Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/603

 recollectiou, Doctor Bailey visited the scene of the fight, and pointed out to my father its location. In September, 1837, at the mouth of Foot's Creek, in Jackson county, a party of men who had been sent to California by the Methodist mission to procure cattle, while on their return were attacked by the Rogue River Indians and had a short, severe tight, in which several of the whites were badly wounded and some twelve or fourteen of the Indians killed. In May, 1845, J. C. Fremont had a fight with the Indians in the Klamath country; it may have been a little over the line in Califoniia. Four of Fremont's men were killed and quite a large number of the Indians. Kit Carson was a prominent figure in this battle.

A few bold adventurers had located in Rogue River Valley as early as De- cember, 1851. During the spring, summer, and fall of that year there was a considerable amount of travel by parties from northern Oregon going to and re- turning from the great mining excitement of California. Fights between these travelers and the Indians were of frequent occurrence. On the fifteenth of May, 1851, a pack train was attacked at a point on Bear Creek, where the town of Phoenix is now situated, and a man by the name of Dilley was killed.

At the massacre of emigrants at Bloody Point, Klamath Coimty, in 1852, thirty-six men, women and children were murdered. Capt. Ben Wright, and twenty-seven men from Yreka and Col. J. E. Ross and some Oregonians went out to punish these Modocs. Old Sconchin, who was afterwards hung at Fort Klam- ath in 1873, at the close of the Modoc war, was the leader. Wright gave them no quarter. He and his men, infuriated at the sight of the mangled bodies of the emigrants, killed men, women and children without any discrimination.

I can not give you the names of all who were killed in Rogue River Vallej' during the years 1851 and 1852, and 1853. I will mention some that were killed in 1853. In August of that year Edward Edwards was killed near Medford; Thomas Wills and Rhodes Nolan, in the edge of the town of Jacksonville; Pat Dunn and Carter, both wounded in a fight on Neil Creek above Ashland. In a light with the Indians on Bear Creek, in August, 1853, Hugh Smith was killed, three dying from their wounds soon after.
 * iud Howell Morris, Hodgins, Wittemore, and Gibbs. wounded, the last named

These murders, and many more that could be mentioned, brought on the In- dian war of 1853. Southern Oregon raised six companies of volunteers, who served under the following named captains, viz., R, L. Williams, J. K. Lamerick, John F. Miller, Elias A. Owens, and W. W. Fowler. Capt. B. F. Alden, of the Fourth U. S. Infantry, with twenty regulars, came over from Fort Jones, Cali- fornia, and with him a large number of volunteers under Capt. James P. Goodall and Capt. Jacob Rhoades, two Indian fighters of experience. Captain Alden was given the command of all the forces. The first battle of the war was fought on the twelfth day of August, 1853, and was an exciting little fight between about twenty volunteers under Lieut. Burrell Griffin, of Miller's company, and a band of Indians under Chief John. The volunteers were ambushed at a point near the mouth of Williams creek, on the Applegate. The whites were defeated with ii loss of two killed, and Lieutenant Griffin severely wounded. There were five Indians killed and wotmded in the battle. On August 10, 1853. John R. Hard- ing and Wm. R. Rose, of Captain Lamerick "s company, were killed near Willow