Cayuse War

“ The Indians of the Cayuse tribe to whom the murderers belonged, were assured that the only way in which they could avoid a war with the whites was to deliver up the chiefs who had been engaged in the massacre, to be tried and punished according to the laws of the whites. ”

“ The Cayuses, finding that no compromise could be ef- fected, abandoned their country, and most of them passed east of the Rocky mountains. Nothing was left for the volunteers but to leave the country also, which they did, and the Cayuse War had practically ended.
' ' The Cayuses, as a tribe, had no heart in the war, Joe Lewis told them imme- diately after the massacre that now they must fight, and advised them to send him to Salt Lake with a band of horses, to trade for ammunition with the Mormons. He started with a select band of animals, accompanied by two young braves ”

“ Gentlemen:—You are aware that the undersigned have been charged by the legislature of our provisional government with the difficult duty of obtaining the necessary means to arm, equip, and support in the field a force sufficient to obtain full satisfaction of the Cayuse Indians, for the late massacre at Waiilatpu, and to protect the white population of our common country from further aggression. In furtherance of this object they have deemed it their duty to make immediate application to the merchants and citizens of the country for the requisite assistance. ”

“ Ogden arrived at Van couver, and on the tenth delivered the rescued Americans into the hands of Governor Abernethy at Oregon City, with Mr. Spalding s letter and the bishop s letter, together with the manifesto of the Cayuse chiefs. It does not re quire much imagination to conceive the excitement occa sioned by the arrival of these unhappy people, nor the influence it had on the conduct of the Cayuse war. Half- crazed widows; young women who had suffered such
(Five Crows) to hold you as a wife to save you from a general abuse by the Indians? ”

“ The Cayuse formerly bore a high reputation for intelligence and bravery, but on account of their fighting propensities, which led them to make constant war on the Snakes and other tribes to the west, they were never very numerous. In 1838 a Presbyterian mission, called Waiilatpu, had been established among the Cayuse, by Dr Whitman, where now is the town of Whitman, in Wallawalla county, Washington. In 1847 the smallpox, before unknown among them, carried off a large part of the tribe. ”

“ The territory is too weak to do it and meet the demands made upon her resources by her growing interests. To conclude, your memorialists respectfully but firmly pray your hon orable body, at your present session, to appropriate the sum esti mated by the commissioners on Cayuse war claims, according to the annexed report, to be expended, ( under the direction of the leg islature of this territory, or by such officer as congress may direct ) , in the payment of the expenses incurred by the late provisional government of Oregon in the Cayuse war. ”

“ Even down to the arrest and execiition of the savages the pathos and the horror of the scene keep hand in hand, and the brutal murderers that could not be reached and arrested by white men were hunted down and delivered up for trial and execution by their own blood and kindred, for the purpose of putting an end to the white man's war against the Cayuse tribe. ”

“ Efforts were made by the Cayuses to bring about a general uprising. Had they been successful in this it would have resulted in the annihilation of all the Americans in the upper country, armed or unarmed. These delays and negotiations continued to the end of the campaign. "Blood is thicker than water," and even the Nez Perces, most of whom were always the friends of the whites and deplored the massacre at Waiilatpu, as well as other friendly Indians, did not hesitate to employ artifices to delay the troops and thus enable the Cayuses to move their families and stock out of danger. ”

“ My object in writing is principally to give information through you to the Cayuses that it is our wish to have peace; that we do not wish the Americans to come from below to avenge the wrong; we hope the Cayuses and Americans will be on friendly terms; that Americans will no more come in their country unless they wish it. As soon as these men return, I hope, if alive, to send them to the governor to prevent Americans from coming up to molest the Cayuses for what is done. I know that you will do all in your power for the relief of the captives, women and children, at Waiilatpu ”

“ They desire to have the past forgotten, and to live in peace as before. Your excellency has to judge of the value of the documents which I have been requested to forward to you. "Nevertheless, without having the least intention to influence one way or the other, I feel myself obliged to tell you that by going to war with the Cayuses, you will likely have all the Indians of this country against you. ”

“ The vanity of a native is his most distinguishing trait. These three hundred Cayuses had told each other, and believed it themselves, that they should have an easy conquest of the Americans. "We will beat the Americans to death with clubs, and then proceed to the Willamette and take the women, and all their property," said these boastful braves, [15] who had yet the art of war to learn. They had an advantage in the ground chosen, and in their general acquaintance with the country, and had they been as great warriors as they imagined, must easily have beaten the invaders. ”

“ After he had finished, Stechus, an old Cayuse Chief, made a short speech, and then Governor Stevens adjourned them until to-morrow.
There is evidently a more hostile feeling towards the whites getting up among some of the tribes, of which we had to-night a very unmistakable proof. The Cayuses, we have known, have never been friendly, but hitherto they have disguised their feelings. To-night, as Lieutenant Gracie and I attempted, as usual, to enter their camp, they showed a decided opposition: we were motioned back, and the young warriors threw themselves in our way to obstruct our advance. ”

“ What will they do if they fight us, and fight against our God, and break our laws? I will tell you, they will become poor, no place will they find to hide their heads, no place on this earth nor a place in heaven, but down to hell should they go if God's words are true. I hope you will be advised and take good council before it is too late. "Our war chief has waited a long time for the Cayuses to do what is right, he Avill wait no longer, and when he begins to fight, I do not know when he will stop. ”

“ Here the chief, who always declared his innocence, Ki-am-i-sump-kin, begged me to kill him with my knife,—for an Indian fears to be hanged,—but I soon put an end to his entreaties by cutting the rope which held the drop, with my tomahawk. As I said 'The Lord have mercy on your souls,' the trap fell, and the five Cayuses hung in the air. Three of them died instantly. ”

