The Lolo Trail
Chief Joseph and his nontreaty Nez Perce took the most northerly route across the Bitterroot Mountains. This passage, known as the Lolo Trail, ran from the Idaho Territory through the mountains to the Bitterroot Valley in Montana Territory. From Kamiah, it was approximately 100 miles in length and included the Lolo Pass where the Clearwater Mountains of Idaho met the Bitterroot Mountains. Indians had used the trail for generations despite its difficult terrain, Lewis and Clark had traversed portions of it in 1805 and 1806, and in the 1860s a federally funded attempt to build a wagon road along the trail had begun.
By this time, General Howard was inclined to abandon the pursuit of Joseph in favor of establishing security for the settlers residing on Nez Perce lands, who feared continued Indian attacks. Commanding General William Sherman, however, ordered Howard to continue on his present course irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries. A combination of factors put Howard well behind Joseph and the main body of fleeing Indians. He waited for reinforcements who would handle security in Idaho and was still dealing with raids that, unknown to him, were actually conducted by small groups of rearguard Nez Perce seeking horses and supplies while the main body moved steadily eastward.
By the time Howard began to follow the fleeing Indians along the Lolo Trail, the main body of Nez Perce had reached Montana. Confident that they had escaped Howard, Looking Glass concluded that the war was over and directed his warriors not to harm settlers.
Then the Nez Perce learned that soldiers were constructing a fort ahead of them at Missoula. Captain Charles Rawn had been ordered to stop the Nez Perce at the other end of the Lolo Trail, but his force was small, consisting of only 30 regulars plus volunteers who expanded the force to about 200. Also in support of Rawn were Flatheads, longtime allies of the Nez Perce, who promised to supply information about the Nez Perce but remain neutral in any fighting.
Captain Rawn met with Looking Glass, White Bird, and Joseph on July 26 and demanded that the Nez Perce surrender their guns and horses. Joseph and Looking Glass met with Rawn again the next day, along with Chief Charlo of the Flatheads. At this meeting, the Nez Perce put forth their own offer. They would surrender ammunition but no guns in exchange for safe passage. Rawn refused, and Looking Glass told him that he would have to consult his people about Rawn’s demands.
Rawn and his mixed contingent prepared for battle behind hastily constructed breastworks of logs. The positioning of the barricades on a valley floor put the soldiers and volunteers in jeopardy from forces firing on them from above. This risk, coupled with the Nez Perce’s promise to move by without harming any of the settlers, induced many of the volunteers to leave Rawn. Throughout the night of July 27-28, the remaining force, numbering about 30 regulars, 30 volunteers, and 21 Flatheads, awaited an attack.7 Instead, the Nez Perce passed silently and peacefully by the small, outmanned force.
Captain Rawn incurred considerable criticism for not having made a more concerted effort to stop the Nez Perce, with his makeshift fort being mockingly dubbed “Fort Fizzle.” Although unproven, it has long been conjectured that Rawn and Montana Territory Governor Benjamin Potts may have secretly finalized an agreement with the Nez Perce to allow them to pass through so as to avoid a battle involving Rawn’s small and vulnerable party.
The Big Hole
The next significant military encounter for Joseph and the Nez Perce was in an area known as the Big Hole, a Montana prairie surrounded by mountains. It was a traditional resting place for the Nez Perce on their way east to hunt the buffalo.
Joseph, as usual, oversaw the setting up of the camp on August 8 and made sure that the horses were well tended to. Some warriors wanted to scout the back trail to ensure they were not being followed, but Looking Glass insisted that there was no cause for alarm.
General Howard was, in fact, far in the rear. Nevertheless, unknown to Looking Glass and the rest of the Nez Perce, Colonel John Gibbon, commander of the
District of Western Montana, was preparing to attack. He had a total force of 15 officers and 146 men, including two companies under Captain Rawn. About 4:00 A. M. on August 9, Gibbon ordered an advance.
Hahtalekin had risen early and gone out to tend his horses. The first shots killed him. Heavy gunfire then swept the village. Men searched in the dark for their weapons. Women grabbed their children and ran, seeking a nearby creek or any spot that might offer some protection. The tipis quickly were ignited by the attacking soldiers and lit up the sky, burning to death children who had not been able to escape.
Seventy-year-old White Bird rallied the warriors, and they fought back ferociously. Joseph held his infant daughter and called for a gun. As the Nez Perce drove the soldiers back, Joseph organized a group of young boys to protect the horse herd and pack animals. As the fighting subsided, Joseph helped to bury the dead and care for the wounded.
The warriors gathered the following morning after spending the day and night shooting at the soldiers, who were pinned down on a hillside. After the early onslaught by Gibbon, the Nez Perce had responded vigorously, securing a victory, albeit at a great cost. Losses were high on both sides. Gibbon suffered 69 casualties, including 29 fatalities in the battle plus 2 men who died later of their wounds. Among the dead was First Lieutenant James H. Bradley, an accomplished officer and widely published author who was writing a book about the Sioux wars of 1876. He was considered one of the most promising young officers in the army.
Despite the victory, Joseph had much reason to mourn. His wife had been wounded. His brother Ollokot’s wife was killed in the battle. A number of prominent Nez Perce warriors died, as did the Palouse leader Hahtalekin. Somewhere between 60 and 90 men, women, and children died. Gibbon claimed 89 deaths in his report, without mentioning that the majority were women and children. Others who had been wounded succumbed later on the journey.
The Nez Perce disengaged on August 10, and Gibbon sent soldiers to bring in the supply train, which had not been captured. His howitzer had been destroyed and a large supply of ammunition taken. Despite the failure to stop the Nez Perce and the very real danger of annihilation that Gibbon’s men faced, the army and the newspapers portrayed the battle as a victory. Six enlisted men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their roles in the fighting.
New Leadership
There was much anger as well as grief among the Nez Perce in the wake of Gibbon’s attack. Clearly, the assumption that war was behind them was terribly wrong, and all now understood that they faced a constant danger of attack. Looking Glass was roundly blamed for not heeding the call to send out scouts, who might have discovered the soldiers before they could attack. The leaders decided to replace Looking Glass with Poker Joe, who immediately
Established a pattern of surrounding the main body with groups of scouts and placing the women and children in front to protect them. Caring for the wounded fell to Joseph, as did providing for children who had lost parents.
Joseph’s military role continued to be lauded in the media and in the minds of the military and general public, but did not reflect reality. Joseph kept doing what he had been doing while Euro-Americans chose up sides regarding him; meanwhile, the pendulum of popular opinion, especially in the East, increasingly swung in favor of Joseph as the “Red Napoleon” bravely and honorably leading his people on a gallant race to avoid confinement on a reservation.
World History
