Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-05-08
The Modoc w ar!
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tsyutu ( -lI.IEs.E- - t-lu-tdl 4u-u
TERRIBLE CONFLICT.
The Redskins Victorious.
The Lava Beds'Empreg-
lfrsbissT 3 anabte. 1 id j.
9PEkRFUL SLAUGHTER OF
eng 2a OUR TROOPS.!1 D' a.

0 FIRST ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE. I5
' SAN FRANCISCO, April 29.-The fol-
lowing accounts of the battle with the
Modocs are received here: % lsFsn ..s
so,l'''t e.. '',' ".LAvA BEDS, April 26.
GA reconnaissance, composed of Bat
teries X and A, Fourth Artillery, and
Company E, Twelfth Infantry, left
camp at 7:3O this morning, proceeding
in direction known to lead 10 the
present Modoc stronghold, Captain
Thomas, of the 4th Artillery, in COM
mand. A dozen or so of the Warm
Spring Indians were expected to c2'
operate on Capt. Thomas left. The
troops having formed,a a line of skilln-
ishers advanced without Inolestatiou
until they arrived at the foot Of the
bluff south Of the lava beds, having
meanwhile signaled the camp that no
Indians could be found. a i'
s'On reaching the bluff the Modocs
opened severe fire, causing theiToops
to seek such shelter as they could find
in crevices, chasns, &c. As usual the
foe was unseen. The first position be-
came untenable owing TO the fact that
the Indians obtained botha cross and
enflading fire. So exposed was the po-
sition that up to the present time q p.
n.y. only two of the wounded could sc
to the. camp. As nine of the wounded
including Lieutenant Wright, of the
10Th Infantry, had sought Shelter in a
crevice which was particularly open to
the Medoc. fire, grave doubts exist as to
their ultimate safety. .-'.9 .,.:.-...
$50 soon as information was received
at headquarters relative to the peril OF
the parties of troops, aid was at once
pushed forward to their rescue, four
companies being ordered out, two OF
cavalry yifrom this camp, and two from
Col. Mason's. Stretchers for the con-
veyance of the wounded were forward
ed. These latter. are returning just
now, without having achieved the OBJ
ject for which they were intended"
FIGHTING AN. UNSEEN FOE.
The Modocs are armed with Spencer
carbines and breech-loading muskets;
nor is it 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 his natural or artificial
breaStWOrks. .HtH sg q. af..ls
The rocks and the surface of the
ground in many places are torn up by
volcanic action, aud leave crevices,
and they are adaptable for purposes
either of hiding or as points of defense.
Several instances are given where sol
diers, knowing nothing of the topog.
raphy, have come unawares on such
assures, and before they could escape
from their positions were confronted
with willy Indian, rifle leveled, fin
ger on the trigger, and death, or at
least a dangerous wound, the result too
often, while the cowardly redskin es-
capes by.so many paths known only
to themselves. -. ......
AS sample of their treachery ana
cunning, it may not be amiss to state
that a portion of batteries A and X, 4til
Artillery, and Company E, 18th IN
fantry, finding themselves in dangei
of being outflanked, took shelter in q
hollow spot affording a partial cover
for some twenty of them. i4.....
No sooner had they done so than the
Indians, who knew and commanded
every egress from the cavity, and al
that point numbered twenty-one war
riors, detached seven of their, number
on one side, fourteen remaining or
the other, and opened a cross fire OF
the poor fellows, who could not show
head or hand without certainly being
struck. Very few escaped injury, and
the rest were either Killed or wounded
ut is next to impossible to ascertain
the number oflModocso killed and
wounded yesterday Capt. Mckay re
ported that his Warm Spring indians
had taken four scalps. This may be
the whole, or it may be only a portion
of the killed = the Modocs being very
careful to destroy, as far as possible, all