Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/397



THE ROGUE RIVER WARS. 379

In the month of November, a company was raised among the miners at Gold Beach and the southern coast generally, with John Poland for captain. It did not be long to the second regiment as organized under the procla mation of the governor; but since the proclamation made no provision for the defense of the coast counties, and since the military force at Fort Orford was entirely inadequate, even with the desire to be useful, which was said to be lacking, to the task of guarding the lives and property of the people, this company performed guard duty during the period between the proclamation of the fifteenth of November and that of January eighteenth, which dis charged the northern and southern battalions, and called for recruits.

The encampment of this company had been at the big bend of Rogue river, between the interior and coast tribes, during the winter, but in February it was moved down to within a few miles of the coast settlements in order to re cruit the company to the standard of sixty privates and eleven officers, as ordered by the. governor, to fill up the regiment by recruiting.

So quiet had been the coast tribes for some time that suspicion of their intentions was almost forgotten; and on the night of the twenty-second of February, an anniver sary ball was given at Gold Beach, or Whaleshead, near the mouth of the river, which was attended by Captain Poland and the majority of his men, a few being left to guard camp. Early on the morning of the t went} 7 -third, before the dancers had returned to camp, the guard was attacked with such suddenness and fury by a large num ber of Indians that but two out of ten were able to escape. One of these, Charles Foster, being concealed in the woods near the scene of the massacre, was witness of much of the terrible slaughter and mutilation, and able to identify those concerned in it, who were seen to be such as lived about the settlements, and were professedly friendly.

Ben Wright was then at the house of J. McGuire, about