The Shasta courier., 1866-04-21
SH HASTA COURIER.
A "Reminiscences of the War.

Maurice" writing to the Boise City
Statesman, from Soda Springs, |. T., re
lates the following circumstances of an
affair that took place in that Territory.
which we have never before seen in print
In the spring of 1862, when the rebellion
was putting forth all its strength, and when
the North had just opened on year of hope,
a Captain Jackson and a man named Davis,
well known in California, raised small
company of men in that State, with the
avowed purpose of joining the insurgent
army then in Arkansas. This company
we'll armec and equipped, clandestinely de
parted from the limits of California, and
struck out on their long and tedious jour-
ney across the plains, with the grand end in
view of assisting in the overthrow of the
Government, and being present at the de
cease of the great American Republic -
They took the old emigrant road through
the Humboldt country. and in due course OF
time reached the City of Rocks, past which
place the Overland Stage Lines route runs
to Boise City. They reached that point on
the morning of the Sth of September, 1862,
and from unmistakable signs there found,
they were made aware of the presence of
Indians in their reighborhcod, and that
they had been engaged in overhaulirg and
numbering train of emigrants. Fearing to
halt, lest they might be surrounded and
surprised by the red skins, they pursued
their journey, hoping to reach the Raft
River valley Lefore the Indians should know
of their presence. While descending the
slope from the City Of Rocks towards the
valley, they came upon quite party of
Indians, who, although surprised at their
appearance, showed no symptoms of hos
tility. They came forward and invited
Capt. Jackson and his men to come to their
camp, which they said was over the noun
tain, where they had plenty of beef. Fear
ing their treachery, Capt. jackson de.
clined, and leading his men, pushed ahead
for Raft River valley. They had gone but
a few miles-it was about noon in the day,
"a beautiful, glorious day, not cloud to dot
the sky-when they found that their fore
bodings as to the treachery of the red skins
were about to be realized. The Indians,
who had spent the summer numbering trains
of pilgrims, were not satiated with their
bloody Deeds and did not intend to let an
opportunity of entrapping and massacring
small party so well mounted and ornament
ed, 90 by. AS they looked on each side.
they saw the Indians coming upon them at
every point. These men were brave, but
they saw little hope. encompassed as they
were by the savages. The fight began
the little band fought desperately, and en-
deavored to get to the shelter of bluff
Many redskins had bit the dust, and but one
or two of the whites we're wounded, when to
the right of the road. and through ii canyon,
came another and larger body of redskins. =
The leader was bedecked with all the
regalia of the Indian warrior. This leader
was the formidable and cruel Pocatelo.-
Behind Pocatelo came another leader of
the band, mounted upon superb white
horse, and upon flagstaff he waved aloft
the glorious banner of our country, the
ensign of freedom the Star r-spangled
Banner" When the band of wouldbe aid
ers of treason saw the banner of their coun-
try borne aloft by their savage foes, and as
it was always in the thickest of the fire, in
all its resplendent glory, they became dis
heartened, lessened their. fire, were sur
rounded, shot and mutilated and but five of
their number escaped to tell the tale
| have narrated this story as it came from
the mouth of captain of train that found
those men who escaped, some nine davs
after the fight, in dying condition from
starvation ard exposure. This is the story
that they themselves told, it was indeed a
sad ending of that reasonable expedition
1t was afterwards ascertaned that Poca
telo had obtained that flag from party of
emigrants whom he and his band had mas
sacred, and whose train they had plundered