Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/347



THE ROGUE RIVER WARS. 329

migrant road led to the fear that the Modocs might repeat the wholesale massacres of 1852. In the absence of a sufficient military force at the posts in Oregon, Governor Davis had written to General Wool for troops to perform the service of patrolling the roads both north and south, by which the immigration entered Oregon, but Wool was either unable or unwilling to furnish them. He did, how ever, reenforce Smith s squadron with a detachment of horse lately under Wright s command, which marched to Klamath lake and back, reporting no danger from Indians. The real service was performed for the southern route by a volunteer force under Jesse Walker, with the approba tion of acting Governor Curry.

The cost of this expedition, which had no fighting to do, but which was probably a useful object lesson to the Indians, was forty-five thousand dollars. Its enemies named it the " Expedition to fight the immigrants," and denounced Quartermaster-General C. S. Drew and others as thieves on account of it. The regular army officers took up the cry, and declared the expedition unnecessary and a fraud upon the government, which must foot the bills. These accusations led to investigation as to the prices charged by the merchants of Yreka, who furnished the supplies, whose testimony was corroborated by the merchants of Jacksonville, showing the current prices during that year. A mass of evidence was collected at additional cost, 8 and years of delay in the settlement of accounts resulted. Forty-five thousand dollars was a large sum, but an Indian war would have cost more, to say noth ing of the loss of life; and the people of southern Oregon considered peace at any price worth all it cost.

But the feeling of white men in Oregon who had lost friends or property, or both, were not soothed by the knowledge that General WooJ, in sending a reinforcement to Fort Lane, had declared it was not to protect the settlers and miners that troops were needed, but to protect the

8 United States house miscellaneous documents, 47, pp. 32-35, thirty-fifth congress, second session.