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The Life Of Isaac Ingalls Stevens

Hazard Stevens

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THE LIFE OF ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS

THE LIFE OF ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS

BY HIS SON HAZARD STEVENS WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY The Riverside Press, Cambridge 1900 COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY HAZARD STEVENS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS RECORD OF A NOBLE AND PATRIOTIC LIFE IS DEDICATED TO THE YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA...

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PREFACE

PREFACE

For many years I have felt impelled to write this Life, not only in justice to General Stevens’s memory, but also as an act of duty to the young men of the country, that the example of his noble and patriotic career might not be lost to posterity. An only son, closely associated from boyhood with him, his chief of staff in the Civil War, and always the recipient of his counsel and confidence, the opportunities thus given me to know his sentiments and characteristics, and to witness so many of hi

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SOURCES OF INFORMATION

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Savage’s New England Genealogies. Abiel Abbott’s History of Andover. Miss Sarah Loring Bailey’s Historical Sketches of Andover. Church and town records of Andover. Massachusetts Colonial Records. Family records and correspondence. History of the Mexican War, by General C.M. Wilcox. Campaigns of the Rio Grande and of Mexico, by Major Isaac I. Stevens. General Stevens’s diary and letters (unpublished). His reports in the Engineer Bureau of the Army (unpublished). Reports of the Coast Survey, Profe

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CHAPTER I ANCESTRY.—BIRTHPLACE

CHAPTER I ANCESTRY.—BIRTHPLACE

About 1640 a mere handful of English colonists went out from Boston, and made the first settlement in the town of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts. They laid out their homes on the Cochichewick, a stream which flows out of the Great Pond in North Andover, and falls into the Merrimac River on the south side a few miles below Lawrence. The infant settlement was known as Cochichewick until 1646, when it was incorporated as a town under its present name, after the Andover in Hampshire, England,

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CHAPTER II BIRTH.—BOYHOOD

CHAPTER II BIRTH.—BOYHOOD

Isaac Ingalls Stevens first saw the light at the old Marble Ridge farmhouse, on the 25th of March, 1818. He was a delicate infant, and it was impossible for his mother, with her other little ones and the engrossing labors of the farmhouse, to bestow upon him the care his condition required. His grandmother, one day visiting the farm, was shocked to see him still in his cradle, though three years old, and, remarking that unless he was taught soon he never would walk, insisted upon taking him home

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CHAPTER III WEST POINT

CHAPTER III WEST POINT

The following letter to his uncle William, written immediately after his arrival at West Point, vividly portrays the mingled emotions that stirred the heart of the raw but ambitious country youth on reaching the goal of his boyish hopes,—his ardent patriotism, awakened by the historic scenes about him; his ambition and determination to be first in his class, “by unflinching resolution, indomitable perseverance, fixing his whole soul upon the object he wishes to attain with concentrated and undiv

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CHAPTER IV WEST POINT.—LAST TWO YEARS

CHAPTER IV WEST POINT.—LAST TWO YEARS

Returning to the Point after this brief respite, the young cadet resumed his studies with his accustomed vigor. He was appointed assistant professor of mathematics, a position of additional labor as well as honor, which he retained to the end of his course. Moreover, he took an active part in the Dialectic Society, which as a “plebe” he looked forward to joining. In a letter to Mr. Hazen he recounts his early efforts in debate:— “You are probably aware that we have a debating society here, of wh

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CHAPTER V NEWPORT

CHAPTER V NEWPORT

Crowned with these well-earned honors, and promoted to be second lieutenant of engineers, July 1, 1839, he accompanied his parents home, expecting to enjoy a long and delightful vacation; but his anticipations were speedily cut short by orders to proceed to Newport, R.I., to take part in the building of Fort Adams, so that he was permitted to spend only the Fourth of July in Andover. Phrenology was in vogue then, and the young man, on his way through Boston, had his head examined by a professor

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CHAPTER VI CHARGE OF WORKS: NEW BEDFORD, PORTSMOUTH, PORTLAND, BUCKSPORT

CHAPTER VI CHARGE OF WORKS: NEW BEDFORD, PORTSMOUTH, PORTLAND, BUCKSPORT

The wedding journey was to New York by Long Island Sound, and thence up the Hudson to West Point, where they spent several days, and were received with flattering attentions by his old friends. With great pride and pleasure Mr. Stevens presented them to his lovely bride, and revisited with her the romantic scenes of the Point, endeared by so many pleasant associations. They returned by way of Springfield and Boston. New Bedford , September 24, 1841. My dear Father ,—I was very glad to see Oliver

