History of southern Oregon, comprising Jackson, Josephine ...

INDIAN WARS. 281
trary, possessed excellent pieces and shot effectively from almost incredible distances.
The battle having been prolonged nntil night, the Indians drew off and encamped,
resolved to renew the fight in the morning. Smith occupied his men in constructing
rifle-pits and building with his camp equipage temporary defences, and in procuring
water from the river for his thirsty troops. On the following morning the Indians
again opened fire and continued the battle. Old John put forth all his efforts to seize
victory, as there was every chance that re-inforcements for Smith would soon arrive,
when all hope of terminating the war favorably to the Indians w^ould be lost. But
in spite of his generalship and personal bravery the assaults were successfully repulsed,
and owing to the improved system of defences, less damage was caused by the sharjishooters
upon the north mound.
About four o'clock in the afternoon the Indians formed in two bodies with the
intention of attacking both flanks simultaneously, and in force. Just at the critical
moment of their attack. Captain Augur's comjjany was seen advancing. In conjunc-
tion with these Smith charged and dispersed the enemy, John and all the rest
escaping into the woods. Smith's loss was twenty-nine in killed and wounded, the
most of whom were hit by bullets from the north mound. Says Captain Cram: "The
number of warriors who arranged themselves under the banner of Old John for this
last struggle for the defence of their valley was about 400." Aside from the glaring
solecism of mentioning Indians as fighting under a banner, this sentence contains the
im})ortant error of ascribing to John's warriors at least twice their actual force. Two
hundred would probal)ly be nearer the mark, and even this number may be too large,
as it is well known that the band over which John was chief only numbered from two
to three score, and all in excess must have been volunteers for the occasion. It is
reported that the Indians were so confident of caj)turing Smith and his command that
they provided a number of pieces of rope, corresponding to the number of men in the
command, wherewith to hang the whites, thereby saving the powder which would be
required to shoot them ; but several almost convincing objections to the truth of the
report suggest themselves. They also intended, it is said, to attack the scattered forces
of Buchanan in detail, and annihilate them before they could effect a junction; afea.sible
plan in view of their wide separation. To prevent any like attempts for the future,
Buchanan concentrated his forces at the Big Meadows on the thirtieth of May, and
remained there uiitil the greater ^lart of the Indians had surrendered.
While Captain Smith was thus contending with John and his warriors, the volun-
teers some miles up the river were fighting Limpy and George and their people.
Major Latshaw left Fort Lamerick on January twenty-seventh with 21o men, and
marched twelve miles down the river and during the next day skirmished with the
Indians of some rancherias still lower down, killing some and taking fifteen prisoners.
On the twenty-ninth, the day following John's defeat by Captain Smith, more skirm-
ishing was done, and H. C. Houston, sergeant in Keith's company, was badly wounded.
On the following day fighting-took place on the south side of the river, between a [tarty
of volunteers and some Indians, and Private Cooly, of Wallan's company, was
wounded in the thigh and hand. On the thirty-first Major Latshaw, with loO
men, moved to Bucluinan's headquarters, at Big Meadows. They here found that
Linq>y and fieorge had surrcndcM-cd with tlicir bands on I\Iay twenty-ninth, the day