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 REESE LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Received 82554 - '9° ■ 
 
 ^Accession Nc . Class No. 
 

i^/^5z^*^z>r 
 
THE LIFE OF 
 
 ISAAC IJSTGALLS STEVENS 
 
 BY HIS SON 
 
 HAZARD STEVENS 
 
 WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES 
 VOL. I 
 
 BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 
 
 1900 
 
COPYRIGHT, 19OO, BY HAZARD STEVENS 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
 
THIS RECORD 
 
 OP 
 
 A NOBLE AND PATRIOTIC LIFE 
 
 IS DEDICATED 
 
 TO 
 
 THE YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA 
 
 82534 
 
PREFACE 
 
 For many years I have felt impelled to write this Life, 
 not only in justice to General Stevens's memory, but also 
 as an act of duty to the young men of the country, that 
 the example of his noble and patriotic career might not 
 be lost to posterity. An only son, closely associated from 
 boyhood with him, his chief of staff in the Civil War, 
 and always the recipient of his counsel and confidence, 
 the opportunities thus given me to know his sentiments 
 and characteristics, and to witness so many of his actions, 
 plainly augment the duty of making his record more 
 widely known. In these pages, setting aside, as far as 
 possible, the bias of filial respect and affection, I seek to 
 simply narrate- the actual facts of his life. 
 
 Since beginning this work in 1877, 1 have been greatly 
 assisted by data furnished by many of General Stevens's 
 contemporaries, former brother officers, and associates in 
 the public service, many of whom have now passed on. 
 I render my grateful thanks to them for such aid, and 
 for their words of appreciation of General Stevens and 
 encouragement to his biographer, and especially to Gen- 
 erals Zealous B. Tower, Henry J. Hunt, Benjamin Alvord, 
 Edward D. Townsend, Rufus Ingalls, A. A. Humphreys, 
 E. 0. C. Ord, Thomas W. Sherman, Joseph E. Johnston, 
 G. T. Beauregard, William H. French, Truman Seymour, 
 Orlando M. Poe, Silas Casey, John G. Barnard, M. C. 
 Meiggs, Joseph Hooker, George W. Cullum, David Mor- 
 
vi PREFACE 
 
 rison, George E. Randolph; Colonels Samuel N. Benjamin, 
 Granville 0. Haller, Henry C. Hodges, John Hamilton, 
 H. G. Heffron, Elijah Walker, Moses B. Lakeman ; Major 
 Theodore J. Eckerson, Major George T. Clark ; Captains 
 William T. Lusk, Robert Armour, C. H. Armstrong ; 
 Professors W. H. C. Bartlett, A. E. Church, H. S. Ken- 
 drick, H. E. Hilgard, Spencer F. Baird ; General Joseph 
 Lane, Senator James W. Nesmith ; General Joel Palmer, 
 Nathan W. Hazen, Esq., Alexander S. Abernethy, C. P. 
 Higgins ; Judge James G. Swan, Arthur A. Denny ; Hon. 
 El wood Evans, General James Tilton. 
 
 My thanks are also due, for facilities for examining and 
 copying records in their departments, to the Hon. J. Q. 
 Smith, former Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and Hon. 
 A. C. Towner, Acting Commissioner ; to General H. 
 C. Corbin, Adjutant-General ; General John M. Wilson, 
 Chief of Engineers ; Hon. John Hay, Secretary of State ; 
 Professor Henry L. Pritchett, Superintendent of the Coast 
 Survey ; Lieutenant Paul Brodie, formerly adjutant 79th 
 Highlanders, for copying hundreds of pages of docu- 
 ments in the Indian Office ; Mr. R. F. Thompson, of the 
 same office, for assistance rendered ; Professor F. G. 
 Young, of Eugene, Oregon, for a copy of Colonel Law- 
 rence Kip's account of the Walla Walla Council, repub- 
 lished by him. 
 
SOURCES OF INFORMATION 
 
 Savage's New England Genealogies. 
 
 Abiel Abbott's History of Andover. 
 
 Miss Sarah Loring Bailey's Historical Sketches of Andover. 
 
 Church and town records of Andover. 
 
 Massachusetts Colonial Records. 
 
 Family records and correspondence. 
 
 History of the Mexican War, by General C M. Wilcox. 
 
 Campaigns of the Rio Grande and of Mexico, by Major Isaac I. 
 Stevens. 
 
 General Stevens's diary and letters (unpublished). 
 
 His reports in the Engineer Bureau of the Army (unpublished). 
 
 Reports of the Coast Survey, Professor A. D. Bache, for 1850 to 
 1853. 
 
 Boston Post newspaper, files for 1852. 
 
 Pacific Railroad Routes Explorations, vols.- i. and xii., two parts. 
 
 General Stevens's reports to Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with 
 journals of Indian councils and proceedings in 1854-55 (unpub- 
 lished). 
 
 Reports of December 22, 1855, and January 29, 1856, in House 
 Document 48, 1st session, 34th Congress. 
 
 Reports of August 28, December 5, 1856, council at Fox Island ; 
 October 22, 1856, second council at WaUa Walla; April 30, 1857, 
 with map and census of Indian tribes (unpublished). 
 
 Reports to Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, August 15, Decem- 
 ber 21, 1854 ; February 19, March 9 and 21, May 23 (two letters), 
 June 8, July 7 and 24, August 14,. October 22, November 21 (three 
 letters), 1856. See documents of 34th and 35th Congresses. 
 
 Reports and correspondence of General Wool, Colonel George 
 Wright, and Lieutenant-Colonel Silas Casey, in said documents. 
 
 Governor Stevens's messages to legislature of Washington Terri- 
 tory, February 28, December 5, 1854 ; January 20, December, 1856, 
 the latter accompanied by reports to the Secretary of War and corre- 
 spondence with military officers during the Indian war. See, also, 
 above documents and messages for proceedings relative to martial law. 
 
 Governor Stevens's speeches in 35th and 36th Congresses, in Con- 
 gressional Globe. 
 
viii SOURCES OF INFORMATION 
 
 General Joseph Lane's speech in 35th Congress, May 13, 1858, on 
 the Indian war. 
 
 Three Years' Residence in Washington Territory, by James G. 
 Swan. 
 
 The Walla Walla Council, by Colonel Lawrence Kip. 
 
 Account of Colonel Wright's campaign against the Spokanes, by 
 Colonel Lawrence Kip. 
 
 Report of J. Ross Browne, Special Agent, etc., on the Indian war, 
 House Document 58, 1st session, 35th Congress. 
 
 History of the Pacific States, by H. H. Bancroft, vols, xxiv.-xxvi. 
 
 Archives State Department. 
 
 Records War Department. 
 
 Circular Letter to Emigrants, The Northwest, Letter to the Van- 
 couver Railroad Convention, by Governor Stevens, published in 
 pamphlet. 
 
 The War between the States, by A. H. Stephens. 
 
 War Records, vol. v., for Army of the Potomac in 1861 ; vol. vi., 
 for Port Royal Expedition ; vol. xiv., for James Island campaign ; 
 vol. xii., in three parts, for Pope's campaign. 
 
 Military Historical Society of Massachusetts, vol. ii., entitled The 
 Virginia Campaign of 1862 under General Pope. 
 
 History of the 79th Highlanders, by William Todd. 
 
 History of the 21st Massachusetts, by General Charles F. Walcott. 
 
 Biographical Register of West Point Graduates, by General George 
 W. Cullum. 
 
 Defence of Charleston Harbor, by Major John Johnson. 
 
 Southern Historical Society Papers, vol. xvi. 
 
 Official dispatches of Admiral Dupont. 
 
 Life of Charles Henry D.avis, Rear Admiral. 
 
 Letters and statements from gentlemen named in the Preface. 
 
 The author, having sought his information from original sources as 
 far as possible, deems it unnecessary to mention the great number of 
 histories, regimental histories, and biographies that he has perused, 
 as they throw little light on the subject, and much of that misleading. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 ANCESTRY. — BIRTHPLACE 
 
 Isaac Ingalls Stevens, seventh in descent from John Stevens, 1, 
 one of founders of Andover, Mass., 1640 — Deacon Joseph, 2 
 
 — Captain James, 3, captor of Louisburg ; deputy to General 
 Court — Lieutenant James, 4, raised company for French and 
 Indian war ; died in service ■— Jonathan, 5, Revolutionary 
 soldier, Bunker Hill ; other service ; characteristics — His 
 brother James's diary of siege of Boston — Isaac, 6, crippled 
 by falling tree ; marries Hannah Cummings, — her ancestry ; 
 hires Bridges farm ; untiring industry and thrift ; death of 
 wife ; second marriage ; characteristics ; children .... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 BIRTH. — BOYHOOD 
 
 Born, Marble Ridge farmhouse, North Andover, Mass., March 25, 
 1818 — Delicate child — Heroic treatment — >■ Incidents showing 
 character — Devotion to mother ■ — Her death irreparable loss 
 
 — Early schooling — Over-study — Evil effects — Insists on 
 leaving school — Works in factory a year — Strict treatment — 
 No indulgence — Injudicious urging — Fever — Rupture from 
 over-exertion — Seeks Dr. Warren — Old Put's school, Frank- 
 lin Academy — Rigorous daily life of farmer's boy — Phillips 
 Academy — Appearance on entering — Earns board and lodg- 
 ings with Nathan W. Hazen, Esq. — Takes first rank in 
 studies — Power of concentration — Habits of study — Pro- 
 ficiency in mathematics — Protests against bigotry — Over- 
 comes extreme diffidence — Appointed to West Point . . . 13 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 WEST POINT 
 
 Patriotic emotions on entering West Point — Determines to be 
 head of his class — Better prepared rivals, Biddle, Halleck, 
 
x CONTENTS 
 
 and Butler — Distinguished classmates — Extra French les- 
 sons — Letters describe life and studies — Father and uncle 
 William disappointed at standing at first examination — 
 Abominates smoking and chewing — Early rising — Halleck 
 and Biddle compare notes — " Little Stevens is driving ahead 
 like the Devil " — Gains first place — Spends 4th of July in 
 . New York — Southern contempt for Yankee farmers — Deter- 
 mined to resent it — Dialectic Society — Second year encamp- 
 ment — Military ball — Contrasts his situation with that on 
 entering — Characteristics drawn by Professors Bartlett and 
 Church — Extra drawing lessons, great gains — Admires Gen- 
 eral Miller's " I '11 try, sir" — - Generous rivalry — Eleven good 
 friends' — Visit home . ♦. . .24 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 WEST POINT. LAST TWO TEARS 
 
 Appointed assistant professor of mathematics — Leading part in 
 Dialectic Society — Efforts at speaking — Reflections on studies ' 
 and authors — Long walks — Forbidden sweets — Horseman- 
 ship — Skating over thin ice — Saves companion from freezing 
 
 — Letters to father and sisters — Susan goes to Missouri — 
 Again head, third year — Patriotic indignation at British 
 aggression — Advises sending Oliver to college — Letters to 
 Hannah and Oliver — Avows abolition principles — Founds 
 " Talisman " — His own anonymous critic — His intimate 
 friends — Graduates first in every branch — Parents attend 
 graduation exercises 48 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 NEWPORT 
 
 Ordered to Newport, R. I. — Phrenological chart — Lieutenants 
 Mason, Beauregard, Hunt — Ascendency over employees — 
 Newport society — Mr. Stevens welcomed — Personal appear- 
 ance — Meets his future wife — Benjamin Hazard — Horse- 
 back rides — Family mansion — Charming Polly Wanton — 
 Colonel Daniel Lyman — German class — Marriage of Susan 
 to David H. Bishop — Death of grandmother — Urges addi- 
 tional fortifications — Proposes to study law — Friendly letter 
 from Halleck— Takes part of Tilden; of H. L. Smith — 
 Death of Hannah — Delivers address before Newport Lyceum 
 
 — Lecture on Oliver Cromwell — Visits Washington — Fair- ■ 
 
CONTENTS xi 
 
 haven battery — Death of Susan — Death of Benjamin Hazard 
 
 — Marriage, September 8, 1841 60 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 CHARGE OF WORKS: NEW BEDFORD, PORTSMOUTH, PORTLAND, 
 BUCKSPORT 
 
 Wedding journey to West Point — Returns to Newport — 
 Charge of works at New. Bedford — Moves to Fairhaven — 
 Halleck asks aid for engineer corps — Journal — Thanksgiving 
 in Andover — Hazard born, June 9 — Fugitive slave harbored 
 in Andover — Elizabeth marries L. M. Campbell in Tennessee 
 
 — Moves his family to Portsmouth, N. H. — Charge of works 
 there and Portland, Me. — Pleasant society — Examines old 
 forts at Castine — Fort Knox, on Penobscot, buys land for — 
 Youthful appearance — Backwoods uncle, warm welcome — 
 Overwork — Severe illness — Julia Virginia born, June 27, 1844 
 
 — Visits Andover — Elizabeth and Mr. Campbell — Moves to 
 Bucksport tavern — Goes to housekeeping — New friends — 
 Assistants, Richard Kidder Randolph, Isaac Osgood, A. W. 
 Tinkham — Penobscot River — Barge — Pushes on works -— 
 Fine ox-teams — Judge of men — Severe sickness in winter — 
 Visits Washington — Obtains large appropriations — Confiden- 
 tial inquiry if he desires promotion — Characteristic reply — 
 Delighted in dispensing hospitality — Daughter Julia Vir- 
 ginia died, December 7, 1845 — Beautiful tribute by Mr. 
 Brooks — Organizes course of lectures — Salmon weir — Ad- 
 vocates engineer company — Enlists first soldier — Views on 
 raising standard of rank and file — Ordered to Mexican war 
 
 — Speeds to Boston by sleigh 78 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 VOYAGE TO MEXICO 
 
 Placed in charge of pontoon and engineer train — Delays in em- 
 barking — Visits from relatives — Death of Elizabeth — Let- 
 ters to wife — Sails on barque Prompt, January 19, 1847 — 
 Diary of voyage — Seasickness — Warm weather — Passes Ba- 
 hamas, Great Abaco, Hole in the Wall, Berry Island, Black 
 Chief — Steward commits suicide — The weather in the Gulf 
 
 — Arrives at the Brazos — Meets officers — Great confusion 
 
 — Sails to Tampico, beautiful, picturesque region — Landing 
 
 at Vera Cruz, March 9 and 10 ...... 96 
 
xii CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 VERA CRUZ. — CERRO GORDO 
 
 Vera Cruz —7 Defenses — American army invests city — Lieu- 
 tenant Stevens's zeal in reconnoitring — Hands torn and poi- 
 soned — Horse bolts to enemy's lines — Throws himself from 
 saddle — Looks out route for covered way — Put in charge 
 with large working parties — Volunteers — Independent ways 
 
 — Diary of siege — Capture of city — Damage by artillery 
 fire — " Moonlight magnificence and sunlight squalidity " — 
 Secures fine horse — Appointed adjutant of engineer corps — 
 Diary of march to Cerro Gordo — National Bridge — Ranch- 
 eros — Reconnoissances of Cerro Gordo — Disabled by rupture 
 
 — Compelled to remain in camp — Description of battle — 
 Letter to wife 110 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 JALAPA. — PUEBLA 
 
 Prisoners released on parole — March for Jalapa — Encerro, 
 Santa Anna's country seat — Reaches Jalapa, Eden of Mexico 
 
 — Prepares memoir on conducting war against guerrillas — 
 Letters to wife — Feeling address at burial of Sapper Carigan 
 
 — March from Jalapa to Puebla — Beautiful country — Sol- 
 dado — Pass of La Hora — Las Vegas — Perote, its plain 
 and castle — Leaves Perote with Colonel Clarke's brigade 
 
 — San Antonio — Tepe Ahualco with General Worth and 
 Garland's brigade — Hacienda of Virayes — Byzantium — • 
 Ojo de Agua — Hacienda Santa Annaced — Nopalucan — 
 El Pinal — Acajete — Amasoque — Column of lancers threaten 
 attack — Sheer off at fire of Duncan's battery in two bodies — 
 Lieutenants Stevens and McClellan pursue one for five miles 
 « — Puebla occupied — Health improved — Reports for duty — 
 Reconnoitres road to Tlascala — Examines position in city — 
 Generals Scott and Twiggs arrive — Santa Anna renounces 
 power — His career and character — Attends church — Bull 
 fight — Army recruiting strength — Drilling — Awaiting rein- 
 forcements — Engineers making maps — Collecting informa- 
 tion — Wealthy Mexican offers to act as spy — Dominguez, 
 robber chief, with some of his band, employed as spies and 
 couriers — Submits memoir on system of espionage and em- 
 ploying robbers — Rumors — Guerrillas invest El Pinal — 
 
CONTENTS xiii 
 
 Colonel Harney marches to disperse them — Arrival of volun- 
 teers — Review — Sorry appearance — Good material — Heavy 
 defenses and eighteen thousand troops at City of Mexico — 
 Character of Mexican governing class — Letters to wife — 
 Description of Puebla — Climate — People — Confidence of 
 the troops — Character of General Scott — Arrival of General 
 Pierce 129 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 ADVANCE TO MEXICO, EL PENON, CONTRERAS, CHURUBUSCO 
 
 Advance to valley of Mexico — Description of defenses — Gen- 
 eral Scott and staff with Twiggs's division reach Ayotla — 
 Daring reconnoissances of El Penon by Lieutenant Stevens — 
 March around Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco — Occupy San 
 Augustin — Reconnoissances of enemy's positions — San An- 
 tonio road strongly fortified — Pedregal — Intrenched camp 
 at Contreras — Battle of Contreras — Lieutenant Stevens 
 urges decisive movement adopted by Twiggs — " Attack the 
 enemy's left ; you cut him off from reinforcements and hurl 
 him into the gorges of the mountains " — Stormy night — Dis- 
 couragement — Scene at Scott's headquarters — Second day's 
 battle — Reconnoitring from church steeple at Coyoacan — 
 Enemy in full retreat on San Antonio road — Instant ad- 
 vance by Twiggs, led by Lieutenant Stevens, who comes up 
 against fortified convent and brings on battle of Churubusco — 
 Description of battle — Terrible scenes of battlefield banished 
 sleep — Letter to wife — Tacubaya occupied — Armistice . .163 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 MOLINO DEL REY. CHAPULTEPEC. — CAPTURE OF CITY OF MEXICO. 
 
 RETURN TO UNITED STATES 
 
 General Scott and staff enter Tacubaya — Take quarters in Bish- 
 op's Palace — Commissioners to negotiate peace — Mexican 
 treachery — Armistice terminated — Battle of Molino del Rey 
 
 — Useless attacks — Severe losses — Battle of Chapultepec — 
 Castle stormed — Quitman advances on Tacubaya causeway — 
 Worth on San Cosme causeway — Lieutenant Stevens, with 
 Worth, wounded — Enemy retreat in night — American troops 
 occupy city — Lieutenant Stevens's remarks on the movements 
 
 — His character sketches of Lee, Beauregard, Tower, Smith, 
 McClellan, Foster, Mason — Removed to city — quartered in 
 
XIV 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 the Palace — Severe wound — Ups and downs — Mounts 
 crutches — Journeys in ambulance with Lieutenant Foster to 
 Puebla — Arrives at New Orleans 202 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR 
 
 Proceeds to Washington — Flattering reception — Gives full ac- 
 counts to Colonel Totten — Joyful reunion with family in New- 
 port — Shoots mad dog — Ordered to Savannah — Letter to 
 brother — Character of Cromwell — Makes garden — Justice 
 of Mexican war — Savannah orders countermanded — Re- 
 sumes works at Bucksport — Purchases house, garden, poultry 
 
 — Characteristic reply to inquiry as to willingness to be sent 
 to Pacific coast — Brevetted captain and major — Efforts to 
 secure justice for brother officers — Opinion of General Taylor 
 
 — Brevet pay — McClellan asks assistance for engineer com- 
 pany — Lieutenant Stevens's views — Advocates reorganization 
 
 of the army 226 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 COAST SURVEY 
 
 Professor A. D. Bache tenders charge of Coast Survey office — Ac- 
 cepts conditionally — Retains charge of works — Assumes new 
 duties — Estimate of General Taylor — Magnitude of Coast Sur- 
 vey Office — Organizes the force — Reforms the office — Meets 
 " men of Mexico " — General Shields — Approves compromise 
 measures — Puritan father condemns Webster — Visits Bucks- 
 port — Daughter Gertrude Maude born — Wound breaks out 
 afresh — Contemplates leaving Coast Survey - — Moves family 
 to Newport — Pays $400 on house — Generous in money mat- 
 ters — Spends summer in Washington — Letters to his wife — 
 Ideals of woman, marriage, duty, ambition — Admiration for 
 Henry Clay, the master spirit — Compromise measures passed 
 
 — Fine health — Carries appropriation — Truth and direct- 
 ness superior to low cunning — Office improving, duties more 
 pleasant daily — Publishes Campaigns of Rio Grande and of 
 Mexico — General Scott takes offense 241 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 LIFE IN WASHINGTON 
 
 Moves family to Washington — Pleasant society — Takes hold 
 Fourteen Years' Bill — Reorganization of army — Urges bro- 
 
CONTENTS xy 
 
 ther officers to do " their duty to their profession " — Army 
 man, not a corps man — Moves to Mrs. Janney's, on 8th Street 
 
 — Takes family to Newport for summer, 1851 — Another 
 phrenological chart — Rents house on 3d Street and goes to 
 housekeeping — George Watson Stevens — Letters to wife — 
 Responds to toast of Army and Navy at banquet to Kossuth — 
 Advocates coast defenses, and writes articles — Appointed mem- 
 ber of Lighthouse Board — Sells Bucksport house — Advocates 
 election of General Franklin Pierce as President — Articles in 
 " Boston Post " — Speeches in Andover, Newport, and Ports- 
 mouth — Taken to task by Secretary of War Conrad — Pun- 
 gent reply — Leader among young officers — Numerous calls 
 
 — Friendship with Professor Bache — Continued improvement 
 
 of Coast Survey Office 257 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY. — EXPLORATION, NORTHERN 
 
 ROUTE 
 
 Washington Territory organized — Exploration of routes to Pa- 
 cific determined on — Appointed governor — Letter of resig- 
 nation from army — Colonel Totten's reply — Silver service 
 presented by friends on the Coast Survey — Obtains charge of 
 exploration of Northern route — Takes high ground — Im- 
 presses his views on the administration — Applies for Captain 
 McClellan — Letter to him — Sends Lieutenant Donelson to 
 Montreal to procure maps and data from Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany — Prepares his own instructions — Magnitude of task — 
 Organizes the expedition — Gives McClellan charge of con- 
 struction of the military road, Steilacoom to Walla Walla — 
 Declares independence of Hudson Bay Company — Busy 
 scenes in 3d Street house — Sends officers to San Francisco, 
 St. Louis, and St. Paul to hasten preparation — Selects terri- 
 torial library — Exploration fully reported in vols. i. and xii., 
 Pacific Railroad Reports 280 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE PARTY. — THE START 
 
 Leaves Washington — Expedites matters in St. Louis — Dis- 
 patches party up Missouri — Up Mississippi to St. Paul — 
 Rouses party in camp before breakfast — Breaking mules — 
 Incessant rains — Roster of the party — General plan — March 
 
xvi CONTENTS 
 
 to Sauk River — Winnebago Indians — Canadian voyageurs 
 — Pierre Boutineau — Camp regulations — Assimilated rank — 
 All to stand guard — Pembina train — Pushing on detached 
 parties — March to Pike Lake — Swollen streams, bogs — 
 Crossing Sauk and Crow rivers — Lightning Lake — Fish and 
 game — Relieves Lieutenant Du Barry — Discharges inefficient 
 men — White Bear Lake — Parties reassemble at Pike Lake . 302 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 PIKE LAKE TO FORT UNION 
 
 General course W. 10° N. — Lieutenant Grover surveys separate 
 route — Country within forty miles examined by side trips — 
 Route passes near Breckinridge, Jamestown, Minot, and Great 
 Northern Railroad nearly to Rocky Mountains — Crosses Chip- 
 pewa River — Camp regulations — Bois de Sioux — Descrip- 
 tion of country — Red River hunters — Sheyenne River — 
 Lander's adventure — False alarm of Indians — Myriads of 
 buffalo — The hunt — Lake Jessie — Buffalo threaten camp ; 
 stop train — Horse and mules go off with buffalo — Governor 
 Stevens disabled — Lander returns — Inveterate horse-killer — 
 James River — Anxiety at non-return of Tinkham — Guns 
 fired — Parties sent back to find him — Sioux reported ap- 
 proaching — Train arranged for defense — Red River hunt- 
 ers — Tinkham returns safe — Governor Wilkie and Red 
 River hunters — Customs — Hunts — Government — Air 
 tainted by slaughtered buffalo — Maison du Chien — Coteau 
 de Missouri — Mouse River — More Red River hunters — 
 Exchange visits — Express dispatched to Fort Union — As- 
 siniboine Indians — Council — Distribution of presents — Ar- 
 rives at Fort Union 320 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 FORT UNION TO FORT BENTON 
 
 Description of Fort Union — Alexander Culbertson — The Black- 
 feet — Making peace — Surveys by side parties — Bugbear 
 stories — Moving westward — Blackfoot war party — Big 
 Muddy — Missouri bottom — Every one ordered to walk part 
 way daily — Milk River — Field order — Abundant game — 
 Gros Ventres — Feast and council — Feud with Blackf eet — 
 Peace made between them — Trading horses — Cypress Moun- 
 tain — Stories of Indian fights — Bear's Paw Mountains — 
 
CONTENTS xvii 
 
 Party sent to view them — Box Elder Creek — The Three 
 Buttes, favorite resort of Blackfeet — Crosses Marias and 
 Teton rivers — Scene of bloody Indian conflict — Fort Benton 
 
 — Fort Campbell 347 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 WIDESPREAD EXPLORING PARTIES 
 
 Gathering information — Lieutenant Grover to Bitter Root val- 
 ley — Lieutenant Mullan to Muscle Shell River — Lieutenant 
 Donelson to examine Cadotte's Pass — Mr. Lander to Marias 
 Pass — George W. Stevens describes outfitting war parties — 
 Funds fall short — Governor Stevens takes responsibility of 
 incurring deficiency — Starts to visit main Blackf oot camp — 
 Chiefs join the party — Culbertson's defense of Fort McKen- 
 zie — Death of Rotten Belly — Reaches Marias River — Ex- 
 press brings report from Lieutenant Saxton that mountains 
 are impassable for wagons — Returns to Fort Benton — Lander 
 ordered back — Want of harmony in his party — Stanley pro- 
 ceeds to Piegan camp — Lieutenants Saxton and Grover meet 
 on summit of Rocky Mountains — Tinkham returns from Three 
 Buttes and Marias River — Outfitting with pack animals — 
 Lieutenant Saxton, with Culbertson and twenty-eight men, de- 
 scends Missouri in keelboat — Doty stationed at Fort Benton 
 
 — Lander's insubordination curbed — Stanley returns with 
 thirty chiefs — Talk with Blackfeet — Their dress — Peace 
 advocated — Chief Low Horn — His good faith 364 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 EXPLORING THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 
 
 Lieutenants Saxton and Grover start down the Missouri — March 
 up the Teton via Sun and Dearborn rivers to Cadotte's Pass — 
 Description of country ; game — Governor Stevens proclaims 
 inauguration of civil government on summit of Rocky Moun- 
 tains — Descending western slope — Big Blackf oot and Hell 
 Gate rivers — Overtakes main party — Fine condition of ani- 
 mals — Bitter Root valley and river — Fort Owen — Lieuten- 
 ant Arnold here with train and provisions — Nine passes ex- 
 amined — Lander's erratic course — Council with Flatheads — 
 Chief Victor — Lieutenant Mullan stationed at winter post in 
 Bitter Root valley — Lieutenant Donelson with main party 
 sent via Clark's Fork and Pend Oreille Lake — Dr. Suck- 
 
xviii CONTENTS 
 
 ley descends rivers in canoe — Tinkham to explore Marias 
 Pass — Proceed to Fort Benton — Cross mountains to Walla 
 Walla — Governor Stevens moves down the Bitter Root — 
 Meets the Nez Perces — Crosses the Cceur d'Alene Mountains 
 
 — Cceur d'Alene Mission — Indians — Lake — Falls — Spo- 
 kane Indians — Spokane Garry, head chief — Forced ride to 
 Colville — Meeting with McClellan — His explorations — 
 Dilatoriness — Reports against country and passes .... 375 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 UPPER COLUMBIA TO PUGET SOUND 
 
 McDonald's Indian tales — Chemakan Mission — Settlements in 
 Colville valley — Visits Spokane House — Garry's Lodge — 
 Arrival of main party at Camp Washington — March to Walla 
 Walla — Pelouse River — Crosses Snake River — Rides to old 
 Fort Walla Walla — Visits Walla Walla valley — Pu-pu-mox- 
 mox — Lander ordered to survey Nahchess Pass — Descends 
 Columbia to Dallas, to Vancouver — Colonel Bonneville — 
 Ascends Cowlitz River in canoe — Four days in drenching rains 
 
 — Lander balks — Tinkham ordered to cross Snoqualmie Pass 
 
 — Officers reach Olympia — Captain McClellan ordered to 
 run line to Snoqualmie Pass — His failure — Tinkham suc- 
 ceeds — McClellan aggrieved — Governor Stevens's opinion of 
 pioneers — McClellan's 396 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 ORGANIZING CIVIL GOVERNMENT. THE INDIAN SERVICE 
 
 Wild country — Scanty population — Character of settlers — 
 Serious problems — Governor Stevens arrives at Olympia — 
 Issues proclamation — Organizes Indian service — Appoints 
 agents — Visits all parts of Sound — Meets Governor Douglass 
 at Victoria, B. C. — Reports on Hudson Bay Company's claims 
 
 — First message — Halleck exposes Southern political schemes 
 
 — Purchases homestead — Preparing exploration reports — 
 Secretary Davis stops further surveys — Drafts protested . . 411 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 RETURN TO WASHINGTON. — REPORT OF EXPLORATION 
 
 Warm welcome in San Francisco — Lectures on Northern route 
 
 — Advocates three routes — Via Isthmus to New York — Joy- 
 
CONTENTS xix 
 
 ful family reunion in Newport — Proceeds to Washington — 
 Complete report of exploration — Deficiency provided for — 
 General Hunt relates incident — Secretary Davis disparages 
 Northern route — General Stevens's rejoinder — His final re- 
 port — Severe labors — Sickness — Doing the work of the dele- 
 gate — Appointed commissioner to treat with Blackfeet and 
 other tribes — Unimpaired influence 425 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 CROSSING THE ISTHMUS 
 
 Steamer from New York — Riotous scenes — Stops at Havana — 
 Aspinwall — Forlorn place — Cars to the summit — Carusi's 
 pavilion — Scene at night — Proceeds on mule-back — Tropic 
 rainstorms — Crossing the Chagres River — Lost children — 
 Panama — Embarks on Golden Age — Touches at Acapulco 
 
 — Panama fever — Reaches San Francisco — Welcomed by 
 friends — Delayed by sickness — Rebuke to General Wool — 
 Steamer up the coast — Into Columbia — Lands at Vancouver 
 
 — Canoe trip up Cowlitz River — Muddy roads to Olympia 
 
 — Disappointing appearance — Second message 433 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 INDIAN POLICY. — TREATIES ON PUGET SOUND 
 
 Beneficent Indian policy — Intention to write account of his In- 
 dian service frustrated by early death — Indians of Puget Sound, 
 helpless, ready to treat — Organizes treaty force — Decides on 
 policy and terms — Sends agents to assemble Indians — Great 
 pains to make them fully understand and to consult with them 
 ■ — Council and treaty of She-nah-nam or Medicine Creek ; of 
 Point Elliott or Mukilteo ; of Point-no-Point ; of Neah Bay — 
 Speeches — Visits Victoria, and calls on Governor Douglass to 
 restrain Northern Indians — Napoleonic campaign — What 
 was accomplished — Present condition of the Indians . . . 448 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 General Isaac I. Stevens, at the age of 43, from a photograph 
 
 Frontispiece. 
 
 Grave of John Stevens to face page 2 
 
 Birthplace of General Stevens, Andover, Mass 14 
 
 Infant Jesus. Crayon drawing at West Point 44 
 
 Old Wanton Mansion in Newport 66 
 
 General Stevens at the age of 23, from a miniature by Staigg . 74 
 Margaret Lyman Stevens, from a miniature by Staigg . . . .76 
 
 Low Horn, Piegan Chief 374 
 
 Charles H. Mason, Secretary of the Territory, from a photo- 
 graph 414 
 
 MAPS AND PLANS 
 
 Route, Vera Cruz to Mexico 118 
 
 Battle of Cerro Gordo 124 
 
 The Valley of Mexico 162 
 
 Battlefields in the Valley of Mexico — Contreras, Churubusco, 
 Chapultepec, Molino del Rey, Mexico 172 
 
THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 ANCESTRY. BIRTHPLACE 
 
 About 1640 a mere handful of English colonists went 
 out from Boston, and made the first settlement in the 
 town of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts. They 
 laid out their homes on the Cochichewick, a stream which 
 flows out of the Great Pond in North Andover, and falls 
 into the Merrimac River on the south side a few miles 
 below Lawrence. The infant settlement was known as 
 Cochichewick until 1646, when it was incorporated as a 
 town under its present name, after the Andover in Hamp- 
 shire, England, the birthplace of some of the settlers. 
 
 Among the first who thus planted their hearthstones 
 in the wilderness was John Stevens. His name stands 
 fifth in an old list in the town records containing " the 
 names of all the householders in order as they came to 
 town." The mists of the past still allow a few glimpses 
 of this sturdy Puritan settler. He was admitted a free- 
 man of the colony, June 2, 1641 (Old Style). He was 
 appointed by the General Court, May 15, 1654, one of a 
 committee of three to settle the boundary between the 
 towns of Haverhill and Salisbury, a duty satisfactorily 
 performed. He was sergeant in the military company of 
 the town, a post then equivalent to captain or commander. 
 According to Savage, N. E. Genealogies, vol. i., p. 186, 
 
2 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 John Stevens lived at Caversham, County Oxford, Eng- 
 land, and came to America in the Confidence from South- 
 ampton in 1638. 
 
 Large, substantial head and foot stones of slate, sculp- 
 tured and lettered in the quaint fashion of his day, still 
 mark the resting-place of John Stevens, after the storms 
 of now two and a third centuries, in the oldest grave- 
 yard of Cochichewick, situated opposite the Kittredge 
 mansion, and about half a mile north of the old parish 
 meeting-house in North Andover. He died April 11, 
 1662, in the fifty-seventh year of his age, and was there- 
 fore thirty-five years old when he founded his future 
 home. John Stevens was evidently a man of note and 
 substance, the worthy progenitor of a prolific family, 
 which has filled Andover with his descendants, and put 
 forth from time to time strong, flourishing branches into 
 all quarters of the country. It may indeed be safely 
 said that there is scarely a State in the Union which 
 does not contain descendants of this sturdy Puritan. 
 
 His son Nathan, the first male child born in Andover, 
 lies buried near him under a broad freestone slab with 
 an inscription to " Coun clr Nathan Stevens, who deceased 
 February y e 19, 1717, in y e 75 year of his age." The me- 
 morials of many others of his descendants stand thickly 
 scattered through the quaint old burial-ground. Not the 
 least interesting of these relics is a stone " In memory 
 of Primus, who was a faithful servant of Mr. Benjamin 
 Stevens, Jr., who died July 25, 1792, aged 72 years, 5 
 months, and 16 days." 
 
 A vigorous, long-lived race sprang from the loins of 
 this first settler John, a hardy, thrifty race of plain New 
 England farmers, honest and straightforward, with plenty 
 of solid, shrewd good sense, bearing manfully the toils 
 and hardships of colonial days, and contributing its 
 quota of ministers and deacons to the church, and offi- 
 
HkiJs 
 
 -JC :V ' '"*■' 
 
 GRAVE OF JOHN STEVENS 
 
BIRTHPLACE 3 
 
 cers and soldiers to the wars with the Indians and the 
 French. In 1679 a grant of land was made to Ephraim 
 Stevens, son of the first settler, in recompense of his 
 losses by the Indians. In 1689 Lieutenant John Stevens, 
 another son, perished in the expedition against Louis- 
 burg. In 1698 Abiel Stevens, a grandson, was captured 
 by the Indians, but made his escape. In 1755 Captain 
 Asa Stevens and Ensign James Stevens died in the Lake 
 George campaign. Upon the state muster-rolls appear the 
 names of twelve Stevenses of Andover as soldiers in the 
 Revolution. 
 
 The subject of this work, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, was 
 the seventh in direct descent from John Stevens, the 
 founder of Andover, — 1 John Stevens, 2 Joseph, 3 James, 
 4 James, 5 Jonathan, 6 Isaac, 7 Isaac Ingalls Stevens. 
 
 Joseph was the fourth son of the first settler John. 
 He was deacon in the church. He married Mary Ingalls 
 May 20, 1679, and died February 25, 1743, aged 88. 
 
 James was the second son of Joseph, married Dorothy 
 Fry, March, 1712, and died May 25, 1769, aged 84. 
 He participated in the military affairs and contests with 
 the Indians and French of his times, commanded a com- 
 pany at the capture of Louisburg, and for his services 
 was granted a tract of land in Maine. He was a deputy 
 to the General Court. His gravestone bears the title of 
 captain. 
 
 Captain James's eldest son was also named James. He 
 was born in 1720, and married Sarah Peabody in 1745. 
 This James was an energetic, promising young man, with 
 a young wife and two boys, when in 1754 a recruiting 
 party with colors, drum, and fife went about Andover 
 beating up recruits for the French and Indian war then 
 raging. The young men all hung back. " Make me a 
 captain," said James Stevens, "and I will raise a company 
 for the war." This remark led to his receiving the com- 
 
4 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 mission of ensign. He raised a company of the young 
 men of Andover, and marched away at their head to the 
 shores of Lake George, in New York, where, November 28, 
 1755, he died of camp fever, with the rank of lieutenant. 
 His eldest son, Jonathan, inherited a due share of his 
 father's spirit, for we find him hastening to Bunker Hill, 
 and fighting manfully in the battle. He served on other 
 occasions during the Revolutionary war, and after a suc- 
 cessful dash upon the enemy writes the following inter- 
 esting letter to his sister : — 
 
 Loving Sister, — These will inform you that I am very 
 well at present, and have been so ever since I came from home, 
 and I hope you and all my friends enjoy the same state of 
 health. 
 
 We have been up to Ticonderoga and took almost four hun- 
 dred prisoners of the British Army, and relieved one hundred 
 of our men that were prisoners there. 
 
 Our army have come from Ticonderoga down as far as Paw- 
 let, about sixty miles, and expect to march to Stillwater very 
 soon. So no more at present. 
 
 I remain, Your Loving Brother, 
 
 Jonathan Stevens. 
 
 Pawlet, October ye 1st, 1777. 
 
 Jonathan married Susannah Bragg, December 15, 
 1773, and raised thirteen children, — Jonathan, Susan- 
 nah, James, Dolly, Jeremy, Hannah, Isaac, Nathaniel, 
 Dolly, Moses, Sarah, Oliver, and William. 
 
 He united the business of a currier and tanner to his 
 ancestral pursuit of farming, and achieved the modest 
 independence he so well merited. The house that he 
 occupied for many years stood on the old road that 
 passed along the western border of the Cochichewick 
 meadows, that were long since flooded and converted 
 into a lake, the extension of the Great Pond, for the 
 water supply of the woolen mills of his son Nathaniel, 
 and the cellar is still visible on the west side of the road, 
 
BIRTHPLACE 5 
 
 some three hundred yards from its junction with the 
 road from the village of North Andover to the mills. 
 He afterwards built one of those large, square, sub- 
 stantial mansions, once common in New England, on the 
 crest of the high ground east of the village, and com- 
 manding noble views of the hamlet, the Great Pond, and 
 the Cochichewick valley and the mills. This house was 
 unfortunately destroyed by fire in 1876. 
 
 Jonathan Stevens purchased, for sixpence an acre, a 
 large tract of land in Maine, which he divided into three 
 farms, and bestowed upon his sons Jonathan, James, and 
 Isaac. They settled, and named the place Andover, after 
 their native town, and the descendants of the two former 
 still reside there. 
 
 Jonathan Stevens was a tall, large man of fresh, ruddy 
 complexion and fine appearance. He was fond of relating 
 the incidents of the battle of Bunker Hill, and used to 
 recount the tale to his children and grandchildren every 
 Fourth of July, — how Putnam went along the line and 
 commanded them not to fire until they could see the 
 whites of the Redcoats' eyes ; and how Abbot, the strong- 
 est man in town, bore a wounded comrade off the field on 
 his back. On the anniversary of the battle he invariably 
 invited his comrades in the fight to his house, and enter- 
 tained them with New England rum and hearty, old- 
 fashioned hospitality, while the veterans fought the battle 
 o'er again. He sat among the veterans of the battle 
 at Webster's magnificent oration in dedication of the 
 Bunker Hill monument. On his eighty-fourth birthday 
 he worked with his men in the hay-field, keeping up 
 with the best all day, and suffered no ill effect from the 
 unwonted exertion. He died April 13, 1834, at the age 
 of eighty-seven. In 1799 he gave the tract of land upon 
 which was erected Franklin Academy, on the hill north 
 of the meeting-house. 
 
6 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Jonathan's brother James, Captain James's other son, 
 also served in the Revolutionary war, and left a diary 
 of the siege of Boston, recently discovered in the garret 
 of an old mansion in Andover, which opens like an 
 epic : — 
 
 " April ye 19, 1775. This morning about seven o'clock we 
 had a larum that the Regulars were gone to Concord. We 
 gathered to the meeting house, and then started for Concord. 
 We went through Tewksbury into Billerica. We stopped at 
 Pollard's, and ate some biscuits and cheese on the common. 
 We started and went on to Bedford, and we heard that the 
 Regulars had gone back to Boston. So we went through Bed- 
 ford. As we went into Lexington we went to the meeting 
 house, and there we came to the destruction of the Regulars. 
 They killed eight of our men, and shot a cannon ball through 
 the meeting house. We went along through Lexington, and 
 we saw several Regulars dead on the road, and some of our 
 men, and three or four houses were burnt, and some horses and 
 hogs were killed. They plundered in every house they could 
 get into. They stove in windows and broke in tops of desks. 
 We met the men a coming back very fast," etc. 
 
 Jonathan's fourth son was Isaac, born in 1785. On 
 reaching manhood he went before the mast on a voyage 
 to China, and brought back, as a gift to his mother, a 
 beautiful china tea-set. After his return from sea he went 
 to Andover, Maine, to settle upon the lands bestowed 
 by his father upon himself and brothers, Jonathan and 
 James. 
 
 With characteristic energy, Isaac Stevens set to work 
 clearing his land, and reducing rebellious nature to orderly 
 submission. While thus at work in the woods one day, 
 a heavy tree fell upon and crushed him to the earth ; his 
 left leg was terribly mangled, the bones broken in two 
 places, and he received other serious injuries. The doc- 
 tors insisted that the leg must be taken off in order to 
 save his life, but Isaac Stevens with inflexible resolution 
 
BIRTHPLACE 7 
 
 refused to allow the amputation, and after a long, painful 
 illness finally recovered. The limb, however, in the pro- 
 cess of healing, became materially shorter and permanently 
 stiffened, so that he was unable to bend the knee joint, 
 and during the remainder of his life the wound broke 
 out afresh periodically, and caused him great suffering. 
 As soon as he was sufficiently recovered to bear the jour- 
 ney, he returned to his native Andover, where, under his 
 mother's careful nursing, he slowly recovered from the 
 terrible injuries he had received. 
 
 It was at this time that he formed an attachment with 
 Hannah Cummings, the daughter of a sterling farmer 
 family like his own, and who united to a warm and affec- 
 tionate heart, noble and elevated sentiments, strong good 
 sense, and untiring industry. Their marriage followed 
 soon after, on the 29th of September, 1814. He now 
 relinquished the project of settling in Maine, and hired 
 an old farmhouse with some twenty acres of land of Mr. 
 Bridges. This house, one of the oldest in Andover, is 
 situated at the end of Marble Ridge, a short distance 
 south of the Great Pond, and at the point where the road 
 from the village to Haverhill, after crossing the Essex 
 Railroad, forks, the left branch leading on to Haverhill, 
 while the other turns short to the right and conducts to 
 Marble Ridge Station. The solid timbers and stockaded 
 sides of the rear part of this old house — for the front is a 
 later structure — were the mute witnesses of a stratagem 
 in early Indian troubles as novel as it proved successful. 
 The stout-hearted farmer settler was alone, with his wife 
 and little ones about him, one night, when he discovered a 
 large party of savages stealthily approaching, and spread- 
 ing out so as to encompass his house. Hastily barricad- 
 ing the doors, he seized his trumpet, which he bore as 
 trumpeter of the military company of the settlement, stole 
 unperceived out of the house, caught and mounted his 
 
8 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 horse, and, making a circuit through the fields, gained the 
 high road between the Indians and the village. Then, 
 putting spurs to his steed, and pealing blast upon blast 
 from his trumpet, he charged furiously down upon the 
 Indians, now in the very act of assailing his domicile, who, 
 thinking no doubt that the whole force of the country- 
 side was upon them, incontinently fled into the forest. 
 
 Judged by the standard of these days, the young couple 
 had an unpromising future. They were very poor, the 
 husband a cripple, and they held as tenants a few barren 
 acres from which to extract a livelihood. But Isaac Ste- 
 vens now toiled early and late with untiring energy ; he 
 saved at every point, and turned everything to account 
 with true Yankee thrift. He built a malt-house, and after 
 laboring on the farm from earliest dawn until dark, would 
 work at preparing the malt until late in the evening. 
 His farm embraced a large meadow lying on both sides 
 of the Cochichewick, just below where it issued from the 
 Great Pond, but now flooded by the milldams still lower 
 down, where he cut vast quantities of meadow hay, with 
 which he filled his barns and fed a goodly number of 
 horned stock during the long, rigorous winters, realizing 
 thereby a handsome profit in the spring. His young wife 
 joined her efforts to his, and frequently cut and made 
 clothing for the neighbors around, in addition to the 
 unceasing and arduous labors of a farmer's wife. Such 
 thrift and industry could not fail of success. The 
 Bridges house and land were purchased, largely on 
 mortgage at first ; then the wet meadow was added ; then 
 a goodly tract of generous land was bought of the father, 
 Jonathan Stevens, and other fields and tracts were added 
 from time to time. During the thirteen years following 
 their marriage, the first scanty holding grew to a farm of 
 one hundred and fifty acres of their own, and free from 
 debt. Seven children, too, came to bless their union and 
 
BIRTHPLACE 9 
 
 increase their cares. Then the devoted wife and mother 
 died, November 3, 1827, leaving this helpless little flock, 
 the oldest of whom was but twelve and the youngest two 
 years of age. Henceforth life was a heavy and unceasing 
 labor to Isaac Stevens. The little farm grew no larger, 
 and all his efforts were now required to maintain his 
 family and keep free from debt. Two years afterwards 
 he married Ann Poor, of North Andover, impelled by his 
 situation and circumstances, with so many helpless chil- 
 dren about him and the household economy of the farm 
 unprovided for. The second wife failed to restore the 
 happiness of home. She had no children, and died in 
 1866, four years after her husband. 
 