“ This attitude of the Cayuses at this time is confirmed by Hines also, who says, "They frequently remarked to Mr. Geiger that they did not wish to go to war; but if the Americans came to take a way their lands and ma ke slaves
of them, they would fight so long as they had a drop of blood to shed." ”

“ The army continued to march and fight until sunset, when the natives withdrew and the volunteers encamped beside the road without wood or water, having had at last a chance to do something besides waiting and quarrelling among themselves or complaining of their commander. The loss on the side of the Americans was five wounded, one dangerously; while the Cayuses had eight killed, including a chief called Great Eagle and a medicine-man, and one severely wounded—the popular chief Five Crows, whose arm was shattered by a ball from the .rifle of Lieutenant Charles McKay of the French company. ”

“ As is always the case, the poor suffered most. The Socialists, who had declared against armaments, were faithless friends of those whom they professed to champion. Their dream of a golden age proved utterly delusive. But the true authors of England's misfortunes escaped blame for the moment, and the Army and Navy were made the scapegoats of the great catastrophe.
When success did come, it came too late, and could not be utilised without a great British Army capable of carrying the war into the enemy's country, and thus compelling a satisfactory peace. ”

“ The Germans had been the aggressors without a doubt, but as for us we had gone out of our way to invite attack. We had piled up riches and made no provision to prevent a stronger nation from gathering them. We had seen every other European nation, and even far-distant Japan, arm their whole populations and perfect their preparedness for the eventualities of war, but we had been content to scrape along with an apology for a military system—which was really no system at all—comforting ourselves with the excuse that nothing could possibly evade or compete with our magnificent navy. ”

“ It is the opinion of some who have had years of experience in Indian fighting, that there has rarely, if ever, been a fight before in which the Sioux and Cheyenne showed such determination and persistency, where they were finally defeated. They had chosen their ground; and it has since been learned that they expected to make another Custer slaughter. The Cheyenne captives, in the hands of the troops, sang songs of triumph during the entire fight, in anticipation of a speedy rescue and the savage orgies of a massacre. ”

“ In order to settle his suspicions, he watched his chance and got into the gully. The place was thickly grown with bushes, and for an Indian to dodge enemies in such a chaparral was an easy matter.
About a hundred yards from the mouth of the gully [297] Cayuse found an overhanging ledge of rock where the outlaws had made their camp.
Three of the outlaws sat in front of the dark opening under the ledge, talking together in low voices. Captain Lawless—that is, the counterfeit Captain Lawless—was not one of the three. What had become of him? Cayuse asked himself ”

“ Yet many of the Cayuse became Christians. Old Istikus was a prince among Christian men, savage as he was. For sixteen years after the death of his loved friends, he regularly went to the door of his wigwam, rang the old mission bell, and invited all to come in to prayers. General Joel Barlow, who was one of the commissioners after the treaty of peace in 1855, to settle the Indians upon their reservations, says:
"I found forty-five Cayuse and one thousand Nez Perces who have kept up regular family worship, singing from the old hymn books, translated into their language by Mrs. ”

“ After a delay of a week the army of about two hundred and seventy men again advanced, and on the banks of the Tucannon were attacked by the Palouses, allies of the Cayuses. Advancing slowly, fighting all day, the troops had to camp at night without food or fire, under gun fire all the time, so that they were glad when the first streaks of dawn enabled them to again advance. The engagement was sharp, and at times critical, but victory rested with the whites, with several wounded, one mortally. The Indians lost four killed and fourteen wounded. ”

“ A revolver gleamed feebly in the starlight, leveled straight at the Piute’s breast.
“Ugh!” grunted Little Cayuse.
“Waugh, ye pizen varmint!” growled a voice. “Whar ye goin’ with them cabyos?”
“Wolf-killer!” muttered Little Cayuse.
“Snarlin’ hyeners ef et ain’t Cayuse? ”

“ Casimiro came to me for a supply of cartridges for the revolver, saying, ‘Now we shall have to fight; for if those Southern Indians beat us, they will spare neither man, woman, nor child.’ This was cheering news, seeing that the odds were likely to be about ten to one against our side. However, just as we were mounting, the scout returned with the news that he had found no traces of Indians; the supposed enemy being only a troop of guanaco coming down to water. Cayuke, on its being ascertained that there was really no danger, had one of his horses killed as a thank offering ”

“ Nothing save that the war is a fierce one. An express came in yesterday with news that the Cayugas had been terribly whipped by the backwoodsmen under Andy Lewis, somewhere near the Great Kanawha. The express rider got it from some of Cresap's men, but it may not be true. ”

“ He is baldly wounded. We must take him with us.”
Cayuse flashed his eyes over the limp trooper.
“Wuh!” said he. “Yellow Hair wait till Cayuse git um pinto.”
The boy whirled and darted down the slope and into the brush again. When he returned he was mounted on a calico cayuse—his own horse, Navi.
There were two slain Apaches on the hogback, and between them Little Cayuse halted Navi, looking from one Indian to the other, and his hand hesitating about the handle of a scalping-knife that swung from his belt.
“Cayuse!” called Dell. ”

“ Finally, two strong battalions, easily recognised as marines by their blue war-kit, marched rapidly down the main road and halted presently behind Woodham Mortimer Place. All this time there was neither sight nor sound of the enemy. The birds carolled gaily in the old elms round my eyrie, the sparrows and martins piped and twittered in the eaves of the old church, and the sun shone genially on hill and valley, field and wood. To all appearance, peace reigned over the countryside, though the dun masses of troops in the shadows of the woodlands were suggestive of the autumn manœuvres. ”