Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far WestDrannan, William F.
History
Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West
Drannan, William F.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America -- Wars
The second day after Gen. Canby arrived he asked Gen. Wheaton, in
the presence of quite a number of officers, how many men Captain
Jack had with him.
Gen. Wheaton said; "My chief scout could tell just the number that
he has, but I think some sixty-three or sixty-four warriors."
"And you had fifteen hundred men in that three days' fight?"
Gen. Wheaton said he had.
"And you got whipped? There was bad management somewhere," said
Canby; and he concluded he would take Captain Jack by storm, but
postponed it for a month, this bringing it into the foggy weather
in that country, and in that time of the year it is the foggiest
country I ever saw. I have seen it for a week at a time in the
lava bed that I could not tell an Indian from a rock when twenty
paces away. And this was the kind of weather Gen. Canby was
waiting for. He marched down to the lava bed and placed his
howitzer on the hill about a quarter of a mile from Jack's
stronghold and commenced playing the shell. This was done in order
to give the infantry a chance to march down to the main entrance
of the cave and there shoot the Indians down as fast as they came
out.
Three days and nights this was kept up, but not an Indian came
out, and Gen. Canby drew off, losing over one hundred men killed,
but I never knew the exact number wounded.
When Gen. Canby found he could not take the Modocs by storm, he
sent to Yreka, Cal., for a man named Berry, who was a particular
friend of Jack's, or rather Jack was a particular friend to him.
On Mr. Berry's arrival at headquarters Gen. Canby asked him if he
thought he dare go to Captain Jack's stronghold. Mr. Berry replied
that he would provided that he went alone. I never knew just what
Mr. Berry's instructions were, but, however, I accompanied him to
within two hundred paces of the main entrance to the cave, in
order to direct him to the proper place, and he chose his time to
go after dark.
I remained there until after he returned, which was before
midnight. A few days later I learned that there was to be a
council meeting between Gen. Canby, Rev. Col. Thomas and Captain
Jack, and in a conversation with Col. Miller he asked me my
opinion in regard to the matter. I told him that I did not
understand all the particulars, as I had heard but little about
it.
He then told me that Gen. Canby and Col. Thomas, with George Meeks
as interpreter for them, and Meek's squaw as interpreter for
Captain Jack, were to meet Jack next Sunday morning for the
purpose of effecting a treaty with the Modoc tribe, they to meet
Jack at a certain place, without escort or side arms. After the
Colonel had told me of the council and manner in which they were
to meet Captain Jack, I said: "Colonel, do you really believe they
will go?"
"Go," he replied. "Gen. Canby will go if he lives till the time
appointed for the meeting."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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