The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-17
Chief Joseph's Warfare.
Wonderful Campaign of the Nez Perez in 1877.

mountain side to choke up the narrow
passages. The last was so successful
that. Howard was baff1ed and gave up
the pursuit.
1.-THE first obstacle met with was an
army post near MiSSoula pass, WHeie
Capt Rawn was stationed win d
small company. The post was as 49, u
feasible as Thermopylae, and Capt.
Rawn thought that he could bring tne
Indians to terms. He refused to aliow
them to pass unless they surrendered
their arms. This they refused TO do'
and the captain adopted ruse 10 os-
tain them until Gen. Howard troops
or another force under Col. GlDDoi.'
should arrive. But CHIEF Joseph was
equally willy, and he flanked the bar
rier by having his people climb the NILS
and scatter In all directions, meeting
at rendezvous in Bitter Root val-
lev Meanwhile Gibbons forces redcn-
ed Missoula to find the inolans sonio
eastward, and after five days OF terri
BILE climbing over the rugged broken
country they came up to the indian
village at Big Hole basin In Montana
The soldiers made their way In the
darkness through the herds or ponies
without alarming the saVages, anu lay
down close to the village and IN slght
Oh the tepees to watch for the dawn OF
day. At daybreak the line moved for
ward in silence, and at a signal opened
fire upon the tepees where the Indians
were sleeping. The startled braves
rushed from their lodges in every OIL
rection, and finding cover in the brush
as well as behind the bank of a creek,
poured a terrible fire into the troops
the moment the soldiers got out into
open ground. In twenty minutes Glib
bon's men were In possession OF the
camp and had set fire to the lodges,
but the officers and soldiers fell rapidly
and Gibbon gave orders to retire tor
shelter in the timber. The fight con-
tinued all day, and soon after nightfail
the Indians gave the troops parting
volley and disappeared.
From the battle of Big Hole basin
Joseph marched on across the main OIL
vide of the Rockies. He left behind
him eighty-nine dead Indians, while
Gibbons loss was only sixty-nine killed
| and wounded. The Indians crossed the
Rockies, then turned and recrossed,
closely pursued all the way by How
! ards troops and a detachment from
| Gibbons command. Howard had tele-
graphed eastward and called into the
field the command of Col Sturgis Stur-
gis set out first sending couriers to
| Col. Miles on Tongue river, notifying
| him of the course the Nez Perces were
following, in the belief that he might,
by a rapid and direct march. intercept
the hostiles further to the north. Stur-
gis marched fifty miles the first day
and came up with the Indians at Canyon
Creek The Indians occupied both the
canyon and the high ground on each
! side Of it, but they were steadily driven
off in an all-day fight, losing twenty
one braves killed and about LOCO ponies
captured Then followed a running
| fight of 100 miles, but the soldiers were
without rations and the limit Of en-
durance of both men and animals had
been reached. Sturgis gave it up and
waited for Howard to join him.
"Col. Miles first learned Of the trouble
afoot on the night of Sept. II, and
marched rapidly northwest. His COM
mand consisted Of portions of the Sec
Ond and Seventh cavalry, five compa-
MES Of the Fifth infantry (mounteD,
two pieces Of artillery, and a detach-
ment of white and Indian scouts We
struck the trail of the Nez Perces on
Sept. 80, and the whole column advanc-
ed at rapid gait. The Second cavalry
made a detour to the rear of the In
dams and In a gallant attack cut off
herd of 800 ponies. The Seventh caval-
ry and Fifth infantry charged mount
t ed, direct upon, the village The In
dams fought as ,savages will when cor
nered, but we soon secured command
of their whole position, excepting the
beds Of the rayines where some Of the
warriors took shelter. In order to dis
lodge them detachment dismounted
and charged on foot I was wounded in
that charge, and nearly every other
man. that is, about one in every two
who went forward, was hit. The recall
was then sounded and Col. Miles decid-
ed that, as he had the Indians sur
! rounded, it was best to let we'll enough
alone. Next day parley began under
flag of truce. The Indians appeared
willing to surrender, but were suspi-
cious about the future. That night
terrible snow storm set in and the In
dians being without food or blankets
or ponies, had no course left but to
surrender. Out of the 400 warriors who
had started from the reservation to fol-
low Joseph on this wonderful cam
paign only eighty-seven survived.
"And what is still more to the credit
| of Chief Joseph, his warriors on all
! that march were not guilty of single
act Of scalping or other form of savage
ry, and all the women taken captive
| by them at the settlements through
which they passed were Immediately
| set Free