p. m. two of their number returned, reporting the discovery of a camp of nine lodges and about twenty or thirty Indians in a northeasterly direction, about twelve or fourteen miles distant. A portion of their number were left to keep watch of the hostile camp. At 9. 30 p. m. I sent out a detachment of twenty-six men of Company D and thirteen men of the detachment of Company B, First Oregon Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant S. Watson, the whole making a force of thirty-nine men, commanded by First Lieutenant J. M. McCall. The detachment was accompanied by all of our friendly Indians remaining in camp. Lieutenant McCall's instructions were to make a night march, surprise their camp. Lieutenant McCall's instructions were to make a night march, surprise their camp at daylight the following morning, and attack at once without preliminaries. A copy of Lieutenant McCall's report of his operations up to 9 p. m. of the 18th instant is respectfully inclosed herewith. * On the morning of the 18th instant the command resumed the march as usual, intending to halt and encamp at this place, a distance of five miles.

At about 7 p. m., and when three miles from camp, a messenger from Lieutenant McCall arrived, bringing a note from him asking for assistance. Taking forty men of Company G, First Oregon Cavalry, under command of Captain Small, I set out for the scene of conflict at once, giving instructions to the officer next in command to continue the march to this place and establish a camp. On arriving upon the field at 9 a. m. I found Lieutenant McCall's party occupying a small rise of ground nearly a mile distant the scene of actual conflict. The wounded had all been carried down the hill to this place; the dead were in the hands of the Indians. Surgeon Dumreicher, who accompanied me, proceeded at once to care for the wounded, and as soon as I could get the necessary information as to the exact locality in possession of the hostile Indians, I set out with Captain Small's detachment for the purpose of renewing the fight. Moving slowly, and reconnoitering carefully, over a country so rough as to be almost impracticable for cavalry, we gradually approached the cliff of rocks under which they had taken refuge, but found it abandoned. I subsequently learned from some of our friendly Indians that they left about an hour before our arrival, dispersing into the mountains. Their trails could not be found, as they were on foot, and the surface of the country so exce to render any attempt to trail them utterly useless. Our dead had been stripped and horribly mutilated. A Warm Springs Indian killed in the fight had been disemboweled and scalped. The dead were carried down to the place occupied by Lieutenant McCall and party and I then proceeded to make an examination of the position lately occupied by the Indians. It was a very strong one, had been well fortified and barricaded with large bowlers, probably in anticipation of attack at some time or other. On going into their camp we found a very large store of provisions and a considerable quantity of property of every description such as is usually collected about an Indian camp; also clothing, saddles, camp equipage, &c., that had been stolen from the whites. Everything was burned under the supervision of Captain Small, a special detail having been made for the purpose. As far as I can ascertain positively but three Snake Indians were killed; if any were founded they caried them off. Lieutenant McCall captured fifty head of horses, all they had. Fifty or sixty saddles were burned with their camp, and they are without the means of committing depredations for the present.

---------------

*See p. 345.

---------------