Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1873-04-30
PACIFIC COAST DISPATCHES.
FROM
The .Modoc War

another victory for the Savages-
Sixty Of h Troops Killed aid
Wounded Captain Thomas and
Lieuts. Howe and Wright among
the Killed Full Particulars
YREKA, April g.
a courier arrived at 4 O'Clock this
morning, bringing intelligence of an
other terrible fight with the Modocs
OH Saturday, i'm which 10 were killed,
including Captain Thomas and Lieu
tenant Howe, of the Fourth Artillery,
and Lieutenant Wright, of the
Twelfth Infantry. T%wenty-three
were wounded. including Lieutenant
Harris, OF the Fourth Artillery.
LAVA BED, April 26.
"A reconnaissance was made this
morning in the direction known
to lead to the present Modoc strong
hold. Captain T.. Thomas was in
command with a few Warm Spring
Indians on the left. They advanced
without molestation to the foot of the
bluff south of the Lava Bed. On
reaching the bluffs, the Modocs
opened fire, causing our troops to seek
shelter among the rocks. The foe
was unseen. The Modocs having a
cross-tire on Dur troops, they retired.
Many of our troops were killed or
wounded. AS SOo as the inforIna-
ton was received at headquarters,
fOur companies of cavalry were sent
out to their relief. Stretchers for the
conveyance OF the wounded were also
sent, but these have just returned
without having achieved their object.
.LATER.-o 80 A.. NJ, April PA
dispatch just sent from Col. Green,
who went out with achievements,
shows the surprise to have been much
more complete and terribly fatal
then at first supposed. Captain
Thomas and Lieutenant Howe are
killed. Lieutenant HARRIS is badly,
perhaps fatally, wounded. Lieuten-
ant Cranston is missing. A full list
of the killed and wounded cannot he
obtained.
STILL LATER.-Gr. NJ, April o.
From a second dispatch sent by Col
onel Green. it appears there are now
to camp 16 men killed, Ncluding
Captain Thomas and Lieutenant A..
Howe. of the Fourth artillery,
and Lieutenant Wright, of the
Twelfth Infantry; and eight wounded,
including Lieutenant Harris, of the
Fourth Artillery. These, added to the
number of wounded men above cited,
show q very large percentage of cas-.
ultieS from the small number of men
engaged. Sixty or sixty-one are
readily accounted for. When one
considers that many of tire Modocs
are armed with Spencer carbines and
brecch-lOading muskets, the result is
not surprising. Nor is it a single in
stance only, where n ModOc has
been known to have in his possession
two or o Spencer rifles, enabling
him to keep up a rapid fire of shots
work of rock. AS a sample of their
cunning, it may not be amiss to state
that a potion of batteries A and X, of
The Fourth Artillery, and Company
Seventeen of the infantry, finding
themselves in danger Of being out
thanked, took shelter i'm a hollow spot,
atfording them partial cover. There
were some twenty in all. No sooner
had they done so than the Indians,
who knew and commanded every
egress from this cavity, and at that
point numbered twenty-one warriors,
detached seven of their number to
II side, fourteen remaining on the
other, and opened a cross-fire OH the
poor fellows who could not show
head or hand without an almost GER
o'Iit Va ''liiS StIuCh "A very lew
escaped uliniured. The rest were
killed or wounded. 1t is next to i'm
possible To ascertain the number Of
MOdor> killed or wounded Yesterday,
but Canttin Mckay reported to-day
that his Warm Spring Indians had
taken four scalps. This may be the
whole or ii may be q portion of those
killed. the Modocs being very careful
to destroy, as far as possible, all
traces of their casualties, and bring
their dead into caves, and covering
them with rocks; or, if this be not
practicable, burning the dead bodies.
Their wounded. it is supposed, are
hidden in caves, as but few of them
have been seen 50 far.
LATER FROM THE LAVA BEDS,
April 2S-6A A. NJ.
The troops, with the killed and
wounded, are returning. In many
instances it would be difficult to recog-
nize the dead but for some article of
dress known to have belonged to
them. Indian barbarity has, when
ever practicable. defaced the lima
ments of those thus killed to an ex-
tent that few of the Indian pace
policy upholders would readily be-
lieve.
Following is a complete list Of the
killed and wounded now in camp:
KILLED.
Captain E. Thomas, Fourth Artil-
lery, Battery A ; Lieutenant A. Howe,
Fourth Artillery, Battery A; private
Robert s. Romer, Fourth Artillery,
Battery A; private - Parker, Fourth
Artillery, battery A; private James
Rose, Fourth Artillery, Battery X ;
private John Ward, Fourth Artillery,
Battery X; private Michael Wallace,
Fourth Artillery. Battery X Lieu
tenant Thomas Wright, Twelfth In
fantry, Company L; private Grieb,
Twelfth Infantry, Company e; citi-
zen Lewis Weber, Siskiyon county :
private VIM. Boyle, Company e,
Twelfth Infantry +; private - How
ard, Company L, Twelfth Infantry ;
private = Newsburg, Company f,
Twelfth Infantry.
In addition to the foregoing eight
men were buried on the field, where
the names could not be ascertained.
Lieutenant Arthur Cranston and four
men Of Battery a are missing.
WOUNDED.
Private Joseph Frederick, Battery
A, Fourth Artillery, in the left thigh;