 Isaac Stevens was a man of deeply marked and noble 
 characteristics. His fortitude was severely tested by the 
 misfortune which left him a lifelong cripple. His cool 
 courage and inflexible resolution are best illustrated by his 
 manner of dealing with a dangerous bull he once owned. 
 This animal grew daily more and more savage, until every 
 one stood in fear of it except the owner, who, as often 
 happens in such cases, persisted in thinking it quite harm- 
 less. At length, however, the bull one day chased a neigh- 
 bor, who had imprudently ventured to cross the field in 
 which it pastured, and overtaking him just as he reached 
 the fence, tossed him high in air, so that falling for- 
 tunately on the farther side of the inclosure, he escaped 
 with no more serious injuries than some severe bruises and 
 a broken nose. The bull, furious at the escape of his prey, 
 was bellowing and pawing the ground. " The bull must 
 be shot ! " cried the man who helped off the injured neigh- 
 bor. But Isaac Stevens at once armed himself with a 
 stout cudgel, coolly hobbled into the field, disregarding 
 all remonstrances and entreaties, fixed his eye upon the 
 enraged beast, backed him into a narrow corner where 
 he could not escape, and thrashed him over the head with 
 
10 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the club with such terrible severity that he was completely 
 subdued, and ever after remained perfectly gentle and 
 submissive. 
 
 Always strictly observing the Sabbath, he held liberal 
 views of religion and attended the Unitarian Church. 
 He kept himself informed of the current events of the * 
 day, taking the New York " Tribune " and Garrison's 
 " Liberator," and manifesting the greatest interest in 
 education, temperance, anti-slavery, and every cause that 
 would make mankind better or happier. " How he 
 denied himself all comforts almost, and quietly sent 
 money to free the slave and for the temperance cause ! 
 He was a strong pillar of the foundation principles of 
 right and justice that it would be well for young men 
 of this day to study," said one who knew him well. 
 
 He was, above all, a man of perfect integrity and 
 truth, and of a strict sense of justice. There was not a 
 fibre of guile or indirection in his moral nature. He 
 held strong and ardent convictions, noble and lofty ideals 
 of duty and philanthropy, and an intense hatred and 
 scorn of wrong or oppression in any form. He strongly 
 opposed and denounced the use of liquors and tobacco, 
 and became early in life a vehement and outspoken 
 abolitionist of slavery, at a period when the advocacy of 
 such doctrines demanded unusual moral courage as well 
 as stern conviction of right. At his decease, years after- 
 wards, he bequeathed five hundred dollars to the Anti- 
 Slavery Society, requiring only that Wendell Phillips 
 should deliver a lecture in the parish church of North 
 Andover. 
 
 The untiring industry which, with his frugality and 
 good management, enabled him to achieve comparative 
 independence so early in life, was not the course of a 
 drudge and miser, but of an ardent, resolute spirit spurn- 
 ing poverty, debt, and dependence. All through life he 
 
BIRTHPLACE 11 
 
 manifested an unconquerable aversion to debt. He loved 
 a fast horse, and the old mare which he kept until she 
 died, over twenty-seven years old, was, in her prime, the 
 fastest in the town. After reading a newspaper or book, 
 he was in the habit of giving it to a neighbor, telling 
 him to hand it to another after perusing it. He took 
 great pains with his orchards, and planted apple-trees 
 along the stone walls bordering his fields. He also 
 planted the noble elms now overhanging the old farm- 
 house, and the long lines of this graceful tree now bor- 
 dering the road from the house to the crest of the hill 
 overlooking the village and the road over Marble Ridge, 
 and the numerous clumps and rows in his fields wherever 
 a sightly eminence seemed to require such an adornment. 
 His children were : — 
 
 Hannah Peabody, born September 24, 1815, died November 
 
 24, 1840. 
 Susan Bragg, born February 14, 1817, died April 8, 1841. 
 Isaac Ingalls, born March 25, 1818, died September 1, 1862. 
 Elizabeth Barker, born July 14, 1819, died December 10, 
 
 1846. 
 Sarah Ann, born January 13, 1822, died February 8, 1844. 
 Mary Jane, born August 5, 1823, died June 22, 1847. 
 Oliver, born June 22, 1825. 
 
 The following account of the ancestry of Hannah 
 Cummings is given by her nephew, Dr. George Mooar, 
 D. D., of Oakland, California, who has collected much 
 information concerning the Cummings genealogy : — 
 
 "Hannah, wife of Isaac Stevens, was the third child of 
 Deacon Asa and Hannah (Peabody) Cummings, born October 
 23, 1785, married September 29, 1814, and died November 3, 
 1827. 
 
 " The line from her father to the first American ancestor 
 runs thus: Asa (6), Thomas (5), Joseph (4), Abraham (3), 
 John (2), Isaac (1). 
 
12 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 " Deacon Asa was born in Andover, Massachusetts, but 
 removed in 1798 to Albany, Maine, a pioneer settler there, 
 a trusted, intelligent, and capable citizen, who in 1803 repre- 
 sented his district in the General Court. 
 
 " Captain Thomas (5) was born in Topsfield and died Sep- 
 tember 3, 1765. He married Anna Kittell, the widow of Asa 
 Johnson, of Andover. 
 
 "Captain Joseph (4), of Topsfield, was quite a character. 
 The biographer of Dr. Manasseh Cutler says that he found 
 among the papers of that eminent person a notice of Captain 
 Cummings in which he is spoken of as a remarkable man, well 
 versed in the politics of the day, and he adds : ' From the inter- 
 est Dr. Cutler felt in him, he must have been a stanch patriot 
 and Federalist.' In a notice which appears in the ' Salem 
 Gazette' we are told that when nearly a hundred he would 
 readily mount his horse from the ground. He died in his one 
 hundred and second year. 
 
 " Abraham (3) was a resident of Woburn and of Dunstable. 
 
 " John (2) was quite a large proprietor in Boxford, Massa- 
 chusetts, and later was one of the first fourteen proprietors of 
 the town of Dunstable. 
 
 " Isaac (1) appears on a list of the ' Commoners of Ipswich 
 in 1641, but appears to have arrived in America three years 
 before. No exact knowledge of his previous residence in Great 
 Britain has been obtained. The prevailing tradition gives him 
 a Scottish descent.' 
 
 " An elder brother of Hannah Cummings was Dr. Asa Cum- 
 mings, D. D., of Portland, Maine, eminent for classical learn- 
 ing and piety, and editor of the ' Christian Mirror ' for many 
 years." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 BIRTH. BOYHOOD 
 
 Isaac Ingalls Stevens first saw the light at the old 
 Marble Ridge farmhouse, on the 25th of March, 1818. 
 He was a delicate infant, and it was impossible for his 
 mother, with her other little ones and the engrossing 
 labors of the farmhouse, to bestow upon him the care his 
 condition required. His grandmother, one day visiting 
 the farm, was shocked to see him still in his cradle, though 
 three years old, and, remarking that unless he was taught 
 soon he never would walk, insisted upon taking him home 
 with her, where, under her gentle and experienced hands, 
 he quickly learned to run about. After returning home 
 his father used to plunge him, fresh from bed, into a 
 hogshead of cold water every morning. 
 
 Such heroic treatment would be sure to kill or cure, 
 and perhaps no better proof could be given of the native 
 vigor of his constitution than the fact that he lived, and 
 became strong, active, and hardy. 
 
 Even as a child he was active, daring, and adventurous. 
 He used to climb the lofty elms in front of his grand- 
 father's house, and cling like a squirrel to the topmost 
 branches, laughing and chattering defiance to his grand- 
 mother's commands and entreaties to come down. 
 
 One afternoon Abiel Holt, the hired man on the farm, 
 went a-fishing for pickerel, and took Isaac, who was then 
 a very little urchin just able to run about cleverly. After 
 catching a fine string of fish, they came to the old cause- 
 way which crossed the water where now stands the dam 
 
14 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 under the Essex Railroad, but which was then submerged 
 several feet deep in the water for some distance. 
 
 A rude footway had been contrived here by driving 
 down forked stakes at suitable intervals along the cause- 
 way, and placing loose poles in the crotches from stake 
 to stake, forming one row for the feet and another a 
 little higher for the hands. 
 
 The contrivance was rickety and unsafe to the last 
 degree ; the poles swayed and bent at every step, and it 
 required great care and the use of both feet and hands 
 to avoid a ducking. It was now time to drive up the 
 cows, which were pasturing beyond the water ; so Holt, 
 bidding the child remain there, crossed over after them, 
 taking with him the string of fish, which he hung up on 
 one of the stakes on the farther side, for he wanted the 
 pleasure of taking his spoils home in triumph, and feared, 
 if he left them with Isaac, the latter would take them 
 and run home while he was away. On returning he was 
 struck with consternation to find no trace of either the 
 child or the fish. He carefully scrutinized the water 
 without result, and at length slowly returned to the farm- 
 house, filled with misgivings, and was not a little relieved 
 to find both his charge and his fish safe at home. The 
 child had worked his way across the water by the poles, 
 although, standing on the lower row, he could hardly reach 
 the upper one with extended arms, and had returned, 
 holding the string of fish in his teeth, in the same way. 
 His father ever after was particularly fond of relating this 
 anecdote in proof of the daring and adventurous spirit so 
 early manifested. 
 
 He was a sensitive, earnest child, not demonstrative, 
 but having great affection and tenderness, which he lav- 
 ished upon his mother. Her early death was his first and 
 greatest misfortune. When he was only seven years old, 
 his father, who always drove furiously, in driving with 
 
04 «3 
 
 > •§ 
 
 O v. 
 
 5 I 
 
BOYHOOD 15 
 
 his wife in his wagon rapidly around a corner, overset 
 the vehicle. They were thrown out violently upon the 
 ground, and the unfortunate mother struck upon her 
 head. From this shock she never really recovered, and 
 died two years after the unhappy accident. During this 
 period Isaac attached himself closely to his mother, and 
 acquired no slight influence over her. The early death 
 of this tender and devoted wife and mother well-nigh 
 destroyed the happiness of her family. Isaac ever cher- 
 ished her memory with the tenderest veneration. He 
 thought that from her were inherited great part of his 
 talents, and that had she lived he would have been spared 
 the injudicious forcing of his mind in his childhood, to 
 which he always declared he owed a real mental injury. 
 
 After the mother's death, a housekeeper was employed 
 to provide for the helpless little flock, and attend to the 
 household duties ; and two years later the father married 
 his second wife, Ann Poor. 
 
 Isaac was sent to school before his fifth year, where 
 from the first he displayed great power of memory, close 
 application, and devotion to study. His teachers were 
 astonished to find that he did not stop at the end of the 
 day's lesson, but habitually learned far beyond it, often 
 reciting page after page. It was said that there was no 
 need of telling Isaac how much to study ; it was enough 
 to show him where to begin, and he would learn more 
 than the teacher cared to hear. His first teacher, Miss 
 Susan Foster, said with astonishment one day, after hear^ 
 ing his lesson in arithmetic, " There is no use for me to 
 teach him arithmetic; he is already far beyond me in 
 that." 
 
 After his tenth year he attended Franklin Academy, 
 in North Andover, — Old Put's school, as it was usually 
 and more familiarly styled, — kept by Mr. Simon Put- 
 nam, who attained great repute as a teacher. This was 
 
16 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 situated on the hill north of the meeting-house, on land 
 given for the purpose by grandfather Jonathan. Here 
 he studied the usual English branches. Among his 
 schoolmates were William Endicott, Jr., the well-known 
 philanthropist, Hon. Daniel Saunders, the late George B. 
 Loring, and Major George T. Clark. It appears that 
 wrestling was a favorite sport with the active and hardy 
 boys at this school. 
 
 His father, proud and ambitious on his account, kept 
 him constantly at school, and urged on to still greater 
 efforts this earnest, ardent nature, intense in everything 
 he undertook. The evil effects of such mistaken treat- 
 ment soon made themselves felt. His mind became 
 wearied and dull from overtasking. The teacher advised 
 rest. The boy, then but ten years old, begged his father 
 to take him out of school and let him work on the 
 farm, telling him that he could no longer study ; that he 
 could not learn his lessons. But the father refused, not 
 realizing the son's condition, and bade him go back to 
 school and study what he could. Isaac then went to his 
 uncle Nathaniel, who owned the Cochichewick woolen 
 mills, situated two miles below the farm, and obtained his 
 permission to work in the factory for a year. He pre- 
 vailed upon his grandmother to let him lodge at her 
 house in order to be nearer the factory ; and having thus 
 decided upon his course, went home and informed his 
 father of the arrangements he had made, who, astonished 
 at the judgment and resolution of the boy, acquiesced. 
 So Isaac went to work in the factory, lodging at his 
 grandfather's, rising long before daylight that he might 
 eat a hurried breakfast, walk a mile to the factory, and 
 begin the day's work at five o'clock in the morning, 
 and toiling ten to twelve hours a day. He entered the 
 weavers' room, where he soon learned to manage a loom. 
 The best weavers were women, it seems, and able to run 
 
BOYHOOD 17 
 
 two looms apiece. Isaac at once determined to excel the 
 most capable ; and before he left the factory, succeeded 
 in reaching the goal of his ambition, and managed four 
 looms unassisted. 
 
 After a year of this unremitting labor, he left the mills. 
 As he was returning home with the scanty sum he had 
 earned in his pocket, taking it to his father, he passed a 
 shop where some tempting hot gingerbread was displayed 
 for sale, and felt an intense longing to buy a penny- 
 worth ; but reflecting that his earnings belonged to his 
 father, and it would be wrong for him to spend any of 
 them, he overcame the desire and went home. But when 
 he handed the money to his father, and asked for a cent 
 to buy the gingerbread with, he felt stung to the quick 
 by the latter's refusal. In truth, the father's hard 
 struggle with poverty and adverse circumstances had nar- 
 rowed his noble nature. Too much had life become to 
 him nothing but hard work, self-sacrifice, and a severe 
 sense of duty. He did not appreciate the sensitive 
 nature of a child, and its needs of sympathy, recreation, 
 and occasional indulgence. 
 
 Directly across the road from the house was a small 
 pool called the frog-pond. Isaac selected a corner of 
 this pond for his garden, filled it up with stones, and 
 covered them with rich earth brought from a distance in 
 his little cart with great pains and labor. He eagerly 
 seized every moment that could be spared from school 
 and his unceasing round of morning and evening chores 
 to devote to this darling project. At last the garden 
 was prepared, and planted with his own favorite seeds. 
 But his father, fearing that it might distract and take up 
 too much time from his studies and duties about the 
 farm, rudely uprooted his tenderly cared-for plants, and 
 put in potatoes instead. 
 
 On another occasion his father's injudicious urging 
 
18 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 nearly proved fatal. Isaac was helping in the hay-field, 
 and was working with such ardor and had accomplished 
 so much that his father was actually astonished. Instead 
 of restraining, he praised him without stint. Under this 
 stimulus the ambitious boy redoubled his exertions until 
 he was prostrated by a sunstroke, resulting in a raging 
 fever, from which he barely escaped with life after a 
 severe sickness. 
 
 On another occasion, when twelve years old, he was 
 working in the hay-field, pitching hay upon the cart ; he 
 was badly ruptured, and had to be carried to the house. 
 As soon as he was able to travel he went alone to Boston, 
 and sought out Dr. Warren, a noted surgeon, and laid 
 his case before him. Dr. Warren was so much struck 
 with the lad's courage and intelligence that he refused to 
 accept any fee. " If you do exactly what I tell you, you 
 will get well," he said, " and I know you will do so from 
 looking in your face." The surgeon had a truss made, 
 and prescribed treatment, but all the remainder of his 
 life Isaac was obliged to wear the truss, although he 
 outgrew the injury in a measure until it broke out afresh 
 in Mexico from over-exertion. 
 
 Measured by modern conditions, it was a severe and 
 laborious home life in which the farmer's boy grew up, 
 but it was a wholesome one, and well adapted to bring 
 out all his powers. Morning and evening, throughout 
 the year, he had his round of duties, feeding and milking 
 the cows, feeding the pigs, cutting and bringing in wood, 
 etc. During the winter he rose long before daylight to 
 attend to these chores and shovel snow from the paths, 
 then after a hasty breakfast trudged away to school, and 
 on returning again resumed the round of unending farm 
 work. In summer there was no school for three or four 
 months, and then he worked on the farm, hoeing corn, 
 making hay, driving oxen, and performing all the hard 
 
BOYHOOD 19 
 
 and varied labors of a New England farmer's son. But 
 the New England farmers of that day were the owners of 
 the soil. They knew no superiors. The Revolutionary 
 struggle, as recent to them as the great Rebellion is to 
 us, was fresh and vivid in their minds, and stimulated 
 noble ideas of liberty and national independence. The 
 standard of personal honesty, manhood, and morals, be- 
 queathed from their Puritan ancestry, was high. Such 
 was the moral atmosphere of Isaac Stevens's household, 
 heightened by his own earnest, philanthropic, and elevated 
 sentiments. All his children were intellectual and high- 
 minded, and nothing can be more touching than the 
 constant ambition and striving of his five daughters for 
 education and self-improvement. All became teachers, 
 but died young, victims of consumption. 
 
 Nor was the life of the youth nothing but a round of 
 hard work and privation. If he worked hard and studied 
 hard, he enjoyed play with equal zest, and shared the 
 rougher sports of those days with his cousins and other 
 boys of his age. They were more pugnacious and 
 rougher than nowadays. Wrestling was a common sport, 
 and boyish fights and scuffles were usual. 
 
 At the age of fifteen he entered Phillips Academy in 
 Andover. Nathan W. Hazen, Esq., a well-known and 
 respected lawyer of the town, furnished him board and 
 lodgings, in return for which he took care of the garden, 
 and did the chores about the place. One of his school- 
 mates, describing his first appearance at the academy, 
 said : " The door opened, and there quietly entered an in- 
 significant, small boy, carrying in his arms a load of books 
 nearly as large as himself. But the impression of insigni- 
 ficance vanished as soon as one regarded his large head, 
 earnest face, and firm, searching, and fearless dark hazel 
 eye." 
 
 He remained at the academy over a year. As usual, 
 
20 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 he took the front rank from the beginning. His reputa- 
 tion as a scholar, especially in mathematics, extended be- 
 yond the school. Besides his studies he took sole care of 
 Mr. Hazen's garden, a half acre in extent, groomed the 
 horse, milked the cow, and fed them, cut and brought in 
 the wood, and did many other jobs about the house, per- 
 forming an amount of labor, as Mr. Hazen declared, suf- 
 ficient to dismay many a hired man. He studied early 
 in the morning and late at night. His power of concen- 
 trating his mind upon any subject was extraordinary. 
 His industry was untiring. The impress this boy of 
 fifteen made upon those with whom he came in contact 
 during his stay at this place is really remarkable. Mr. 
 Hazen, who proved a considerate friend and adviser to 
 the struggling youth, relates that every evening Isaac 
 would bring his chair close to the office table, at which 
 the former was accustomed to read or write, in order to 
 avail himself of the light, and would work out mathe- 
 matical problems on his slate. He would remain quietly 
 with his hand to his head in deep thought for a little 
 time, when suddenly he would shower a perfect rainstorm 
 of figures upon his slate without hesitation, or erasure, 
 oftentimes completely filling it. Generally the correct 
 result was reached; but when the solution was not found 
 the first time, he would rapidly wipe off every figure and 
 begin again as before. His mind always sought out and 
 mastered the bottom principle. It was remarked that, 
 whenever he had once solved a problem, he could unhesi- 
 tatingly solve all others of the same character. 
 
 On one occasion a mathematician of some note, who 
 had just published a new arithmetic, brought his work to 
 the academy, and tested the acquirements of the scholars 
 by giving them his new problems to solve. When Isaac 
 was called to the blackboard, he astonished the author 
 and the teacher alike by the ease and rapidity with which 
 
BOYHOOD 21 
 
 he solved every example. They plied him again and 
 again with the most difficult problems, but he mastered 
 them in every instance. "Well, sir," exclaimed the 
 author, somewhat piqued, " I think you could make the 
 key to this book." Isaac took the book, and in three 
 days returned it with every example worked out. 
 
 A very difficult problem was sent from Yale College to 
 the academy. While the teachers and scholars were puz- 
 zling over it, Isaac sat in thought for half an hour with 
 his hand to his head, then rapidly worked out the problem 
 on his slate and presented the solution. 
 
 Young as he was, it seems that he had thought enough 
 on religious subjects to become a decided Universalist 
 and Unitarian. A religious revival took place while he 
 was at the academy, and many of the scholars were 
 brought within its influence. Among others, one of the 
 teachers became " converted," and sought all means to 
 promote a similar experience among his pupils. In order 
 to remove the stumbling-blocks of doubt and ignorance, 
 he offered to answer any questions they might propound 
 on religious topics. The first question Isaac put, " Can 
 a sincere Universalist be saved ? " was met by a decided 
 and uncompromising " No." But the youth plied the 
 unfortunate zealot with such queries that he was forced 
 to confess his inability to answer them, and to withdraw 
 his offer. Once, when he wanted the whole class to 
 attend one of the revival meetings, he put it to them that 
 all who were willing to dispense with the afternoon ses- 
 sion and attend the meeting should rise. All promptly 
 stood up except Isaac, who resolutely kept his seat. 
 "Every one in favor except Stevens," exclaimed the 
 teacher with some bitterness, realizing the protest against 
 his own bigotry. In truth, the youth's sense of right 
 had been shocked by the doctrines he heard advanced ; 
 he was strongly opposed to such revival meetings, and 
 
22 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 his earnest nature would not bend in a matter of prin- 
 ciple. 
 
 At one of these meetings his two sisters, Hannah and 
 Susan, yielded to the exhortations and influences of the 
 occasion, and took their seats on the converts' or mourn- 
 ers' bench, as it was called. Perceiving this, Isaac imme- 
 diately marched up to the front, and made them both 
 leave the church with him, no slight proof of his influence 
 over them, older than himself. In fact, while they felt 
 great pride in his talents, his sisters had come still more 
 to respect and lean upon his sound judgment and firm 
 will. He lavished upon them all the great tenderness 
 and affection of his strong and earnest nature. 
 
 During his boyhood he was affected with excessive dif- 
 fidence, or bashfulness. With characteristic resolution 
 and good sense, he set himself to overcome this weakness. 
 He made it a point always to address any one whose 
 presence inspired this awkward feeling, but, he said, it 
 was years before he overcame it. 
 
 After a year and four months of this severe applica- 
 tion, Isaac completed his course at Phillips Academy. 
 He wished to study law with Mr. Hazen, but that gentle- 
 man discouraged the idea. At this juncture his uncle, 
 William Stevens, suggested West Point, and wrote to Mr. 
 Gayton P. Osgood, the member of Congress for the North 
 Essex District, in which Andover was situated, inquiring 
 if there was an appointment in his gift, and suggesting 
 Isaac's name. Mr. Osgood replied that there was no 
 vacancy. But uncle William was not satisfied ; he wrote 
 to William C. Phillips, the member representing the South 
 Essex District, by whom he was informed that no cadet 
 had been appointed from Mr. Osgood's district. Ac- 
 cordingly he formally made application in behalf of his 
 nephew. A lawyer by profession, and cashier of the An- 
 dover bank, he was a man of some influence. Mr. Ha&en 
 
BOYHOOD 23 
 
 and other friends joined their recommendations. Mr. 
 Phillips exerted a favorable influence, and although there 
 were other candidates with more influential backing, Mr. 
 Osgood 'bestowed upon Isaac the desired appointment. 
 Both uncle William and Mr. Hazen declared that the 
 recommendations had little weight, and that Mr. Osgood 
 selected him on account of his reputation for ability and 
 scholarship. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 WEST POINT 
 
 The following letter to his uncle William, written im- 
 mediately after his arrival at West Point, vividly portrays 
 the mingled emotions that stirred the heart of the raw 
 but ambitious country youth on reaching the goal of his 
 boyish hopes, — his ardent patriotism, awakened by the 
 historic scenes about him ; his ambition and determina- 
 tion to be first in his class, " by unflinching resolution, 
 indomitable perseverance, fixing his whole soul upon the 
 object he wishes to attain with concentrated and undivided 
 attention ; " his gratitude to his uncle and friends for his 
 appointment, and his affectionate regard for his family. 
 It is also significant of his self-reliant character that he 
 expresses no fears in regard to the impending exami- 
 nation for admission, but remarks, with well-grounded 
 confidence, that " there can be no difficulty in sustaining 
 myself with honor and respectability." 
 
 West Point, June 13, 1835. 
 Dear Uncle, — I now enjoy the long-anticipated happiness 
 of addressing you from West Point. And perhaps you may 
 ask, does it meet my expectations? I am not prepared to 
 answer this question fully at present, but will say that I like 
 my situation, although subject to very strict regulations, and 
 fully believe there can be no difficulty in obeying every regula- 
 tion and sustaining myself with honor and respectability. And 
 be assured that I always shall consider myself greatly indebted 
 to you for your kind exertions in my behalf, and it shall be my 
 determination to demean myself in such a manner as to con- 
 vince you and all my friends that their exertions have not been 
 thrown away. Here I am surrounded by young men from 
 
WEST POINT 25 
 
 every State in the Union, who are eagerly endeavoring to arrive 
 at distinction, many of whom have determined, and, what is 
 better still, will make every exertion to carry their resolve into 
 effect, to be first in their class. 
 
 Every one must buckle on his armor for the conflict : let him 
 be girded with unflinching resolution, indomitable perseverance, 
 decision and firmness of mind, singleness of purpose, integrity 
 of heart, let him fix his whole soul upon the object he wishes to 
 attain with concentrated and undivided attention, and he will 
 undoubtedly, with scarcely the possibility of a doubt, obtain 
 the post of honor. 
 
 The first class graduated yesterday. The whole number 
 attached to this class was 54, which is the greatest number that 
 ever graduated at any one time from this institution. There 
 were splendid fireworks last evening, which lasted until nine 
 o'clock. All the cadets were permitted to partake of the sport. 
 It is said that the cadets who leave here are so affected that 
 they even shed tears. Is it to be wondered at? Is there a 
 spot in the whole United States which is associated with so 
 many hallowed and pleasing recollections of the patriotism, of 
 the struggles, and of the victories of our Revolutionary fathers ? 
 We are as it were in the cradle of liberty, in the stronghold of 
 freedom, and may we be scions worthy of the tears and of the 
 blood of our Revolutionary sires : may I not disgrace my coun- 
 try, my State, and that character of proud disdain and patriotic 
 valor which inspired the heroes of Andover on the morn of 
 Bunker's fight ; and above all may I cherish that love of freedom 
 and sympathy for the sufferings of mankind which characterized 
 the life of Washington, of Kosciusko, and the other worthies of 
 the Revolution ; and in fine may I cherish a heart full of grati- 
 tude for those kind friends who by their exertions have assisted 
 me to procure my present situation. I shall be examined Mon- 
 day, and the encampment will be pitched on Tuesday. We 
 shall have no uniforms until the 4th of July, at which time the 
 new cadets mount guard. As soon as I have entered upon the 
 active duties of the station, I shall again write to Andover. 
 Give my love to father, mother, brother and sisters, to your 
 own family, and all inquiring friends, remembering me espe- 
 cially to grandmother. I remain your grateful nephew, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 Wm. Stevens, Esq. 
 
26 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 He entered the academy resolved to place himself at 
 the head of his class, not in presumptuous or ignorant 
 self-confidence, but fully recognizing the arduous struggle 
 before him. A boy of seventeen, with scanty advantages 
 of education, but inured to hard work and hard study, 
 he did not hesitate to contest the palm with youths older 
 and far better prepared than himself, of whom two at 
 least had received a collegiate education, and had publicly 
 avowed their determination to attain the first place. 
 These were Henry W. Halleck, of New York, distin- 
 guished as major-general, and at one time commanding 
 the army in the war of the Kebellion, and Henry J. 
 Biddle, of Philadelphia, both of whom were older in 
 years, of assured social position and wealthy connections, 
 accomplished French scholars, and well up in mathe- 
 matics; and one may fancy the derision with which they 
 regarded the rivalry of the undersized farmer's boy from 
 Andover. 
 
 " One evening," says General E. D. Townsend, late adjutant- 
 general of the army, " a classmate of mine, who was very fond 
 of mathematics, General Israel Vogdes, came to my room, and 
 told me there was a ' Plebe ' just entered from my State, who 
 was a fine mathematician already, and would stand ' head of 
 his class in math.' This interested me, and I went around to 
 offer to assist my fellow-statesman in entering on his career. 
 This was previous to his first encampment. I found Mr. 
 Stevens a modest, straightforward young man, who, in reply to 
 my offer of any assistance I could give him, informed me he 
 wanted to stand head of his class, — that he was not afraid of 
 mathematics, but knew nothing whatever of French. I at once 
 suggested to him to do what was sometimes but not often done, 
 to apply for permission to take lessons during the encampment 
 of one of the professors, for which a small compensation would 
 be allowed to be deducted from Mr. Stevens's pay. He caught 
 at this idea, and subsequently carried it out. The result was 
 he stood fourteenth in French in the first January examination, 
 and first in mathematics. This did not satisfy him, as I found 
 
WEST POINT 27 
 
 on congratulating him on what I deemed a most creditable 
 standing. The next June examination, by his untiring applica- 
 tion, he stood head both in mathematics and French. There 
 were some four young men in his class who were ripe scholars 
 when they entered West Point, and who were by no means 
 wanting in studious habits. 
 
 " The following year, drawing was added to the course. Mr. 
 Stevens came to me for more advice, saying he had not the 
 slightest notion of drawing. I suggested to him, first, great 
 care in his outlines to get them accurate, and then, if he found 
 on trial that he had no talent for shading, that by using a very 
 fine-pointed crayon, and making with patience and care light, 
 smooth marks, he might succeed in producing a well-finished 
 and pretty picture. He came to me shortly after to say that 
 he had improved upon my hint, for he first filled in the outline 
 with a fine pencil, and then traced over this with a coarse one 
 the prominent lines of the picture. Well, he stood head in 
 drawing, and this although at least one of his competitors was 
 quite expert with his pencil before he entered the academy. 
 As might be expected from the beginning, Mr. Stevens gradu- 
 ated at the head of his class in every branch throughout the 
 course." 
 
 Among his classmates, who afterwards rose to be gen- 
 erals in the army, will be recognized Henry W. Halleck ; 
 Henry J. Hunt, the distinguished chief of artillery of 
 the Army of the Potomac ; George Thorn ; Edward 0. C. 
 Ord; Edward E. S. Canby, who commanded the army 
 against Mobile in 1865, and was massacred by the Mo- 
 docs in 1873, when in command of the Department of 
 the Columbia ; and James B. Ricketts ; and in the Con- 
 federate army, Jeremy F. Gilmer. 
 
 Among those in the three classes above him, distin- 
 guished as generals in the army, were Montgomery C. 
 Meiggs, quartermaster-general during the war, Daniel 
 P. Woodbury, James Lowry Donaldson, Thomas W. 
 Sherman, Henry H. Lockwood, John W. Phelps, Robert 
 Allen, of the class of '36. 
 
28 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Henry W. Benham, Alexander B. Dyer, S. Parker 
 Scammon, Israel Vogdes, Edward D. Townsend, William 
 H. French, John Sedgwick, the soldierly and steadfast 
 commander of the Sixth Corps, beloved of his troops, 
 Joseph Hooker, John B. S. Todd, of the class of '37 ; 
 and on the Confederate side, Braxton Bragg, Jubal A. 
 Early, Edmond Bradford, and John C. Pemberton. 
 
 William F. Barry, Irvin C. McDowell, Robert S. 
 Granger, Justus McKinstry, Charles F. Ruff, and Andrew 
 J. Smith, of the class of '38, and P. G. T. Beauregard, 
 the distinguished Confederate leader, as also William J. 
 Hardee, Edward Johnson, and Alexander W. Reynolds. 
 
 In the class of '40 were the distinguished W. T. Sher- 
 man, George H. Thomas, George W. Getty, Stewart Van 
 Vleit, and William Hays ; and on the Southern side, John 
 P. McCawn, Richard S. Ewell, and Bushrod R. Johnson. 
 
 In the class of '41 were Zealous B. Tower, Horatio G. 
 Wright, Amiel W. Whipple, Albion W. Howe, Nathaniel 
 Lyon, John M. Brannon, and Schuyler Hamilton 
 
 In the class of '42 were Henry L. Eustis, John New- 
 ton, William S. Rosecrans, Barton S. Alexander, John 
 Pope, Seth Williams, Abner Doubleday, Napoleon J. T. 
 Dana, Ralph W. Kirkham, and George Sykes ; among 
 the Confederates, James Longstreet, D. H. Hill, Gustavus 
 W. Smith, Mansfield Lovell, Lafayette McLaws, and Earl 
 Van Dorn. 
 
 Now fairly entered upon the life and duties of a cadet, 
 his intense and ardent nature found full occupation. His 
 ambition was aroused. Hard study agreed with him. 
 The days sped rapidly and pleasantly away. He fell into 
 companionship with the most talented and high-spirited 
 young men. Nor, time and attention all absorbed by 
 severe application, did he sink into a mere bookworm. 
 Every morning before breakfast, rain or shine, he walked 
 around the post for exercise, a distance of two miles. 
 
WEST POINT 29 
 
 He shared, too, in the escapades natural to a free and 
 spirited youth, and did not always come off scot-free from 
 these scrapes, for his name stands forty-third on the con- 
 duct roll for the first year. 
 
 "I have never been homesick for a single minute since I 
 have been here," he writes his sisters Hannah and Elizabeth, 
 September 8, 1835 ; " I never passed three months more plea- 
 santly in my life, and since I commenced my studies time never 
 seemed more fleeting. We are obliged to stand guard once a 
 week, drill every day, have a dress parade, with roll calls, etc. 
 We study ten and a half hours a day, two and a half of which 
 are spent in the recitation room. I have recited four lessons 
 in algebra and three in French, and I think I can get my 
 maximum unless sick, or otherwise disabled, that is, miss no 
 questions in any of my studies the coming year. I can get 
 both of my lessons in half an hour, and I shall have much 
 leisure time. If I had some Greek books I think I could pass 
 my time to better advantage. 
 
 " I like the military life very much. There is as fine a set 
 of fellows here as ever breathed the air. We study hard, eat 
 hearty, sleep sound, and play little. In camp every one was 
 wide awake for a scrape, or for any kind of fun. But in bar- 
 racks we are as sober and steady as Quakers. We go to the 
 section room with long and solemn faces. I assure you we 
 know that by study and severe application alone we can keep 
 our places. I admire the spirit which pervades the whole class. 
 The common remark is, 'I intend to bone it with all my 
 might.' To bone it means to study hard. Every one seems 
 determined to rise, or keep his present standing at any rate. 
 We are divided in four sections in mathematics, and seven in 
 French, arranged in alphabetical order. . Consequently I stand 
 in the last section in each. A transfer will be made in the 
 course of the week, those who do best being put in the higher 
 sections, and those who do worst into the lower sections. I 
 hope to rise in both. That I may do so, I intend to get my 
 lessons in the best possible manner. It shall be my aim not 
 only to understand my lessons, but to convince my instructors 
 that I understand them. To do this I must accustom myself 
 
30 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 to collect my ideas readily, to be free from embarrassment and 
 trepidation, and always to be perfectly calm and self-possessed." 
 
 TO HANNAH. 
 
 November 28. 
 
 I am doing pretty well. My health is strong and vigorous. 
 I am not only contented with my situation, but like it very 
 much indeed. We are kept tremendously strict, I assure you. I 
 was visiting last Wednesday evening, and they arrested me for 
 it, and did not release me until this evening, and in addition to 
 that they obliged me to perform an extra tour of Sunday guard 
 duty, which is very tough, I assure you, this cold weather. 
 
 Uncle William, it seems, was disappointed at his early 
 standing in the class, and wrote him rather a reproachful 
 letter of exhortation and advice, winding up with the 
 wish that he should stand first in mathematics by the end 
 of the year. In reply he explains that his first rating 
 was low because his name came near the end of the 
 alphabet. 
 
 West Point, December 5, 1835. 
 
 Dear Uncle, — Your letter was received yesterday, and read 
 with much pleasure. I feel gratified that I still retain your 
 confidence, and that you expect me to sustain an honorable 
 stand. It is also rather flattering than otherwise to know that 
 you feel disappointed because I have nothing more than a re- 
 spectable standing in my class, for it shows that your estimate 
 of my abilities is as high as, perhaps higher than, it should be. 
 I assure you that your wish shall be gratified not only within 
 the close of the first year, but within the first six months, if it 
 is within my power. Should my stand be no higher than at 
 present, you must not feel disappointed. For such a stand is 
 not only "very respectable" but very high in a class like ours. 
 I beg of you, however, to think no more of the communication, 
 because my stand even then was much higher than 19. The 
 sections since then have been rearranged, and I have risen very 
 much. You must also recollect that at first I was within seven 
 of the foot both in M. and F. In two weeks I rose 25 men in 
 M. and 30 in F. I then remained in the second section in 
 
WEST POINT 31 
 
 mathematics till the middle of November, when I was trans- 
 ferred to the first section. 
 
 There are only two in our class who have got the maximum 
 at every recitation both in M. and F. since the commencement 
 of our studies ; these are cadet Biddle from Penn. and a fellow 
 from Mass., whose birthplace, I believe, is Andover. I am 
 now at the head of my section in French. My present stand- 
 ing in M. is as high as the highest, and it is considered so by 
 every member of my class. There are four of us in M. who 
 have done equally well, that is, we have each of us got the maxi- 
 mum, done all the extras, and demonstrate equally as well. 
 Their names are H. J. Biddle, of Penn., I. Butler, of Va., H. 
 
 W. Halleck, of N. Y., and , of Mass. I have often 
 
 thought of the advice you gave me, and I hope I have profited 
 by it. I have spent two hours in studying other authors, and. 
 in learning to demonstrate eloquently and with perspicuity, to 
 every hour devoted to the text-book. In French I have risen 
 more than any other man in the class. My stand at first was 
 67th, now it is 22d. When I came, I had scarcely looked into 
 a French book for five years, and could not pronounce a single 
 syllable. And, believe me, it is not egotism which prompts me 
 to say this, but it is in order to put to rest all your apprehen- 
 sions on my account. I also wish to assure you that I associate 
 with none whom I ought not to respect. 
 
 West Point, December 20, 1835. 
 Dear Father, — You have probably received a communica- 
 tion from the War Department giving my stand for the month 
 of November, which I hope will give you better satisfaction 
 than the last return. I think my general standing in January 
 will be still better. I shall be examined one fortnight from 
 to-morrow, and I intend to. do my best. My standing will 
 greatly depend upon it. At the examination, each one has a 
 demonstration to perform, besides some 20 or 30 questions to 
 answer. If my demonstration is good, and the answers to all 
 my questions are correct, my stand will remain in mathematics 
 at least as good as it was in November, which, I presume, is 
 fourth. In French I think I shall rise considerably, because 
 my mark is as good as any one's, and I think I have gained the 
 good-will of my teacher. Very much depends upon this. We 
 
32 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 can always secure their esteem by being attentive and respect- 
 ful, and, last though not least, by paying considerable attention 
 to our personal appearance. Lieutenant Church, my professor 
 in mathematics, and Mr. Molinard, my professor in French, are 
 both very fine men and accomplished teachers. The latter is a 
 Frenchman. 
 
 I am acquainted with many Westerners, who generally are 
 very fine fellows. They are generally very generous and open- 
 hearted, and it is very easy to get acquainted with them. There 
 have been two duels fought between cadets since I have been 
 here, though no ill consequences followed. In each case the 
 combatants were Westerners. If they had been found out, they, 
 together with the seconds, would have been dismissed. 
 
 Our State does the best of any in the fourth class. There 
 are three in the first section in mathematics, and two in the first 
 section in French. Penn. has two in each. Henry J. Biddle, 
 of Penn., will probably be head in mathematics in January. 
 His name comes before those who have an equal mark with him ; 
 he is a splendid mathematician, and has graduated at a college, 
 and was undoubtedly better prepared than any other member 
 of the class. He will also be head in French. We have a 
 splendid collection of Philosophical, Mathematical, and Histor- 
 ical works in our library. There is no difficulty in getting 
 books, and I intend to avail myself of its many advantages. 
 There is a universal history of modern times, consisting of 42 
 volumes. I am now reading Kollin's Ancient History. Our 
 evenings are very busy. We study from half past five till ten. 
 
 It is noticeable in his letters that he finds the regular 
 course of studies very easy, owing undoubtedly not less 
 to the remarkable native powers of his mind than to his 
 habits of study and faculty of intense application. Yet, 
 as in boyhood, not content with the prescribed curriculum, 
 and spurred on by his ambition to achieve the headship of 
 his class, he takes extra French lessons, spends "two hours 
 in studying other authors, and in learning to demonstrate 
 eloquently and with perspicuity, to every hour devoted 
 to the text-book," and reads Kollin's Ancient History. 
 
WEST POINT 33 
 
 Such indomitable resolution and energy combined with 
 great ability could not fail. In six months he had gained 
 a high place in the first section, and had become the com- 
 petitor with three others for the leadership. He writes 
 uncle William, who has congratulated him on his stand- 
 ing, and now thinks it best to caution him against study- 
 ing too hard : — 
 
 West Point, February 1, 1836. 
 
 Dear Uncle, — It was very gratifying to learn that my 
 standing was so satisfactory to my friends. Since it has been 
 attained by no extra exertion, it is incumbent on me to deserve 
 to sustain it for the future by strict and unwearied attention to 
 all my academic studies. 
 
 Your caution respecting hard study shall be observed, for the 
 very good reason that it is impossible to do otherwise. The 
 regulations in this respect are very good, and are such as to 
 secure to each one the privilege of studying as much as is 
 necessary, while it restrains all from over-exertion. We retire 
 at ten and rise at six. Of the remaining sixteen, four hours are 
 devoted to recreation, meals, etc., and twelve to study. Of these 
 twelve hours, two and one half are spent in the section room. 
 The intercourse between the cadets is so free and uninterrupted 
 that it is impossible to study except during study hours. Surely 
 twelve hours' study per day ought to injure no one of a sound 
 constitution. 
 
 Our class will have a society next fall. Every class, except 
 the fourth, has one or more societies, which meet every Satur- 
 day evening. We have some very fine speakers in the corps, 
 and many take great pains to improve themselves. 
 
 You wish to know our uniforms, rations, etc. Our uniform 
 is gray. Our pantaloons are made as usual, except a stripe 
 of black velvet on each leg. Cousin Charles can describe our 
 coats, which are the same both winter and summer. In sum- 
 mer we wear white pants made of Russia drilling. 
 
 Remember me to all inquiring friends, especially to grand- 
 mother and your own family. 
 
 Your nephew, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 N. B. Tell our folks to write soon. 
 
34 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 To his sister Susan : — 
 
 West Point, February 23, 1836. 
 
 Dear Sister, — Be assured that advice from you, and advice 
 from all those whom I know to be my friends, will afford me 
 the greatest pleasure, and will always be received with the 
 most respectful attention. The disgusting habits of chewing, 
 smoking, etc., I abominate, and therefore shall never indulge 
 in them. As for drinks, either distilled or fermented, I do not 
 use them, because in the first place they cannot be obtained, 
 and, in the second place, I have no desire for them. The fact 
 of the case is, that in barracks there are no temptations offered 
 us but what every one who has any mind could easily resist. 
 In camp it is not the case ; then many temptations are offered 
 us, to which we are in great danger of yielding, since we have 
 much leisure. When a person has his whole time employed, 
 there is little danger of falling into bad habits. Last fall, when 
 I commenced the Algebra, I had very little to do, and came very 
 near contracting some very bad habits, as sleeping in the morn- 
 ing, etc., which at first required some little difficulty in break- 
 ing ; but now I do not think of such a thing, not even Sunday 
 mornings, and I often rise at four or five o'clock. This is owing 
 to having hard lessons to get. You mention that you are study- 
 ing Latin and like it very much. I have but one caution to 
 give you on this subject, which is, get your grammar perfectly. 
 Everything depends upon this. You can never make a good 
 Latin scholar unless you know everything about the grammar. 
 Since you are studying French, I intend next encampment to 
 write you a letter in French, which you must answer, and we 
 will correct each other. "We use Levisac's Grammar, and at 
 every lesson get about half a page of exercises, and are obliged 
 to get them so that we can write any sentence our Prof, gives 
 us upon the blackboard without referring to the books. We 
 are now writing sentences upon the pronomial verbs. We get 
 for our translation eight pages in Charles XII. per day. Our 
 teacher, Mr. Bevard (the author of the French Lessons), is a 
 very good linguist, and the most thorough teacher I ever was 
 under. He is very particular about our pronunciation, and cor- 
 rects us very frequently. I think by June I shall be able to 
 pronounce French pretty well and read it fluently, and shall 
 endeavor to rise considerably. 
 
WEST POINT 35 
 
 You must write whenever you can find it convenient, and 
 your letters shall always be punctually answered. I observe 
 that you pay the postage. I wish that you would allow me to 
 pay it, as I think I am better able to do it than you. Remem- 
 ber me to all inquiring friends. 
 
 Your brother, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 Miss S. B. Stevens. 
 
