Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/599



visit tlicirs; l)u1 I will not lay dowu my ai-nis ami go with you to the Ri'servc.

I will light. (tOOcIIiv." 'riicii he returned unrostraiiicd to liis owu camp as had been agreed.

Aft(M- imieh argiiiiient ami |)roiiiis('.s oi' iiiauy presents all the ehiel's hut John raiiie in four days after and gave up their arms and were escorted by

II pait of tiie sokliers to Fort Lane on their way to the reservation. Captain A. J. Smith had given notice that in three or four days he would be back again at) the common rendezvous with his men to receive the remainder of the Indian wiir- riors; and to hasten their decision had told them that if he found any of them roaming around the country with fire arms he would hang them. But when he got back to camp no Indians appeared, but instead thereof, two peaceably dis- posed Indian women came in and informed Smith that he might expect an attack from Chief John on the next day. Smith immediately hurried otf a courier to Colonel Buchanan asking for reinforcements to meet this sudden change in John's disposition, and then immediately moved his camp to higher ground, but further away from water, and had to leave his cavalry horses in the meadows below him. The men worked all night, getting no sleep, dig- ging rifle pits with their tin cups, having not a single spade in camp, and planting their howitzer so it would command one approach to their position while the men lying flat in their shallow pits could protect the other approach with their carbines. John's first move was to send forward forty armed war- riors for a talk with Captain Smith, and as they advanced to the east approach they called on Smith to come out and talk. The Captain was too well aware of Indian tactics to trust himself in their possession, and so ordered them to retire and deposit their arms at the edge of the timber. Thus finding Smith prepai-ed to fight, and no chance to capture him by strategj^, the warrioi's returned to their camp, and ^vithin an hour, on May 27, 1856, was commenced the last pitched battle of the Rogue River Indian war. The Indians simultaneously attacked both sides of Smith's camp, firing their guns and rushing up the de- fending slopes with hideous yells. They were met at short range with the deadly fire of the carbines on both sides and compelled to fall back to the tim- ber. (See the drawing on another page.) Not being able to get at the soldiers by these approaches, the Indians made desperate attempts to scale the unpro- tected sides with perpendicular banks, and the regulars were compelled to abandon their rifle pits and hurl back the desperate foe with shots at short range, and even some Indians with clubbed muskets. The Indians exhibited the most reckless daring and bravery in repeated attacks thi'oughout the day in attempts to get into Smith's camp, but all to no purpose but the loss of life to the attacking party. Thus the long day of May 27, was spent; followed by hard work all the succeeding night digging more rifle pits and erecting breast- works, without food, water or sleep. On the 28th the Indians renewed the attack; and to the white men was added not only the labor and dangers of defense, but also the fatigue from loss of sleep and the torture of thirst. The Indians understood the frightful condition of the white men, and from their covert in the edge of the timber, tauntingly called out "Mika hyas ticka chuck" (You very much want water?) ; "Halo chuck Boston" (No water for white man.) And to this taunt they added another (referring to Captain Smith's threat to hang all Indians he found roaming over the country with arms