Nez Perce War
Encyclopedia
The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict between the Nez Perce and the United States
government fought in 1877 as part of the American Indian Wars. After a series of battles in which both the U.S. Army and native people sustained significant casualties, the Nez Perce surrendered and were relocated to an Indian reservation
. The Nez Perce were led by several individuals, including Hienmot Tooyalakekt (better known as Chief Joseph
), Ollicot, White Bird
, Toohoolhoolzote and Looking Glass
. The American Army was represented mainly by General
Oliver Otis Howard though Colonel
John Gibbon
, General Nelson A. Miles
and Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis
were involved as well.
and Clearwater
valleys, where the Nez Perce lived, would make great open range for their cattle. In addition, gold had been discovered on Nez Perce lands, and the American government was unable to keep previous agreements to keep settlers out of Indian lands. The Nez Perce were incensed at the failure of the US government to uphold the treaties
, and at settlers who plowed up their camas prairies, which they depended on for subsistence.
As a result, the government pressured the Nez Perce to move to a reservation established in an 1863 treaty. Initially, a large number of "nontreaty" bands refused to move, considering the 1863 treaty to be invalid and themselves not parties to the agreement. Although the nontreaty Nez Perce managed to avoid conflict and stay on their lands for fourteen years, tensions rose in 1876 and 1877 until General Oliver Howard called a council in May 1877 and ordered the nontreaty bands move to the reservation, setting an impossible deadline of 30 days. At first, the Nez Perce agreed to the move in order to forestall violence. Chief Joseph considered military resistance futile, and by June 14, 1877 had gathered about 600 people at a site near present-day Grangeville, Idaho
. However, on June 14, 1877, three warriors staged an attack on nearby white settlers, killing four men, including Jurdin Elfers and Henry Beckridge, and in a subsequent raid the next day, a larger group killed between twelve and fourteen additional settlers, including women and children.
After several small battles in Idaho during the next month, over 800 Nez Perce, mostly non-warriors, along with 2000 head of various livestock, began a remarkable journey. They traveled from Idaho
over Lolo Pass into Montana
, traveling southeast, dipping into Yellowstone National Park
and then back north into eastern Montana, roughly 1400 miles (2,253.1 km). They attempted to seek refuge with the Crow Nation
, then, rebuffed by the Crow, ultimately decided to try to reach safety in Canada.
A small number of Nez Perce fighters, probably fewer than 200, successfully held off larger forces of the U.S. Army in several skirmishes. The most notable was the two-day Battle of the Big Hole
in southwestern Montana, a battle with relatively little loss of life, but costly nonetheless as the swiftness of the U.S. Army's attack cost them their tipis and many supplies.
However, the war came to an end when the Nez Perce stopped to rest near the Bears Paw Mountains in Montana, 40 miles (64.4 km) from the Canadian
border, thinking that they had shaken off their pursuers. But Nelson A. Miles
, then a colonel, had quickly brought an infantry-cavalry column up from Fort Keogh
to catch the Nez Perce. After a five-day conflict, on October 5, 1877 the battle—and the war—was over. Chief Joseph declared in his famous speech that he would "fight no more forever."
starring Ned Romero
as Joseph and James Whitmore
as General Howard was well received at a time when Native American issues were receiving exposure in the news, and notable in that it attempted to present a balanced view of the events: the leadership pressures on Joseph were juxtaposed with the Army having to do an unpleasant task while an action-hungry press establishment looked on.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government fought in 1877 as part of the American Indian Wars. After a series of battles in which both the U.S. Army and native people sustained significant casualties, the Nez Perce surrendered and were relocated to an Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
. The Nez Perce were led by several individuals, including Hienmot Tooyalakekt (better known as Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
), Ollicot, White Bird
White Bird
White Bird may refer to:* The White Bird, a French biplane which disappeared while attempting a transatlantic crossing in 1927* White Bird, Idaho, small city in the United States* White Bird , Nez Perce leader...
, Toohoolhoolzote and Looking Glass
Chief Looking Glass
Looking Glass was a principal Nez Perce architect of many of the military strategies employed by the Nez Perce during the Nez Perce War of 1877...
. The American Army was represented mainly by General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Oliver Otis Howard though Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Gibbon
John Gibbon
John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
, General Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
and Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis
Samuel D. Sturgis
Samuel Davis Sturgis was an American military officer who served in the Mexican-American War, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and later in the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
were involved as well.
