The Portland daily press., 1877-07-11
THE INDIANS.
Gen. Howard Pursuing Joseph Details
of Perry's ahd WhippIe's Fight.

of Perry's aid Whipple's Fight.
SAN FRANCISCO July 1O.-The following has
been received from Gen. Howard, dated Craig
Ferry, Salmon River, July 5:
Green's advance, or a rumor of it,, turned
Joseph back, and as l crossed the Salmon to
the enemy's side, he fled to the mouth of the
Salmon and recrossed. 1 had provided for this
by ordering the cavalry force, with two Cat
thing guns, back to Cottonwood. Capt. Perry
and portion of the train from Lapwai formed
junction with the Cottonwood force, and when
Joseph appeared on the road near that place,
the cavalry drove him back southwark. 1 am
am now recrossing the Salmon on the Indian
trail, and hope he cannot get back to the Snake
country without disaster. He has done no
other harm than to create alarm in the rear,
except the loss reported OF Lit; Rains and ten
men sent out by Capt. Whipple as his advance,
The troops are hearty, make long marches and
are confident of success. L shall push forward
my infantry and artillery tomorrow, to near
Cottonwood and concentrate my forces.
Dispatches from Lewiston via Portland give
details of the encounters with the Indians on
the Sd. 18th and 9Th insts., near Cottonwood.
On Tuesday Col. Whipple sent out Foster and
Baird scouting for Indians in the direction of
Gen. Towards camp on Salmon river. They
had not gone far when they met three or four
Indians who ran them back towards camp.
reached the camp. Whpple ordered his COM
mand to be in readiness to move and meantime
Lieut.. Rains with Foster and eleven men
were sent in advance to reconnoitre. Rains and
his men rode over the first rise this side of Cot
tonwood and down into a side ravine where the
road crosses before the ascent of Craig's noun
tain and were attacked before Whpple could
get to him after he heard the firing. Rains
and his whole party were killed, including
Foster. Whipple's command came forward
and formed in line of battle on the east side of
the ravine and the Indians on the west side all
in open ground about 100 yards apart and with
only the ravine between them. Here they re-
NAMED menacing each other about two hours
until darkness came, when Whipple retired to
his camp and the Indians passed over to
point on Cottonwood trails to Cralg's crossing,
and no more was done that night.
Next morning Whipple with his men started
to meet Col. Perry, who was expected with a
supply train from Lapwai They met Col.
Perry with his team near a board house and
escorted him to camp on Cottonwood creek.
Baird and the two men arrived from Mount
Idaho soon after and about o'clock in the
afternoon rifle pits were manned and two
Gatlngs were placed in position. The In.
dams made several attempts to storm the rifle
pits, but were kept at distance. About 9 o.
block the firing ceased for the night.
On the morning of the 9th two couriers ar
rived from Gen. Howard and were chased into
camp by the Indians. Soon after the Indians
moved their camp, with about 1900 head of
stock, across the prairie in the direction of the
Cottonwood. No movement was made to in.
tercept them. Soon after Capt. Randall and
sixteen volunteers from Mount Idaho appear
ed. About 150 Indians were intercepted at the
junction of the Elk city trail with the stage
road. At this crisis, they being seen from Per
rvs position on the hill at their rifle pits, the
colonel was urged to 60 with the troops to the
rescue, to which he replied that it was no use,
they were gone and he would not order his men
to the rescue. The volunteers say their captain,
seeing his position, ordered them to charge and
break the lines of the Indians, dash over tow
ards the creek bottom, dismount and return the
Indian fire and hold their position partly under
the cover of the small hill until the force at
Cottonwood could reach them. The command
was no sooner given than Capt. Randall and
his sixteen men made the charge, broke through
the Indians line, reached the position named,
dismOunted and returned the fire. In the
charge Capt. Randall was MORALLY wounded,
Benz. Evans killed and three others wounded.
They fought there for nearly an hour and kept
the Indians at bay.
In about half an hour after it was known
the Indians had the volunteers in tight place,
Col. Perry gave the order for fifty men to go to
their relief. 1t was quickly obeyed and they
were relieved In about an hour. After the
charge no pursuit of the Indians was ordered,
but retreat was made to camp, and no pur-
suit had been made since, up to the tirnet of
Morrill's leaving on the night of the 9th. The
volunteers say that they know they killed
they saw Indians packing off their dead and
wounded.
On the same night KcCorville with the
volunteer force arrived at Cottonwood from
Towards command. On the 9th a detach.
ment of IS men under McCorvilIe was sent as
an escort to ike wagon carrying the killed and
wounded to Mt Idaho. Morrill, says that
Randall after he was MORALLY wounded and
had got into his position, sat upon the ground
and fred many shots at the Indians, the last
one not more than five minutes before he fell
back dead. Not lone of those II faltered in the
least or showed the white feather, though hard
pressed by 100 Indians, nor one Of them sought
to run for Cottonwood after they had broken
the Indian line, but strictly obeyed orders to
hold their ground. When Baird and Morrill,
left, the Indians were in full possession of the
camp prairie, except Mt. Idaho, Granville and
the camp at Cottonwood.
Yesterday several fires were seen in different
directions, some about three miles from there,
and the appearances were that the houses,
barns and hay-stacks were burning. From
Lapwai it is reported the Indiaos crossed the
clear water yesterday at II a, M, near Hawai-
with their stock. The settlers are being plum
dered and robbed Cow Crook, on tho Our-
vile and Walla Walla road. From 40 to 60
volunteers have gone from Walla Walla to the
scene of the difficulty. These hostiles are sup
posed to be Yokamis.