Paiute War

Last updated

Paiute War
Part of the American Indian Wars
Numaga.jpg
Numaga, war chief of the Paiute
Date1860
Location
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Result U.S. victory [1] [2]
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1859-1861).svg  United States Paiute
Shoshone
Bannock
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the United States (1859-1861).svg William Ormsby   †
Flag of the United States (1859-1861).svg John C. Hays
Flag of the United States (1859-1861).svg Joseph Stewart 		Numaga
Strength
207 cavalry
649 militia 		~500 warriors
Casualties and losses
85 killed
about 34 wounded		 31 killed
about 30 wounded

The Paiute War, also known as the Pyramid Lake War, Washoe Indian War and the Pah Ute War, was an armed conflict between Northern Paiutes allied with the Shoshone and the Bannock against settlers from the United States, supported by military forces. It took place in May 1860 in the vicinity of Pyramid Lake in the Utah Territory, now in the northwest corner of present-day Nevada. The war was preceded by a series of increasingly violent incidents, culminating in two pitched battles in which 79 Whites and 25 Indigenous people were killed. Smaller raids and skirmishes continued until a cease-fire was agreed to in August 1860; there was no treaty.

Contents

Background

Early settlement of what is now northwestern Nevada had a disruptive effect on the Northern Paiute and Shoshone. The Shoshone and Paiute had subsisted on the sparse resources of the desert by hunting deer and rabbit and eating grasshoppers, rodents, seeds, nuts, berries, and roots. Miners felled single-leaf pinyon groves, a major food source for the Paiute, and because of the Nevada deserts, settlers grouped around water sources. Settlers' livestock trampled or ate the sparse vegetation. In addition, settlers and Paiutes competed for grazing lands, where the settlers tried to run cattle. Native Americans partly adapted to the change by trading finely woven baskets, deer, and rabbit skins for food and goods. Other times, settlers gave them food or blankets. Some Native Americans took jobs farming for settlers or served as stock tenders on Pony Express stations. Nonetheless, they resented the encroachment into their territory. Chief Numaga traveled to Virginia City and aired the grievances of the Paiutes. Herders had driven cattle all over Paiute grazing land, letting their livestock eat grass used by Paiute ponies. Worst, he claimed, these cattlemen threatened violence if Chief Numaga did not return cattle they claimed as missing from their herds. Cattlemen told William Weatherlow, a local militia captain, that Numaga and the Native Americans were extorting two cattle a week from them.

1857: Raids in the north, harbingers of war

In 1857, Major William Ormsby (who later died in the First Battle of Pyramid Lake) and a man known as "Smith" were agents for the overland stagecoach. On October 5, 1857, Ormsby sent an express letter for ammunition to be ready for an emergency, foreseeing conflict with the Washoe people due to murders and robberies. Ormsby then allied with the Paiutes, who had been in conflict with the Washoe for some time. With 20-30 settlers and 300-400 Paiutes, Ormsby went in pursuit of the Washoes and Little Indians[ clarification needed ] into the Carson Valley. [3] [4]

1858: Treaty with the Paiute

By 1858 the Native Americans [ clarification needed ] and Whites agreed to a treaty with the principle of equal justice for all. Thieves and killers, white or Native, were to be turned over to the authorities. Thereafter, Paiutes under Numaga fought alongside Whites against raiding parties of Pit River Natives from across the Sierra Nevada. For the next two years, the Paiutes and Whites lived in relative peace. However, the winter of 1858 was especially harsh, making it impossible to get provisions or people over the Sierra Nevada. Food became scarce, forcing residents to hunt for wild game. [3] [4]

1859: Winter starvation

With the arrival of spring in 1859, what was later known as the Comstock Lode was made public and sparked a rush of silver prospectors to the area. However, tensions had already been mounting since the first rush of silver miners had come across the Sierra Nevada. With the influx of so many people, many Natives believed that an evil spirit had been angered and was sending storms to freeze and starve them.[ citation needed ] The Carson City newspaper Territorial Enterprise reported in December 1859 that Whites were doing all they could to alleviate the starving Natives, offering them bread and provisions. However, the Natives refused to eat, fearing that the food was poisoned.