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CHAPTER VII VOYAGE TO MEXICO

CHAPTER VII VOYAGE TO MEXICO

Boston, Mass. , December 29, 1846. My dearest Wife ,—We reached Boston yesterday at half past twelve, after a very pleasant journey from Bangor. The weather was unusually mild, and we experienced very little fatigue. Nancy took the afternoon cars for Providence. This afternoon the steamer Perry runs to Newport and will take her home. I shall not sail probably till Saturday. I have determined to take out a complete equipment, even to a servant. I am causing inquiries to be made this morning, and

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CHAPTER VIII VERA CRUZ.—CERRO GORDO

CHAPTER VIII VERA CRUZ.—CERRO GORDO

Vera Cruz, an old Spanish walled town on the Gulf of Mexico, with a population of 12,000, was situated on a sandy plain, which, extending back from the town, was broken by many sand-hills and ridges, and covered in great part with dense chapparal. On the land side a strong line of masonry works encircled the city from Fort Conception on the beach above, or north of, to Fort Santiago below it; while on the sea side the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, seated on an island a thousand yards in advance o

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CHAPTER IX JALAPA.—PUEBLA

CHAPTER IX JALAPA.—PUEBLA

Monday, April 19. This was a lazy day in camp, the general and his staff being occupied with the charge of the prisoners, and preparing the proper dispatches. It was determined to release all the prisoners and officers on parole. Thus 2700 men (and 200 having escaped the previous day whilst coming into camp, and before they had reached the charge of General Worth) were sent, with rations to subsist them on their way home, to and beyond Jalapa. La Vega, one of the prisoners, announced his intenti

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CHURUBUSCO.

CHURUBUSCO.

On the head of the column reaching the fork of a road, whither a party of one hundred lancers had been driven by the mounted rifles, it was halted and a very rapid reconnoissance made of the roads in advance. Lieutenant McClellan taking the left-hand road and I the right, they were found to lead respectively to, and directly in front of, a church, which was observed to be occupied in strength. McClellan observed one gun, and a prisoner taken on the ground reported there were two guns. The engine

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MOLINO DEL REY.[2]

MOLINO DEL REY.[2]

Drum’s battery of two 6-pounders supported Garland on the right, and with two rounds of canister drove the enemy from his battery. It was then pushed forward three hundred yards beyond support, opening its fire and driving the enemy before it, but was finally recalled. Duncan on the left supported Clarke’s brigade, and drove the enemy, who was advancing, back to and out of the right of his lines. The dragoons under Major Sumner turned the right flank, causing a large body of lancers to retire un

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CHAPULTEPEC.

CHAPULTEPEC.

At a council of war at La Piedad on the 11th, it was determined to establish batteries against Chapultepec, and carry it by assault, then to operate against the city as circumstances should dictate. This was General Scott’s proposition, and was concurred in generally by the officers present at the council. Accordingly, on the night of the 11th–12th batteries were commenced, one for two 18-pounders and one 8-inch howitzer on the road leading to Chapultepec, and one for one 24-pounder and one 8-in

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CHAPTER XII HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR

CHAPTER XII HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR

Washington , January 23, 1848. My dearest Margaret ,—At the strong desire of the colonel, I must remain here a few days longer. He wishes me to go with him over all the reports in order to get at all the facts in relation to the services of the engineer officers in the recent campaign of Mexico. I am able to afford many explanations of the reports, presenting in a stronger light the services of our officers, which will enable the colonel to present a strong case to the Secretary in matters of br

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CHAPTER XIII COAST SURVEY

CHAPTER XIII COAST SURVEY

During the summer Professor A.D. Bache, the distinguished scientist, chief of the United States Coast Survey, found himself obliged to obtain a new “assistant in charge of the Coast Survey Office,” the second position on the survey, in place of Captain A.A. Humphreys, of the topographical engineers, who under the labors of that office had become broken down in health and was obliged to relinquish it. It was no light tribute to the rising reputation of Major Stevens that so wise and sagacious a m

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CHAPTER XIV LIFE IN WASHINGTON

CHAPTER XIV LIFE IN WASHINGTON

In October, 1850, Major Stevens moved his wife and little ones to Washington, and took quarters at Mrs. Kelley’s on Eighteenth Street, opposite Lafayette Square, in a large, spacious brick house, known as the club-house. Here also lived General Talcott, of the ordnance, Colonel Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Senator McWillie, of Mississippi, and Representative Burt, of South Carolina, with their families, and Commodore Matthew C. Perry, soon to become famous for opening Japan to the commerce and interco

