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Chronology
Books Etc
Books 2
Fairytales
Background
Lost River Murderers
Narrative
1851-1861
[work in progress]
Dictionary
A-C
D-I
J-R
S-Z
Sources
section 1
Petitions
Otis Conference
Origins
Settlers Complaints
section 2
Lost River Fight
Lost River Murders
Hot Creeks Incident
First Correspondent
1st Stronghold Battle
section 3
Peace Commission
Grover Objects
Modoc Press 1
Modoc Press 2
Steele Conference
Boston Embassy 1
section 4
Juniper Conference
Antepenultimatum
Night Council
Assassinations
section 5
2nd Stronghold Battle
Thomas Patrol
Sorass Lake
Surrender
POWs Murdered
section 6
Trial 1




Modoc War Dictionary
(An Alphabetical Listing of People, Places, and Events)


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[This section is still very much under construction; please bear with me as I get this up and running.]

A

Lin Able: One of the members of Samuel Smith's 1851 expedition against the Modocs.

Andrew J. Adams: Private. One of nine recruits that left Jacksonville for the front on 8 January 1873 with Lt Reams of the Oregon Militia.

William Adams: Private. One of nine recruits that left Jacksonville for the front on 8 January 1873 with Lt Reams of the Oregon Militia.

Adobe John: One of two "Spaniards" in Samuel Smith's 1851 expedition against the Modocs. (The name is given there as Dobe John.) A Mexican by this name is said to have been killed by the Pit River Indians about June 1852.

Albert M. Akers: Private.

Mansfield W. Akers: Private.

William Alexander: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

Frank Anderson: Private. Oregon Volunteers, Company B, for 63 days. On 7 December he bought a pair of blankets and a belt; on the 8th a pound of tobacco; on the 11th half a pound of tobacco; on the 18th three quarters of a pound of tobacco; and on the 31st two pairs of socks.

Harry Reuben Anderson: 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Artillery. Aide-de-Camp to General Canby.

Thomas Anderson: Petitioner. Petition signer (ii). A Thomas Anderson had a letter remaining at the Jacksonville Post Office on 15 Fb 1861; and a Thos. W. Anderson was on the list of jurors for the Circuit Court of Jackson county 21 Ag 1872.

William Angle: Settler? Mentioned by Drury Davis in his testimony at the Otis conference; otherwise unknown. A Wm Angell had a letter unclaimed at the Jacksonville post office on 1 November 1865.

Applegate Family: Oregon pioneers. Three brothers, Charles, Jesse, and Lindsay Applegate, came to Oregon with their families in the great migration of 1843. Five members of the family (six, counting J. W. P. Huntington, who was married to a daughter of Charles Applegate) are important to the story. Lindsay Applegate was the first agent (sub-agent actually) for Klamath Reservation. His sons Ivan and Oliver were involved in various capacities with reservation affairs, and another son Elisha proposed the Modoc Peace Commission while in Washington D.C. Lindsay's brother Jesse was a power in Oregon politics, and a member of the Peace Commission. For general information about the Applegate family, see Shannon Applegate, Skookum (New York, 1988).

Elisha Applegate (1832-1896): Peace Commission organizer. A talented man of various interests, Elisha Applegate was by turns a writer, lecturer, and politician. His lectures were so popular in Oregon that when he set out on a tour to promote the state in late 1872, most of the leading men of a city advertised in the Oregonian to ask him to perform his lecture on Mohammed one last time before leaving. His lectures fell flat in the rest of the country, however, though he seems to have aroused at least some interest in the state. It was during this tour, while he was in Washington D.C., that he proposed sending a peace commission to the Modocs, a proposal that was adopted by Secretary Delano, and changed the course of the war.

Ivan Decatur Applegate (1840-1918): Commissary at Yainax. A farmer and stockraiser, Ivan Applegate has a lot to answer for as far as the Modoc War is concerned. It was his advice to Odeneal that led to the plan that brought on the Lost River Fight. He was involved in the various negotiations that led up to it, he urged Green to attack with the forces at hand, insisting that fifteen or twenty men could take the Modoc village, and he led the troops to it when the attack was launched. While the peace talks were going on Ivan kept things quiet at Klamath Reservation, where the residents were between two fires; they faced threats from both Indian-hating settlers and from the insurgent Modocs. He lived a number of years after the war, wrote an interesting account of his part in it that was widely reprinted, and was active in local politics.

