2. Brevet Second Lieutenant John Lawrence Grattan, Sixth Infantry, was killed, with all his party, by the Sioux Indians, in what is known as the "Grattan Massacre," near Fort Laramie, Neb., August 19, 1854.—Ed.
2. Brevet Second Lieutenant John Lawrence Grattan, Sixth Infantry, was killed, with all his party, by the Sioux Indians, in what is known as the "Grattan Massacre," near Fort Laramie, Neb., August 19, 1854.—Ed.
Tuesday, June 12th.—We were up bright and early this morning, expecting by sunrise to have been on our march. But some of the horses had strayed away during the night and it was eight o'clock before they could be all collected to enable us to set out. After riding thirty miles we reached the Umatilla. Here we found a sergeant of the 4th Infantry and five men encamped, who had been sent to meet us with provisions. Just then a pouring rain began, and we were glad to make our preparations for the night.
Wednesday, June 13th.—I awoke to find it still raining in torrents and the wind blowing a beautiful accompaniment, as it swept through the trees which line the banks of the river. Fortunately the sergeant had brought with him a tent, which was turned over to us, and we remained tolerably comfortable. In the midst of the storm, however, a visitor arrived. He was a Mr. Whitney, who is living about a mile from our encampment, with Mr. McKay, on a claim he is cultivating, belonging to the latter. He invited Lieutenant Gracie and myself to take tea with him. About three o'clock it cleared up and we rode over to his residence, where for the first time in several weeks we had the satisfaction of seeing some thing which looked like domestic comfort. Mr. Whitney had his wife and child with him, and he took us over his garden and showed us his crops. At six o'clock we had tea, after the manner of civilized people, which was a great luxury to us after our camp fare in the wilderness.
Just as we were bidding good night, three of our acquaintances arrived from the Council ground on their way to the Dalles. We learned from them that the Indians celebrated a great Scalp Dance the night before, in which one hundred and fifty of the womentook part. The tribes then broke up their lodges and returned to their own hunting grounds.
Thursday, June 14th.—The place where we now are is an old camping ground, well known to all the Western hunters, being a central spot where several trails diverge. The emigrant trail passes by it, and stretches thence over the Blue Mountains, leading to Fort Boisé. Here Lieutenant Gracie has orders to remain until the arrival of the rest of the Command, which starts from the Dalles on the twentieth, to enter the Snake country. He has been, therefore, making arrangements to-day for a more permanent encampment, as he may be delayed here for a couple of weeks. The tents have been regularly arranged, our own a little in advance, and those of the men built of boughs and pack covers, so as to protect them from the weather. A log house has been erected at one end of the camp, to hold the provisions, and to-day the men have been employed in constructing acorral, or enclosure, in the California style, to secure the horses.
This evening our Indian guide came in. He had been left at the Council ground to hunt up some stray horses.
Friday, June 15th.—Early this morning Lieutenant Gracie sent off the Indian guide to the Dalles, as he had no further use for him. Mr. Cut-mouth John has apparently served us faithfully, though being a Cayuse, we cannot tell how deeply he has been implicated in the plottings of his countrymen this summer, or what part he would have taken, had their projected outbreak ripened into action.
To-day Lieutenant Gracie began to have his drills for the men, one before breakfast and the other after supper. At the early drill they are exercised in shooting at a target. This evening, at Mr. McKay's, we met the old Chief, Stechus, who had stopped there on an expedition after some missing cattle. He seemed quite pleased to see us. While there, General Palmer and his party also arrived from the Council ground.
Saturday, June 16th.—After drill we rode over to Mr. McKay's and found General Palmer's party still encamped there, as he was taken ill this morning. He probably needs rest both of body and mind, and on the plains, this is the great prescription, as the remedies which the hunters can give are comprised in a list of very few simples. Nature is generally expected to perform the cure. Had his illness come on at the Council, he could have had the "medicine men" of our friends, the Nez Percés, to prescribe for him. Their prescriptions, however, are always the same, whatever may be the disease, whether ague or fever, or small pox. The patient is shut up in a small close lodge, called a "sweating house," where he is subjected, until almost stifled, to a vapor bath produced by water slowly poured on red hot stones.
Sunday, June 17th.—My last Sunday on the plains, and it passed quietly enough. After Lieutenant Gracie had finished inspection and we had taken our usual bath in the river, we rode over to General Palmer's encampment to enquire after his health. We found him still too unwell to travel. The rest of the day was spent in reading, for we have found a small supply of books at Mr. McKay's, which have proven quite a treasure in the wilderness.
