Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/22



14 THOMAS W. PROSCH

several occasions important undertakings. The Indians were cowed. They either avoided the soldiers, or paltered with them and deceived them, or came into camp and begged for mercy and rations, both of which they received. The command spent much time at Toppenish, Nachess, Kititas and Wenatchee. Chiefs Ow-hi and Ka-mi-a-kin broke their promises to Col. Wright, and fled instead of surrendering. Wright made what appeared to be good arrangements for the Klikitats, who com- plained to him of being tyrannized over and oppressed by the more numerous and powerful Yakimas. Col. Wright returned to Fort Vancouver after this expedition without having met a known enemy, and without a loss to those under him, or inflict- ing an injury upon the Indians. He decided to establish two mil- itary posts, one being left to Col. Steptoe which Wright called Fort Walla Walla, and the other to Maj. Garnett which he called Fort Simcoe. Garnett was a "fire-eater," as hot headed south- erners were called in those days. A pioneer citizen writing of him many years ago, said that he told army officers from northern states that, if the North and South should become involved in war, as then seemed imminent, he would be on the southern side, and would put as many of them under the sod as he possibly could. When the war broke out, in 1861, he became a Confederate Brigadier, but on his first and only encounter (July 13th, m Virginia) with the Union forces he was defeated and slain.

All operations of war-like character were now ended. The Indians were exhausted and unable to do more in the district covered by the hostilities of a twelve-month from the early autumn of 1855. There were episodes, however, apart from the field of battle that should be mentioned.

From the fact that the Hudson's Bay Company trading posts and people were unmolested by the Indians during the troubles, unfavorable comment was frequently made by men who were prejudiced, uninformed and reckless of statement. It was a foreign corporation, with rights in the United States recognized by the treaty of 1846, the dealings of which were largely with