 His letters show the maturity of the mind and judg- 
 ment of the youth of seventeen, and exhibit a slight 
 formality and precision that indicates that he was taking 
 pains in the composition. His correspondence must have 
 taken no little time. His great, warm heart went out 
 towards all his relations, and he was frequently writing 
 to his uncle William, and his cousins in Andover and 
 Salem, Mass., in Albany, Maine, and in Nashville, Tenn. 
 He wrote constantly to his father and sisters, keenly alive 
 to their welfare and happiness. The latter were beginning 
 to scatter widely from the paternal roof -tree. Hannah, 
 the eldest, was at Haverhill, earning her livelihood. Susan 
 was attending the female seminary at the South Parish 
 (Andover); Mary was at Methuen, at Mr. Stephen Bar- 
 ker's ; and only Sarah and Elizabeth remained at home. 
 Deeply sympathizing with them, he comforts them, urges 
 them to treat their stepmother with respect, and touch- 
 ingly alludes to their father's unfortunate condition, his 
 growing infirmities, and his sincere affection for and 
 devotion to his children. 
 
 The first academic year rolled rapidly away. One 
 day, as the examination drew near, Halleck and Biddle 
 were comparing notes as to the prospects. " That little 
 Stevens," said the former, "is driving ahead like the 
 devil, and he is sure to be first in mathematics. I don't 
 think he can beat me in French, at any rate." " And 
 I am sure," rejoined Biddle, " that he cannot touch me 
 
36 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 in drawing next year. One thing I have made up my 
 mind to, — if he gains the head of the class over me, 
 I shall resign." This dialogue was overheard, and re- 
 peated to " little Stevens," who related it in after years 
 with some amusement. 
 
 He had pursued his object with unflagging zeal, energy, 
 and determination during the year, but, reflecting how 
 heavily he was handicapped in the race by men like 
 Biddle, Butler, and Halleek, so much older and farther 
 advanced in their studies at the beginning, he might 
 well feel anxious. He entered the examination room, as 
 he describes it, cool and collected, with nerves high- 
 strung yet under perfect control, and fully determined to 
 come out ahead. He was not disappointed. He rose to 
 the first place, — a place, once achieved, which no com- 
 petitor was to wrest from him. 
 
 Camp Jones, July 6, 1836. 
 
 Dear Uncle, — I received your letter by Mr. Johnson, and 
 although short it was very acceptable. . . . We had a fine 
 time on the Fourth of July, an oration, dinner, etc. I had a 
 great desire to spend the Fourth at New York city. I applied 
 and obtained a leave of two days, commencing on Sunday noon 
 and ending on Tuesday ; had a very fine time, — went to the 
 Navy Yard, Brooklyn, got introduced to about half a dozen 
 midshipmen, etc. The military were out, as well as several 
 societies. In the evening I went to the theatre, where Celeste 
 danced as usual. 
 
 Since we have been in camp we have had a very easy time, 
 nothing to do but go on guard two or three times per week, 
 attend roll calls and dress parades. Next week we will be 
 drilled three times per day as well as recite in infantry tactics, 
 and attend the dancing-school. I have come to the determina- 
 tion to study French this encampment : shall commence next 
 week. I cannot reasonably expect to keep my present standing 
 in that branch unless I exert myself. I can translate quite 
 readily, but I write quite indifferently, and can speak it but 
 very little, whereas there are three immediately below me who 
 
WEST POINT 37 
 
 can read, write, and speak the language very well. Why the 
 Board placed me above them is more than I can conceive. 
 Two of them have told me they would rise me, and I have told 
 them they should not do it. If they do rise me, I shall not 
 complain ; and if they do not, so much the better. As to mathe- 
 matics, I have no cause for fear, — both Biddle and Halleck 
 admit I ought to stand head, and my professor had no doubts 
 about who should be placed there. As soon as we reenter bar- 
 racks, we commence drawing. Success in this branch depends 
 as much (and perhaps even more) upon persevering applica- 
 tion as on a natural taste. I intend to do my very best, other- 
 wise I shall fall very much in general merit, even should I 
 keep my standing in other branches. Biddle will stand head, 
 or near the head, in D., as he now draws very well. If he was 
 third in D. and I was twelfth, he would rise me in general 
 merit. Our merit rolls will be published in about two weeks. 
 I am entitled to five, and shall send one home. In this roll the 
 standing of every cadet, the class to which he belongs, and the 
 number of his demerits are published. Mass. stands better in 
 my class than any other State. Greene and Grafton, both from 
 Boston, stand ninth and tenth. But there was one from Salem 
 found deficient in French, although he passed well in M. I 
 think he is a smart fellow, and will stand high next year. His 
 name is Humber. He had been a sailor for six years, and 
 French came very hard to him by reason of the very limited 
 knowledge he had of language. I suppose that the farmers 
 must have begun haying in good earnest. I should much prefer 
 working on a farm for two or three months to the life I now 
 lead. It is now thirteen months since I have done any work to 
 which I have hitherto been accustomed, and I shall probably 
 soon get my hand out. Many of the cadets, chiefly those who 
 come from the slavery States, have a great contempt for our 
 Yankee farmers, and even pretend to compare them with their 
 slaves. They have the greatest contempt for all those who gain 
 a subsistence by the sweat of their brows. For my own part I 
 shall always respect every man who is honest and industrious, 
 and more particularly those who live in the manner that has 
 been ordained by God himself ; and whenever any man, in 
 conversation with me or in my hearing, compares that class, of 
 
38 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 which I am proud to be one, with slaves, I shall always consider 
 it as an insult offered to myself, and shall act accordingly. Re- 
 member me to all inquiring friends. Write when convenient. 
 
 Your nephew, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 Wm. Stevens, Esq. 
 
 Camp Jones, West Point, August 16, 1836. 
 
 Dear Uncle, — You probably have seen most of my letters 
 that I have written home this encampment ; you will see that I 
 have taken things fair and easy, and have had quite a pleasant 
 time. I can always get a permission to walk into the country 
 whenever I ask for it, so that, between attending my military 
 duties, dancing, rambling about in the country, and reading 
 novels, I could not do otherwise than pass my time pleasantly. 
 I cut rather a sorry figure dancing, as might be expected, but 
 there is a chance for improvement, which I intend to make the 
 best of. 
 
 There is a standing society in the corps called the Dialectic 
 Society. Ten or fifteen persons are selected from each class 
 except the fourth class, so that it consists of forty or fifty 
 members. The society is continued by selecting the above 
 number from every new class after it has been here one year. 
 I intend to get elected into it, if possible. They have a fine 
 collection of books to the amount of several hundred volumes. 
 There are also many fine speakers in it, and many of them take 
 great pains to improve themselves, even to the neglect of their 
 studies. This is unquestionably bad policy. It is losing a 
 dollar for the sake of saving a sixpence ; but there is no kind 
 of difficulty in paying proper attention to our studies, and 
 improving ourselves in writing and speaking : by writing, I of 
 course mean composing. If you will examine our merit rolls, 
 you will see that Jennings and Halbert, of the second class, are 
 among the deficients. These men were decidedly the best writ- 
 ers in the class, and the former was the orator on the Fourth 
 of July. As it is always better to act than to talk, so they 
 have missed it in neglecting their studies in order to become 
 good speakers. 
 
 As I stand head in French, you may possibly suppose I can 
 speak the language. Such is not the case ; but one thing is 
 
WEST POINT 39 
 
 certain, I am determined to be able to speak it one year from 
 
 this time. But how I shall do it is another thing. I can write 
 
 it some, but it will require great pains to be able to write it 
 
 correctly and speak it fluently. Neither time nor patience shall 
 
 be wanting on my part in order to accomplish both the above 
 
 objects. As soon as we commence studying, I intend to have a 
 
 talk with Mr. Bevard, the head teacher in French, and a most 
 
 estimable man, about it, and do as he directs me. 
 
 In return for this I shall expect a good long letter, telling 
 
 me all the news and giving me good advice. Remember me to 
 
 all inquiring friends, to Aunt Eliza, and cousins Eliza, William, 
 
 Susan, and George. 
 
 I remain your nephew, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 Wm. Stevens, Esq. 
 
 West Point, September 1, 1836. 
 
 Dear Father, — In my letters you often have me write 
 
 about my leave next year. I look forward to this with a great 
 
 deal of pleasure. As you may well suppose, I want to see my 
 
 friends very much. How long a leave had I better get? I 
 
 can have ten weeks if I choose, or a shorter time. I am now a 
 
 corporal, and shall probably be made a sergeant next June. 
 
 If I get a leave of ten weeks, I cannot keep my office. But if 
 
 I retain it, my leave will not exceed four or five weeks ; but to 
 
 make up for this I could get as long a leave the year after ; 
 
 whereas, if I resigned my office and took the ten weeks' leave, I 
 
 could get no leave the next encampment. The office now is not 
 
 worth much, but it is very well to have it when I am in the 
 
 first class, for then I shall be made a lieutenant, if my conduct 
 
 is good. What had I best do ? If I continue to be head in 
 
 mathematics, there is a chance of my being made an assistant 
 
 professor in M. next year. Two of the cadet professors will 
 
 then graduate, and their places will have to be filled. I do not 
 
 think, however, it is best to place any dependence upon it. If 
 
 there was an even chance of my being made such, I would not 
 
 hesitate about resigning my office, if you should think it best 
 
 to obtain a leave of ten weeks. 
 
 Your son, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 Mr. Isaac Stevens. 
 
40 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 West Point, September 2, 1836. 
 
 Dear Father, — Yesterday we commenced our studies. 
 We entered the barracks the 30th of August. The ball on the 
 29th was a most splendid one, and the hall was very full. We 
 made use of the mess-hall, which was decorated in fine style. 
 Our band was present, and their performances served to in- 
 crease their reputation. The ball was continued until after 
 three o'clock, but I did not remain after half past one. It 
 was estimated that nearly six hundred visitors were present. 
 As this is the only thing of the kind we have during the year, 
 the corps take unusual pains to have everything done in the 
 best manner, and great care was taken that the whole should 
 present quite a military appearance. Many of the lamps were 
 encircled by brightly burnished bayonets, which served as 
 reflectors. Directly in front of the hall was a battery of can- 
 non, in rear of which sentinels were stationed to keep off those 
 who had no right to be present. I enjoyed myself very much, 
 and took part in several cotillions. 
 
 We marched into barracks the day after the ball, and were 
 allowed a day or two to arrange things. My situation is much 
 different now from what it was one year since. Now I have 
 attained a situation which then I scarcely hoped for. Now I 
 am surrounded with my classmates and friends, when one year 
 since I had no friends ; for we were strangers to each other, 
 and consequently displayed that cold civility, and uttered those 
 unmeaning compliments, which distinguish the intercourse of 
 strangers. One year since I was unknown to the officers of 
 the institution ; now I trust I have secured the confidence and 
 esteem of those with whom I have come in contact. Then I 
 was a poor plebe, who had not passed his January examination ; 
 now I no longer bear that title, but possess the privileges and 
 the name of an old cadet. 
 
 The fourth class is a very large one, upwards of a hundred. 
 Next June I do not believe upwards of sixty will be left, and it 
 is doubtful whether upwards of forty-five graduate, so many 
 are found deficient and discharged. My room-mates are the 
 same as last year, with the exception of Mr. Bacon. I think 
 we shall always room together, at least I hope so. Both Car- 
 penter and Callender are hard students and steady fellows. 
 
WEST POINT 41 
 
 The former is a very smart man. The latter you will find, by 
 reference to some of my old letters, roomed with me before 
 January, resigned, and was reappointed this year. I do not 
 expect to stand first next January, but think my standing will 
 not be below second. Drawing will come hard to me, and I shall 
 stand quite low the first three or four months. No efforts of 
 my own shall be wanting to secure a good standing in this 
 branch. We spend six hours per week in the drawing acad- 
 emy, but I intend to practice twelve hours per week in my 
 own room. 
 
 Your son, 
 
 Isaac A. Stevens. 
 Mr. Isaac Stevens. 
 
 From early boyhood General Stevens made a strong 
 impression upon every one he met. Undersized, and* at 
 first glance insignificant in appearance, his intense indi- 
 viduality and intellect were always deeply felt. At once 
 he commanded the respect of the professors at the acad- 
 emy ; and their recollections of him, and of his charac- 
 teristics, were still vivid after the lapse of forty years, 
 and the continual passing of an army of youth before 
 their eyes. Said Professor W. H. C. Bartlett, July 16, 
 1877, who was professor of natural and experimental 
 philosophy : — 
 
 " General Stevens was a small, undersized young man when 
 he entered West Point, very modest in demeanor. He had 
 the habit of speaking carefully and distinctly, and of clearly 
 and precisely expressing the exact idea he wished to convey. 
 His mind was comprehensive, given to generalizations ; he had 
 the faculty of generalizing, of always thinking out first prin- 
 ciples. In solving a mathematical problem, he would apply the 
 principles which governed the class of problems, and not simply 
 seek a solution of the single one before him. He was very 
 early regarded by the faculty as a man of great talent and 
 promise, sure to take a high stand in his class and in the world. 
 He was' popular with his class, but his popularity arose more 
 from their opinion of his abilities than from social qualities. The 
 
42 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 professors soon felt that whatever he said was worthy of atten- 
 tion. I recollect that he took an active part in the Dialectic 
 Society, and recollect his moving the books 'and busying him- 
 self in the room. Biddle was his competitor for the headship 
 of the class, and after he left there was practically no one to 
 contest the honors with him. 
 
 " Halleck's was an entirely different mind from Stevens's, — 
 less comprehensive, less devoted to original research, to prin- 
 ciples. Halleck was strong in history, in precedents. 
 
 " I recollect Stevens's answer when a witness before a court 
 of inquiry, — how he knew that a party had done so and so, — if 
 he had said so. ' No,' replied he, ' he did not say so, but what 
 he said and his manner combined convinced me of the fact; 
 and the manner is a great part of any conversation.' When 
 he graduated, he stood not only at the head of his class, but 
 among the highest that ever graduated from the academy." 
 
 Professor A. E. Church (of mathematics) writes July 
 
 27, 1877 : — 
 
 " My recollection of your father as a cadet at West Point is 
 very vivid. I remember him as an earnest, industrious student, 
 strictly attentive to every duty. He possessed mathematical 
 talents of the highest order, standing in this branch, as in every 
 other, at the head of his class, notwithstanding rival classmates 
 of great abilities. A distinguishing trait which he possessed in 
 a remarkable degree, and, from what I know of his after life, 
 continued ever prominent, was an unhesitating readiness to 
 apply and carry on strictly and systematically every principle 
 he had learned, never failing to come to the right result. 
 
 " While others were pondering over the intricacies of a 
 mathematical proposition, often in vain seeking some shorter 
 way or more curious result, he seemed at once to grasp the most 
 practicable rule, and straight onward to pursue it to an end 
 which admitted of no doubt. 
 
 " Though admirably adapted for a military commander and 
 great engineer, had he selected the profession of the law he 
 would have been prominent among the most distinguished law- 
 yers of the age. His early death was a serious loss to the army 
 and country, and with his many friends was sincerely mourned 
 by myself." 
 
WEST POINT 43 
 
 The grasp and thoroughness of his mind, his power 
 of generalization, of seeking and mastering first princi- 
 ples, which Mr. Hazen remarked in the boy, impressed 
 the West Point professors, too, as the prominent mental 
 characteristic of the youth. 
 
 Says General Zealous B. Tower : — 
 
 " I roomed with Cadet Stevens for four months in one of the 
 small rooms in the south barracks. Stephen D. Carpenter was 
 the other occupant of that limited living and bed room. Each 
 cadet was provided with a small mattress, to be spread upon 
 the floor when needed, and when unoccupied to be rolled up 
 in its canvas, well strapped, and put into a corner of the room. 
 Later, iron bedsteads were introduced, but the mattresses were 
 never unrolled and spread until the hour for retiring. A cadet 
 inspector visited the rooms half an hour after reveille ; the offi- 
 cer of the day also inspected them, and the company officers 
 also went the rounds. Tattoo at 9.30 p. m. was the signal for 
 retiring, and taps at ten p. M. for putting out all lights, when 
 one of the officers again inspected each ' stoup,' or floor, of 
 the barracks. 
 
 " Stevens's duties as assistant professor of mathematics occu- 
 pied an hour and a half each day, taking that portion of time 
 from his study hours ; but it did not interfere with his studies, 
 for he possessed quick intelligence, and great concentration of his 
 mental powers. This faculty was very pronounced, and would 
 have given him distinction in any profession that he might have 
 undertaken, and the more so that it was allied to industrious 
 habits and an enthusiastic nature. He never plodded over his 
 lessons, but often finished them in half the time allotted to their 
 acquisition. Stevens was a pleasant room-mate, being very 
 genial, kind, and considerate to others. He never failed in his 
 friendships, or in anything that appeared a duty to his fellows. 
 He was popular among those of his associates who valued ster- 
 ling, manly qualities, and among the most prominent members 
 of his corps. He spoke rapidly when a matter of interest 
 engaged his attention, for he thought rapidly. Though rather 
 short in stature, his large head and very expressive, intelligent 
 eyes made him noticeable and attractive in conversation, engag- 
 
44 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 ing the marked attention of his auditors. His enthusiasm and 
 strong convictions gave an energy to his manner of discussing 
 favorite topics that lent the charm of eloquence to his speech." 
 
 West Point, March 11, 1836. 
 
 Dear Father, — Last week we commenced Calculus. This 
 is considered the most difficult branch of mathematics. Our 
 text-book is a compilation from the most distinguished French 
 mathematicians by Professor Davies. We have about ten 
 pages per lesson, and will be about five weeks going through it. 
 We next study surveying, which ends our course in mathe- 
 matics. 
 
 Since the examination I have attended the drawing academy 
 every day, the regular attendance being every other day. Were 
 I two files higher in this branch, it would put me head in gen- 
 eral merit. I am now drawing our Saviour, represented as a 
 child. I have been at work on it for about four weeks. It 
 will probably take me eight weeks more to finish it. It is very 
 slow work, I assure you, but as our standing depends entirely 
 upon the excellence and not upon the number of pieces, I 
 consider the time is not lost, provided what I do is done well. 
 
 It seems there is a very great excitement in Congress respect- 
 ing the slavery question. It must afford pleasure to every 
 friend of free discussion to learn that the South did not suc- 
 ceed in the resolutions censuring Mr. Adams. At the same 
 time, I think he is unnecessarily agitating this dangerous ques- 
 tion, and that his zeal will tend to awaken only feelings and 
 desires which should never be cherished. Is not the dissolu- 
 tion of the Union a subject of fearful foreboding ? Ought then 
 the sages of our land like Mr. Adams at this time to agitate a 
 question which in the opinion of the South infringes upon their 
 rights, and which, inflexible as we know them to be in their 
 maintenance, will cause them to look upon a secession from the 
 Union as the only means of preserving them ? The South are 
 sensible of the evils of slavery. They deplore the existence of 
 this curse, entailed upon them against their consent by the arbi- 
 trary decrees of England, and I believe that (if left to them- 
 selves) they will adopt some measures to rid themselves of it. 
 
 Your son, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
*^T 
 
 INFANT JESUS 
 
 Crayon drawing at West Point 
 
WEST POINT 45 
 
 West Point, March 5, 1836. 
 
 Dear Sister, — I received your letter this morning inform- 
 ing me of aunt Eliza's death. She was certainly the finest 
 woman I ever knew, and the remembrance of her engaging 
 qualities will long be cherished. Uncle William is very much 
 to be pitied. 
 
 Have you any school in view now for next summer ? You also 
 appear to be very much interested in Latin. I detested Latin 
 when I first commenced to study it, but I soon brought myself 
 to like it. So it is with drawing. I take more pleasure in 
 drawing than in anything else. I like it full as well as reading 
 novels. In my last you will recollect that I wrote of the piece 
 I was then drawing. I have now got it most half done. I was 
 all last week (two hours per day) drawing one eye, a part of 
 another one, and one curl of hair. You can see by this that I 
 draw very slowly, much slower than any one in my class. The 
 time spent in the drawing academy seems shorter than any 
 other part of the day, and I have not yet felt any impatience at 
 my slowness in drawing since I have commenced my last piece, 
 a sure sign that I like it very much. 
 
 Your brother, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 Miss Susan B. Stevens. 
 
 Dear Sister Elizabeth, — You spoke of Mr. Maynard 
 thinking I ought to be content with my present standing, and 
 ought not to expect to stand higher. Be that as it may, one 
 thing is certain, that I will never cease to try for number one till 
 I have got it again, and were I convinced that it was almost an 
 impossibility, I would still try. I like the reply of General Miller 
 to his superior officer in the last war, when, being directed to 
 attack and carry a battery of cannon on an almost inaccessible 
 eminence, the silencing of which was indispensable, made this 
 answer only, ' I will try,' and with the most determined cour- 
 age carried it in an almost incredibly short space of time. I 
 don't like backing out ; it is contemptible. I shall, however, be 
 contented with whatever standing is given me, and since I have 
 been here I have always endeavored to prepare myself for any 
 contingency. This is absolutely necessary. It is the only way 
 to guard against envy, jealousy, and all those mean and degrad- 
 
46 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 ing passions to which the human heart is prone. Harry Biddle 
 and myself are now the only members of our class who are con- 
 tending for head, yet I don't believe there are two men in the 
 class on better terms. He is one of the finest young men I ever 
 knew ; and although he was very much disappointed last June, 
 he never uttered a word showing he harbored the least ill-will 
 against me. When the result of the June examination was 
 known, he came and congratulated me, but told me he meant to 
 rise me. In January it appeared he had redeemed his word, 
 and so I went and congratulated him, and balanced the account. 
 This is the only way to get along, for if we allow those passions 
 I have mentioned to obtain the least ascendency over us, it will 
 render us disagreeable and unhappy. There are eleven of us in 
 four rooms, which are contiguous to each other, who are all 
 good friends, and we enjoy ourselves as much as any other eleven 
 men in the corps. 
 
 At the end of the second academic year he again stood 
 head of his class, and had the pleasure of announcing his 
 success to his father. He stood seventeen on the con- 
 duct roll, having eleven demerits. 
 
 West Point, June 18, 1836. 
 Deak Father, — I received a letter from Oliver a few days 
 since. He says he is " going a-gunning " on his birthday, and 
 wishes me to be at home to keep him company. I wish this 
 could be the case, but under present circumstances I shall not 
 come home until the last of July, and my leave will last but 
 four weeks only. I did not know this till about a week ago, 
 and I have deferred writing to be able to give you my stand- 
 ing. The examination was closed yesterday. My standing is 
 first in mathematics, first in French, and fourth in drawing, 
 which puts me head in general merit. Mr. Biddle is second in 
 M., third in F., and first in D. I presume you will be satisfied 
 with this. You recollect that Mr. Biddle rose me in French 
 last January, and I suppose that rising him again this June 
 will make it all right again. I had very good luck indeed, and 
 my recitation in mathematics was much better than at any pre- 
 vious examination. We march into camp on Tuesday. It is 
 to be called Camp Poinsett, as a compliment to the Secretary of 
 War. 
 
WEST POINT 47 
 
 In July he returned home, after an absence of two 
 years, to spend the brief leave of a month. He had fore- 
 gone one the previous year, partly on the score of econ- 
 omy, at his father's suggestion, and it was with a heart 
 full of joy and glad anticipations that he hastened to 
 visit the loved ones at home, and the dear and familiar 
 scenes of his childhood. 
 
 Isaac must have keenly enjoyed this visit. His sis- 
 ters were proud of him, and overjoyed at his return. 
 He had surpassed the most sanguine hopes of his friends, 
 and on every hand met with a warm welcome. His suc- 
 cess at the academy, his cadet uniform, and his erect, 
 soldierly bearing invested him in the eyes of the commu- 
 nity with the new-found respect and importance accorded 
 to rising and promising young manhood. His cousin 
 Henry, writing after his return to the Point, says : " If 
 you look as dignified as you did when you were here, I do 
 not wonder that you are beyond suspicion. I should like 
 very much to see one hundred cadets playing at football. 
 Do you run as erect as you walk ? " West Point drill and 
 discipline, however, had not abated his adventurous spirit, 
 or love of the sports natural to his age. Sailing on the 
 Great Pond with a number of companions, and the wind 
 having died out, for pastime he climbed to the top of the 
 mast, which suddenly broke and let him fall headlong 
 into the lake. On another occasion he was poling a boat 
 with his little brother up the Cochichewick towards the 
 "Hatch," as the point where the stream flowed out of 
 the Great Pond was called, when the oar stuck fast in the 
 tenacious mud of the bottom, and, grasping it too firmly, 
 Isaac lost his foothold, and was dragged over the stern 
 into the mingled mud and water, to the sad defilement of 
 his speckless white cadet trousers. Exasperated at this 
 ridiculous accident, he swore lustily, calling upon Oliver 
 in no gentle tones to bring back the boat. 
 
CHAPTEE IV 
 
 WEST POINT. LAST TWO YEARS 
 
 Returning to the Point after this brief respite, the 
 young cadet resumed his studies with his accustomed 
 vigor. He was appointed assistant professor of mathe- 
 matics, a position of additional labor as well as honor, 
 which he retained to the end of his course. Moreover, 
 he took an active part in the Dialectic Society, which as 
 a " plebe " he looked forward to joining. In a letter to 
 Mr. Hazen he recounts his early efforts in debate : — 
 
 " You are probably aware that we have a debating society 
 here, of which I have the honor to be a member. Last evening 
 (we hold our meetings on Saturday evenings) we had an ani- 
 mated debate on the expediency of studying the dead lan- 
 guages. It was the only tolerable one we have had this fall. 
 Some pretty good speeches were made. One was particularly 
 fine. Mr. Jennings, the person to whom I allude, in my opin- 
 ion was made for an orator. He is undoubtedly a man of a 
 large mind, and expresses himself admirably. His delivery is 
 very good, and his diction is choice and effective. Declamation 
 is one of the regular exercises ; and as my turn came round, I 
 had the pleasure of unburdening myself of a short piece, and of 
 being most woefully used up by the critical, who are regularly 
 appointed for such performance. This is not very encouraging, 
 to be sure. I must, however, acquit myself better next time. 
 
 " You are probably aware of the great defects in our course 
 of study. It is not calculated generally to strengthen and im- 
 prove the mind as much as a four years' course of study should. 
 Some of the faculties are developed in a high degree, whilst 
 others are almost entirely neglected ; its effect is — if the ex- 
 pression can be used — to cast the mind in a rough, strong 
 mould, without embellishing or polishing it. Its effect is also 
 
WEST POINT. — LAST TWO YEARS 49 
 
 (perhaps no more than any other regular course of study) to 
 confine our attention to particular pursuits, and make us neglect 
 all that general information which is essential to a man of lib- 
 eral education, and in fact absolutely indispensable for any one 
 who engages in the actual pursuits of life. Don't you believe 
 it is of greater advantage to a person to have a good idea of 
 political economy, or a knowledge of the elementary principles 
 of composition, than to be able to solve some abstruse problem 
 in mathematics ? 
 
 " I almost wish I could content myself with standing about 
 fifth in my class. I could then spend three or four hours a day 
 in reading and getting valuable information, and could improve 
 myself in composition. I might also cultivate a taste for the 
 higher branches of literature, my taste for all which at present, 
 except novels, is about at the zero point. As it is, I am obliged 
 to work hard to get an hour a day to devote to reading ; and as 
 I consider history and solid works of that nature most valuable, 
 I have been able to read but one novel within the last three 
 months. I have been reading some of the speeches in ' British 
 Eloquence' of late; also in the 'Eloquence of the United States.' 
 Do you think the characters of Pitt, Fox, and Burke, as de- 
 scribed by the author in the former work, are correct ? My 
 former ideas of Chatham were somewhat different. The author 
 makes him out a more selfish man than I supposed him to be. 
 A few days since I picked up a volume of Phillips's Speeches, 
 and read most of them. Is not his speech in the case of Blake 
 v. Wilkins admirable ? What do you think of them generally ? 
 It seems to me there is more of the pomp of words than real, 
 effective oratory in them. He has too much pathos in some of 
 his speeches. A little of it, and sometimes much of it, produces 
 a very good effect ; but where it is nothing but a pathetic appeal 
 to the feelings, the effect is destroyed, at least with people of 
 sense." 
 
 This letter shows that the youth was beginning to 
 think for himself, and to weigh things according to his 
 own ideas. The arduous course of study he was pursu- 
 ing did not wholly engross his attention. He soon be- 
 came the leading member of the Dialectic, active in get- 
 
50 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 ting up lectures and other literary exercises. Nor was he 
 simply a bookworm. " The eleven of us, in contiguous 
 rooms, who are all good friends, and enjoy ourselves as 
 much as any other eleven men in the class," derived some 
 of their enjoyment from breaking the rigid rules of the 
 institution, and in hairbreadth escapes from detection. 
 They used to run over to Benny's without leave. They 
 would bring pies and other edibles into barracks buttoned 
 up under their coats, and, after the post was wrapped in 
 slumber, would indulge in these forbidden sweets. His 
 companions of ttimes complained that Stevens would learn 
 his lessons in a minute, and then come about, making a 
 racket, and disturbing them in their studies. He used 
 to take long walks and excursions about the neighbor- 
 ing country. 
 
 Naturally active and fearless, he became a fine horse- 
 man, and always appeared to best advantage when 
 mounted, where his erect figure and soldierly bearing 
 gave him the effect of higher stature than when on foot. 
 
 In winter the cadets were in the habit of skating on 
 the river. Isaac, light, active, and fearless, and exceed- 
 ingly adventurous, delighted to skim full speed over the 
 thinnest ice he could find, which bent and crackled under 
 his skates. His companions kept remonstrating with and 
 forewarning him of a catastrophe, which in his case never 
 occurred. One extremely cold day, however, one of his 
 associates broke through the ice and fell into the river. 
 They rescued him with some difficulty, and bore him 
 dripping wet to the barracks in all haste, but the unlucky 
 youth was nearly frozen when they carried him into his 
 room. His mates at once set to work making a hot fire, 
 and bringing blankets, etc. But Isaac now took the lead, 
 as the commanding spirit always does in a real emergency. 
 He caused them to put out the fire, throw open all the 
 windows, and to vigorously rub the insensible youth with 
 
WEST POINT. — LAST TWO YEARS 51 
 
 snow brought from the outside until his circulation was 
 restored, and the frost taken out of his benumbed extremi- 
 ties, when he suffered them to rebuild the fire and renew 
 the warm comforts, both solid and liquid. 
 
 His uncle Moses, a distinguished teacher, settled in 
 Nashville, Tenn., visited West Point this fall; and his 
 father writes, " Your uncle Moses speaks of your acquire- 
 ments in rather extravagant terms." 
 
 During the winter his father's health was poor, and he 
 suffered much from his injured leg. Oliver alone remained 
 at home. Hannah was in Haverhill, attending school, and 
 supporting herself by her needle ; Sarah was in Lowell, 
 working in a factory ; Elizabeth was at Belfast, Maine, 
 visiting an aunt, and attending school; Mary was at 
 Methuen ; and Susan was attending school at the South 
 Parish. The latter, a girl of warm heart and lively 
 sensibilities, had not been satisfied with the sober Unita- 
 rianism of her family, and had become attached to the 
 " Orthodox," or ancient Puritan faith, a sincere and some- 
 what enthusiastic convert. The letters of these mother- 
 less girls, thus scattered about, reveal a touching picture 
 of their earnest desire and efforts for study and self- 
 improvement, their tender affection for their father, and 
 their endeavor to treat their stepmother with respect and 
 affection. It was to their brother Isaac that they resorted 
 for comfort and guidance. They confided to his warm 
 and sympathetic heart all their troubles, aspirations, and 
 plans, and constantly sought his advice. The noble old 
 man at the farm, too, had come to rely upon the manly 
 character and sound judgment of the youth of nineteen 
 at West Point. He writes of the difficulty of making 
 both ends meet, of his earnest desire to give more school- 
 ing to his three younger daughters, and of preserving 
 intact for his children the little property he had accumu- 
 lated so laboriously. He asks Isaac to write and advise 
 
52 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Susan, who he thinks lacks stability, and Hannah. He 
 entreats his son to come home every summer vacation. 
 
 West Point, December 17, 1836. 
 
 Dear Father, — It was with much concern I heard of your 
 lameness, and I am very much afraid it will prove more serious 
 than you seem to be aware of. You ought not to think yourself 
 obliged to work, when it is of manifest injury to you. . You are 
 now getting to be along in years, and you have done hard work 
 enough. You ought now to think of making yourself comfort- 
 able. I do hope you will be careful about exposing yourself, 
 and will endeavor to enjoy the little property which you have 
 accumulated with so much toil. Your children, you may be 
 assured, had much rather that it should all be consumed in 
 making your declining years pleasant and happy, than receive a 
 single cent of it themselves. I think you will do wrong to feel 
 the least anxiety about leaving property to your children. You 
 have evinced the greatest affection for us, and the utmost dis- 
 interestedness in consulting the welfare of your children, and it 
 is our duty to make every return in our power. Believe me, we 
 will endeavor to exert our utmost in order to secure the hap- 
 piness of the remaining period of your life, and we ask of you, 
 as a favor, no longer to undergo the toil and exposure to which 
 you have hitherto been accustomed. 
 
 I wish I could have been at home Thanksgiving time. Three 
 successive Thanksgivings have seen my absence from home, and 
 it is very probable that three more will pass away without 
 allowing me the opportunity of spending them at home. As it 
 is, I hope I shall be enabled to pass two or three weeks at home 
 next summer, but it is very uncertain. The superintendent has 
 come to the conclusion no longer to permit the members of the 
 first class to be absent on leave during the encampment, and it 
 will be very difficult to obtain a leave unless the application 
 is hacked by very urgent reasons. 
 
 At last Susan decided to go to Missouri, encouraged by 
 the favorable reports of relatives who had moved thither, 
 and hoping to find a more promising field as a teacher. 
 In May, 1838, her father accompanied her to Port Laba- 
 
WEST POINT. — LAST TWO YEARS 53 
 
 die, situated on the Missouri River, some miles above St. 
 Louis. Here she found kind friends, and met with toler- 
 able success in her chosen vocation. 
 
 At the June examination of 1838 Isaac again stood 
 at the head of his class. On the conduct roll he was 
 number twenty-three, with twenty demerits. He spent 
 part of the summer leave at home. Returning to the 
 Point, he made a pedestrian trip to Philadelphia with a 
 classmate, in the course of which they were thoroughly 
 drenched in a rainstorm. 
 
 The following letter exhibits his patriotic indignation 
 at the British aggressions on the Maine frontier, a pre- 
 cursor of the spirit with which he resisted and defeated 
 similar aggressions on the extreme northwest in after 
 years : — ■ 
 
 West Point, August 21, 1838. 
 Dear Father, — You must have seen from the papers that 
 the executive of the State of Maine is making preparations 
 to carry into effect the resolutions of its legislature, and that 
 the commissioners will be supported in the running of the 
 boundary line by the whole military force of the State. Kent 
 has pursued a course alike honorable to himself and the State 
 which he represents. If the national government shows itself 
 so regardless of the honor and interests of a State as has been 
 evinced by the cold indifference with which negotiations for the 
 last fifty years have been carried on, it becomes the solemn duty 
 of the sovereignty thus trampled upon to rise and maintain its 
 own rights. This fawning subserviency to expediency in a 
 matter of principle I despise. So does every honorable man ; 
 better die in a just cause than live by an abandonment of 
 it. I have sufficient confidence in the virtue and patriotism of 
 the people of Maine to believe that they will triumphantly sus- 
 tain their executive in his energetic and honorable measures. 
 Should there be actual resistance and the difficulty resolve 
 itself into an open conflict, the government dare not withhold 
 its prompt assistance. The whole Senate, without a single dis- 
 sentient voice, have borne witness to the fallacy and gross injus- 
 
64 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 tice of the claim made by the British crown upon the lands in 
 question. Was this meant to vanish into thin air? The 
 4th regiment of artillery are now in New York city. Why 
 not send them to the east ? They are certainly wanted on the 
 boundary. 
 
 He had frequently remonstrated with his father for 
 treating Oliver with too exacting strictness, and he now 
 urged him to send the boy to college as soon as he became 
 old enough. In reply the father declares : — 
 
 " As to Oliver's going to college, it is out of the question. A 
 great many boys are ruined by going to college that would have 
 made useful men if they had been put to some trade, or com- 
 pelled to be industrious. By the most rigid economy I can 
 adopt, the income of the farm will not pay my expenses. I 
 am willing to rise early, work late, live on simple fare, but 
 dunning letters I detest; rather live on two meals a day. I 
 would advise every young man, who means to be punctual, and 
 honest, to keep out of debt." 
 
 Oliver, however, in due time entered Bowdoin College, 
 Maine, with the consent and aid of his father ; graduated 
 well, and became a successful lawyer in Boston, where he 
 has held the position of district attorney for nearly thirty- 
 years. 
 
 He urges Oliver to cultivate a taste for solid reading, 
 and assures him that a taste for any subject can be 
 acquired when the determination is fixed upon it. 
 
 " Let me advise you to get Plutarch's Lives, and read them. 
 Plutarch, you know, is a celebrated Roman author. His Lives of 
 the distinguished men of Greece and Rome has justly immor- 
 talized his name, and it will live as long as the men whose 
 actions he has related are admired. The style is simple and 
 unaffected. He has seized upon the principal events in the life 
 of each ; relates to us many anecdotes of their efforts, of their 
 disappointments and failures; then he describes in bold and 
 feeling language that untiring industry, that patient and cease- 
 less thought, which overcame every difficulty. Read the lives 
 
WEST POINT. — LAST TWO YEARS 55 
 
 of Cicero and Demosthenes, Nicias and Phocion. When you 
 next write, tell me what you think of them. Another work I 
 want you to read ; it is Sparks's ' American Biography.' We 
 should certainly be intimately acquainted with the deeds and 
 characters of our own great men. Have you ever read any vol- 
 umes of the i Spectator ' ? There are, I think, ten volumes of 
 them, consisting of essays of four or five pages each upon all 
 subjects. The style is flowing and graceful, exceedingly inter- 
 esting ; a vein of wit and sprightliness pervades them all. 
 
 " For myself, things have gone smoothly on since I was at 
 home. My daily duties are all sources of pleasure. This renders 
 me satisfied with myself and with all around me. I am never 
 afflicted with low spirits, or with feelings of discontent, — all 
 this for the simple reason that all my time is interestingly 
 employed. 
 
 " Have you finished harvesting ? Did you gather many wal- 
 nuts? We have a large number of chestnut-trees at West 
 Point. I have gathered quite an abundance of them. ,, 
 
 TO HIS FATHER. 
 
 November 17. 
 
 Dear Father, — I have just come from the meeting of our 
 society. Our proceedings are quite good, and there is an evi- 
 dent improvement every evening. It is indeed much better to 
 employ Saturday evening in listening to, and participating in, a 
 debate on some interesting subject than staying, in one's room 
 reading novels, or perhaps doing nothing. We had quite an 
 animated discussion the other evening on the justice of lynch 
 law. We got very warm ; indeed, the debate came very near 
 merging into the discussion of abolition. This, you are aware, 
 is a very tender subject, and, for our society, a very improper 
 one. For my own part I got very much excited, and my free 
 avowal of abolition principles did not tend to allay the feeling 
 which existed among the members. 
 
 You can well suppose that I am looking forward to gradu- 
 ating with much interest. My entering this institution I con- 
 sider my first important step in life. I have succeeded better 
 than I have ever had any right to anticipate. I have endeav- 
 ored to make it my rule never to relinquish any undertaking, 
 
56 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 but always to try till success crowned my efforts. I have thus 
 got along pretty well. I have not the slightest doubt that I 
 shall succeed well enough as long as my efforts are carried on 
 in a proper spirit, which is never to rely too confidently on 
 success, and to bear every disappointment with a good grace. 
 
 I feel much anxiety to see Oliver improve. These long 
 winter evenings should not be trifled away. Oliver might 
 study, read to the family, or otherwise improve his time, till 
 half past nine o'clock. If he should be disposed to read any 
 longer, let him have a good warm fire, and his reading will not 
 be thrown away. You are, I know, a great admirer of Frank- 
 lin. He used to study until twelve at night when obliged to 
 work hard all day. How could Oliver and the girls, if any 
 are at home, pass the time better than reading or studying till 
 perhaps ten in the evening ? 
 
 TO HANNAH. 
 
 January 27, 1839. 
 
 Dear Sister, — It may be said that Scott and Addison are 
 elegant writers. Johnson, that intellectual giant, said that who- 
 ever wished to become a perfect writer must give up his days 
 and nights to Addison. The style of Addison is peculiarly easy 
 and harmonious, the very music of composition ; and although 
 not so deep and original a thinker as many whose styles are less 
 attractive, his works will always be admired* for their sound 
 views on moral and religious subjects. Scott, you know, has 
 been called the magician, and excelled all his contemporaries 
 in the ease, rapidity, and finish of his performances. The last 
 volume of his " Waverley " was written in one week, and his 
 novels were ushered into the reading community with so rapid 
 a succession as astonished every one. Some think that Scott 
 excelled as a poet, and, wonderful as he was as a writer of 
 romance, he was still more successful in verse. Some of his 
 poetry and a few of his novels are well worth reading. His 
 " Lady of the Lake " and " Ivanhoe " are much admired. The 
 "Tales of my Landlord" and " Guy Mannering" also are very 
 fine. There is a little volume of poetry, called " The Book of 
 Pleasures," which I intend to read, the first opportunity. It con- 
 tains The Pleasures of Memory, of Hope, and of the Imagina- 
 
THE TALISMAN 57 
 
 tion, all three beautiful poems. You had better read them, if 
 they are to be obtained. 
 
 Our examinations are finished, and we are again under full 
 sail for the next, and, for myself, last examination. The result 
 of the present is, head in three branches and second in the 
 fourth. The last five months I spend at West Point should be 
 employed to better advantage than any other five months 
 before. I have marked out for myself a pretty severe course 
 of study, by which I shall endeavor to abide. When I gradu- 
 ate, it will be a satisfaction to look back upon my four years' 
 course, and feel a consciousness that I have improved my 
 opportunities. After graduating, where I shall be stationed 
 is uncertain. But I shall endeavor to get ordered to Boston 
 under Colonel Thayer. There are extensive fortifications now 
 erecting in Boston harbor on George*s Island. It would be 
 a capital chance to be employed upon them, particularly when 
 the superintendent of the works is so distinguished a man 
 as Colonel Thayer. There are reasons, which you can well 
 imagine, why I wish to be near home. 
 
 He must have been an omnivorous and rapid reader 
 to have mastered Franklin, Plutarch, Addison, Scott, 
 Kollin's Ancient History, besides poetry, speeches, and 
 novels; one wonders where he could have found the time, 
 but he was ever working at high pressure. In addition 
 to the hard work necessary to retain the headship of the 
 class, and to discharge the duties of assistant professor, 
 he took the most active and leading part in the Dialectic, 
 and delivered the valedictory address at the graduation 
 of the class. He also founded "The Talisman," a journal 
 for the practice and improvement of the cadets in com- 
 position. In the introductory address, which he wrote 
 as editor, he presents his views of the need for, and 
 objects of, the paper in glowing language, concluding : — 
 
 " We have thus announced our intention of establishing a 
 paper. Its character will be readily understood from the pre- 
 ceding exposition of our views. We shall hoist the white flag, 
 emblematic of our motives and intentions. On it shall be 
 
58 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 inscribed in golden letters The Talisman. This flag will we 
 defend with our life's blood ; and when expiring nature is about 
 to give up her last hold upon us, we will wave it aloft in 
 triumph and die beneath its shadow." 
 
 In a letter to his uncle William he gives an amusing 
 account of anonymously criticising his own effusions : — 
 
 "Several of us have amused ourselves in writing a paper, 
 which we have called ' The Talisman,' and having it read at the 
 meetings of the Dialectic. Our motto is, The Human Intellect 
 the Universal Talisman. The best of the joke is, no one can 
 divine who are concerned in it. Indeed, once I wrote a most 
 famous blowing up of one of my own performances, and was 
 extremely amused to have several of my friends console me ; in 
 fact, one told me he would not give a fig for these criticisms, 
 to which I assented, asking him if he had any idea who were 
 the editors of the paper, to which he replied in the negative. 
 When we graduate next June, we wish to have an address 
 delivered before the society by some able man. Do you think 
 we could get Governor Everett ? " 
 
 As already stated, Cadet Stevens was put forward by 
 his classmates to deliver this address himself. 
 
 He contributed to "The Talisman" a series of articles, 
 written in a simple, direct, and forcible style, and marked 
 by an earnest tone and elevated sentiments, among which 
 were "Agency of Steam in Mechanical Operations;" 
 " In Jury Trials, ought the Twelve Jurors to be required 
 to be Unanimous ? " " Has Man a Conscience ? " " The 
 Importance of a Good Style of Writing to an Officer of 
 the Army;" " History;" " The Proper Study of Mankind 
 is Man." 
 
 His most intimate friends at the Point were Henry L. 
 Smith, Jeremy F. Gilmer, Zealous B. Tower, Henry W. 
 ■Halleck, Stephen D. Carpenter, Bryant P. Tilden, William 
 B. Greene, Franklin D. Callender, John D. Bacon, Paul 
 0. Hebert. Among these high-spirited and intellectual 
 young men he was an acknowledged leader ; and even 
 
WEST POINT.— GRADUATION 59 
 
 after leaving the academy, they were continually calling 
 on him for advice in their own affairs, and for aid in 
 efforts to benefit the service, to secure increased rank 
 and pay, etc. 
 
 Thus the last term sped rapidly away. At the exami- 
 nation he was first, as usual. He stood thirty on the con- 
 duct roll, having sixteen demerits. It will be observed 
 that in " conduct " during the course he stood but little 
 above the average. Evidently, with his spirited and 
 vigorous nature, he did not mind infringing the rules at 
 times. When the Academic Board reviewed the stand- 
 ing of the members of the class to award to each his 
 proper grade, it was found that Cadet Stevens stood at 
 the head, not only generally, but in every one of the 
 studies. Moreover, his standing, as compared with all 
 who had ever graduated from the institution, was among 
 the first. This remarkable achievement, together with 
 his strong personality, deeply impressed the officers of 
 the academy. They were proud of their pupil, they felt 
 that he reflected honor upon the institution, and they 
 vied with each other in encomiums and attentions which 
 they deemed his due. 
 
 He invited his father and stepmother to attend the 
 graduation exercises, and they came. When they arrived 
 they were astonished to see the honors heaped upon their 
 son, and the high estimation in which he was held. 
 They, too, were overwhelmed with attentions on his 
 account. Prominent seats were found for them, and the 
 professors came up to pay their respects to the parents 
 of the first graduate, and to congratulate them upon his 
 remarkable talents and promise. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 NEWPORT 
 
 Crowned with these well-earned honors, and promoted 
 to be second lieutenant of engineers, July 1, 1839, he 
 accompanied his parents home, expecting to enjoy a long 
 and delightful vacation ; but his anticipations were speed- 
 ily cut short by orders to proceed to Newport, R. I., to 
 take part in the building of Fort Adams, so that he was 
 permitted to spend only the Fourth of July in Andover. 
 
