The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-06-25

while he (Howard) followed on their
trail.
Gibbon summoned all available
| troops from Fort Benton and Camp
Baker, and taking all he could spare
from Fort Shaw, took the field, him
self. He pushed across the state and
reached Fort Missoula August 8,
1877. He had with him a total of
II officers and LAG men. Gibbon
came upon the Nez Perces at the
mouth of Trail creek, in the Big Hole
Basin
Had the Nez Perces been a trifle
more numerous than they were it is
mot improbable that Gibbon would
have shared the fate of Custer. Glib
bon attacked at daybreak and one of
the bloodiest battles ever fought in
Montana followed, with the outcome
really victory for the Nez Perces.
Gibbon was severely wounded and
one-third of his command were killed
or wounded. Of the II officers, IA
were killed or wounded. Thirty-one
of the command were killed and 38
wounded, a larger percentage of loss
than the Light Brigade suffered at
Balaklava. The Indians left SO dead
on the field, but Joseph afterward
admitted the loss of 208 killed or
mortally wounded.
Gibbon, while he did not win the
battle, had succeeded in breaking the
spirit of the Nez Perces. Joseph led
his Indians in a wonderful retreat
across Montana and after a battle in
the Bear Paw mountains, surrender
ed to General Miles. That virtually
ended the Indian wars of Montana.
Life at Fort Shaw
Little has been handed down to
The present generation about the life
Of the army officers and men at the
various posts in Montana, but there
are number of men in the state
living who served in the army at that
lime and who relate interesting anec-
Totes of the officers whose names
have become famous as Indian fight
srs. One of these is L. Loomis of
simms, Cascade county, who was a |
soldier at Fort Shaw half a century |
lgO and who has a fund of informa-l
ion about General Gibbon.
LOOMS relates that, as soon as
1ibbon took command at Fort Shaw,
lie became interested in the matter
# establishing a fine vegetable gar
len for the post and had a ditch line
from point on Sun river to
he point selected for the garden.
"The next order came like thun-
er clap to Mr.. Soldier says Loomis,
for soldier does not care much for
atigue duty as a general rule. All
nen not on guard or garrison police
uty were ordered to report to First
Lieutenant j. M. j. Saum at fatigueI
all every morning, and this included
he regimental band. How those
wind TANNERS" did kick. This order
emained in force until the compile
ion of the first irrigation ditch on
he Fort Shaw reservation, which we
onsidered a marvel in engineering
kill.
'onder of the surrounding country,
nd were worth thousands of dollars
} the few settlers in this vicinity as
demonstration of the possibilities
our rich soil, when thoroughly
nd scientifically watered. Demon
rative farming was fad with Gen
al Gibbon, though he did not beat
Is sword and cannons into plow-
lares, as he had other uses for
lose warlike instruments, as told In
If history of western Indian wars.
Fight with Potato Bugs
"A very amusing incident connect
with the generals farming occur
d in 1875. The advent of the Colo
do beetle. now generally called the
'tato bug. That year they came in
rides. Here the general was con-
onted with an enemy entirely new
him. There was CONSERVATION In
mp. The general immediately
dered out the two ~ FOUNDER Nal
leon guns With army chests filled
tn blank charges. He directed
en- placed at one end Of the potato
tch and bombarded said patch for