, 1890-12-04
STEPTOE'S RETREAT.
Official Account of the Famous
Fight, Furnished by Colonel
Steptoe Himself.
A Valuable Historical Document
Never Before Given to the
Public.
A Literary Treasure-Captain John
Mullan's History of General
Wrights Campaign.

cur'osity Ill tne shape Ol u DOCK ell
titled, "a Typographical Memoir of
Colonel Wrights Campaign in
Washington Territory; by Captain
John Mullan, U. S. Army, 1865"
The book is the properly of Henry
Kohlhaufl, and is the only copy in
existence-the only copy, in fact,
ever prepared, not printed, for 1t is
part print and part manuscript.
1t appears that Captain Mullan
prepared the copy for the book and
sent 1t to the government printing
office where 1t was put in type and
the proof sheets sent him for revis-
ion. He made the necessary cor
rections and interlineations and
wrote as much more. For some
reason the proof sheets were never
returned to the printer and the book
was never printed. The
proof sheets and the addi-
tional smanuscript were bound
into volume, corrections, interline-
ations and all, and In this manner
an exceedingly interesting history
has been preserved for thirty-two
years. II contains official reports
and accounts of interesting events
connected with the early history of
the Northwest which have never
been published.
Aside from It's value as n curiosity
tie volume has an interesting his
tory. Many, many years ago Cap
tain Mullnn presented 1t to Rev.
Father Brouilletie, n Catholic mis-
sionary who was in the Walla Walla
valley at the time of the Whitman
massacre. Father Brouillettc, in
turn, presented the volume to Henry
Kohlhauff' when the latter was IA
little boy going to school in Walla
Walla. Mr.. Kohlhauh loaned the
book TO an army officer, who i'm 1870
mailed it from Washington, ID. c.,
to Mr.. Kohlhauff at Walla Walla,
but it never reached lis destination,
being stolen from the mail at Rath-
drum, Idaho. Mr. KohlhauH had
long given it up as lost, when one
day, In 1883, while visiting at
Cour d'Alene City, he came
across an item in the Wal!a
Walla Journal stating that n
gentleman of Pennington had
come into possession of II valuable
work. From the description given
Mr.. Kohlhauff at once recognized
his long lost book. He at once wrote
TO the gentleman at Farmington,
who declined to give 1t up. Mr..
Kohlhauif then wrote to Washing
ton and get an order from Captain
Mullan for the book. Even this did
not have the desired effect. Piles
of correspondence passed between
Mr. Kohlhauf and other parties,
covering period of over six years.
Finally, after threatening to bring
suit, Mr.. KohlhauiI last summer re-
gained possession of his long-lost
property. jrl
Mr.. Kohlhauff has consented to
permit the REVIEW to make eX-
tracts from the the book from time
to time. Below will be found Col
onel Steptoe's official report of his
famous fight, which began in what
is now Whitman county. The
high pieceof ground" referred To
in his report is Steptoe butte,
the famous knoll few miles
from Colfax, which became historic
ground on account of the stand
made there by Steptoe and his men.
and the burial of the howitzers, of
which mention Is made In Colonel
Steptoe's report. Following Is II
copy of the official document, which
is now made public for the first
time:
COLONEL srEPToEs OFFICIAL REPORT.
FoRr WALLA WALLA. May %, 1861
Major: On the I'd instant l informed
you of my intention to move northward
with part of my command. Accord
ingly on the 9th left here with COM
panies q, l. and III, First dragons, and
f. Ninth infantry; in all, five company
officers, and 1872 enlisted men. Hearing
that the hostile Pelouses were n ear Al
pow-way, in the Nez Perces land, l
moved to that point, and was ferried |
across Snake river by Timothy, a Nez |
Perces chief. The enemy fled toward |
the road TO Colville.
On Sunday morning, the 10th, when |
near the Te-hots -ne-mah in the Spo- |
kane country, we found ourselves |
suddenly in the presence of ten or
twelve hundred Indians of various tribes |
-SpoSanes, Pelouses, Cmur d. Alenes,
y Yakimas, and some others-all armed, |
painted and defiant. | moved slowly on |
until Just about to enter rayine that |
wound along the bases oil several hills, |
which were all crowned by the |
excited suvages. Perceying that
Il was their purpose to attack
us in this dangerous place, turned |
aside and encamped, the whole wild, |
Irenzied mass moving parallel to us,
and, by yells, taunts, and menaccs, ap-
parently trying to drive us to some
in itiatory act of violence. Toward
night n number of chiefs rode up to
talk with me. and inquired what were
our motives to this intrusion upon
them. answered that we were passing |
On to Colvilie. aud had no hostile inten-
tions toward the Spokanes, who had |
always been our friends, nor toward |
any other tribes who were friendly;
hat my chief aim in coming so far was
10 see the Indians and the white people
At Colville, and, by friendly discussion
with both, endcavor to strengthen their
good feelings for each other.
They expressed themselves satisfied,
out would not consent to let me have
,anoes without which 1t would be i'm
possible to cross Spokane river. l con-
;luded, for this reason, to retrace my
steps ut once, and the next morning
l7th) turned back toward this post.
We had not marched three miles when
he Indians, who had gathered on the
nils ad djoining the line of march, began
IN attack upon the rear guard, and i'm
nediately the fight became general. We
abored under the great disadvantage of
iaving to defend the pack train while in
nntinn and i'm n rolling country p,cul-