 Phrenology was in vogue then, and the young man, 
 on his way through Boston, had his head examined by 
 a professor of the new science, who, much to his amuse- 
 ment, pronounced him a poet. He reached his station 
 early in July, and took quarters with Miss Castoff, wha 
 kept a boarding-house on the corner of Spring and Ann 
 streets. Lieutenant James L. Mason, also of the engineer 
 corps, boarded at the same place. The two young men 
 became warm friends and companions. Daily they rode 
 over to the fort together in the morning, and returned 
 in the afternoon. Lieutenant P. G. T. Beauregard, after- 
 wards the well-known Confederate general, was also on 
 duty there as an engineer officer, and remained several 
 months after Stevens's arrival. Fort Adams was garri- 
 soned by a detachment of the 2d artillery, officered by 
 Lieutenants Lewis G. Arnold, Arthur B. Lansing, and 
 Henry J. Hunt. 
 
 Fort Adams, commenced twenty years previously, and 
 now nearly completed under the able superintendence of 
 General Joseph G. Totten, was the largest defensive work 
 in the country, Fortress Monroe only excepted, and, as 
 
NEWPORT 61 
 
 General Cullum declares in his biographical sketch of 
 General Totten, " the first in its combination of the 
 principles and details of the art of fortification." It 
 must have afforded a most gratifying field for the ener- 
 gies of the ardent and accomplished young officer, fresh 
 from the military academy, and eager to test his acquire- 
 ments and abilities in real work. The redoubt, the inner 
 and separate stronghold in rear of the main work, was 
 mostly built under his superintendence, 1839-42. Enter- 
 ing upon this duty with his accustomed zeal, his sound 
 judgment in laying out the work for the workmen, and 
 energy and diligence in pushing it, soon attracted atten- 
 tion. He took control with the self-reliance and habit 
 of command of a natural leader. He was strict and 
 exacting with the employees, but at the same time just 
 and considerate, and took a real interest in them. He 
 soon won their respect and goodwill. Even the man 
 who groomed his horse, John A. C. Stacy, long years 
 afterwards, when he had himself become a wealthy con- 
 tractor, spoke of Lieutenant Stevens with the greatest 
 admiration. His unconscious success in this direction 
 nearly led to a breach with Mason. The latter became 
 cold and distant in manner, and openly avoided him. 
 Stevens demanded an explanation, whereupon Mason burst 
 forth indignantly with the charge, " You are destroying 
 all my influence with the men on the work. When you 
 appear, they hang upon every word you utter, and can- 
 not do enough for you, while they scarcely notice me, 
 although I am the senior, and have been longer on the 
 work." But Mason was soon satisfied by his friend's 
 remonstrances, and his own good sense, that Stevens was 
 not to blame for that result. Mason was a man of 
 remarkable talents, brilliant in conversation, and fasci- 
 nating in social intercourse. 
 
 Newport at this time contained many old families, 
 
62 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 among which the traditions of colonial grandeur, when 
 the port was the largest and most flourishing city in the 
 colonies, mingled with the fresher recollections of the 
 Revolution, the British occupation, the battle of Rhode 
 Island, the romantic capture of General Prescott, the 
 English commander, the brilliant though brief sojourn 
 of the French allies under Rochambeau, and the visit of 
 Washington. The town was celebrated for beautiful 
 and charming girls. It was the resort in summer of the 
 cultivated, wealthy, and fashionable from other parts • of 
 the country, especially from the South. The Hazards, 
 Lymans, Randolphs, Vernons, Lawtons, Hunters, Kings, 
 Turners, Gardiners, Fowlers, Gibbs, Tottens, Perrys, and 
 others, all more or less related, afforded a cultivated 
 and high-toned, yet simple arid cordial society, free from 
 the ostentation of wealth and the absurd pride of caste. 
 The army and naval officers stationed there, and the 
 families of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of 
 Lake Erie, of General Totten, and of others who had 
 served their country, added a patriotic and military ele- 
 ment. Into this charming society the young officer 
 entered with keen enjoyment, and his modest demeanor 
 and sensible conversation, not less than his reputation for 
 ability and scholarship, soon made him welcome. 
 
 One of these Newport belles thus described him : — 
 
 " The first time I saw Mr. Stevens was in church. He sat 
 in the pew behind ours. He was very young, of small, slight 
 figure, had a very large head, with fine carriage, — a noble head, 
 thick, bushy, black hair, and dark complexion. He was con- 
 sidered very homely, but he had a large, dark hazel eye, which 
 looked one through and through, and compelled one's atten- 
 tion." 
 
 Notwithstanding that " he was considered very homely," 
 young Stevens took an active part in the social life and 
 festivities of the town^ calling upon the old families, 
 
NEWPORT 63 
 
 escorting with other young men bevies of young ladies 
 on delightful long walks to the beach, along the cliffs, 
 the Blue Rocks, Tammany Hill, and other resorts, and 
 attending the numerous parties. 
 
 It was at one of these rather informal, but enjoyable 
 gatherings that he first met the young girl who was soon 
 to become his wife. Mason had warned him to " beware 
 of Margaret Hazard," as the two young men were set- 
 ting out to attend a tea party at the Vernons' hospitable 
 mansion, two miles out of town. The young lady was a 
 daughter of Benjamin Hazard, for years recognized as 
 the ablest lawyer and statesman in the State, who had 
 represented the town in the state legislature for thirty- 
 one years without a break, having been elected sixty-two 
 times in succession. Although very young, she possessed 
 many attractions of person and character, had many 
 admirers, and was one of the acknowledged belles. Not- 
 withstanding the friendly or jocose warning, Mr. Stevens 
 was duly presented to Miss Hazard, and had the pleasure 
 of escorting her home, and improved the opportunity by 
 inviting her to ride on horseback the following after- 
 noon. Miss Margaret lacked a suitable habit, it seems ; 
 but an old cloak skillfully adapted served for the long 
 sweeping skirt then in vogue, a cousin furnished his new 
 beaver for a riding-hat, and another admirer contributed 
 a handsome silver-mounted riding-whip, so that when the 
 cavalier presented himself on his gray charger with a 
 groom leading the " Indian Queen," the young lady was 
 ready. The " Indian Queen " was the name of a noted 
 saddle-horse from the stable of Nicholas Hassard, who 
 for many years kept the livery stable on Spring, or Back 
 Street, corner of Touro. When asked if the "Indian 
 Queen " was a safe horse for the young lady, Mr. Hassard 
 replied, "Miss Margaret Hazard can ride any horse in 
 my stable." • 
 
64 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 This ride led to others, and it was not long before the 
 two rode over the beaches together nearly every pleasant 
 afternoon. Mr. Stevens would come with the horses 
 about five o'clock, and the usual ride was over the three 
 beaches and around by the green End road ; and a more 
 romantic, beautiful, and pleasant course it would be hard 
 to find. 
 
 A fearless horseman, he was fond of horses and of rid- 
 ing. He owned and delighted to ride a fiery gray, which 
 ofttimes taxed all his strength, skill, and daring to master, 
 and which occasionally ran away despite all efforts. Once 
 the steed, with the bit in his teeth, dashed headlong for 
 the stable. " Stevens is done for ! " exclaimed Mason ; 
 "the stable door is too low to ride under, and his brains 
 will be knocked out." But the rider threw himself along 
 the side and neck of the furious animal just in time to' 
 avoid this danger. 
 
 Mason's warning was indeed in vain. Writes his inti- 
 mate friend, H. L. Smith, as early as April : — 
 
 " Not in love, Stevens ; why, your description fired me. By 
 heavens ! it is a glorious thing to see a girl with a lai'ge soul. 
 Would there were more such. * Dark blue eyes ; ' ' Rides fear- 
 lessly ; ' ' Loves Channing, Carlyle, Milton ; ' * A sweet smile,' 
 etc." 
 
 He became a frequent caller upon, and intimate in the 
 family of, Benjamin Hazard. The latter was slowly sink- 
 ing under the lingering disease, consumption, which car- 
 ried him off in 1841. The gifted and sympathetic young 
 man would have long talks and discussions with the intel- 
 lectual, learned, and experienced senior, and would read 
 to him from his favorite authors, Swift and Shakespeare. 
 "I think our young lieutenant is very handsome," re- 
 marked Mr. Hazard, doubtless alluding to his fine head 
 and sound, bright mind, and perhaps quietly rebuking 
 the disparaging term " homely." It was not long before 
 
NEWPORT 65 
 
 he became an acknowledged suitor for the hand of Miss 
 Margaret, and they were betrothed in the summer of 
 1840. 
 
 The mansion occupied by this family, situated on Broad 
 Street, on the southern corner of Stone Street, and near 
 the state house, is one of the oldest in Newport, the 
 timbers of which, according to tradition, were cut and 
 hewn in the woods between the harbor and the beach. 
 By a curious coincidence it has descended in the female 
 line for three generations. Before and during the Revo- 
 lution it was the home of John G. Wanton, a wealthy 
 colonial merchant and the son of the colonial governor, 
 Gideon Wanton. 
 
 It was a favorite resort of the brilliant French officers 
 who landed in Newport to. aid the struggling patriots, 
 one of whom cut with a diamond upon a small, old- 
 fashioned window-pane in the great parlor, " Charming 
 Polly Wanton, Oct. 17, 1780." But an American officer, 
 Colonel Daniel Lyman, afterwards chief justice of Rhode 
 Island and president of the Society of the Cincinnati in 
 Rhode Island, married " Charming Polly " away from her 
 French admirers. 
 
 Mary Wanton was an only daughter, and inherited the 
 old mansion, where she reared a family of thirteen chil- 
 dren, and dispensed the gracious hospitality to which she 
 was accustomed. 
 
 One of her daughters, Harriet Lyman, married Benja- 
 min Hazard, and upon the removal of Colonel Lyman 
 and his family to Providence, succeeded to the old New- 
 port homestead, which thus for generations was the scene 
 of family happiness, worth, refinement, and hospitality. 
 It is now owned and occupied. by two of Benjamin Haz- 
 ard's daughters, Misses Emily Lyman and Mary Wanton 
 Hazard, who maintain the traditions of the old mansion 
 with charming grace. 
 
66 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Now time speeds away rapidly and pleasantly with the 
 young officer. He has long talks and discussions with 
 Mason, noted for his brilliant mind and conversation. 
 His official duties are congenial. He heartily enjoys the 
 social pleasures in which he takes part, and moreover he 
 lays out a stiff course of study for the winter. He writes 
 uncle William, October 31, 1839: — 
 
 " My brother officer, Lieutenant Mason, is quite familiar 
 with politics. . He is a Nullifier. I am a loco-foco Abolitionist. 
 Though we agree on many points, yet we have at times quite 
 warm though very friendly debates upon these points upon 
 which we differ. I shall be glad to spend most of the winter 
 in study, and I think of giving about half my time to my pro- 
 fession and its kindred branches of physics and mathemat- 
 ics, and of the remaining portion a moiety to politics and the 
 political history of our country (which will necessitate the care- 
 ful reading and study of the Federalist and Madison papers, 
 and other documents illustrative of the peculiar glories of our 
 institutions), and the remainder to general reading." 
 
 TO HANNAH. 
 
 My situation at Newport continues to please me as much as 
 ever. We are still pretty busy throughout the day, but are 
 able to secure considerable time for reading and study. 
 
 I have been reading Byron's Poems of late. Although his 
 verse is far inferior (in my opinion) to Shakespeare and Mil- 
 ton, still it has many and peculiar merits. Many of his pro- 
 ductions are overflowing with lofty and correct ideas. No syc- 
 ophantic awe, or respect for place and title, restrains his caustic 
 and withering pen. He soars upon his own pinions, and looks 
 down upon them all. 
 
 Thus his time was well occupied, yet he was also an 
 indefatigable correspondent, writing frequently to his 
 West Point classmates and friends, now beginning to 
 scatter, and to his father, sisters, brother, and cousins, 
 but especially to his sisters, whose welfare and happiness 
 he had so much at heart. He is constantly sending them 
 
v OF THB ' \ 
 
 UNIVERSITY J 
 
 califo*^ 
 
. NEWPORT 67 
 
 books and papers, and advising them in regard to their 
 studies and plans. Susan was still in Missouri, doing 
 well as a teacher. During the fall Hannah was teaching 
 school, or in Boston earning her livelihood in a store. 
 Elizabeth and Sarah were at school, and only Mary and 
 Oliver remained at home. The father, working too hard, 
 had serious' trouble with his injured leg, and was unwell. 
 But it was a joyous reunion when the elder brother came 
 -home at Thanksgiving, and the scattered family were all 
 assembled, except Susan, in the great roomy kitchen in 
 the old farmhouse, around the well-filled board, loaded 
 with the roast turkey and cranberry sauce, snowy biscuits, 
 mince, pumpkin, and apple pies, cake, preserves, and all 
 the good things of that generous and kindly season. 
 
 Eeturning to Newport, Lieutenant Stevens made one 
 of a class for the study of German, although one may 
 suspect that the language was not the only attraction. 
 Charles T. Brooks, the gifted poet, preacher, and writer, 
 and who has since translated so many poems and works 
 from the German, was then settled over the Unitarian 
 Church in Newport, and a few years previously had mar- 
 ried Harriet Lyman Hazard, an elder sister of Margaret. 
 An accomplished and enthusiastic German scholar, Mr. 
 Brooks organized the class, and acted as their instructor. 
 Mrs. Brooks, Mrs. Shroder, Miss Margaret L. Hazard, 
 Miss Julia Randolph, Stevens, and Mason met regularly 
 once a week at Mr. Brooks's house on Barney Street/ An 
 incident is related showing the facility with which Mr. 
 Stevens acquired any subject which he undertook. Mr. 
 Brooks one day asked him a difficult question in gram- 
 mar, which he answered promptly. Another question 
 was put with the same result. The teacher then plied 
 him with question upon question, all of which he answered 
 without hesitation. " Why," exclaimed Mr. Brooks, "you 
 seem to know the whole grammar.' ' " Oh, yes," replied 
 Stevens, " I 've run it over." 
 
68 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 A long and affectionate letter from Susan informed 
 him of her marriage to David H. Bishop, a man of fine 
 character, and engaged in the profession of an educator, 
 on December 26, 1839. Mr. Stevens at once wrote to 
 his new relative welcoming him in his hearty and warm- 
 hearted manner, and a friendly correspondence ensued 
 between them, which developed into a long and well- 
 maintained political discussion, for Mr. Bishop was a 
 Whig, while Stevens was an uncompromising Democrat, 
 of Free-soil convictions, — " loco-f oco Abolitionist," as 
 he defines himself. 
 
 In April the fostering and indulgent grandmother, the 
 widow of the Ke volution ary soldier, Jonathan, died at an 
 advanced age, attended during her last illness by Sarah. 
 Mary, early in the year, visited aunt McFarland in Belfast, 
 Maine. Elizabeth was in Lowell, and later also went to 
 aunt McFarland, and only Sarah and Oliver remained at 
 home this year. 
 
 His father's letters reveal how much he was coming to 
 lean upon the self-reliant young man, and to feel the need 
 of his support and affection. "I was glad to hear you 
 say in your last letter that in matters relating to yourself 
 you should be guided by your own judgment," he writes. 
 In every letter he urges him to come home, if only for a 
 short visit. 
 
 Dear Son, — In your letter to Oliver you mention not com- 
 ing home until Thanksgiving. I hope it will be convenient 
 for you to come home and spend a few days in the summer. 
 Your visit in March was very short, but short as it was, it was 
 better than none. I learn from you that you are far from be- 
 ing satisfied with your present attainments. Why should young 
 men talk of having finished their education when in fact they 
 have only commenced it, considering how nluch more they might 
 learn if they would only press forward ! May all you learn be 
 sound and durable; one rotten piece of timber may wreck a 
 ship. Do not study too hard. My days of anticipating worldly 
 
NEWPORT 69 
 
 happiness are over (not so fast), I do anticipate seeing my 
 children useful and happy. 
 
 Your father, 
 
 Isaac Stevens. 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens was promoted first lieutenant, corps 
 of engineers, July 1, 1840. 
 
 His active, and thoroughgoing mind, looking beyond 
 the duties assigned him, saw the necessity of other works 
 to complete the defenses at Newport. He wrote urgent 
 letters to the Engineer Department in Washington, repre- 
 senting the need of a thorough survey of the harbor and 
 the surrounding ground, and especially of the fortifying 
 of Rose Island, which, situated in mid-channel between 
 Rhode Island and Conanicut, and three miles north of, 
 or inside Fort Adams, would supplement and support that 
 work, and render the main entrance of Narragansett Bay 
 impregnable to a hostile fleet. He was ambitious to plan 
 and carry out the fortification of this point, but his 
 recommendations were disregarded, and he was informed 
 that his views, though sound, were premature. Of late 
 years the importance of fortifying Rose Island has been 
 recognized, and the government has erected a powerful 
 battery there. 
 
 During the spring and summer his long-cherished idea 
 of becoming a lawyer took more definite shape in his 
 mind, as will be seen from the following letter to his 
 uncle William, August 5, 1840 : — 
 
 My dear Uncle, — You recollect that when last in Andover 
 I was revolving in my mind the expediency of studying law, 
 with a view of making it my permanent profession. Entering 
 the West Point Academy with no idea of remaining in the 
 army, my present occupation cannot he regarded as one that 
 I have voluntarily and after mature reflection selected, but as 
 one which circumstances and good luck have forced upon me. 
 Therefore, in balancing the advantages and disadvantages of 
 the army and the law in order to a decision of the question, 
 
 ^ OF THK 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 ^CALIFOB^ 
 
70 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Which shall I select as my occupation ? I think I have nothing 
 to do with certain objections that many would advance, that it 
 would be changing my business, — it would betray a want of 
 fixedness of purpose, — it would be an act of inconsistency. To 
 be sure, some of the studies at West Point throw no light upon 
 the law, but most of them contribute, and contribute in an 
 eminent degree, to induce the habits and call out the faculties 
 essential to the able lawyer. Something more is wanted, — as 
 a knowledge of the classics, of ethics, of history. Three years' 
 rigorous, systematic devotion of my leisure moments to these 
 pursuits would more than place me on a level with the graduates 
 of our colleges; by economy enough of my pay could be laid 
 up to defray my expenses, should I then resign and go through 
 a three years' study of the law. As the thing, therefore, can be 
 accomplished, as the law for many reasons would suit me better 
 than the army, as I have no false notions of delicacy on the 
 ground of consistency, etc., I have at length concluded to give 
 up the army for the law. As soon as I decided, I began to act. 
 On that very day, about three weeks since, I commenced Latin 
 and a course of reading in History. Greek I shall commence 
 next November. As I do not wish justly to render myself 
 liable to the charge of hastiness or obstinacy, I have deter- 
 mined to consult my friends. If they can adduce reasons against 
 my course, I should be very much obliged if they would let me 
 know them. The thought that one's course is approved by his 
 friends is consolatory, — it serves to strengthen his confidence 
 in his own judgment. It removes many cross currents that 
 would impede his course. You it was that first suggested my 
 application to enter the military academy. Though the mili- 
 tary academy was not intended to make lawyers, yet in my case 
 I hope it may be an example that " the longest way round is the 
 shortest way home." I have been very fortunate in making the 
 acquaintance of Mr. Benjamin Hazard, whom (by report) you 
 must know. He has the reputation of being the first lawyer in 
 the State, and is unquestionably au fait with his profession. 
 He has been so kind as to give me a great deal of information 
 both with regard to law and lawyers in this country, and the 
 best method of studying law. Mr. Hazard lent me some time 
 since Warner's Law Studies. I read it through twice very 
 carefully, but much of what he said I thought totally inap- 
 
NEWPORT 71 
 
 plicabie to the profession in this country, much that was con- 
 tradictory, and some opinions I was confident were wrong. I 
 wish you would write me soon and give me your opinion of my 
 course, which is to remain in the army till the 1st of August, 
 1843, then to resign and enter some office in Boston or Newport 
 for three years. From all I can learn, I think that Jeremiah 
 Mason, of Boston, would be the man for me. Whether he 
 takes students I know not. Webster, Mr. Hazard tells me, 
 contends that Mason is the first lawyer in the country, - — supe- 
 rior to himself. Remember me to your own family, and my 
 friends generally. 
 
 Your nephew, 
 
 I. I. Stevens. 
 
 He also wrote on this subject to his father, Mr. Hazen, 
 and H. L. Smith. All whom he consulted discouraged 
 the project except his classmate, Smith. Mr. Hazen ju- 
 diciously advises : — 
 
 " It seems to me to be premature to determine quite so much 
 at this time. It occurs to me that you might enter upon a 
 course of legal reading, which would be useful to you in any 
 station, uniting it with attention to military duties, which would 
 consist with promotion in the army, and leave a little to the 
 future to determine between the professions." 
 
 Although his increasing military duties, with his mar- 
 riage and the Mexican war, compelled him to defer car- 
 rying out this plan, it was never definitely given up. The 
 career open to him in the army did not satisfy his ambi- 
 tion, and at last in 1852 he resigned, seeking a wider 
 field. Meantime he was keeping up his correspondence 
 with his classmates and friends. Halleck writes : — 
 
 United States Military Academy, 
 
 West Point, February 9, 1840. 
 
 Dear Stevens, — It is now Sunday morning, and I know not 
 
 that I can better employ the time that will elapse before old 
 
 Jasper commences his oppression, than by writing an answer to 
 
 your very kind letter of last Sabbath. I am happy to renew 
 
72 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 with you our old friendly intercourse. We have passed to- 
 gether four long years in mutual goodwill and then parted, I 
 Relieve, as warm friends, and why should we now float away 
 from each other towards the great ocean of eternity without 
 ever exchanging a friendly hail ? My old associates are still 
 dear to me, and my lone heart sometimes softens when I think 
 of the past spent in their society. Indeed, I have here become 
 so disgusted with humbugs, toadeaters, and punsters, that my 
 heart gladdens at the receipt of a letter from an old friend 
 whom I know to be a reality and no sham. 
 
 We have been co-workers in at least one thing, the Dialectic, 
 and I believe that to us as much or more than to any others, 
 the society owes its present prosperity. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 H. W. Halleck. 
 
 Tilden, having become involved in a controversy with 
 the authorities at the Point, comes to Newport to consult 
 with Stevens, who takes up his case, advises him what to 
 do, and writes Halleck, Smith, and others in his behalf. 
 " My visit to Newport," writes Tilden, " was of essential 
 service to me, and has served to strengthen the good 
 resolutions suggested by yourself and example." 
 
 H. L. Smith, too, feeling aggrieved at the action of a 
 court-martial reflecting upon his evidence as a witness, 
 has recourse to his friend Stevens, who responds in such 
 manner as to call forth Smith's grateful and somewhat 
 enthusiastic thanks : — 
 
 " I refer in part to your reply to Colonel Totten at table. 
 Be assured I did anticipate your reply to my request. But, 
 Stevens, there are not many who would have taken the part of 
 a friend as you did with Colonel Totten. I shall never forget 
 it as an act of friendship, never cease to admire it as an act of 
 generous independence." 
 
 Oliver visits him in September, and in his next letter 
 speaks of " our fine rides on horseback." Elizabeth has 
 decided to go to Nashville, Tenn., to visit her uncle 
 .Moses, principal of an academy there, in hopes of find- 
 
NEWPORT , 73 
 
 ing employment as a teacher ; and the father calls upon 
 his son in Newport for pecuniary assistance, and informs 
 him that Hannah has come home seriously ill. 
 
 The next letter from his father contained the sad 
 intelligence that Hannah was sinking fast, and urged 
 him to come home immediately. He spent the last few 
 days of life with the dying girl, doing all in his power to 
 comfort her. She died in November, 1840. 
 
 On his journey back to Newport, Mr. Stevens stopped 
 in Boston to hear a lecture by John Quincy Adams, an 
 account of which he gives his father : — 
 
 " His subject was the four stages of man in his progress 
 from the savage to the civilized state, — first, as a hunter ; sec- 
 ond, as a shepherd ; third, as a tiller of the soil ; fourth, as a 
 member of a community in which all trades, occupations, arts, 
 and professions were confined to their appropriate spheres, each 
 receiving the protection and encouragement of all. His deliv- 
 ery was very energetic, though uncouth. His fancy was exu- 
 berant, and his speculations were not entirely, it seemed to me, 
 supported by the truth of history. 
 
 " I wrote to Susan, as you desired, and gave her a detailed 
 account of Hannah's illness, with such other matters as I 
 thought would be interesting. Since I have been back to New- 
 port, I have been reading Blackstone pretty diligently. Thus 
 far, I am much pleased with him." 
 
 "It was a sad Thanksgiving at the homestead this 
 year," Oliver writes, " so different from the year before, 
 when all were at home except Susan, and death had not 
 yet broken the family circle." Now all the children, 
 except Sarah and Oliver, were scattered far and wide, 
 — Susan at Union, Mo., Elizabeth at Nashville, Tenn., 
 Mary in Belfast, Maine, and Isaac in Newport. The 
 father was again disabled with his leg, and unable to 
 attend the Thanksgiving sermon. Oliver concludes his 
 pathetic letter with a wish to go to West Point. 
 
74 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Newport, December 15, 1840. 
 
 Dear Brother Oliver, — I have been very busily engaged 
 since your letter came to hand in preparing an address to be 
 delivered before the Newport Lyceum. As it was the intro- 
 ductory one, I felt very desirous that it should be no discredit 
 to myself, and that all proper expectations should be fully 
 realized. This is my apology for not immediately answering 
 your letter. As the address has been delivered, I will now 
 write you briefly respecting the subject-matter of the latter part 
 of your communication. . . . 
 
 There is nothing new here. I am passing my time very 
 pleasantly. We have a debating club in successful operation, 
 consisting of about sixty members, — clergymen, lawyers, physi- 
 cians, tradesmen, etc., etc. We have a talk this evening on the 
 French Revolution; I don't know whether I shall say any- 
 thing or not. Write as soon as you can find it convenient. 
 Remember me to father, mother, and Sarah, and friends in 
 general. I hope father will take every care of his health. Is 
 it vacation with John Loring now? One of his classmates, 
 young Dunn, is at home in Newport. 
 
 Your brother, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 Mr. O. Stevens. 
 
 Newport, R. I., January 17, 1840. 
 My dear Father, — As soon as I get to Washington I 
 shall put Oliver's application on file in the Department of War, 
 and will obtain an interview with Mr. Cushing to secure his 
 interposition, of which I think we may entertain some expec- 
 tation, as no one has yet applied for the vacancy in his district. 
 One of my classmates, Lieutenant Halleck, who is on duty at 
 Washington, was kind enough to ascertain and inform me of 
 all cadets and applicants from Massachusetts, with their dis- 
 tricts, and in his list I perceive the 3d District is put down 
 vacant without any applications. I have never seen our repre- 
 sentative, for which reason some might deem it advisable to 
 procure a letter of introduction ; but after some consideration I 
 have concluded to take none, but to introduce myself. It is 
 better, if successful, than the other mode ; to be sure, the risk is 
 greater, — I will run it, however. If I make a good impression 
 
ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 From Miniature by Staigg, 1841 
 
NEWPORT 75 
 
 on Mr. Cushing under the circumstances of a vacancy and no 
 application, it may go far towards getting his assistance. I 
 will try it at all events. 
 
 I shall leave on Wednesday and be absent three weeks. The 
 Armisted case comes up before the Supreme Court next Friday, 
 and will probably be in progress the ensuing week ; this will en- 
 able me to hear Mr. John Quincy Adams, of which I am very 
 desirous. Mr. Clay's resolution respecting the repeal of the Sub- 
 Treasury will soon be called up, and will probably cause that 
 whole subject again to be discussed. Should it call out the able 
 men of the Senate while I am in Washington, I could not desire 
 a better opportunity to compare them. I will write you on my 
 arrival, and afterwards from time to time. You must take good 
 care of your health, and take things easily. I know of no one 
 that has a better right. We have nothing new in Newport. 
 My health is perfect both in body and mind ; in other words, I 
 have never had better health in either respect. Give my love 
 to all friends and the family. 
 
 Your son, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 Writes Halleck, January 15, 1841 : — 
 
 I hope to soon meet you here, and enter into a friendly 
 interchange of thoughts and feelings without the formality of 
 paper and ink. I am anxious to give you a hearty shake by 
 the hand and welcome you to Washington. If you are left to 
 your leisure hours, you will undoubtedly have much enjoyment 
 . both in society and in Congress. You must not anticipate too 
 much pleasure in the crowded parties of the metropolis. To 
 me they are perfect bores. 
 
 Let me know when you are to come on, and if not imme- 
 diately I will write you a long letter. Read this if you can. 
 Yours in the true bonds of friendship, 
 
 H. Wager Halleck. 
 
 Although unable to procure the cadet appointment for 
 Oliver, he greatly enjoyed his first visit to the capital, 
 especially the debates in the Senate, where he listened to 
 both Clay and Webster. The former impressed him as 
 
76 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 more a leader of men and controller of measures than 
 the latter. 
 
 One would think that with his official duties, and 
 all the studies and pursuits he was carrying on, every 
 minute of his time must have been taken up ; yet he 
 organized a course of lectures for the winter, and himself 
 delivered an address on Oliver Cromwell, whose character 
 and achievements he greatly admired. In this lecture 
 he presented with great force and clearness a new and 
 original conception of the great Puritan, depicting him as 
 a true patriot and a religious, God-fearing man, obliged 
 by the circumstances of the times to seize the helm of 
 state in order to save his country from despotism or anar- 
 chy. This was much the view afterwards so ably set 
 forth by Carlyle. This lecture excited no little atten- 
 tion at the time ; and when Carlyle's Cromwell appeared, 
 not long afterwards, it was said that the lecture would 
 seem to have been taken from that work, had it not been 
 delivered before that was published. He afterwards 
 delivered this lecture in Andover and other places. 
 
 In the spring of 1841 he was placed in charge of Fair-, 
 haven Battery in New Bedford, Mass., in addition to his 
 duties in Newport. This required frequent trips to the 
 former' place, which he usually made by stage, but several 
 times he traversed the intervening country on foot. On 
 one of these -trips, in an economical mood he refrained 
 from dinner in order to save the cost of the meal. Soon 
 afterwards a lean and friendless dog attached himself to 
 him, and followed his footsteps so persistently, and looked 
 so piteous and hungry, that the young man's sensibilities 
 were touched, and he stopped at a farmhouse and pur- 
 chased a good dinner for the half -starved animal, which, 
 as he laughingly declared, cost all he had saved by his 
 self-denial. 
 
 A letter from Mr. Bishop conveyed the afflicting and 
 
MARGARET LYMAN STEVENS 
 From Miniature by Staigg, 1841 
 
UNIVERSITY 
 
 ^Califobv^ 
 
NEWPORT 77 
 
 unlooked-for intelligence of the death of Susan, April 8, 
 1841, from pulmonary disease, after a brief illness. Thus 
 unexpectedly passed away another loved sister, and one 
 whose sunny, affectionate disposition, fine mind, and high 
 principles had especially endeared her. 
 
 Benjamin Hazard died March 10, 1841. During his 
 lingering illness he derived much comfort and pleasure 
 from the society and attentions of the talented and sym- 
 pathetic young man. He gladly sanctioned his betrothal 
 with his daughter Margaret, and willingly intrusted the 
 future of his beloved child to one whom he both loved 
 and respected, and in whose character and ability he had 
 the fullest confidence. 
 
 The marriage was solemnized by Mr. Brooks, Septem- 
 ber 8, 1841, in the great parlor of the old mansion, the 
 same apartment which witnessed the wedding of " Charm- 
 ing Polly" and her Revolutionary hero, and of their 
 daughter Harriet and Benjamin Hazard, the parents of 
 the present bride. 
 
 It was a quiet and simple ceremony, so soon after the 
 death of Mr. Hazard, but the ample room was well filled 
 with beautiful young girls, the sisters and cousins of the 
 bride, officers in full uniform, the companions of the 
 groom, and old friends of the family. Hither came from 
 Andover the groom's brother Oliver, and cousin Henry 
 H. Stevens, his West Point friend, Lieutenant Jeremy F. 
 Gilmer,, from Washington, Lieutenants James L. Mason, 
 Henry J. Hunt, and Lewis G. Arnold, from Newport, and 
 a goodly number of Lymans and Dunnells from Provi- 
 dence, uncles, aunts, and cousins of the bride. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 CHARGE OF WORKS : NEW BEDFORD, PORTSMOUTH, PORT- 
 LAND, BUCKSPORT 
 
 The wedding journey was to New York by Long Is- 
 land Sound, and thence up the Hudson to West Point, 
 where they spent several days, and were received with 
 flattering attentions by his old friends. With great pride 
 and pleasure Mr. Stevens presented them to his lovely 
 bride, and revisited with her the romantic scenes of the 
 Point, endeared by so many pleasant associations. They 
 returned by way of Springfield and Boston. 
 
 New Bedford, September 24, 1841. 
 My dear Father, — I was very glad to see Oliver and my 
 cousin Henry at Newport on the occasion of my marriage, and, 
 though your presence would have afforded me much pleasure, 
 yet, as I well knew that it was a busy season with you, and that 
 something very unusual only could induce you to leave home., I 
 was not much disappointed at your not coming. You will cer- 
 tainly see us as early as next Thanksgiving. We had a most 
 pleasant trip, were favored with unusually fine weather, and 
 were disappointed in no one of our anticipations. Margaret had 
 never visited West Point before, and had always lived in a coun- 
 try the scenery of which is very tame compared with the alpine 
 grandeur of the Highlands. I had said a great deal to her 
 about West Point, and I feared that her expectations were 
 raised high above the reality. I was, however, agreeably sur- 
 prised by her assertion that her ideas had scarcely approached 
 the truth. The day after our arrival at West Point she insisted 
 upon climbing to the Crow's Nest, which you recollect is two 
 miles from West Point, and commands the plain about twelve 
 or fourteen hundred feet. Finding that my dissuasion had 
 
NEW BEDFORD 79 
 
 little effect, I took her up one of the roughest ways, — in many 
 places we had to ascend almost perpendicular rocks. In one 
 hour and a half we were on the very topmost height of the 
 mountain. We came back by a rough, winding, long road, and 
 got to the hotel four hours after leaving it. I call that a pretty 
 good feat for a lady. From Hudson to Springfield the road 
 was completed except about two miles near Chester Factories. 
 It passes through a most wild and picturesque country, follows 
 the valley of one of the rivers that empties into the Connecticut 
 for some thirty miles, crossing it frequently and constantly 
 changing direction, and is constructed in a truly magnificent 
 style. 
 
 We got back to Newport just seven days after leaving it. 
 There I found orders had been awaiting me two days to repair 
 to New Bedford, to take charge of all the repairs of the old fort. 
 You can judge of the urgency of the orders from my going to 
 New Bedford the next day, and leaving Margaret at Newport, 
 where she has been ever since. We arrived at Newport about 
 four o'clock on Thursday. I left the next day at two o'clock, 
 made an inspection of the fort on Saturday forenoon, issued 
 a hand-bill the same day for mechanics and laborers, and on 
 Monday morning had a gang of about twenty men at work. I 
 never was in New Bedford before, and knew not a single man in 
 the place. Monday morning I fell in with a real full-blooded 
 Yankee, whom I engaged as overseer, and immediately sent 
 around the country for stone-cutters and masons. I went on 
 Monday into a ledge of granite rock, and have already thrown 
 out about two hundred tons of stone, and got about a hundred 
 feet cut. The people in New Bedford are disposed to criticise my 
 plans, but they will find out I know what I am about, and that 
 they had better save their sneers for some other object. After I 
 had been at work three days, I dismissed three men for idleness,- 
 which had a very good effect. My plan is to be rather familiar 
 with every man, but at the same time to make every one feel 
 that he must do his duty. To-morrow I am going to Newport 
 after Margaret. I have been so busy that I have had no time 
 to miss her. In fact, this is the very first moment since I 
 have been in New Bedford that I have been able to write 
 home. Now my business has got into a regular course, and 
 
80 ISAAC INGALLS STEVEtfS 
 
 will require but little time to attend to it. Whether I shall 
 spend the winter in Newport, or New Bedford, I don't know. 
 I have at present only orders to get in readiness platforms for 
 nine guns. 
 
 Your son, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 Mr. Isaac Stevens. 
 
 The young couple boarded in Fairhaven, a suburb of 
 New Bedford, for several months, and then removed to 
 the town. They entered with lively interest into the 
 society of the place, at that time the abode of many 
 wealthy and somewhat aristocratic families. Mr. Stevens 
 had already made the favorable acquaintance of the first 
 people before bringing his wife there ; her family and 
 personal attractions were known, and they were cordially 
 received. Mrs. Hazard made them a short visit during 
 the winter. 
 
 Halleck asks his assistance in starting an engineering 
 journal for the corps. 
 
 I know too well your zeal for the profession to doubt for a 
 moment that the measure will receive your countenance, and 
 the support of your able pen. If we succeed in the undertak- 
 ing, I am quite sure that it will be of much advantage to us 
 individually, and will contribute greatly to the reputation of 
 the corps. 
 
 If the delights of married life have not entirely driven 
 away the recollection of old bachelor friends, I hope you will 
 again favor me with one of your old-fashioned letters. I have 
 heard too much of the attractions of your bride to scold 
 you for so long neglecting me. From all' accounts, my . dear 
 Stevens, I must pronounce you a most fortunate and happy 
 man, and I shall embrace the first opportunity to make the 
 acquaintance of your lady, and most heartily welcome her 'into 
 our corps. 
 
 Yours most truly, 
 
 H. Wager Halleck. 
 
THANKSGIVING IN ANDOTER 81 
 
 The young couple spent Thanksgiving in Andover. 
 The stern but true-hearted father, deeply mourning the 
 untimely loss of his two elder daughters, was gladdened 
 by the presence of five children, — Sarah, Isaac, Oliver, 
 Mary, arid the new daughter, Margaret. The latter was 
 greatly admired, and was received with warm affection 
 and kindness by them, and by uncles William and 
 Nathaniel and their families. She was highly interested 
 and pleased with the Thanksgiving festivities, a new 
 experience to her ; for the Quakers and Come-outers of 
 Rhode Island, many of whom left Massachusetts to escape 
 the tyranny of the " Lord Brethren," never made much 
 of that holiday, but kept Christmas instead. 
 
 After a delightful visit of a week, they returned to 
 New Bedford and the pleasures of domestic life, and 
 for the young husband what he always enjoyed, — hard 
 work. This seriously encroached upon his proposed 
 course of study and reading, yet with Mason he would 
 run up to Providence to hear Ralph Waldo Emerson's 
 lectures. 
 
 On June 9, 1842, their first child, a boy, was born in 
 the old Newport mansion, and named Hazard, after his 
 maternal grandfather. 
 
 Newport, June 9, 1842. 
 My dear Father, — I came here last Friday with the inten- 
 tion of returning to New Bedford on Monday, but I was seized 
 with a very violent bilious attack that kept me in the house 
 for a day or two. The physician that was called prescribed 
 calomel, and I was fool enough to take it, the consequence of 
 which is that instead of being perfectly well to-day, as I should 
 otherwise have been, I have a pain in my bones, and not half 
 the elasticity that generally attends my recovery. However, 
 calomel or no calomel, I don't regret my illness, for it has been 
 the cause of my being in Newport at a most interesting moment. 
 Early this morning Margaret was safely delivered of a fine, 
 healthy boy, after an uncommonly short and easy labor. She 
 
82 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 was fortunate in the attendance of a most judicious, skillful, 
 and experienced physician, a younger brother of her father, 
 who has been in an extensive practice for more than forty 
 years. Now, father, you may fairly say that you have a right 
 to your gray hairs. Gray hairs and grandfathers always go 
 together. The little fellow has been squalling most unmerci- 
 fully this morning, and seems to take it for granted that no 
 one's convenience is to be consulted but his own. If he will 
 but show the same energy in the development of his other 
 faculties, we may expect great things of him. 
 
 Your son, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 During the greater part of this year Oliver pursues his 
 studies at Phillips Academy in South Andover; Sarah is 
 teaching an unruly school in Saugus, Mass., where she 
 punishes a refractory boy, maintains order, and overcomes 
 the unreasonable anger of the boy's parents in a way 
 that proves her gifted with much firmness, decision, and 
 good sense. Only Mary remains at home. She writes : 
 " We had a fugitive slave to spend the night with us. 
 He was as black a person as I ever saw." So it appears 
 that the old Abolitionist is doing his part towards the 
 "underground railroad," as harboring and forwarding 
 fugitive slaves was termed. 
 
 Elizabeth, in Tennessee, became engaged in the spring 
 to Mr. L. M. Campbell, a promising young lawyer, and 
 they were married September 9. 
 
 After the birth of the child, Mr. Stevens and his wife 
 went to keeping house in New Bedford. Sarah visited 
 them in the winter, and on her return home in March, 
 1843, they accompanied her as far as Boston, where they 
 remained a week while Mr. Stevens attended to some 
 engineering duties on one of the islands in the harbor. 
 In April he was again in Boston, while his young wife 
 was visiting her mother in Newport for election day in 
 May, when the state government was to be inaugurated. 
 
CHARGE OF WORKS 83 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens received orders to assume charge 
 of the fortifications at Portsmouth, N. H., to which those 
 at Portland, Maine, were added soon afterwards. These 
 consisted of Forts Constitution and Scammell at the 
 former, and Forts Preble and McClary at the latter 
 place. Breaking up housekeeping at New Bedford in 
 1843, and leaving his wife and boy in Newport, and the 
 little stock of furniture and belongings stored in the 
 old mansion temporarily, Lieutenant Stevens proceeded 
 to Portsmouth and took charge of the works. Having 
 in his ever prompt and energetic manner set everything 
 under way, he returned to Newport, and brought his 
 little family to the new station. They boarded for a 
 short time, then he leased a spacious house, using a por- 
 tion of it as an office. They speedily found themselves 
 among warm friends and pleasant surroundings. Lieu- 
 tenant Tom Breese, of the navy, a generous, whole-souled 
 gentleman, who had married Lucy Randolph, a cousin of 
 Mrs. Stevens, was stationed at the navy yard, and made 
 them more than welcome. Lieutenant A. W. Whipple, of 
 the engineers, a fellow student at West Point, was conduct- 
 ing a survey of the harbor. He became a major-general, 
 commanded the third division, third corps, Army of the 
 Potomac, and was mortally wounded at the battle of Chan- 
 cellorsville. There were also Colonel Crane, Captain Stan- 
 berry, and Lieutenants William H. Fowler and Joseph 
 Hooker, of the army, and Major Harris, of the marines. 
 Hooker afterwards rose to be major-general, and com- 
 manded the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville. 
 Portsmouth, like Newport, had its old families and culti- 
 vated and agreeable society, which cordially received the 
 young engineer officer and his wife. Among the first to 
 call upon Mrs. Stevens were Mrs. John L. Hayes and Mrs. 
 Samuel Elliott Coues, two beautiful young women, the 
 daughters of Mr. Alexander Ladd, and a warm friendship 
 
84 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 grew up between the families, which continued after all 
 three moved to Washington in after years. 
 
 In Portland, only a few miles distant, resided Rev. Asa 
 Cummings, Mr. Stevens's maternal uncle, the editor of 
 the " Christian Mirror," and his house was always open 
 to the young couple like a second home. During the 
 winter Mrs. Stevens's sister Mary visited them. There 
 was much social visiting and many entertainments ; they 
 attended the marriage of Lieutenant Whipple and Miss 
 Sherburne. They were on board the frigate Portsmouth 
 when she was launched at the navy yard. 
 
 Mr. Stevens found his hands full, with the two sets 
 of works intrusted to him, and was obliged to spend no 
 little time in traveling between them. At Fort Preble 
 he planned and built the barracks, conceded to be among 
 the best arranged in the country. Having to cross the 
 harbor frequently in his visits to the fort, he had built 
 at Newport one of the catboats for which that town 
 was famous, and had it brought to Portland. He also 
 brought on from New Bedford a faithful retainer, named 
 Daniel Murphy, and put him in charge of the boat. 
 
 In addition to these onerous and responsible duties, he 
 was placed in sole charge of the fortification of the nar- 
 rows of the Penobscot River, where it was decided to build 
 a regular, bastioned, casemated work for forty guns on 
 the right bank of the river, opposite Bucksport, to be 
 named Fort Knox. Mr. Stevens visited Bucksport in 
 July, 1843, on this new duty. The first thing to be done 
 was to purchase the site for the fort, and for this purpose 
 he sought the owners of the land and made arrangements 
 with them. One of these, an old farmer, not deeming 
 it possible that the government could be represented in 
 so important a matter by so young, boyish-looking, and 
 unassuming a man, refused to talk with him, and soon 
 afterwards, meeting an acquaintance, complained to him 
 
VISITS BUCKSPOKT AND CASTINE 85 
 
 about that young fellow, a mere boy, talking to him as to 
 buying his farm for the government, etc. To his aston- 
 ishment, his friend assured him that he had made a great 
 mistake, that the young man was Lieutenant Stevens, of 
 the engineer corps, who had entire charge of building 
 the fort, and advised him to lose no time in seeking the 
 young officer and explaining his mistake, which he made 
 haste to do. This incident shows how youthful Mr. 
 Stevens appeared at that time, although twenty-five years 
 old, a husband and a father. He was always quiet and 
 unobtrusive in manner, without a trace of self-assertion 
 or pretentiousness ; and the marked impression he made 
 upon all with whom he came in contact was due to real 
 superiority of mind and spirit, and not to any adventi- 
 tious advantages of stature or manner. 
 
 He also, in July, visited Castine, and inspected and 
 reported upon the old works there, which had been, for- 
 tified and held by the British during the war of 1812. 
 
 His sisters were again widely scattered from their 
 father's house. During the summer Sarah was staying 
 with uncle Asa Cummings, and, being attacked by a 
 severe cough, Mary came there to wait upon her, and also 
 to attend school. Their brother Isaac constantly visited 
 them, and supplied them with books and comforts. He 
 also freely aided Oliver with funds. He was at North 
 Yarmouth fitting for college, and helping himself by 
 teaching school. 
 
