Paiute War
Paiute War | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the American Indian Wars | |||||||
Numaga, war chief of the Paiute | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United States |
Bannock | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Joseph Stewart | Numaga | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
207 cavalry 649 militia | ~500 warriors | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
85 killed about 34 wounded |
31 killed about 30 wounded |
The Paiute War, also known as the Pyramid Lake War, Washoe Indian War and the Pah Ute War, was an
Background
Early settlement of what is now northwestern Nevada had a disruptive effect on the Northern Paiute and Shoshone. The Shoshone and Paiute had subsisted on the sparse resources of the desert by hunting deer and rabbit and eating grasshoppers, rodents, seeds, nuts, berries, and roots. Miners felled
1857: Raids in the north, harbingers of war
In 1857, Major William Ormsby (who later died in the First Battle of Pyramid Lake) and a man known as "Smith" were agents for the overland stagecoach. On October 5, 1857, Ormsby sent an express letter for ammunition to be ready for an emergency, foreseeing conflict with the Washoe people due to murders and robberies. Ormsby then allied with the Paiutes, who had been in conflict with the Washoe for some time. With 20-30 settlers and 300-400 Paiutes, Ormsby went in pursuit of the Washoes and Little Indians[clarification needed] into the Carson Valley.[3][4]
1858: Treaty with the Paiute
By 1858 the Native Americans [
1859: Winter starvation
With the arrival of spring in 1859, what was later known as the Comstock Lode was made public and sparked a rush of silver prospectors to the area. However, tensions had already been mounting since the first rush of silver miners had come across the Sierra Nevada. With the influx of so many people, many Natives believed that an evil spirit had been angered and was sending storms to freeze and starve them.[citation needed] The Carson City newspaper Territorial Enterprise reported in December 1859 that Whites were doing all they could to alleviate the starving Natives, offering them bread and provisions. However, the Natives refused to eat, fearing that the food was poisoned.
Spring 1860
Treaty broken
On January 13, 1860, Dexter Demming was murdered and his home was raided. Territorial Governor Isaac Roop sent Captain William Weatherlow to ascertain whether Paiute or Pit River Indians were responsible.[5] After catching up with the raiding party it was ascertained that the raiders were part of the Smoke Creek Sam (Chief Saaba) band of Paiutes—a band that had broken off from Numaga and Winnemucca (aka Chief Truckee). The Whites began to demand revenge. A meeting was held in Susanville with Governor Roop and Captain Weatherlow. The governor directed Weatherlow and Thomas Harvey to meet Numaga at Pyramid Lake and ask him about the murders and to honor the treaty and turn over the killers.[3]
While traveling to Pyramid Lake, the two settlers were captured by Paiutes of the Smoke Creek Sam band. When the warriors wanted to kill them, one warrior known as "Pike" (who had lived in Harvey's home as a child) intervened for Harvey, who was allowed to leave. Pike was also eventually able to convince the band to release Weatherlow. The two men finally arrived at Chief Numaga's camp, where the Chief refused to admit or deny that his people had killed Dexter Demming. Weatherlow pressed the chief to follow the treaty, and Numaga finally stated he would not intervene if his people committed depredations against settlers, would refuse to come back to the city to resolve anything peacefully, and, aware of the recent silver discoveries, demanded $16,000 for the grazing land.
Weatherlow and Harvey left the meeting warning the cattlemen on their journey home of the impending crisis. The men informed them that Chief Numaga was blackmailing them by requiring they turn over two cows a week to them, which they had been doing.[3][4]
Plans for war
After returning, Weatherlow warned that all out war was inevitable. The local population, however, started to doubt the Paiutes were really to blame, because although Dexter Demming had been killed, it became known that his brother Jack had once killed a Native, and persons seeking revenge might have mistaken the two men. However, on February 12, 1860, Governor Roop wrote to Brevet Brigadier General Newman S. Clarke, commander of the Department of the Pacific, stating that the Honey Lake Valley was in danger of Paiute attack. He asked for arms, ammunition, and a platoon of men to drive the Paiutes from their strongholds.[3][4]
During March and April, the Natives gathered at Pyramid Lake to determine whether to drive the Whites out. While a majority of the men voted for war, without a unanimous decision they were forced to postpone their plans. Chief Numaga had voted against war. As Numaga debated whether to go to war, two Paiute children went missing, and what was later known as the Williams Station massacre unfolded into war.[3][4]
War
Williams Station massacre
Williams Station was a combination
Militia forms
A militia was quickly formed from volunteers in Virginia City, Silver City, Carson City, and Genoa to apprehend the marauders. The volunteer force consisted of about 105 men and Major William Ormsby, who was chosen to lead the group.[10][11] They did not believe that the Indians would fight back. The groups were individually led as follows:[12]
- Genoa Rangers – Captain F. F. Condon
- Carson City Rangers – Major William Ormsby
- Silver City Guards – Captain R. G. Watkins
- 1st Virginia City Company – Captain F. Johnston
- 2nd Virginia City Company – Captain Archie McDonald
Each group of riders constituted no more than an undisciplined, leaderless mob of more than one hundred poorly armed riders with few rifles between them. One man in the group, Samuel Buckland, later stated the men were full of whiskey and without discipline. While Ormsby assumed a leadership position as being the first to arrive at the station, the five different groups never selected an overall commander and were disorganized in battle.
