New-York tribune., 1877-07-11
TIE FRONTIER VAR.
BATTLES ON THE COTTONWOOD

BATTLES ON THE COTTONWOOD.
LIEUT. RAINS AND ELEVEN MEN KILLED-CoI~ PERRY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACTION OF CAPT. RANDALL
AND HIS BAND OF vOLUNTEERS-FATAL DELAY OF
COL PERRY IN SENDING ASSISTANCE.
SAN Francisco, July 10.-Dispatches from
Lewiston ra Portland. give details of the encounters
with the indians on July 3. 4 and 3. Cottonwood.
On Tuesday, Col Whipple sent ont Foster ard Baird
scouting for Indians the direction Of Gen. Howard's
camp on Salmon River. They had not gone far, when
they met three four Indians, VINO ran them back TO
wards camp Baird unhorsed but escaped. Foster
reached camp. Wnpple ordered his command i'll readi-
ness to move. and in the meantime Lieut. Rains, with
Foster and eleven sent in advance to recon-
noitre Rains and his rode over the first rise
this side of Cottonwood. and down into side
ravne, where the road before the ascent of
Craigs Mountain and were attacked. Before Whipple
could him after he heard the firing. Rains and his
whole party were killed, including Foster. Whplles
command forward and formed In line OF battle on
the east side of the ravine and the Indians the west
all OH open ground about 600 yards apart and only the
ravne between them. Here they remained measuring
each other Tor about hours until darkness came
Whppe retired camp, and the Indians passed over
to a point the Cottonwood Trails TO Cral2s Crossing
No done that night.
The next morning Whippe. with his men, started this
way Col. Perry VINO expected with supply
train from Lapwa and kept on; his skrmsh Ines along
the route They Col Perry with his train near Board
House. and escorted him TO the camp at Cottonwood
Creek. Baird and two arrived from Mount Idaho
soon after and about p rifle pits manned and
two Gatlings placed in position. The Indians made
several attempts the rifle pits but were kept at
a distance About y. firing ceased for the night On
the morning OF the 9th two couricrs arrived from How
ard chased in'o camp by Indians soon after the
Indians moved their camp, with about 1000 head of
stock across prairie in The direction Of the Cotton
wood. Nomovement was made u int ercept them.
Soon Randall and volunteers from Mount Ida
no appeared About so Indians intercepted them at the
junction of the Ek City trail with the stageroad At
this crisis they being from Pcrry's position on the
hin at the rifle pi,> the Colonel urged to 20 with
the troops rescue to which he replied that II was
no use: they were gone and he would not order
his men to the The volunteers say that
their Captain, seeing his position, ordered them
to charge and break the lines Of the Indians, dash over
toward The creekbottom dismOnt aud e,urn the In
dian ere. and hold their position partly under cover Of
small hill until the force nj the Cottonwood could reach
them The command was given than Capt.
Randall and his sixteen men made the charge broke
through the Indian line, reached the position named
dsnOunted and returned fire. In the charge Capt Ran
dali was mortally wounded Benz Evans killed and
three OF the Others were wounded They fought there for
nearly hour ana kept the Indians ut bay. In about
half an hour after, II was known that the
Indians had the volunteers in tight place,
so Col Perry gave orders for men to 90 to
their relief. IL quickly obcNci, ana tncy were
relieved In about hour. After the charge
no pursuit of the Indians ordered retreat
made TO canp ana pursuit had been made since up
TO the time OF Morrs leaving Oh the night OF the 9th
The volunteers they know they killed several III
dams and wounded many others, as they saw nilAns
hacking of their dead and wounded On tie night
McConvie with the volunteer force, arrived at Cotton
wood from HOwarC's command
On the 6tn detachment of msn under McC0nville
sent as escort 10 wagon carrying the killed and
wounded to Mount Idaho Morrill, says that Randall,
after he was mortay wounded and hal got into his pOs
tIon sat upon the ground and fred many shots at the
Indians tue last one than five minutes, before
he fe back dead Not OF these seventeen atered in
the least or showed the white feather though hard
pressed bv 100 Indians. did of them seek to
for the Cottonwood after they had broken the ndianlne
but strictly obcyed orders to hold their ground. The
following are the names OF the memorable seventeen:
DB Randall, KILLED B. F. Evans.
WOUNDED.
D. H. Houser' c,.s 1o,r.nr a, Blend"nd'
UNINJURTD.
james buchanan, C.M. Day,
VIM. Bcemer, Geo. Rlggngs,
Charles Case. A d. Barley.
Funraim Bunker, II. c. johnson,
J.. /. WIlmOt, +. \. mn
When Baird and Morrill, left the Indians were in full
possession OF Camas Prairie, except Mount Idaho,
Grangcyille and the camp at the Cottonwood Yester
several nTcs were seen ln
some about miles from the creek, and The appear
ances were that houses barns ana haystacks buI
ing
From Lapwa tits reported that the Indians crossed the
Clearwater Yesterday at IL H.. Kamia with their
stock The settlers being plundered and robbed on
Cow Creek on the Conville aud WaaWalla road Forty
to sixty volunteers have gone from Waa-Wala to the
scene Of the difficulty These hOstes supposed TO be
YaHmas
TpnOpS NECnEn