Jesse Applegate (1811-1888): Peace Commissioner.

Lindsay Applegate (1808-1892) First sub-agent at Klamath.

Oliver Cromwell Applegate (1845-1938): Captain, Oregon Volunteers. Much of Oliver C. Applegate's life was involved with the affairs of Klamath Reservation; he began as his father's assistant when his father was subagent there in the 1860s, and he was the last agent there in 1898. His activities in the war were also many. He led the citizens that attacked Hooker Jim's village at the opening of the war; he took part in the First Battle for the Stronghold as captain of a company of Oregon Volunteers; he served as clerk for the Peace Commission; and he interpreted at the hanging of the Modoc leaders. In later years he contributed a number of articles to local newspapers about area history, including material about Klamath Reservation and the Modoc War.

F. T. Arant: Petitioner. Petition signer (i and ii). Name could also be Aront, Heant, or Heart. Unknown.

Artina Choakus: Modoc messenger. Not to be confused with One-eyed Dixie. A cousin of Dave Rock, she was employed as an emissary between the Peace Commissioners and the insurgent Modocs on several occasions. In May she and Dixie were instrumental in negotiating the surrender of a large group of Modocs, including Bogus Charley and Curley-headed Doctor.

H. Wallace Atwell (1833-1888): Correspondent, Sacramento Record. H. Wallace Atwell, known to his readers as Bill Dadd the Scribe (an Old Testament reference), covered the war from the beginning of the peace negotiations inFebruary 1873 to the hangings of the leaders in October. **more**

J. Aurges: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

B

Jack Baker: Private.

Joseph S. Ball: Private.

Barncho (18??-1875): Modoc warrior. Barncho is relatively obscure; he only significant part in the war was his rôle as assistant in the Good Friday Assassinations, for which he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted, however, to life imprisonment, on the grounds that he was only following the orders of his superiors. It didn't do him much good; he died a couple of years later in Alcatraz.

H. Berlmann: Petitioner. Petition signer (i).

Thomas Bernard: Private, K Troop, First Cavalry. Wounded during the Second Battle for the Stronghold. [The name may be Terence Bernard.]

Fredrick Bernhardt: Private.

Isaac W. Berry: Lieutenant. 1st lieutenant, Oregon Volunteers, Company A.

William Berry: Settler. James? Hudson lists him as one of three (Henry Miller and William Dingman were the others) who settled with him on Tule Lake sometime before the spring of 1870; they left in July of that year out of fear of the Modocs.

Nate Beswick: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

Big Dave: Modoc warrior. He supported Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold.

Big Ike: Modoc warrior. He was with Captain Jack on the west side of Lost River when the fight broke out. He was killed by a shell explosion on the third day of the Second Battle for the Stronghold.

Big Joe: Modoc warrior. He opposed Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold.

Big Poney: Modoc warrior. He supported Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold.

Big Steve: Modoc warrior. He supported Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold.

Big Tail: Modoc warrior. Listed as one of the Lost River Murderers.

Big Tail's Boy: Modoc warrior. Listed as one of the Lost River Murderers.

Billy: One of the Lost River Murderers.

Black Jim (18??-1873): Watchman, Lost River Modocs. A "dark, morose, sullen savage" according to one observer, Black Jim was one of the most important leaders among the Modocs. In fact, when the authorities decided to solve the Modoc Problem by force, he was one of the three singled out for arrest, along with his half-brother Captain Jack, and Scarfaced Charley. When the fighting broke out at Lost River, Black Jim was on the west side, with Captain Jack, Scarfaced Charley, and the rest, and so he took no part in the murders along the shore of Tule Lake. Although seriously wounded, he nonetheless took part in various battles throughout the war, and was one of the leaders in the plot to assassinate the peace commissioners. He was one of the last to surrender to the authorities. For his part in the assassination plot, he was tried, convicted, and hanged.

