Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/380

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The lettering was changed by the change of organization.

To go back a little: Immediately after the battle at Hungry hill on Grave creek, Major Fitzgerald proceeded to Fort Vancouver, and thence to The Dalles, where he remained in garrison during the winter. The command at Fort Lane was thus reduced to a single troop. Captain Smith had agreed with the volunteer officers to meet them at the Grave-creek house (Fort Bailey) about the ninth of November, prepared to pursue and fight the Indians, and in the meantime scouts from Bailey s company were to find where they were in hiding ; for, as usual, after a bat tle, they had abandoned their position silently and mys teriously, to reappear in some unexpected quarter. But before disappearing they had paid a visit to the reserva tion and burned or destroyed all the property of the peo ple upon it, including that of Chief Sam, and killed the agency cattle. Soon after a number of houses on Jump- Off- Joe creek were burned, hearing of which Martin s and Bruce s commands, together with a small force of regulars from Fort Jones, pursued and fell in with a band at the mouth of Jump-Off-Joe creek, killing eight.

On the nineteenth, Major Bruce, with a part of his bat talion, marched up Applegate creek in company with Cap tain Judah and his troop from Fort Jones, but finding no Indians, returned to headquarters on the twentieth. On the twenty-first, Major Bruce ordered Captains Williams and Alcorn, with their companies, to proceed down the west side of Rogue river, while he, with Captains Rice and Wilkinson and their commands, marched down the opposite side by the way of Grave creek to The Meadows, accompanied by Captain Judah and Major Martin. The several commands arrived in the vicinity of the supposed headquarters of the enemy at daylight on the twenty-fifth, and sent out their spies to discover the Indian camp. Late at night the spies reported the Indians, two or three hun dred strong, on a bar of the river six miles above and very difficult of access.