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T.oie nazue to oe Ksumrnemuruzeti (•)they stood their ground In a flght with white men, when their numbers were anything near equal. Here, however, was a band of Indians who stood up against a force not much Inferior to their own and fought so stubbornly and bravely that they turned the rout at the opening assault Into what was virtually a victory. They compelled the white men who had driven them from their camp to take refuge behind breastworks and then they followed the whites, hemmed them in and harassed them for 24 hours, only desisting when scouts brought them news of the approach of strong reinforcements for the soldiers.It was an unusual experience for the veterans In the ranks of the whites, many of whom had fought the Sioux In eastern Montana and in the Dakotas. Some of these men afterward said that they would rather fight five Sioux than one Nez Perce; and yet this tribe had never before been at war against the whites. If the Nez Perces had been experienced in this sort of fighting, there Is no telling what might have been the outcome of Chief Joseph’s famous march through Montana lr. 1877. The reputation of Sitting Bull and his Sioux would have been forfeited. But. the Nez Perces were by nature peaceable and their one clash with whites arose from a cause that Justified their actions in the eyes of those who believed that the United States should play fair with such of the T—lians as were themselves honorable..Jen who served during the Civil war * * ud In the Indian wars in the middle west and south have given testimony that the battle of the Big Hole was the most bitterly contested field upon which they ever fought. These veterans state that they never witnessed such determined fighting maintained for so long a period of time and at such short range by any Indians as was carried on by these unseasoned warriors under Joseph.It was a brave body of whites who faced Chief Joseph that hot day on the bluffs that overlook the Basin where the waters of mountain streams mingle to form the main fork of Big Hole river. They were worthy foes and worthily du this Indian leader and hi6 followers meet them.Among the men hemmed In by Joseph, in the earthworks on the brow of that fatal hill, was one grizzled old surgeonPeaceable to the Last In his later years, Joseph was not a disturber; he remembered his promise and he kept it. He kept It indeed better than many a paroled white would have done; It was lived up to In spirit as well as In letter. Not only did he refrain from making any trouble himself, but his councils were always for peace. He realized the hopelessness of a struggle aaglnst the white Invasion and he adopted the course that seemed to him wisest.Chariot a Malcontent The case of tne Nez Perces was almost an exact parallel with the treatment which Chief Chariot and his Saleeshes of the Bitter Root valley received from the government. Chariot, however, refrained from any act of violence against the whites. When Joseph sent Chariot an invitation to participate In the march out of the country, the latter refused. But Chariot remained sullen and morose, a perpetual trouble breeder on the reservation; a chronic malcontent. Joseph, on the other hand, became a model Indian after his brief struggle against the Inevitable had been decided.('harlot a Malcontent When Chariot had his famous conference with Senator Vest. Major Martin Maginnls and others regarding his proposed departure from the Bitter Root valley. he referred to this Incident. Hesaid that his father. Victor, had welcomed Lewis and Clark and helped them on their Journey; that during the intervening years no white man had been killed by the Flathead Indians in anything that looked like hostility; that recently when his kinsman Joseph of the Nez Perces had come over the mountains and asked him to Join with him In his war upon the whites, he told him thathe would not do so. He said that hetold Joseph he would not Join the whites, and that so far as the Saleeshes were concerned. Joseph might march through the valley if he w’ould do so peaceably: but that if he took anything belonging to the white men, or even killed a calf, then he (Chariot) would Join forces with the white men.Was Greatest of Indian Leaders Joseph’s resentment against the whites was of the same nature as that of Chariot. but it found vent in a different manner. Instead of remaining sullenly Inthp WnlttiVA vnllpv .TnoAnh ripfprminpri
Newspaper Details
Bozeman Courier
Bozeman, Montana, US
Fri, May 13, 1927
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Geri L.
NA, 17 Jul 2024
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