City of Rocks Expedition
Headquarters Second Cavalry, California Volunteers,
Camp Douglas, Utah, October 31st, 1862
Colonel: Agreeably to your orders, dated Fort Ruby, Nevada, September 29th, to proceed thence on the next day (the 30th) with Company H, Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, on the northern overland route, via the City of Rocks, in quest of guerrillas or hostile Indians supposed to have congregated there, I have the honor to report that, having left Fort Ruby on the day specific, I overtook, on the second day's march, Captain S.P. Smith, of the Second Cavalry, who preceded me with his company the day before, and who was encamped in Pine Valley. Here I remained awaiting the return of the Indians who accompanied Captain Smith, and who had been sent out by him to bring in hostile Indians.
Having been informed that fires were seen near our camp, I dispatched Captain Smith with a portion of his company, at night, to learn of them. He returned next morning and reported, No trace of Indians.
On the morning of the fourth we took up the line of march, on the route designated, and arrived at Gravelly Ford on the fifth, without having discovered any Indians. Here, on the seventh, I sent Captain Smith and Lieutenant Darwin Chase with a party of men down the river, and Lieutenant George D. Conrad up the south side of the Humboldt, with instructions to scour the country for hostile Indians or guerrillas, and to report to me, at a place designated, on the north side of the Humboldt, where I encamped on the ninth with the balance of the command. This evening (the ninth) some of the command enticed into camp three Indians; two of them were armed with rifles, and the other with bow and arrows. I immediately ordered their arms taken from them, and placed them under a guard, intending to retain them until the arrival of my interpreter, who was with the detachment under Lieutenant Conrad. A short time after their arrest the Indians made an attempt to obtain their arms, and, having succeeded, they resisted the guard and broke and ran a short distance; they were fired upon by the guard and crippled. Fearing that they would escape, and not wishing to hazard the lives of my men in recapturing them alive, I ordered the guard to fire, and they were killed on the spot. Here, on the tenth, Captain Smith joined the command, and reported that he had received no information, nor had he seen any signs of guerrillas or hostile Indians.
On the eleventh I proceeded on the march, having sent out the officers of the command with instructions that if Indians were found to bring them into camp. Captain Smith having been sent in advance, had not proceeded more than ten or twelve miles when he came upon a party of about fourteen or fifteen Indians, who were armed with rifles, bows and arrows. He surrounded them and took from them their arms. Immediately after, the Indians attempted to escape by jumping into the river. They were fired upon and nine of them killed. On the same day Lieutenant Conrad and party brought into camp three Indians and an Indian child. Captain Smith returned in the evening with two squaws. Next day, the twelfth, Captain McLean returned, bringing in one Indian and a squaw. Same day Lieutenant Clark returned with one Indian; another Indian was captured during the evening. The next day, the thirteenth, I told two of the Indians, through the interpreter, that if they would go and bring in Indians who were engaged in the massacre of emigrants I would release them, but that if they did not return that night I would kill all the Indians I held as prisoners in camp. The next morning, the fourteenth, hearing nothing from the Indians I had sent out the day previous, I put to death four of those remaining, and released the squaws and child, telling them that we were sent there to punish Indians who were engaged in the massacre of emigrants, and instructed them to tell all the Indians that if they did not desist from killing emigrants that I would return there next summer and destroy them. On the next day, the thirteenth, I sent Lieutenants Chase and Conrad with a detachment on the south side of the Humboldt, with instructions as before. They came upon a party of Indians encamped in the mountains, armed with rifles, bows and arrows. They were surrounded and their arms taken from them. The Indians, attempting to escape, were fired upon, when eight of their number were killed. The balance of the route no traces of Indians were seen. On the twenty-eighty I arrived at the place designated by you; the next day, at about 3 o'clock p.m., arrived at this camp.
The route is a good one, with an abundance of grass and water. In conclusion, it affords me great pleasure to report the efficiency of the officers, and the good conduct of the men of the command without the loss of any.1
have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Major, Second Cavalry, California Volunteers.
Colonel P. Edward Connor, Third Infantry, California Volunteers, Commanding District of Utah, Camp Douglas, Utah.
Notes…
- MXXXXX, published by the Smithfield Sentinel, Friday, May 12, 1922.