Background
The conflict began when white ranchers realized that Wallowa Valley, as well as the SnakeSnake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
and Clearwater
Clearwater River (Idaho)
The Clearwater River is a river in north central Idaho, which flows westward from the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho-Montana border, and joins the Snake River at Lewiston. In October 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition descended the Clearwater River in dugout canoes, putting in at "Canoe...
valleys, where the Nez Perce lived, would make great open range for their cattle. In addition, gold had been discovered on Nez Perce lands, and the American government was unable to keep previous agreements to keep settlers out of Indian lands. The Nez Perce were incensed at the failure of the US government to uphold the treaties
Treaty Clause
Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, includes the Treaty Clause, which empowers the President of the United States to propose and chiefly negotiate agreements between the United States and other countries, which become treaties between the United States and other...
, and at settlers who plowed up their camas prairies, which they depended on for subsistence.
As a result, the government pressured the Nez Perce to move to a reservation established in an 1863 treaty. Initially, a large number of "nontreaty" bands refused to move, considering the 1863 treaty to be invalid and themselves not parties to the agreement. Although the nontreaty Nez Perce managed to avoid conflict and stay on their lands for fourteen years, tensions rose in 1876 and 1877 until General Oliver Howard called a council in May 1877 and ordered the nontreaty bands move to the reservation, setting an impossible deadline of 30 days. At first, the Nez Perce agreed to the move in order to forestall violence. Chief Joseph considered military resistance futile, and by June 14, 1877 had gathered about 600 people at a site near present-day Grangeville, Idaho
Grangeville, Idaho
Grangeville is the largest city in and the county seat of Idaho County, Idaho, United States, in the west central part of the state. It had a population of 3,141 at the 2010 census.- Culture :...
. However, on June 14, 1877, three warriors staged an attack on nearby white settlers, killing four men, including Jurdin Elfers and Henry Beckridge, and in a subsequent raid the next day, a larger group killed between twelve and fourteen additional settlers, including women and children.
War
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
over Lolo Pass into Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, traveling southeast, dipping into Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
and then back north into eastern Montana, roughly 1400 miles (2,253.1 km). They attempted to seek refuge with the Crow Nation
Crow Nation
The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan people of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota. They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana and in several...
, then, rebuffed by the Crow, ultimately decided to try to reach safety in Canada.
A small number of Nez Perce fighters, probably fewer than 200, successfully held off larger forces of the U.S. Army in several skirmishes. The most notable was the two-day Battle of the Big Hole
Battle of the Big Hole
The Battle of the Big Hole was a costly battle in the Montana Territory between the Nez Percé and United States army during the Nez Perce War of 1877.-Background:...
in southwestern Montana, a battle with relatively little loss of life, but costly nonetheless as the swiftness of the U.S. Army's attack cost them their tipis and many supplies.
However, the war came to an end when the Nez Perce stopped to rest near the Bears Paw Mountains in Montana, 40 miles (64.4 km) from the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
border, thinking that they had shaken off their pursuers. But Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
, then a colonel, had quickly brought an infantry-cavalry column up from Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh is located on the western edge of Miles City, Montana. Occasionally spelled Fort Keough. Originally a military post, today it is a United States Department of Agriculture livestock and range research station. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
to catch the Nez Perce. After a five-day conflict, on October 5, 1877 the battle—and the war—was over. Chief Joseph declared in his famous speech that he would "fight no more forever."
Depictions in media
The 1975 David Wolper historical teledrama I Will Fight No More ForeverI Will Fight No More Forever
I Will Fight No More Forever is a 1975 made-for-television movie starring James Whitmore as General Oliver O. Howard and Ned Romero as Chief Joseph. It is a dramatization of Chief Joseph's resistance to the U.S. government's forcible move of his Nez Perce Indian tribe to a reservation in Idaho...
starring Ned Romero
Ned Romero
Ned Romero is an American actor and opera singer who has appeared in television and film.Romero was born in Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish in South Louisiana, the son of Anna and Sidney Romero. His ancestry is Chitimacha Native American, as well as Spanish and French...
as Joseph and James Whitmore
James Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
as General Howard was well received at a time when Native American issues were receiving exposure in the news, and notable in that it attempted to present a balanced view of the events: the leadership pressures on Joseph were juxtaposed with the Army having to do an unpleasant task while an action-hungry press establishment looked on.