Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-06-17
sHERIDAN's FIRST FIGHT.
The Indian Repulse ut the Upper Cas-
cades OF the Columbia,
pnytland Drsa0nson

Portland OrSg0neoh
General Phil Sheridan's hopeless illness
taken in connection with recent visit b
the Upper Cascades. recalls wildly an i'm
!portant episode in the early military his
tory of that dashing and brilliant cayalr!
officer. Thirty-two years ago, on the 291
day of Lost March, the historic attack wa
made on the residents of the Upper Gas
cades by the hostile Indians. To all OLE
pioneers Of Oregon and to tn
careful reader of the record of tn
early Indian wars Of the Territory
the circumstances of the attach
of the Cascades and of the massacre ar
well known. These sanguinsry deeds o
savage vengeance have become imperish
able fragments of the history Of Oregon
and will never be referred to without
shudder and feelings Of horror. How,
when and where the attacks were made
haze been repeatedly written about aud
are more than "thrice told tale" Colo
mel Wright, who was at The Dalles when
the attack was first made, lost no time in
fastening to the rescue. Lieutenant Phil
Sheridan, who was stationed at Vancouver,
also received the news and hastened TO the
scene with forty men. He co-operated
with Colonel wright and rendered active
assistance in driving back the Indians and
in capturing a number Of the red devils.
According to the records, nine Indians
were hanged, among the number old
Chenowetb, one of the chiefs, who, it is
said, was at the bottom of the movement.
The following mention is made of the fight
in the History of the Willamette Val
ley"
Several who escaped from the first at
tack started down the river toward Van
couver. Floating down, they met the
steamer Belle, having on board Lieutenant
Phil Sheridan and forty men who were
sent up on the report of an express carried
down by Indian Simpson in the morning
The retrestipg party went on board the
steamer Belle and volunteered to serve
under Lieutenant Sheridan, who landed at
Georges place, but found everything in
ashes. The steamer returned to Vancouver
and the Indians pitched into Sheridan,
fought him all day, and drove him, with
forty men and ten volunteers, below Ham
jlton's place, notwithstanding be had a
small cannon. One soldier was killed.
''The steamer Belle returned the next
day (the third of the attack, and brought
ammunition for the blockhouse. The
steamer Fashion, with volunteers from
Portland, also arrived at the same time
The volunteers remained at the Lower
Cascades. Lieutenant Sheridan took his
command, with bateau loaded with am
munition, crossed to Bradford's Island, on
the Oregon side, where they found most
Of the Cascade Indians, they having
been advised by George Johnson TO 20 on
there the first day of the attack. They
were crossing and recrossing all the time,
and Sheridan made them prisoners. He
pressed boats crew aud as they towed up
10 the head of the island and above, saw
greet numbers of Indians on the Washing
ton Territory side opposite them. Sheri-
dan expected them to cross and fight him,
and so between them and the indians he
bad in charge he thought he had his hands
full.
"Just then Lieutenant Sheridan dis
covered Colonel Stsptoe and his dragons,
infantry and volunteers coming down
from the steamer Mary, surprising COM
pletely the Indians. who were busily en-
gagged in cooking beef aud watching Lieu
tenant Sheridan across the river. But
on the sound of the bugle the Indians fed
like deer into the woods, with the loss of
only one killed. Had it not been for the
bugle they might have captured fifty red
skins"
The conduct of Col. Wright in this af-
fair was highly praised by press and pub
lie. Although in camp, on his way to
Walla Wslls, when the courier brought
him news of the attack, just before mid
night, he reused his men and marched the
whole command, infantry, artillery and
dragons, back to The Dalles, loaded all
Of them he could possibly crowd upon the
steamers and barge, and hurried to the
rescue. They were delayed by the con-
dition of the boilers, but when they
finally reached the scene of action
Colonel Wright and Colonel Steptoe led
the troops in person in charge, before
which the enemy fled like sheep, No less
gallant was the conduct OF Lieutenant
Phil Sheridan. The news reached Van
eouver late in the evening of the attack,
at o'clock next morning he started MP
the river will all the force he could collect.
Intelligence of the attack reached Port
land late on the night of March 26, 1856,
and created great excitement. A public
meeting was called. and q company of vol
unteers organized the following day. They
were refused the use of Territorial arms
by those who had them in charge, and
having picked up twenty pieces of various
descriptions, started early on the morning
of the 28th in the steamer Fashion,
This company was forty strong and
commanded by Captain l.. ]. Powell
and Lieutenant A. b. Stewart. Procuring
arms and ammunition at Vancouver, after
much delay, they arrived at the Lower
Cascades too late to be of any assistance to
Lieutenant Sheridan, and but short time
before the Indians were scattered by Colo
mel Wright. Later company of sixty
eight men, commanded by Colonel Stephen
Coffin and Lieutenants r n. McCareu and
J. NJ. Beck, went up on the steamer Jen-
ME Clark, bat finding everything quiet re-
turned to Portland.
A second public meeting was held in
Portland on March %. In times of ex-
element, says our authority, there are al
ways to be found plenty of men who seem
to fluid pleasure in intensifying the panic
by inconsiderste language, lugubrious
predictions and rash conduct. People of
this character having conceived the idea
that Portland was in danger of attack,
though just why they were never able to
explain, called a meeting for the purpose
of taking active measures to. defend the
city. II. w. Davis was appointed to the
command of the forces to be raised. Two
hupdred men enrolled their names in re-
Spouse to call for volunteers. Before the
company was fully organized, however, the
absurdity of the whole proceedings be-
came apparent and the matter quietly
dropped.
Another exhibition of anxiety, says the
same authority, was the departure from
Portland, on the 9Th of April, 1856, of q
mounted company of twenty-five rangers
under Capt. w. S. Buckley and Lieut.. L.
J. Powell, who made fruitless scout in
the direction of the Sandy in search of In
dams who might hsrbor evil designs upon
the peace and welfare of Portland. Fail
;,o, 20 find INV redakins thev raturnad