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CHAPTER XV GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY.—EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE

CHAPTER XV GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY.—EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE

The triumph of the Democratic party in November, 1853, and the election of General Franklin Pierce as the next President insured a more vigorous policy of exploration and settlement of the vast domain stretching from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Major Stevens was strongly attracted to this field. It appealed to his ambition. It afforded a greater opportunity for public service and achievement. Prominent and gratifying as was the position and standing he held in Washington, he realized its lim

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CHAPTER XVI THE PARTY.—THE START

CHAPTER XVI THE PARTY.—THE START

Leaving Washington May 9, and, after spending a day in New York to complete arrangements, going by way of Detroit and Chicago, Governor Stevens reached St. Louis on the 15th. Here he was disappointed in finding the outfits not so far advanced as he expected, and was even seriously alarmed at the mules furnished by the St. Louis quartermaster, which were only three or four years old, and perfectly wild and unbroken. This was the more inexcusable from the fact that he had previously sent Mr. Charl

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RED RIVER HUNTERS.

RED RIVER HUNTERS.

July 16. Awaited the coming up of the back parties, and during the morning Tinkham arrived and was received with nine cheers, being followed soon after by the rest of the rear guard. About two P.M. the whole Red River train came in sight, and as they approached, fired a succession of volleys of firearms as a salute, which we returned with three rounds from the howitzer. The train consisted of 824 carts, about 1200 animals, and 1300 persons, men, women, and children, the whole presenting a very f

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CHAPTER XVIII FORT UNION TO FORT BENTON

CHAPTER XVIII FORT UNION TO FORT BENTON

“Fort Union is situated on the eastern bank of the Missouri, about two miles and three quarters above the mouth of the Yellowstone. It was built by the American Fur Company in 1830, and has from that time been the principal depot of that company. It is framed of pickets of hewn timber, about sixteen feet high, and has two bastions, one at the northwest and one at the southeast corner. The main or front entrance is on the side opposite the river. The fort is 250 feet square. The main buildings, c

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CHAPTER XIX WIDESPREAD EXPLORING PARTIES

CHAPTER XIX WIDESPREAD EXPLORING PARTIES

For several days Governor Stevens was busily engaged in examining voyageurs and Indians in regard to the mountain passes and the general character of the country. Additional horses were procured, and arrangements made for sending out parties to explore in advance and both north and south of the route. Lieutenant Donelson with the main train reached the fort on the 6th. Dr. Evans arrived on the 5th, after an extended trip through the Bad Lands, where he made a large collection of geological speci

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CŒUR D’ALENE MISSION.

CŒUR D’ALENE MISSION.

The Mission is beautifully located upon a hill overlooking extensive prairies stretching to the east and west towards the Cœur d’Alene Mountains and the Columbia River. About a hundred acres of the eastern prairie adjoining the Mission are inclosed and under cultivation, furnishing employment to thirty or forty Indians, men, women, and children. I observed two ploughing, which they executed skillfully; others were sowing wheat, and others digging potatoes. Père Gazzoli received me with the most

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CAPTAIN MCCLELLAN’s EXPLORATIONS.

CAPTAIN MCCLELLAN’s EXPLORATIONS.

It took Captain McClellan a month to fit out his train after he reached Vancouver, on the lower Columbia, so that he did not start on his survey until the last of July. Crossing the Cascade Range by a pass south of Mount Adams, he proceeded northward over the plains on the eastern side of the range to the Yakima valley, moving one hundred and eighty miles in thirty days, and remained there a month longer, during which Mr. Gibbs examined the lower and Lieutenant Duncan the upper valley. Captain M

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CHAPTER XXI UPPER COLUMBIA TO PUGET SOUND

CHAPTER XXI UPPER COLUMBIA TO PUGET SOUND

Upon learning the results of McClellan’s explorations, Governor Stevens proposed to send him up the Yakima again to carry the survey clear across the Cascades to Puget Sound, and at first that officer seemed willing to undertake the duty. After spending two days at Colville the governor, accompanied by McClellan and his party, moved south in three marches to a camp six miles south of the Spokane River, named Camp Washington, where on October 28 arrived Lieutenant Donelson with the main party. Du

