Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/408



March first, captain, with a party of twenty-men, started into the mountains ; second, discovered Indian trail and followed it to near their camp on Wolf creek, about one mile from its mouth ; the captain and two men went near the camp, and found from fifty to one hundred men, women, and children ; third, sent one man back with an express to Colonel Williams, then at Fort Vannoy ; the same night Major Bruce arrived with all the troops around Camp Vannoy ; fourth, found the Indians had moved camp up the creek ; fifth, followed their trail ; Major Bruce arrived in the evening ; a night attack was talked of, but thought to be not advisable ; sixth, the company started back to Grave creek, and remained the seventh and eighth ; returned to Vannoy s, and remained there in the vicinity until the thirteenth, and up to the twentieth (except scout ing parties), and jerked beef for a trip in the mountains ; passed over a steep mountain two miles and joined Captains Kelsey and Latshaw with about ninety men, and encamped for the night at a place we supposed the Indians had camped in the night after the battle of Hungry hill ; sixteenth, came back to near the Grave- creek house ; seventeenth, back to Fort Vannoy ; eighteenth, a special order, called No. 16, from General Lamerick, that Captain Bushey s company, from and after this date, will hold themselves in readiness to act as spies until otherwise directed.

Bushey s company performed the duty of spies during March and April, the weather being most of the time cold, with rain and snow alternately. Captain Buoy reported for one month, from February twenty-fourth to March twenty-fourth, nothing worthy of note accom plished :

Received an order from General Lamerick to furnish twenty men to escort government stores south. I complied with order, and the stores were escorted to their destination. On the fourth of March the detachment arrived in camp ail well. Reported plenty of In dians south. Eighth of March, with forty men and five days pro visions, started for big bend of Cow creek; gone six days; no fresh Indian signs seen. Thirteenth, moved camp from Kent s to Wm. McCully s, on the Olily, thinking to better my condition. From thirteenth to twentieth nothing worthy of note. On the night of the twenty-first the Indians made an inroad into settlements, shoot ing several head of cattle, killing some. Our term of enlistment for last time has just expired; and during last four weeks I have been recruiting my company, consequently we have been in a confused state, and have not been prepared to operate against the Indians as desired, having a lack of men and ammunition, but now we have