Today in History:

406 Series I Volume L-I Serial 105 - Pacific Part I

Page 406 OPERATIONS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. Chapter LXII.

afterward. I halted here until 2 a. m. of the 16th. I had attained a correct idea of the location of the Indian camp and made my arrangements accordingly. I moved out the cavalry and infantry together to the mouth of the canon. In coming out of the canon oe of my wagons upset. I left a guard with it with orders to right it up and follow on. I had ordered the cavsalry, under the command of Lieutenant William H. Clark, to go up the lake road three miles, then to take a trail to the left and cross the river about two miles and a half above the lake, and then as the land was level and sandy to go half a mile from the river, and then down close to the lake, so that when they had formed in line and deployed the right would rest on the river and the left on the lake or close to it. The country was all open tot he left and rear, and it was impossible for the indians to have made their escape in that direction. Lieutenant Clark had orders to wait in that position until I gave the signal with my bugle for him to advance, which was to be about daylight. He was then to march his command up to withing fifty yards of the Indian camp, aned if not fired upon to await one of them escape him. The Indian camp was on both sides of the river whered it emptied into the lake. Along the river for the ree miles from its mouth is a thick growth of underbrush, willows, and cottonwood, and at the camp the river is thirty or forty yards wide and about two or three feet deep. The caavalry arrived on the ground about thirty minutes before daylight. I took the infantry up the lake within about half a mile of the mouth of deployed and c overed the ground from there to the river, my right resting on the lake and my left on the river, a d the whole camp of Indians on the south side of the river within easy range of my rifles. I took this ground about fifteen minutes before daylight. Just at the break of day the Indian Josephus, I had down at the Indian camp, came out to me and told me that one of the men was in camp on the other side of the river and the other fifteen miles down on the east side of the lake. I sent Josephus back across the river and told him to stay with the Indians and send back a guide. In about ten minutes an Indin cme back, and (I had an Indian interpreter with me so that I ould converse with him) he said that Josephus was with the murderer. I had kept five munted men (cavalry) with me to use in case of necessity. I had sent one to the rear to stop the wagons, the otheres I took with me, and we staqrted for camp on the other side of the river with the Indian guide, who had first come out to me to cross the river. We had to go through the camp on the south side next to the infantry, but our guide, myself, and the fur men being well mounted, we went through the camp on a run. We could see the Indians running in every direction and making a great deal of moise, but there was not a shot fired. At this time it had just got to be fairly light. We crossedthe river, and I found that the camp on the north side was about 100 yards below and more on the lake. I ordered my bugler to sound the call for the cavalry, and sent one of the men to have Lieutenant Clark bring his force down in order. By this time the guide had got half way to camp; the Indians commenced to yell. After I crossedthe river I saw the Indians who acted as guides to Lieutenant Clark leave his lines and start forthe camp, hallooing to the Indisns to klay down their arms or they would all be killed; that we had them surrounded, and they could not get out. I now saw Josephus about the center of the camp. I rode up to him ich was the man we were after. Juist then and before he had time to answer an Indian jumped out of the campoode (Indian hut) with a gun in his


Page 406 OPERATIONS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. Chapter LXII.