Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-22

teams and provisions. This was the first
mouthful Of food We had since Wednes-
day night when we left camp for the bat
tie. The general gave Captain Catlin a
box of bareback, and, from Kirkendall we
got coffee and bacon. This food we all ate
with a relish. On Saturday we were or
dered to go out on the battlefield and
bury the dead. In Capt. Catlin's COM
pany there were five killed and five
wounded. Among the killed were Line
Elliott. Campbell Mitchell, Dave Morrow,
John Armstrong, and AL. Lockwood. The
wounded We're Myron Lockwood, severe;
Jacob Backer, slight; Fred Heidi, slight;
Otto Letter. severe. Letter was wounded
by an accidental shot from a soldier. The
artillery that was ordered to come dow
at daylight on the morning Of the battle
fired only two shots, and was then cap
tured by the indian The gunne was
killed and the other two men escaped into
them mountains and finally made their way
back to Fort Ellis. OF General Gibbons
command l can only refer you to the gem
erals repor to the war department.
In due time physicians, men and teams
came with abundance Of provisions from
Deer Lodge and Butte, and cared for the
wounded and took them to the Deer Lodge
hospital. On Saturday General Towards
scouts, under Captain Robbins, came to
our camp and assured us that Howard
was still on the trail. Strange to say
when the Nez Perez Indians buried their
dead they would not touch their medicine
nan He was left on the battlefield un-
buried. When Howard's scouts were
taken to him they got off their horses and
each gave him kick, saying, mo good
medicine man"
You may ask, why did we kill the
women and children? We answer that
when we came up on the second charge
we found the women using the Winches-
tiers with as much skill and bravery as did
the bucks. AS to the children, however,
many We're killed, We do not believe that
a citizen or a soldier shot a child on pur-
pose. They We're there with their fathers
ard mothers, and their fathers and
mothers We're violating the laws of IL
land: and we, as soldiers, We're ordered to
fire, and we lid. You still ask, what right
had the citizens to go into the tight when
the Nez Perces passed through our valley
| peaceably? We answer. to avenge the
wrongs they had, committed on the early
settlers at Mount Idaho. We knew. too,
that had not Carlos, chief of the FIathead
Indians here, taken part with the whites
there would not AVE been a building left
i in the whole Bitter Root valley. 1t was
through fear that they passed through
quietly. The loss to the Nez Perces was.
| according to Their report. 2OS killed and
wounded. The number of killed and
wounded on our side was 66 out of 1874, all
told.
In conclusion. l will say that, though
we were whipped, we broke the backbone
of the Nez Perez nation. They never
rallied again, so to speak. Lookinglass
was killed in battle somewhere on the
Yellowstone. Chief Joseph surrendered
to General Miles near the British Ene.
| Whitebird never surrendered, and is still
somewhere in the British possessions.
AS to General Gibbons, we have moth
ing but kind words, save that when he
made his report to the war department. he
! failed to give Catlin's men that just
praise that duly belonged to them, n
| they will ever look upon that matter with
regret. 1t was Captain Catlin's men who
fired the first shots and brought down the
| great medicine man, IN whom the Nez
Perez tribe had full confidence that he
could not be killed. 1t was Catlln's man
who, in, the dead hour Of the night, with
out food or blankets, carried the dispat-
ches to Deer Lodge afoot and alone.
through a country infested with merciless
! avages 1t was Catlin's men who fought
for three days side by side with the SOL
| diers and shared danger alike. and yet
General Gibbons failed to mention in his
report that Went out to the world.
To General Gibbons officers and men, we
| thank you for your kindness: you were
true to your cause and brought honor to
your country.
To Hugh Kirkendall, we thank you for
| the coffee and bacon that you gave us
when we had nothing but bareback.