Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/605



THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OliEGON 407

On October ;}1, l,S:j;j, the battle of Hungry Hill was fouj^ht near the present railway station of Lelaud. Capt. A. J. Smith oi' the United States army was at that battle, and a large number of citizen soldiery. The result of the battle was very undecisive. There were thirty-one whites killed and wounded, nine of them killed oiitright. It is not known how many of the Indians were killed, but after the treaty was made they confessed to fifteen. The Indians were in heavy timber and were scarcely seen during the two days' battle.

In April, 1856. after peace had been concluded between the whites and In- dians, the Ledford nuissacre took place in Raucherie Prairie, near Mount Mc- Loughlin, in this county, in which five white men were killed. This event was the last of the "irrepressible conflict." Soon afterwards the Indians were re- moved to the Siletz reservation, where their descendants now live and enjoy the favors of the government which their fathers so strongly resisted.

The war in Rogue River Valley had not virtually ended. "Old Sam's" band, with an escort of one hundred United States troops, was taken to the coast reservation at Siletz. Chiefs "John" and "Limpy," with a large number of the most active warriors, who had followed their fortunes during all these struggles, still held out and continued their depredations in the lower Rogue River country and in connection with the Indians of Curry County.

Gen. John E. Wool, commander of the Department of the Pacific, in Novem- ber, 1855, had stopped at Crescent City while on his way to the Yakima coun- try. He received full information while here of the military operations in southern Oregon. Skipping many details, it is sufficient to state that he ordered Capt. A. J. Smith, to move do\\ii the river from Port Lane and form a junction with the United States troops under Captain Jones and E. 0. C. Ord (after- wards a major-general in United States army) who were prosecuting an active campaign in the region from Chetco, Pistol River, and the Illinois River Valley. Captain Smith left Fort Lane with eighty men — fifty dragoons and thirty in- fantry. I can only take the time to mention a few of the fights in that region during the spring of 1856. On ]\Iarch 8th, Captain Abbott had a skirmish with the Chetco Indians at Pistol River. He lost .several men. The Indians had his small force completely sun-ounded when Captain Ord and Captain Jones with one himdred and twelve regular troops came to his relief. They charged and drove the Indians away with heavy loss. On March 20, 1855, Lieutenant-Colonel l^uchanan, assisted by Captain Jones and Ord, attacked an Indian village ten miles above the mouth of Rogue River. The Indians were driven away, leaving several dead and only one white man wounded in the fight. A few days later Cap- tain Augur's company (United States troops) fought John and " Limpy 's" band at the mouth of the Illinois River. The Indians fought desperately, leaving five dead on the battlefield. On March 27, 1855, the regulars again met the In- dians on Lower Rogue River. After a brisk fight at close quarters the Indians fled, leaving ten dead and two of the soldiers were severely wounded. On April 1, 1855, Captain Creighton, with a company of citizens, attacked an Indian vil- lage near the mouth of the Coquille River, killing nine men, wounding eleven and taking forty squaws and children prisonei-s. About this time some volun- teers attacked a party of Indians who were moving in canoes at the mouth of the Rogue River. They killed eleven men and one squaw. Only one man and two s(iua-«\s of the party escaped. On April 29, 1855, a party of sixty regulars es-