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CHAPTER XXII ORGANIZING CIVIL GOVERNMENT.—THE INDIAN SERVICE

CHAPTER XXII ORGANIZING CIVIL GOVERNMENT.—THE INDIAN SERVICE

It was indeed a wild country, untouched by civilization, and a scanty white population sparsely sprinkled over the immense area that were awaiting the arrival of Governor Stevens to organize civil government, and shape the destinies of the future. A mere handful of settlers, 3965 all told, were widely scattered over western Washington, between the lower Columbia and the Strait of Fuca. A small hamlet clustered around the military post at Vancouver. A few settlers were spread wide apart along the

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CHAPTER XXIII RETURN TO WASHINGTON.—REPORT OF EXPLORATION

CHAPTER XXIII RETURN TO WASHINGTON.—REPORT OF EXPLORATION

Governor Stevens left Olympia on March 26, and, proceeding by way of the Cowlitz to the Columbia, and by steamer down the coast, reached San Francisco early in April. Here he found a group of his old friends and brother officers, including Mason, Halleck, and Folsom, and how warmly he was received by them, and how interesting they found his accounts of the exploration, the Indians, and the many wild and new scenes he had passed through, may be imagined. His arrival attracted much public attentio

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CHAPTER XXIV CROSSING THE ISTHMUS

CHAPTER XXIV CROSSING THE ISTHMUS

Governor Stevens, with his family, consisting of his wife, four children, the two youngest being only two and four years old respectively, and the nurse Ellen, a bonny young Irish woman, sailed from New York, September 20, 1854, en route for his far Western home. The vessel was packed full, with thirteen hundred passengers. The food was execrable, meats and poultry tainted and almost uneatable. Ice was charged extra, twenty-five cents a pound. The second cabin table rivaled at times a scene from

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THE TREATY OF POINT ELLIOTT.

THE TREATY OF POINT ELLIOTT.

The next council was held at Mukilteo, or Point Elliott, where, between January 12 and 21, the Indians of the east side of the Sound assembled to the number of 2300. On the latter date Governor Stevens arrived on the Major Tompkins, accompanied by Secretary Mason, and by his friend, Dr. C.M. Hitchcock, of San Francisco, who was visiting the country. After a long conference with his assistants in regard to the most suitable points for reservations, and the views and feelings of the Indians, he ap

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TREATY OF HAHD-SKUS OR POINT-NO-POINT.

TREATY OF HAHD-SKUS OR POINT-NO-POINT.

The next council was held at Point-no-Point, on the west side of the Sound, opposite the southern end of Whitby Island. The weather was very stormy on the 24th and 25th, but twelve hundred Indians assembled here, comprising the S’Klallams or Clallams, who occupied the shores from half way down the Strait of Fuca to the council ground; the Chim-a-kums, of Port Townsend Bay and the lower end of Hood’s Canal; and the Skokomish or Too-an-hooch, from Hood’s Canal and the country about its southern ex

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COUNCIL OF NEAH BAY, AND MAKAH TREATY.

COUNCIL OF NEAH BAY, AND MAKAH TREATY.

From Port Townsend the schooner sped rapidly down the Strait of Fuca, running one hundred and twenty miles in two days,—no holiday voyage, in a small vessel in midwinter, along that exposed and shelterless coast,—and reached Neah Bay on the evening of the 28th. At this point, just inside Cape Flattery, the Makah Indians had their principal village. Messengers were immediately dispatched to call in the Indians of the other Makah villages, and of tribes farther south on the coast. The tents, goods

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THE LIFE OF ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS

THE LIFE OF ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS

BY HIS SON HAZARD STEVENS WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. II BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY The Riverside Press, Cambridge 1900 COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY HAZARD STEVENS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...

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CHAPTER XXVI THE CHEHALIS COUNCIL

CHAPTER XXVI THE CHEHALIS COUNCIL

While treating with the Sound Indians, the governor sent William H. Tappan, agent for the southwestern tribes, Henry D. Cock, and Sidney Ford to summon the Chinooks, Chehalis, and coast Indians to meet in council on the Chehalis River, just above Gray’s Harbor, on February 25, and on returning to Olympia dispatched Simmons and Shaw on the same duty. On the 22d he left Olympia on horseback, rode to the Chehalis, thirty miles, and the following day descended that stream in a canoe to the treaty gr

