The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-15
PROGRESS OF TOWARDS MARCH SETTLERS
GIVING AID AND COMFORT TO THE ENEMY.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HEnALD.1

GIVING AID AND C0MFoRT TO THE ENEMY.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HgnALD.l
CANT JOHN GiRBos,
On BiTrER Roor RIVER, N. T.,
August ., 1877.
On August General Howard, while marching on
the Loo trail, and expecting TO Ind the Indians
blocked ut the other end OF the route, received y
despatch IRON Captain Raun, OF the Seventh In
fantry, saying that he had been pareying for three
days with Whitebird and Looking Glass, and that
on the fourth day they passed him by the flank
1IARDsiTIPs OF THE FLIGHT.
This was very Disappointing to General Howard,
who had routed them completely on the 18th OF July
and driven them In confusion to take refuge In their
retreat through the mountain passes OF the Loo
trail, among which lay scattered the visible evi.
dences OF their distress in carcasses of exhausted
animals and the graves OF their wounded who had
succumbed TO the hardships Of the journey.
CHARGES AGAINST RAIN.
Captain Raun stated IN his despatch that he had
but twenty-five regular troops and that the one
hundred and 1lty volunteers with him, on hearing
that neither they their families In Bitter Root
Valley would be injured had left him. The voun.
teer, on the other hand, accuse Captain Ram OF
neglect or duty and even OF cOwardicc, ana the
Missoulian says that Governor Potts, being refused
permission to organize volunteers by the authori
ties ut Washington, and having applied for regular
troops ana none appearing, held council with
Captain Iaun and asked him not to bring on an &C.
ton, as It would subject the inhabitants OF the
valley to the fury OF defeated victorious savages
AID AND coMFoRr TO THE sAvAGEs.
The hostiles accordingly moved slowly up the
Bitter Root Valley, ut the rate of about four or five
miles a day, trading their plumber to the citizens
purchasing supplies IRON the stores, procuring
fresh horses and recruiting their exhausted stock
| rir I,nu of ha volov
f.e TERRIBLE MARCH,
Although General Howard had been pressing his
entire command TO the limit Of endurance, through
the rugged and inhospitable region OF the Loio
Pass, ON receiving this despatch he at stripped
his cavalry clean Of everything and in four days
forced them into the Bitter Root Valley, o dts
| lance OF about seventy miles, over mountains
| and through gorges laced with checassr-de-
| Jrise OF fallen timber. From this ordeal
| the horses came forth nero shadows Twice they
had nothing whatever to eat, and at other times
but little browsing from the bushes and scanty
picking here and there at the coarse grass; but an
officer had been sent ahead, and the jaded animals
found grain awaiting them. After two hours OF
rest this weary column was pushed on two miles
further, and by the afternoon completed total dis.
lance OF 125 miles.
.v uOwARDs PLANS
ward with IN escort OF twenty cavalrymen to join
Colonel Gibbon, who Ia In close pursuit OF the
Indians The General takes with him only one
aid, Lieutenant Wood, and leaves the remainder
Of his stun with the cavalry, one days forced
march in the rear. The Indians having turned
southwark Colonel wheaton, with the LETT column,
has been ordered back to Lewiston.
Bitter Root Valley Is filed with exhausted stock
left by the Indians, and numbers Of their wounded
are said to have been abandoned in the desert
| places.
THE INDIANS EXHAUSTED.
| They have been pressed into Q headlOng flight
which has exhausted their powers and dragged
them into misery. Their families and their little
ones have accompanied them IN the hurried exile
into which they have been driven. Since General
Howard took the field he has given them no day OF
perfect rest, and they drag feebly along at the
rate OF eight or nine miles u day.
GIBBONS FIGHT ANTICIPATED.
The crisis seems to be near, and In a few days
the final engagement is expected to present an.
other OF those horrible battle fields of desperate
Indian warfare which much to the partici-
! pants and so little 10 the distant world.