The Battle of Pine Creek, also known as the Battle of Tohotonimme and the Steptoe Disaster,Keenan, Jerry. "Steptoe, Col. Edward Jenner." Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars 1492-1890 Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO, c1997 p. 223. was a conflict between

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

forces under

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Edward Steptoe Edward Jenner Steptoe (November 7, 1815 – April 1, 1865) was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. He is primarily remembered for his defeat at the Battle of Pine Creek during the Spok ...

and members of the Coeur d'Alene,

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

and

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

Native American tribes. It took place on May 17, 1858, near what is present-day

Rosalia, Washington Rosalia is a town in Whitman County, Washington, United States. It is an agricultural community in the Palouse region, at an elevation of above sea level. Its population was 550 at the 2010 census. History Rosalia was the site of an 1858 B ...

. The Native Americans were victorious.

Prelude

Tension had been growing on the

Columbia Plateau The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia ...

since the 1855 Walla Walla Council forced tribes to cede vast portions of land.

Yakama The Yakama are a Native American tribe with nearly 10,851 members, based primarily in eastern Washington state. Yakama people today are enrolled in the federally recognized tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. Their Yak ...

chief Kamiakin opposed the treaties, and so did many leaders of the

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

, Cayuse, and

Walla Walla Walla Walla can refer to: * Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named * Place of many rocks in the Australian Aboriginal Wiradjuri language, the origin of the name of the town ...

nations. Adding to the tension, miners trespassed on tribal lands and attacked Indians. Some tribes retaliated with isolated killings of whites. In late 1855, the

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

militia mounted an attack resulting in the

Battle of Walla Walla The Battle of Walla Walla was the longest battle fought during the Yakima War. The battle began on December 7, 1855, and ended on December 11, 1855. The battle was fought between six companies of the Oregon Mounted Volunteers and the Walla Walla ...

and the murder of Walla Walla chief

Peopeomoxmox Piupiumaksmaks (alternatively spelled ''Peo-peo-mox-mox'' or ''Peopeomoxmox''; 1800 – 1855) was head chief of the Walla Walla tribe and son to the preceding chief Tumatapum. His name meant Yellow Bird, but it was often mistranslated as Yellow S ...

. Rumors that Lieutenant John Mullan would build a military road across their land fueled the outrage of tribes in the region. Finally, in 1858,

Palouse people The Palouse are a Sahaptin tribe recognized in the Treaty of 1855 with the United States along with the Yakama. It was negotiated at the 1855 Walla Walla Council. A variant spelling is Palus. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized ...

killed two miners as an act of vengeance for crimes against fellow tribal members. Fearing further violence, whites living at nearby

Fort Colvile The trade center Fort Colvile (also Fort Colville) was built by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River in 1825 and operated in the Columbia fur district of the company. Named for Andrew Colvile,Lewis, S. William. ' ...

petitioned Steptoe for military protection. Steptoe departed

Fort Walla Walla Fort Walla Walla is a United States Army fort located in Walla Walla, Washington. The first Fort Walla Walla was established July 1856, by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Steptoe, 9th Infantry Regiment. A second Fort Walla Walla was occupied Septemb ...

on May 6, 1858. His stated mission was to investigate the murder of the two prospectors and to demonstrate a military presence in order to calm the white settlers who were encroaching on Indian lands. Steptoe also wanted to recover a herd of cattle that a group of Palouses had driven from Fort Walla Walla. Leaving the fort, Steptoe's command of 159 soldiers were each issued about 40 rounds of ammunition. The group also ported two mountain howitzers. When Steptoe crossed the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

and entered the territory of the Spokane nation, he violated the promise of Governor

Isaac Stevens Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represen ...

that whites would respect Spokane land as long as the tribe agreed to remain peaceful.

Battle

On May 15, Steptoe made camp on a hilltop south of

, in the territory of the Coeur d'Alenes. The next day, a party of tribal leaders confronted Steptoe and demanded an explanation for his incursion. Steptoe told them that he sought a resolution to tensions between miners and the tribes near Fort Colvile. He asked for help to cross the

Spokane River The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the Spokane Valley and the city of ...

