The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-07-21
THE IDAHO INDIAN WAR.

~ ne WaT department Nv w tOi, ~
response to an urgent dispatch from Gen
Scully, enclosed and forwarded by Gen, Mc
f Dowell last Saturday ordered the latter L
call out 200 Oregon and Idaho volunteer &
, once, and 500 more If needed, to aid in sup
pressing the IDAHO Indian outbreak The
war department also on the same day ordered
nine infantry companies at Atlanta to pro
coed to Idaho via St. Louis by rail. These
with volunteers and other troops gathering
there must soon give Gen. Howard an effect
i've force Of 1000 men or more.
Meantime, however, If Gen. Towards tur
gid dispatches are 10 lie credited, the War is
nearly over. In adIspatch, dated July IitA,
from "near the mouth Of the Cottonwood, on
the Clear Water he gives q acknowledgement
account of furious engagement from which
he has just emerged, with Chief Joseph and
his band lie left his camp on the Clear
Water uu the 18Th with 400 men, and Struck
the enemy at the mouth of the Cottonwood at
/ / p. H., ab0u, 800 strong, in iecp canon.
! He opened fire at once with q Lowltzer and
succeeded in "s'artjpg" the Irli0a2 .rnm
Their position. Then, passing around the
canon for Il mile, he commenced the battle Ia
good earnest. every charge we made we
gained on them" bu, At nigh: the Indians
held their position. Next morning, just as
he was about to renew the engagement, Capt;
Mller's battalion came up with & pack train.
Thus reinforced the attack was renewed,
when the Indians, after a brief vicious rcsls.
lance, gave way and we shelleG them from
the high bluffs as they escaped" The out
come Of this terrific engagement was 70 Of
Towards men killed and he thinks he killed
10 Indians, to say nothing Of the wounded on
both sides.
On the 18th, he says in another dispatch,
he followed the Indians across the Clear
Water with cavalry, 90 miles below Kamiah,
while Capt. Miller WAS crossing at Kamiah
and pressing them on the direct route But
when about miles on the way, q me.scngec
reached him from Capt Joseph, saying he
wished to make proposals for surrender
Howard was abou, to enter into negoliaGons
when lie saw the Indians were in notion,
indicating tina, Joseph's proposal was ruse,
the messenger explained that.
Joseph could treat only q, 10 his own band, |
and tina, the others were opposed 70 the sur
render. Howard processes to have informa.
ton that the Indians are out Of provisions
and trying TO escape across the mountains |
INTO the buffalo country, whittier Joseph and I
his men would rather not 20.
Gen. Mcdowell, in transmitting these dis .
patches from Howard to Washington regards
them as important, and feels greatly re. .
lieved."
After his proposal TO negotiate with How
ard, however, the other Indians, as well as
Joseph and his band, resumed their journey
northward and escaped to the Camas country,
50 that Howard himself is convinced that
Joseph's offer to surrender was a mere rusc
10 enable his men to get away. However, il
the Indians have really crossed he mountains
into Montana, the war in Idaho appears to be
At an end, all the same. At least such seems
to be the opinion Of Howard, who, in subse.
luent dispatches says, the Indians were bad
y whipped and thoroughly demoralized by
the heavy stroke received, and arc said to be
divided in opinion and quareiing among
hem. elves. Small parties are constantly
breaking away from the main band and
coming IN and surrenderng themselves up.
From most reliable information it is certain
that the Indians have lost heavily and have
10 heart to renew the fight,