 With all these calls upon him, Mr. Stevens was obliged 
 to ask his father to repay — 
 
 " as much, not exceeding one hundred dollars, as you can con- 
 veniently raise. My expenses in the way of traveling have 
 been very heavy this year. Three journeys to Bangor already, 
 and two more in contemplation, besides quite a number between 
 Portland and Portsmouth. With this I send you the ' National 
 Anti-Slavery Standard,' the organ of the American Anti-Sla- 
 
86 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 very Society. I have just commenced taking the paper. I like 
 its spirit and views much." 
 
 In this letter he speaks of spending four days in Port- 
 land, and finding Sarah improved and Mary well ; gives 
 a long account of the condition and medical treatment 
 of the former, and suggests means for her recovery and 
 plans for Mary's education. These sisters were very dear 
 to him, and he was very solicitous for their welfare. But 
 Sarah rapidly grew worse with quick consumption, and 
 died February 8, 1844, only twenty-two years old. After 
 her death, Mary returned home. 
 
 One day at Portsmouth, as Mr. Stevens was at work 
 in his office and his young wife was at the window, her 
 attention was attracted by a unique vehicle coining down 
 the street, followed by a tail of small boys in high glee. 
 This was a rude sleigh fashioned out of poles, and drawn 
 by a rough-looking nag, whose coat was innocent of cur- 
 rycomb and brush. Seated on a box in the bottom of 
 the sleigh, and driving the horse with entire unconcern 
 at the attention he was attracting, was a large, tall man, 
 with light hair and fair, florid complexion, clad in home- 
 spun garb, the very type of an independent backwoods 
 farmer. Stopping at the door, he inquired for Leftenant 
 Stevens, who ran down, and was surprised and pleased 
 to find in the rustic caller one of his mother's brothers, 
 John Cummings, from Albany, on his way to Andover. 
 How uncle John received a warm welcome, how he was 
 brought in and given a hearty supper, while his team was 
 sent around to the nearest stable, and how he was loaded 
 with viands and supplies enough to last the remainder 
 of his journey when he resumed it, may be imagined. 
 Such an opportunity to dispense hospitality to one of his 
 relatives was a source of unalloyed pleasure to the young 
 officer. 
 
 The laying out and starting the fort at Bucksport 
 
OVERWORKING 87 
 
 engrossed most of his attention in the spring of 1844. 
 The care of important works at three different places 
 necessitated incessant traveling, besides which he had to 
 visit Boston periodically to obtain and bring down the 
 public funds required. With all these duties and cares 
 he was more than fully occupied, and was obliged to lay 
 aside, for the present at least, his projected law studies. 
 He also sent abroad and purchased a number of French 
 works on fortifications and military history. He became 
 deeply interested in the forts under his charge, and was 
 indefatigable in urging upon the Engineer Bureau in 
 Washington improvements and measures which his active 
 mind was quick to observe. Indeed, in his zeal he over- , 
 worked himself, and was prostrated with severe sickness 
 in consequence. " You work too hard," writes his sister 
 Mary ; " you will not live five years unless you take busi- 
 ness easier." During the summer he was able to give 
 Oliver employment on Fort Preble, and writes his father 
 that " Oliver has acquitted himself with credit ; had to 
 manage a gang of twenty-five men." 
 
 Mrs. Stevens spent part of the summer at her mother's 
 house in Newport, where, on June 27, their second child 
 was born, a daughter, named Julia Virginia. Early 
 in August Mr. Stevens went to Newport to escort his 
 little family to Bucksport. They spent several days in 
 Andover, accompanied by Mrs. Stevens's sister Nancy, 
 where they met Elizabeth and her husband, just arrived 
 from Tennessee on a visit. Mary was at home, and there 
 was a pleasant family reunion. After this agreeable 
 little visit they went to Boston and took the steam- 
 boat for Bucksport, Miss Nancy Hazard returning to 
 Newport. 
 
 In the fall Elizabeth and Mr. Campbell returned to 
 Tennessee, after a round of visits to her relatives in 
 Massachusetts and Maine. Mary accompanied them. 
 
88 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Arriving at Bucksport the last of August, they found 
 quarters at an old-fashioned country tavern, the only 
 hotel in the place, where they had comfortable though 
 rustic accommodations. The principal people, with the 
 cordial hospitality characteristic of Maine, welcomed them 
 to the town. 
 
 At first many, like the old farmer, were disposed to 
 sneer at the young stripling, but the energetic, thorough- 
 going, and effective way in which he organized and drove 
 on the works, his decided, self-reliant character, sound, 
 sensible conversation, and simple, direct manners, soon 
 won their approval and admiration, and he became a 
 great favorite, and much respected and looked up to 
 as well as liked. After a short sojourn at the tavern, 
 he leased a large, roomy house of Judge Pond, half of 
 which he set apart as an office, and made his residence 
 in the other half. Kidder Kandolph, a cousin of Mrs. 
 Stevens, was employed as chief clerk, and with his wife, 
 nee Isabella Updike, came on from Newport. He also 
 employed in the office Mr. Isaac Osgood, a fellow-towns- 
 man from Andover, and on the works, as assistant, Mr. 
 Abiel W. Tinkham. 
 
 The Penobscot at this point is some half a mile wide, 
 with a strong tidal current. For crossing the river he 
 provided a four-oared barge, over which Daniel Murphy 
 was installed as coxswain. Every morning the young 
 engineer officer would cross the river to supervise the 
 works, and return to the town late in the afternoon or in 
 the evening. A large force was set to work. Soon deep 
 excavations, great banks of earth, and vast piles of granite 
 and other materials attested the vigor with which the con- 
 struction was pushed. He visited many quarries far and 
 near, and examined and tested the granite. As this mate- 
 rial was landed in great, heavy blocks and masses on the 
 river- bank, and had to be hauled thence to the works up a 
 
BUILDING FORT KNOX 89 
 
 considerable ascent, he bought many oxen for the purpose, 
 scouring the country for the largest and finest to be had. 
 In these teams he took great pride, and especially enjoyed 
 taking friends and visitors to see them. He was also 
 quite proud of his ability to select good workmen from 
 their appearance. A well-shaped head, with a full, high 
 forehead, he used to say, denoted a good man, reliable, 
 intelligent, and industrious. 
 
 The lonely old man in Andover writes a pathetic letter 
 to Isaac in December, urging him to make him a visit. 
 Of his seven children, not one was at home at Thanks- 
 giving. Three daughters had died ; the remaining two 
 were far distant in Tennessee ; Isaac was in Bucksport, 
 and Oliver in North Yarmouth. With deep feeling the 
 aged and lonely father writes : " My children, — you may 
 well suppose I thought of them." 
 
 Mr. Stevens again had a severe sickness in the winter, 
 the result probably of overwork, although he used to say 
 that the cold winter climate of Maine did not agree with 
 him, that it rendered his faculties torpid or benumbed. 
 In February, however, he visited Washington, and was 
 present at Polk's inauguration as President. He em- 
 braced this opportunity to urge upon Colonel Totten, 
 chief of engineers, the need of increased appropriations 
 for the works under his charge, and with such success that 
 the other engineer officers complained that Stevens had 
 left no funds for their works. 
 
 During 1845 Mr. Stevens was vigorously pushing the 
 building of Fort Knox, as well as attending to the works 
 at Portland and Portsmouth. In May he received a con- 
 fidential letter from Colonel Totten, asking if he desired 
 transfer to and promotion in one of the new regiments 
 about to be raised, which, with his characteristic reply, is 
 given : — 
 
90 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 [confidential.] 
 
 Engineer Department, 
 Washington, 28th May, 1845. 
 Lieutenant Isaac I. Stevens, 
 
 Corps of Engineers, Bucksport, Maine : 
 JSir, — In case of an increase of the military establishment 
 at the next session of Congress, I shall probably be called upon 
 to know if any officers of engineers desire a transfer to the new- 
 forces, with promotion. 
 
 Would you desire such a transfer? "What is the lowest 
 grade that you would be willing to accept ? And in what arm 
 of the service ? 
 
 Very respectfully, your obt. svt., 
 
 Joseph G. Totten, Col. and Ch. Eng. 
 
 I have already been spoken to on this subject by one high in 
 authority. 
 
 Bucksport, Maine, June 24, 1845. 
 Colonel Joseph G. Totten, 
 
 Chief Engineer, Washington : 
 
 Sir, — In answer to the confidential circular of the Depart- 
 ment of the 28th ultimo, asking if I should desire a transfer 
 with promotion to the new forces, in case of an increase of the 
 military establishment at the next session of Congress, I beg to 
 say generally and comprehensively that I hold myself in readi- 
 ness to discharge to the best of my ability the duties of any 
 position which shall enlarge my sphere of action and of useful- 
 ness, and with which, in the judgment of those intrusted with 
 the administration of public affairs, I may be deemed worthy 
 to be invested ; promotion or no promotion, in my own corps or 
 in any other corps or department of the public service, and 
 whether the field of duty be in Oregon, California, or at the 
 North Pole. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens, Lieut of EngWs. 
 
 This reply evinces a certain impatience, or disapproval, 
 at the idea of consulting the personal wishes and prefer- 
 ences of an officer as to his assignment to duty. Mr. 
 Stevens always held high ideals of public duty, — many 
 
BUILDING FORT KNOX 91 
 
 would deem them quixotic and overstrained. He ever 
 deemed it the duty of appointing officers to select the 
 ablest and best-fitted man for any post or service that 
 could be found, and that it was the duty of every public 
 officer to serve with complete self-abnegation and patri- 
 otic zeal. His whole career proved the sincerity of his 
 convictions on this point. 
 
 In consequence of the hostile attitude assumed by 
 Mexico upon the admission of Texas into the Union 
 against her protests, Colonel Totten, on June 8, writes 
 the following confidential order : — 
 
 " In all the forts under your charge (including the narrows 
 of the Penobscot) you should, as soon as it can be done advan- 
 tageously, place all your batteries in a state of perfect readi- 
 ness for guns, leaving nothing to be done but the mounting of 
 the guns when they shall arrive. It is of infinite importance, 
 should any exigency arise, that the preparation of the country 
 shall not be found deficient in any manner depending on the 
 Engineer Department." 
 
 General Taylor with a small force was thrown into 
 Texas to protect the newly acquired State, and the in- 
 creasing probabilities of war with Mexico were eagerly 
 discussed by the ambitious young army officers. In Sep- 
 tember Mr. Stevens accompanied Colonel Totten on a 
 tour of inspection of all the works under his charge, and 
 entertained him and Mrs. Totten for several days at his 
 house in Bucksport. 
 
 Mr. Stevens was never so well pleased as when dispens- 
 ing hospitality in his own house. He was continually 
 bringing friends home to dinner, often on short notice, 
 and always liked to have some of his relatives visiting him. 
 His wife's sister Nancy spent the summer with them.* Bro- 
 ther Oliver, uncle William's daughter Eliza and son Wil- 
 liam, Mrs. Hazard and her son Thomas, and sister, Miss 
 Eliza B. Lyman, and uncle Nathaniel, also visited them, 
 
92 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and, after much urging, his father, from Andover, was 
 induced to make a brief visit. He employed Oliver again 
 this summer on Fort Preble. Always ready and glad to 
 serve any relative or friend, he saw to the purchasing 
 and shipping of several cargoes of hay for uncle Nathan- 
 iel, declining to accept any recompense for his services. 
 
 On December 7 the little girl, Julia Virginia, died of 
 water on the brain, after a brief illness. She was a 
 beautiful, gentle child, and a great pet of her father, who 
 delighted to place her on his office table when he was at 
 work, oftentimes to the sad disarrangement of his plans 
 and drawings, and her death was a severe affliction. The 
 following beautiful lines were written by Mr. Brooks, in 
 condolence upon the sad loss : — 
 
 " Well with the child? " Ah, yes, 't is well 
 With that bright creature evermore, 
 Gone up, 'mid seraph bands to dwell 
 With God on yonder starry shore. 
 
 " Well with the child? " Ah, yes, 't is well, 
 Though marble-cold that lily brow, 
 And though no sage nor seer can tell 
 
 Where soars the mind that beamed there now. 
 
 " Well with the child? " Ah, yes, 't is well, 
 Though still in death that speaking eye; 
 A shadow o'er the spirit fell — 
 'T is past — a star is in the sky! 
 
 « Well with the child? " Ah, yes, 't is well 
 With her, that sweet and guileless one; 
 Toll not for her the gloomy knell, 
 
 Though gilds her grave the morning sun. 
 
 " Well with the child? " Ah, yes, 't is well, 
 And well with us who mourn, if we, 
 By penitence made pure, might dwell, 
 Sweet child of God! with Him and thee. 
 
 During the winter Mr. Stevens organized a course of 
 lectures for the Bucksport Lyceum, delivering one lecture 
 
ENGINEER COMPANY 93 
 
 himself, and writing to lecturers in different parts of the 
 country, engaging their services, and inviting them to 
 his house. Among the lecturers and subjects were : John 
 A. Peters, on " The Profession of Politics ; " William B. 
 Merton, on "American Literature; " J. A. Smith, on "The 
 Present State of English Poetry ; " Henry Giles, George 
 Shepard, and others, whose subjects are not known. He 
 also became interested in organizing a Unitarian Church 
 in Bucksport, and corresponded with Dr. A. P. Peabody 
 in regard to a pastor, etc., but it was found impracticable 
 to do this. 
 
 Mr. Stevens was never a sportsman or fisherman ; 
 indeed, he kept himself so immersed in work as never to 
 have time for field sports, yet he was especially fond of 
 the noble salmon which were taken in the Penobscot, and 
 delighted to send fine, handsome specimens of this noble 
 fish to his father, Mrs. Hazard, and other friends. He 
 had a fish- weir built below the fort, in which many fish 
 were taken at times. 
 
 Convinced of the desirability of organizing a body of 
 engineer troops as part of the army, for several years 
 Mr. Stevens kept writing urgent memorials and letters to 
 the Engineer or War Department in advocacy of the 
 plan. In those days the rank and file were nearly all 
 foreigners, and far inferior in character to the regular 
 soldiers of the present day. For the engineer troops he 
 advocated enlisting American young men of intelligence, 
 good character and physique, putting them under a thor- 
 ough course of instruction, with strict discipline, in order 
 " to raise them to the highest state of discipline and 
 efficiency, a fair representation of what an American 
 army might and should be, so that every man in the com- 
 pany can, if he chooses to study and do his duty, become 
 a good clerk, overseer, or practical engineer." More- 
 over, in case of war, or an increase of the army, some 
 
94 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 of the best qualified and most deserving men might be 
 given commissions. He was deeply impressed with and 
 admired Cromweirs policy of raising his " ironsides " 
 amono- men of good family and substance, discarding 
 " serving-men and tapsters/' and was full of the idea of 
 making the American army as honorable for the common 
 soldier as for the officer. The soundness of these views 
 is now becoming recognized, and within the last few 
 years steps have been taken to raise the standard of reg- 
 ular soldiers by enlisting only the better class of men, 
 and giving them more instruction, advantages, and oppor- 
 tunities, even to appointing officers from the ranks. 
 
 At length the War Department decided to allow the 
 raising of an engineer company, and Lieutenant Stevens 
 issued circulars calling for men, and personally enlisted 
 the first soldier in the new corps, private Lathrop. The 
 company formed part of Scott's army in Mexico, where it 
 rendered distinguished service under Captain G. W. Smith 
 and Lieutenant George B. McClellan, the former of whom 
 became a Confederate major-general, and the latter was 
 the well-known commander of the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 In July, 1846, Mr. Stevens was in Boston loading a 
 vessel with material for Fort Knox. During this sum- 
 mer Mrs. Stevens's eldest sister, Miss Emily L. Hazard, 
 with her little nephew, Charlie Brooks, made them a visit, 
 and two other sisters, Mary and Nancy, spent the summer 
 and fall with them. 
 
 The Mexican war was now in full progress with Tay- 
 lor's campaign on the Rio Grande, and Lieutenant 
 Stevens, ambitious for active service, but unwilling to 
 urge his personal wishes, writes the chief of engineers 
 that sedentary employment is prejudicial to his health, — 
 needs exercise in the open air, — would respond with 
 alacrity to any call made upon him for service in Mexico, 
 adding that he makes no personal application, but simply 
 
CHARGE OF WORKS 95 
 
 states facts, etc. At last, on December 25, he received 
 his orders, and in two hours was speeding by sleigh over 
 snow-drifted roads to Bangor, reaching Portland the next 
 day, and Boston the 28th. Miss Nancy Hazard went, 
 under his escort, as far as Boston, returning home. Miss 
 Mary remained in Bucksport to spend the winter with 
 her sister, who needed her society and care, for on No- 
 vember 20, the second daughter, Sue, was born. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 VOYAGE TO MEXICO 
 
 Boston, Mass., December 29, 1846. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — We reached Boston yesterday at half 
 past twelve, after a very pleasant journey from Bangor. The 
 weather was unusually mild, and we experienced very little 
 fatigue. Nancy took the afternoon cars for Providence. This 
 afternoon the steamer Perry runs to Newport and will take her 
 home. 
 
 I shall not sail probably till Saturday. 
 
 I have determined to take out a complete equipment, even to 
 a servant. I am causing inquiries to be made this morning, 
 and in case I find no one to my mind, I shall send for Daniel 
 Murphy. Daniel would be so devoted to me. If I were sick 
 he would take care of me. Daniel, too, would feel with me per- 
 fectly secure from all harm. The quartermaster will furnish 
 me here with a camp equipage. I shall provide myself with 
 a saddle, india-rubber leggings, and everything complete, so 
 that not for a single instant shall I be delayed on reaching my 
 destination. Immediately on my landing I wish to be ready 
 for service. I may take out a horse. I wish some of my good 
 friends would present me one. I should want a horse worth 
 three hundred dollars. 
 
 I have sent for Oliver to spend the day with me to-morrow. 
 I thought it best not to send for father. It will be hard for 
 him to part with me, and he had better stay at home. 
 
 Since leaving you my mind has dwelt much upon my little 
 family. I know you will look on the bright side. In all can- 
 dor, I consider my life as safe in Mexico as in Maine. I hope 
 to get a sound constitution, and to come back to you, my dear 
 Margaret, in due season, sound in body and none the worse 
 for wear. You have a treasure in your own mother and bro- 
 thers and sisters. Mary is with you. I feel grateful to her for 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO 97 
 
 giving up so promptly her own wishes to stay with you. I 
 hope you will have a pleasant winter. Keep up your spirits, 
 and have faith in the future and in the God of the future. I 
 go to Mexico without a single foreboding. I have faith, almost 
 implicit faith, that I shall come back. Have faith with me. 
 
 So long as I remain in Boston you shall hear from me every 
 day. Love to Mary and the chicks. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 Boston, Mass., December 30, 1846. 
 
 My dear Margaret, — Oliver has come down to pass the 
 day with me. We are hard at work preparing inventories and 
 getting everything ready. We have a fine vessel, and I look 
 forward to a pleasant passage. 
 
 Oliver brought me the sad intelligence of the death of Eliza- 
 beth on the 10th of December. Campbell wrote further a most 
 feeling and excellent letter. Elizabeth suffered but little, and 
 everything was done for her that could be suggested by the 
 forethought of the most devoted of husbands. 
 
 Her child was very well. Mary, we expect, will return in 
 the spring. I shall try and send you a little note every day. 
 Write me at Brazos Santiago, and write often, commencing 
 now. Write once a week, adding something to your letters each 
 day. 
 
 Remember me to all. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens's orders were to take charge of the 
 ponton and engineer trains, then being loaded on ship- 
 board in Boston, and accompany the same to the head- 
 quarters of General Scott in Mexico, touching first at 
 Brazos Santiago, Texas. 
 
 Notwithstanding the urgency of his orders, various de- 
 lays occurred, and it was not until the 19th of January 
 that the vessel sailed. During this period of waiting he 
 had a visit from his father, and one from Oliver, also. 
 His cousins Charles and Henry also came down from 
 
98 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Andover to bid him good-by. He spent a day in New 
 Bedford, calling upon his friends there. Daniel Murphy, 
 having fallen sick, had to be sent home. 
 
 Boston, Mass., January 13, 1847. 
 
 My deakest Wife, — I wrote you a brief note yesterday, 
 stating that I should not probably sail for some days. Having 
 nothing to do here, yet obliged to remain to be in readiness to 
 obey any new orders, I shall endeavor to spend my time in 
 some rational manner. There are military matters to be looked 
 into and old friends to visit. 
 
 I hope I shall hear from you, before I leave Boston, and very 
 much in full. I wish once more to look into the little details of 
 your daily life, before I commit myself to the broad bosom of 
 the great waters. 
 
 January 14. Yesterday I passed a portion of the day in 
 Cambridge ; found Mrs. Breese and family all well. The chil- 
 dren had grown much since I last saw them. Mrs. Breese 
 seemed very resigned, but she has evidently teen a great 
 mourner. She was the same hospitable, noble-hearted woman 
 as of old. She expects to get to Newport about May ; will go 
 to housekeeping in their old house. 
 
 I saw the fortj^-eight Viennese dancers last evening. It was 
 splendid. They are young girls from four years to sixteen, all 
 handsome and perfectly trained. Everybody goes to see them. 
 Last evening there was a great turn-out of the beauty and 
 fashion of Boston. 
 
 You shall hear from me again before I leave. There is no 
 probability of my sailing before Saturday. Love to Hazard 
 and the babe. Remembrances, and 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 Boston, Mass., January 15, 1847. 
 My dearest Wife, — There is now every prospect of my 
 getting off to-morrow. I may not reach the Brazos till the 
 middle of February. Colonel Totten left on the 12th for Mex- 
 ico, and I shall without doubt serve under his immediate direc- 
 tion. Eighteen officers of engineers are either in Mexico, or on 
 their way thither. 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO 99 
 
 I trust I shall get a few lines from you to-morrow before I 
 sail, as otherwise a month must pass before any tidings reach 
 me. Do not fail to write quite often to me at the Brazos. I 
 shall not object, you know, to find a dozen letters, more or 
 
 To-day I dined at Mr. Eben Dale's, a nephew of aunt Cum- 
 mings. Cousin Charles Stevens dined there also. He designs 
 going this evening to see the Viennese dancers. I wish you 
 could see them. Everybody is charmed. Whole families go, 
 children and all, and to-morrow there is to be an afternoon exhi- 
 bition for the particular benefit of the children. 
 I will write you again before I sail. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Isaac Stevens. 
 
 Boston, Mass., January 19, 1847. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — It is now ten o'clock in the morning, 
 and I shall in an hour take my departure for Mexico. 
 
 We have a fine vessel — good officers and crew — and it is a 
 charming day. 
 
 I hoped to have heard from you before I left, but no letter 
 has reached me. 
 
 God bless you and the little ones. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — It is now January 27, and the eighth 
 day of our being at sea. I wrote you a brief note on the 
 day I sailed, Tuesday, January 19. We left the wharf at three 
 p. M., with a strong westerly wind, which drove our bark 
 through the water at the rate of eight knots per hour. The 
 weather was very cold, but with my cloak around me, I re- 
 mained on deck several hours. Soon Boston and its suburbs 
 vanished in the distance, and we were fairly embarked on our 
 journey's way. As I think it will interest you, I will jot down 
 the occurrences of each day since our departure. And first of 
 all, my ocean home is in a beautifully modeled and fast-sailing 
 bark of about two hundred tons, called the Prompt. There are 
 twelve souls on board : Captain Wellman, first officer Gallicer, 
 second officer Stebbins, six men before the mast, one man act- 
 
100 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 ing as cook and steward, my servant, a nice Irish lad, Owen 
 Clarke, nineteen years of age, and your humble servant. The 
 officers of the bark are a fine set of fellows, and the crew per- 
 fectly cheerful and attentive to their duty. Tuesday evening 
 I was not much troubled with sea-sickness, and I enjoyed a 
 good night's rest ; but Wednesday, January 20, was a hard 
 day, nothing but sea-sickness. In pursuance of the advice of 
 Captain Wellman, I remained on deck as much of the time as 
 possible. The weather was somewhat cold, but the wind 
 moderate. We drifted along the greater portion of the day, 
 not faster than two or three knots an hour. After suffering 
 from sea-sickness till noon, I went to my berth. There is an 
 inexpressible lassitude accompanying sea-sickness, that is worse 
 than anything else. It requires an effort to make the least 
 exertion. 
 
 Thursday, January 21. This day we had snow all the time. 
 I remained on deck twelve hours, and towards evening felt 
 vigorous and well. The weather begins to grow milder. I 
 begin to relish food and to enjoy sea fare. Our steward has 
 been sick ever since we left port, and we are in consequence 
 obliged to do the best we can without a cook. It is now even- 
 ing, the breeze freshens, the bark dances along merrily, and 
 there are signs of a gale of wind. I remained up till eight 
 o'clock, and then retired for the night. As I awoke from time 
 to time, I could observe from the working of our vessel that it 
 went hard on deck. I took things quietly and remained in my 
 berth, and about sunrise of 
 
 Friday, January 22, I went on deck. The scene was wild 
 and exciting. The ocean tossed in wild confusion, and our 
 brave bark riding the crests of the waves like a sea-bird. The 
 gale had been a severe one, and the captain told me that at one 
 time he expected he should be obliged to lay to under bare 
 poles. We pursued our way before the wind, making nine and 
 ten knots per hour. 
 
 Saturday, January 23. The sea has become much smoother 
 and the weather milder. Yesterday we were in the midst of 
 the Gulf Stream, and to-day we have passed it. 
 
 Sunday, January 24, was a beautiful day. The weather mild 
 and lazy. I was on deck all day, — part of the time reading, 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO 101 
 
 and part dozing and sleeping. It is comfortable on deck with- 
 out a coat. We are getting rapidly into southern latitudes. 
 
 Monday, Tuesday, January 25, 26. Head wind and slow 
 progress. Monday we saw several sail. The weather exceed- 
 ingly mild and soft. I never enjoyed existence more than on 
 these two days, — that is, mere existence. I dreamed away many 
 hours, and built and pulled down air castles. The thought of 
 home was uppermost. What a change in outward things in 
 six days. In Bucksport you wrap your cloaks and comforters 
 around you ; at sea we pull off our coats. My health is per- 
 fect ; everything like sea-sickness has left me. 
 
 Wednesday, January 27. This is likewise a mild, soft, some- 
 what damp day. We make exceedingly slow progress; the 
 wind is dead ahead. I fear we shall be a month reaching the 
 Brazos. Shall I hear from you there, and how many letters 
 will await me ? I trust I shall be with you again in the course 
 of the summer. I dwell much on my probable duties in Mexico. 
 In case the contest should be of short duration, I shall certainly 
 return in the course of the year. I fear that you will take 
 things hard in my absence. When I reach the Brazos, I may 
 be able to speak with some certainty of my duties in Mexico. 
 
 Thursday, January 28. Last evening we had a rough night. 
 This morning the sea is very rough, and our bark is pitching 
 about in all directions. I am fortunate in having no return of 
 sea-sickness. My boy, Owen, is not so fortunate. I observed 
 his head over the bulwarks a few moments since in no equivocal 
 position. He is a nice, willing lad. I picked him up in Boston, 
 the very day we sailed. He is now in the steward's hands learn- 
 ing to cook. On reaching the Brazos, he will be quite accom- 
 plished in the culinary art. 
 
 Friday, January 29. To-day we are making fine progress, 
 about nine miles per hour ; shall reach the Abaco Island, one 
 of the Bahamas, on Saturday (to-morrow night) at this rate. 
 The weather is charming. I have most of the day read in my 
 military works, sitting on the deck of the vessel. The weather 
 is, indeed, rather warm. 
 
 Saturday, January 30. Last night there was a change of 
 wind, and to-day we are making little or no progress. The sea 
 somewhat rough. We shall not reach the Abaco this evening. 
 
102 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Sunday, January 31. Last evening the wind died away, and 
 to-day we have not moved one mile per hour. The sun has 
 been warm ; I have worn nothing about my neck to-day. Sev- 
 eral of the men are barefoot, and all of us are in our shirt- 
 sleeves. We are in about latitude 27°, and some one hundred 
 miles from the Bahamas. This calm weather is very tedious, 
 but we must be patient ; we have now been out twelve days. 
 
 Monday, February 1. This has been an exquisite day. 
 Soon after dinner our eyes were rejoiced with the sight of land, 
 the first since leaving Boston, thirteen- days since. Our bark 
 glides along with scarcely any perceptible motion. Towards 
 night we approached the Great Abaco, and about seven saw the 
 revolving light and the Hole in the Wall, caused, according to 
 the jolly sons of Neptune, by the Devil's chasing a porpoise 
 through the rock-bound shore of the Great Abaco. The hole is, 
 indeed, a small arched opening through the rocks, admitting 
 the passage of a small boat. 
 
 Friday, February 2. Another splendid day. Early in the 
 morning we made the Berry Islands, inhabited by some fifty or 
 sixty blacks under a black chief. We saw one of their boats 
 returning from turtle-fishing. About seven we commenced 
 crossing the Bahama Banks in soundings, nearly all the way of 
 one hundred miles, from twelve to twenty-four feet. We had a 
 clean run, and went into deep water about seven o'clock, running 
 the one hundred miles in about twelve hours. The evening 
 was surpassingly lovely. I remained on deck till ten, looking 
 at the stars and thinking of home. 
 
 Wednesday, February 3. This day has fairly brought us 
 into the Mexican Gulf. In ten days, I trust, we shall reach the 
 Brazos. To-day I have been overhauling my clothes. My 
 boy Owen has mended some rents in my garments. He says 
 he can wash like " fun." The captain teases him a good deal 
 about the bright Irish lass he left in Ann Street. Owen wants 
 me, when I reach Mexico, not only to buy a mule for his use, 
 but a little cart for the things ; quite an idea. To-day we are in 
 latitude 24° 13'. The weather very warm. I have found the 
 heat quite oppressive. 
 
 Thursday, February 4. Nothing of consequence has oc- 
 curred to-day. We are moving on quickly with prosperous 
 though gentle winds. 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO 103 
 
 Friday, February 5. Everything has moved on lazily to-day. 
 We have seen several vessels. 
 
 Saturday, February 6. Same as yesterday. A vessel is in 
 sight, apparently bound to the north. It is now nearly three 
 o'clock, and we have been out eighteen days. I shall seal up 
 and send this letter by the vessel, if she prove to be bound 
 north, and I trust it will find you well. We are now about five 
 hundred and sixty miles from the Brazos. Shall I hear from 
 you there ? Love to the children, to Mary ; remembrances to 
 Mr. Osgood, Kidder, Mr. and Mrs. Tinkham. 
 
 The vessel did not send her boat, and no opportunity was 
 offered to send this letter. We passed directly under her 
 stern. She was a brig of two hundred tons, and bound to 
 New York. This letter must remain on my hands till I reach 
 the Brazos. 
 
 Sunday, February 7. A most melancholy event occurred 
 on board to-day. As I was lying in my berth, about a quarter 
 before twelve o'clock, Captain Wellman came into the cabin, 
 somewhat agitated, and said to me, " Our steward is not to be 
 found." All hands were on deck in a moment, and a thorough 
 search was made in all parts of the ship. The steward was not 
 to be found anywhere. The appearance of the galley was con- 
 clusive as to his having thrown himself overboard. He was 
 seen at half past eleven, and yet little or no preparation had 
 been made for dinner. He had been observed to be moody 
 and absent-minded in the course of the morning. We could 
 assign no cause for the act. He had been treated well, and his 
 duties Were light. My servant had assisted him throughout 
 the passage. His sudden disappearance whilst four men were 
 on deck, in good smooth weather, caused us all to feel melan- 
 choly. We ate very little dinner. Our thoughts were sad, 
 and we passed much of our time through the remainder of the 
 day in recalling every little incident of the voyage having any 
 connection with the unfortunate steward. The only thing 
 which gave any light was certain expressions he had made use 
 of, showing a melancholy and restless spirit. We found out, 
 moreover, that he was suffering very severely from the bad dis- 
 order, contracted some two months since in Liverpool. This 
 may have been the cause of his making way with himself. 
 
104 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Monday, February 8. We none of us passed a quiet night, 
 in consequence of the distressing event of yesterday. One of 
 the crew has been put into the galley, and things go on in the 
 accustomed manner. This evening the effects of the steward 
 were disposed of to the crew at auction ; and so he has gone to 
 his account, and our bark is pursuing her destined course. 
 Our vessel has gone on very quietly the last two days. 
 
 Tuesday, February 9. We still have quiet times, and are 
 gradually approaching the Brazos. With tolerable good luck 
 we shall arrive there in two or three days. It is now evening 
 and seven o'clock. There is every appearance of a norther. 
 The captain has been somewhat anxiously pacing the deck for 
 the last hour. It is now eight o'clock, and I will turn in for 
 the night. 
 
 Wednesday, February 10. A severe norther came up about 
 nine last evening, and is now sweeping over the Gulf. Our 
 bark works admirably. Occasionally she ships a sea. But 
 her deck for the most part is dry. The weather is very cold, 
 and I have kept my berth nearly all day. 
 
 Thursday, February 11. The norther did not commence to 
 abate till noon to-day. It is now six p. M. The water is com- 
 paratively smooth. I have been somewhat unwell for two or 
 three days, but hope to become well with smoother weather. 
 
 Friday, February 12. We had a quiet night, and this morn- 
 ing we have scarcely a breath of wind. Our estimated distance 
 from the Brazos is about sixty miles. We shall not arrive till 
 to-morrow. I fear I shall not hear from you. There is some, 
 yes, great doubt, whether letters to the army are forwarded by 
 mail beyond New Orleans, in which event all your letters to me 
 will remain in the New Orleans office; nor can they be for- 
 warded till I can send for them by some ship going there. 
 
 Saturday, February 13. It is now about two P. M., and we 
 are in direct view of the Brazos, which is some six miles dis- 
 tant. We are beating up against a head wind, and there is 
 considerable doubt as to whether we shall make our anchorage 
 to-night. The wind has gradually subsided, and it is now nearly 
 a calm. Unless a fresh breeze should spring up, we shall re- 
 quire another day. This is our twenty-fifth day. 
 
 Sunday, February 14, five P. M. I have just reached the 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO 105 
 
 Brazos, and find General Worth, Colonel Totten, Lieutenants 
 Mason and Tower, and many other officers here. An opportu- 
 nity offers to send this letter. I will write again in a few days. 
 I shall remain at the Brazos a few days longer. Remember 
 me to Kidder and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Tinkham, Mr. Os- 
 good, and love of course to the children and Mary. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 Brazos Santiago, February 21, 1847. 
 
 My dearest Margaret, — It is now Sunday, one week 
 since I landed. Your letter and Mary's have reached me, and 
 I have had the inexpressible pleasure of hearing from home. 
 How happy it made me to hear from you all ! My little chil- 
 dren are doing well, your health is good, and you are passing a 
 quiet and comfortable winter. It is the greatest joy to me to 
 learn all this. I knew you Would find Mr. Osgood a great 
 addition to our little circle, and with Mary as your companion, 
 who has always sympathized with you entirely, I did not antici- 
 pate a very tiresome winter. 
 
 Since reaching here I have had little or nothing to do. It 
 was fortunate I reached the Brazos as early as I did. I saw 
 and had some conversation with Colonel Totten. On Monday, 
 the day after my arrival, General Scott and a portion of his 
 staff departed for Tampico. There were left behind four ofh% 
 cers of engineers, of General Scott's staff, with directions to 
 follow by the first opportunity. These officers are Lieutenants 
 Mason, Trapier, Tower, and myself. Mason is in fine health, 
 full of animation and conversation, and very popular with his 
 brother officers. Tower is the same as ever, a man of great 
 native power, but entirely unobtrusive. Trapier is an officer 
 you have never seen, a man of fine address and considerable 
 ability. We all like him very much indeed. 
 
 The general left in excellent spirits. On taking leave of 
 the engineer officers he made some very complimentary remarks 
 in reference to the importance of our duties, and his expecta- 
 tions in regard to us. He will remain in Tampico a few days 
 and then proceed to the Island of Lobos, where a large expedi- 
 tion is to concentrate to land and attack Vera Cruz. It is 
 
106 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 expected that a force of fourteen thousand men will effect a 
 landing. General Worth is in command of three thousand 
 regulars at this point, most of whom have embarked. General 
 Worth and staff are still here. He is somewhat delicate in 
 health, but full of life and energy. He is thought to be our 
 great man to handle troops on a battlefield. 
 
 I have seen a good deal of my old friend Hunt the last few 
 days. He is attached to Colonel Duncan's battery, and is now 
 in my room talking with Mason. He is a man I esteem very 
 much, and he is as worthy of it as ever. Colonel Duncan has 
 just come in. He is a noble fellow, not in the least elated by 
 the enviable position he occupied in the army and before the 
 whole country. He is a man of extraordinary energy of char- 
 acter, great decision, and great sagacity. His name and his 
 battery are a terror to the Mexicans, and he is emphatically 
 thus far the great man of the young officers. He is modest, 
 amiable, mild, as he is far-sighted, decisive, indomitable. He 
 is what his friends knew him to be years ago. Mason and him- 
 self are great friends. 
 
 Captain Saunders of the engineers is here on General 
 Worth's staff, and will probably be brevetted for distinguished 
 services at Monterey. 
 
 I shall probably sail on Wednesday next for Tampico, and 
 thence to the island of Lobos. Lobos is about sixty miles 
 south of Tampico, and affords an ample protection against 
 northers. At Tampico I shall probably find General Scott 
 and staff. There I hope to meet Tilden, Carpenter, and other 
 old friends. 
 
 Everything is in the greatest confusion here; a thousand 
 laborers and teamsters are employed to manage teams, take 
 care of animals and stores, and load and discharge lighters. 
 Ever since my arrival, there has been the greatest hurry in 
 embarking troops. There is great want of system. Most of the 
 men here in government employ are not business men. Some 
 of the quartermasters are inefficient. There are some good 
 men. The best business man in the quartermaster's employ is 
 Lawton, of Newport, brother-in-law of the Turners (Colonel 
 Robert R. Lawton). He is harbor master, and in receipt of 
 one hundred and fifty dollars per month. Everybody speaks 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO ' 107 
 
 of him in the highest terms. He is energetic, intelligent, and 
 perfectly temperate. He looks in admirable condition. He 
 has applied for, and will probably receive, a captain's commis- 
 sion in one of the new regiments. I have seen and conversed 
 with him here. He is full of hope, life, and energy. 
 
 General Butler has just arrived from Monterey, on his return 
 to the States, and in consequence of his wound not healing. 
 General Taylor occupies a position in advance of Saltillo, 
 with eighteen field-pieces, a small body of regular infantry ,, and 
 some six thousand volunteers. 
 
 My dearest girl, I know nothing certain of ulterior opera- 
 tions. 
 
 We have great abundance of supplies and some seven thou- 
 sand choice regular troops. We cannot expect the same con- 
 duct from the volunteers as from the regulars, but we hope 
 they will gain laurels. I shall endeavor to do my duty in 
 whatever circumstances I may be placed. I trust I shall have 
 full strength to do my full duty. I know this will accord with 
 all the wishes of your own heart. I know you would rather 
 never see me than that I should return to your arms with 
 infamy on my brow. This latter would be terrible. The 
 former can be borne. 
 
 As regards our dear children, I wish Hazard to go to school 
 this summer, and I am glad he continues to be so promising. 
 Of all things, I wish him to be obedient. Not the obedience of 
 fear, but of love and confidence. Our little Susan I know must 
 be a bright, merry child. Would that I could witness daily 
 her youth, growth, and development ! 
 
 ". Preserve a tranquil spirit ; let hope at all times animate and 
 strengthen you. Have courage, have faith ; we shall come 
 together again, all the better for the trials of separation. I 
 shall write a note to Mary to accompany this. The mail 
 leaves to-morrow for New Orleans. Write often, and continue 
 to direct your letters to Brazos Santiago. 
 
 Remember me to all my Bucksport friends, to Kidder and 
 his wife, Osgood, Mr. and Mrs. Tinkham. Of course all the 
 love in the world for Hazard and Sue. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
108 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Tampico, Wednesday Evening, March 10, 1847. 
 
 My deakest Wife, — We left the Brazos this evening 
 week, and shall leave this place to-morrow morning. Our pas- 
 sage of only two hundred and fifty miles thus occupied us seven 
 days. We are somewhat apprehensive that we shall not reach 
 Vera Cruz till General Scott shall have effected a landing. 
 Mason, Tower, and three other officers are with me. Our ship 
 now lies three miles outside the bar. Our passage up the river 
 Tampico to this place (six miles above the bar) was a fairy 
 scene. Beautiful views met our eyes, and the picturesque 
 country about this place perfectly enchanted us. The atmos- 
 phere is delightful. We see few but Mexicans about us. Every 
 one looks friendly. News has just reached Tampico that Gen- 
 eral Taylor has had a hard-fought battle with Santa Anna. All 
 the accounts came through Mexican channels. Santa Anna 
 claims a victory. He states that Taylor is shut up in Monterey. 
 But he admits that he himself has not advanced. We infer and 
 believe that Santa Anna has been defeated, and will soon return 
 to San Luis Potosi. I feel sanguine that a decisive success on 
 the part of General Scott may terminate the war. I hope so. 
 
 There is a chance to send this letter in the morning. I of 
 course write in haste. You shall hear from me again on my 
 arrival at Vera Cruz. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 The landing took place on Tuesday and Wednesday last 
 (March 9 and 10), and the investment was completed on 
 Thursday. The heavy ordnance is still on board ship. The 
 debarkation is said to have been a. most splendid affair. The 
 first division landed in two hours. General Worth was the first 
 man to jump on shore. The city will undoubtedly fall in a 
 few days. No opposition whatever was made by the Mexicans 
 to the landing. There was a little skirmishing during the 
 investment. 
 
 At the Brazos I lost my servant Owen. He found he could 
 get much better wages than I had agreed to give him, and in 
 consequence thereof he deserted me on the day I left, and I 
 had not time to recover him. I shall find some difficulty in 
 procuring a good servant here. 
 
VOYAGE TO MEXICO 109 
 
 I was very thankful that you wrote father and Mary. I 
 wish you to keep up some little correspondence with them dur- 
 ing my absence. They will always be glad to hear from you. 
 My father has had his full share of sorrow, and has suffered as 
 much as most men I know. I have never had so true and so 
 disinterested a friend as he. He. is absorbed in his children, 
 and, though he expresses little, he feels much. His daughters 
 have left him one by one, and but one is left. I feel very sad 
 when I think of him. I trust that Mary will be spared to him 
 for many years. 
 
 We hope to get on shore to-morrow, but as a strong norther 
 has been blowing since last evening, and is not yet entirely 
 abated, it is possible we may not land till Tuesday. 
 
 I shall keep this letter open till the last moment. The mail 
 is forwarded by vessels sailing to New Orleans, and is not very 
 regular. 
 
 Thursday morning, March 18. We reached the anchorage 
 off the island of Sacrificios on Sunday, and did not get on shore 
 till last evening (Wednesday). We found the headquarters of 
 General Scott some half a mile from the place of landing. On 
 our way thither we met Colonel Totten and Captain Lee going 
 out of camp on a reconnoissance. 
 
 The camp occupies a circuit of some eight or ten miles. We 
 find every one in high spirits. The fact is considered unques- 
 tioned that General Taylor has utterly defeated Santa Anna 
 and driven him across the desert. I meet many friends in camp. 
 
 Sunday, March 21. I have now been on shore four days. 
 We are busily employed on the works preparatory to opening 
 our fire on the place. Everything is going on finely. My 
 duties interest me much. The climate is very fine. The 
 colonel and his officers form one mess, and we have a pleasant 
 time. Don't believe the many idle reports in regard to losses. 
 Thus far we have lost only one man. The army is in fine 
 spirits. 
 
 Love to every one of my friends, my dear children, and you, 
 my dear Margaret. I long to embrace you. I shall write 
 again by next mail. 
 
 Your affectionate 
 
 Isaac. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 VERA CRUZ. CERRO GORDO 
 
 Vera Cruz, an old Spanish walled town on the Gulf 
 of Mexico, with a population of 12,000, was situated 
 on a sandy plain, which, extending back from the town, 
 was broken by many sand-hills and ridges, and covered 
 in great part with dense chapparal. On the land side 
 a strong line of masonry works encircled the city from 
 Fort Conception on the beach above, or north of, to Fort 
 Santiago below it; while on the sea side the castle of San 
 Juan de Ulloa, seated on an island a thousand yards in 
 advance of the town, commanded all approaches with 128 
 heavy guns, and made the sea front doubly secure. 
 
 The American army landed unopposed on March 9, 
 1847, on the beach a few miles south of the town ; during 
 the next four days extended lines of investment com- 
 pletely around the doomed city on the land side, and, hav- 
 ing with great labor and some interruption from northers 
 landed the heavy siege-guns, mortars, and material for 
 the bombardment, commenced the batteries on the 18th, 
 the second day after the young engineer officers reached 
 the- scene of action. They were at once set to work 
 reconnoitring the ground and the enemy's works by day, 
 and laying out the batteries and superintending the work- 
 ing parties by night. 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens threw himself into this work with 
 even more than his accustomed zeal. On one of his dar- 
 ing reconnoissances the horse he rode — a powerful and 
 headstrong animal loaned him by his friend, Lieutenant 
 
VERA CRUZ 111 
 
 Tower — took the bit in his teeth and bolted directly for 
 the enemy's lines. Finding it impossible to stop or con- 
 trol the frantic steed, Lieutenant Stevens, throwing his 
 whole strength on one rein, managed to make him swerve 
 towards the base of a sand-hill, where he threw himself 
 from the saddle, escaping injury on the soft ground, while 
 the runaway continued his course to the very walls of 
 the city. 
 
 The batteries were placed midway between the lines of 
 investment and the city, and about 900 yards from the 
 walls. Lieutenant Stevens was indefatigable in searching 
 out the best routes for the boyaux, or covered ways, to 
 enable the troops to pass to and from the batteries with- 
 out loss from the enemy's fire. The broken sand-hills 
 and dense chapparal rendered this a difficult and labori- 
 ous task; and in forcing his way through these thorny 
 and almost impenetrable thickets his hands were so badly 
 torn, and perhaps poisoned, that for several days he was 
 obliged to have them bandaged with poultices of prickly 
 pear. The route which he thus looked out was adopted, 
 and the construction of the covered way was placed under 
 his charge, with large working parties, for several nights, 
 until completed. His experiences are best told in his 
 own words. The independence, almost insubordination, 
 of the new volunteers is simply the common experience 
 with citizen soldiery fresh from home, but which they 
 soon outgrow under good officers in a few months' cam- 
 paigning. 
 
