The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-07-19
A FRONTIER WAR.


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nnd Eleven Men KiIIed-Rr.yc Ac,,on n,
Capt. Randall and his Band of yoIuu.
tcers.
Special dispatches from Lewiston. by
way OF Portland, Oregon, give details Of
the encounters with the Indians on July
D, 4 and o, near Cottonwood,
On Tuesday, July 3. Col. Wbip.
pie sent out Foster tnd Baird scouting
for Indians, in the direction Of Gen'
Howatds Camp, on Salmon river. They
mad not gone far, when they met three
OF four Indians, who ran them back to-
wards camp. Baird wis ttt1horsed. bit
escaped. Fostet Reached cntrip. Whip.
pie ordered his command in readiness to
move, and in the meantime Lieut.. Lains,
with Foster and eleven men, were sent
in advance to reconnoi'er. Rains and
his men rode the first rise this side of
Cottonwood, and down into side ravine,
where the road crosses before the ascent
of Craige mountain; aid were attacked,
Before Whipple coiild get to him after
he heard the firing, Rains and his whole
party were killed, including Eos er.
Whipple's c6mnand came forward, and
formed in line of battle on the east Side
OF the ravine, and the Indians on the west
all on open ground, about 1000 yards
apart, and only the ravine between them.
Here they remained measuring each
other for about two hours, until dark
ness came. ,Whipple retired to his camp,
and the Indiatis passed over to point
on the Cottonwood trails to Graig's
crossing. No more was done that night.
The next morning Whipple, with his
men, started this way to meet Col. Perry;
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 at Cotton
wood creek. Baird and two men arrived
from Mount Idaho soon after, aud about
five p. NJ. rifle pits were manned and two
Gatlings placed in position The In
dians made several attempts to storm
the rifle pits, but were kept at distance.
About nine 7. NJ. 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
moou' No uloNeuenJ WIS maue 10 III
tercept them.
Soon after Capt. Randall and volun-
teers from Mount Idaho appeared. About
15O Indians intercepted them at the"
junction Of the Elk City trail with the
stage road. At this crisis, they being
sent from Perry's position on tbe hill at
the rifle pits, the colonel was urged to
go with the troops to their rescue, to
which he replied that it was no use;
t ey We're gone and he would not order
his men to the resctle. The volunteers
say that their captain, seeing his posi-
ton, ordered them to charge and break
the lines of the Indians, dash over to.
ward the creek bottom, dismount and
return the Indian fire, and hold their
position partly under small hill until
the force at the Co tonwood 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, Benz. Evans was killed and
three of the others were wounded. They
fought there for nearly an hour and kept
the Indians at bay. In about half an
hour after, it was known that the In
dams had the volunteers in tight place,
SO Col. Perry gave orders for men to go
to their relief 1t was quickly obeyed,
and they were relieved in about one
hour. After the charge no pursuit of
the Indians was ordered, but a retreat
was made to camp and no pursuit had
been made since up to the time of MOI
rllls leaving on the night of the sixth.
The volunteers say they know they
killed several Indians and wounded
many others, as they saw Indians pack
ing off their dead anu wounded. On
the same night McConville, with the
volunteer force, arrived at Cottonwood
from Howard's command.
On the sixth detachment of men
under McConville was sent as an escort
to a wagon carrying the killed and
wounded to Mount Idaho. Morrill, says
that Randall, after he was mortally
wounded and had got into his position,
sat upon the ground and fired many
shots at the Indians, 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.