On the 19th, of January, 1863, a miner named William Bevins made affidavit before Chief Justice John F. Kinney in Salt Lake City to the effect that about ten days previous, he and party numbering eight men, who were on their way to the Grasshopper Gold Mines in Dakota were attacked in Cache Valley by Indians and one of their number killed. He also reported that another party of ten miners enroute to Salt Lake City had been assaulted and murdered by the same Indians, in the same locality. Upon this information warrants for the arrest of three of the chiefs were issued and placed in the hands of the United States Marshal Isaac L. Gibbs, who, realizing that resistance would be offered, laid the matter before Colonel Connor.
Three days later a company of Infantry with two howitzers started for the camp of the hostiles, and on Sunday evening the 25th, four companies of cavalry, under command of Colonel Connor himself followed. Marshal Gibbs accompanied the expedition, though with what purpose is not clear, as the mission and intent of the troops was to summarily punish, and not merely to arrest the savages for the various crimes and depredations of which they were accused. The Colonel in his report said he informed the Marshal that all arrangements for the expedition were already made, and that the civil process had little to do with it, is evident from the Colonel's further remarks: Being satisfied that they (the Indians) were part of the same band who had been murdering emigrants on the overland mail route for the past fifteen years, and the principal actors and leaders in the horrid massacre of the previous summer. I determined although the weather was unfavorable to an expedition to chastise them, if possible. Tuesday night the 27th, the cavalry force overtook the infantry at Mendon, Cache County; but the infantry at once resumed the march and were again overtaken during the following night at Franklin, twelve miles from the Indian encampment.
At three o'clock, on the morning of January 29th, the infantry was in motion and an hour later the cavalry set out, overtaking and passing their plodding comrades about four miles south of the river. The battle began at six o'clock. The Indians having detected the efforts of the mounted troops to surround them, and defeating it by at once engaging them. The position of the savages was one of great natural strength, and they had improved it with considerable ingenuity. A narrow dry ravine with steep rocky sides sheltered them from the fire of the soldiers, who, advancing along the level table land through which the gorge ran, were exposed to the murderous volleys of the concealed foe. Steps cut in the bank enabled the Indians to ascend and descend as necessity required, and artificial copses of willows served as additional defenses where the ravine's course left an exposed point. The battle opened inauspiciously for the troops who quickly saw the disadvantage at which they were placed. Several fell killed and wounded at first fire. The Indians gleefully noting the fact, and defying the survivors to Come On.
Meantime the infantry, whose advance had been checked by the swift icy waters of the Bear River until horses furnished by the cavalry had assisted them over the stream, had joined in the engagement; and a successful flanking movement soon afterwards enabled the troops to pour an enfilading fire into the enemy's camp. This was the beginning of the end; for though the savages fought with fury they were now at a disadvantage and were met by a line of soldiers at either end of the ravine, as they moved towards the lower end. The colonel ordered his troops thither, disposing of the cavalry so as to cut off escape. One company stood at the mouth of the gorge and visited terrible execution upon the enemy; at a single spot forty-eight corpses were afterwards counted. By ten o'clock the savages were completely routed and the slaughter was ended. Two hundred and twenty-four warriors, it is claimed, where found dead upon the field but this number may have been exaggerated. Among them were the chiefs Bear Hunter, Sagwitch and Lehi. The first it is said falling into the fire at which he was moulding bullets, and being literally roasted. Sanpitch one of the chiefs named in Judge Kinney's warrant made his escape, as did also Pocatello and probably fifty braves. The fighting strength of the Indians were estimated to be over three hundred. One hundred and sixty squaws and children fell into the hands of the victors and one hundred and seventy-five ponies were captured in the camp; seventy lodges were burned; and a large quantity of grain, implements and other property believed to have been stolen from emigrants. That which was not necessary for the captives was either destroyed or carried to Camp Douglas and sold. On his side Colonel Connor lost fourteen men and forty-nine were wounded during the engagement. Eight died within ten days. The force in the outset numbered three hundred men. But not more than two hundred were in the fight; the remainder were either teamsters or men incapacitated by frozen feet. The hardships of the journey were extreme. The snow being deep and the cold intense. The casualties of this latter class were seventy-nine, and the commanding officer in his report expressed the fear that many of the victims would be crippled for life. Colonel Connor employed as his guide on this expedition the experienced mountaineer Orrin P. Rockwell, who rendered the command very efficient service; without which it is believed many more of the soldiers would have perished by being frozen. This fact accounts for the friendly feeling that Connor always entertained towards Rockwell.
The dead and wounded arrived at Camp Douglas on the night of the 2nd of February and on Wednesday the 4th, the survivors were again at their quarters. Next day, the 5th, fifteen of the dead were buried with military honors. Theirs being the consecrating dust of the beautiful little cemetery at the fort. On the 6th, Lieutenant Darwin Chase who died of his wounds on the night of the 4th, at Farmington was buried with Masonic and martial honors; he had once been a Mormon Elder. At dress parade on Sunday, the 8th, the colonel's complimentary order was read, and that same day the two who were the last to die of their wounds were placed by the side of their deceased comrades. If the battle in its latest stage had possessed less of the elements of a massacre Colonel Conner and his command would have been more generally praised by the people; but perhaps it would not then have proved a lesson so well to be remembered by the savages. As it was, it completely broke the power of the Indians there and conveyed to them a warning that it has never been necessary to repeat. In a letter to General Wright commanding the Department of the Pacific, General in Chief Halleck wrote from Washington under the date of March 29th, highly praising the courage and discretion of the colonel and his brave Californians. And in a dispatch of the same date to Colonel Connor, he and his command were congratulated on their heroic and brilliant victory. And the commander was notified that he was that day appointed a brigadier general.1
Listing of the men who were killed and those who later died from their battle wounds: