Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-30
THE INDIAN WARS.
Another ModOc Massacre Last Sat
urday.

urday.
The Troops Ambushed and Butchered
Narrowing Details of the Slaughter
Fl Killed, 5 Missing and % Wounded
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, April ga
courier arrived reports another terrible fight
with the Modocs in which nineteen of our
men were killed, including Capt. Thomas
and Lieut.. Howe of the Fourth artillery,
Lieut.. Wright of the Twelfth infantry, and
twenty three wounded, including Lieut..
Harris of the Fourth artillery. Others are
missing. Particulars soon.
From the Lava Beds Saturday.
LAVA BEDS, April 26.-A reconnaissance
composed of batteries < and A of the
Fourth artillery and company E of the
Twelfth infantry left camp at 7:3O this
morning, proceeding in the direction known
to lead 10 the present Modoc stronghold,
Capt. e. Thomas of the Fourth artillery
being in command. A, dozen or so Warm
Sp,ing Indians were expected to co operate
on Capt. Thomas left. The troops having
formed a line of skirmishers, advanced
without molestation until they arrived at
the foot of bluff south of the lava beds,
having meanwhile signalled the camp that
no Indians had neen found. On reaching
the bluff, the Modocs opened a severe fire,
causing the troops to seek such shslter as
they could find in creVices and chasms, and,
as usual, the foe was unseen. Their
first position becoming untenable,
owing to the fact taht the In
dams obtained both a cross aud
enflading fire, was so exposed a position
that up to the present writing q P. NJ. }
only two wounded could 20 to camp. As
nine wounded, including Lieut.. Wright of
the 18th infantry, had sought shelter in a
crevice which was particularly open to the
Modoc fire, grave doubts exist OF their ulti-
mate safety. So soon as information was
received at headquarters relative to the
peril Of these parties, troops in aid were at
once pushed forW ard to their rescue, four
companies being ordered out, two of caVsl-
ay from this camp and two from Col. Ma
sons. Stretchers for The conveyance of the
wourde. were forwarded; these latter re-
turning just now without having achieved
the object for which they were intended.
Poor fellowsi bitter cold night at least is
before them. 1t is barely possible from the
character of the enemy to conceive
that some OF them no longer heed
cold or heat. Their comrades, who are
coming in camp, show plainly by their de-
meanor the heartfelt sorrow they feel for
them, but they are powerless in the matter.
The wounded, so far as can be learned just
now, are first Sergeant Clifton, OF company
E., 18th infantry; private John 81. Clifford,
of battery K, 4th artillery, twice; private
John Lynch, of battery K, 4th artillery,
since dead; private Joseph j. Mclaughlin,
of battery K, 4th artillery; private VIM.
Mccoy, of battery K, 4th artillery, twice;
private Michael Wallace, of battery f., 4th
artillery, since dead; private Joseph Brad
erick, of battery K, 4th artillery; Lieut..
Wright, Of 18th infantry, reported danger
ously wounded; Lieut.. Harris, 4th artil-
lery, struck with spent ball, but not in
jured much.
News to Sunday A. M.
$50 A. M, April PA dispatch received
from Col. Green of the first cavalry who
went out with reinforCements yesterday
morning, shows the surprise to have been
much more terribly fatal than was at first
supposed. The dispatch states that Capt.
Thomas and Lieut.. A. K. Howe, of the 4th
artillery, were killed; Lieut.. Harris, of the
Alb artillery, badly, perhaps mortally,
wounded; Lieut.. Cranston, of the 4th ar
tillery, missing. A full list of killed and
wounded cannot now be obtained, but it is
known that privates Ward of battery K and
Parker Collins of battery A are killed; pri-
Yates Boyle of company E, 18th infantry,
and one other man of tine same company,
missing. 1t is supposed the ModOcs burned
the bodies Of the two latter. In addition
to the list given above, First Sergeant Robt.
Roemer of battery A, and private John
Higgins of battery K, 9TH artillery, are CIV
en- as badly wounded; Matt. Murphy of COM
pany E, 18th infantry, James Noble and
Charles Cuff of battery A, 4th artillery,
slightly; acting assistant surgeon B. S.
Meigs as wounded in two places while at
tending the wounded troops.
Sunday p. NJ.
5P. NJ, April 27.-From q second dis
patch sent by Col. Green, it appears that
there are now collected and waiting convey
ance at camp, sixteen men killed, including
Capt. Thomas and Lieut.. Howe, of the Alb
artillery; Lieut.. Wright, of the 18th infan-
try, and eight wounded, including Lieut..
Harris, of toe 4th artillery. These added
to the number of wounded men above
cited, show a large per centsge of casual
ties for the small number of men en-
gagged, some sixty or seventy-one. The
Modocs are armed with Spencer carbines,
breach leading muskets. Nor is it a single
instance only where one Modoc has been
known TO have possession of two or more
Spencer rifles, enabling him to keep up
rapid fire of shots from bis natural or arti-
fetal breast work of rock. The surface Of
the ground in many places is torn up by g
volcanic action, leaving crevices, aud these
are adaptable for the purposes either Of
hiding or of points of defense. In
several instance soldiers knowing nothing
of the topography, have come unawares on
such assures and, before they could escape
their positions, we're confronted with willy
Indian, rifle leveled, his finger on the trig-
ger, and death or at least dangerous
wound the result. Too often the coward
lv redskins escape by so many paths known
only to themselves. As sample of their
treachery and cunning it may not be amiss
to state that portion of batteries A and <,
4th artillery, and company E, 18th infantry,
finding themselves in danger of being out
tlanked, took shelter in hollow spot at
fording partial cover for some twenty.
No sooner had they done so than the In
dams, who knew and commanded every
egress from the cavity at that point, num-
berirg twenty-one warriors, detached seven
of their number on one side and the four
teen remaining on the other, aud opened
cross fire on the poor fellows, who could
not show a head or hand without the GER
tainty of being struck. Very few escaped
injury. The rest were either killed or
wounded.
1t is next to impossible to ascertain the
number of Modocs killed or wounded.
Cap. Mckay reported that bis Warm
Springs Indians had taken four scalps.
This may be the whole, or may be only a
portion of the killed, the Modocs being very
careful to destroy as far as possible all traces
of their casualties, burrying their dead in
caves or burning the dead bodies. Their
wounded are supposed to be hidden in
caves. But few of them have been seen
so far.
Justice to the memory of the gallant
dead compels the record of the following
well authenticated facts: When Capt.
Thomas found himself and men surround
ed by the vindictive foe, true to his nature
as a soldier, be sought to cheer the soldiers
on tn the hitter end, and obtain possibly life