Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-02-12
THE MOD0C WAR.
The Recent Fatal Battles with the Noun
tain Tribes Of Indians.
How Our Troops were Defeated Incl.
dents and Operations at the Camps.
The Oregon State Troops Marching Two
Hundred Miles through Mud
Knee Deep-HerOes All.

. a
least, are terribly disappointed at thei
failure to dislOdge him. The only thin.
that can be done now is to await for th,
reinforcements which are on the road
and, in the meantime, prevent the In
dians from raiding on the settlers. Gen
eral Wheaton has disposed of his force
In such a manner that Captain
Jack will have to keep to hi
| camp. He has stationed his troops
at different points around the lava beds
and from each point scouts are sent ou
| to patrol the country and keep watch o
| the willy foe. Meanwhile preparation.
| for a renewal of the conflict are beins
made, but the condition of the country
makes haste in this matter impossible
The troops are acting in thinly settled
out-of-the-way place, far away from
lines of communication and from theil
base of supplies. The roads are horrible,
All supplies for the troops have to be
sent one hundred miles BY wagons and
packtTains through mud hub-deep,
and to accomplish this distance days and
days are required. y more unfavorabIe
season could not have been chosen to
carry on this war than the present, and
when the Government comes to foot the
bill it will so find out. The reinforce
ments which are on the way from San
Francisco and ether points are making
slow progress. The Presidio troops, un-
der Captain Throckmorton, have only
accomplished twenty-five miles of the
one hundred and eighty they have to
make to reach the front. They have
been three days doing this.
They have, perhaps, done pretty well.
The company from Camp CASTOR have
not been heard from since they left, now
nearly a week ago, while the cavalry,
which are on the way from Camp Hal
leck, are not expected under ten days.
Three more companies have been sent
down from the Columbia river, but these
may not get to the front for month yet,
as they have march Of over two hun
dred miles of mud knee-deep. 1t will
thus be seen that the work of reducing
Captain Jack is one that is likely to
take months TO accomplish. Meanwhile
the willy old Indian lies in his Iava-bed
and laughs in his sleeve at the trouble
aud expense he is putting his Great
Father 10. He has won two
fights, and is Of course elated. He
considers himself as safe in his
lair now as he would be if there
were no troops within a thousand miles
of him, and he no doubt has good rea-
son to believe so. He has killed thirty
men all told since the war began, and
has lost but one warrior, and that one
in the first fight. IH the last battle he
lost none at all, as all here cOncede. l
have seen no one yet that claims that
single Indian was even injured. All
this has made Captain Jack more impu-
dent and saucy than ever. There are
some funny incidents of the late battle
which have not yet been printed, but
which go to show the brazen effrontery
OF these Indians more than anything
else. About noon of the day of the
fight, while Fairchild's company were
in the very hottest of it, p. A. Doris,
one Of Fairchild's men, suddenly heard
a voice from above him, apparently
not more than forty feet off.
He looked up and could Just see
the fog into little crevice in
the rocks. There were two Indian faces,
which he at once recognized as belong
ing to Bogus Charlie and Prank the
latter the same who accompanied Doris
and Fairchild when they went into Cap
tain Jacks camp six weeks ago. Quick
as lightning Doris lodged behind
rock, when the two Indians began to
laugh and jeer him. "Hiu' said Frank,
''YOu old man Doris, why you no 90
home and stay there? What for you
come here TO fight MOdOcS? You say
you no want to fight. We no want TO
fight you. You SiskiyOu boys better all
60 home. You can't get Injun out of
lava bed.n Doris made no answer, but
stood behind the rock, out of harms
way. Just then Colonel Green, who
heard the talk, came up and called to
his men, "Charge on that place, BOYS,
and route out those two indians
There's only two of thsmw The men
were met with the fire Of three or four
rifles from the crevices in the rock, and
at 'em, boysw yelled Colonel Green.
''Oh, yes, that's all good" shouted BO-
gus Charlie from behind the rocks. "Up
and at 'em! but why you no come up
and at 'em yourself? ? YOU'RE q pretty
soldier! Why for you no come your
self, eh?" Colonel Green could not
stand this taunt, ard he made one spring
at the rocks. The Indians fired at him,
but the fog was just thick enough to
render their aims imperfect. The sol
iiers followed the Colonel, but before
they could climb up TO the point, the
Indians lodged back, and their jibes and
eers died away in the distance. Ten
afterward Doris came
out from behind his rock and
groped his way through the fog He
hadn't got but ten steps when he heard
Bogus Charley's voice again from an
other direction. He looked, and as the
fog lifted a little be saw the Indians
head just above a rock. "Hi! you old
Doris; why you no go home? Nobody
want to kill you; you want to kill me.
You come up here.n Doris lifted his
gun, but before he got it up Charley
twisted his fingers at the end of his nose
and with leer lodged behind the rock
and was seen no more. All through the
fight the Indians had several scalp-poles
planted on the rocks, each with several
white scalps dangling to it. These have
the same significance that battle-dag
usually has. Every once in while
they would come up and shake the poles
In a suggestive manner, and then dodge
behind the rocks. The savages all
fought without clothes, save a elout
about their loins. They fought with
terrible desperation, and had it not been
for the fog It is certain hundreds, instead
Of tens, would have been killed. Fair
ehilds and his men got possession of the
spot where his interview was held, but
was unable to keep it, the Indian fire from
the rocks above being too hot for hu-
man endurance. Fairchilds got behind
some rocks to protect himself from fire,
and while there Shack Nasty Jim and
Scar Face Charlie, who were not twenty
rods off, rode up from behind their shell
Ter and called out, "Hi, John, come I'D
here and get some supper. We've got
more to eat than you have" Mr.. Fair
childs did not go TO sup with the In
1ians, but when the fog thickened got
down on his back and rolled out Of the
line Of fire.
HOW THE TROOPS FOUGHT.
Fairchilds's men say that the troops
fought like tigers. None of them
aud if the fog had not covered
everything they would have scaled the
rocky walls like cats. In fact there
seems to have been no faltering, nor
anywhere. All did their duty
From all can learn it was
the sharpest fight that ever took place
In California. 1t ended disastrously for
our side, but it was none the less gal
Iant affair, and all concerned in it de-
serve the fullest measure of praise. Col
onel Wheaton had for weeks been pre-
pairing for the fight, and had disposed
bis forces, as he thought, in manner
that could not fail of victo-
~ when the moment of attack
came. That he failed is due