The Takelma and other Rogue Indians resented the growing presence of non-Indians on their lands by the mid-19th century. At about the same time warfare erupted among the YAKAMA and NISQUALLY and other tribes to their north, so did the Rogue River War, or Rogue War, of 1855—56. The original outbreak of violence occurred in September 1855, after Rogue Indians of fighting age traveled to Fort Lane on the invitation of Captain Andrew Jackson Smith, who was hoping to maintain peace. Oregon volunteers not under his command attacked a village where only old men, women, and children remained, killing 23. In retaliation for the murder of their families, warriors raided a settlement in the Rogue Valley, killing 27. Throughout the winter of 1855—56, raids were carried out by both sides. The following spring, regular troops, fresh from the Yakama War, arrived on the Rogue River. Chief Old John of a Takelma band living along the Applegate, a tributary of the Rogue, and other rebel leaders, fearing another betrayal, made plans for an ambush in May. They sent word to Captain Smith that they were willing to surrender at Big Meadows. Smith led a force of 80 soldiers to take the Indians into custody. Two Indian women warned Smith of the intended trap, and he had his troops dig in on a hilltop overlooking the Rogue. His men managed to hold out against overwhelming numbers for a day, until a company of regulars arrived under Captain Christopher Augur and put the Indians to flight. Over the next several weeks, surviving Indians surrendered. Most were sent to the Grand Ronde and Siletz Reservations to the north. Old John was imprisoned at Fort Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay for three years, after which he returned to his homeland.
World History