Spring 1860

Treaty broken

On January 13, 1860, Dexter Demming was murdered and his home was raided. Territorial Governor Isaac Roop sent Captain William Weatherlow to ascertain whether Paiute or Pit River Indians were responsible. [5] After catching up with the raiding party it was ascertained that the raiders were part of the Smoke Creek Sam (Chief Saaba) band of Paiutes—a band that had broken off from Numaga and Winnemucca (aka Chief Truckee). The Whites began to demand revenge. A meeting was held in Susanville with Governor Roop and Captain Weatherlow. The governor directed Weatherlow and Thomas Harvey to meet Numaga at Pyramid Lake and ask him about the murders and to honor the treaty and turn over the killers. [3]

While traveling to Pyramid Lake, the two settlers were captured by Paiutes of the Smoke Creek Sam band. When the warriors wanted to kill them, one warrior known as "Pike" (who had lived in Harvey's home as a child) intervened for Harvey, who was allowed to leave. Pike was also eventually able to convince the band to release Weatherlow. The two men finally arrived at Chief Numaga's camp, where the Chief refused to admit or deny that his people had killed Dexter Demming. Weatherlow pressed the chief to follow the treaty, and Numaga finally stated he would not intervene if his people committed depredations against settlers, would refuse to come back to the city to resolve anything peacefully, and, aware of the recent silver discoveries, demanded $16,000 for the grazing land.

Weatherlow and Harvey left the meeting warning the cattlemen on their journey home of the impending crisis. The men informed them that Chief Numaga was blackmailing them by requiring they turn over two cows a week to them, which they had been doing. [3] [4]

Plans for war

After returning, Weatherlow warned that all out war was inevitable. The local population, however, started to doubt the Paiutes were really to blame, because although Dexter Demming had been killed, it became known that his brother Jack had once killed a Native, and persons seeking revenge might have mistaken the two men. However, on February 12, 1860, Governor Roop wrote to Brevet Brigadier General Newman S. Clarke, commander of the Department of the Pacific, stating that the Honey Lake Valley was in danger of Paiute attack. He asked for arms, ammunition, and a platoon of men to drive the Paiutes from their strongholds. [3] [4]

During March and April, the Natives gathered at Pyramid Lake to determine whether to drive the Whites out. While a majority of the men voted for war, without a unanimous decision they were forced to postpone their plans. Chief Numaga had voted against war. As Numaga debated whether to go to war, two Paiute children went missing, and what was later known as the Williams Station massacre unfolded into war. [3] [4]

War

Williams Station massacre

Williams Station was a combination saloon, general store and stagecoach station on the Carson River at present-day Lahontan Reservoir. On May 6, a raiding party led by mixed-race Bannock warrior Mogoannoga attacked the station, killing five Americans and burning down the establishment. [6] There are conflicting accounts as to the party's motivation. One account claimed the raid was made without cause by a renegade band from the north. Another account, given by a Paiute member in an 1880 interview, claimed the incident originated when two proprietors of Williams Station deceived a young Native, persuading him to trade his pony for a bad gun, and captured two Paiute children. In an argument to back out of the deal, the settlers' dog bit the boy, and the men laughed at him. The young Native then reported to the tribe how he had heard two missing Paiute children in the settlers' root cellar. When a Paiute party found the settlers at Williams Station, they claimed the boy only heard the dog yelp and not any missing children. Ultimately, the party killed the men and found the two children tied up. In their rage, they murdered all the Whites in the area and left. When Williams, owner of the station, returned on May 8, he found his two brothers' bodies mutilated and three patrons of the saloon murdered. [7] Passions were aroused, and stories escalated to include tales of 500 Indians who killed every person in the vicinity of Williams Station. [8] : 65  A third account claimed the kidnapped children were two 12-year-old girls who were sexually assaulted before being hidden. According to this account, the band who attacked Williams Station was a rescue party that included the girls' father. When the news of the situation reached Numaga, he allegedly said, "There is no longer any use for counsel; we must prepare for war." [9]

Militia forms

A militia was quickly formed from volunteers in Virginia City, Silver City, Carson City, and Genoa to apprehend the marauders. The volunteer force consisted of about 105 men and Major William Ormsby, who was chosen to lead the group. [10] [11] They did not believe that the Indians would fight back. The groups were individually led as follows: [12]

Each group of riders constituted no more than an undisciplined, leaderless mob of more than one hundred poorly armed riders with few rifles between them. One man in the group, Samuel Buckland, later stated the men were full of whiskey and without discipline. While Ormsby assumed a leadership position as being the first to arrive at the station, the five different groups never selected an overall commander and were disorganized in battle.