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CHAPTER XXVII PERSONAL AND POLITICAL.—SAN JUAN CONTROVERSY

CHAPTER XXVII PERSONAL AND POLITICAL.—SAN JUAN CONTROVERSY

Just before going to the Chehalis council, Governor Stevens and his family suffered a sad and severe affliction in the death of his young kinsman, George Watson Stevens, who was drowned on February 16 at the debouch of the Skookumchuck Creek into the Chehalis River, as he was returning from Portland, whither he had gone to cash some government drafts. He was accompanied on the journey by A.B. Stuart, the mail and express carrier, who, as they approached the stream, had occasion to stop at a sett

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CHAPTER XXVIII INDIANS OF THE UPPER COLUMBIA

CHAPTER XXVIII INDIANS OF THE UPPER COLUMBIA

The Indians of the upper Columbia, with whom Governor Stevens was next to treat, presented a far more pressing and difficult problem than the reduced tribes of the Sound. They numbered fourteen thousand souls, comprised in ten powerful tribes, viz., Nez Perces, Cuyuses, Umatillas, Walla Wallas, Yakimas, Spokanes, Cœur d’Alenes, Flatheads, Pend Oreilles, and Kootenais. [2] They were a manly, athletic race, still uncontaminated by the vices and diseases which so often result from contact with the

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CHAPTER XXIX THE WALLA WALLA COUNCIL

CHAPTER XXIX THE WALLA WALLA COUNCIL

The Nez Perces, the first to arrive, came the next day, May 24, 2500 strong. Hearing of their approach, the commissioners drew up their little party on a knoll commanding a fine view of the unbroken level of the valley. The standard of the Nez Perces, the large American flag given them by the officers engaged in the Cuyuse war, was sent forward and planted on the knoll. Soon their cavalcade came in sight, a thousand warriors mounted on fine horses and riding at a gallop, two abreast, naked to th

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CHAPTER XXX CROSSING THE BITTER ROOTS

CHAPTER XXX CROSSING THE BITTER ROOTS

On the close of the council the Indians homeward-bound filled all the trails leading out of the valley with their wild and picturesque cavalcades,—the braves resplendent with scarlet blankets and leggings; the squaws and pappooses decked with bright calico shirts and kerchiefs. Lieutenant Gracie marched away to join Major Haller in an expedition against the predatory Snakes. The secretaries and other treaty officers toiled early and late making up the records and reports for Washington, which, w

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CHAPTER XXXI THE FLATHEAD COUNCIL

CHAPTER XXXI THE FLATHEAD COUNCIL

After a quiet and restful Sunday in both camps the Indians assembled at the appointed time, and the council was opened on Monday, July 9, at half past one P.M. , by the governor, in a long speech, explaining, as at the other councils, the terms and advantages proffered by the government. Although the Indians were extremely friendly, and very desirous of “following the white man’s road” and coming under the protection of the Great Father, their only apparent refuge from the fierce Blackfeet, whos

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CHAPTER XXXIII THE BLACKFOOT COUNCIL

CHAPTER XXXIII THE BLACKFOOT COUNCIL

By his careful preparation for two years, and masterly handling of them, Governor Stevens brought and kept these various tribes of Indians within easy distance of Fort Benton, all ready and anxious for the council, and in the most friendly and favorable state of feeling, during the whole month of August and half of September, fully six weeks. Had the goods arrived at any time during this waiting period, not less than 12,000 Indians would have attended the council, comprising 10,000 Blackfeet, 11

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CHAPTER XXXIV CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS IN MIDWINTER.—SURPRISE OF THE CŒUR D’ALENES AND SPOKANES

CHAPTER XXXIV CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS IN MIDWINTER.—SURPRISE OF THE CŒUR D’ALENES AND SPOKANES

Having made a good riddance of his troublesome colleague, and seen the Indians depart their several ways with much hand-shaking and many expressions of goodwill and satisfaction, the governor and his little party packed up and started on the 24th, and reached Fort Benton the following day. Two days were spent here preparing for the long return journey across the mountains; for the animals were well worn by the hard express service of the summer, and it was necessary to lighten loads as much as p

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CHAPTER XXXV STORMY COUNCIL WITH THE SPOKANES

CHAPTER XXXV STORMY COUNCIL WITH THE SPOKANES

During the next few days the Indians were gathering for the council. Garry and a party of Cœur d’Alenes came on the 29th, and McDonald with the Colville chiefs, the missionaries, and four white miners on December 2. The council lasted three days, December 3, 4, 5, and was marked by disaffected and at times openly hostile views and expressions and uncertain purposes, on the part of the Indians, and steadfast determination to hold their friendship and restrain them from war, on the part of the gov

