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Our People : Words of Chief Joseph, Nez Perces'
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 Message 6 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameWitchway_Pawnee  in response to Message 5Sent: 3/15/2005 5:45 AM

Page 6 

On the way we captured one white man and two white women.  We released them at the end of three days, they were treated kindly.  The women were not insulted.  Can the white soldiers tell me one time when Indian women were taken prisoner and held three days and then released three without being insulted?   Were the Nez Perces women who fell into the hands of General Howard treated with as much respect?  I deny that a Nez Perces was ever guilty of such a crime.  A few days later we captured two more white men ,one of them stole a horse and escaped.Then gave the other a poor horse and told him he was free. Nine days march brought us to the mouth of Clarks Fork of Yellowstone.  We did not know what became of General Howard, but we suppoed he had sent for more horses and mules.  He did not come up but another new war chief General Sturges attacked us, we held him in check while we moved all our women and childern and stock out of danger leaving a few men to cover our retreat.  Several days passed and we heard nothing of General Howard or Gibbon or Sturgis.  We had repulsed each in turn and began to feel secure when another army under General Miles struck us.This was the fourth army each of which outnumbered our flighting force that we encountered within sixty days.  We had no knowledge of General Miles army until a short time before he made charge upon us, cutting our camp in two and capturing nearly all of our horses and about seventy men and myself among them were cutoff.  My little daughter, twelve years old was with me .I gave her a rope and told her to catch a horse and join the others who were cutoff.  From camp I have not seen her since, but I learned she is alive and well.  I thought of my wife and children who were now surrounded by soldiers and I rushed to go get them or die.  With a prayer in my mouth to Great Spirit Chief, who rules above.  I dashed unharmed through the line of soldiers.  There seem to me that there were guns on every side before and behind me. My cloths were cut to pieces and my horse was wounded but I ws unhurt, as I reached the door of my lodge my wife handed me my rifle saying heres your gun fight.  The soldiers kept up a continueous fire.  Six of my men were killed on the spot near me.  Ten or twelve soldiers charged into our camp and got possession of two lodges killing three Nez Perces and losing three of their men who fell inside our lines.  I called my men to drive them back, we foght at close range not more than twenty steps apart and drove the soldiers back upon their main line leaving their dead in our hands. We secured their arms and ammunition.  We lost the first day and night, eighteen men and three women.  General Miles lost twenty six and fourty wounded.  The following day general Miles sent a message into my camp under protection of a white flag  .I sent my friend Yellow Bull to meet him.  Yellow Bull understood the messenger to say General Miles wished me to consider the situation that he did not want to kill my people unnecessarly.  Yellow Bull said he understood this to be a demand for me to surrender and save bllod upon reporting this message to me.  Yellow Bull said he wondered whether General Miles was in earnest.  I sent him back with my answer that I made up my mind but would think about it and send word soon.  A little later he sent some Cheyenne scouts with another messenger, I went out to meet them.  They said they believed General Miles was sincere and really wanted peace.  I walked into General Miles tent.  He met me and we shook hands.  He said come let us sit down by the fire and talk this matter over.  I remained with him all night.  Next morning Yellow Bull came over to see if I was alive and why I did not return.  General Miles would not let me leave the tent to see my friend alone.  Yellow Bull said they have got you in their power and Im afraid they will never let you go again.  I have an officer in our camp and I will hold him until they let you go free.  I said I dont know what the mean to do with me but if they kill me you must not kill the officer, it will do no good to avenge my death by killing him.  Yellow Bull returned to my camp.  I did not make any agreement with General Miles.  The battle was renewed while I was with him.  I was very anxious about my people.  I knew that we were near Sitting Bulls camp in King George land and I thought maybe the Nez Perces who escaped would return with assistance.  No great damage was done to each party during the night.  On the following morning I returned to my camp by agreement meeting the officer who had been held a prisoner in my camp.  At the flag of truce my people were divided about surrendering.  We could of escaped from Bear Paw Mountain if we had left our wounded, old women and children behind.  We weren't willing to do this.  We have never heard of wounded Indians recovering while in the hands of whitemen.  On the evening of the fourth day General Howard came with a small escort together with my friend Chapman.  We could never talk undestandingly.  General Miles said to me in plain words "If you will come and give up your arms I will spare your lives and send you to your reservation.  " I do not know what passed between General Miles and General Howard, I could not bear to see my wounded men and women suffer any longer, we had lost enough already.  General Miles had promised that we might return to our own country with what stock we had left.  I thought we could start again.  I believed General Miles or I never would of surrendered.  I have heard that he has been censured for making a promise to return us to Lapwai.  He could not have made any other terms wth me at thgat time.  I would of held him in check until my friends came to my assistance and neither of the Generals nor soldiers would have left Bear Paw Mountain alive.