The Carson City Rangers arrived first at the ruins of Williams Station, stopping to rest and wait for the other volunteer groups. All the men met at the Williams Station to bury the dead and gather and stay the night. That night, Judge John Cradlebaugh of the Carson City Rangers told his men that he did not come to wage a war to defend white civilization, but rather to protect threatened communities. He advised his men that the Williams brothers had a bad reputation for shady dealings with both Whites and Natives, and that the Natives probably had a good reason for their attack. Come morning, he, his men, and a few others from the other groups, returned to Carson City. The remaining men proceeded north to the Truckee River, and then along that river towards Pyramid Lake. They noticed that the path left by the Natives to follow was obvious. Articles from the shop were laid out like a trail and tracks of unshod Native ponies were visible.

First Battle of Pyramid Lake

On May 12, the Whites were attacked and routed by Paiute forces under the command of Chief Numaga, approximately five miles south of Pyramid Lake. The party first encountered a small band of Paiutes, whom they attacked. The band fled after returning a few shots, continuing to fire sporadically as they retreated into a ravine with the Whites in pursuit. Once in the ravine, a larger group of Natives appeared, closing the escape route and firing on the settlers from all sides. The Whites were poorly armed, badly mounted, and almost completely unorganized. The survivors escaped into a patch of woods and were pursued for some 20 miles. Seventy-six settlers were dead, including Ormsby, and many of the others were wounded. According to History of Nevada, three Natives were killed in the battle. [13] Paiute Johnny Calico, who was 12 at the time, told a historian in 1924 that only three were injured and no one died.

Natives interviewed in 1880 for historian Angel Myron's History of Nevada reported that the Whites panicked when the assault began and threw down their guns, surrendering, but instead were killed. Among them was Major Ormsby. [14] [8] : 70 

Organization of U.S. forces

In response to the First Battle of Pyramid Lake, settlers called upon Texas Ranger Colonel John C. Hays, who organized a militia of local volunteers dubbed the "Washoe Regiment". It was composed of 13 companies from the areas surrounding Carson City, Virginia City, Nevada City, and Sacramento. [3] In addition to the volunteers under Hays, the US Army responded by sending a detachment of artillery and infantry from Fort Alcatraz, California. This contingent, known as the "Carson River Expedition", was led by Captain Joseph Stewart. Hays' volunteers went into action at the Battle of Williams Station and were joined by Stewart's regulars.

Washoe Regiment
Field & Staff

Companies

Carson River Expedition
Field & Staff

Companies

Second Battle of Pyramid Lake

In late June, Stewart and Hays retraced the steps of Ormsby's command and attacked Numaga's Paiutes at the same location as Ormsby's fight. Hays and Stewart defeated Numaga, and the Paiute forces scattered across the Great Basin. After a minor skirmish in the Lake Range northeast of Pyramid Lake, the volunteer forces were disbanded, and Stewart's regulars returned to the Carson River near Williams Station to construct Fort Churchill. Three regiment members and 25 Paiutes were reported killed. [18]

Aftermath

After the second battle of Pyramid Lake, the federal forces built a small fort at the southern end of Pyramid Lake to deny that area to the Paiutes. Small skirmishes and raids continued until August, when an informal cease-fire between Numaga and white surveyors working in the area north of Pyramid Lake was achieved during a meeting at Deep Hole, Nevada. In 1861 the fort at Pyramid Lake was abandoned in favor of Fort Churchill, further south on the Carson River. The disruption to food gathering activities, especially fishing in Pyramid Lake, may have killed more from starvation. The Bannock War of 1878 may be viewed as a continuation of the Pyramid Lake War, as some Paiutes and Bannock fought in both wars. The war is of particular note because of its effect on the famed Pony Express. Several stations were ambushed and the service experienced its only delays in delivery. A few riders distinguished themselves during this time, especially Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam, who accomplished (out of necessity) a 380-mile round trip (610 km) between Lake Tahoe (Friday's Station) and Fort Churchill and back with only nine hours of rest around May 10 of 1860. [8] : 72−73 