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CHAPTER XXXVI THE FAITHFUL NEZ PERCES

CHAPTER XXXVI THE FAITHFUL NEZ PERCES

Although it was now in the midst of winter, and the ground was covered with snow, Lawyer had assembled two hundred and eight lodges, containing over two thousand Indians, and able to muster eight hundred warriors. An animated council was at once held. The council lodge was a hundred feet in length, built of poles, mats, and skins, and in this assembled two hundred chiefs and principal men, Lawyer presiding. An ox had been killed, and young men, who officiated for the occasion, roasted or boiled

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CHAPTER XXXVII PROSTRATION.—THE RESCUE

CHAPTER XXXVII PROSTRATION.—THE RESCUE

When Governor Stevens, after his midwinter forced march across the mountains, reached Olympia, he found the whole country utterly prostrated, overwhelmed. The settlers in dismay had abandoned their farms and fled for refuge to the few small villages. They were all poor, having no reserves of money, food, or supplies, and starvation stared them in the face if prevented from planting and raising a crop. The only military post on Puget Sound, Fort Steilacoom, could muster less than a hundred soldie

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CHAPTER XXXVIII WAGING THE WAR ON THE SOUND

CHAPTER XXXVIII WAGING THE WAR ON THE SOUND

The force thus speedily raised was organized into three battalions, designated the Northern, Southern, and Central, each of which elected its major, and the two latter were subsequently formed into a single command by the election of Shaw as lieutenant-colonel. The Northern battalion, under the command of Major J.J.H. Van Bokkelen, consisted of companies C, Captain Daniel Smalley; H, Captain R.V. Peabody; and I, Captain Samuel D. Howe. The Central battalion, under Major Gilmore Hays, comprised c

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CHAPTER XXXIX THE WAR IN THE UPPER COUNTRY

CHAPTER XXXIX THE WAR IN THE UPPER COUNTRY

While the war of the Sound was thus vigorously and successfully prosecuted, operations east of the Cascades were marked by lack of vigor and purpose, and no impression was made upon the hostile tribes, except to encourage them to continue on the war-path. The Oregon volunteers, who wintered in the Walla Walla valley, crossed Snake River in March, advanced a short distance up the Palouse, then traversed the country over to the Columbia below Priest’s Rapids, from which point they returned to Wall

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CHAPTER XL THE FRUITLESS PEACE COUNCIL

CHAPTER XL THE FRUITLESS PEACE COUNCIL

It will be remembered that Colonel Wright, hugging his delusion and shutting his eyes to obvious facts, in April expressed the opinion that the hostile Cuyuses and Walla Wallas were “peaceably disposed” when declining to occupy the valley or furnish an escort for the Nez Perce train. The governor, by bringing him to attend the council and see and judge for himself, hoped to open his eyes to the real situation, and to induce him to take a more manly and aggressive course in case the Indians persi

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CHAPTER XLI DISBANDING THE VOLUNTEERS

CHAPTER XLI DISBANDING THE VOLUNTEERS

On returning to Olympia the governor issued the order disbanding the entire volunteer organization, and took the necessary steps for disposing at public auction of the animals, equipments, and supplies on hand, and settling the accounts. The animals captured by Shaw in the Grande Ronde were sold at Vancouver, and brought enough to defray the entire cost of the expedition. In fact, owing to the large number taken, there were more animals actually sold at the several auctions than the whole number

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CONTROL OF DISAFFECTED INDIANS.

CONTROL OF DISAFFECTED INDIANS.

Governor Stevens’s responsibilities and labors were vastly increased by the great number of Indians on the Sound who did not actively join in the outbreak, but who caused constant care and anxiety on the one hand to prevent their aiding their kindred who had taken the war-path, and on the other to protect them from retaliatory violence at the hands of infuriated settlers, whose nearest and dearest had been sacrificed in savage massacre, and from the destructive whiskey traffic with vicious and d

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CHAPTER XLIV IN CONGRESS.—VINDICATING HIS COURSE

CHAPTER XLIV IN CONGRESS.—VINDICATING HIS COURSE

Governor Stevens lost no time in hastening to Washington, and the very next day after his arrival called upon the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in regard to the funds for, and accounts of, Superintendent Nesmith. The large numbers of Indians, chiefly in Oregon, still being restricted to reservations and partially supported by the government, necessitated heavy expenditures, some of which were made without previous authorization, and it was essential for the peace of the country that they should

