Ottumwa weekly courier., 1877-08-15
10 AHEAD /!
Lawless Sayages Get the
Better of Troops. in
Montana.
Gen. Gibbons Makes q Disas.
tr0us Attack on q Nez
Perces Camp.
And after q Bloody Fight 10
Repulsed With Great
Loss.

Loss.
Captain Logan and Lieutenant
Bradley Among the officers
Killed.
Other 0Mcers Wounded ana Ma
ny Men Among the Killed
and Wounded.
Frantic Appeals 70 Gov. Roass, Of
Montana, for All Kinds Of
1clief. ~
SALT LAKE, Aug. n.-A dispatch
rom Helena, says, the following was
received this morning:
BIG HOLE, Montana, Aug. 9.-To
Governor Potts:-We had a hard fight
with the Nez Perces, killing number
and losing number of officers and
men. We need q doctor and cvery-
thing. Send us relief as soon as you
ean. JOHN GIBBoN, Col. Comd'g.
AN APPEAL FOR AID.
Big HOLE, Aug. 9.--Gor. Potts--We
are here near the mouth of Big Hole
Pass, with q large number of wound
ed, in want of everything-food,
clothing, medicines and medical at
Send us assistance at once.
JOHN GInBoN, Col. Comd'g.
DRIVEN BACK WITH HEAVY LOSS.
Governor Potts:-We had q hard
fight and took the village, but were
finally driven back with heavy loss.
Capt. Logan and Lieut.. Bradley are
among the killed. Gen. Gibbon and
Lieuts. Coolidge, English and Wood
ruff are wounded-Englsh seriously,
others slightly. The troops are en-
trenched and the Indians are leaving.
When the messenger left Gen. Glib
bon said, 81 want an escort sufficient
to protect the wagons which are go
ing in to relieve us; load the wagons
as light as possible. The Indians
have cut me Off"
FULL ACCOUNT OF THE DISASTER.
DEER LODGE, Aug. IL, "a. NV.
h. Edwards has just arrived from
Big Hole, bringing accounts of the
terrible battle between Gibbons COM
mand and the Nez Perces on the Big
Hole river, ON August 9. Gibbons
command, consisting of 1872 men-l7
officers, l33 regulars and 80 citizen
volunteers-crossed over from Ross
Hole on Wednesday, starting at ii
o'clock. On the same night they
moved down all the troops with the
exception of q few left to guard the
transportation. A few miles above,
close to the Indian camp, which was
made on the Big Hole, three miles
below, where the Bitter Root and
Bannock Trail crosses. At daylight
this morning
THE FIGHT WAS OPENED
by the volunteers firing on and kill
ing an Indian going after horses. A
charge was then made on the camp
and hard fighting occurred for the
next two hours, during which time
large numbers of men and Indians
were killed. The soldiers then chsrg.
ed on the lodges, but were repulsed
in the attempt. The Indians then at.
tempted to oust them from the high
wooded points, but the soldiers charg.
ed, and, driving the Indian advance
from 1t, held it, and at once fortified
The fighting continued all day and
was still progressing fitfully when
the courier left, at IL O'Clock. The
FIGHTING WAS DESPERATE
on both sides, full force of indiana
being in the fight. Capt. Logan and
Lieut.. Bradley were killed. Gen
Gibbon, Capt. Williams, and Lieuts
Coolidge, English, and Woodruff
were wounded, Gen. Gibbon only
slightly. Bradley was the first man
killed. The messenger says that aft.
they failed to capture tho lodges the
Indians moved their camp of in the
direction of Bannock, all their horses
being captured.
The messenger had to come to
French Gulch, nearly sixty miles on
foot.
Another messenger was sent to
Howard, who should have reached
there, to-day.
THE HowITzER
had been left six miles behind and
was ordered to be moved up at day.
light. During the fight they heard
it discharged twice, and then it was
silent.
A band of Indians soon after ap.
peared with a large band of horses
and it is believed all the horses of the
command, the guns, their supplies
rngnrVn ~ N I NJ nj vuow
tured. Gen. Gibbon thought wher
the courier left there he still had lOl
effective men, and believed the In.
dians had nearly all withdrawn from
his front.
THE TERRIBLE LOSS.
The messenger says he thinks one
hundred Indians were killed and
nearly half the command, including
the citizens, were killed or wounded
AID.
Gen. Gibbon has sent for medi.
cines, surgeons, supplies, etc. DIR
Mitchell will leave, to-day, with an
escort. Gen. Gibbon particularly
asks for ambulance wagons to come
under escort, and every available
wagon will 60 forward from here
and Butte. 1t was
ONE OF THE HARDEST INDIAN FIGHTS
ON RECORD,
and Gen. Gibbons command made q
most gallant and desperate fight
against overwhelming odds.
DEER LODGE, Aug. ii, 10 A. M
Governor: All the men we want are
here to escort the wagons. We are
rushing up the wagons, stores, ice,
etc. Eighty out of one hundred and
eighty men are killed or wounded.
Tho Indian Battle.
SAN Francisco, Aug. 13.-The fol.
lowing dispatch has been received al
military headquarters in this city.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF
COLUMBIA, in the Field, Gibbons bat
tle-feld, Valley of Big Hole, M. T.,
Aug. Ito Adjutanl General OF
the Military Department Of the Pa
cific, San Francisco: Reached Gen.
Gibbons at 10 q. m, to-day. He as
sailed the Indians at daylight ON the
9th, inflicting great losses upon them.
His own casualties were scyen off.
GERS, fifty men and ten citizens killed
and wounded. Gen. Gibbon il
wounded, but not seriously. Sup.
plies were not cut off as reported.
Gen. Gibbons command is in the
best Of spirits. The last of the In
dians left last night. / shall contin-
tinue pursuit as soon as my com.
mand comes up. HOWARD,
Brig. Gen. commanding Dept. ol
Columbia.
CHICAGO, Aug. l3-Thc following
dispatch was received at military
headquarters, to-day:
Big HOLE Pass, Aug. 11.-My loss
in the battle of the 9th was seven off,
GERS and fifty-three men, killed and
wounded. am satisfied the Indians
suffered much more, for the surprise
was complete and many were killed
IN the teepes or running out. Forty
Il TnAsnnc knJ -