The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1901-01-31

latest design with a passport allowing
him to 60 when and where he pleased
many OF them in full sympathy with tn.
hostiles and frequent visitors to theil
camp. But the ways of some command
ing officers, like those of providence, ar,
past finding out.
The march to the front by the different
attachments sent out by Captain Spur
geon, in command at Lewiston, was with
out important incident, but the voluntee,
companies Of Captains Tom Page, o
Walla Walla, and George Hunter, o.
Dayton, were among the first to arrive Al
Towards headquarters, established a,
White Bird after the fight. Although
more than week had elapsed the dead
were still unburied and that disagreeable
task performed by the volunteers. The
squaws had badly mutilated the bodies
as was their custom, and their condition
was such as to make the duty most un
General Howard is now an old man
and during the war Of the rebellion wor
his way to fame as brave and courag
eous soldier. 1t is with no desire to de-
tract from his we'll earned fame that
assert at this day that he was not a sue
cess as .n Indian fighter. In this opin
ion l am sustained by every regula,
officer who served under him in the west
with the possible exception Of his aid,
de camp in this campaign, Captain NJ
G. Wilkinson. who was killed last year il
the Chippewa uprising in Minnesota H.
was not q coward in any sense of tn,
term, but was better fitted to do mission
airy work among the Indians than to leat
q campaign against them. 1t was FIRE
quently said that he would take the wore
Of an Indian in preference to that of I
white man, and was too merciful in hi
character to punish with severity tn,
crimes of Chief Joseph and his followers
The latter was willy old chieftain, ant
was ably seconded by White Bird. another
chief older than himself, and truthful
history Of the Nez Perez outbreak of 1877.
would place that redoubtable savag,
among the military geniuses of the cen
fury. He clearly outwitted Genera
Howard from the fight at White Birt
canyon until his final capture by Genera
Miles near the Canadian border in north
ern Montana.
l will pass over the minor incident!
connected with the massing of troops a
the front, and we shall follow the MAR
command a. it took up what Genera
Howard thought was the trail of the hos
tiles. On the first Of July orders were
given to cross Salmon river at or neal
what was known as the Horse Shoe bend
and to proceed across Browns mountair
in the direction Of Snake river, abou
400 regulars and 100 volunteers being il
line, Colonel Perry having remained Al
the Cottonwood house with I75 mount
ed men. After crossing the river, tn.
volunteers taking the advance, we pro
ceeded in the direction named. following
the we'll defined trail at least $50 fee
wide and made by the families Of the hos
tiles with their camp equipage and abou,
800 head Of horses. No scouts were
sent out to learn whether or not the war
riors were with them. but We were or
dered to blindly follow this squaw trai
over the mountains, making only ten o.
twelve miles per day, implicitly trusting
that Providence would deliver the enemy
into our hands without special effort OF
our part. Sundays- were always sacred
and the onward march, slow ~ it WIS
suspended upon that day the commandin,
officer usually holding religious service,
for the benefit Of those who cared to al
tend.
Two days of hard climbing brought III
to the summit Of Browns mountain tn,
evening Of July 2. severe storm o
mixed snow and rain contributing to ou
discomfort and minus several pack horse
which had lost their footing and uncere
moniously rolled down the steep mount
ain sides en- route. We remained il
camp July 5 to recuperate and the suppl,
Of bacon runuing short We toasted upol
the juicy steaks Of some Of the idnumes
able horses running Wild in the mount
aims.
The morning of July 1 the bugl
sounded . forward and, still following
the squaw trail. We made twelve mile
before camping. Many Of the horse
ridden by the volunteers had become ID
capacitated from some cause or anothe