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CHAPTER XLVI THE STAND AGAINST DISUNION

CHAPTER XLVI THE STAND AGAINST DISUNION

The Indian treaties confirmed, Governor Stevens was more determined than ever to secure the payment of the Indian war debt. This had been thoroughly examined and audited by a commission appointed by the Secretary of War, consisting of Captains Rufus Ingalls and A.J. Smith, of the army, and Mr. Lafayette Grover, the brother of Lieutenant Grover and afterwards governor of Oregon, and their report had been referred by the last Congress to the third auditor. It was a long time before he reported, an

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CHAPTER XLVII THE OFFER OF SWORD AND SERVICES

CHAPTER XLVII THE OFFER OF SWORD AND SERVICES

Immediately after the inauguration of President Lincoln, Governor Stevens hastened to return to the Territory. General Miller wrote:— “I believe that the National Democracy can easily keep possession of the Territory. As to your own prospects, they seem as good to me as ever they were. Now that you have won a national fame, you will always be looked upon as the leading man of the Northwest. Should you be thrown out of the delegateship at the next election, in two years you would be the strongest

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CHAPTER XLVIII THE 79TH HIGHLANDERS.—THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC

CHAPTER XLVIII THE 79TH HIGHLANDERS.—THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC

For many years the Highland Guard was a crack New York city militia battalion, composed of Scots, or men of Scottish lineage. They wore the kilt as their uniform, and, for fatigue or undress, a blue jacket with red facings, and trousers of Cameronian tartan. At the breaking out of the rebellion, the battalion was raised to a full regiment by the addition of two companies and filling up the ranks, and on May 13, 1861, entered the United States service for three years as the 79th Highlanders, New

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CHAPTER XLIX THE PORT ROYAL EXPEDITION

CHAPTER XLIX THE PORT ROYAL EXPEDITION

The force which General Sherman was fitting out at Annapolis was destined, in conjunction with the navy, to secure a harbor on the Southern coast to serve as a base for the blockading fleets. General Sherman was a veteran regular officer of artillery, who had greatly distinguished himself at the battle of Buena Vista, a thorough soldier, a strict disciplinarian, devoted to his profession, and moreover a man of ability, sound judgment, and true patriotism, but perhaps somewhat deficient in enterp

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CHAPTER L BEAUFORT.—ACTION OF PORT ROYAL FERRY

CHAPTER L BEAUFORT.—ACTION OF PORT ROYAL FERRY

Scarcely were the works at Hilton Head completed when General Stevens was ordered, early in December, to occupy Beaufort, as an advanced post threatening the mainland, and affording protection to the negroes on the islands. This was a town of five thousand souls, delightfully situated on Port Royal Island on the banks of Beaufort River, some fifteen miles above Hilton Head. It was a place of fine mansions and houses, almost wholly exempt from the poorer class, the seat of wealth and refinement,

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CHAPTER LI BEAUFORT.—CAMPAIGN PLANNED AGAINST CHARLESTON

CHAPTER LI BEAUFORT.—CAMPAIGN PLANNED AGAINST CHARLESTON

After the action of Port Royal Ferry, General Stevens continued to hold Beaufort and the neighboring islands for five months, without the occurrence of any military event of importance, chiefly occupied in thoroughly drilling and disciplining his troops. Lieutenant Abraham Cottrell, of the 8th Michigan, was added to the staff as aide. A battalion of the 1st Massachusetts cavalry, under Lieutenant-Colonel H.B. Sargent, was added to his command; also another section of Battery E of the 3d artiller

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CHAPTER LII JAMES ISLAND CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHARLESTON

CHAPTER LII JAMES ISLAND CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHARLESTON

General Hunter, busy in proclaiming martial law and freedom, and in raising a black army by conscription, with which he hoped to strike a blow into the vitals of the Confederacy in the future, decided for the present simply to maintain a defensive attitude. But Benham was greedy to signalize himself. His dense egotism and self-sufficiency rendered him almost incapable of listening to any suggestions, or even information, that did not originate with himself. The movement planned by General Steven

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CHAPTER LIII BATTLE OF JAMES ISLAND

CHAPTER LIII BATTLE OF JAMES ISLAND

Meantime Benham was chafing at the helpless and ignominious position in which he found himself. At the head of twelve thousand fine troops, within six miles of Charleston, he was confronted by a formidable line of works, and had received positive orders from Hunter not to fight a battle. For several days he contemplated a movement towards the enemy’s right, and issued some preliminary orders to that end. General Stevens thought an attempt should have been made in that direction as soon as Wright

