Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-08-15
THE INDIAN WAR.
GENERAL nowAnp's MOVEMENTS

I
We need doctor and everything
Send US such relief as you can.
JoHN GIBBos,
~ <A ~zAS * .esssrvs
Potts /! We are here near the mouth Of
Big Hole pass, with large number Of
wounded men, in want Of everything
food, clothing, medicine and medical
attendance. Send us assistance al
once. JOHN GIBBoN,
Colonel U. S. Army.
Another dispatch TO Governor Potts
ave had hard fight and took the
village, but were finally driven back
with heavy loss Captain Logan and
Lieutenant Bradley are killed. Gen.
Gibbon and Lieut.. Coolidge, English
and Woodruff are wounded, Lieuten.
ant English seriously and tho Others
slightly. Tho troops are entrenched
and the Indians leaving"
When the messenger was leaving
Big Hole General Gibbon said II
want an escort sufficient to protect the
wagons which are coming in TO relieve
US. Load the wagons as lightly as
possible. The Indians have cut me of
from my supplies"
DEER LoDoE, NJ. r., August 11-9
A. NV. Ii. Edwards has just arriv-
ed from Big Hole, bringing accounts
Of terrible battle between Gen. Glib
bon's command and the N ez Perces, on
the Big Hole river, August 9. Gibbons
command, consisting of 1872 mon, II
officers, 1873 regulars and 32 citizen
volunteers--crossed over from Ross
Hole on Wednesday. Starting mt II
o'clock the same night they moved
down all Of the troops, with the ex.
ccption Of few left to guard the
transportation few miles above, close
TO the Indian camp, which was on the
Hole, about three miles below where
the Bitter Root and Bannock trail
crosses. At daylight the fight opened
by the volunteers firing on an Indian
going after the horses. The charge
was then made on the Indian camp
and some hard fighting took place in
the next two hours during which
time large numbers of our men and Of
the Indians were killed. The soldiers
then charged the lodges, but were re-
pulsed. The Indians then attempted
to cut the soldiers from high, wood
cd point, but the latter charged, beat
ing back the Indian advance from the
point, which they held and at once
fortified. Fighting continued all day,
and was still progressing fitfully when
the courier left at eleven o'clock. The
fighting was desperate on both sides,
the full force of Indians being in the
fight.
The messenger says that after the
troops failed to capture the lodges the
Indians moved their camp Off in the
direction of Bannock. All their horses
were captured and the messenger had
to come to French Gulch, nearly sixty
miles, on foot. Another messenger
was sent TO General Howard, who
should have reached there to-day.
The howitzer had been left six miles
behind and was ordered to be moved
up at daylight. During the fight they
heard it discharged twice and then il
was silent, A band of Indians soon
afterappeared with a number of horses,
and it is believed that all the horsesof
the command, the gun, supplies and
reserve ammunition were captured.
When the messenger left General Glib
bon thought he still had one hundred
effective men, and believed that nearly
all of the Indians had withdrawn from
his front
The messenger says he thinks one
hundred Indians were killed, and that
nearly halt Of the command, including
the citizens, were killed or wounded.
General Gibbon has sent for medicines,
surgeons, supplies, etc. DIR. Mitchell
will leave today with an escort, Gen.
Gibbon particularly asks for ambulance
wagons TO come under escort, and
every available wagon will 90 forward
from here and Butte.
DEER LoDoE, August lilo AM
TO Governor Potts We have oil the
men we want here to escort wagons.
We are rushing out wagons, stores, ice,
etc. Eighty or one hundred are killed
or wounded.
General John Gibbon, commanding
the Seventh regiment OF infantry, who
is reported wounded, was distinguish
cd officer OF the Union army during
the period OF the war of the rebellion.
He was a native of Pennsylvania, and
was appointed to the West Point mill.
tary academy in 1912, from the State
of North Carolina. He graduated the
Both of June l847. In last years
operations against the hostile savages
under Sitting Bull General Gibbon
rendered most important service com.
ing from the west to the rescue of the
disordered columns of Terry and
Crook, which sought the hostiles in
tho Big Horn country, from the east
and south, and found them to the dis
aster Of our arms. In the present
contest he was cooperating with Gen
cral Howard to check the march OF
Joseph and his bands of hostile Nez
Perces.
DEER LoDaE, Montana, August H.
Two couriers in from General How
ards command says he was eighteen
miles distant from Gibbon and would
reach there early on the llth. No
further particulars have been received
from the battlefield except the report
that Gibbons camp and guns were
captured.
HELENA, NJ. T., August ia cour-
Ter from General Gibbon arrived at
Deer Lodge, Montana, at half past
threo this afternoon, with dates to the
llth inst. Gibbons supply train and
camp were not captured as was at first
reported. There was no fighting after
the first days battle on the 9th. Glib.
bon's losses are Captain Lyon, Lieut..
Bradley and Boshorick, and seventeen
men and five citizens killed. The
wounded are General Gibbon, Captain
Williams, Lieutentants Coolidge, Wood.
ruff and English, the latter seriously,
besides thirty-six men and four citizens.
The Indians suffered severely, as forty
dead Indians were counted on about
one-hali the battlefield. Howard had
arrived and would pursue the Indians
as soon as his command arrived. Gen
eral Gibbon would move TO Deer Lodge
and take his wounded to Fort Shaw as
soon as medical aid and transportation
arrived. The Indians had disappeared,
but in what direction had not been
learned.