 Friday, March 18. At two a. m. Lieutenants Mason, 
 Stevens, and Tower entered the trenches and relieved 
 Captain Lee and Lieutenants Beauregard and McClellan. 
 No workers or guards present, save twelve sappers, till 
 four o'clock. Lieutenant Mason at Battery 2. Lieuten- 
 ant Stevens at Battery 1. Lieutenant Tower in communi- 
 cation leading to cemetery. Colonel Scott in command of 
 
112 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the working party. A company of the 8th infantry, under 
 command of Lieutenants Jordan and Pitcher, in Battery 1. 
 About seven o'clock Lieutenant Foster relieved Lieuten- 
 ant Tower, who returned to camp to supervise construc- 
 tion of powder magazines. At half past twelve Lieutenant 
 Stevens ordered to examine the infantry communication, 
 reconnoitred on the previous day, in order to commence 
 the trenches at night with a working party. 
 
 At two p. m. Captain Sanders on the naval battery. 
 Lieutenants Stevens and Smith on the right were oh 
 duty. The naval battery laid out during the day by 
 Captain Lee. Lieutenant Smith took particular charge 
 of Batteries 3 and 4, and the remainder of the communi- 
 cation to Battery 1, with a fatigue party under Major 
 Graham ; Lieutenant Stevens, of the boyau of communi- 
 cation from camp to batteries with a fatigue party of 400 
 volunteers, New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians. Did not 
 report at beach till nine p. m. Arrived on the ground at 
 ten p. M. Two hours occupied in laying out the boyau 
 with a cord and getting the whole force at work. Whilst 
 Lieutenant Stevens was absent in discharge of his duties 
 of supervision at the batteries and trenches under the 
 particular charge of Lieutenant Smith, the volunteers 
 abandoned their work and returned to camp, excepting 
 a small force of fifty men on the left of the large sand- 
 hill, in rear of which the communication passed. 
 
 Saturday, March 19. About dark a large force of 
 400 men reported at the old cemetery as a fatigue party 
 in the boyau under the charge of Lieutenant Stevens, — 
 four companies of regulars, Brooks and Shackleford, 2d 
 artillery ; Lieutenant Ernst, 6th infantry ; Lieutenant 
 Kodgers, 2d dragoons, — the whole under the command 
 of Captain De Hart, — and four companies of volunteers, 
 Pennsylvanians. 
 
 The regulars employed on communication from Bat- 
 
VERA CRUZ 113 
 
 tery 1 to Battery 2, on parapet to the right of Battery 2, 
 and on the trench from the upper end of the valley to 
 the first hollow of the natural trench leading through the 
 long ridge in rear of the batteries, the volunteers on the 
 remaining part of the boyaux. The regulars made their 
 trench practicable. The volunteers could not be made 
 to work with the most strenuous exertions on the part 
 of the officers. Some were drunk and all sleepy. They 
 complained of being tired and hungry. Some delay oc- 
 curred throughout the works in consequence of a mus- 
 ketry fire from the trenches. Lieutenant Mason in charge 
 of a working party at the batteries. 
 
 Monday, March 22. The boyaux of communication 
 made practicable and safe to-day, although not sufficiently 
 commodious ; a fatigue party of 200 men reporting to 
 Lieutenant Stevens, and commencing work at five a. m. ; 
 two companies regulars of 2d artillery, Captain McKensie 
 and Lieutenant Hardcastle, Captain Kendrick; and two 
 of marines, Lieutenant Adams. 
 
 This party worked with extraordinary vigor till three 
 o'clock, all the men in the trenches all the time, the offi- 
 cers giving their whole energy to supervising the men ; 
 Captain McKensie, in command of the working party, ex- 
 hibiting great energy and efficiency. The day was quite 
 warm, and an immense amount of work done. Lieu- 
 tenant Mason at the batteries with fatigue party under 
 the command of Captain Swartwout. 
 
 Tuesday, March 23. A fatigue party of 200 men 
 reported to Lieutenant Stevens, and commenced work 
 in the boyaux at 9J a. m., working with great vigor till 
 dark, all the men constantly at work, and made the boy- 
 aux very safe and commodious, — two companies regu- 
 lars, Captain E. W. Smith and Lieutenant Bissel, 5th 
 infantry, two companies marines. 
 
 Note. More work is done by day than by night under 
 
114 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 fire. The working parties by day did at least double the 
 work per man of the working parties by night. A severe 
 sand-storm blowing all day and night. 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens reported the completion of the 
 boyaux to the chief engineer at 8^ p. m., and, after an 
 hour's rest, at his request returned to the trenches and 
 assisted Lieutenant Mason till relieved at four o'clock in 
 the morning. 
 
 Thursday, March 25. Lieutenants Mason and Stevens 
 relieved the engineer officers on the right at four A. M. 
 Great exertions were made at Battery No. 4, which 
 opened its fire at eight a. m. The fatigue party in the 
 trenches, Alabama volunteers, under the command of 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Earle, remarkably fearless and effi- 
 cient. One sapper and two volunteers placed at each 
 embrasure to repair it after every discharge. By their 
 courage and exertions, the fire of the battery was not 
 obstructed during the day. Lieutenant Mason made 
 three reconnoissances of the enemy's works, accompanied 
 twice by Lieutenant Stevens. Two companies of the 1st 
 artillery served the guns, Captain Magruder and Lieu- 
 tenant Haskin ; Major L. Whitney in command of the 
 force serving the batteries. 
 
 At eleven a. m. Captain Lee commenced establishing a 
 new mortar battery on the left of No. 1. 
 
 Saturday, March 27. A severe norther raging yester- 
 day made great ravages in the works that were repaired 
 to-day. Lieutenants Mason and Stevens in the trenches 
 at four A. m. A new mortar battery commenced yester- 
 day nearly finished to-day, under the particular direction 
 of Lieutenant Stevens, with a working party of one com- 
 pany of the 4th infantry under the command of Lieu- 
 tenant Lincoln. 
 
 Sunday, March 28. A partial survey of the trenches 
 made by Lieutenants Beauregard, Stevens, and Tower. 
 
VERA CRUZ 115 
 
 Camp Washington (three miles from Vera Cruz), 
 March 27, 1847. 
 
 My deaeest Margaret, — I have now the unspeakable 
 satisfaction of telling you that both the city and the castle have 
 capitulated after a bombardment of rather less than four days, 
 and from the ninth day of opening the trenches, and with a 
 loss on our side of less than forty in killed and wounded. I 
 will tell you what your poor subaltern of a husband has had to 
 do in this matter. On Thursday, March 18, I made a recon- 
 noissance with Mason to determine the position of a road for 
 wagons, and of a covered communication for infantry. On 
 Friday morning, March 19, I left camp at two in the morning, 
 and was kept hard at work till four the next morning in con- 
 structing a battery and opening the communications thereto. 
 During the course of this operation the enemy hurled at us 
 some two hundred round-shot and shells. None came very 
 near me. I had to encourage the men at their work, and had 
 no time to attend to my fears. 
 
 Vera Cruz, April 3. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — It is now Saturday, and we have 
 been in possession of the city one week. Great destruction 
 was spread throughout the city by our shells. In the portion 
 next to our batteries a shell entered every house, and almost 
 each room of every house, in consequence of which many inof- 
 fensive people were killed. Vera Cruz is a miserable, dirty 
 place ; the streets are full of filth, and there are great numbers 
 of poor people. Many families still keep their doors closed, 
 though scarcely an outrage has been committed in the city. 
 The people, though miserably poor, are very courteous and 
 mild in their general deportment. Ever since our entrance 
 into the city, the poor have been fed each day from our govern- 
 ment stores, and every exertion is made to protect the whole 
 city in its rights. 
 
 General Worth is governor of the city. The weather is 
 rather warm, and we find mosquitoes, fleas, etc., troublesome. 
 The city, though sorry in its sunlight aspect, is remarkably 
 picturesque by moonlight. The style of architecture is of the 
 Moorish character, abounding in domes and highly wrought 
 work. I have several times wandered through the deserted 
 
116 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 streets of the city by night, filled with admiration of the gor- 
 geous and Oriental aspect of the scene. It surpasses anything 
 I ever saw. My health is very fine. 
 
 Vera Cruz, April 10. 
 
 My deakest Wife, — We are now preparing to march 
 into the interior, and shall probably leave in a day or two. 
 One half of the army are already on their way. We hope to 
 enter the City of Mexico, and to contemplate the wonders of 
 the capital, in one month. In the reduction of the city we 
 have had fortune on our side. The grossest supineness pre- 
 vailed in the Mexican ranks, though at times they awoke from 
 their slumbers and poured into our midst well-directed fires of 
 artillery. Our loss is very little. John R. Minton, a most 
 gallant soldier, was killed on the first day of opening our fires. 
 He was universally esteemed, and I had made his acquaintance 
 on the first day of landing. He died for his country, before 
 his country's gratitude for gallant services at Monterey had 
 been communicated in the shape of a brevet. 
 
 The burden of the day came with great weight on the officers 
 of engineers. It is the universal sentiment of the army that 
 they did their duty. We see it in the individual deportment 
 of every officer with whom we are associated on duty. We had 
 exciting times. Friends whom I had not seen since I left 
 West Point, I shook for the first time warmly by the hand 
 under the heavy fire of the enemy's batteries. I met Haskin 
 and Callender in such a conjuncture. There was not the least 
 shrinking from duty, but each one stood up manfully to his 
 task and did his whole duty ; we all worked hard. The engi- 
 neers failed in no part of their duty, and the consequence was 
 that the loss of human life was comparatively trifling. I never 
 worked so hard in my life. It was our first experience in the 
 field, and I think we have fulfilled the expectations of the 
 general and of our immediate chief (Colonel Totten). 
 
 I have already written you in relation to the city. We 
 all long to leave so much moonlight magnificence and sun- 
 light squalidity, and breathe the pure mountain air of Jalapa 
 and Perote. Our troops are yet comparatively healthy. The 
 sickly season will not come upon us for a month. Up in the 
 mountains it is the most salubrious and delightful climate of the 
 
VERA CRUZ 117 
 
 New World. Our troops conduct themselves with remarkable 
 propriety. Yery few cases have occurred of excesses of any 
 kind, and all such are punished with extreme severity. Mason 
 is in fine health, and is doing, as was to be expected, good ser- 
 vice. All .our officers are superior men, and we stand by each 
 other like a band of brothers. 
 
 I have secured a beautiful animal in the way of a horse, 
 docile as a kitten and very intelligent. He has a beautiful eye 
 and head, and will follow me wherever I go. I intend to bring 
 him home with me. I have also a very good servant. He is 
 an old soldier. I have just returned from a ride to our old 
 camp. There is a fine hard beach all the way, which reminds 
 me of the beach at Newport. My little horse is very fleet, 
 and carried me over the beach in very rapid style. How 
 would Hazard be delighted to see him stretch out ! You must 
 tell my little Hazard about my horse. When I come home he 
 shall ride him every day. They would soon be fast friends, 1 
 doubt not. 
 
 Have I told you that we are living in the government palace ? 
 At first we took our meals at the public house, but so much 
 dirt and filth was to be met with everywhere that we formed a 
 mess, and live in our own rooms. Our mess is now reduced to 
 four, Major Smith, Captain Lee, Mason, and myself. There 
 is a fine vegetable market close by, where we can provide our- 
 selves ; and as for meats, we have a barrel of hams. This morn- 
 ing I went to the market and observed quite a variety of tropical 
 fruits ; tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapples, plantains, lettuce, 
 the Mexican squash, are in great abundance. 
 
 Vera Cruz, April 11. 
 My dear Father, — We are now in the midst of our 
 arrangements to march into the interior, two divisions of the 
 army (Twiggs and Patterson) having already marched. The 
 greatest difficulty is on account of transportation. Vera Cruz 
 is still healthy, and there is no natural reason why it should 
 not be as salubrious as New Orleans. Its filth and nastiness 
 is almost beyond belief, and is the efficient cause of its great 
 sickliness in summer. Our authorities are now making every 
 exertion to cleanse the city. Our troops behave well. Some 
 
118 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 few excesses have been committed, and these are punished with 
 exemplary severity. General Scott has . instituted military 
 commissions to try a large class of offenses that, in an enemy's 
 country, cannot be reached under the articles of war, and mar- 
 tial law has been proclaimed as a supplemental code. Yester- 
 day a negro was hanged outside the city walls for committing 
 rape upon a Mexican woman. 
 
 We hope that peace will be established in the course of the 
 summer. At all events, General Scott will find no difficulty in 
 entering the City of Mexico. Our own troops, regulars and 
 volunteers, are in a high state of discipline, and pant for an 
 opportunity to signalize themselves. The Mexican troops have 
 been demoralized by many successive defeats, and cannot, man 
 to man, cope with our own. They are decidedly inferior, both 
 in the men and the organization. In such cases numbers are of 
 little account. All experience shows that resolution, courage, 
 and enterprise, qualities possessed by our troops in an eminent 
 degree, will overcome any tumultuous rabble. I verily believe 
 that our little army of twelve thousand men is able to defeat 
 any body of Mexicans, however large. 
 
 You know the papers have been full of the complaints of the 
 sappers and miners, or engineer soldiers. These men I am 
 on duty with every day. They are the pride of the whole 
 army, confessedly the best soldiers in the army. I never saw 
 so superior a company of soldiers, Americans all, young men, 
 having character, zeal, and intelligence, proud of their duties 
 and of their position, perfectly subordinate, and cheerful in 
 their obedience. I personally know almost every man of the 
 sappers and miners. During the investment and siege of Vera 
 Cruz they exhibited an extraordinary gallantry, and were all 
 placed in the position of non-commissioned officers. Each 
 man had direction of a working party, and in the execution of 
 that duty they retained their arms and gave directions to the 
 men. 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens took great interest in the engineer 
 company, so largely the result of his recommendations 
 and exertions.. His diary of the march inland commences 
 the next day. 
 
\ 'Z o O t -'Xt 
 
 
VERA CRUZ 119 
 
 March 29. The army made its entrance into the city 
 this day at ten o'clock, and the general headquarters 
 were established in the main plaza. General Worth was 
 appointed governor of the city. The engineer company, 
 although it had preeminently distinguished itself for gal- 
 lantry and general conduct throughout the whole opera- 
 tion of the investment and siege, had no place assigned 
 to it in the ceremonies of either the surrender or the 
 entrance. 
 
 Colonel Totten sailed on the Princeton to the States as 
 bearer of dispatches, and with the view of resuming his 
 position at the head of the department, leaving Major 
 John L. Smith in command. Lieutenant Stevens was this 
 day directed to assume the duties of adjutant, and a 
 sapper was detailed to assist him. 
 
 March 30. Lieutenants Stevens, Tower, and Foster, 
 with a detachment of twelve sappers, commenced the sur- 
 vey of the defenses of the city and castle. Lieutenant 
 Mason was temporarily assigned to duty with General 
 Quitman on an expedition to Alvarado. 
 
 Monday, April 12. The engineers left Vera Cruz 
 with the general staff at five P. M., and reached Vigara, 
 three miles distant, where they encamped for the night. 
 Here a little stream flows into the sea, over which is an 
 arched bridge of masonry, somewhat out of repair. 
 
 I found myself exceedingly exhausted in consequence 
 of my exertions before leaving the city in getting wagons 
 for the baggage and train of the engineer company, and 
 in attending to turning in the baggage of the engineer 
 staff. 
 
 Tuesday, April 13. We started early, and found the 
 road as far as Santa Fe exceedingly sandy and difficult 
 for carriages. Santa Fe is situated in the midst of a 
 prairie affording tolerable pasture for cattle, and has 
 the honor of municipal regulation in the shape of an 
 
120 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 alcalde. There are some twenty little houses of trellis- 
 work at this place. At the river San Juan, six miles from 
 Santa Fe and twelve from Vigara, over which is thrown 
 a fine bridge of masonry with a long causeway at its 
 western extremity, we halted and dined. Before leaving, 
 Worth's advance, consisting of Duncan's battery and 
 Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Smith's light companies, reached 
 the San Juan, where they encamped for the night. Re- 
 suming our march at three p. m., we pushed forward over 
 at times a somewhat rough and hilly road, and at other 
 points easy and practicable, till we reached our camping 
 ground for the night, the Talome River, having a one- 
 arch bridge. 
 
 Wednesday, April 14. Resuming our march early in 
 the morning, we reached the National Bridge at about 
 ten a. m., distant eight miles from our encampment, 
 after making a halt of an hour at Paso de Obejas (dis- 
 tant two and one half miles from Talome), where we met 
 a wagon train. There is a considerable village at this 
 river. 
 
 On leaving the village, the road winds its way to the 
 top of a very high hill, where there is an inspiring view 
 of the surrounding country. Whilst the general was 
 halting at the village, I rode to the top of the hill to take 
 a view. At some distance to the south I could see a 
 small band of rancheros watching the movements of our 
 party. The National Bridge is a model of the kind, 
 possessing much architectural beauty, and impressing the 
 mind of the beholder that an iron and a lofty race had 
 done this work* in the solitudes of the mountain pass. 
 The scenery is of the most picturesque and imposing 
 character. The road, previous to reaching the bridge, 
 winds round a bold tongue of land, on the edge and 
 apex of which a little fort had been built. From the 
 first view of the pass, the road descends the side of a 
 
VERA CRUZ 121 
 
 steep hill, constructed originally with great care, due 
 attention having been paid to both curves and grades. 
 On passing the bridge, on the left is a bold promontory, 
 and the little fort and the open village at the other 
 extremity of the bridge. On the right and downward 
 side the river flows through a deep ravine, on either side 
 of which perpendicular columns of rock rise hundreds of 
 feet. The current gently flowed over a rocky bed, and 
 was at points fordable. A thunderstorm in this moun- 
 tain pass, the swollen stream rushing impetuously to the 
 sea, must be terrific. After halting two hours at the 
 National Bridge, we pushed on to the Piano del Rio, 
 the advance of the army. This was a difficult march of 
 thirteen miles, with no water on the road for our horses. 
 At some four miles from the bridge we reached a cause- 
 way, built with care, and which, leading over a little 
 depression at its foot, is conducted almost to the top of 
 a hill on the other side. On our way we met parties 
 from camp searching the country for beef. 
 
 We reached the Piano del Rio at about five o'clock, 
 and after remaining about an hour with Major Smith and 
 Captain Lee, I accompanied Lieutenant Tower on a recon- 
 noissance. We proceeded on the Jalapa road some three 
 miles and a half, until we came in view of Battery 4 on 
 the left of the road. Then, returning a short distance, we 
 proceeded some distance on a path leading from the road 
 till we came in view of the same battery, and one farther 
 to the left, No. 3. From an examination of a sketch 
 of Lieutenant Tower, exhibiting the results of all the 
 reconnoissances since the arrival of General Twiggs, there 
 could be little doubt that the proper mode of attack was 
 to the right, so as to turn the enemy's works and compel 
 them to lay down their arms. The reconnoissances were 
 not, however, complete, and the general, after informing 
 himself of the position as far as it had been ascertained, 
 
122 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 determined that the reconnoissances should be extended. 
 I found a bath in the river most delightful and refresh- 
 ing after the severe labors of the day. 
 
 Thursday, April 15. The reconnoissances of the whole 
 position were continued to-day ; Captain Lee, with Mason, 
 Beauregard, and myself, escorted by Major Sumner on 
 the right, Tower on the front. On reaching the point 
 of the road before coming in view of Battery 4, I was 
 informed by Bowman, a wagon-master of Twiggs's divi- 
 sion, that on the other side of the river there was a prac- 
 ticable trail leading to the river some eight miles above 
 the bridge, and where would probably be found a practi- 
 cable ford. After accompanying Captain Lee in his 
 reconnoissance to a high hill about seven hundred yards 
 from the Cerro Gordo, the key of the enemy's position, 
 and getting a full view of it and of the ravines, valleys, 
 etc., to the right, I returned home with a guide, and 
 reported the statement of Bowman to Major Smith. 
 He was then starting with an escort to examine the ene- 
 my's works from the left bank of the river, with the 
 view of establishing enfilading batteries against them. I 
 also accompanied him ; and after he had made his exam- 
 inations, I requested permission to continue farther up, 
 with a portion of the escort, till I could get a better view 
 of the enemy's rear. A body of four hundred cavalry 
 having been observed only about four miles up the river 
 bank, Major Smith felt constrained to refuse my request. 
 On returning from the reconnoissance I explained very 
 fully my general views in reference to the proper mode 
 of conducting the reconnoissances of the position, and 
 that though thus far particular points had been carefully 
 examined, and the engineer officers had been very indus- 
 trious, yet the reconnoissances had been undertaken on 
 too limited a scale, and did not cover the whole of the 
 position. The dragoons are admirable for extensive 
 
PLANO DEL RIO 123 
 
 reconnoissances, yet no attempt has been made to deter- 
 mine the practicability and even the existence of certain 
 routes, on both the right and left, which are said to obtain ; 
 that branching from the Jalapa road, a little this side of 
 the National Bridge, joined it again a short distance be- 
 fore reaching Jalapa. Either of these routes, pursued by 
 Worth's column, would have effectually turned the posi- 
 tion of the Cerro Gordo. Moreover, the reconnoissance 
 on the right bank of the river had not been extended so 
 as to get a view of the rear of the Cerro Gordo ; and 
 from the circumstance that four hundred lancers were on 
 the right river bank, and in position about four miles 
 above the bridge, the inference was almost conclusive 
 that there was a practicable ford leading to the position 
 in rear of the Cerro Gordo, and which the lancers were 
 thrown out to cover. It was also suggested that a 
 spirited reconnoissance in that direction would settle two 
 essential questions, essential to properly combining the 
 plan of attack, — 1, Whether there was not a practicable 
 ford, by means of which the enemy could escape, and at 
 which point a column of attack might be directed against 
 him ; 2, Whether the main body, or a considerable por- 
 tion thereof, might not be en masse in rear of the position 
 of the Cerro Gordo hill, and thus not be cut off by the 
 flank movement to the right, unless extended to a wider 
 circuit than was intended. This reconnoissance was 
 pressed earnestly as essential, to get correct information 
 in regard to the intentions and position of the enemy. 
 
 Friday, April 16. The reconnoissance I had recom- 
 mended was ordered by General Scott on the requisition 
 of Major Smith, and fifty dragoons, under the command 
 of Lieutenant Steele, were placed at my disposal. With 
 Bowman as guide, we started about half past eight 
 o'clock, and, after crossing both branches of the river 
 and ascending to the ranch on the hill, we struck into 
 
124 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 a broad trail, perfectly practicable for horses and field 
 artillery, and after pursuing our way some two and three 
 quarter miles, came to a trail nearly at right angles, and 
 which Bowman represented as six miles distant. Leaving 
 the escort here with Steele, Bowman, and a beef con- 
 tractor, we continued in a direct course nearly a mile to 
 some ranches, where we took a man and boy to get infor- 
 mation. On our return we proceeded with the whole 
 escort on the perpendicular trail to another ranch, about 
 half a mile distant, and finally to the river supposed by 
 Bowman to be the main stream. We found it simply a 
 tributary to the stream flowing under the first bridge, 
 and the descent to the ravine through which it flowed 
 was scarcely practicable for a mounted horseman. Leav- 
 ing a small escort at the ravine, the main body return- 
 ing to the ranch, with Bowman I pushed forward up the 
 other side of the ravine, and proceeded about half a mile, 
 and nearly to the foot of a spur that led obliquely to the 
 main branch and in a direction a little beyond the Cerro 
 Gordo. After examining the routes and the configura- 
 tion of the country, I became satisfied that the reconnois- 
 sance could not be pushed farther in this direction to any 
 practicable result, but that the best course would be to 
 cross the spur at a depression and extend the reconnois- 
 sance down the other side to the river. On my return 
 to the ranch, whilst proceeding at an easy pace, I found 
 that an old rupture which had been cured fifteen years 
 had broken out, and before I reached the ranch I began 
 to suffer the most excruciating pain. The further con- 
 tinuance of the reconnoissance was abandoned, and I 
 returned to camp, a distance of four miles, suffering very 
 great pain. First Dr. Brown attended me, and I was 
 soon relieved of pain by applying cold water. Dr. Trip- 
 ler applied a very fine truss, and in the course of the 
 evening I felt perfectly comfortable. 
 
Ford by which 
 
 Santa Anna 
 
 escaped 
 
 Mexican 
 America r 
 
 BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO 
 
CERRO GORDO 125 
 
 Saturday, April 17. This day I remained in camp, 
 able to move about only a little and with great care. In 
 the movement of General Twiggs to his position in order 
 of battle, he was discovered, and a spirited combat en- 
 sued, which resulted in dislodging the enemy from a hill 
 seven hundred yards from the Cerro Gordo, and upon 
 which a battery of one 24-pounder and two 26-pounder 
 howitzers was put in position during the night. 
 
 Sunday, April 18. As determined on yesterday, the 
 position of the enemy was attacked to-day and, after a 
 most brilliant conflict, the Cerro Gordo was stormed by 
 the brigade of Colonel Harney, the enemy's line of 
 retreat on the Jalapa cut off by Shields' s brigade of vol- 
 unteers and Riley's brigade of regulars. A large portion 
 of the enemy made their escape on the Jalapa road, and 
 across the river at the ford before alluded to. Pillow 
 made an attack in front, but failed in consequence of its 
 being made prematurely, .with great precipitation, with- 
 out order in the assaulting columns, and before the 
 supporting columns were in position, and at the wrong 
 point, viz., in a ravine swept by the fire of two batter- 
 ies, and with serious impediments in the way of abattis 
 and felled trees. This attack, both as to time and as 
 to direction, was earnestly remonstrated against by the 
 engineer officer directing the attack, by the personal 
 staff of the general, and by Colonel Campbell, second in 
 command. Had the attack been made on the enemy's 
 extreme right, the true point of attack, and which was 
 supposed to be the point determined upon by the general 
 until he announced a different intention on arriving on 
 the ground, it would have succeeded. It was fortunate 
 the attack failed. It kept the garrisons of the batteries 
 in their places and increased the number of prisoners. 
 Shields behaved most gallantly in his advance to the 
 Jalapa road, and was severely — supposed at the time 
 
126 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 mortally — wounded by a grapeshot that passed through 
 his body. His advance captured Santa Anna's carriage. 
 Worth's division was not engaged, acting simply as a 
 reserve. 
 
 The storming of the Cerro Gordo was one of the most 
 brilliant things on record. Whilst it was in progress, 
 four thousand of the enemy were put in motion to turn 
 their flanks, but the Cerro Gordo falling into our hands 
 before they became engaged, they took ignominiously to 
 flight. So certain was Harney that such would be the 
 effect, when two thousand troops were reported to him as 
 threatening each flank, he simply gave the order to extend 
 to the right and left, and kept pushing up, and after a 
 sharp conflict drove the enemy from the breastworks and 
 down the hill. 
 
 The retreat of the enemy was a perfect rout. A por- 
 tion in small bodies retreated on the Jalapa road. Many 
 troops fled to the chapparal, making their escape through 
 almost impracticable paths. Santa Anna himself made 
 his escape with a few attendants across the river and at 
 the ford, whose existence was not verified till after the 
 battle in consequence of the serious injury that occurred 
 to me, preventing my extending the reconnoissance as I 
 contemplated. Ampudia with a few officers retreated on 
 the Jalapa road, and very nearly fell into our hands. 
 
 Twiggs's division was pushed forward hotly in pursuit, 
 and encamped at Encerro, fourteen miles distant, the 
 night of the battle, and reached Jalapa the next day. 
 He was closely followed by the volunteer division, Gen- 
 eral Patterson assuming command of the whole. 
 
 Worth returned to camp with the general and his staff. 
 
 I was on my back a portion of the day, and was just 
 able to drag about camp. 
 

 0.^ 
 
 CERRO GORDO 
 
 Camp near Cerro Gordo, Sunday, 
 April 15, 1847, 5 p. m. 
 
 My deaeest Wife, — I have glorious news to tell you. 
 This day we had a hard-fought battle at this place, the first 
 great mountain pass on the highway from Vera Cruz to Mexico. 
 The result is a most decisive victory, resulting in the capture of 
 six thousand Mexicans, and the loss on our part of about three 
 hundred killed and wounded. General Twiggs is now in hot 
 pursuit of Santa Anna, who was present in command, and his 
 remnant of five or six thousand men. He will, we trust, enter 
 Jalapa to-night, fifteen miles distant. His division of somewhat 
 less than three thousand men did the hard work, and will of 
 course have the highest award of praise. 
 
 As for your poor husband, his was the part to stay in camp. 
 Two days since I conducted a reconnoissance on the left of the 
 enemy's line over very difficult ground, with fifty dragoons to 
 support me. I rode hard through the morning, and about three 
 in the afternoon an old rupture in the groin, which troubled me 
 when a boy from ten to fourteen years of age, broke out again 
 after a perfect cure of fifteen years. So excruciating was the 
 pain that it required the greatest exertion to get to camp, four 
 miles distant, on my horse. Fortunately one of the best physi- 
 cians in the army, Dr. Tripler, was able to attend upon me, and 
 most fortunate of all he had a solitary truss of the best work- 
 manship, which just fitted me. Dr. Tripler has prescribed the 
 utmost quietude, has forbidden all excitement, and especially 
 all riding on horseback. I had already received the appoint- 
 ment of adjutant of engineers, and my staff duties I can still 
 attend to. All my friends express great sympathy for my misfor- 
 tune. General Scott expressed himself in terms that won my 
 heart. He remarked, "You engineers are too daring. You 
 require to be held back. My young friend, I almost cried when 
 I heard of your mishap." I have made a great many friends 
 since I joined the army. It may be well that I have received 
 this check. Ever since I joined the army, I have been too 
 impetuous, too headstrong. I have made great physical exer- 
 tion. Now I am obliged to rein in the power of muscles, in 
 which I do not excell, and have equal opportunities to develop 
 the mental as before I became incapacitated. I shall have 
 charge of the train of the engineers, which is carried in quite a 
 
128 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 number of wagons, and shall therefore be always able to ride in 
 a wagon. My horse is one of the finest animals in the army, 
 and is a most fast, easy, and beautiful walker, and he will there- 
 fore be no impediment to my riding on horseback. 
 
 All my friends of the engineers did well. Captain Lee has 
 won golden opinions. Mason is rising rapidly in the esteem of 
 all. He is one of the most disinterested as well as one of the 
 most talented men in the army. If I have a perfectly devoted 
 friend in the whole army, it is Mason. He makes no profes- 
 sions ; he is always true to himself and his views of right, but 
 I have his friendship and he has mine. My old chum Tower 
 did splendidly. He is a man of great powers of mind and deter- 
 mined energy of character. He will probably be brevetted for 
 his services at this place and at Vera Cruz. 
 
 To-morrow the whole army resumes its onward march. In 
 one day we shall enter Jalapa. General Scott is winning 
 golden opinions. He is prodigiously popular with the volun- 
 teers, and the whole army has confidence in him. During the 
 whole continuance of the battle to-day he was much exposed. 
 
 The movement which resulted in the great victory of to-day 
 was to the right and rear of the enemy, and the success of it 
 hinged on the taking of a little work on the top of an almost 
 inaccessible hill. The famous Colonel Harney of the dragoons 
 led the forlorn hope in the attack of this .position, and was 
 closely followed by the 3d and 7th infantry. Up rushed our 
 troops, amidst the most deafening cheers from the whole line. 
 Steadily advanced the stars arid stripes to the very Mexican 
 standard floating from the Mexican work. For one moment in 
 the most difficult point our flag disappeared ; again it rose, and 
 was immediately planted in triumph on the top of the hill. 
 In four weeks we shall most certainly be in the City of Mexico, 
 unless previously the Mexicans make overtures of peace. 
 
 My dear wife, do not feel anxious for me. I have the means, 
 and shall take care of my health. My hopes of distinction 
 have in a measure vanished, but still I have the satisfaction that 
 I can be highly useful. My general health is very good. Re- 
 member me to Mary and my dear children, to Judge Peabody, 
 and all my friends. 
 
 Your affectionate husband, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 JALAPA. — PUEBLA 
 
 Monday, April 19. This was a lazy day in camp, the 
 general and his staff being occupied with the charge of 
 the prisoners, and preparing the proper dispatches. It 
 was determined to release all the prisoners and officers 
 on parole. Thus 2700 men (and 200 having escaped the 
 previous day whilst coming into camp, and before they 
 had reached the charge of General Worth) were sent, 
 with rations to subsist them on their way home, to and 
 beyond Jalapa. La Vega, one of the prisoners, an- 
 nounced his intention not to accept his parole, but to 
 go to the United States. The surgeons, moreover, were 
 most actively engaged in caring for the wounded. The 
 wounds of the men generally were slight, and all the dis- 
 abled were cheerful and in high spirits. The wounds of 
 the Mexicans were bad, and many of their dead were shot 
 in the head. General Shields, to the surprise of all, still 
 survived, was in excellent spirits, and did not doubt that 
 he would get well. 
 
 At half past one the general-in-chief and his staff, with 
 an escort of dragoons, started for Jalapa, and passed the 
 night at Encerro, the residence of Santa Anna. Worth, 
 who marched from the Piano del Rio in the morning, 
 reached Jalapa the same night. On the road I saw sev- 
 eral dead, disfigured with horrible wounds. I was obliged 
 to ride in a wagon, the surgeon having forbidden my 
 riding on horseback. The country seat of Santa Anna 
 is delightfully situated in the midst of a rolling country, 
 
130 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 abounding in herds of cattle, and all the fruits of both 
 tropics. His . house is of two stories, the first being ap- 
 propriated to kitchens, store-rooms, etc., and the second 
 to the family. Several rooms were well furnished, and 
 were garnished with paintings on historical subjects, for 
 the most part Mexican and Spanish. We saw several of 
 his wooden legs. 
 
 Tuesday, April 20. The general and staff reached 
 Jalapa about eleven A. m., after a most beautiful ride of 
 eight miles. Along the road were to be observed the 
 Mexican troops in little groups of two or three, accom- 
 panied by their women, of whom there were many at 
 their camp at the Cerro Gordo. I ventured to try my 
 horse, and found for the time being less inconvenience 
 than in the wagon. The appearance of the country, 
 rolling and green, was very inviting. As we approached 
 the city, the rear of Worth's wagons was in the road, the 
 men and mules almost entirely exhausted by the long 
 march of yesterday. Major Smith, in consequence of 
 injuries resulting from riding on horseback, was obliged 
 to ride, and accompanied Major Sumner (wounded in the 
 conflict of the 17th inst.) in the carriage of Santa Anna. 
 On reaching the city I had the pleasure of meeting Cap- 
 tain Lee, Lieutenant Beauregard, and Lieutenants Smith 
 and McClellan of the engineer company, who were in 
 the advance with Twiggs. Quarters were assigned Major 
 Smith and myself in the governor's house, the head- 
 quarters of General Scott. 
 
 The same afternoon General Worth was pushed for- 
 ward in the advance, Captain Lee, Lieutenants Mason 
 and Tower, and the engineer company accompanying 
 him. It was reported that La Hoy a and Perote had 
 been abandoned, and that a body of three or four thou- 
 sand lancers was on the route to Puebla. 
 
 Wednesday, April 21. I was busily engaged to-day 
 
JALAPA 131 
 
 in organizing the train of the engineer company, the 
 mules having proved very poor on the route from Piano 
 del Rio, and many of the animals being entirely unser- 
 viceable. On requisition from the senior engineer, the 
 general directed that a train of eight wagons should be 
 furnished by the quartermaster at Vera Cruz to bring up 
 the engineer train that remained, and as many of the 
 engineer implements as practicable. Lieutenant Foster, 
 in the afternoon, with the engineer train that had come 
 up from the Piano del Rio, started to join his company 
 at Perote. Sapper Noyes went to Vera Cruz in the train 
 of Friday morning to point out to the quartermaster the 
 articles that were needed. 
 
 Thursday to Saturday, April 22-24. Nothing especial 
 occurred on these days. I have been principally engaged 
 whilst at my leisure in going about the town, observing 
 the people and their customs. 
 
 Sunday, April 25. This day I attended high mass in 
 the cathedral. The church was decorated considerably, 
 though with little taste. There were several figures of 
 the Virgin Mary. The people seemed attentive to the 
 various ceremonies, and were scrupulous in observing the 
 prescribed forms. Not many of the higher classes were 
 present. Some few elegant and well-dressed ladies were 
 to be seen. 
 
 Monday to Thursday, April 26-29. During these days 
 I have been collecting facts in relation to the battle of 
 Cerro Gordo x with the view of making a general map and 
 digesting a connected military narrative. In conse- 
 quence of all the officers, except Lieutenant Beauregard 
 and myself, having gone to Perote, there were no means 
 of making an accurate survey of the positions, or of get- 
 ting sketches of the various reconnoissances, to form a 
 general plan. The only sketch forwarded from Perote 
 was one by Lieutenant Tower. I have met during these 
 
132 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 days several old friends, particularly Tilden and Haskin. 
 Canby I have seen much of. 
 
 April 30. This day I was busily occupied in prepar- 
 ing a memoir on the proper mode of conducting the war, 
 in case Mexico shall pursue the guerrilla system, and 
 obstinately refuse to listen to terms of accommodation. 
 I find great difficulty in procuring information as to 
 routes, etc. The weather in Jalapa is delightful. For 
 the past four days copious showers towards evening have 
 exercised the most healthful and invigorating influence 
 upon the troops here. Since the arrival of headquarters 
 on Tuesday, April 20, there has been a remarkable equa- 
 bleness of temperature. Jalapa is the very Eden of 
 Mexico, and its picturesque situation in the very bosom 
 of the mountains is nowhere surpassed. Such is the per- 
 fect amenity and smiling aspect of nature at this favored 
 spot, that all the seasons of the year meet together. All 
 the days of the year are both seedtime and harvest. The 
 place is singularly beautiful in its perennial bloom, and 
 in the flowers and gardens of its people. They seem 
 to be a happy, easy race, and many of the people are of 
 refinement and intelligence. 
 
 There are indications in the suburbs of Jalapa of more 
 populousness and wealth than now obtain, as in the wells 
 of masonry to be seen, fifty feet and more in depth, etc. 
 The snowy peak of Orizaba, fifteen thousand feet above 
 the sea, is to be seen far above the clouds, which at times 
 hang over its base. 
 
 Jalapa, Thursday, April 22, 1847. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — We entered this beautiful city, fra- 
 grant with flowers and shrubbery, at eleven o'clock Tuesday 
 morning. Jalapa and the surrounding country is the Eden of 
 Mexico. For many miles the country is in the highest state of 
 cultivation. There is a perennial bloom. At this very moment 
 all the fruits and every species of vegetation are to be seen in 
 all their stages. On the same tree are seen blossoms and fruit. 
 
JALAPA 133 
 
 In the same field we observe grain and corn just springing 
 from the seed, and we see it ready for the sickle. The market 
 abounds in oranges, bananas, peppers, lettuce, cabbages, cauli- 
 flower, onions, lemons, peas (green), beans, tomatoes, etc. The 
 refinement and cultivation of the people are to be seen in their 
 taste for flowers. At all points the most beautiful flowers 
 strike your eye. All the houses of the lower classes, as well as 
 of the higher, have gardens of flowers in rear. As you pass 
 through the street you every moment get glimpses of fountains 
 and shrubbery. Jalapa is more than Capua of old. It is 
 Capua with all its beauty and serenity, but without its abandon. 
 The people are refined, courteous, intelligent, and upright. 
 Here we shall remain for some ten days or a fortnight, to organ- 
 ize the campaign, and prepare for the march to Mexico. Jalapa 
 will be the great base of operations. 
 
 We left the Piano del Rio on Monday. I rode on a wagon, 
 and reached Encerro, the hacienda of Santa Anna, a distance 
 of fourteen miles, the same evening. The general and his staff 
 passed the night here. It is beautifully situated on a com- 
 manding hill, with ample outbuildings, an artificial pond for 
 bathing, etc., and a paved road branching from the main 
 Jalapa road. The hacienda of two stories was elegantly fur- 
 nished on the second floor, the first floor being appropriated to 
 kitchens, store-rooms, etc. We saw several of Santa Anna's 
 wooden legs. General Scott gave us in the evening a nice 
 supper with wine. 
 
 I rode on Tuesday from Encerro to Jalapa on my horse, and 
 found it about as comfortable as a wagon. The distance was 
 about eight miles. The morning was beautiful and the scenery 
 enchanting. On reaching the city we found some seven or 
 eight thousand of our troops under arms. For the first time 
 since Cortez the hostile feet of a foreign race trod its pave- 
 ments. The most perfect tranquillity prevailed. The people 
 are well treated, receive good prices for all they wish to sell, 
 and do not feel the weight of a foreign yoke. 
 
 Last evening we received intelligence that General Taylor 
 entered the city of San Luis Potosi on the 13th of this month. 
 Well done, indomitable old hero ! It is somewhat doubtful 
 whether I shall go on with the army. The surgeon advises me 
 
134 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 to remain here for the present. With care he thinks I may 
 rely on a permanent cure. Care, however, is required. 
 
 Jalapa, May 1, 1847. 
 
 My deakest Wife, — I am glad to be able to assure you 
 that my health is improving. It is not yet safe for me to ride 
 my horse, and I think that my ride from Encerro, the country 
 seat of Santa Anna, to Jalapa put me back some days. I can 
 walk without any inconvenience by being careful as to my gait, 
 and avoiding all sudden steps. I am not in the least incapaci- 
 tated for office duty, and am, excepting my injury, in very vig- 
 orous health. It is hard, I assure you, in this beautiful region 
 to be detained from enjoying my fine horse. As it is, he stands 
 in the stable doing nothing. On Monday, May 3, I shall move 
 on with General Patterson's advance, in charge of the engineer 
 train, to join the engineer corps with Worth. 
 
 The brilliant conflict of Cerro Gordo came upon the Mexi- 
 cans like a thunderbolt, and is the most decisive blow of the 
 war. The road is free to the City of Mexico, and I have no 
 doubt General Scott will be there in six weeks. It is said the 
 Mexicans will resort to the guerrilla mode of warfare. It will 
 ,be found worse than useless. It will be found of assistance to 
 our arms. General Scott will enforce the strictest discipline, 
 and the people of the country will remain undisturbed in their 
 houses. A fair price will be paid for everything that is con- 
 sumed. The war will be made to bear with a heavy hand upon 
 all connected with the government, and upon the property of all 
 disaffected persons. Don't feel alarmed about the observation 
 in the papers in reference to the terrible and atrocious char- 
 acter of guerrilla warfare. No one here feels the least alarm. 
 Twelve resolute men can disperse a hundred rancheros. As 
 guerrilla troops our volunteers are infinitely superior to the 
 Mexicans. The Mexicans as guerrilla troops are poor. They 
 are generally very inferior troops. They are best behind breast- 
 works, yet our men find no difficulty in storming them. 
 
 You may be sure that this city is a most charming place. 
 We do not find the upper classes disposed to associate with us. 
 Jalapa is said to be one of the most exclusive places in Mexico, 
 the society being broken up into cliques, and families living 
 among themselves as in New Bedford. The upper classes are 
 
JALAPA . 135 
 
 indeed said to be very hostile to us. We are now about build- 
 ing a battery to overawe the city, where a ten-inch mortar will 
 be mounted. The terrible destruction at Vera Cruz from our 
 shells has been spread over all Mexico, and with all the exag- 
 geration of the Spanish character. All the cities have the 
 greatest fear of our shells. 
 
 The last few days I have been busily occupied in preparing a 
 narrative of the brilliant conflict of the Cerro Gordo, illustrated 
 with a sketch, and for the Engineer Department at Washing- 
 ton, and also in writing a memoir on the best mode of opposing 
 the guerrilla warfare. The latter I have done chiefly for my 
 own instruction. It is possible, if I can finish it to my mind, I 
 may have it published. I have some thoughts of sending it to 
 General Scott at once. The general, however, is a very great 
 talker and writer himself, and I doubt whether he could find 
 time to read the memoir. 
 
 Sunday, May 2. The train does not go till to-morrow, so I 
 can tell you something of the occurrences of this day. Sunday 
 is the great market day of Jalapa, and this morning I saw the 
 greatest profusion of vegetables, watermelons in abundance, the 
 finest oranges, bananas, plantains, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, 
 celery, beans, peas, squashes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, Irish 
 potatoes, green corn, rare-ripe onions, tomatoes. The onions 
 are the finest I ever saw. They are far superior to our own. 
 Many well-dressed ladies were to be seen in the market with 
 their servants. I went to the cathedral, but remained only a 
 short time. 
 
 I consulted to-day Dr. Wright, the hospital surgeon of Ja- 
 lapa, in reference to my difficulty, and he speaks in the most 
 encouraging manner. He says there is no objection to my rid- 
 ing a portion of the distance on horseback, and that with care 
 there is not the least danger in advancing with the army. 
 
 May 3. In the expectation that the march would take 
 place to-morrow, I was busily engaged preparing for my 
 departure. The sappers remaining in this place made 
 all their arrangements, and the engineer train of eight 
 wagons was put in perfect order, a wagon master and two 
 extra men having been provided for. General Patter- 
 
136 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 son's advance brigade, that would serve as our escort, was 
 the brigade of Quitman. In the evening, about eight 
 o'clock, an express came up from Vera Cruz. 
 
 May 4. I rose early, having decided to start at half 
 past six o'clock. Some delays occurred, and when in. 
 readiness to start, at half past seven, I was informed that 
 the order to march had been countermanded. Conse- 
 quently everything was put back in its place. 
 
 About eleven a. m. Carigan, a sick sapper, died at the 
 hospital. He had been sick almost from the first day he 
 came into the country. His case was not considered incu- 
 rable at Vera Cruz, but the journey to Jalapa, riding in 
 a wagon over a rough road, proved too much for his 
 strength. He was buried in the afternoon in a convent 
 churchyard, his remains having been accompanied by my- 
 self and five sappers. When his body was lowered into its 
 final resting-place, I made a few remarks on the peculiar 
 circumstances of his case, dwelling upon the fact that his 
 short service had not been in vain, and that he had served 
 his country, and as much died for his country as though 
 he had fallen at Vera Cruz or at Cerro Gordo. Sergeant 
 Clark and A. M. Noyes, on my calling on them, made a 
 few very appropriate remarks in reference to his case, 
 and bore cheerful testimony to his excellent character 
 and the esteem in which he was held by his associates. 
 Regan, a sapper who had enlisted with him, and who had 
 known him for a long time, was a most sincere mourner. 
 He seemed to reproach himself as the cause of Carigan's 
 death, in consequence of his own example having been 
 the cause of Carigan's enlistment. I stated to Regan 
 that he had no cause to reproach himself, and that in 
 writing to Carigan's friends he could dwell upon the cir- 
 cumstances of Carigan's having received every attention, 
 and finally having been buried in one of the most beauti- 
 ful regions of the earth, and in ground consecrated by 
 the religious solemnities of his faith. 
 
