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Rh guard, the departure of the troops might not have been discovered. The fires having betrayed their flight to the Indians, and not having been seen by Captain Russell, Haller, with only half his command, was compelled to keep up a running fight to within twenty-five miles of The Dalles, where he was met by Lieutenant Day of the third artillery, with forty-five men, who proceeded to the border of the Yakima country, and a block house was erected on the Klickitat river. Slaughter's command from Fort Steilacoom crossed the Cascades by the Nachess pass; but finding a large force of Indians in the field, and learning that Haller had been defeated, fell back to the west side of the mountains. The loss sustained by Haller was five men killed and seventeen wounded, besides a large amount of property destroyed, abandoned, and captured. As well as could be ascertained, forty Indians were killed.

The reënforcement called for by Haller was one thousand men. The regular force immediately sent out was three mountain howitzers, three hundred and fifteen artillery and infantry, and nineteen officers. It was at this juncture of army affairs that Captain Fitzgerald, as before mentioned, was ordered from Fort Lane, where he was needed, to take station at The Dalles for its protection in the absence of the garrison. Captain M. Malony was ordered to the field from Fort Steilacoom, leaving only a few men to guard the families at that point. Lieutenant Williamson's escort of nineteen dragoons, which was at Vancouver, was also pressed into the service under command of Lieutenant Phil. Sheridan. But all these recruits did not suffice to make a force equal to that demanded; and Major Rains called upon Governor Mason for two companies, and upon Governor Curry for four companies of volunteers, to take the field as fast as raised and equipped. At Vancouver there were only enough arms to equip two Oregon companies, the other two being required to find arms and equipments wherever they could. Governor Mason applied to the commanders of the Deeatur