Charles Blair (c1830- ? ): Laborer. Originally from Ohio, Charles Blair played a brief but possibly significant part in the war when he allegedlly informed some of the Modocs who had come in to Fairchild's to talk peace of the indictments against them in Jackson County, adding that the talks were only a trick to get them into the hands of the Oregonians who wanted to hang them. Or something like that; versions of the story differ. And, in fairness to Blair, it should be noted that he denied the whole thing. And in any case, this is only one of the reasons advanced for the Modoc change of heart on accepting the terms of peace offered. (This is not the same Charles Blair that worked for John Fairchild.)

Charles Blair: Rifleman. Foreman at Fairchild's Ranch; served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

Boddy Family:

Robert Bogart:

Bogus Charley:

William C. Borden: Private. One of nine recruits that left Jacksonville for the front on 8 January 1873 with Lt Reams of the Oregon Militia.

Boston Charley (c1850-1873): Modoc warrior. Boston Charley was on the east side of Lost River when the fighting broke out, and so could easily have been among the Lost River Murderers as asserted by the Jacksonville Grand Jury and most modern writers, but not by Hooker Jim, Sarah Brotherton, or Kate Schira, who were actually there. By all accounts he had the temperament for it **more**

J. G. Brattain: Petitioner. Petition signer (i and ii).

Paul Brattain: Petitioner. Petition signer (i and ii).

G. W. Bright: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

Brotherton Family:

James Brown:

John H. Brown: Private.

William Brown: A member both of Samuel Smith's 1851 expedition and of Wright's 1852 expedition against the Modocs.

Hauley Bull: Petitioner. Petition signer (ii).

John C. Burgess: One of the members of Wright's 1852 expedition against the Modocs.

A. J. Burnett (c1834 - ? ): Petition signer (ii). Born in Missouri, a resident of Jacksonville from at least 1864, A. J. Burnett started ranching near Klamath Lake in 1867. He was active in the effort to get the Modocs out of the Lost River country and back onto Klamath Reservation, signing one of the petitions (ii) and voucing for the character of James M. True when he complained to the authorities about the Modocs' behavior.

James Butler: Private.

C

Thomas T. Cabaniss (1827-1887): Surgeon. Dr. Thomas T. Cabaniss was a graduate of Maryland University Medical School and had a practice in Virginia before he took off for California during the gold rush of 1849. Like most of the '49ers he found gold-mining hard work and not very profitable, so he quickly set up practice at something he knew better--medicine. Elected to the California Assembly, Cabaniss is distinguished for a minority opinion he wrote opposing anti-Chinese legislation and proposing that the Chinese be allowed to remain and be treated fairly under the law, a radical notion for pioneer California. Although he was not returned to the Assembly, he did later hold the offices of county physician and coroner. **more**

James H. Calahan: Petition signer (i and ii).

Thomas Callan (c1844- ? ): Petition signer (i). A blacksmith, originally from Ireland.

John Campbell: Private.

E. R. S. Canby:

W. H. Cappious: Private.

Captain Jack:

Alvin B. Cardwell: Private. One of nine recruits that left Jacksonville for the front on 8 January 1873 with Lt Reams of the Oregon Militia.

Samuel Case: Peace Commissioner.

Louis Casner: Private.

Mose Chal-o-quin: Private.

George Chaloquin: Private.

William Chance: One of the members of Wright's 1852 expedition against the Modocs.

Chick-Chick Archer: Private.

Eli Chick-Kae-Ka-ne: Private.

William Chick-kase: Private.

M. D. Childers: Private.

Chuckle-head: Modoc warrior. He supported Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold. Died during the war and his skull (allegedly) ended up in a private medical collection.

Henry Clarno: Private. Oregon Volunteers, Company B, for 63 days. On 6 December 1872 he bought one saddle-blanket, one overshirt, one pair of overalls, one undershirt, one pair of gloves, one pair of drawers, and one pair of socks; on the 8th he bought two and three quarter pounds of tobacco and one butcher-knife; on the 31st he bought an undershirt, an overshirt, a pair of drawers, and a pair of socks; and on the 2nd of January he bought another pound and three quarters of tobacco.

John Clean: Petition signer (i and ii). Unknown. Possibly John Gleim, an early settler near Linkville.