JALAPA 137 
 
 May 5. There are reports that Santa Anna intends 
 cutting off the large train coming from Vera Cruz in a 
 few days, in consequence of which Captain Bainbridge 
 with a battalion of infantry proceeded downward yester- 
 day, to be followed by Colonel Riley and a portion of 
 his brigade to-morrow, the whole to take a position at 
 the National Bridge. I now hold myself in readiness to 
 move forward at any moment. But in the present aspect 
 of affairs, three regiments of volunteers returning home, 
 much sickness amongst the troops, and no certainty as to 
 the arrival of new levies, it is not certain that it will be 
 possible to move beyond Puebla. 
 
 May 7. Left Jalapa this morning at 7.30 in charge 
 of the second section of the engineer train, to join the 
 advance of General Worth, and under the escort of Gen- 
 eral Quitman's brigade, to whom I reported on my arrival 
 at his encampment. He did not get under way till 
 towards noon, and, after marching two hours through a 
 cultivated and beautiful country, we reached the village 
 of El Soldado, about eight miles from Jalapa. After 
 halting an hour at this place the command pursued its 
 march through a most picturesque and beautiful country, 
 presenting at the different points a varied view of the 
 valley, dotted all over with villages, and with fields of 
 corn and barley, and parties of laborers by the roadside 
 peacefully pursuing the cultivation of the soil. At La 
 Hoy a, defended with some care at a pass between two 
 high hills, with a succession of barriers in the road, two 
 arranged with a single embrasure for guns, was to be 
 seen the apple-tree in blossom, and also the pine-tree. 
 We halted at Las Vegas for the night, the road hither 
 ascending all the way, and the character of the trees 
 rapidly changing to the fir, the black birch, and the moun- 
 tain oak. Las Vegas is a somewhat straggling village of 
 perhaps about two thousand people, situated in a depres- 
 
138 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 sion or valley in the hills, which to the northeast expand 
 into a most fertile and agreeable plain, highly cultivated 
 along the west side. Most inviting fields of barley and 
 corn had remained untouched, though the horses of our 
 troops had subsisted on the former. Jalapa to El Soldado, 
 seven miles ; to La Hoya, three miles (large) ; to tank 
 on left, nine miles ; to Las Vegas, three miles ; Jalapa to 
 Las Vegas, twenty-two miles. 
 
 May 8. Left Las Vegas about eight a. m. and reached 
 Perote about twelve m., a distance of ten miles, or about. 
 This route for the first three miles is quite rough and 
 uneven. At the end of the third mile is a very long and 
 difficult descent, at the foot of which is a beautiful stream 
 of ice-cold water, flowing directly from the Coffre de 
 Perote. Here the whole command were refreshed. After 
 ascending a considerable hill we again, after a gentle 
 descent, gained a little village at another, quite sluggish 
 stream about a mile from the Rio Frio. A slight ascent 
 brought us to the extended plain of Perote, ten or twelve 
 miles in width and extending generally in a westerly 
 direction as far as El Pinal. Perote, with its castle in 
 the middle of the plain and towards its eastern extremity, 
 was almost depopulated, and presented a very uninviting 
 appearance. General Worth had collected here large 
 stores of forage and flour, much rice, and some sugar 
 and coffee. On reporting to General Worth, and stating 
 my object (to join Captain Lee), I was directed to attach 
 myself to Colonel Clarke's brigade, the last battalion of 
 which was to march at seven a. m. on the 9th. I found 
 Mason quite sick, and doubtful as to his ability to move 
 on. Though somewhat fatigued with my day's march, 
 I suffered no inconvenience from my rupture, though 
 the entire distance from Jalapa was made on horseback. 
 
 May 9. I left Perote this morning with Colonel Clarke 
 at seven a. m., and arrived at San Antonio, a distance 
 
MARCH TO PUEBLA 139 
 
 of seven miles, about eleven. A slight halt was made 
 three miles from Perote. At one o'clock, after resting 
 the mules, I proceeded with the train to Tepe Ahualco, 
 which I reached after a distance of nine miles. Here 
 I found the engineer company, and Captain Lee and 
 Lieutenant Tower of the engineers. Captain Lee, un- 
 fortunately, was suffering from chills and fever. 
 
 May 10. The brigade of Colonel Garland, with General 
 Worth and staff, left Tepe Ahualco (a very mean village, 
 with bad water) at eight o'clock, and after a march of ten 
 miles through the plain reached the hacienda of Vireyes, 
 where we encamped for the night. This hacienda, like 
 most of the haciendas of the country, was a good substan- 
 tial building on the four sides of a square, and arranged 
 with reference to the defense of the interior space. The 
 peons lived in mean habitations of mud and trellis- work, 
 not equal to the dwellings of swine in New England. 
 
 May 11. The march commenced at seven a. m., and 
 after two halts, — one of about half an hour at Byzan- 
 tium, distant eight miles, a village having its cathedral, 
 one or two stores with pulque for sale, and pretty good 
 houses for the peons ; one of about two hours at Ojo 
 de Agua, distant ten miles, a village not so considerable 
 as the former, but noted for its clear water gushing in 
 quite a large stream from the roadside, — we reached the 
 hacienda Santa Annaced as a violent windstorm came on. 
 Large stacks of barley straw in front of the hacienda 
 afforded sustenance for many domestic animals. As we 
 approached the village of Byzantium, a gently ascending 
 and somewhat considerable hill on the left, cultivated to 
 its very top with the maguey plant, and the green grass 
 of the flowing stream at the base relieved the dryness 
 of the plain, and afforded a most pleasing prospect. The 
 road on the 10th and 11th was level, and for the most 
 part good. Distance this day, about twelve miles. 
 
140 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 May 12. The march commenced at six A. m., the rear 
 brigade of Colonel Clarke joining the advance brigade of 
 Colonel Garland in its first movement, its encampment 
 having been only two miles in rear. After proceeding 
 some miles we entered Nopalucan, a considerable town 
 of three churches, several fondas, and some substantial 
 houses. The padre furnished the general and his officers 
 an entertainment of spirits and cakes. The best people 
 had shut up their houses and left the place. Before 
 approaching Nopalucan, the road for some two miles 
 passes through a highly cultivated tract of country, with 
 some dozen haciendas on the right and left. An eleva- 
 tion on entering this tract affords a very charming 
 prospect. 
 
 After remaining two hours at Nopalucan the division 
 moved forward, over in some portions a rough road, and 
 encamped for the night one league this side of the Pass 
 of El Pinal. 
 
 May 13. At Nopalucan information was given that 
 Santa Anna, with some fifteen hundred or two thousand 
 lancers, had passed through that place on the 10th for 
 Puebla, and at the camp of the 12th and 13th there were 
 rumors that he had prepared mines in the road at El 
 Pinal. In consequence the engineer company, Duncan's 
 battery, and some other troops moved early to examine 
 the pass. A false alarm during the night left many of 
 the troops much harassed. El Pinal is no pass what- 
 ever, and the mines, of which rumor was so big, were 
 little excavations commenced under the road in two 
 places, but abandoned. El Pinal derives its name from 
 the pine-trees, which are found to the very top of the 
 mountains. At this point the road commences a rapid 
 descent, and soon brings us to Acajete, a smaller place 
 than Nopalucan, yet having its church and its fonda. 
 Here the alcalde provided a collation for the general 
 
MARCH TO PUEBLA 141 
 
 and his officers. After halting an hour and a half, we 
 moved forward, and reached Amasoque about two o'clock. 
 This is a village having a large public square and three 
 fine churches. It is larger than Nopaluean, and must 
 contain nearly four thousand inhabitants. 
 
 It was determined to remain at Amasoque one entire 
 day to enable General Quitman's command to come up, 
 and accordingly General Worth's division was in expec- 
 tation of a day's rest, but about nine o'clock, 
 
 May 14, word was brought that five thousand lan- 
 cers were marching down upon us. A reconnoissance 
 by Captain Lee reduced the numbers to less than two 
 thousand, and the movement seemed to look to the cut- 
 ting of our communication with Quitman's column. It 
 was so illy concerted that seventy shots from Duncan's 
 battery and a few from Steptoe's turned the enemy from 
 their apparent purpose, and caused them to turn to their 
 left and make good their retreat. A column of about 
 six hundred, however, continued their course, veering a 
 little to the left to keep out of the reach of Quitman, 
 who, on hearing our guns, hastened the march of his 
 troops, and effected a junction with Worth with great 
 celerity. This column was followed by myself, Lieu- 
 tenant McClellan, and three dragoons as far as the haci- 
 enda San Miguel, some five miles from Amasoque. On 
 the way thither we crossed a very deep arroyo, along a 
 very good though very steep mule-path. At the haci- 
 enda, having ascertained from the people and from their 
 trail that the column had continued their eccentric course, 
 we returned in a somewhat different direction, and hav- 
 ing crossed an arroyo by an almost impracticable path, 
 and fallen on and nearly captured a Mexican officer and 
 his servant, we came to where the arroyos met, and were 
 obliged to retrace our steps. We reached headquarters 
 about three o'clock. I was exceedingly exhausted by my 
 
142 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 exertions. Lieutenant McClellan was very gallant and 
 prompt in pursuing the Mexican, and lost him in conse- 
 quence of the chapparal. A pony that was led by the 
 servant was given to the men. 
 
 Note. The occurrences of this day show two things : 
 1st. Troops should be quartered or encamped in reference 
 to the attack of an enemy, and the site should always 
 be determined by officers of engineers. 
 
 2d. On the arrival of troops at the place of encamp- 
 ment, an examination should be made to determine the 
 principal circumstances in reference to the roads and the 
 general features of the topography of the country, so 
 that, in case of an attack or demonstration, we should 
 have the necessary information to strike a vigorous blow 
 at the enemy, and push him into a precipitate retreat. 
 At Amasoque nothing was known in the morning in 
 reference to the roads of the village itself leading to the 
 direction where the enemy was known to be, until the 
 reconnoissance was made after the presence of the enemy 
 was reported. Still less was anything known in regard 
 to the existence of the arroyos, which cut up the surface 
 of the plain, and rendered it entirely impracticable for 
 cavalry and artillery to operate, till the crossings (used 
 by the people of the country and known by their troops) 
 were carefully ascertained. During the whole march from 
 Tepe Ahualco, these things had been entirely neglected. 
 
 Captain Lee and Lieutenant Tower made a reconnois- 
 sance of the country towards Puebla, and discovered that 
 the main body of the enemy had retrograded to a village 
 some eight miles from and off the main road to Puebla. 
 Colonel Garland's brigade was pushed forward about two 
 miles and bivouacked for the night. The troops were 
 ordered to march, first at nine p. m., then at three A. m., 
 and finally at five a. m., in order to concentrate near 
 Puebla in the course of the morning. In consequence of 
 
PUEBLA 143 
 
 these continual changes, the troops were exceedingly and 
 needlessly harassed. 
 
 May 15. The army moved at five a. m., and at a 
 village three miles from Amasoque, commissioners were 
 found in waiting to treat for the occupation of the city. 
 The assurances of the general were satisfactory to them. 
 They were simply a recognition that Puebla should be 
 no exception to the general course our army has pursued 
 in this country as regards the inviolability of the rights, 
 persons, religion, and authority of the city, so far as not 
 incompatible with its military occupation. The troops in 
 the course of the day were all got into quarters, although 
 it was accomplished in a very undignified manner, the 
 general, at the head of his staff, personally superintend- 
 ing the breaking open of the doors of the barracks when- 
 ever they were not opened by the keys in season to satisfy 
 his impatient spirit. 
 
 May 16-22. The army continued in the peaceful 
 occupation of Puebla, and nothing occurred to disturb 
 the general tranquillity except two or three cases of 
 broils, occasioned by the imprudence of our own people, 
 and one report of the march of Santa Anna to attack the 
 city. Some changes were made in the distribution of 
 troops, much attention paid to the rumors of the streets, 
 and no general system of measures adopted in relation to 
 the defenses of the city, or to the dispositions to be made 
 in case of the attack of an enemy. The people were 
 decidedly hostile to Santa Anna, and our respect for 
 their rights was making a decided change in our favor. 
 On the 20th and 21st the city was rife with rumors of 
 the approach of General Taylor to San Luis Potosi, and 
 at length it was said that General Taylor had been taken 
 prisoner and hanged. Information came on the 21st that 
 General Scott was still at Jalapa, and would not leave 
 till the 23d. 
 
144 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 May 23, 24. Affairs continue tranquil. Information 
 has come that General Twiggs left Jalapa Saturday, May 
 22, and was followed by General Scott on Sunday. My 
 own health is improving very rapidly, and on the 24th I 
 reported to Captain Lee my readiness for duty. 
 
 May 25. Engaged on a reconnoissance of the road 
 to Tlascala. There are two roads, one for carriages and 
 one for mules, which continue separate the whole distance 
 to Tlascala. This reconnoissance occupied seven hours, 
 and was supported by twelve sappers. 
 
 May 26. Accompanied Captain Lee and Lieutenants 
 Mason and Tower in an examination of the hill and the 
 adjacent parts of the city, to determine a position for our 
 troops in case of the attack of the enemy. The occupa- 
 tion of the hill, the Cuartel San Jose, and some buildings 
 on the right and left, fulfilled the conditions quite well. 
 It commanded the city, and the approaches to it in the 
 direction of the hill afforded room for stores, wagons, 
 and animals. This examination was suggested to Gen- 
 eral Worth by Captain Lee on the first occupation of the 
 city, but was deferred in consequence of press of busi- 
 ness, and was ordered to-day in consequence of a report 
 that a strong force of the enemy was marching upon the 
 city from Mexico. 
 
 May 27. A fatigue party with some sappers, and all 
 under the direction of Lieutenant Smith, were employed 
 to-day in repairing the parapet of Fort Guadalupe, on the 
 summit of the hill. The engineer officers were engaged 
 generally in examining roads entering the city, and plot- 
 ting the same. 
 
 May 28. General Scott and staff arrived to-day. 
 Engineers employed as yesterday. 
 
 May 29. General Twiggs arrived with his division 
 to-day at three p. m., and at one o'clock the long roll 
 beat in consequence of a report of the approach of the 
 
PUEBLA 145 
 
 enemy, twenty thousand strong. This proved to be 
 unfounded. 
 
 May 30, 31. The only occurrence of interest is Santa 
 Anna's solemn renunciation of power, and return to pri- 
 vate life. He declares in his manifest that he has labored 
 with a single eye to the good of his country, and can 
 review with satisfaction and without reproach his whole 
 public career. I cannot but entertain the opinion that 
 Santa Anna's renouncing all authority is in consequence 
 of a fixed determination on his part to be " Aut Caesar 
 aut nihil." It may be the deliberate act of a great states- 
 man and patriot, more firmly to maintain the authority 
 necessary to save his country. He may act from the 
 conviction that his country, seeing that he would not 
 continue in authority in this crisis unless he were cor- 
 dially supported by all parties, would with one voice 
 recall him to public life and invest him with full powers. 
 So far as I am able to judge, Santa Anna's career, since 
 his return to Mexico, has been most glorious and remark- 
 able. Without resources, and in the midst of internal 
 discord, he has organized two large armies, and made one 
 of the most extraordinary marches in all history. He 
 has been defeated, but throughout has shown an admi- 
 rable constancy, and exhibited high military qualities. 
 In strategic operations he has shown marked ability. 
 At Buena Vista he came within an ace of utterly defeat- 
 ing General Taylor, and had he succeeded (and the 
 probabilities were in his favor), he would have been able 
 to excite to the highest pitch of enthusiasm the whole 
 nation. A large army might have been raised, and our 
 advance into the interior effectually checked. On the 
 field of battle he has not proved equal to us. But it is 
 probably due to the nature of his troops, who in the shock 
 of the conflict are inferior to us, three or four to one. 
 At Angostura, and at the Cerro Gordo, he exhibited 
 
146 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 courage and an indefatigable spirit. He did not leave 
 the height of the Cerro Gordo till the very moment of 
 its falling into our hands, and he was obliged to make his 
 escape on one of the wheel mules of his carriage. Nor 
 were his spirits depressed by this overwhelming defeat. 
 He immediately rallied his troops at Orizaba, a strategic 
 position in reference to the whole route of Jalapa from 
 Vera Cruz to Puebla. Here he was able to threaten our 
 lines of communication, and, without moving a step, he 
 compelled us to protect our trains with large escorts as 
 they came up from Vera Cruz to Jalapa. When nearly a 
 whole brigade (Riley's) was sent down to protect the large 
 train supposed to be the last of five hundred wagons, and 
 it became evident that nothing more would be gained in 
 this direction, he anticipated our advance, and threw him- 
 self between us and the City of Mexico. He has now re- 
 nounced all authority. We must wait until his real object 
 in taking this great step shall have become developed. 
 
 June 3. We have rumors to-day that a reinforcement 
 of 3000 men has landed at Antigua, and is on the march 
 to Jalapa. It has been determined to break up Jalapa, 
 place the sick in hospital in Perote, and bring up the 
 whole disposable force to Puebla. At Perote and Ja- 
 lapa are 800 sick and 1700 men in garrison. Leaving 
 a garrison of 400 men in Perote, the remaining 1300 
 men, with 900 recruits, will increase the troops now at 
 Puebla, 6000 effectives including officers (there are 700 
 sick), to 8200 ; of the 900 recruits, at least 200 will be 
 left behind sick. So that 8000 men will be the extent of 
 our force. We shall probably remain in Puebla till about 
 the 1st of July, and then advance to the city with our 
 whole force. 
 
 I write this evening to my wife by a train going down 
 to-morrow. It is doubtful whether the letter will reach 
 the States. 
 
PUEBLA 147 
 
 This is Corpus Christi Day. I attended church in the 
 morning, and was anything but pleased with the idle 
 ceremonies of the occasion. The Catholicism of this 
 country is a great corruption of that of the United 
 States. It is chiefly a religion of observances, and of the 
 most burdensome and elaborate kind. Excepting human 
 sacrifices, it is on a par with the religion of the Aztecs. 
 
 A bull-fight having been advertised, I attended it with 
 many other officers, but the performance was a very tame 
 one. The bulls were barbarously butchered after hav- 
 ing been lassoed and thrown down. Every one returned 
 home disgusted. 
 
 June 4. The news from Mexico to-day is less favor- 
 able to peace. The congress, it is said, has refused to 
 accept the resignation of Santa Anna, and the latter has 
 left Mexico to take command of the troops. The land- 
 ing of Cadwallader with three thousand troops has been 
 confirmed. Half a million of money is also on its way. 
 Everything bears a favorable aspect now. The arrival 
 of funds is of great consequence, in order that no neces- 
 sity may arise to live by forced contributions. We ought 
 to apply to the support of the war the revenues that for- 
 merly went to the central government, but in our deal- 
 ings with individuals scrupulously to pay for every supply 
 and service. To-day I was employed on the journal of 
 last month. The officers were generally employed on the 
 drawings. 
 
 June 6. A mail arrived to-day with cheering news 
 from the States. The government was exerting its en- 
 ergies to increase both columns of invasion, and, from the 
 success which had already attended the recruiting service, 
 there was little doubt that in the course of the season 
 there would be thirty thousand troops in the field. Six 
 regiments of volunteers for the war were also to be called 
 out. 
 
148 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 June 7-21. The army has continued recruiting its 
 strength and awaiting reinforcements. Daily drills in 
 companies, battalions, brigades, and divisions have tended 
 to give tone and efficiency to the command, though a 
 counteracting influence has been found in the troops not 
 being paid. Great discontent exists in consequence of 
 this. Many of the troops are quartered in damp base- 
 ments, and all live on fresh provisions, prolific causes of 
 disease. The sickness has been as high as twenty-five 
 per cent, of the whole number present, and even at this 
 time is not much below this. In some regiments the 
 company officers do not attend to their men, and particu- 
 larly to their food. The use of the chili, or Mexican 
 pepper, supplies the place of salt, and contributes essen- 
 tially to the health of the troops. 
 
 There have been occasional rumors of rising in the 
 city, to be assisted by guerrillas. A small force is with 
 the governor at Athsio, and all the roads are infested to 
 some extent by this description of troops. There have 
 been several attempts to induce our men to desert, and 
 now a German is being tried for the offense, and will 
 probably be put to death. 
 
 The engineers have been employed in drawing a map 
 of the city and its environs, completing the drawings of 
 the siege of Vera Cruz, and collecting information in rela- 
 tion to the roads and localities in the valley of Mexico. 
 
 The general-in-chief reached Puebla on the 28th, and 
 on the following day all the engineer officers and the 
 engineer company were relieved from duty with particu- 
 lar divisions, and placed under the direction of the senior 
 engineer at general headquarters. General Twiggs arrived 
 with his division on the 29th of June. 
 
 Information was derived from Americans, residents of 
 the City of Mexico, who joined the army as it penetrated 
 into the country, and from Mexicans (robbers and con- 
 
PUEBLA 149 
 
 trabandists), etc. In consequence of these inquiries, Cap- 
 tain Lee was enabled to prepare a map of all the routes 
 from Puebla to the City of Mexico and in its valley, and 
 exhibiting generally the topography of the country, its 
 hills, rivers, marshes, etc. Much information was also 
 obtained in reference to the fixed means of defense of 
 the enemy, — particularly the position and character of 
 field-works and batteries, and the character of the ob- 
 structions from cuts in the causeways of approach to the 
 city, and from inundations from the lakes. In the inves- 
 tigation of this matter, one circumstance transpired afford- 
 ing convincing proof that no difficulty would be found 
 to bribe men of rank and influence. A merchant of 
 Puebla, of some wealth, extensive connection, and large 
 practical knowledge of localities in all parts of Mexico, 
 for the sum of five thousand dollars proposed going to 
 the City of Mexico and procuring accurate information 
 in reference to the roads and localities in the valley of 
 Mexico, the fixed means of defense of the enemy, the 
 force, composition, distribution, and morale of the troops, 
 the state of public feeling in the city, etc. He professed 
 a sufficient acquaintance with military matters to furnish 
 the information with entire fullness and accuracy. Nor 
 did he ask the least compensation for his services till the 
 information furnished should be pronounced perfectly 
 satisfactory. This proposition was finally declined by 
 General Scott. 
 
 It having been ascertained that Dominguez, the chief 
 of the robbers from Vera Cruz to Mexico and a resident 
 of Puebla, was willing to enter into the American service 
 with at least a portion of the robbers, Major Smith 
 proposed to the general-in-chief that they should be re- 
 ceived, and employed as spies, guides, and couriers. This 
 suggestion met with his approbation, and the inspector- 
 general, Colonel Hitchcock, was associated with Major 
 
150 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Smith in arranging a proper organization. Thus far the 
 robbers have proved useful as spies and couriers. 
 
 General Cadwallader is known to be on his way from 
 Perote, and will probably reach Puebla with his com- 
 mand to-day or to-morrow. It is to be feared that the 
 large number of sick will render it necessary to leave a 
 garrison in Puebla, reducing, if the advance to Mexico 
 obtain within ten days, the efficient fighting force to six 
 thousand men. 
 
 June 22-24. Information reached General Scott on 
 the evening of the 23d that General Cadwallader was 
 at Perote, and that he would leave next day and reach 
 Puebla on Monday, the 29th. He met with serious 
 resistance between Jalapa and Perote, particularly at 
 the Pass of La Hoya. The 24th was St. John's Day, 
 and was celebrated generally throughout the city. Some 
 patriotic feeling was exhibited in the military dresses and 
 flags of the boys. The engineer company obtained 
 authority to change their quarters to the convent San 
 Antonio. The subject of an engineer drill was under 
 discussion by Lieutenants Mason, Stevens, and G. W. 
 Smith, and it was decided that the manual of the miner 
 should be translated. On the 24th I submitted to Major 
 Smith a brief memoir on a system of espionage, and in- 
 volving the employment of the robbers of the country. 
 
 June 25-28. During these days information has 
 reached headquarters of the landing of General Pillow 
 at Vera Cruz, and of his order to General Cadwallader to 
 await his arrival in Perote. The whole command, prob- 
 ably amounting to five thousand men, will arrive as early 
 as the 5th of July. 
 
 Rumors for several days have been rife in Puebla of 
 negotiations for a treaty of peace being commenced. 
 Several messengers are known to have arrived from 
 Mexico, and the Mexican president has been notified by 
 
PUEBLA 151 
 
 General Scott that a commissioner with powers to treat 
 has arrived from the United States. I see no indication 
 of the least disposition to treat on the part of the Mexi- 
 can nation, and nothing can stay the advance of our army 
 to the valley of Mexico. Even then, in consequence of 
 the rainy season and the smallness of our force, we shall 
 restrict ourselves to the narrowest limits ; but a small por- 
 tion of the heart of the country will feel our presence, 
 and the spirit of the people will not be subdued. They 
 will flatter themselves with the hope of soon driving from 
 their capital and their soil the infamous invader. New 
 armies will be raised, and we again in the fall obliged to 
 take the field. North to Zacatecas let our arms extend ! 
 July 1. The Mexican congress, agreeably to the pro- 
 clamation of the president, assembled on the 28th of June, 
 but, wanting five of a quorum, adjourned to the 5th of 
 July, the special subject of their consideration being the 
 appointing of commissioners to treat of peace. Pillow 
 reached Perote yesterday (probably), and will probably 
 be in Puebla on the 7th or 8th inst. It is also sup- 
 posed that Pierce has arrived in Vera Cruz with addi- 
 tional troops. It is a doubtful matter whether the Mexi- 
 can congress will take a decided course in initiating 
 negotiations, or whether the commissioners whom they 
 appoint will agree upon the terms. I have every confi- 
 dence that General Scott, whilst showing every disposi- 
 tion to respond to any desire for peace which the Mexican 
 nation may express, and exerting his whole strength to 
 accomplish that great object, will not permit it to be 
 made a pretext to gain time, and a cover to the complete 
 organization of the enemy's force. The enemy may treat 
 at this time. They stickle on points of honor, and will 
 have the greatest repugnance to the occupation of their 
 capital. They see our force daily increasing. They have 
 felt our prowess at the Cerro Gordo. They know we de- 
 
152 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 sire peace. Our terms are not hard. If we advance and 
 enter the City of Mexico, their government will be in a 
 measure dissolved, and the favorable moment for negotia- 
 tions have gone. All these considerations must incline 
 the candid and intelligent portion of the nation to arrange 
 all matters in dispute before we advance from Puebla. 
 Yet the Castilian obstinacy and pride may overrule all 
 these considerations, and determine them to try the issue 
 of a protracted contest. It is possible they may consider 
 our terms, if agreed to, as the step fatal and inevitable 
 towards the final occupation of the whole country, and, 
 considering the present conflict as one for national inde- 
 pendence, they may conclude to fight as long as a man 
 remains to bear arms. For one, I cannot but consider 
 the issue doubtful, and am inclined to the belief that 
 nothing will come from the present movement, and that 
 we shall advance to and enter the City of Mexico. 
 
 July 4. The anniversary of our national independence 
 has dawned upon the Americans in Puebla most auspi- 
 ciously. News came last evening that General Pierce, 
 with two thousand men, left Vera Cruz on June 28, and 
 that in a week he would be followed by six thousand more 
 troops. If this be true, we shall be able to launch a col- 
 umn of fifteen thousand men against the capital. It 
 must fall into our hands with but little resistance. The 
 rainy season should be devoted to the disciplining and 
 reorganization of the whole army, new levies and old 
 troops. Thus in October, based in the valley of Mexico, 
 we shall be in condition to move in any direction, and 
 doubtless, northward, our columns will march as far as 
 Zacatecas, unless previously peace be agreed upon. 
 
 A war fever has broken out afresh in the capital, and 
 energetic measures are being taken to add to their means 
 of defense. Church bells are being cast into cannon, and 
 field-works and fortifications put in good condition. 
 
PUEBLA 153 
 
 The engineer staff called on the general officers in the 
 morning and dined together afterwards. We passed a 
 pleasant day. 
 
 July 6. A courier came in this morning with informa- 
 tion that El Pinal was occupied by a guerrilla force of 
 one thousand men/ and that the train had been at Ojo de 
 Agua two days, resting from the fatigues of the march 
 from Perote. The roads were bad, and many of the teams 
 had given out. Colonel Harney, with a force of seven 
 hundred men and a relief train of forty wagons, started 
 at eight o'clock, 
 
 July 7, to disperse the assemblage at El Pinal, and 
 meet the exposed train at Nopalucan. The troops still 
 continue sick. About noon the arrival of General Pillow 
 at Amasoque was announced ; about five o'clock the dra- 
 goons arrived, bringing with them the long-expected 
 mail. 
 
 July 8. The troops reached Puebla about noon to-day, 
 and as they passed General Scott in review, they made a 
 sorry appearance. In some respects composed of good 
 material, they have come in all haste to the seat of war 
 without a single day's drill, and after a march of one 
 hundred and sixty-one miles it is not surprising they were 
 much worn down. The day in the city was by all devoted 
 to reading letters and papers. I had the extreme felicity 
 of getting five letters from my dear wife, announcing her 
 comfortable settlement for the season in Newport. In a 
 distant land, the pleasure of receiving intelligence from 
 our dear friends at home is above and beyond all other 
 pleasures. My latest dates were to the 31st of May. 
 
 July 9. A general order of to-day assigned Pillow to 
 the command of the third regular division, composed of 
 Cadwallader's and Pierce's brigades, General Quitman 
 continuing in command of the volunteer division till it 
 shall become practicable to join his proper regular divi- 
 
154 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 sion with General Taylor. General Shields was assigned 
 to the command of the volunteer brigade now in Puebla. 
 We learned to-day that there was a movement to the 
 north against Santa Anna in which eight states joined. 
 The prospect of peace is very small. 
 
 July 10. News from Mexico more unfavorable to 
 peace. Congress wants eleven of a quorum. There are 
 now eighteen thousand troops in the valley of Mexico, 
 provided with arms and sixty pieces of cannon. Four 
 thousand troops from San Luis Potosi are said to be 
 daily expected. All the causeways are armed with can- 
 non, protected by field-works with wet ditches. Impor- 
 tant advantages will result from deferring the advance to 
 Mexico till the close of the rainy season. Time will be 
 gained to put the new levies in shape, instructing both 
 officers and men in their duty, and making them more 
 reliable before an enemy. The large number of sick 
 will be much reduced, and sickness will be prevented 
 by the march in dry weather. Reinforcements will come 
 up. The disposition of the Mexicans for peace will be 
 thoroughly tested, and ulterior operations after con- 
 quering the city and valley can be arranged. The war 
 can be vigorously pushed in the dry season, with ample 
 supplies of transportation. The new levies are utterly 
 unreliable, and the main dependence is in the old troops, 
 scarcely six thousand effective men. Not the least doubt 
 is felt at our ability at this time to enter the capital, and 
 it is not to be disguised that every day's delay increases 
 the strength of the enemy's force and affords the means 
 to perfect his works. I believe, however, that our own 
 strength will increase in a greater ratio. The dry season 
 will give important advantages in our own counter-works, 
 greater in proportion than in those possessed by the 
 enemy. Our victory will also be more decisive, and will 
 have greater results. 
 
PUEBLA 155 
 
 July 11, 12. The city has assumed its usual quietude, 
 and it is to be hoped that effective measures will be at 
 once taken to put the new levies in some state of effi- 
 ciency. This morning (12th) a squadron of dragoons 
 under the command of Captain Kearny set forth for 
 Mexico with a flag in reference to an exchange of prison- 
 ers. A general order has just been published announcing 
 an early and vigorous movement, directing reviews of 
 the several divisions, and the utmost attention to tactical 
 instruction, etc. It is understood the movement will 
 commence on Tuesday, July 20. 
 
 July 18. It has been ascertained that Pierce will 
 not reach Puebla until about the first of August (he left 
 Vera Cruz July 15 or 16), and consequently the advance 
 movement has been deferred. I trust it will be deferred 
 till the rainy season is over, and that in the mean time a 
 train will go down and bring up additional supplies. The 
 flag which went out on the 12th returned on the 14th. 
 Captain Kearny went as far as Rio Frio, and made the 
 distance, about forty miles, in ten hours. The flag is 
 understood to have had reference to an exchange of 
 prisoners. No answer has yet been returned. 
 
 The review of the troops has been going on. General 
 Twiggs has unquestionably the best division in the ser- 
 vice. 
 
 In conformity with instructions from the general-in- 
 chief, Major Smith made a report on the 13th in refer- 
 ence to the garrison and munitions to be left in Puebla 
 on the advance of the army to Mexico, and the position 
 to be occupied by the garrison. On the 15th authority 
 was given by the general to enlarge the engineer train. 
 
 July 25. It is now considered hopeless to negotiate 
 with the Mexican government until another blow is 
 struck, and accordingly it has been intimated from 
 headquarters that the advance division shall move as 
 
156 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 soon as the brigade of Pierce shall be within one day's 
 march. As it is almost certain that Pierce has taken 
 the Orizaba road, he cannot reach Puebla much before 
 Thursday of next week, August 4, so that the advance 
 cannot be made till about Wednesday, August 3. 
 
 During the past week the conversations of the streets 
 in reference to the probabilities of peace or war have 
 been constantly fluctuating from one extreme to the 
 other. Taking counsel of their desires, people have 
 eagerly caught at straws to convince themselves that 
 peace was certain. At no time, judging from actual 
 facts, has there been much probability that the difficul- 
 ties between the two governments would be adjusted at 
 this stage of the business. 
 
 The governing class of Mexico are easily elated ; are 
 characterized by remarkable tenacity of purpose and 
 indomitable pride, which is not disposed to submit to 
 humiliation ; and they have at their head a fit representa- 
 tive in all respects, a man of extensive capacity both for 
 peace and war, and who possesses in an eminent degree 
 genius for command. In consequence of the long and 
 necessary delay at Puebla, the enemy have been able to 
 organize quite a formidable force in the City of Mexico, 
 and to strengthen their position by batteries and artificial 
 obstacles, till now, with the spirit of hopefulness so indi- 
 genous to the Spanish character, they believe themselves 
 in condition successfully to oppose us. 
 
 August 1. Last evening a courier brought notes from 
 General Pierce and Colonel Wyncoop of the 29th ult. 
 The former was at La Hoya with two thousand men, and 
 no enemy on the road. General Smith, July 28, with 
 the 1st artillery, 3d infantry, rifle regiment of New 
 York volunteers, and one squadron of dragoons, went 
 down to meet him, and at the last accounts was at Ojo 
 de Agua. 
 
PUEBLA 157 
 
 It is exceedingly difficult to push couriers through to 
 Vera Cruz. They are sure to be searched, and shot if 
 papers are found on them. Dispatches are made very 
 short, on thin, small pieces of paper, and concealed in the 
 garments of the couriers. It is believed that the enemy 
 have relays of horses along the road from Vera Cruz to 
 Mexico, and that intelligence is transmitted at the rate 
 of six miles an hour. Every important transaction in 
 Puebla is known at headquarters in the City of Mexico 
 in ten to twelve hours. With our limited number of 
 troops, it is impracticable to organize the line from Puebla 
 to Vera Cruz so that our couriers could travel in safety 
 with the same rapidity. Besides considerable garrisons 
 in both Perote and Jalapa, there would have to be a 
 strong force at Orizaba, and garrisons with stockade 
 defenses on both the Orizaba and national roads every 
 day's journey, say fifteen to twenty miles apart. I say 
 it is impracticable so to organize our rear and have left 
 a force adequate to the reduction of the City of Mexico. 
 In my judgment it would be our true military policy 
 immediately thus to organize our rear, and remain in 
 Puebla till a well-disciplined army could be collected 
 from the States. 
 
 On Thursday, July 29, a court of inquiry asked for 
 by Colonel Riley commenced its sittings, Pillow, Quit- 
 man, and Colonel Clarke, members. That gallant veteran 
 and most excellent officer, Colonel Riley, has demanded 
 an inquiry into his operations at the Cerro Gordo, on 
 the ground that the services of his brigade have not 
 received justice at the hands of General Twiggs and the 
 commander-in-chief in their official reports. Riley was 
 a daring and successful officer of the last war, and has 
 been in more battles and combats than any other officer 
 in the army. Though advanced in years, he is intrepid, 
 decided, and of sound judgment. I doubt not the court 
 
158 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 of inquiry will make a report that will soothe the injured 
 feelings of the gallant and good old man. 
 
 Puebla, Mexico, July 8, 1847. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — I feel and know that here I can do 
 some service for my country. So long as my services shall be 
 needed here, I would not feel at liberty to ask to go home. I 
 fear that peace cannot be brought about till some great blow is 
 struck, and another signal victory won. Such is the wretched 
 misgovernment of this people, and so discordant are their public 
 counsels, so corrupt and selfish their public men, that I some- 
 times fear that the strong arm of military power alone can 
 pacificate the nation. No nation on the face of the earth is 
 a stronger exemplification of the strong governing the weak. 
 Wherever our army has gone, the people have been benefited. 
 You can hardly realize how conciliatory has been the de- 
 portment of our people throughout. All along the road from 
 Vera Cruz to Puebla, beautiful fields of corn and grain were left 
 untouched, when our horses were suffering for food. Any 
 aggression on the property of the people is promptly punished 
 and redressed. The Mexican army ravage their own peo- 
 ple, and leave a sad wreck behind them. We pay for every- 
 thing, and protect the people in their rights. I believe the 
 entrance of our army will give a fresh impulse to this people. 
 They are now but half civilized, taking the whole population 
 together. An impulse will be given to the arts of peace, and 
 the nation will be wiser and better for our coming among them. 
 
 You may be sure that I take great satisfaction in your writ- 
 ing frequently to father. It will be a great comfort to him. I 
 wish you so far as you can to occupy my place as regards my 
 own relatives. Besides my father, Oliver, and Mary, I think 
 many of them are much attached to me, and that they have a 
 very high regard for you. I fear their expectations are much 
 too high as to my prospects here. I aspire to no higher dis- 
 tinction than to do my entire duty. Our military establishment 
 is so wretchedly organized that it is difficult for a man of 
 acknowledged merit to rise. In organizing the ten new regi- 
 ments very few promotions were made from the existing organ- 
 izations, in consequence of which some of the ablest military 
 
PUEBLA 159 
 
 men in our army see placed above them men totally devoid of 
 capacity or zeal for the public service. One of the colonels 
 of the new regiments is a dismissed cadet from West Point, 
 and since I graduated. One of the majors of the volunteer 
 regiments is a dismissed cadet of my own class, a very stupid 
 and ignorant fellow. The men of capacity and of merit have 
 this satisfaction : in difficult straits their counsels are sought 
 and followed. The advice of lieutenants, even, is taken when 
 that of general officers is disregarded. 
 
 Sunday, July 18. It is ten days since I wrote the above, 
 nor is there much prospect that what has been written, and 
 what I am writing now, will reach you for months. It is a 
 great pleasure to write, and I know that whatever I write you 
 will be glad to read. Pierce will not arrive in Puebla with his 
 brigade before the 1st of August, nor can we advance to 
 Mexico till after his arrival. We shall be detained here at 
 least three weeks, a length of time invaluable to get well our 
 sick and put in good shape our new levies. You can hardly real- 
 ize either the scenery or the climate of this place. To the west 
 are the two snowy mountains of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, 
 their crests far above the clouds, to the north, Malinche, hoar 
 with occasional frosts, and in every other direction gentle eleva- 
 tions, the whole inclosing one of the most beautiful and fertile 
 valleys in the world. Though in the nineteenth degree of lati- 
 tude and in midsummer, the climate corresponds with Newport 
 in the month of April. This is due to the snowy mountains, 
 our high elevation above the sea (at least 7500 feet), and the 
 daily rains. Every afternoon regularly, we have a copious 
 shower, and frequently a deluge of rain. I find four blankets 
 and my woolen drawers necessary to keep me warm. We need 
 as much bedclothing as in Bucksport in midwinter. I wear 
 thick clothes all the time, and sometimes an overcoat. The 
 gentlemen of Puebla are accustomed to wear their cloaks 
 habitually. For one I could not dispense with flannel under- 
 clothes. Yet we never have frosts, and all the fruits and vege- 
 tables come to maturity at all seasons of the year. It is a very 
 trying climate. The extreme rarity of the atmosphere is trying 
 to all of us. It checks the insensible perspiration, and we have 
 to be careful to keep well. At the present time my health is 
 
160 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 perfect. I was never better in my life, and this is the result 
 of an abstemiousness in both eating and drinking which I have 
 practiced ever since my arrival. We have an engineer mess of 
 five officers. For breakfast and supper we scarcely ever have 
 anything but dry toasted bread without butter and hard-boiled 
 eggs. For dinner, meats plainly but thoroughly cooked, and a 
 variety of vegetables without fruit or pastry. Fruit is con- 
 sidered unhealthy. In one of your letters you inquire if my 
 servant is not in my way. You must recollect that our servants 
 do our washing as well as take care of our horses and attend 
 upon us. My servant's part is to wait upon table and clean the 
 dishes. He has to take care of my room, make up my bed, 
 mend my clothes, see that they are washed and in good condi- 
 tion, and take care of my horse. He is expected to spend much 
 time in cleaning my horse, and he has to ride him every day for 
 exercise when I have no occasion to use him myself. My ser- 
 vant's name is Michael Cunningham, a native of New York, 
 and a very good-hearted and attentive fellow. Michael's only 
 fault is that occasionally he indulges in an extra glass. This I 
 hope to correct. My old soldier in Vera Cruz I was obliged to 
 discharge for drunkenness. Michael I found in Puebla. He 
 was a soldier whose term of enlistment had expired. I like 
 this kind of life very much. But you need not fear that I 
 shall look back to it with regret, when I find myself in the 
 midst of my little family and by my own fireside. Wherever 
 we are, it is wise to be content. It makes one's duties pleasanter, 
 and our lives more profitable. 
 
 You may inquire how I spend my time. We breakfast at 
 eight, dine at two, and sup at seven. I generally rise in season 
 for breakfast, and go to bed about twelve at night. After 
 breakfast I take a walk and call on my friends. From ten to 
 five o'clock I pass in my room in attending to my official duties, 
 which are now entirely sedentary, and consist in preparing 
 returns, reports, making drawings, etc., or in studying my pro- 
 fession as found in the books which I brought out with me, 
 and which are a perfect treasure. Five to nine is spent in 
 visiting, talking, receiving visits, etc. Nine to twelve I pass 
 generally in reading. Thus my time is well filled, and I am 
 being in some degree useful and preparing myself for future 
 
PUEBLA 161 
 
 usefulness. Mason spends his time very much in the same way. 
 I am studying daily the Spanish language, and hope before 
 leaving this country to be able to speak it. 
 
 Captain Pitman, of Providence, now senior captain of the 9th 
 infantry, I see frequently. He came up with Cadwallader, and 
 is spoken of highly by those who have had opportunities to wit- 
 ness his deportment as an officer. I have no doubt he will do 
 good service, though unfortunately his company is small, some 
 thirty odd effective men. He is determined to learn his profes- 
 sion, and will soon get his company in good condition. 
 
 Sunday, August 1. My dear wife, since I have been an ob- 
 server in this country, I have been more and more convinced 
 that the hero age has not yet gone. This country, so highly 
 favored by nature, a land emphatically of sun and flowers, so 
 abject in the slavishness and brutality of its people, needs a 
 hero spirit for its regeneration. Cortez and his devoted band 
 did a great work, a work fit for heroes and prophets. His iron 
 will and great soul planted Castilian civilization and enterprise 
 in the midst of a contracted and superstitious people ; and cities 
 of fine proportions, magnificent works of art, cathedrals to the 
 worship of the Most High, gardens in the arid plain and the 
 dense chapparal and the wild forest field soon greeted the eyes 
 of men in attestation of his genius. But with the decline of 
 Castilian grandeur, Mexico ceased to be governed by a race of 
 heroes, and her governors and her priests have degenerated into 
 mere cumberers of the earth, having zeal only for their own 
 aggrandizement. Is not here a work for a Moses or an Alfred? 
 Is he not needed? And must he not arise? With the times 
 must come the man. 
 
 But enough of this. "We are still in Puebla, our army eleven 
 thousand strong, daily improving in health, discipline, and effi- 
 ciency, General Pierce some five days behind with that eagerly 
 looked-for mail that is to bring us tidings from our homes, and 
 all eyes turned to Mexico, ready for either alternative of peace 
 or war. We all hope that this vexed question may be settled 
 here on terms honorable to both countries. But if this is not 
 to be, no man fears the ultimate result. Every private in the 
 ranks has a solid and well-grounded conviction that our flag is 
 never destined to retire, that no effort of the enemy can pull it 
 down. If we move onward, no mortal arm can prevent the 
 
162 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 valley of Mexico from falling into our hands. General Scott is 
 a remarkable man. I will acknowledge that I was under wrong 
 impressions as to his character. Of a strong and comprehensive 
 mind, he has extraordinary tenacity of purpose, great self-reli- 
 ance, and a power of labor equaled by few men. He is emphat- 
 ically the leader of our army, and has its confidence. None of 
 our general officers are to be compared with him. He has his 
 weak points, which I will not mention now. No man in this 
 army doubts his fitness to command. 
 
 August 7. Since writing the above General Pierce has arrived 
 with a mail from the States, bringing to me the melancholy 
 tidings that my sister Mary was in Cincinnati in the last stages 
 of consumption, unable to proceed farther on her way home. 
 Oliver went on to bring her home, and wrote me the very day 
 of his arrival. I wrote you yesterday by a courier employed at 
 great expense to go down to Vera Cruz, but it is very uncertain 
 whether he will get through. All the letters that have been 
 sent to the States for months have been by couriers, who carry 
 80 to 100 letters, each a very small package, at two dollars per 
 letter, and for the sake of the gain run the gauntlet of the guer- 
 rillas and robbers that infest the road. About one half get 
 through. I trust that letter will reach you, as it would, I think, 
 serve to remove much doubt in reference to the movement of 
 our army upon the City of Mexico. Twiggs's division com- 
 menced its movement to-day. To-morrow General Scott and 
 staff will leave Puebla, and reach Twiggs the same evening at 
 San Martin. Every one is in fine spirits, and no doubt is felt 
 as to the result. This letter I must now bring to a close, and 
 get ready for the march. I shall not be able to add to it till we 
 enter the City of Mexico, and go again into quarters. At that 
 time not far distant, I trust not more than fourteen days, 
 I trust I shall be able to inform you of a glorious victory and 
 of my own personal safety. I for one have not the least pre- 
 sentiment of coming personal danger. I simply fear that my 
 strength may not hold out to the last. But with prudence I 
 have little apprehension as to my strength proving inadequate 
 for my share of duty. I must now, with all hope and confidence 
 in the future, bid you good-night and my sweet babes, commend- 
 ing you all to the care of that great Being who does not permit 
 a sparrow to fall to the ground without his knowledge. 
 