, which was running high with spring snow melt. The tribes refused. On the morning of May 17, Steptoe decided to turn back. He led his troops near the confluence of Spring Valley Creek and North Pine Creek. It was at this time a group of Coeur d'Alenes, joined by some Palouses, attacked. A running

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

ensued for the next ten hours. More warriors joined the battle, and soon Steptoe found himself under attack by more than a thousand Palouse,

, and Coeur d'Alene people. By early afternoon, Steptoe found himself defending against the attackers from a hill overlooking Pine Creek from the east. The Indian warriors withdrew for the night, expecting to finish the battle the next morning. They did not know that Steptoe's forces were down to about three rounds of ammunition per man. Under cover of darkness and a driving rain, Steptoe abandoned his supplies and cannon. He then led his command through enemy lines to safety toward Fort Walla Walla without being detected.May 17, 1858: The Ordeal of the Steptoe Command

HistoryLink HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 5,000 daily visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images. The non-profit historical organization History Ink prod ...

, March 30, 2010

Aftermath

After the battle,

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from the nearby

Sacred Heart Mission Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is a medium-sized not-for-profit organisation that grew from the Catholic parish of The Sacred Heart in Grey Street, West St Kilda. It addresses homelessness, social exclusion an ...

traveled to

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of the ...

in hopes of negotiating a peace agreement. Steptoe's commanding officer, General

Newman S. Clarke Newman S. Clarke was a career military officer in the United States army who served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. Clarke was born in Connecticut and served in the United States Army during the War of 1812. At the outbreak of t ...

, demanded the surrender of all warriors who had participated in the battle and the restoration of all property captured. Clarke also demanded that Yakama chief Kamiakin be exiled from the region. Clarke's most onerous demand, however, was that the Coeur d'Alenes allow Mullan to build his military road through their territory. Tribal leaders rejected Clarke's terms. Some, including

Spokane Garry Spokane Garry (sometimes spelled Spokan Garry, Spokane: Slough-Keetcha) ( 1811 – 1892) was a Native American leader of the Middle Spokane tribe. He also acted as a liaison between white settlers and American Indian tribes in the area which is no ...

, desired peace but refused to surrender their neighbors. Some other leaders did not want peace at all. In August 1858, Clarke dispatched Colonel

George Wright George Wright may refer to: Politics, law and government * George Wright (MP) (died 1557), MP for Bedford and Wallingford * George Wright (governor) (1779–1842), Canadian politician, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island * George Wright ...

with five hundred soldiers. At the

Battle of Four Lakes The Battle of Four Lakes was a battle during the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 in the Washington Territory (now the states of Washington and Idaho) in the United States. The Coeur d'Alene War was part of the Yakima War, which began in 1855. The battl ...

, Wright defeated a force of approximately five hundred warriors from the allied tribes. Three days later, Wright won another victory at the

Battle of Spokane Plains The Battle of Spokane Plains was a battle during the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 in the Washington Territory (now the states of Washington and Idaho) in the United States. The Coeur d'Alene War was part of the Yakima War, which began in 1855. The b ...

. Their resistance crushed, the tribes were forced to sign new treaties and move to reservations. Within the decade, Mullan completed his

military road {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The following is a list of military roads worldwide. Australia * Part of the A8 (Sydney) between Neutral Bay and Mosman * Military Road, part of Route 39, Melbourne * Military Road, off Wanneroo Road just north ...

, and the region was flooded with thousands of miners and settlers.

References

Bibliography

Hubert H. Bancroft, ''History Of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845-1889''
The History Company, San Francisco, 1890. Chapter V: Indian Wars 1856-1858

External links

Johnson, Randall A., ''May 17, 1858. The Ordeal of the Steptoe Command'' (HistoryLink.org essay No. 8123)"June 1, 1858 letter from Mullan, Camp Jordan, to the New York Times about Colonel Steptoe's battle with the Indians"
''The New York Times'' {{coord, 47, 13, 43, N, 117, 21, 55, W, display=title Pine Creek Pine Creek Native American history of Washington (state) Whitman County, Washington 1858 in Washington Territory May 1858 events