We arrived at Dayton at 1 o'clock that night, and put our horses in the livery stable and ourselves to sleep in the hay-mow overhead. Next morning we breakfasted at the hotel. A. R. Ayers, H. E. Holmes and Tom Beall were missing. We traveled to Marengo where a short stop was made and the troops under Colonel Whipple came up. The volunteers took the Indian trails across the hills and the regular troops followed the wagon road. We stopped two hours on the Pataha and then traveled on to Dan Favor's ranch which was about fifteen miles this side of Lewiston, where we went into camp. Here we waited about three hours for supper, there being some misunderstanding as to the getting of the meal. When the troops came up they camped at the same place.
On the morning of the 21st, after paying our bills, we traveled on to Lewiston. Leaving our horses on this side of the river, we crossed over to the town where we met Major Spurgeon, the commander at that place, who gave us to understand that the settlers nearby were in no immediate danger and told us that, if we cared to go on into the Indian country, we could be of service, but would have to be under the command of the regular military authorities.
We re-crossed the river to our horses and, after dinner, signed our names to report to General Howard for eight days of service. We then elected our officers as follows: T. P. Page, captain, L. K. Grimm, lieutenant, and John F. McLean, sergeant. Then we again crossed over to Lewiston, this time with our outfits, and were regularly mustered in for eight days of service. Up to this time, Ayres, Holmes and Beall had not caught up with us. Some thought that they had backed out and gone home, others thought that they would yet come up.
Major Spurgeon directed us to Fort Lapwai to report to General Howard, where we arrived at 6 o'clock in the evening. Here we had supper, after drawing on the post commissary for rations. It rained on us all that night. The morning of the 22d we spent in repairing and fixing up our outfits. At 1 o'clock we were again on the march as General Howard's guard, the troops going in advance. There were three companies of infantry, two companies of cavalry, one company of artillery and one company of volunteers.
As we were starting off from camp that afternoon we were surprised as well as pleased to see Doc Ayers, Doc Holmes and Ike Abbott coming up. They were forgiven for their delinquency when we learned that they had gotten lost, being led astray by Beall whose horse gave out and who then gave up the expedition and went back home. They joined us in the march without waiting to secure any dinner. While we were going up Craig Mountain Ike Abbott's horse got away from him and he did not catch him until several hours later. On the evening of the 22d we made camp on Craig Mountain, putting our horses out with those of the regular troops, and Sergeant McLean detailed J. H. Lister, Frank Waldrip and myself to be on guard the first part of the night and Lane Gilliam, A. L. Bird and Frank Jackson for the latter part. This was our first guard duty and I thought that upon me rested the entire burden of herding those 300 head of horses.
On Saturday, June 23d, we started early and traveled along the mountain until after noon when we reached the great Camas Prairie. I was very much surprised at the extent and richness of this prairie on any part of which, it was claimed, timothy hay would grow. We passed the place where our former citizen, Lew Day, was first attacked by the Indians and later came to Ben Norton's place on Cottonwood where we camped. Owing to the fact that we were in advance of the command, Captain Page put a guard on the house and barn. He placed Henry Lacy as guard over the barn and, after the command came up, Captain Wilkinson started to enter the barn and Henry stopped him. The captain told Henry who he was. Still this did no good and the captain turned and went away. Henry Lacy and Charley Blewett were the youngest members of the company.
The following morning Aleck O'Dell, Lane Gilliam, Al Hall, Jake Holbrook, Ben Scott, Ike Abbott, Wm. McKearn and I got up early and started for Mount Idaho, nineteen miles distant. We passed the place where Norton and his family, John Moore and Miss Bowers had been overtaken by the Indians, also the place where a load of goods for Mount Idaho had been captured by the Indians. We passed through Grangeville and went on to Mount Idaho, arriving there at about 12 o'clock. We hitched our horses to the fence of a man by the name of Aram (?) who gave them some hay. Mr. Brown at the hotel told us that dinner would be at 4 o'clock. We told him that we were hungry and could not wait. He wasn't long in getting us something to eat.
During our stay here O'Dell and one or two others had their horses shod. I went into Volmer's store and wrote a letter home. Mr. Scott, the manager of the store, showed us many courtesies. Both he and Mr. Volmer had formerly lived in Walla Walla. Mr. Scott said that all the people in that district who could were preparing to leave for the Salmon River. Mr. Aram (?) invited us all in to dinner, which invitation we gladly accepted.
Here we secured the following information with regard to the depredations of the Indians. Joseph's band from the Wallowa and the Salmon River Indians under White Bird had been camped on Rocky Canyon, eight miles from Mount Idaho. The Indians attacked on Thursday, June 14th. The settlers on White Bird suffered severely. Jack Manuel was living there with his wife and baby. The baby was killed and Mrs. Manuel, after being horribly mistreated, was locked up in a room of their house and then the house was burned to the ground. James Baker, who lived about a mile below Manuel's place on White Bird, was killed. Samuel Benedict was killed but his wife and little girl escaped and came safely into town. H. C. Brown was shot in the shoulder but escaped in a boat and was later found by the cavalry. Harry Mason was killed but his sister escaped in the brush. William Osborn was also killed. Those killed on John Day's Creek were Henry Elfreys and his nephew, Robert Bland, Dick Divine, and two Frenchmen. The Elfreys were killed by the Indians with their own guns which had been secured while the settlers were at work in the field.
The settlers on Camas Prairie shared a similar fate. According to Mr. Scott, Lew Day left Mount Idaho to place the settlers on the prairie on guard and to give notice to the troops at Lapwai. The Indians overtook him about two miles beyond Norton's house. They immediately fired on him, hitting him twice in the back. Lew turned and went back to Norton's place where he found Norton and his family getting ready to go to Mount Idaho.