The Carson City Rangers arrived first at the ruins of Williams Station, stopping to rest and wait for the other volunteer groups. All the men met at the Williams Station to bury the dead and gather and stay the night. That night, Judge John Cradlebaugh of the Carson City Rangers told his men that he did not come to wage a war to defend white civilization, but rather to protect threatened communities. He advised his men that the Williams brothers had a bad reputation for shady dealings with both Whites and Natives, and that the Natives probably had a good reason for their attack. Come morning, he, his men, and a few others from the other groups, returned to Carson City. The remaining men proceeded north to the Truckee River, and then along that river towards Pyramid Lake. They noticed that the path left by the Natives to follow was obvious. Articles from the shop were laid out like a trail and tracks of unshod Native ponies were visible.
First Battle of Pyramid Lake
On May 12, the Whites were attacked and routed by Paiute forces under the command of Chief Numaga, approximately five miles south of Pyramid Lake. The party first encountered a small band of Paiutes, whom they attacked. The band fled after returning a few shots, continuing to fire sporadically as they retreated into a ravine with the Whites in pursuit. Once in the ravine, a larger group of Natives appeared, closing the escape route and firing on the settlers from all sides. The Whites were poorly armed, badly mounted, and almost completely unorganized. The survivors escaped into a patch of woods and were pursued for some 20 miles. Seventy-six settlers were dead, including Ormsby, and many of the others were wounded. According to History of Nevada, three Natives were killed in the battle.[13] Paiute Johnny Calico, who was 12 at the time, told a historian in 1924 that only three were injured and no one died.
Natives interviewed in 1880 for historian Angel Myron's History of Nevada reported that the Whites panicked when the assault began and threw down their guns, surrendering, but instead were killed. Among them was Major Ormsby.[14][8]: 70
Organization of U.S. forces
In response to the First Battle of Pyramid Lake, settlers called upon
Washoe Regiment
Field & Staff
- Colonel John C. Hays
- Lt. Colonel Edward J. Saunders[15]
- Major Daniel E. Hungerford
Companies
- Company A "Spy Company" – Captain L. B. Fleeson
- Company B "Sierra Guards" – Captain E. J. Smith
- Company C "Truckee Rangers" – Captain Alanson W. Nightingill (The nearby Nightingale Mountains were later named in honor of Nightingill; he later became the first state controller of Nevada.)[16]
- Company D "Sierra Guards" – Captain J. B. Reed
- Company E "Carson Rangers" – Captain P. H. Clayton
- Company F "Nevada Rifles" – Captain J. B. Van Hagan (CA)
- Company G "Sierra Guards" – Captain F. F. Patterson
- Company H "San Juan Rifles" – Captain N. C. Miller
- Company I "Independent City Guards of Sacramento" – Captain A. G. Snowden (CA)[17]
- Company J "from Sacramento" – Captain Joseph Virgo (CA)
- Company K "Virginia Rifles" – Captain Edward Farris Storey
- Company L "Carson Rifles" – Captain J.L. Blackburn
- Company M "Silver City Guards" – Captain Ford
- Company N "Highland Rangers/Vaqueros" – Captain S. B. Wallace
- Company O "Sierra Guards" – Captain Creed Haymond
Carson River Expedition
Field & Staff
- Captain Joseph Stewart
- Captain T. Moore, Quartermaster
- Lieutenant Horatio G. Gibson, Asst. Commissary of Substance
Companies
- Company G, 3rd US Artillery – Captain Joseph Stewart
- Company I, 3rd US Artillery – Lieutenant Horatio G. Gibson
- Company A, 6th US Infantry – Captain F. F. Flint
- Company H, 6th US Infantry – Lieutenant J. McCreary
Second Battle of Pyramid Lake
In late June, Stewart and Hays retraced the steps of Ormsby's command and attacked Numaga's Paiutes at the same location as Ormsby's fight. Hays and Stewart defeated Numaga, and the Paiute forces scattered across the Great Basin. After a minor skirmish in the Lake Range northeast of Pyramid Lake, the volunteer forces were disbanded, and Stewart's regulars returned to the Carson River near Williams Station to construct Fort Churchill. Three regiment members and 25 Paiutes were reported killed.[18]
Aftermath
After the second battle of Pyramid Lake, the federal forces built a small
See also
- Ute Wars
- Battle of Egan Station (skirmish between US Soldiers and Paiutes in August 1860)
References
- ^ "Pyramid Lake War". Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ Tennant, Laura (January 31, 2015). "Tennant: Paiute's Numaga worth noting". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0-87417-097-4
- ^ a b c d e Lekisch, Barbara Tahoe Place Names: The Origin and History of Names in the Lake Tahoe Basin
- ^ History of the State of Nevada, p. 148
- ISBN 978-0-87004-460-1. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Pony Express: An Illustrated History
- ^ ISBN 9780767906937. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "Pyramid Lake War". www.onlinenevada.org. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-87004-460-1. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ One reporter stated the whole group had taken an immense punishment of whiskey, and thought peace could easily be restored by shouting "An Indian for breakfast and a pony to ride..." (Warren Wasson, Nevada Historical Society, Vol XIII, No. 3 (1969) p. 3)
- ^ Indians and their Wars in Nevada
- ^ Angel, Myron (1881). History of Nevada. Thompson and West. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ Vincent's semi-annual United States register: a work in which the principal ...P.402
- ^ Life of Daniel E. Hungerford p.179
- ISBN 087417094X. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Bancroft, Hubert Howe (1890). History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888. p. 210. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ISBN 0-87842-468-7.
External links
- The Paiute Indian War 1860
- Pyramid Lake War Archived July 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine