Daily national Democrat., 1860-05-22
9aiIg NatiQnaI lrmotrat.
n,o nnttle near Pyramid Like.


"A. TO that paper an account of the disas-
,.,n. engagement with the Indians, given by
,ot Mcdonald. Joe Baldwin, and Others:
,ortv of Indians, numbering about l5O,
first seen, mounted, and drawn up in
,rd body on low, sandy ridge. Shortly
n.r about two hundred Indians on foot.
m,5e their appearance. Major Ormsby gave
n. command to charge, and the Indians re-
coated from their position.
We here quote from the account:
,Ner charging them about mile in the
Ian sand in different directions, they being
!" a', mali squads in all directions, running and
.a,nrping, our horses got very much fatigued.
Tls Indians on foot, who also had scattered
= squads and who could run faster than our
horses. now commenced firing on us from all
sections We took up position near to
%o lake. where the Indians were first seen.
.al returned their fire for short time. 1t
n,o. now near five o'clock and the engage
',snt had lasted three quarters of an hour :;
ore had been wounded or killed vet, but
o If the horses were hit Just before
~. firing last, five of our party fled from the
eJd and those were the ones who first came
in,o % Virginia City and reported our men all
killed. ,n
,,onders. it was agreed TO retreat some 800
rards to some timber on the bank OF the
I;ror When we came within three hun
1rod Yards of the timber, we found deep
gulch which was well adapted to shelter our
nnrses Orders were given to dismount and
eght from that gulch. We commenced tir-
;ng ON the advancing Indians and held them
IN cbec, some ten minutes. They all had
riAes and muskets which reached surely fur
ther than our shot-guns. At this moment, a
new marty of Indians, on foot, numbering
about 500 or 400, supposed to be Pitt River
Indians were seen to advance from the river
below us. evidently to attack us in the rear
Then A great PANIC seized our men and ma
;oritv of them broke for the river; the 9th
dans we're thus closing in very rapidly. No
more control over the men existed. Major
Ormsby displayed great courage, but had
lost some of his presence of mind. Capts.
Mcdonald and Meredith made an attempt to
ny the men, and succeeded to make a par
tal halt. A portion of them dismouuted
and commenced to fire again, but after few
shots the men commenced to run once more,
perfeclly panic-stricken. The Indians closed
in very fast and the balls came flying as
thick as hail There were only few of our
men wounded as vet and none was killed.
We made rapidly up the river, amongst
some trees, for about 200 yards. The Indians
had now surrounded US entirely, the main
body of them advancing from below us, un-
der cover of trees We then succeeded in
mlying our men at spot about 100 yards
from the Truckee river and got them to dis
mount So soon as they were dismounted
some tried to mount again, but were threat
ened TO te shot by Capt. Mcdonald if they
would attempt to run. Here the main fight
took place, the Indians closing in around
. within sixty yards, they and we firing all
the time. This part of the engagement last
ed 10 or Is minutes. We killed some of the
Indians; and here it was where a number of
our men were wouded, amongst whom was
Henry Meredith. His mule and that of
young Baldwin broke loose during the firing.
and they were left on foot. All our men
then commenced retreating rapidly up the
river Capt. McDonald's party covering the
retreat and keeping up an occasional firing
Amn named b. Lawrence, from Sonoma
county, offered during the retreat to allow
Henry Meredith to mount bis mule behind
hln, but he declined molly, with the remark,
No, sir, it would endanger your life" Five
minutes after this Meredith was overtaken
Sy the Indians, he being the hindmost, young
Baldwin and few Others being some sixty
yards ahead Of him. Some fifty Indians fired
on him one charge, and he fell. He raised
himself on his elbow, took aim and fired both
barrels of his gun, and killed two Indians.
lie next felt for his revolver but it was lost.
PIE Indians then closed in upon him and cut
lim to pieces. Young Baldwin was on foot
for some distance, when Lawrence took him
ip behind him on his mule, and carried him !
Vme nine miles from the battle field
In the meanwhile, the advance of the re-
reatng party, under Major Ormsby, came
nto party of Indians, through whom they
SToke, fighting their way. In this engage
nent the Major was badly wounded by seve-
nl shots, but still kept on his mule for three
Or four miles, when the Indians overlook
him and killed him and Doctor Jader So
Soon as this last line of Indians was broken
through, the rout commenced, and every one
He'd on his own hook, the men throwing away
their arms.
From private letter published in the
Alta written to j. Ward Eaton, of San Fran.
cisco, by his brother at Virginia city, we
make the following extract. 1t gives an ac-
count of the circumstances attending the
death of Maj. Ormsby:
Poor Meredith, God never made better
man. and young Joe Baldwin, both fought as
SsaVe as did ever any men, and to think that
6aldWln, who is only about fifteen years old
should act so coolly and so bravely. He
sought Ike tiger and then there was my
warm friend, Major Ormsbv; poor fellow, he
was shot in the upper part Of his mouth with
eh arrow, In the beginning of the battle, but
he did not mind it at all, till the poison did
aus work. have it from one of the men who
''eiu ms head, while another pulled the ar
row That they got the arrow out, but the
OarO remained. Then he was shot in the
arm, and again through the shoulders, from
one side to the other; still he remained on
hs horse till it was shot from under him, and
then he took young Baldwn's mule, and re-
manned on it till he could stand it no longer,
and then Baldwin helped to take him off his
mule and placed his saddle bags under his
head, when Ormsby says, Ego on boys, you
can do no more for mel" and in few minutes
be was no more. One Indian was killed, af-
ierwards, in the act of scalping him, and
Baldwin killed another Indian very near to
him, that was about scalping one of the party.
THE business of egg hunting in the Faral-
lone Islands has commenced. The Alta says:
The eggs of the muhrr are not so good as
mems eggs, but are, nevertheless, useful as in
gredients in a variety of confectionery, pud-
dlngs, etc. The birds flock there in such
numbers that it is difficult to avoid killing
t2em-the female remaining on the nest until
me last moment, and then, when driven from
Ine place, fitting close about the heads Of