Francis J. Lippitt to Second California Vol. Infantry, Comdg. Humboldt Mil. Dist, August 31, 1862
Fort Humboldt, August 31, 1862.
Inthe afternoon of the 15th instant I received information of a band of Indians having taken possession of a timbered point of land on the coast about forty-five miles from this post, and about twelve above Trinidad, where they had attacked parties of travelers, and where they were supposed to intend to remain in order to cut off ali communication with the settlements above. I immediately repaired to Camp Curtis, two miles beyond Arcata; took with me Captain Schmidt’s company (B, Second California Volunteer Infantry) and proceeded with it the same evening to Trinidad, where we arrived at daybreak. The people of Trinidad were much alarmed; were expecting an attack every hour; had placed all their women and children in a brick store, and a loaded cannon in the main street. All the domestic Indians in the place were at once put on an island and watched, to prevent their giving information of our march. We lay by at Trinidad the whole of that day, and at dark commenced our march for the point where the Indians were stated to be. The night was pitchy dark, and as the march was conducted in the most perfect silence, there was nothing to betray our approach. At daybreak we arrived on the beach about one mile below the destined point. I made the men lie*down behind the trunk of an enormous tree that was lying on the beach, and proceeded onward with a guide, a packer, and Lieutenant Campbell, with a citizen overcoat thrown over him. If the Indians had fired on us we should have retreated in such a manner as to draw them into the ambush prepared. We passed by the timbered point a third of a mile or more, but no Indians made their appearance. The command was then ordered up, and was employed for some time in examining the timber and the brush between the beach and Redwood Camp, a ranch three miles inland, which the Indians had attacked and burnt some three days before, and whither, it was supposed, the band had now gone, from the direction of a few fresh tracks we found on the beach. One-half of the command under Captain Schmidt was sent round to the same point by another trail. We camped that day at Redwood Camp to allow the men to get some sleep. In the afternoon three Indian scouts came within a few hundred yards of the camp to reconnoiter. On their being seen and reported by the sentry, Lieutenant Campbell vas hastily dispatched with ten men to capture them. On being pursued the Indians scattered and ran into the forest in different directions. Captain Schmidt and Lieutenant Campbell, each with a detachment deployed as skirmishers, dashed into the woods after them, while I posted myself with the remaining nine men as a reserve in a central position, whence I could see the whole ground, keeping the men concealed in the brush. After an exhausting chase through undergrowth and chaparral almost impenetrable the detachments were obliged to return without having succeeded in finding the Indians or their tracks. . We remained at Redwood Camp the whole of the next day, when a detachment was sent out and scoured the country around in every direction, but no Indian, or sign of one, was to be seen. The following day we marched to Elk Camp, on the other side of Redwood Creek, where Lieutenant Anderson had been lately posted with twelve men, which place, from a report made by him as he was on the point of evacuating it, there was some reason to believe was now in possession of the Indians. On approaching the spot such dispositions were made as would have insured the capture of the whole band if they had only been there; but again, as before, no Indian or Indian sign was to be seen. The next day we marched to Whitney’s, on Redwood Creek (the place of the recent attack), passing by Albee’s, where, also, we had supposed we should find the Indians in possession. The next day we crossed the Redwood and marched to Bates’, near Mad River, by the way of Elk Prairie trail, said to be frequently crossed by Indians, but neither at any of these places, nor on our return to Arcata the following day, had we the good fortune to find any Indians or any Indian sign.
The distance marched by the troops on this seven days’ scout was eighty miles, fully equal to 140 miles over ordinary roads. I cannot too highly praise the good order, silent marching, and discipline of Captain Schmidt’s command during the entire scout. I regret to report that Private Kershaw was accidentally killed during the first night march. He belonged to the rear guard of eight men who had been obliged to scatter in order to pick their wayoveraswamp. Shortly afterward he was advancing from a piece of brush to rejoin his detachment. It was quite dark, and the sergeant in command, after challenging him three times without a reply, supposing him to be an Indian, fired and shot him dead on the spot. On the 20th instant (two days before my return from the scout) an Indian trail was accidentally discovered by some citizens who were in pursuit of two white men. Following it they were led near a camp of some twenty-five Indians, bucks and squaws included. They returned to Arcata, organized a party of eighteen citizens, which, accompanied by Lieutenant Anderson and twelve men of Company D, Third California Volunteer Infantry, and Lieutenant Johnson with five men of Company F, Second California Volunteer Infantry, that. happened to be at Arcata on duty, came up with the band at daylight. The citizens, Lieutenant Anderson’s party, and Lieutenant Johnson’s, were in separate detachments, and posted themselves so as to cut off the Indians retreat. In the short skirmish that ensued six Indians were said to have been killed; two of these arereported by Lieutenant Johnson to have been killed by his detachment, which also wounded three others. From Lieutenant Anderson I have had no report. One of the citizens was killed. “Five guns,” Lieutenant Johnson reports, “were captured; also 2 bows and a lot of arrows. One of the guns was a Yager, captured by us last spring from the Indians and retaken by the Indians when Whitney’s place was burned.”
