Legends of America

 

Follow the links to the various pages of Legends of America

The Old West Legends of America Outhouse Madness Ghostly Legends Outlaws Old West Saloons Rocky Mountain General Store Legends Photo Store The Book Store Make your travel reservations here! Route 66 Native Americans The Old States - Back East

 

  Search Our Sites

Custom Search

Google

 Legends Of America's Facebook PageLegends Of America's Twitter Page

Legends Home

Site Map

What's New!!

 

Content Categories:

American History

Destinations-States

Ghost Towns

Ghostly Legends

Historic People

Native Americans

Old West

Route 66

Travel Center

Treasure Tales

 

Legends Of America's

Rocky Mountain General Store

 

 

 

 

 

 


Old West Mercantile
Route 66 Emporium
TeePee Trading Post

Book Shelf

DVDs
Postcard Rack

Tin Signs

and Much More!

 

  Legends Of America's Rocky Mountain General Store - Cart View

 

Legends Of America's Photo Print Shop

Legends Of America's Photo Print Shop
 

Ghost Town Prints

Native American Prints

Old West Prints

Route 66 Prints

and Much More!!
 

Legends Of America's Photo Print Shop - Cart View

 

About Us

Advertising

Article/Photo Use

Copyright Information

Blog

Forum

Guestbook

Links

Newsletter

Privacy Policy

Writing Credits

 

We welcome corrections

and feedback!

Contact Us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                            

Battle of Pierre's Hole - Page 2

 

Get your Old West bumper stickers here!

 

<< Previous  1 2  Next >>

 

Sublette assumed direction of the battle. He forbade both Wyeth's men and his own raw recruits to engage in the fight, and used only the seasoned trappers and the Indians. Wyeth himself, however, was present in the engagement, part of the time. The Blackfoot, when they saw the overwhelming force with which they had to reckon, withdrew within their entrenchments.

 

The whites and allied Indians promptly commenced the attack by random firing into the thicket. This accomplished nothing, but gave the Blackfoot a chance to do some effective work in return. It was apparent that other measures would have to be adopted to dislodge them, and William L. Sublette proposed to storm the breastworks.  

 

 

Indian Fighters

Indian Fighters, Frederic Remington, 1907.

 

His men thought it too dangerous, but Sublette insisted. About thirty of the whites and as many Indians joined him, and together they entered the willow thickets. Pushing their way cautiously through the tangled shrubs, Sublette, Campbell, and Alexander Sinclair of Arkansas led the others toward the Indian "fort." Sublette and Campbell and doubtless others had made their wills to each other in anticipation of the consequences that might ensue. After working their way on hands and knees through the dense line of willows they came to more open ground, and then saw the rude fortification of the Indians. As they emerged into this open space they were more exposed to the fire of the Blackfoot. Sinclair was killed on the spot and Sublette was severely wounded. In the meantime, Wyeth with some Indians had gained nearly the opposite side of the fort, and one Indian near him was killed by a chance shot from Sublette's party. The besieged Indians suffered little at this time, for they were well protected, although completely overmatched in numbers.

 

The attack continued for the greater part of the day without any substantial progress, owing to the secure position of the enemy and the evident reluctance of the attackers to storm it. Finally, Sublette decided to burn them out, although much against the wishes of the friendly Indians, who wanted to plunder the fort. A train of wood was laid and was about to be ignited, when an incident occurred which brought immediate relief to the beleaguered garrison. One of the friendly Indians, who understood the Blackfoot language held some conversation with the besieged during the fight. They now told him that they knew that the whites could kill them, but that they had 600-800 warriors who would soon arrive and who would give them all the fighting they wanted. In the process of interpretation, the Blackfoot was made to say that this force was then actually attacking the main rendezvous.

 

Such an attack would have been disastrous in the absence of the fighting force, and the whites, without waiting to verify the news, quickly hurried off to the rendezvous site. Before the mistake was discovered, it was too late to resume the attack. On the following morning the Blackfoot fort was found abandoned.

 

The casualties in this fight were, on the side of the whites were five killed, including Alexander Sinclair, and six wounded, of whom William L. Sublette was one. The allied Indians lost seven killed and six wounded. The loss of the Blackfoot was never fully known. They left nine dead warriors in the fort together with 25 horses and nearly all their baggage. Later, it was said that the Blackfoot admitted to having lost 26 warriors.

 

The Battle of Pierre's Hole was not without its important sequels. On July 25th, seven men of Wyeth's party, together with Alfred K. Stephens and four men, the joint party including a Mr. More of Boston, a Mr. Foy of Mississippi, and two grandsons of Daniel Boone, set out from the rendezvous to return East. They had intended to accompany William L. Sublette, but the latter's departure had been postponed about ten days on account of his wound. Impatient of the delay, these men set out to the eastward, and on the following day, were attacked in Jackson Hole by a band of some twenty Blackfoot. More and Foy were killed and Stephens was wounded. He, with the rest of the party, returned to the rendezvous, where he lingered until July 30th, when he died just after starting for St. Louis in company with William L. Sublette. His horses and traps were sold the same day, and his beaver fur was taken to St. Louis.

 

Sublette with his party of about 60 men and the furs they had collected over the past year left the  rendezvous on July 30th. The day after crossing the Snake River, on August 4th, they passed the large band of Blackfoot of whom they had been told by the Indian at the Battle of Pierre's Hole. These Indians had been hovering in the vicinity of the camps of Lucien Fontenelle and Benjamin Bonneville, but had not ventured to attack. In like manner, their recent experience in Pierre's Hole made them hesitate about attacking Sublette's party, and he was suffered to pass unmolested. This band of Indians finally left the country by the way of the Wind River Valley, where they were attacked and routed by some Crow Indians with a loss of 40 killed. The remainder were scattered like fugitives throughout the Crow country.

It will be remembered that it was Antoine Godin who killed the Blackfoot chief at Pierre's Hole in revenge for the death of his father. But the account was not yet considered closed -- at least on the part of the Blackfoot. At some time between September, 1834 and September, 1835, the exact date unknown, a party of Blackfoot appeared on the opposite bank of the Snake River from Fort Hall. They were led by a desperado named James Bird, a former employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, who, having been made a prisoner by the Blackfoot, in a skirmish with some of that tribe, had remained with them and had become an influential chieftain. From the opposite side of the Snake River, Bird requested Godin to come across and buy their furs. Godin complied, not suspecting treachery. He sat down to smoke with the company, when Bird signaled to some Indians, who shot him in the back. While he was yet alive, Bird tore his scalp off and cut the letters " N.J.W.," Wyeth's initials, on his forehead. Thus ended the tragedy of Pierre's Hole.

 

Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, January, 2010.

 

 

About the Author:  The Battle of Pierre's Hole written by Hiram Martin Chittenden and included in his book, The American Fur trade of the Far West, published in 1902. Chittenden served in the Corps of Engineers, eventually reaching the rank of Brigadier General. During this time, he was in charge of many notable projects including work at the Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks,  and the Lake Washington Canal Project. He was also an author, penning historical volumes, tour guides, and poetry.

 

The story, as it appears here, is not verbatim as it has been edited for clarity and ease of the modern reader.

 

Hiram Martin Chittenden

Hiram Martin Chittenden (1858-1917)

 

<< Previous  1 2  Next >>

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

 

Old West Books - Legends of America and the Rocky Mountain General Store has collected a number of Old West books for our frontier enthusiasts. For many of these, we have only one available.  To see this varied collection, click HERE!

 

        Ghost Towns of the Northwest 

 

                                                              Copyright © 2003-2012, www.Legends of America.com