage
he equhlled his ceurtryman and samesake,
the great Gustavus, Of whom Major Dalgetty
so much loved to talk but fame and fortune
smiled not equally on both. Another Of our
men was wounded, while the bullets whlz2ed
about in way that showed the good judg-
ment Of our fighting Indians in Indian
fashion, /. e., under cover cover. About ten
o'clock, Capt. :. sent orders for MS to return
from the encampment, that he might better
fire with the big guns. So we waded out to
tie boats and returned on board.
The ship continued to play upon the enemy,
after the shore party had returned, with no
doubt great effect. In the evening, Capt.
5. determined TO send another party ashore,
to destroy the remaining canoe, and about 3
o'clock dispatched the launch and first cutter,
full of armed men, in t0w Of the Traveller,
which had howitZer on board, nnder the
command of Lieut.. Forrest, while Lieut..
Semmes led the leading party. This time
we steered straight for the encampment, aud
reached it without the loss of single man.
NOVEMBER, 23d.-Eighty-seven Indians
came on board, after having first sent off
their arms, which comprise as great variety
of guns as | have ever seen. All Of them,
however, still kept long knives about their
persons, and other small weapons, which the
mastar-at arms soon deprived them of. One
fnlIsv, bpI a SnlErnrRiur uistol in his bOOt