Clear Lake: Clear Lake "is situated about three miles south of the boundary line of California and Oregon, and is about six miles in length, by an average of four in width. East of this lake to Goose Lake, a distance of about thirty-four miles, the country is generally rolling and rocky, with here and there a low hill or ridge, and is generally covered with a scattering growth of juniper, mountain mohogany and pine. North of the lake the country is mountainous, while to the south, for a distance of about twenty-five miles, it is comparatively level, with the exception of a high, bold mountain and very prominent landmark known as Excelsior Butte, which is three miles directly south of the lake. The west of the lake is skirted by high, bold hills, rising abruptly from the water, after reaching the summit the land slopes gradually west, and is broken by ravines until we arrive at the edge of a high, rocky bluff, bearing about north and south and skirting the entire west side of Rhett [Tule] Lake." (Alexander McKay)

David Cleland: Petition signer (ii).

----- Coffin: Coffin (his first name is unknown) had some excuse for hating the Modocs; he was the sole survivor of a party of nine packers attacked by the Modocs in August 1852. His survival was something of a miracle; when the Modocs sprang their trap his own horse was shot, and Coffin cut the pack from another, jumped onto its back, and charged through the attacking Modocs, escaping unhurt. He rode till the horse was exhausted, then continued on foot, then doubled back to find his horse recovered and eating grass. He remounted and rode the horse (without saddle or bridle) for a day or so till he encountered a wagon train camped for the evening. He went with the train to Yreka, where his story was received with horror. There was a town meeting that night; volunteers were raised and noted Indian fighter Ben Wright sent for. After resting up some in Yreka Coffin apparently felt well enough to seek a little revenge; he was one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852. While this is not certain, he appears to have been one of the men who took part in the treacherous murder of some thirty or forty Modocs at a peace conference on 8 November 1852. At least he had some excuse.

Wesley Cole: Private.

Zachariah Collins: Private.

Samuel Colver: Petitioner. Born about 1815 in Ohio, and married to an Ohio girl (Huldah ------), he presumably remained there until at least 1847 when his son Lewellen was born. By 1850 he must have been in Missouri, as his daughter Isabel was born there. I don't know when he came to Oregon. Although he was one of the petition signers (i), he also took the Modoc side to some extent during the Modoc War. He was involved with Fairchild and others in trying to get the Hot Creek Modocs on to the reservation when hostilities broke out. He was once shouted off the platform when he tried to lecture on the subject during the hostilities.

David D. Colton: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852. He seems to have been back however by 27 September; he ended up with papers gathered near some of the recovered bodies in hopes of discovering their identity. Colton was also part of a three-man rescue mission that set out 15 November 1852 to bring medical aid to Wright's men, but failed to find them.

Pierre Combs: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

Martin Connor: Private, G Company, Twelfth Infantry. Received a flesh wound in the right leg during the Second Battle for the Stronghold.

Isaac Cox: Private.

Dennis E. Crawley: Private.

William Croffords: Petition signer (ii).

Edwin H. Crook: Petition signer (i and ii).

George H. Crooks: Private.

Jerry Crooks: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

William Cunningham: Private, Battery E, Fourth Artillery. Received a flesh wound in the small of the back on the third day of the Second Battle for the Stronghold.