Monday, June 18th.—Lieutenant Gracie has commenced practising the men at skirmish drill for an hour a day, and is thus preparing them for their Snake country expedition. It has become too hot, except in the morning and evening, to move about with comfort, and after the drill, our ride over to Mr. McKay's and our bath in the Umatilla, we are content to spend the remainder of the day in lounging and reading under the shelter of our tent. In an encampment on the plains, during the dead silence of a sultry noon, with no conventional restraints of civilization about us, we realize more fully than in any other place, the truth of the Neapolitan maxim—Dolce far niente.
We had to-day a visit from five of the Cayuse Indians, two of whom had been accustomed to visit us at Walla-Walla.
Tuesday, June 19th.—Before we were up we had an arrival of another party of the Cayuse tribe. Their lodges are in a valley about eight miles from the camp. They smoked the "pipe of peace" and probably this time with sincerity, as they knew we had force enough with us to defeat any attempt they might make. The principal Chief of the Umatillas also came into our camp and some strange Indians whom we had never before seen.
As Lieutenant Gracie is obliged to remain at this camping ground, and it may be some days before the command arrives from the Dalles, I have determined myself to proceed on to that post to-morrow in company with Mr. McKay. I therefore this evening rode over to his place and made my arrangements for setting off the next morning.
Wednesday, June 20th.—This morning a messenger arrived from the Dalles with papers and the latest news—the latter having been almost forgotten by this time in the settlements.
After early drill I took my final leave of the camp. Lieutenant Gracie rode with me over to Mr. McKay's, where I left my horse, as he belonged to the command, transferring my saddle and bridle to one of Mr. McKay's, which I am to ride. And here Lieutenant Gracie and I parted. We have been companions for weeks by day and night, and in this his first independent command, (in many incidents which I could not relate in this brief journal,) he has established, with those at the Council who were accustomed to military expeditions in the Indian country, a character for decision and energy which gives the promise of distinction in much wider and more responsible scenes of action in the future.
We set off about half-past nine o'clock. Mr. McKay and myself, with two boys whose business was to drive the pack mules. Our traveling arrangements were made in the old Spanish-California style, still common in those parts of the country wherehorses are plenty. Besides those we rode, were seven or eight which ran loose and were driven by the boys, to be used when our own began to flag.
We crossed the Umatilla at once, and on the opposite side striking the trail on which we had gone into the interior, commenced our return westward. After riding for about twenty miles we reached the Indian Agency. Here, two of the other horses were caught, our saddles and bridles transferred to them, and the tired ones turned loose to follow with the rest. Then, on we went until five in the evening when we encamped for the night at Wells' Springs, having traveled during the day fifty-five miles.
Thursday, June 21st.—We were on our way this morning by five o'clock. On the trail we passed every little while solitary graves, the last resting places of some unfortunate emigrants. The road from Missouri to the Rocky Mountains can almost be traced by these sad memorials, and no human language can convey an idea of the sorrow and suffering which has taken place on the plains, caused by this rush to the land of gold. About ten miles on our way we met a portion of the 4th Infantry and 3d Artillery under Lieutenants Day, Hodges and Mendell. At noon we halted at Willow Creek, (seventeen miles from Wells' Springs,) for several hours, to rest our horses. We then pushed on until eight in the evening, when we reached John Day's River, where a refreshing bath recompensed us for our long and hot ride. We had ridden to-day about forty-five miles.
Friday, June 22d.—We left John Day's River about seven o'clock, and after riding twelve miles, met Major Haller, (Commander of the expedition,) and Captain Russell, 4th Infantry, with their escort, with whom we stopped for a short time. Soon afterwards we met another detachment of troops, with two or three wagons, each drawn by six mules. About noon we struck the Columbia River, whose solitary banks were quite enlivened bythe long trains of wagons containing the provisions of the detachment. We counted twenty-four, half of which were on one side of the river and half on the other. The different detachments and wagons will all meet at the camping ground on the Umatilla where we left Lieutenant Gracie. There will be about one hundred and fifty mounted men besides the packers and wagoners. After resting for a couple of hours on the Columbia, we set out for the Dalles, where we arrived at five o'clock. Here we found Lieutenant Dryer, who is to set out to-morrow morning and join the command as Quarter Master.
And thus ended my expedition into the wilderness. It has shown me the rough side of army life, and yet the time has passed pleasantly from the very novelty and freshness of everything. And now, amid all the refinements of civilization, I cannot but look back with something like regret to the freedom of our little camp on the quiet plains, where no sound was heard to break our slumber, but the steady tread of our sentinel or the rippling of the Umatilla.
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Transcriber's Notes.
Transcriber's Notes.
Transcriber's Notes.
Some punctuation, accentuation, spacing, hyphenation and spelling have been corrected, but where the original spelling variations appear more than once they have been retained.