The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-08-16
Desperate Battle With the Indians.

HELENA, August 1.-THE follow
ing was received this morning:
BIG HOLE, MONTANA, Aug. 9.
To Cor. Potts:
We had hard fight with the Nez
| Perces, killing number and losing a
number of officers and men. Wenecd
q doctor and everything. Send us
such relief as you can.
(Signed) JOHN GIBBoN,
Colonel Commanding.
Big HOLE, August 3.
| To Cor. Potts:
We are here, near the mouth of Big
Hole pass, with large number wound
ed in want of rything-food, cloth
ing, medicines and medical attendance.
Send us assistance at once.
(Signed) JNo. GIBBoN.
Colonel L. S. A.
To Cor. Potts:
We had hard fight and took the vii
lage, but were finally driven back with
heavy loss. Capt. Logan and Lieut..
Bradley were killed, and Gen. Gibbon
aud Lieuts. Coolidge, English and
Woodruff are wounded-Edglish scri-
ously, the others slightly The troops
are entrenched and the Indians are
leaving. When the messenger left,
Gen. Gibbon said: want an escort
sufficient TO protect the wagons which
are coming in to relieve US. Load
wagons as light as possible. The IN
dams have cut me off from my sup
plies.
Deer Lodge, August Nv. II. Ed
wards has just arrived from Big Hole,
bringing accounts of terrible battles
between Gibbons command aud the
Nez Perces, on the il Hole river, Au-
gust 9th. Gibbons command consist
ing of 1872 men aud IL ofiicers--l33 reg
uars and 80 citizens, volunteers
crossed over from Ross Hole on We'd
nesday, starting al IL O'Clock. On the
same night they moved down all the
troops, with the exception of few
left TO guard the transportation few
mi les above, close to the Indian camp,
which was made on the Big Hole, about
three miles below where the Bitter
Root and Dannock trail crossed. AT
daylight this morning the fight WAS
opened by the volunteers firing OH AN
lilIiug an Indian going after his horse
4 charge wa. then made on the camp.
anu Hdlu HShtfhS otCbIitt iot th'
next two hours, during which time Il
large number of men ard Indians
were killed. The soldiers then charg
ed on The lodges, but were repnsed.
The Indians then attempted to cut
them off from a high wooded point,
but the soldiers CLARIFIED and driving
the Indians from it at once fortified.
The fighting continued all day and
was progressing titfully when the
courier left at IL o'clock. The fight
ing was desperate on both sides, the
full force Of the Indians being in the
fight. The Indians moved the 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 Gen. 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 discharged twice, and then it
was silent. A band of Indians soon
after appeared with large band of
horses, and it is believed all the horses
of the command, the gun, their sup |
plies, reserve ammunition, etc., are |
Gen. Gibbon thought, when |
the courier left there, he still had |
100 effective men, and believed the In
dams had all withdrawn from his |
front. The messenger thinks that 100 |
Indians were killed, and nearly half
the command. Gen. Gibbon partIcu-
larly asks for ambulance wagons to
come under an escort, and every avail
able wagon will go forward from here
aud Butte. 1t is one of the hardest In
dian fight on record, and Gibbons
made most gallant and
desperate fight against overwhelming
odds.
DEER LODGE, August IL.
To Cor. Potts:
All the men are wanted here to es-
,ort wagons. We are rushing up wag-
ms, stores, ice, etc. Eighty out of 100
ire killed or wounded.