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CHAPTER LIV RETURN TO VIRGINIA

CHAPTER LIV RETURN TO VIRGINIA

A few days after their bloody repulse from Fort Lamar the Highlanders paraded in front of General Stevens’s headquarters and presented him with a beautiful sword, together with a sash, belt, and spurs, in the following feeling address. The address was inscribed upon a large sheet of parchment by one of the skillful penmen in the regiment, in characters as clear and distinct as copperplate engraving, and in the middle of the sheet was an excellent photograph of the general in uniform. The sword w

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CHAPTER LV POPE’s CAMPAIGN

CHAPTER LV POPE’s CAMPAIGN

The military authorities having decided to throw Burnside’s troops up the Rappahannock to reinforce Pope, General Stevens sailed from Newport News on August 4, debarked at Acquia Creek on the 6th, and reached Fredericksburg the same day. Here two light batteries were added to the division, E, of the 2d United States artillery, under Lieutenant S.N. Benjamin, with four 20-pounder rifled Parrotts and the 8th Massachusetts battery, a new organization recently from home, enlisted for six months only

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CHAPTER LVI THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN

CHAPTER LVI THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN

Early in the morning of Friday, the 28th, Jackson moved back behind the railroad grade, extended his lines, and took up his defensive position, extending from near Sudley Church along and in rear of the railroad to the high ground north of the pike, opposite to, or just north of, the battle-ground of the previous evening, curving his right to present a somewhat convex front towards the pike. Ewell’s division, now under General A.R. Lawton, held the right, Hill’s the left, and Jackson’s, under Ge

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CHAPTER LVII THE BATTLE OF CHANTILLY

CHAPTER LVII THE BATTLE OF CHANTILLY

Having safely withdrawn his division from the disastrous field, crossing Bull Run by Red House Ford, General Stevens conducted it to the main turnpike, now brimful with retreating troops. It was night, too, and quite dark. Unwilling to plunge his command into the crowded throng, he halted and allowed them to sleep on their arms by the roadside, while the dense, dark tide of troops, trains, and artillery flowed past all night. After daylight he resumed the march by the pike, now clear, and halted

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CHAPTER LVIII THE BATTLE OF CHANTILLY

CHAPTER LVIII THE BATTLE OF CHANTILLY

The enemy’s troops thus struck and hurled back were Ewell’s division of Jackson’s corps. Hays’s and Trimble’s brigades were behind the fence, and were supported by Early’s and Lawton’s brigades in the woods in their rear. This was the centre division in Jackson’s column. The leading one, under Starke, had already crossed the Ox Road, and the rear division, under A.P. Hill, was closed up on Ewell’s. Jackson, judging from the fury of the attack and the numbers of his men running in disorder out of

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CHAPTER LIX FINAL SCENE

CHAPTER LIX FINAL SCENE

After the successful charge Colonel Morrison sent an officer to report that General Stevens had fallen, and that the enemy had been driven back. General Reno, to whom the report was made, returned orders to bury General Stevens on the field, and to fall back. The Highlanders reverently and tenderly bore away the body of their beloved commander and placed it in an ambulance, from which one of their number, although wounded, willingly alighted to give room. The remains were taken to Washington to

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GENERAL STEVENS’s DESCENDANTS.

GENERAL STEVENS’s DESCENDANTS.

1. Hazard , born in Newport, R.I., June 9, 1842. 2. Julia Virginia , born in Newport, June 27, 1844, died in Bucksport, Me., December 7, 1845. 3. Susan , born in Bucksport, November 20, 1846; married Richard Isaac Eskridge, United States Army, in Portland, Oregon, October 27, 1870. 4. Gertrude Maude , born in Bucksport, April 29, 1850. 5. Kate , born in Washington, D.C., November 17, 1852; married Edward Wingard Bingham, in Boston, Mass., February 18, 1886. Grandchildren, Children of Richard Isa

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APPENDIX

APPENDIX

Following are the marginal notes on the MAP of the Indian Nations and Tribes of the Territory of Washington, and of the Territory of Nebraska west of the mouth of the Yellowstone. Sent to the Hon. George W. Manypenny, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with letter of this date. Isaac I. Stevens , Governor and Supt. Indian Affairs . Olympia, Washington Territory , April 30, 1857. Tabular Statement of the Indians East of the Cascade Mountains, etc. Written on upper central margin in Governor Stevens’

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