CHAPTER II.
Arrival of Colonel Wright with Ninth Infantry—Posts Garrisoned—Importance of the Cascades—Error of General Wool—Attack on the Cascades by the Yakimas—The Long Siege of Bradford's Store—Appearance of the Troops—Volunteers and Regulars from Vancouver and Portland—Sheridan's Plight—Steptoe's Error—List of Killed and Wounded—Trial and Punishment of the Cascade Indians—Wright's Campaign in the Yakima Country, and Its Results—Course of Governor Stevens—Washington Volunteers Take the Place of the Disbanded Oregon Mounted Volunteer Regiment—Letter of Indian Agent Craig—Battle of Grand Rond—Effect of Shaw's Policy—Stevens' Failure in the Council with the Nez Perces—Attacked by the Cayuses and Walla Wallas—Wool's Report on this Matter—Stevens' Remarks Upon the Policy of Colonel Wright—Fort Walla Walla Established—The Oregon and Washington Superintendencies United—General Wool Recalled, and General Newman S. Clarke Succeeds Him—Slight Changes at First—Steptoe's Disastrous March—Clarke and Wright at Last Aroused—Wright's Campaign—Battle of Four Lakes—The Troops Victorious and the Indians Subdued—Kamiakin's Flight—Wright's Heroic Treatment of the Indian Question when the Army was Hurt.
The ice in the Columbia which had prevented Governor Curry from provisioning the volunteers, had also interfered with the plans of General Wool. It was out of the lower Columbia, however, long before it was broken up above; and on the eleventh of January the mail steamer from San Francisco was able to reach Vancouver, informing the general of fresh troubles in northern California and southern Oregon, which demanded his immediate return to Benicia.
On his passage down the river he met an up-coming steamer, on board of which was Colonel George Wright with eight companies of the ninth infantry regiment; and to him he assigned the command of the district of the Columbia river. At sea he also met Lieutenant-Colonel Silas Casey, with two companies of the same regiment, whom he assigned to the command of the Puget sound district.
Wright was directed to make his headquarters at The Dalles, and to concentrate there all the troops intended to operate in the upper country; to establish a post in Walla
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