The Hawaiian Star

AN INDIAN GENERAL.
Chief Joseph's Campaign with His Nez Perce Braves.
A Running Fight of Fifteen Hundred Miles From Western Idaho Down and Up the Rockies to Northern Montana-Three Armies Beaten and a Fourth Held at Bay.
[Copyright, 1894, by American Press Association. Book rights reserved.]
EITHER Tell- whether a myth or a verity it is all one-nor Rob Roy, defending the glens of the Alps or the highlands neither Shamyl in the fastnesses of Caucasia, nor yet Marion in his Carolina everglades, made a more glorious fight to win all that men hold worth battling for-freedom, possessions, homes, wives and little ones, than did the Nez Perce war chieftain, Joseph, who led a chase of 1,500 miles along the valleys, across the foothills and through the blind passes of the Rocky mountains, with hostile armies superbly equipped and of dauntless valor in front of him, behind him, to the right and to the left of him, while almost certain defeat was his single prospect, and death stared him in the face at every turn.
Every advantage of the situation was with the army of the government from first to last. It was led by experienced soldiers of the plains and the civil war. Years of preparation had established forts and garrisons in places the best suited to quell Indian uprisings. The Nez Perces were, on the contrary, a peaceful tribe who had kept aloof from all wars. They had been Christianized and were engaged in farming on their Idaho reservation, granted in 1855. Their love of peace was such that up to 1876 they had not slain a single white person. The quarrel of 1877 was thrust upon them by the revocation of a treaty grant and the murder of a brother of Joseph by a white, whom the Indians demanded should be tried. Not withstanding this provocation the tribe peacefully (a million for ground x aljoltcd bsy the government, aud n almple borier Luellcut tlarteyl ulit taury ul
General Howard instantly set the telegraph and special scouts and couriers at work to alarm the posts and garrisons surrounding the Nez Perces' lands, and the passes of mountains and rivers were filled with armed soldiery before the chiefs could get their families and ponies together for a campaign. Every year the Nez Perces went on a buffalo hunt along the Missouri, and Chief Joseph, whether truthfully or as a ruse, announced that to be his intention, but General Howard's action cut it short, for he ordered his cavalry, with gatling guns and howitzers, to seize that route and hedge the Indians in.
Joseph then directed his march south and westward across Salmon river, then on a circuit north and eastward to the Clearwater, where Howard fought him on July 11 and 12. The Indians numbered 400 braves, but were encumbered with their women, children and baggage, also an extra herd of about 1,000 ponies for reserves. Their village was in the shelter of a ravine commanded by bluffs, where the mountain howitzers and gatling guns of the army could get range. They brought into action about 300 males, but the soldiers assert that the squaws acted as reserves and fought like men.
Howard had 400 fighting men in the field, besides rear guard, scouts, etc. Chief Joseph made use of every form of tactics to foil the enemy. His sharpshooters kept well to the front, his warriors charged mounted and dismounted, and they barricaded the ravines and gullies where the troops were expected to attack. The gatling guns and cannons played upon them at long range, but they kept the pursuers at bay two days and finally cut their way through to the mountains. Chief Joseph lost 23 warriors killed and 23 captured. Howard lost 13 killed and 24 wounded.
Valorous as he had been in battle and able in strategems to baffle and elude the armies following his pathway the savage Chief Joseph had only entered upon his dazzling career as a war leader. Eastward, in front of him and between his people and the coveted buffalo lands, lay the Rockies, every available pass of which was guarded by the army. Beyond the mountain, blocking the valleys, the stream crossings and the gaps in the lower hills, were forts and armed posts, all of these connected by telegraph, and the surrounding country was alive with citizens inured to frontier battle, armed for it and ready to volunteer against the red men.
The direct trail from the Clearwater to the Missouri, over Bitter Root mountains, through Lolo pass, has been known since the earliest explorations as the worst ever trod by man or beast. By that route Joseph struck out, taking his wounded braves, his squaws and children on 2,000 ponies. He pushed on an advance guard to clear the road and left a rear guard to barricade the trail by felling trees across it and rolling stones into the narrow defiles. Howard was baffled and gave up the pursuit.
Six days in these mountains, the Indians were free from molestation, but their food supply was barely enough to last out a rapid march, and it was plain that they must get through the chain of forty forts and posts lying eastward. The cavalry of forty and points Iyfax eaxtwnnl. They telegraph hnl nlaritmil n cotnyminy ol the Sveuth infantry atat jone at Misoala, Rnd Itnootuander, Cap aita Kuwn, prrrpt: ly moved with a retlifaroemtnt of volun- uers jntg a defle at the eustern moulh ot the pama and intr-uched tie plare to awalt the mulvance ot Chirf Jomph, "But thn wits Nes Percen did pot ailack tba Therumops Ir, and nfter a few days six-tt in pnrley wiih the soltijers and In gathering auptlics he movel southwurd jnto Bsittrr ltinst valley. It wn then tln Rhth of July, Murn thxu aix weeks had passed aiuce Captain Perry'n drfent on the Salipou xud two weeku uluco Iloward's draw'n baitle ou ihe Clrarwuter. T'he army had not only been arouvad, but bad had time to concrntrate. Gi-neral Gilr bon, oommanding the Sevruth infuntry. Itft Mismoula on Auk. 8 wjth J49 rrkularw and &4 cltIzens tofollow tne Sez I'ereew trali. On the Sib they atruck the villago in Bixk Hole basiu, with the Indinnn for once Dap: pilk. The solljers crawled up in iho siight clone to the hudllo of "tejxeer'aud at daybreak with the brayes, rusired out aud rau for Ihe trees aud cut dowa with unerrink nip the wldiere wbo were burulrk tte cuunp, Gitr Chief Jomepb miarcbed on fron Bik Amopg tbe little armies called out by the