1877 — July 3, Cottonwood Battle, US Army chasing retreating Nez Perce, Cottonwood, ID–13

–13 Wikipedia. “Battle of Cottonwood.” 6-18-2022 edit. Accessed 1-18-2023.
–11 National Park Service. Nez Perce. “Cottonwood Skirmish Site History.” 2-4-2018.

Narrative Information

National Park Service: “Cottonwood Skirmish Site History

“In the immediate aftermath of the battle at White Bird [see June 17, wherein 34 US soldiers died], the Nez Perce crossed the Salmon River [ID] below the town of Whitebird. General Howard did not follow until July 1. By the time Howard began his pursuit, the Nez Perce had crossed the Salmon again and reappeared on the Camas Prairie.

“As the Nez Perce crossed the prairie, they skirmished with the U.S. Army and volunteers near Cottonwood. On July 3, Captain Stephen G. Whipple, commanding two companies of the First Cavalry, sent two civilian scouts west of Cottonwood. The scouts came across some Nez Perce and one was killed. The other made it back to Whipple and reported the urgent news. In response to the attack, Whipple sent a detachment of ten men under the command of Lt. Sevier M. Rains to investigate. Rains’ group was surprised by warriors and everyone was killed.”

Wikipedia. “Battle of Cottonwood.” “After their victory at the Battle of White Bird Canyon on June 17, the Nez Perce crossed the Salmon River to escape General O. O. Howard, who was advancing on them with 400 soldiers. With difficulty Howard crossed the river to confront the Indians, but the outnumbered Nez Perce then recrossed the Salmon, stranding the less mobile U.S. soldiers for several days on the opposite side of the river. The Nez Perce numbered about 600, of whom 150 were warriors. With them were more than 2,000 livestock, mostly horses.

“Battle After recrossing the Salmon and leaving Howard behind, the Nez Perce headed east across the Camas Prairie, having made the decision to flee into the Bitterroot Mountains. In their path, stationed at Norton’s Ranch (future Cottonwood) was Captain Stephen Whipple with 65 soldiers and several civilian volunteers. On July 3, two of Whipple’s civilian scouts stumbled across the Nez Perce horse herd. The Nez Perce killed one man but the other escaped and reported that the Nez Perce were nearby. Whipple sent out Lieutenant Sevier Rains with ten soldiers and two civilians to investigate. The Nez Perce ambushed the Rains group and killed them all.

“Whipple dug in around Norton’s ranch with his remaining soldiers. He was reinforced on July 4 by Captain David Perry with twenty soldiers and six civilian volunteers. Perry, who had led the soldiers in the White Bird Canyon battle two weeks earlier took command of the soldiers and volunteers, now numbering about 85. For the remainder of the day the soldiers stayed in their rifle pits while the Nez Perce sniped at them from long distance.

“The next day, July 5, the Nez Perce undertook to bypass the entrenched soldiers, detailing fourteen young men to keep the soldiers pinned down in the rifle pits, while the remainder of the Nez Perce and their livestock, screened by warriors, passed by a mile away heading eastward. The soldiers did not contest their passage. A group of seventeen civilian volunteers appeared near Cottonwood at this time. They attempted to reach the soldiers by breaking through the Nez Perce screen, but they had to take up a defensive position on a hilltop about one and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Cottonwood. Three of the volunteers were killed and two wounded. One elderly Nez Perce warrior was killed – the first to die in the war – and one wounded. Although Captain Perry could see from his fortifications the plight of the volunteers he declined to send help until the Nez Perce had withdrawn. That evening, fifty civilian volunteers arrived to reinforce Perry, but the Nez Perce were gone. Casualties for the engagements totaled eleven soldiers and six civilian volunteers dead and several wounded. The Nez Perce suffered one dead and one wounded. ”

Sources

Josephy, Alvin M. Jr. The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., a Mariner Book, 1965 copyright by Yale University. Google preview accessed 1-18-2023 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Nez_Perce_Indians_and_the_Opening_of/D1Ffhzz0UOkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=The+Nez+Perce+Indians+and+the+Opening+of+the+Northwest&printsec=frontcover

National Park Service. Nez Perce. “Cottonwood Skirmish Site History.” Lapwai, ID: Nez Perce National Historical Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 2-4-2018. Accessed 1-18-2023 at: https://www.nps.gov/nepe/learn/historyculture/cottonwood-skirmish-site-history.htm

Wikipedia. “Battle of Cottonwood.” 6-18-2022 edit. Accessed 1-18-2023 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cottonwood