The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-07-25
A WAR WITH THE INDIANS.

A WAR WITH THE INDIANS.
Twelve Men With Lieut.. Rains Ambuslied
md Killed-Heroism of n Volunteer Cap.
thin Seventeen Men Charge Through
100 Indians.
Dispatches from Lewiston, via Port
land, Oregon, give details Of the encoun-
tiers with the Indians OH the third, fourth
and fifth of July, near Cottonwood. On
Tuesday, the third, 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 toward camp. Baird
was endorsed, but escaped; Foster
reached camp. Whipple ordered his
command in readiness to move, and in
the meantime Lieut.. Rains, with Foster
and eleven men, were sent in advance to
reconnoiter. Rains and his men rode
over the first rise this side of Cotton
wood and down into a side ravine where
the road crosses before the ascent OF
Craig's mountain, and were attacked be-
fore Whipple 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, all in open ground, about 1000
yards apart, and with only the ravine
between them. Here they remained
menacing each other for about two
hours, until darkness came. Whipple
retired to his camp, and the Indians
passed wei to a point on the Cottonwood
trails to Craig's Crossing. No more was
done that night.
The next morning Whipple, with his
men, started this way to meet Col. Per-
~, who was expected with a supply
train from Lapwai, and kept out his
skirmish lines along the route. They
met Col. Perry with his train near Board
House and escorted him to the camp on
Cottonwood creek. Baird and two men
arrived from Mount Idaho oon after,
and about five P. NJ. rife-pits were man
ned and Two Gatlings placed in position.
The Indians made several attempts to
storm the rife-pits, but were kept at a
distance. About nine p. N. firing ceased
for the night.
On the morning of the fifth two
couriers arrived from Howard, chased
into the camp by Indians. Soon after
the Indians moved their camp with
about 1000 head of stock across the
prairie in the direction of the Cotton
wood. Nomovement was made to inter-
cept them. Soon after, Capt. Randall
and sixteen volunteers from Mount
Idaho appeared. About $50 Indians in
tercepted them at the junction of the
Elk City trail with the stage road. At
this crisis, they being seen from Perry's
position on the hill at the rife-pits, the
colonel was urged to 60 with the troops
to their 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 shy that their captain,
seeing his position, ordered them to
charge and break the lines Of the In
dams, dash over toward the creek bot
tom, dismount, and return the Indian
fire, and hold their position, partly under
cover of a small hill, until the force at
the Cottonwood could reach them. The
command was no sooner given than Capt.
Randall and his sixteen men made the
charge, broke through the Indian line,
reached the position named, ~dismounted,
and returned fire. In the charge Capt.
Randall was mortally wounded, Benjamin
Evans killed, and three of the others
wounded. They fought there for nearly
an hour, and kept the Indians at bay.
lnabout half an hour after it was known
that the Indians had the volunteers in q
tight place, Col. Perry gave orders for
fifty men to 60 to their relief. 1t was
quickly obeyed, and they we're relieved
in about an hour. After the charge no
pursuit of the Indians was ordered, but
a retreat wa made to camp, and no
pursuit had been made since up to the
time of Morrill's leaving OF the night of
the sixth.
The volunteers say they know they
killed several Indians and wounded many
others, rs they saw Indians packing off
their dead and wounded. On the same
night McConville, with the volunteer
force, arrived ut Cottonwood from
Towards command. On the sixth n
detachment of scventy-ive men under
McConville was sent as IN escort to q
wagon carrying the killed and wounded
to Mount Idaho. Morrill, says that Ran
dali, after he was mortally wounded and
had got into his position, sat upon the
ground and fired many shots ct the In
dams, the last one not more than five
minutes before he fell back dead. Not
one of these seventeen faltered in the
least or showed the white feather, though
hard pressed by 100 Indians, nor did one
of them seek to run for the Cottonwood
after they had broken the Indian line,
but strictly obeyed orders to hold their
ground.