On the 22d instant Lieutenant Campbell was sent by Captain Schmidt, with eleven men of Company B, Second California Volunteer Infantry, to accompany a party of citizens from Arcata, who had started to find a band of Indians said to be encamped somewhere on Little River, using as a guide a squaw who had escaped from one of the settlements recently
attacked. On arriving at the point where the squaw had last seen them no Indians were to be found and no tracks could be discovered. After consultation the two parties separated, Lieutenant Campbell, with nine of his men and two of the citizens, proceeding down the river to its mouth, whence they returned to camp without finding any Indian sign; the remainder of the citizens, together with three soldiers (including Private Bacon, of Company I, Second California Volunteer Infantry, one of the two wounded in the attack on Daley’s Ferry), went up the river. This latter party, after a few hours, came upon an Indian trail, which they followed up till it brought them to within 200 yards of the band, whose proximity was discovered by the barking of a dog. As soon as there was light enough to see they attacked them, killing, it is said, some twenty-two bucks and unintentionally five or six squaws. Among them was a white man, who was either killed or wounded, but who was dragged away by the Indians and has not been since seen. Some seven rifles were taken and other articles of property, all of which have been since identified as having belonged to settlements which had been previously attacked and plundered. Lieutenant Johnson, in relation to the first skirmish, and the citizens in relation to the last one, speak of the behavior of the soldiers in the highest terms of praise. From the slowness, uncertainty, and expense of the communications I have deemed it advisable to place the troops to the north of Redwood Creek, under the immediate command of Lieutenant-Colonel Olney, who is stationed at Fort Gaston. Under previous verbal instructions from me Lieutenant-Colonel Olney has succeeded in making an arrangement with the Hoopa chiefs to furnish us Indian guides to enable us te find the hostile Indians. I had been endeavoring to accomplish this before Colonel Olney’s arrival there, but without success, owing to the limited authority of the three principal chiefs. Colonel Olney has managed to induce the seventeen sub-chiefs to consent to the arrangement, which many of them were before unwilling to do. These sub-chiefs were all present at the making of the treaty, a copy of which I have the honor to inclose, as also that portion of Lieutenant-Colonel Olney’s letter which relates to it. If these guides are furnished us agreeably to the treaty, I consider it the most important step that has been taken toward the completion of the war, the only difficulty we have had being to know where to find the Indians. The number of Indian prisoners now at this post is 724; the number at Fort Baker is about 100, among others the chief, Say- Winne, with some of hisband. There has been lately unusual sickness among the Indians here, and some deaths have occurred, caused, according to Brigade Surgeon Egbert’s official report, by the want of a vegetable diet, to which they are mostly accustomed. Doctor Egbert reports that to check it potatoes and salt will have to be issued to them, in addition to the rations of flour and meat, and that beans are not at present a suitable diet for them. I have taken the responsibility of ordering accordingly. 1 trust that my action in this will be approved, as well as in directing the purchase of two mules over and above the 100 I had express authority for. The last lot of eight, containing some riding mules, much needed for express purposes, being bought at remarkably reasonable terms, and the owner refusing to sell less than the entire lot. In my previous letters I have spoken of Captain Ketcham and Lieutenant Staples, of Company A, Third California Volunteer Infantry, in terms of praise. It would be unjust to Second Lieutenant Ustiek, of the same company, to omit to say that we all consider him one of the most soldier-like, energetic, and efficient of all our volunteer ofticers, and one who, with a little experience, would prove an invaluable acquisition to the regular service.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Assistant Adjutant-General, Department of the Pacific.
No. 2.
Reports of Lieut. Col. James N. Olney, Second California Infantry.