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pony Express</span> 1860–1861 mail service in the United States

The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Winnemucca</span> Northern Paiute author, activist, and educator (c. 1844 –1891)

Sarah Hopkins was a Northern Paiute writer, activist, lecturer, teacher, and school organizer. Her Northern Paiute name was Thocmentony, also spelled Tocmetone, which translates as "Shell Flower."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ormsby County, Nevada</span> Former county in Nevada, United States (1861–1969)

Ormsby County was a county in Nevada Territory from 1861 to 1864 and in the State of Nevada from 1864 until 1969. It contained Carson City, the county seat, and later, the state capital, founded two years earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Paiute people</span> Native American tribe in eastern California

The Northern Paiute people are a Numic tribe that has traditionally lived in the Great Basin region of the United States in what is now eastern California, western Nevada, and southeast Oregon. The Northern Paiutes' pre-contact lifestyle was well adapted to the harsh desert environment in which they lived. Each tribe or band occupied a specific territory, generally centered on a lake or wetland that supplied fish and waterfowl. Communal hunt drives, which often involved neighboring bands, would take rabbits and pronghorn from surrounding areas. Individuals and families appear to have moved freely among the bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truckee River</span> River in Nevada and California, United States

The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is 121 miles (195 km) long. The Truckee is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe and drains part of the high Sierra Nevada, emptying into Pyramid Lake in the Great Basin. Its waters are an important source of irrigation along its valley and adjacent valleys.

The Snake War (1864–1868) was an irregular war fought by the United States of America against the "Snake Indians," the settlers' term for Northern Paiute, Bannock and Western Shoshone bands who lived along the Snake River. Fighting took place in the states of Oregon, Nevada, and California, and in Idaho Territory. Total casualties from both sides of the conflict numbered 1,762 dead, wounded, or captured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnemucca (Paiute leader)</span> Native American Northern Paiute war chief (c. 1820–1882)

Winnemucca was a Northern Paiute war chief. He was born a Shoshone around 1820 in what would later become the Oregon Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Churchill State Historic Park</span> State park in Nevada, United States

Fort Churchill State Historic Park is a state park of Nevada, United States, preserving the remains of a United States Army fort and a waystation on the Pony Express and Central Overland Routes dating back to the 1860s. The site is one end of the historic Fort Churchill and Sand Springs Toll Road. The park is in Lyon County south of the town of Silver Springs, on U.S. Route 95 Alternate, eight miles (13 km) south of U.S. Route 50. Fort Churchill was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. A 1994 park addition forms a corridor along the Carson River.

The 1st Nevada Cavalry Battalion, or the Nevada Territory Cavalry Volunteers, was a unit raised for the Union army during the American Civil War. It remained in the west, garrisoning frontier posts, protecting emigrant routes, and engaged in scouting duties. The unit was disbanded in July 1866.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Pyramid Lake</span>

The Second Battle of Pyramid Lake took place in response to the U.S. defeat at the First Battle of Pyramid Lake. A well-organized force of militia and regulars, under the capable leadership of famed Texas Ranger Col. John C. "Jack" Hays, defeated the Paiute warriors under Chief Numaga. This was the final engagement of the Pyramid Lake War of 1860.

The Battle of Williams Station was a minor skirmish during the Pyramid Lake War of 1860. The fight took place following the defeat of Major William Ormsby at the First Battle of Pyramid Lake as U.S. Volunteers entered the war.

The First Battle of Pyramid Lake in 1860 was one of the opening conflicts of the Paiute War in Nevada between the American people and the Paiute people, who had resisted the increasing numbers of migrants who traveled the California Trail through their territory, taking scarce game and water resources, as well as altercations with the Pony Express.

