The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-09-30
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well his people would inevitably lose. Unfortunate
ly some Of hiss hotblooded young warriors re-
fused to abide by his decision. On June 10, 1877,
they murdered several settlers. There is one story
of the return of the party to the NeZ Perez
camp where the young warriors threw down sew
eral white scalps and announced dramatically to
their people Nov you will have to go to war r.
Chief Joseph was absent from camp at the time
collecting of his scattered tribesmen in
preparation for removal to the reservation. When
he returned he found that the die was cast and
that he was committed to war. Even then he was
resolved to make it a defensive war and not an
offensive one and he conceived the bold plan of
heeing with his people to Canada, fighting only If
the white barred his path to freedom Then
began one of the most remarkable retreats in his
tory. One historian of the Nez Perez war has
written: "Xenophon has chroniced the retreat of
the ten thousand; De Quincy has romanced about
the migration of the Tartars; a thousand mems
have recorded the annihHaton of the Grand Army
of Napoleon: the story of Joseph and his Nez
Perces is my theme-the story of the bitterest in
justice toward a weak but independent Deonle
to which the United States ever set It's hand and
of military exploit of the first magnitude which
justly, entities this great Indian to take rank
among the great Captains
Undaunted by the almost insuperable difficult
ties Of his problern-that Of Transporting whole
tribe, men, women and children, over a thousand
miles or more of the toughest country on the
North American continent and breaking through
the lines OF DdETler winch were certain to
be thrown out to intercept him. Chief Joseph
set out General Howard acted promptly upon
hearing of the murders of the settlers He began
concentrating all available troops at strategic
points The first engagement took place on June
II in White Bird canon where Captain Perry and
a small body Of troops rode into a trap which
Joseph had prepared for him and were disastrous
ly defeated. In this BATTLE the Indian chief in
the handling of his men first showed those quail
ties of military leadership which was a promise
Of the stern task before the soldiers before they
could hope to obey the orders from Washington
After Perry's defeat General Howard took the
field himself and the great chase was on. Howard
himself has paid high tribute to the military
genius of his opponent and in the weeks that fol
lowed Chief Joseph amply proved that he was
worthy of all praise. For the Indian Napoleon
proved that he understood the Little Corporals
tactics of defeating the enemy In detail and did
it, General Howard and Colonel Sturgis both
learned that to their sorrow. Even General Miles,
who finally brought him to bay, might have learned
it had conditions been different.
For here briefly is the achievement of Chief
Joseph during that remarkable retreat: Encum-
bered with women and children, which he re-
fused to desert and allow to fall into the hands of
the soldiers he might have done several times to
facilitate his flight, and having fighting force
that never exceeded 300 warriors he fought eleven
engagements, five of them pitched battles Of which
he lost but one; In the other six skirmishes he
killed 126 and wounded 40 Of the 1000 soldiers
who fought him, but he lost 151 killed and SO
wounded of his own people. Then having distanced
his pursuers and knowing that he was only so
miles from the Canadian line and safety (for he
did not know Of the approach Of General Niles
troops) he made the fatal mistake of stopping
for little while to give his weary tribesmen a
chance for brief rest.
Here In the Bear Paw mountains, where the
memorial to him is to be erected General Miles at
70 olrod IN Cnnfep1hpr 20 1877 For five zo,vs