Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-04-30
Further Particulars or.he Surprise.
A FEARFUL TRAP-THB RoUT COMPLETE
CONFUSED AND DEMoRALIzED, TIE TROOPS
FALL AN EASY PREY TO THE INDIANS.

FALL AN EASY PREY TO THE INDIANS
LAVA BEDS, April 26-[New York Herald /
special THE force under Capt. Thomas |
which started TO reconnOitre the position sup
posed to be held by the MOdOcs, numbered 90 |
men.
The troops approached the base of the lava |
beds about 1870 A. NJ. Our command were |
brought to q halt and the men allowed to take |
a rest Some say five or six shots were fred, |
and others Only four, but Tichnor states POSI- |
lively that it came from party Of nine In
dlans, who Occupied blun TO the eastward Of
LAVA BEDS April pa reconnOitering
party, composed OF Batteries X and A, 4th
Artillery, and Company T., 18th Infantry, left
camp at 7.3O this morning, proceeding In d.
rection known 70 lead to the present strong
hold OF the ModOcs, Capt. Il. Thomas, of the
4th Artillery, being in command. A dOzenO or
| so Warm Spring Indians were expected to CO.
| operate on Capt. Thomas left. The troops
having formed in line, the skirmlshers adVan-
| ced without molestatiOn untill they arrived at
| the foot Of the blun south of the Lava Beds,
having meanwhile signalled to camp that no
Indians were to be found. On reaching the
bluff the MOdOcs opened severe fire, causing
the troops to seek such shelter as they could
iud in creVices, chasms, &c. AS usual, the
foe was unseen The first position Of the troops
was so exposed that, up to the present writing,
O'Clock, +. Nj, only two OF the wounded
could reach camp, out of nine wounded
Lieut.. Wright OF the Twelfth Infantry, had
sought shelter in crevice, which was par.lc-
ularly open to the Mod0c fire. AS soon as in
formation was received at headquarters rela-
. tive to the peril Of the party, troops were at
once pushed forward thto cir rescue
where the troops were stationed.
, Major Thomas Immediately threw his men
into skirmiShing order, with Lieut.. Wright 8
/ company on the right. The latter, however,
had got into position before they were fianked
! to the right bV party of fourteen other Iudi-
ans. The cross fire on Wrights men proved
0 very demOraliZing, and they broke back In
, confusion, leaving their gallant leader in ar
5 exposed condition and supported by few Of
d his nOn-cOmmissioned officers.
q In the meantime another small party of In
5 dians had obtained position to the left, anC
:. opened raking fire on the batteries Of arti
Il lery. 1t was fearful trap tho troops Wer'
II directly between the fire Of the Indians on tn
IA right and left.
n The rout was complete, and with the excep
y ton of the officers and nOn-commlssioned on
e GERS, majority Of whom lay stretched on tn
o rocks with their lHe-bloOd ebbing fast away
. the watchword was "sauve qui peut" Con
n fused and demOraliZed as they were, the me
n n became an easy prey to the Modocs who. cor
"a fdent in the protection Of their native rock!
= shot them down like so many frightene
deers.
Of Occasionally news was brought in by th
IL scared stragglers, exaggerated in the extren
.. but significant OF some great disaster man
time Of peril, had seen q hundred Indians a
a. around them. Fear had distorted their yisiol
70 and made them so helpless that one eff the
~ number was afterwards found dead on Il
- field, without shot. He had been butchers
~ by knives, and 80 panic struck that be cOu
Mne Ne not fire a shot in his own defence.
~ There was mystery about the attack tn
m nobody appeared to solve as to how the troO
~ ~ were so completely surprised, If in camp Whe
af there were pickets and advanced skirmisheT
1t appeared SO strange that party OF 60 mt
a should be almost surrounded by Indians wit
,Ur out their being aware Of a sign of Indians
.rs far as they could see. This fact alone W
in give the public an idea of the nature Of Il
mi ground on WhichJheSe Indians fight and Whi
I'D our soldiers have to contend against.
ms During the night the Indians were creepi
nd through the rocks to scalp and strip the dea
Of Soldiers coming through Colonel Green's Ii
its told him where the remains OF Batteries X a
No A were to be found. Colonel Green imme,
Q ately moved forward his line to the place
ner dicated, and there, hid in some sage bruS
inc were the bodies of Major Thomas, Lieutens
is LnS Howe, acting Surgeon Stmig, Sergeant Row
S1s and six others. r......
ply Colonel Wright's body lay little to the Ia
IN IN and on the right was Lieutenant Harris,
1sn yerely wounded, and the bodies of five of
-. men, stripped of all their clothing. For
'en 'sa nine were killed and wounded out of a co
mi mand Of siXty-nine men.
/ of FEARS OF A GENERAL INDIAN RISING
avs OREGON. q
the SAN Francisco, April 2O.-A despatch fr
cen Portland, Oregon, tonight, says that l.,
, Indian warriors are camped at White Bl
but Yakima river, above Walla-Walla. putting
'id- breastworks. The settlers are greatly ALA
or "a Tndiane ore Travelling abOnt naintad ,
Aaa- warn the whites to leave the country. .
Spokane Indians are threatening, and .
Ie1t warning the settlers to leave. MassacreS
no those by the MOdOcs are feared.
aunf