The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and Proceedings of the First Session of the Thirty-Sixth Congress: Also of the Special Session of the Senate Page: 2,471

                                
1860.
THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
2471
will recollect when Colonel Wright made his suc-
cessful expedition against the Indianson theupper
Columbia, after the defeat of Colonel Steptoe, that
he caused to be shot very many of the horses of
the Indians in order to bring them to terms. On
one occasion he had, perhaps, a thousand head
of horses shot down, with a view of inflicting
punishment upon the hostile Indians. This was
not a volunteer expedition, but a portion of the
regular Array, under the command of Colonel
Wright.
These Indians are famous in war. They have
always been at war. They have been at war with
one another for centuries, and they are the most
artful and skillful people that I ever had anything
to do with. I learned a little of war in Mexico;
but I am willing to confess to the Senator from
Kentucky and to the Senate, that I knew but lit-
tle of the stratagems and arts of Indian warfare
until I participated in it. I recollect in one battle,
fought by a portion of my command with the
Indians, m 18!>3, we lost just one half the com-
mand killed dead on the ground; and the balance
were very glad to be rescued. Upon another oc-
casion, at another battle, subsequent to that day,
every officer 111 the command but one was killed
or wounded; I received a severe wound; and then
we were not able to defeat them. I tried every-
thing I understood, every plan that I had learned
in war, and everything I could think of to drive
the Indians from their position, but we were not
able to do it. However, they asked a parlpy in
the evening, when the battle had raged for four
or five hours, which resulted in a talk; and there,
upon the battle-field, we made a peace; and we
were very glad to get oft' that way, for it was the
hardest day's work I ever saw,save the battle of
Buena Vista.
Well, sir, the chief who managed tu bring about
this war, and loinied this alliance with all the
tribes, forhc had been two years engaged in bring-
ing about peace between tribes that had been at
war with one another, in order that he might
make this organization with a view of destroying
the entire settlements—the great leader, thegreat
chief that conducted that affair, and brought
about the organization and managed the whole
plan of attack, and had much to do in fighting the
battles—met Captain Smith, as gallant an officer
as there is in the Army, or in the world, upon one
occasion, and surrounded him upon a mount-
ain top, where he had 110 water, and for three
days he besieged him there, and shot his men
down in spite of all the energy and all the skill of
that gallant officer. Captain Smith caused his
men to dig holes for themselves in the ground, as
deep as their own height, and to stand in the holes
with their heads just out of them so that they
could see, and m that position the Indians man-
aged to kill a large number of his command. For
three days they had not one drop of water, until
the arrival of some volunteers who were passing
through the country seeking these Indians. I
will say, before I mention the good fortune of the
arrival of the volunteers, that the chief approached
the captain every day near enough to speak to
him. The captain understood his language well;
was personally well acquainted with him. The
captain had entertained him at his quarters many
times, givinghim dinners and treating him kindly;
and,in this action,he would come up nearenough
to speak to the captain, and hold up a rope, and,
in the Indian tongue, tell him, "Look here; see
this rope; to-morrow I intend to take you and
hang you under a limb; I will kill the last man of
your command; but you shall not be dignified
with a shot; you shall be hung to the limb of a
tree." The old chief told me afterwards that if
the volunteers had not arrived the captain would
soon have been in his power. Such was his opin-
ion. There was no moregallantman than Captain
Smith. In that extremity, however, the volun-
teers arrived, raised the siege, and saved that gal-
lant officer and his command.
Such is the character of the Indians we have
had this trouble with. I will mention another
fact. I will extend the history of this great chief
a little further. He agreed finally, after twelve
months' struggle, and when the northern tribes
dropped oft", and would not longer prosecute the
war—he did not come in, but sent a messenger to
the colonel commanding, and proposed to him that
if he could be taken and treated as he suggested,
and placed upon a reservation, a house built for
him, and fields cleared, and men hired to work
them, and many other things that he proposed—
that he would quit the struggle, and go to a reser-
vation. We were very glad to get him in upon
any terms; and I believe everything was promised
him that he required, and he was taken 011 a res-
ervation, the most beautiful spot that I know of,
in as fertile a valley as there is in the world, where
the agent last year succeeded in raising eighty
thousand bushels of potatoes, and wheat enough
to bread them for a year. This chief took it into
his head, after being on the reservation two years,
that he would not stay away from his old hunt-
ing grounds any longer; that he would kill all the
whites, and commence another war. So skillfully
did he lay his plans, that but for the disclosures
of a young squaw, who thought the agent ought
not to he slaughtered, he would have executed
them. The agent was at that time in the Willa-
mette Valley purchasing supplies for the Indians,
thirty miles from the reservation; and there were
very high, almost impassable, mountains, between
the reservation and the settlements. He made his
plans to waylay and kill Metcalf, the agent, 011 his
return, and then kill all the white men employed
there, take their arms, and rush into the mount-
ains; and in those mountains it would be almost
impossible to find a man. The brush and chap-
arial are so thick that you could not see a man m
many places ten feet to save your life; and in such
a place the Indians have great advantage.
Metcalf was informed of it, through the kind-
ness of a young squaw, who sent a runner across
the mountains, that met him and notified him of
the danger. A lieutenant was sent with some
twenty men, on the trail with him; and on their
way they passed by the place where the Indians
were in ambush, for the purpose of waylaying
and murdering him. Tile Indians, seeing him
accompanied by troops, did not show themselves,
till the command had gone on some distance, when
they fell into the trail behind them, and, coming
up, expressed great pleasure in seeing them. On
arriving at the reservation, the Indians were in-
vited to go to the council house, to receive some
presents, and when there, the guard rushed in and
seized John and his son.
