The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-01-04

L DelleVe they Will nave a chance by enroll
ing at once. Have kept company A. LIST bat
tallion for you. Will send you courier if call
is made, but l am sure it will be.
Yours truly,
JAMES H. MILLS,
Sec'y and A. G.
DEER LODGE, July 25, 1877.
Chas. s. Warren, Esq, Butte, NJ. T.:
Gov. Potts, who left here for Missoula this
a. M, directs me to say to you that he desires
bonds made to him for the one hundred guns
you have received from Virginia City. He
suggests that you organize a company, elect
officers and have the bonds given by the
officers with three good sureties in the sum of
five thousand dollars for the safe keeping of
said guns and ammunition and return to him
on demand. He further suggests that you
have an armory and require the guns to be
kept there under charge of the captain.
Please send the bonds to me.
Respectfully yours,
JAMES H. MILLS, Sec.
You are not required to take oath in the
issue of the muzZle leaders. M.
DEER LODGE, M. T., July 80, 7 a. M, 1877.
Capt. W. 4. CLARK.
Governor has not vet arrived. Move on
without distressing your horses and make
camp tonight on Big Hole, if you reach there.
Have ordered Dewey's Flat company to re-
port to you. The guns sent to Butte from
Virginia City are in your care. If your
scouts report hostiles within your reach, send
to Butte to organize another company armed
with them to come at once to your support.
Breech leaders coming back slowly from Mis-
soula. Are having them transferred as rapidly
as possible to men who will 60 to your sup
port. AS soon as governor arrives will be
better able to take more ~effectual measures.
Helena is organized and her companies ready
to move if they can be armed. l am in favor
of ordering all guns up from Missoula, meet
ing here with Helena cavalry and putting a
force on their line of retreat that they cannot
escape. Will forward you more commissary
stores to-day. Until governor orders other
wise, you are placed in command of all forces
moving to, or operating on, Big Hole and will
conduct the campaign according to your
judgment. Keep me advised.
JAMES Fl. MILLS,
Sec'y and AID. Gen.
l here briefly synopsise other original letters
showing that the gentlemen in charge of
proceedings were unf1agging in their zeal to
send men to meet the enemy and to assist the
U. S. troops and also to show that they had
received no support from any quarter and
that even the war department would not &C
cept their services or equip and subsist them
and that it became a necessity to disband
them.
Gov. Potts wrote to W. A. Clark under
date of July 80, 1877, to take charge of all
public property and return to quartermaster
~ ouunor Alec that - &c ,,;Jor& A. IL
of Bitter Root will not fight the Indians while
passing through the valley peaceably. Capt.
Rawn had 200 men in his trenches when the
Indians passed. Did not know whether the reg
ulars would follow the Indians. Under the
circumstances thought it best to recall the
volunteers, although he believed every man
would follow and fight if ordered to do so.
He was to retain a body of scouts to watch
the movements of the Indians, and send the
Butte City men home to be mustered out but
to retain their organization if Indians should
come this way, so they could be called togeth-
er Immediately.
Gov. Potts to Maj. Clark from Deer Lodge
on July 31st, says he has telegraphed to the
war department tor authority to raise, equip,
arm and subsist 300 men (request refused).
That his, (Maj. Clark's command) would have
been sacrificed without support; that his force
must not go out unless completely and fully
organized. Hoped that evening to be able to
consult by telegraph, with Gen. Sherman,
who had arrived at Bohemian, as to plan of
action, etc.
The volunteers went into camp at Warm
Springs to await action of war department,
Except a small force left for scouting) and
were mustered out. The next day, after
Gov. Potts had visited the command and in
formed them that the wal department would
not accept their services, nor arm, equip or
subsist them.
1t was no fault of theirs that the general
government refused their services. To a
man they went voluntarily, without promise
of pay, to the rescue of their neighbors in
Missoula county. Never in the history Of
Indian warfare in our country was more
patriotism displayed than by the citizens Of
Butte and Deer Lodge valley.
Below l insert a part of an article that ap-
peared in the Neoo North Vest of August
10th, 1877. 1t gives so full a resume of the
whole campaign that l feel no work of mine
can improve it.
"The most exciting episode in the history q
Deer Lodge county has occurred since the
last issue of this paper, one issue having been
necessarily omitted in the tumult of the oc-
c~asion, and the absence or other occupation
of all connected Herewith. Although this
particular occasion has passed, was bloodless
and the rally futile, We deem it proper to put
the facts on record as concisely as possible
and give proper credit to those who sprung to
arms with a spirit neverexcelled and who went
calamity to meet the foe.