Curley-Headed Doctor (c1828-1890): Modoc shaman. A survivor of the Ben Wright Massacre, Curley-Headed Doctor (perhaps named for his long naturally-wavy hair) was nonetheless friendly to the settlers, by all accounts--at least till the Lost River Fight. Which is not to say that he ever favored reservation life for the Modocs. His first recorded words, spoken at the Lost River Council of December 1869, were "We won't go there," words that effectively put an end to negotiations on that occasion. A man of great power and authority, he threw all his influence repeatedly on the side of freedom and independence from government control--not surprisingly, considering that the reservation authorities were dedicated to stamping out the things he believed in most deeply. Of all native American traditions, their religious beliefs were at the top of the list for eradication by reservation reformers. Curley-Headed Doctor turned out to be too much for them; he stuck to his beliefs till the day he died. He was one of those on the east side of Lost River in the village the settlers attacked, where the woman and children died. He was one of the men who then retaliated on the innocent settlers east of Tule Lake. And he was one of the men who opposed Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold. In that battle he is credited with raising the fog that shrouded the lava beds and kept the soldiers from using the howitzers that were supposed to drive the Modocs from their rock fortress. It was his greatest achievement. Nothing is known of whatever part he may have played in the Second Battle for the Stronghold, the Attack on the Thomas Patrol, or the Battle of Sorass Lake. He was part of the party that deserted Captain Jack at that point, and among the first who surrendered. He might have been hanged immediately, were it not that his son-in-law was Hooker Jim. Hooker Jim was in favor with the army at that point--he had offered to hunt down Captain Jack--and it was felt that he might not take kindly to the hanging of his wife's father. This family connection probably helped keep him from facing any further charges, and he was deported to Oklahoma with the rest of his people. Even there, despite all changes, Curley-Headed Doctor clung to his beliefs. Finally, one day in 1890, vast numbers of pigeons came and filled the trees. They were his spirits, he said, who had come to say goodbye to him. He died later that day. "As soon as he died came the worst storm we had ever seen," a Modoc woman recalled. "He did not want to be buried, but cremated. It was the most unusual fire ever seen. The flames were of many colors and very high. We children were not allowed to witness the cremation," she added.

Curley(-headed) Jack: Modoc warrior. He opposed Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold. He was one of the three who came in from the Stronghold during peace negotiations on an unsuccessful mission to recover horses taken from the Modocs, and he also took part in the attack on Boyle and Sherwood that was the eastern counterpart of the Good Friday Assassinations at the peace tent. He was never tried for this; on the road to imprisonment he committed suicide.
Curley-Headed Doctor (c1828-1890): Modoc shaman. A survivor of the Ben Wright Massacre, Curley-Headed Doctor (perhaps named for his long naturally-wavy hair) was nonetheless friendly to the settlers, by all accounts--at least till the Lost River Fight. Which is not to say that he ever favored reservation life for the Modocs. His first recorded words, spoken at the Lost River Council of December 1869, were "We won't go there," words that effectively put an end to negotiations on that occasion. A man of great power and authority, he threw all his influence repeatedly on the side of freedom and independence from government control--not surprisingly, considering that the reservation authorities were dedicated to stamping out the things he believed in most deeply. Of all native American traditions, their religious beliefs were at the top of the list for eradication by reservation reformers. Curley-Headed Doctor turned out to be too much for them; he stuck to his beliefs till the day he died. He was one of those on the east side of Lost River in the village the settlers attacked, where the woman and children died. He was one of the men who then retaliated on the innocent settlers east of Tule Lake. And he was one of the men who opposed Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold. In that battle he is credited with raising the fog that shrouded the lava beds and kept the soldiers from using the howitzers that were supposed to drive the Modocs from their rock fortress. It was his greatest achievement. Nothing is known of whatever part he may have played in the Second Battle for the Stronghold, the Attack on the Thomas Patrol, or the Battle of Sorass Lake. He was part of the party that deserted Captain Jack at that point, and among the first who surrendered. He might have been hanged immediately, were it not that his son-in-law was Hooker Jim. Hooker Jim was in favor with the army at that point--he had offered to hunt down Captain Jack--and it was felt that he might not take kindly to the hanging of his wife's father. This family connection probably helped keep him from facing any further charges, and he was deported to Oklahoma with the rest of his people. Even there, despite all changes, Curley-Headed Doctor clung to his beliefs. Finally, one day in 1890, vast numbers of pigeons came and filled the trees. They were his spirits, he said, who had come to say goodbye to him. He died later that day. "As soon as he died came the worst storm we had ever seen," a Modoc woman recalled. "He did not want to be buried, but cremated. It was the most unusual fire ever seen. The flames were of many colors and very high. We children were not allowed to witness the cremation," she added.

Curley(-headed) Jack: Modoc warrior. He opposed Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold. He was one of the three who came in from the Stronghold during peace negotiations on an unsuccessful mission to recover horses taken from the Modocs, and he also took part in the attack on Boyle and Sherwood that was the eastern counterpart of the Good Friday Assassinations at the peace tent. He was never tried for this; on the road to imprisonment he committed suicide.


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