, 1877-12-08
.bOsePh's Last Battle.

'''' S'N'a S'"' h'lCi u"lIc gossip 10
Herald correspondent This young Off
Ger WAS sent 10y Gen. Miles into Joseph's
camp To reconnoiter, and was held us a
hostage by the indians for Josrph's safe
return who was then detained by Niles
Tie was kim ly treated, but given to un.
dcrstand that his safety depended on
.Ioseph's.
The Lieutenant says of the exchange
Of prisoners:
During tile day General Miles dccid.
cd to surrender Joseph. So he was
brought down under the cover of a
white flag to space halt way between
the Nez Perces position and our own.
The General himself went with Joseph
and was accompanied by one OF his staff
officers. There were three Indians along
with me. | suppose that was an inter
csting position. With the suspicion of
trcachcry on both sides, thirteen Of our
men lay in their trenches scarcely forty
rods Off, with rifles held on dead rest
at Joseph and my three Indian guards.
More than twenty Indians had an equal
iy sure sight over their Winchester's and
lIenrys straight at General Miles and
me. 1 have since learned that Miles
otnH Of, hall nAplyn1 L.,
bosom ready to fix Joseph if should be
harmed. Transfer passed without trou-
bile, and was restored to the command
ot my company"
INDIAN vALoR.
"While I WINS in their pits" says
Lieutenant Jerome "the Indians behaved
as never saw Indians before. Some of
their dead were brought in, but they
paid no special attention to them and
did not much grievc over them. One
Of the Indians would Gull out when
dead body arrived, Hello that fellow
was shot yesterday, and that was about
all. Neither did the Indians appear to
care much whether they were fighting or
not 1t was the Inconvenience of fight
ing or net fighting, as the case might be,
that disturbed them. On the morning
when ! left one approached,m ,me, saying in
good English, which most of them spoke,
II it don't get warmer than this we'll
bhave to go to fighting again.'"
CIVILIZED AMENITIES OF WARFARE.
Lieutanant Jerome gives several viva
cious incidents of the battle From the
first General Miles had ordered all the
troops TO push forward their intrench-
ments that night in order to get nearer
and nearer to the enemy. When Lieu
tenant Jerome's line WAS within forty or
fifty yards trom.that of the Nez Perces it
was So arranged between the soldiers
and the Indians that either side being
over fatigued from lyiny at full length
an their bellies in the rifle pits might, by
showing white flag, arrest the firing
and arise and stretch their limbs and
walk to and fro within full sight Of each
.other at that deadly distance. Such
truce with white men on both sides has
been frequent in American warfare; new.
er before had American soldiers such
confidence in Indian magnanimity as
they were justified in exhibiting on this
occasion.
THE BRAvEsT INDIANS ON THE CONTINENT.
why" said Lieutenant jerome,
those Indians are the bravest men on
this continent, There, in the first night,
when our men lay wounded after the
charge when we lost so many, they
wouldn't kill wounded man. All they
wanted was his gun and his cartridge
belt. Several times the wounded would
rise up in sitting posture and stretch
themselves. The Nez Perces never fired
at them yet if one of our men in the
trenches showed his head, from five to
ten bullets came whizzing at it on the
instant"
"Once," said Lieutenant Jerome,
when Miles was riding along the line,
an Indian jumped up and raised his re-
yolyer at him and shouted, we fight;
we do, General, you bet ="
THE CHEvALIERs OF THE WILDERNESS.
Throughout the action there does not
according to the testimony of all the
officers of Captain Tyler's command, in
cluding Captain Tyler himself, who were
assembled in my tent that night appear
to have been single instance Of mean or