Daily national Democrat., 1858-09-09
FORT TAYLOR,
rbhl i LOhi
JUNCTION OF Two CANON AND SNAKE RIVER,
WASHINGTON TERRITORY. Aup. is. 1S5S

WASHINGTON TERRITORY, Aug. Is, 1858.
As you are aware, we left San Franc
on the 14th of June Since that time we
have slowly, but with as much celeritv as is
consistent with the magnitude of the enter.
prise, kept on our way steadily to this point,
distance of about two hundred miles from
Fort Dalles, O. T. We left the latter place
July 5th. Our command then consisted of
four Artillery companies, train of forty wa.
gons, and about the same number of pack
animals. On the 10Th July the command
arrived at Fort Walla- Walla, having march.
ed about one hundred and eighty miles in
fourteen days Considering the nature of
the country and the state of the road, this
was pretty well. What country for dust !
Sometimes it was so dense that it was impos-
sible to distinguish objects within a few feet
of US Imagine men marching closely to-
gether, forty rounds in the cartridge box, and
eighteen or twenty pounds in the shape of a
gun on the shoulder, the thermometer about
l0l in the shade, (when there was any shaded
closely enveloped in impalpable dust, the sun
pouring its scorching rays on their heads, no
water IN the canteens and the best portion
of twenty or twenty-five miles march still
before them, with no water on the route short
of the terminus, and you can form perhaps
lAiht luCh vi liiG lCllCtbltS ulIcUuhDL upon
hunting Siwashes in Washington Territory.
AT WallaWalla our command was rein
forced with two Artillery companies from
Southern California. Thus strengthened. we
marched for this place or the 7th of August.
and here we are waiting for reinforcements
They are to consist of four companies of Ora.
goons, averaging about forty men each, and
two companies OF the 9th Infantry, Riflemen,
(Shanghaes) both companies numbering 80
men.
Thus far we have met no foemen worthy
of our steel The Snakes or Shoshones have
been about our path, but we have not mo
Tested them. Our energies will be directed
against the Spokan, Pelouse and Ceur
d'Alene Indians and their allies, which latter
will probably be mixture of parts of al. th
Indian tribes in the territory, with the ex-
ception Of the Cayuse and Wala tribes. A
treaty has been made between the United
States and Nez Perces (the particulars of
which | am not at liberty to explain) by
which we secure the nation as allies We
take thirty of their young men with us
against the hostiles and the renowned
chiefs Spotted Eagle, Captain John, and an
other who says he has no Boston name. He
told me his Siwashe name, but it is beyond
my poor abilities either to speak or write it.
These Indians are dressed ia our Infantry
uniform, and make it a point to wear every
thing that is given to them in that shape,
even to the black glazed cover for the cap,
and the blue worsted pompon. The object,
Of course, in dressing them thus is to distin.
glish them from other Indians. They strut
about in their new dress, doubtless imagining
themselves the Brummels of these wilds, and
indeed they look uncommonly well.
We have nearly completed field-work at
this place with hanking stockade towers
This tield.work is intended to protect the
crossing of Snake river, which is difficult (;
and if the river should prove navigable for
steamboats to the mouth of the Tu canyon,
think it not improbable that post viii be
established here. AT any rate it will be a
depot for some time to come for supplies for
the campaigning party; and | believe it is
the intention to leave one company of Artil-
lery and two six-pounders to garrison the
tield-work until we return to this point again
The work is built of stone
1t is thought that the season is too far ad-
vanced to do much against the hostile Indi
ans until spring The policy Of the savages
seems to be to burn the grass (now as dry as
POWDER before us and retreat, keeping up
guerrilla warfare. They may give us fight
terms offered them by General Clarke, and
declare their intention Of "war to the knife" !"
The defeat of Colonel Steptoe's snail and
unprepared party has encouraged them to
think they can also defeat us. Nevertheless
they are enemies not to be despised. Unlike
the sAvages further south, they are brave
They are well armed, have abundance of
ammunition, furnished them, it is said, by
the Hudson Bay Company,) and are beauti-
ful skrmishers. They can bring from a thou
sand to fifteen hundred armed warriors to
meet us, They are fighting for their homes
They are a formidable enemy.
We shall cross Snake river about the 23d
of this month, with the force hereinafter
enumerated, and that stream once passed. We
are fairly on our campaign The Indians
have sent us word that if we cross, we shall
never return. Nous UerronS. The force emu
merated consisted of 600 men.