Truckee, also known as Captain Truckee, Wuna Mucca, The Giver of Spiritual Gifts, Old Winnemucca, One Moccasin, Onennamucca, One-ah-mucca), or Old Chief Winnemucca, was a medicine chief of the Northern Paiute people and an influential prophet. How he gained the name Truckee is up for debate as different accounts credit different people/groups with giving Winnemucca the nickname. Chief Truckee led his people through a rapidly changing time in California history while also becoming one of the most respected chiefs both by his people and to an extent by the settlers who he often aided. For simplicity he will be referred to as Truckee or Old Winnemucca for the rest of the Article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Ormsby</span>

William Matthew Ormsby was an early settler of Nevada who was instrumental in the establishment of Carson City and the Nevada Territory. Major Ormsby was killed leading a Militia force against Paiute Indians in what was called the Pyramid Lake War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens Valley Indian War</span> 1862–1863 armed conflict between Native Americans and settlers

The Owens Valley War was fought between 1862 and 1863 by the United States Army and American settlers against the Mono people and their Shoshone and Kawaiisu allies in the Owens Valley of California and the southwestern Nevada border region. The removal of a large number of the Owens River indigenous Californians to Fort Tejon in 1863 was considered the end of the war. Minor hostilities continued intermittently until 1867.

The Williams Station massacre was an incident that ignited the Pyramid Lake War of 1860.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Numaga</span> Paiute leader

Numaga was a Paiute leader during the Paiute War of 1860 that centered on Pyramid Lake in what is now Nevada in the United States. The war was caused by an influx of miners and ranchers after silver was discovered in the Comstock Lode near to Carson City. The newcomers assaulted the Paiutes and destroyed their foods supplies. When the Paiutes responded, the U.S. Army used force to suppress them. Both before and after the war, Numaga was a strong advocate of peace and did much to reduce the violence on both sides. He died of tuberculosis, a "white man's disease", in 1871.

The Battle of Mud Lake/Mud Lake Massacre, also known as the "Skirmish at Mud Lake", occurred on 14 March 1865 during the Snake War in northwest Nevada Territory, at present-day Winnemucca Lake, Nevada, during the closing months of the concurrent American Civil War.

Deep Hole is a ghost town in Washoe County, Nevada. Founded by Ladue Vary in 1856, Deep Hole is located southwest of the Granite Range in the Black Rock Desert at the north end of the Smoke Creek Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Jim Mayo</span> Washoe basket weaver (1858–1918)

Sarah Jim Mayo was a Washoe basket weaver. The daughter of the tribal leader Captain Jim Henukeha, Mayo rose to prominence in the early 1900s for her innovations in basketry. She is credited with expanding the traditionally simple Washoe baskets to include a wide palette of colors and pictorial designs. Baskets created by Mayo were delivered to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

References

  1. ↑ "Pyramid Lake War". Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ Tennant, Laura (January 31, 2015). "Tennant: Paiute's Numaga worth noting". Reno Gazette-Journal . Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Egan, Ferol. Sand in a Whirlwind: The Paiute Indian War of 1860. Lincoln: University of Nevada Press, 1985. ISBN   0-87417-097-4
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Lekisch, Barbara Tahoe Place Names: The Origin and History of Names in the Lake Tahoe Basin
  5. ↑ History of the State of Nevada, p. 148
  6. ↑ Michno, Gregory (June 1, 2007). The Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict, 1864-1868. Caxton Press. pp. 89–90. ISBN   978-0-87004-460-1 . Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ Pony Express: An Illustrated History
  8. 1 2 3 Corbett, Christopher (2004). Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express. Crown. ISBN   9780767906937 . Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Pyramid Lake War". www.onlinenevada.org. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  10. ↑ Michno, Gregory (June 1, 2007). The Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict, 1864-1868. Caxton Press. p. 74. ISBN   978-0-87004-460-1 . Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  11. ↑ One reporter stated the whole group had taken an immense punishment of whiskey, and thought peace could easily be restored by shouting "An Indian for breakfast and a pony to ride..." (Warren Wasson, Nevada Historical Society, Vol XIII, No. 3 (1969) p. 3)
  12. ↑ Indians and their Wars in Nevada
  13. ↑ Angel, Myron (1881). History of Nevada. Thompson and West. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ Vincent's semi-annual United States register: a work in which the principal ...P.402
  15. ↑ Life of Daniel E. Hungerford p.179
  16. ↑ Carlson, Helen S. (1974). Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of Nevada Press. p. 177. ISBN   087417094X . Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ Bancroft, Hubert Howe (1890). History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888. p. 210. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ Michno, Gregory (2003). Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850–1890. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company. pp. 74–75. ISBN   0-87842-468-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.