They took them to Fort Vancouver. They were
kept in prison, or as prisoners, for the safety of
the settlers, and for the purpose of maintaining
peace.
Finally, the commander of the post concluded
that it would be better to send him to California,
and accordingly he and his son were put on
board a steamer, with a guard of twelve men; and
on their way to California, they arose in the night,
when everybody was asleep, and possessed them-
selves of all the six shootersandarmsof the twelve
men who were guarding tliein; for they were
asleep, and never dreamed of the Indians rising,
two hundred miles from the mouth of the Colum-
bia. They seized the arms of the guard, and took
possession of the ship, and held possession of it
for two hours, in spite of the captain, who is as
brave a man as any in our country, though he had
a full crew and many passengers.
That is his history, and it is absolutely true.
He had possession of the ship for two hours, and
they could not retake her, for he had the arms;
and if the captain or any of the people attempted
to go down the hatch into the cabin he would
fire and drive them back. He killed or wounded
several persons, men and women; for he com-
menced with the view of an indiscriminate slaugh-
ter. They succeeded, at last, in breaking the leg
of the young one, and knocking down the old
man. The captain said he was too brave a man
to be killed, and he should not be. He took him
to San Francisco, had the leg of the young one
amputated, and they are both there now. I con-
versed with them on my way here. I shall call
and see him on my return. I intend to propose
to him, as I believe now wo have satisfied him
that it would not do to go to war, to come home
and live with me, so that we can talk over the
struggles we have passed through in Oregon.
This is the character of the people we have had
to deal with. It was no trifling matter. The
honorable Senator will recollect, that only two
years ago one of the most gallant Army officers
we have, in attempting to travel through that
country with one liundied and fifty cavalry, with
two or three pieces of artillery, was attacked in
the open prairie. The Indians drove them away,
killed Captain Taylor, Lieutenant Gaston, and
several men; chased them for ninety miles, and,
but for friendly Indians, would have scalped them
all. They made their escape by leaving behind
everything they had. The Indians captured the
artillery and everything else. They have never
been whipped thoroughly in any fight they have
had with the whites. Colonel Wright succeeded
better than any man who ever fought with them.
Here is another instance I will relate. At a
hill, known as Hungry Hill, the Indians took
possession of the hill, and a regular officer led
his command against the hill; he fought them
froni morning until night, and with a larger force
than the Indians had, until he lost a considerable
portion of his command, and had to retire at night-
fall, leaving the Indians in possession of the Kill.
I mention those things in vindication of the
character of our Indians. I have never harmed
one of them when I could help it, and our people
have never been ill the habit of killing the Indians,
exceptin war. lam proudofOregon,forthereason
(among others) that no Oregonian has ever been
charged with shooting an Indian unless in open
war, or in defense of his own life.
Now, Mr. President, a word about the amount
of supplies. The supplies furnished for troops
had to be taken across rugged mountains without
roads. In many instances they had to be carried
across the Cascade mountains, and also across tho
mountains to the coast at an enormous expense.
It is worth the price of a mule, although they pack
at a low rate, to take two hundred pounds across
those mountains; but there was no extravagant
price chargcd. It was done a little less than the
Army paid in cash. Provisions were required for
four and five and six thousand men, which they
were compelled to keep in the field, and of course,
the price ran up. I know one case where a com-
mand was compelled for a number of days to live
upon their animals—killed their horses and ate
them, without bread or salt. Coffee was ararity
that they hardly ever had when outside of the
settlements.
I will mention, as an instance of the prompitude
of our people in turning out for the defense of the
country,that when the proclamation reached Pelk-
county that troops were necessary for the defense
of the settlers, they turned out one hundred and
two volunteers organized ill one company. Tho
proclamation reached them at sunset, on Monday
evening, and on Tuesday morning every one of
them was mounted, and on his way to the interior
of the Indian country. Many of them did not
return. We had to mourn the loss of Captains
Hembree and Bennett, and very many other gal-
lant moil. They were out nearly a year. Many
of those that returned, came back crippled, or
broken down in constitution. I mention this sim-
ply as an instance; for the promptitude and fidel-
ity of the people of all the other counties were
equal to this.
It should be remembered that the thermometer
stood for some days at that season sixteen to
twenty degrees below zero. The volunteers were
without shelter and without proper provision.
Most of the men in the volunteer service were,
under your donation law, freeholders—owned
their land, and had comforts aboutthem. These
men would not have left their comfortable homes
but for the necessity of the case. Are they to be
refused the small price that the committee is willing
to give them, twelve or sixteen dollars a month—
the regular pay of tho Army ? All that is asked
by the amendment of the committee besides, is
pay for their subsistence, transportation, and sup-
plies, while they were actually engaged in service.
I make this explanation that the Senate may
understand the character of the Indians in that
country, and the good conduct of our volun-
teers. We have now, 1 hope and trust, a perma-
nent peace with them. I think we shall have 110
more war. I hope not. War is to us a great
calamity. I11 peace we are happy and prosperous.
Scattered as we are, the settlements divided by
high mountains, a war is terrible to us, and Ipray
that we may have no more; but I hope the Sen-
ate may pass this bill, and make the appropriation
necessary to pay the troops that rendered service,
and to pay for the supplies upon which they sub-
sisted while thus engaged.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. President- 
Mr. LATHAM. I merely want to say a word,
and then I will give way to the Senator from Vir-