The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-08-16
BIG HOLE, August 9.
To Governor Potts.
JOHN GlBBON,
Colonel Commanding.

To Governor Potts:
We are here, near the mouth of Big Hole Pass,
thing-foOd, clothing, medicines and medical at |
tendance. Send us assistance at once
JOHN GIBBON, Colonel U. S. A.
We have had hard fight and took the
village but were finally driven back with
heavy loss. General Gibbon and Lieutenant
Coolidge, English and Woodruff are
wounded, English seriously, the others
slightly.
The troops are intrenched and the Indians
leaving.
When the messenger left General Gibbon
said: | want an escort sufficient to protect
the wagons which are going in to relieve us.
Load the wagons as light as possible. The
Indians cut me off from my supplies"
DEER LODGE, August 11-9 a. NV. III.
Edwards has just arrived from Big Hole
bringing accounts of terrible battle be-
tween Gibbons command and the Nez
Perces on the Big Hole River, on August 9.
Gibbons command, consisting of one hun
dred and eighty-two men, seventeen officers,
one hundred and thirty-three regulars and
thirty-twO citizen volunteers, crossed over
from Ross Hole on Wednesday. Starting
at II o'clock the same night they moved
down all the troops with the exception of a
few left to guard the transportation, a few
miles above, close to the Indian camp, which
was made on the Big Hole about three miles
below where the Bitter Root and Bannock
trail crossed.
At daylight this morning the fight opened
by the volunteers firing on and killing an
Indian going after horses. The charge was
then made on the camp. Hard fighting
CURED for the next two hours, during which
time large numbers of men and Indians were
killed. The soldiers then charged on the
lodges, but wei repulsed in the attempt.
The Indians then attempted to cut them
| off from high wooded point but the sol
| 1ierS rbarpa6 and Hriuiuu tho Tndian aJ-
vance from it, held it and at once fortified.
The fighting continued all day, and was
still progressing fitfully when the courier
left at eleven o'clock.
The fighting was desperate on both sdes
the full force of the Indians being in the
| fight.
Captain Logan. and Lieutenant Bradley
were killed, and General Gibbon, Captain
| Williams, and Leutenants Coolidge, Eng
lish and Woodruff were wounded. General
Gibbon was only slightly wounded. Lieu
tenant Bradley was the first man killed.
The messenger says that after they failed
to capture the lodges the Indians moved
their camp off in the direction of Bannock
| All their horses being captured, the mes
| senger 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
discharge twice, and then it was silent
A band of Indians soon after appeared
with a large herd of horses, and it is be-
lieved all the horses of the command, the
gun, their supplies, reserve ammunition
etc, were captured.
General Gibbon thought when the courier
left there, he still had one hundred effective
men, and believed the Indians had nearly all
Withdrawn from his front.
The messenger says he thinks about one
hundred Indians were killed, and nearly
half the command, including citizens, were
killed or wounded.
General Gibbon has sent for medicines
surgeons supplies, etc. DR.. Mitchell vii
leave to-day with an escort. General Gibbor
particularly asks for ambulance wagons t,
come under the escort, and every ayailabl,
wagon will go forward from here and For
Butte.
1t was one of the hardest Indian fights OF
: record, and Gibbons command made a mos
gallant and desperate fight against over
whelming odds.
Eighty are killed or wounded