UNIVERSITY 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 ADVANCE TO MEXICO, EL PENON, CONTRERAS, 
 CHURUBUSCO 
 
 The City of Mexico is situated in the centre of an irreg- 
 ular basin some thirty-five miles from north to south 
 and twenty-five miles from east to west, and is separated 
 from the great plain of Puebla by the eastern branch of 
 the great Cordillera of Anahuac, interposing an elevation 
 of nineteen hundred feet at the Pass of the Rio Frio. 
 
 It was known from information collected by the engi- 
 neers that the city was entirely surrounded either by an 
 inundation or by marshy ground, and was approached 
 by eight causeways, flanked with wet ditches, and pro- 
 vided with numerous cuts ; that the whole city was pro- 
 tected by a double and in some quarters by a triple line 
 of defensive works, well armed with cannon, and defended 
 by an army of some thirty thousand men. The direct 
 approach along the great national road was defended by 
 the strong position of the Penon, seven miles from the 
 city. Chapultef>ec stood boldly out on the southwest, and 
 on the north there were said to be formidable works at 
 Guadalupe. 
 
 After entering the valley along the national road, there 
 were three general modes of approaching the city, — the 
 direct along the national road, around Lake Tezcuco on 
 the north, Chalco and Xochimilco on the south. 
 
 All the information collected pointed to the south and 
 west as the proper quarter from whence to attack the 
 city ; the south presented an extended front with four of 
 
164 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the eight causeways of entrance nearly parallel to each 
 other, and was necessarily weak. On the west the suburb 
 of San Cosme, a single street lined with houses on either 
 side, extended well into the country, and afforded a vul- 
 nerable point. Chapultepec, not deemed a very formid- 
 able obstacle, required to be swept away to be free to 
 select the point of attack. Hence Tacubaya, a strong- 
 village overawing Chapultepec, became the key point of 
 the whole operation. In the particular operation against 
 the southern front, the occupancy of the church and vil- 
 lage of Piedad was of the last importance, in view of all 
 the southern gates, communicating directly with all the 
 villages in rear from Tacubaya to San Augustine, and by 
 a good cross road controlling the three causeways of San 
 Antonio, Nino Perdido, and Piedad. 
 
 Before ultimately deciding upon the strategic line, Gen- 
 eral Scott determined to enter the valley at the head of 
 the column, and whilst the rear was closing up, to employ 
 spies and push forward reconnoissances to get accurate 
 information of all the material facts bearing on the plan 
 of operations. 
 
 Accordingly, on the 7th of August the division of 
 Twiggs, with the engineer company at its head, led the 
 advance, followed on successive days by Quitman, Worth, 
 and Pillow. General Scott and staff joined the advance 
 on the 8th. On the 11th Twiggs reached Ayotla, fifteen 
 miles from Mexico, Quitman Buena Vista, Worth Rio 
 Frio, Pillow Tesmaluca, respectively 3J miles, 11| miles, 
 and 20| miles in rear. 
 
 On the 12th a reconnoissance of the Penon was made 
 by Captains Lee and Mason and Lieutenant Stevens, the 
 escort consisting of a squadron of the dragoons, Cap- 
 tain Thornton, a section of Taylor's battery, and the 4th 
 artillery, — the whole under the command of Major 
 Gardner. The Penon was found to be an extensive and 
 
ADVANCE TO MEXICO 165 
 
 commanding position, entirely surrounded by water, — 
 Lake Tezcuco stretching miles to the north. The base of 
 the hill, four hundred feet high, was surrounded by a 
 continuous parallel armed with batteries, and the defenses 
 rose in amphitheatre to the top, which was crowned by a 
 small work. The only causeway of approach was swept 
 by two lines of works, and the defenses of the whole 
 position were formidable. A road branching off from 
 the main road, two miles from the Penon, and leading to 
 Mexicalcingo, was pursued some two miles, and found to 
 be exceedingly good. The Indians in the neighborhood 
 reported that the road was equally good throughout its 
 whole extent, but that the bridge at Mexicalcingo was 
 broken down. 
 
 An amusing incident occurred in the progress of this 
 reconnoissance. Three officers — Major Gaines, of the 
 Kentucky volunteers, Captain Mason and Lieutenant 
 Stevens, of the engineers — approached the causeway 
 some three quarters of a mile in advance of the escort, 
 and advanced towards a group of Mexican officers, some 
 eight or ten in number, who were flourishing their lances 
 and curveting their horses as if to frighten the American 
 officers away. The latter, well mounted, continued their 
 course in a deliberate walk; and when they arrived 
 within about three hundred yards, the valiant Mexicans 
 discharged their pistols, and, rinding no effect had been 
 produced upon the American officers, who still continued 
 to advance, they immediately took to flight along the 
 causeway. 
 
 In the afternoon Captain Lee and Lieutenant Beau- 
 regard reconnoitred the road on the northern shore of 
 Lake Chalco, as far as the causeway between Lakes 
 Chalco and Xochimilco. The causeway was knee-deep 
 in water. The object of the reconnoissance (to get boats) 
 was not effected. During the progress of the recon- 
 
166 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 noissance of the Penon the Mexican troops, in expecta- 
 tion of an attack, were brought out from the city in 
 large numbers. Major Smith and Lieutenant Tower, 
 from a hill one thousand feet high, in advance of Ayotla, 
 observed the passage of troops from the city to the 
 Penon during the progress of this reconnoissance. 
 
 On the 3d a minute reconnoissance of the ground 
 between the lakes was made by the engineers, supported 
 by Shields's brigade, who at nine o'clock left camp to 
 block up the Penon. 
 
 Captain Mason, supported by Sibley's dragoons and 
 the rifles, and accompanied by Lieutenants Beauregard 
 and McClellan, examined the position of Mexicalcingo, 
 seven miles from the Penon, pursuing the road that was 
 partially examined yesterday. This bold movement, - 
 almost under the guns of the Penon, and extremely haz- 
 ardous in presence of an enterprising enemy, was accom- 
 plished in the most successful mariner. After arriving at 
 Mexicalcingo the party was joined by Captain Lee and 
 Lieutenant Tower, who, with a squadron of dragoons, 
 had taken the route of the lakes to examine the roads. 
 
 Mexicalcingo was found to be a strong position, de- 
 fended by seven batteries, and entirely surrounded by 
 water and marshy ground. 
 
 The Penon was minutely examined by Lieutenant 
 Stevens, who entered the inundation at several points, 
 and succeeded in examining the whole position, except- 
 ing a very inconsiderable portion on the western slope. 
 He entered the lake, and for a whole mile the water did 
 not rise above the fetlocks of his horse. South of the 
 causeway the water was carefully examined to determine 
 the best crossing-place. Two were found where water 
 was not over two feet in depth, and the bottom very 
 hard. The positions of the several batteries and the paths 
 of approach were discovered. The position was even 
 
EL PENON 167 
 
 more formidable than it seemed yesterday. Over thirty 
 guns were in position. New batteries were being erected, 
 and stockades on the hill. The whole inundation was 
 swept by powerful batteries. Lieutenant Stevens was 
 engaged seven hours in this reconnoissance, most of the 
 time within twelve hundred yards of the enemy's guns. 
 
 We all returned late, much fatigued with our day's 
 work. The general expressed much gratification at the 
 information furnished by the several reconnoissances. 
 
 The general has not yet entirely decided upon his 
 course. He listens to everything, weighs everything, 
 and, when he sees his way clear, will act with prompti- 
 tude. Pillow arrived to-day, and immediately proceeded 
 to Chalco. 
 
 August 14. Little was done to-day in the way of 
 reconnoissances. Captain Mason and Lieutenant Beau- 
 regard were assigned to duty with the division of General 
 Worth, and joined him at Chalco. Lieutenant Tower 
 commenced a reconnoissance of the lakes, to determine 
 the practicability of transport by water to Mexicalcingo, 
 but did not succeed in getting into the canal of Chalco. 
 In the afternoon Colonel Duncan arrived at general head- 
 quarters with the information that the road south of the 
 lakes was practicable. (He had explored ten miles of the 
 road with a column.) Accordingly, the plan of the gen- 
 eral to attack Mexicalcingo in front, sending Worth's 
 division around to attack in rear, was abandoned, and it 
 was determined to move the whole army around the 
 lakes. 
 
 August 15. Headquarters left Ayotla at eleven, and 
 proceeded to Chalco, Worth pushing from Chalco the 
 same evening, and Quitman entering Chalco. Captain 
 Lee and Lieutenant Tower were assigned to the brigade 
 of Harney for temporary duty with the advance. The 
 engineer company also joined the advance of Worth. 
 
168 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 August 16. All the divisions in motion this morning. 
 The road around the lakes was narrow and rough, in 
 many cases passing through a narrow defile on the very 
 edge of the lake, on one side abrupt acclivities, and on 
 the other a quagmire, into which the least false step 
 would plunge one several feet deep. 
 
 Headquarters, before reaching the camping-ground of 
 Worth of the previous night, had to pass Quitman's and 
 Pillow's train. On arriving at Chimalpa, headquarters 
 remained some hours for authentic intelligence from 
 Twiggs, it having been reported that in marching out 
 from Ayotla, early in the morning, he had encountered a 
 large force of the enemy under Alvarez. On learning 
 that Taylor's battery, in firing seven rounds, dispersed 
 the large body of enemy's lancers which made a demon- 
 stration against Twiggs at the point where the route left 
 the national road to wind round Chalco, headquarters 
 moved forward to Tulancingo, where we passed the night. 
 This village is remarkable for its large and ancient olive 
 groves. The olive-trees on either side of the road, 
 stretching out their arms, form an arch above like the 
 elms of New England. 
 
 August 17. Headquarters reached Xochimilco this 
 day with Pillow's and Quitman's divisions, Worth advan- 
 cing as far as San Augustin, and Twiggs reaching Pil- 
 low's camping-ground of last evening. The road to-day 
 was extremely difficult, and required some working to fill 
 up cuts, and remove stones and other obstructions placed 
 in the road. The march was very laborious in conse- 
 quence of the continual halts. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 18th General Scott 
 reached San Augustin, called the engineers, observed, 
 " To-day the enemy may feel us, to-morrow we must feel 
 him," and ordered reconnoissances to determine the best 
 mode of reaching the position of Tacubaya. There were 
 
ADVANCE TO MEXICO 169 
 
 two roads, — the direct by San Antonio, which was already 
 ascertained to be occupied in strength by the enemy, 
 and one to the west passing through Contreras and San 
 Angel, known, however, for a portion of the distance 
 to be simply a mule-path. 
 
 Major Smith directed in person the examination of 
 the San Antonio route, assisted by Captain Mason, Lieu- 
 tenants Stevens and Tower, and Captain Lee that to the 
 west, assisted by Lieutenant Beauregard. The instruc- 
 tions of the general as to reconnoissances had been 
 already anticipated by General Worth as regards the 
 Contreras route, who had pushed his division forward, 
 and dispatched Captain Mason, escorted by Thornton's 
 dragoons, to reconnoitre the enemy's position at San 
 Antonio. Whilst in the discharge of this duty two shots 
 from a battery of the enemy were fired, killing Captain 
 Thornton outright and severely wounding Fitzwater, an 
 interpreter. 
 
 General Worth immediately placed his division in the 
 occupancy of the Hacienda Cuapa, thus affording the 
 most ample protection to the escorts of the engineers. 
 Major Smith now ordered Captain Mason and Lieutenant 
 Tower to examine the enemy's right, and Lieutenant 
 Stevens his left. 
 
 Captain Mason first went to the steeple of a church 
 near by to determine the best mode of conducting his 
 reconnoissance, and then with Colonel C. F. Smith's 
 light battalion he passed over a field of pedregal to our 
 left, till he got a full view of the rear of the enemy. He 
 traced paths leading to Mexicalcingo, interrogated the 
 peons, and came to the conclusion that the whole posi- 
 tion might be turned and the enemy made to abandon it, 
 by crossing an infantry force on the line he had just 
 pursued, and falling upon the enemy at daylight with 
 the bayonet. 
 
170 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens was twice recalled whilst pushing 
 his reconnoissance, first, by order of Colonel Garland in 
 consequence of an apprehended attack from the enemy, 
 and second, by direction of Major Smith, the senior en- 
 gineer. This officer did not deem it necessary to do any- 
 thing further, observing to General Worth that he had 
 examined the whole vicinity from the top of the hacienda, 
 and had also interrogated the residents, and was satisfied 
 that the ground was firm on our right, and afforded a 
 route to turn the enemy's position. Lieutenant Stevens 
 expressed doubts as to this, and was permitted to go on 
 with his examination. He persevered until night, and 
 found that the ground was marshy, intersected with 
 canals, and that operations in this direction were not 
 practicable. 
 
 In the mean time Captain Lee, with Kearny's dragoons 
 and Graham's 11th infantry, reconnoitred the route by 
 Contreras. At about a mile and a half it became a mule- 
 path, requiring to be worked to be practicable for artil- 
 lery, and on ascending a hill a mile and a half farther on, 
 a large intrenched camp opened to view at a mile's dis- 
 tance, occupied in strength by the enemy, and completely 
 closing the Contreras route, which for the intervening 
 distance passed through a bed of pedregal, a lava rock 
 of honeycomb projection. After passing the intrenched 
 camp, the road was known to be good. At the hill the 
 party had a successful skirmish with the enemy's pickets, 
 and then returned to San Augustin. 
 
 In the afternoon General Scott examined in person the 
 San Antonio front, and at his quarters that evening, 
 after hearing the reports of the engineers, he decided to 
 mask San Antonio, and force the intrenched camp at 
 Contreras. Captain Mason alone of the engineers advo- 
 cated the forcing of San Antonio. 
 
 On the 19th Twiggs's division, on coming up from 
 
ADVANCE TO MEXICO 171 
 
 Xochimilco, was pushed forward to the support of Gen- 
 eral Pillow, already on his way to furnish parties to work 
 the road. The engineer company, with its tools on the 
 backs of mules, was ordered back from Worth early that 
 morning and assigned to Captain Lee, who, assisted by 
 Lieutenants Beauregard and Tower, located the road and 
 superintended the working parties. 
 
 Major Smith, assisted by Lieutenant Stevens, desig- 
 nated the positions to be occupied by the trains and the 
 division of Quitman at San Augustin, now become the 
 general depot and key of . operations. Captain Mason 
 continued on duty with Worth in front of San Antonio. 
 
 General Twiggs passed the division of Pillow just as 
 the tools of his working parties were being packed away, 
 they being no longer able to work the way in consequence 
 of having come within range of the enemy's batteries ; 
 and the engineers, now joined by Major Smith and 
 Lieutenant Stevens from San Augustin, advanced to 
 and entered the pedregal to examine the enemy's posi- 
 tion. As observed yesterday by Captain Lee, he was 
 found to be in a strong intrenched camp on the oppo- 
 site side of a deep ravine, which, with the almost imprac- 
 ticable bed of pedregal that intervened, completely sepa- 
 rated the two armies. All the efforts of the engineers, 
 who advanced close to the enemy's pickets, Lieutenant 
 McClellan having his horse shot under him, could dis- 
 cover no other route than the mule-path, completely com- 
 manded by the long guns of the intrenched camp. This 
 path wound through the rocks, and afforded at points 
 some little cover for men and guns. The pickets of the 
 enemy were in large force and well pushed forward. In 
 the mean time a heavy cannonade, shells and round-shot, 
 opened from the camp. At this juncture, with the 
 rifles thrown forward as skirmishers, the howitzer bat- 
 tery of Callender and the field battery of Magruder were 
 
 l/r CALIFO^ 
 
172 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 brought forward to a position indicated by Captain Lee 
 to drive in the pickets and make a bold demonstration, to 
 cover the true and very different movement, indicated by 
 Lieutenant Stevens on returning from the advanced posi- 
 tion gained by the engineers under cover of the rifles 
 to communicate Captain Lee's request for the batteries, 
 and before the order to move forward the batteries had 
 been given. This officer (Lieutenant Stevens) observed 
 to Twiggs, the senior officer in front, " The true point 
 of attack is the enemy's left. Attack his left, you cut 
 him off from his reserves and hurl him into the gorges 
 of the mountains." Major Smith expressed similar opin- 
 ions. Riley was now sent against the enemy's left, and 
 the whole brigade of Smith to cover the demonstration 
 in front. Callender brought his battery into action with 
 extraordinary promptness and efficiency, and pushed it 
 rapidly forward. The heavier guns of Magruder could 
 not be so easily handled, and great delay occurred in get- 
 ting them into battery ; a position was found partially 
 sheltering them, and they were brought into action. 
 Callender was soon severely, and T. Preston Johnston 
 of Magruder's battery mortally wounded. Lieutenant 
 McClellan, who assisted to carry Callender to the rear, 
 now took command of his battery, Lieutenant Reno 
 being at the time detached with the rockets. Lieutenant 
 Foster also, at Captain Magruder's request, took charge 
 of one of his pieces, and when Johnston fell, carried him 
 to the rear. Both these officers distinguished themselves 
 by their exertions in pushing forward the two batteries 
 as well as in serving them. 
 
 Riley was still struggling through the pedregal, Lieu- 
 tenant Tower guiding his brigade, and Cadwallader was 
 sent in the same direction. Smith's brigade, closely 
 followed by Pierce, now came to the front, and entered 
 a cornfield to the left, three companies of the 3d in- 
 
CasaMata* ClnipiilU-pee * ^ 
 
 BATTLEFIELDS IN THE VALLEY OF MEXICO 
 
 Contreras, Churnbusco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, Capture of City 
 
ADVANCE TO MEXICO 173 
 
 fantry, Captain Craig, being detailed as a guard to the 
 batteries, and Lieutenant Haskin with twenty men to 
 make good Magruder's losses. The fire from the camp 
 — shot, shells, and small-arms — on the front was terrible, 
 and the enemy's pickets advanced in force, threatening 
 the batteries. The leading regiment of Pierce, the 9th 
 infantry, Colonel Ransom, conducted by Lieutenant Ste- 
 vens, now gallantly dashed forward through the fire that 
 swept the path, crossed a cleared cornfield in direct view 
 of the enemy's battery, pressed from cover to cover, 
 driving clouds of the enemy's skirmishers before them, 
 crossed the rapid stream that ran in the ravine, and 
 gained the opposite bank, within three or four hundred 
 yards of the camp. This important position it main- 
 tained till dark, forming with the 12th infantry, the 
 detachments of Craig and Haskin, and scattered bodies 
 of the rifles, the sole force in front ; the 15th infan- 
 try, Colonel Morgan, having been sent in the trail of 
 Cadwallader immediately on the arrival of the general- 
 in-chief on the ground, and Smith with his brigade fol- 
 lowing at a later period. 
 
 Riley on emerging from the pedregal came upon the 
 village of San Geronimo, through which he swept, and 
 continued to advance in the direction of a ravine that 
 was found to extend to the rear of the camp. In this 
 isolated position he had two successful encounters with 
 the enemy's lancers, killing their general, Frontera, and 
 awaited only the coming up of reinforcements to order 
 the assault. But Cadwallader, not put in motion till 
 Riley was well on his way, had barely time to reach the 
 village and hold it against the reserves of the enemy, esti- 
 mated at ten thousand men, foot and horse, which now 
 came up from the city under Santa Anna in person. The 
 village, the key to the position, was to be maintained at 
 all hazards. Cadwallader presented a bold front and 
 
174 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 kept the enemy in check. The arrival of Morgan an 
 hour later, and of Smith towards night, made the position 
 impregnable against an infantry attack. 
 
 About sunset Riley returned to the village, and Smith, 
 now senior in command, resolved to attack the reserves, 
 but, dark coming on before his dispositions were made, an 
 attack upon the intrenched camp was resorted to as an 
 alternative. 
 
 A dark and stormy night now closed in upon the scene, 
 and the soldiers in their dreary bivouac were placed in 
 readiness for the morrow's work. All thus far had gone 
 on well. Worth in front of San Antonio maintained the 
 front and rear. Smith in the village of San Geronimo 
 held the key of the offensive movement to the enemy's 
 left; his rear, thanks to the pedregal and Pierce, still 
 held in front of the intrenched camp, being safe against 
 attack. 
 
 The general-in-chief returned at nightfall to San 
 Augustin. Many bodies of stragglers were to be seen 
 on the field. Even the two commanders of divisions, 
 Pillow and Twiggs, failed in reaching the village, where 
 their commands were in position, and within reach of an 
 overwhelming force. As the fire of our batteries died 
 away and they were withdrawn, cheer on cheer rose from 
 the enemy's extended line. Rain coming on, many bodies 
 of stragglers not being able to find their commands, the 
 principal force hemmed up in a little village within reach 
 of the enemy's heavy batteries and within striking dis- 
 tance of his large force, for the first time a feeling of 
 despondency seized upon the minds of our men. Happily, 
 General Smith, the officer in command at the village, was 
 equal to the emergency, and extricated our force from its 
 perilous situation. 
 
 He determined upon a night attack, and sent Captain 
 Lee to San Augustin to confer with the general-in-chief 
 
CONTRERAS 175 
 
 in reference to supporting it by a diversion in front. In 
 consequence of the lateness of the hour, the general 
 deemed it impracticable to get any portion of Worth's 
 command upon the ground in season, but gave full 
 powers to Captain Lee to collect all the stragglers in 
 front to operate as a diversion to the main attack pro- 
 jected by General Smith. 
 
 In the course of this interview General Pillow and 
 General Twiggs came in, stating that, in consequence of 
 the darkness and having no guide, they had found it 
 impracticable to reach the village, and were obliged to 
 retrace their steps; Pillow adding that they fell upon 
 one of the enemy's pickets while thus groping their way, 
 or came so near as plainly to hear their voices. Twiggs, 
 a heavy man advanced in years, fell into one of the 
 hollows of which the formation was full, and injured 
 himself considerably. 
 
 I was present during almost the entire interview, hav- 
 ing entered the room shortly after the arrival of Captain 
 Lee, and everything I witnessed increased, if it were pos- 
 sible, my confidence in General Scott. Himself on the 
 ground till dark came on, he had grasped the whole field 
 of operations, and had determined to adhere to his origi- 
 nal plan. He listened with perfect composure and com- 
 placency to Captain Lee's statement of the field, occasion- 
 ally introducing a pertinent question, and with the utmost 
 patience weighed the various suggestions of the officers, 
 and particularly General Smith's plan of a night attack. 
 Neither General Pillow nor General Twiggs made any 
 suggestions as to what should be done. Captain Lee, 
 having been in all parts of the field, and having full 
 information on almost every point, was, as it were, the 
 only person whom it was necessary to listen to. 
 
 The general listened with equal patience to what I had 
 observed on the front attack. In the very commencement, 
 
176 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and before the batteries had been ordered forward, I 
 stated with much emphasis to General Twiggs that the 
 attack should be against the enemy's left. " Attack his 
 left, you cut him off from his reserves and hurl him 
 into the gorges of the mountains." I, however, conducted 
 the batteries forward, and with the assistance of Lieuten- 
 ants McClellan and Foster, placed them in position. After 
 reconnoitring towards the right in the attempt to find a 
 better path for our guns and troops, and without success, 
 I returned to the batteries, which in the mean time had 
 been considerably advanced, and were exposed to a tre- 
 mendous fire of grape. The howitzer battery was being 
 served with great effect, and had almost cleared the 
 ground in front of the ravine of the enemy. But very 
 great delay occurred in bringing forward Magruder's 
 battery and opening its fire. Everything seemed to go 
 wrong with him. The enemy's grape, within point-blank 
 range, in a measure disabled the howitzer battery, wound- 
 ing many of the gunners and finally disabling Callender, 
 who was wounded in both legs, and at this moment some 
 little delay occurred in getting a supply of spherical case- 
 shot. The supporting party was reduced to some eight 
 rifles, and the enemy's skirmishers advanced. General 
 Smith's brigade came up, and entered the cornfield to 
 the left of the battery. At my request, two or three 
 companies of the 3d infantry advanced to the front and 
 right to protect the batteries. Soon the 9th infantry 
 came up, with general orders to support the batteries, and 
 were conducted by me over a cut and open cornfield, 
 under a shower of the enemy's grape, to the cover of a 
 ledge, from which, passing from cover to cover, driving 
 the enemy's skirmishers before them, they reached the 
 ravine, and crossing which they sheltered themselves on 
 the opposite bluff on the edge of a cornfield. Colonel 
 Ransom showed great gallantry and force in the manage- 
 
CONTRERAS 177 
 
 ment of his command, and to show the promptness of 
 his command in following him, this anecdote is related. 
 Only some eight or ten men were seen lagging behind, 
 and these an officer of the regiment was cursing most 
 lustily to urge them forward. 
 
 Just as the regiment had reached its position I met 
 General Twiggs, and we both ascended to a little ridge, 
 where we had a full view of the enemy's intrenched 
 camp. Soon a shower of grape came in our direction. 
 General Twiggs remained in his exposed position without 
 moving a muscle, till I suggested the propriety of his 
 stepping down to a little depression which afforded cover. 
 
 He informed me that Eiley had been moving against 
 the enemy's right for more than an hour. I remarked, " I 
 will go and find him, and bring you back word of where 
 he is," to which General Twiggs assented, and I immedi- 
 ately started in search of Riley. I was, however, much 
 exhausted by my previous exertions, and the ground was 
 of the difficult and almost impracticable honeycomb lava 
 rock, and I was obliged to abandon the attempt, and 
 returned to the advanced position of the 9th infantry. 
 
 On an elevated ridge just on the edge of the ravine, 
 and partly sheltered by a cedar-tree, I had a distinct view 
 of the whole position. I observed the encounter of the 
 lancers with our own troops (which I afterwards ascer- 
 tained to be Riley's command), and after an interval the 
 enemy's reserves advancing in great force. They con- 
 tinued to advance in two lines of lancers and infantry, 
 with clouds of skirmishers in front, and halted, their 
 right nearly opposite the village of San Geronimo. 
 
 Whilst these reserves were advancing, there was an 
 evident slackening, and at length a total cessation, of our 
 return fire in front to the almost continual fire of grape 
 and escopettes of the enemy. This led me to suppose 
 that a change had taken place in our dispositions, involv- 
 
178 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 ing great exposure perhaps to the 9th, and I returned 
 for information. On my return I met many bodies of 
 stragglers, who could afford no information as to the 
 state of the field, heard the triumphal shouts from the 
 Mexican lines, and finally fell upon General Pillow and 
 General Twiggs. General Pillow was in much perplexity, 
 was intent upon finding the village of San Geronimo, and 
 wished me to conduct the 9th to that place. Not hav- 
 ing been to the village, and dark coming on, I confessed 
 my inability to conduct the regiment as he desired, and 
 after considerable hesitation he directed me to bring back 
 the regiment to the position of Magruder's battery. I 
 accordingly went in the direction of the ravine, my chief 
 guide being the discharge of the enemy's guns from the 
 position of the reserve ; but that failing, and the night 
 becoming quite dark, I lost my way and wandered about, 
 until finally I heard voices approaching in my direction, 
 which I soon discovered to be from our own troops. 
 Calling out to them, I was answered by Lieutenant Fos- 
 ter, of my own corps, who informed me that he was retir- 
 ing with a party of about thirty rifles and 9th infantry 
 men, having just been driven out from a small building, 
 higher up and on the same stream with the position of 
 the 9th infantry, by a large force of the enemy. At 
 this time I was so exhausted that I could walk only with 
 great difficulty, and was obliged to abandon going in 
 quest of the 9th, and returned with Foster, who gave 
 me the support of his arm till we reached Sibley's troop 
 of dragoons, near the foot of the hill from which General 
 Scott had overlooked the field. As we wended our way 
 along the rain fell, small bodies of troops were to be 
 seen from time to time, and everything had the appear- 
 ance of a broken and dispirited army. It was perhaps 
 the only desponding moment our troops had seen since 
 the opening of the campaign. 
 
CONTRERAS 179 
 
 After resting about half an hour, I returned with 
 Sibley, and reported what I had observed as above. 
 
 During the whole of this memorable evening, not only 
 was General Scott perfectly composed and assured, but, in 
 his intercourse with those present, neglected none of the 
 courtesies due to guests. All those who came in tired 
 and wet from the field he made sit down at his table and 
 break their fast. 
 
 About twelve o'clock General Twiggs and Captain 
 Lee set out on their way back to the field, Pillow remain- 
 ing in town to sleep ; and on arriving on the ground of 
 the front attack Twiggs, entirely exhausted by his exer- 
 tions, sought a little rest, and Lee collected the 9th and 
 12th, with some sappers and rifles, to make a diversion 
 in front. 
 
 This note-book is not the place for a detailed account 
 of the brilliant conflict planned by General Smith. Suf- 
 fice it to say that, in consequence of the darkness and 
 constant rain of the night, the attack projected to be 
 made at three was not actually made till daylight. It 
 was eminently successful, and without doubt was the 
 most brilliant affair of the war. The principal charge 
 was made by Riley on their reverse and rear, led by 
 Tower, and supported by Smith's and Cadwallader's 
 brigades, respectively commanded by Dimick and Cad- 
 wallader, Ransom in front making a diversion with the 
 troops that had been collected in that quarter. The 
 position was carried with little loss on our part, and the 
 whole force of the enemy either killed, wounded, taken 
 prisoners, or driven solitary fugitives from the field. 
 General Valencia made his escape with the lancers in 
 an eccentric direction, and was afterwards heard of at 
 Toluca. 
 
 Our troops pushed on in pursuit and soon entered the 
 town of San Angel, through which Santa Anna had 
 
180 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 passed that very morning with his reserves of fifteen 
 thousand men. After a short halt at San Angel, Pillow 
 in command ordered the column to move on Coyoacan, 
 where an unimportant skirmish took place. 
 
 Here General Scott joined the column, and ordered a 
 halt to reconnoitre and bring up the captured ' guns. 
 Captain Lee went towards San Antonio with a dragoon 
 escort to communicate with Worth, and I to the steeple 
 of the church to use my glass. Turning it on the San 
 Antonio road, I observed the enemy in full retreat, the 
 whole road from San Antonio for more than a mile 
 towards the city being filled with troops, pack-mules, 
 and wagons. On reporting this to General Scott, he 
 ordered Twiggs to advance to cut off their retreat, and 
 assigned me to duty as the senior engineer officer of his 
 division. 
 
 CHURUBUSCO. 
 
 On the head of the column reaching the fork of a 
 road, whither a party of one hundred lancers had been 
 driven by the mounted rifles, it was halted and a very 
 rapid reconnoissance made of the roads in advance. 
 Lieutenant McClellan taking the left-hand road and I 
 the right, they were found to lead respectively to, and 
 directly in front of, a church, which was observed to be 
 occupied in strength. McClellan observed one gun, and 
 a prisoner taken on the ground reported there were two 
 guns. The engineer company was advanced in front of 
 the building to support and continue the reconnoissance. 
 Whilst on this duty it became engaged with the enemy, 
 and the 1st artillery was ordered up in support. 
 
 Thus the action, on the part of Twiggs's division, com- 
 menced. It having been entered on, it was determined 
 to make a bold and quick matter of it. Taylor's battery 
 was ordered up, and took a position in the open space in 
 front of the church. It was expected it would drive the 
 
CHURUBUSCO 181 
 
 enemy from the roof, 1 and enable the division — Smith 
 in front, Riley on the left, and perhaps a regiment along 
 the direct road — to carry the work by a coup de main. 
 This course, recommended by myself to Twiggs, was 
 taken. Some delay, however, occurred before Riley got 
 in position and opened his fire. Meantime Taylor, serv- 
 ing his battery with extraordinary coolness and energy, 
 was met by a terrific return from the enemy, who poured 
 upon him an unceasing deluge of grape, his whole bat- 
 tery consisting of eight guns, one a 16-pounder. Taylor 
 breasted it manfully for an hour and a half, when, two 
 of his officers wounded and many of his men and horses 
 killed and disabled, he was compelled most reluctantly to 
 retire. 
 
 Soon after this Riley got in position and opened a 
 sharp fire, producing an immediate and evident abate- 
 ment in the enemy's fire. The 1st artillery had been 
 in position from the commencement of the attack, and 
 was now followed by the 3d infantry. The work at- 
 tacked in front and rear by our infantry, all retreat cut 
 off by Shields and Pierce occupying the causeway in rear, 
 Worth in possession of the tete-de^jont, Duncan open- 
 ing two guns on one of the long faces of the work, and 
 Larkin Smith directing a 4-pounder against the convent, 
 the white flag was hung out at the very moment the 
 2d and 3d infantry from the rear and front carried the 
 work at the point of the bayonet. Immediately the flag 
 of the 3d infantry was planted on the roof of the build- 
 ing; and over one thousand prisoners, including three 
 general officers, surrendered to Twiggs. 
 
 The battle of Contreras and the subsequent advance 
 
 1 The flat roof on the convent and most of the buildings in Mexico afforded 
 strong positions for defense, being surrounded by parapets, known as azo- 
 teas, formed by carrying the walls some four feet above the roofs. The 
 convent azotea was lined with infantry. 
 
182 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 upon San Angel and Coyoacan led to the evacuation of 
 San Antonio. Whilst this was in progress, Clarke's 
 brigade, conducted by Captain Mason, of the engineers, 
 made a flank movement to the left, and cut the enemy's 
 retreating column of three thousand in two, dispersing 
 the rear portion and preventing its reaching the main 
 body and entering into the subsequent fight. Worth, 
 with both brigades, now pushed forward with great en- 
 ergy upon the heels of the other portion, till the column 
 was arrested by a fire of grape from a strong bastioned 
 field-work of fourteen feet relief and wet ditches in 
 front, covering the passage of a canal, and somewhat in 
 rear of the work attacked by Twiggs, and which, like the 
 latter work, had not been noticed in the previous recon- 
 noissances. Both brigades were formed in the cornfields 
 on the right ; the charge was ordered, Clarke in advance; 
 and after a desperate but short conflict the work was 
 carried at the point of the bayonet, the 6th infantry and 
 2d artillery particularly distinguishing themselves. 
 
 In the mean time Shields, in command of Shields's 
 and Pierce's brigades, conducted by Captain Lee, the 
 Palmetto regiment in advance, pursued a route to the 
 left, and finally came in contact with the enemy near the 
 hacienda on the great San Antonio causeway, a mile from 
 the tete-de-pont. The enemy were in great force lining 
 the causeway, and the lancers advancing towards the 
 canal. The Palmettoes advanced most gallantly, led by 
 their gallant colonel, Butler; but some hesitancy was 
 manifested by the other commands, who retired under 
 cover of the hacienda or crowded behind the Palmettoes. 
 Notwithstanding the utmost exertions of the officers, a 
 pause took place at good escapette range, and a consider- 
 able loss was experienced. The Palmettoes lost their 
 colonel, shot dead, their lieutenant-colonel, wounded, four 
 successive color-bearers, shot down, and nearly half their 
 
CHURUBUSCO 183 
 
 rank and file killed and wounded. Finally the move- 
 ment was commenced, the enemy was charged through, 
 and the causeway was filled with fugitives to the city. 
 
 The dragoons, who thus far had continued inactive, 
 now took the causeway in pursuit, and the most gallant 
 feat of the war was enacted. Captain Kearny, in ad- 
 vance with a squadron, pursued the fugitives to the very 
 garita, where he charged directly up to a battery under a 
 fire of grape, dismounted, calling upon his men to follow 
 him, and entered the gorge of the work to take it by 
 assault. Looking around, he found himself alone, the 
 few men immediately following him having been shot 
 down, and the remainder having retired in obedience to 
 the return call from the rear, which for Kearny's safety 
 had just at this moment been inauspiciously sounded. 
 Surrounded by a crowd of fugitives, who pressed too 
 closely upon him to use their weapons, he retreated, 
 making a passage with his sword, mounted a jaded Mexi- 
 can horse, and commenced to retire. Finding that the 
 sorry speed of the brute would long time expose him to 
 the enemy's grape, he dismounted and sought a better 
 steed. Scarcely was he mounted when his arm was car- 
 ried away by a grape ; but he succeeded in making good 
 his retreat. His first lieutenant, Ewell, had two horses 
 shot under him, and his second lieutenant, Graham, was 
 wounded in the hand. 
 
 This was the terrible and decisive conflict of the war, 
 and was a case of a combined movement of all the divi- 
 sions. The enemy's intrenched works were carried at 
 the point of the bayonet. Surrounded on all sides, the 
 strong defensive building attacked by Twiggs was obliged 
 to surrender ; the reserves, vigorously pushed, fled from 
 the field ; and the army, which in the morning was esti- 
 mated to be 27,000 strong, scarcely presented in the 
 evening a sorry array of 4000. We could have entered 
 
184 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the city the same day had we chosen. But our troops had 
 made extraordinary exertions, our casualties were great, 
 and the general determined to operate against the city 
 after deliberately weighing its capacity for defense. 
 
 After this disastrous defeat of the enemy General 
 Scott rode through his lines, addressing with terseness, 
 brevity, and feeling the troops as he passed them, who 
 received him with great enthusiasm, and exhibiting all 
 that moderation and equanimity which has eminently 
 characterized his course throughout this campaign. To- 
 wards night he returned to his quarters at San Augustin. 
 
 All the divisions suffered in nearly equal proportion, 
 the casualties amounting to 1066, of which about one 
 fourth were killed or permanently disabled. 
 
 The 1st artillery suffered most severely in officers, los- 
 ing in all the battles five gallant officers, Captains Capron 
 and Burke, Lieutenants Irons, Johnson, and Hoffman. 
 
 It is probable the same and perhaps more decisive 
 results could have been effected, and with far less loss, 
 had Twiggs and Worth stopped in mid-career, and an 
 hour been taken to reconnoitre the enemy's position. 
 Pillow and Shields with Garland's brigade and Duncan's 
 battery demonstrating in front, Twiggs's whole division 
 with Taylor and the howitzer battery on the enemy's 
 right, Clarke's brigade on their left, both making consid- 
 erable detours, Clarke as a demonstration, Twiggs the 
 great attack, the causeway might have been gained ; Tay- 
 lor's battery sent thundering on the enemy's rear, with 
 Harney's horse and Riley's brigade cutting off all hope 
 of succor, the enemy's works and the reserves inclosed 
 by our troops must have immediately surrendered. Then, 
 the prisoners and their works left in charge of Pillow, 
 all the other divisions united could have been pushed 
 forward in support of Riley, and the city could have 
 been stormed with little or no loss. 
 
CHURUBUSCO 186 
 
 This is expecting impossibilities. We knew nothing 
 of the enemy's works, but we saw them in full retreat, 
 we pushed forward to cut off their retreat, and, coming 
 upon the enemy's intrenched position, we became engaged 
 in the very act of reconnoitring it. The result was most 
 glorious to our arms, and will, we trust, conclude the 
 war. 
 
 Major Smith, the chief engineer, was present during 
 the battle of Churubusco, and was distinguished for 
 gallantry. He is suffering with the same disability as 
 myself. 
 
 We were both .exceedingly fatigued with our exertions, 
 and were glad to get a night's rest at our quarters at 
 San Augustin. Shortly after our return Captain Lee 
 and Lieutenant Tower came in. 
 
 Captain Lee had made the most extraordinary exer- 
 tions, having been on foot for two days and a night with- 
 out a moment's rest. It was almost the only instance in 
 this war I have seen him fatigued. His services were of 
 the most important character, not second to those of any 
 individual in this army. Lieutenant Tower, in his night 
 reconnoissance and subsequent services in leading Riley's 
 brigade against Valencia's intrenched camp, exhibited 
 great resolution and high military qualities. 
 
 It seemed to be conceded by the whole army that the 
 engineers in these important operations had done their 
 duty, and that every individual officer had shown a readi- 
 ness to participate in the perils incident to their service. 
 In truth, the whole army, officers and men, were gal- 
 lant, and in several instances exhibited all the terrible 
 energy of the Anglo-Saxon race. 
 
 The night attack by Smith, and the storming of the 
 works at Churubusco by Worth and Twiggs, are unsur- 
 passed in war. The former was a rare combination of sci- 
 ence and force, the latter an instance of desperate valor. 
 
186 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 I slept little that night. The picture was mingled 
 sunshine and clouds. The mangled forms of Capron, 
 Burke, Johnston, and others whom I personally knew 
 and respected, I could not keep from my mind. The 
 experience of war is saddening. The terrible scenes of 
 the battlefield cannot be effaced from the memory. We 
 realize the observation of Franklin, " I scarcely ever knew 
 a good war or a bad peace." 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens gained great reputation, both at 
 headquarters and in the army generally, by the part he 
 took in these brilliant operations. His reconnoissance of 
 El Penon was considered one of the most daring and com- 
 plete of the war, and, as he modestly remarks, " General 
 Scott was very much pleased with my reconnoissance, and 
 I got more credit for it than I deserved." General Wil- 
 liam H. French (commander of the third corps, Army 
 of the Potomac, in 1863) writes of this reconnoissance, 
 in which he participated as one of the covering party: 
 " It brought Lieutenant Stevens conspicuously before the 
 army. That night the reports of the different officers of 
 engineers were made to the general-in-chief in person ; 
 that of Lieutenant Stevens was so full and clear, it in a 
 great measure decided General Scott to take the route 
 around Lake Chalco, and attack the City of Mexico in 
 reverse. From this time the general-in-chief recognized 
 his ability and talents." 
 
 His exertions at El Penon overtasked his strength, 
 however, and in consequence he was obliged to ride for 
 three days in an ambulance on the march around Lake 
 Chalco as far as Rochimilco. 
 
 In the movement on the intrenched camp at Contre- 
 ras, Lieutenant Stevens, advancing with the skirmishers 
 to reconnoitre the position, saw at once that the decisive 
 movement would be to turn the enemy's left, and seize 
 the road between the camp and the city, thus isolating 
 
CHUKUBUSCO 187 
 
 the former and cutting it off from reinforcements. Has- 
 tening to General Twiggs, he urged this movement upon 
 that officer in his earnest and forcible manner, saying, 
 " The true point of attack is the enemy's left. Attack 
 his left, you cut him off from his reserves, and hurl him 
 into the gorges of the mountains." The movement was 
 at once decided upon. Riley's brigade was directed to 
 the right (enemy's left) over the pedregal, followed by 
 Cadwallader, and later by Shields and Smith ; San Gero- 
 nimo was seized, and the dashing victory of Contreras was 
 the result. Lieutenant Stevens was the first to see and 
 urge this decisive movement, and his advice was immedi- 
 ately adopted by the veteran Twiggs. 
 
 The terrific conflict of Churubusco, which followed 
 hard on Contreras, was brought on, or perhaps it may 
 be said precipitated, by Lieutenant Stevens. From the 
 church steeple in Coyoacan he discovered the enemy in 
 full retreat down the San Antonio causeway, and on his 
 report to that effect, General Scott at once ordered 
 Twiggs forward, and Lieutenant Stevens to accompany 
 him as his senior engineer officer. Leading the division 
 with the engineer company, he discovered the fortified 
 church, or convent, barring the road; the company be- 
 came engaged, and, the action having thus commenced, 
 General Twiggs adopted almost implicitly the suggestions 
 of the ardent young officer, and gave free rein to his 
 efforts " to make a bold and quick matter of it." Lieu- 
 tenant Stevens personally led and placed in position 
 Taylor's battery, the 1st artillery (infantry), and other 
 troops, greatly exposing himself during the action. The 
 position, however, proved much stronger than was ex- 
 pected, a strong earthwork and breastwork being screened 
 and partially concealed by tall, waving corn, which cov- 
 ered the fields in front, and cost the bloody and pro- 
 tracted fight before it fell. Lieutenant Stevens did not 
 
188 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 altogether escape criticism for putting the battery where 
 it was so badly cut up ; indeed, seems to have reproached 
 himself ; but his superiors, the veteran Twiggs and Scott, 
 found no fault, knowing full well that great boldness 
 and exertion are the price of great achievements in war. 
 General H. J. Hunt relates that, after entering the city, a 
 party of wounded officers were talking over matters, and 
 Lieutenant Stevens reproached himself for having too 
 severely criticised Magruder at Contreras, and remarked : 
 " The very next day at Churubusco I did worse myself, 
 acting on my judgment and eyesight, which deceived me, 
 for I had not a knowledge of all the facts bearing on 
 the situation. It was therefore my fault that Taylor's 
 battery was knocked to pieces." 
 
 " Here, again," remarks General Hunt, " is his charac- 
 teristic frankness and honesty, and sense of justice to 
 others, breaking out, and carrying him further than was 
 necessary, and into doing injustice to himself." 
 
 Archbishop's Palace, 3£ miles from the main Plaza 
 of the City of Mexico, Sunday, August 22, 1847. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — The great battle of Mexico has been 
 fought, and our arms have achieved a glorious triumph. Com- 
 missions are now sitting to treat of an armistice that will ter- 
 minate, as we all trust, in a permanent and honorable peace 
 to both countries. Mexico is again without an army, and the 
 gates of the capital are open to us. Terrible was the conflict, 
 severe our loss, particularly in efficient and gallant officers ; the 
 whole army was engaged, and the whole public force of Mexico 
 struck down, large numbers of prisoners and a great amount 
 of material of war falling into our hands. 
 
 My heart is filled with gratitude to the Most High that I 
 had the strength to do my duty with the other officers of my 
 corps, and that, although much exposed in three different recon- 
 noissances and two hard-fought battles, I have escaped without 
 a wound, and without any abatement of my health and strength. 
 I cannot feel exultation. We have lost many brave officers 
 
RECONNOITRING EL PENON 189 
 
 and men, some my personal friends ; streams of blood have in 
 reality flowed over the battlefield. The hearts of the whole 
 Mexican nation are thrilling with anguish and dismay. Such 
 is war, so glittering and imposing on parade and in anticipa- 
 tion, so terrible in reality. 
 
 Puebla is about seventy-five miles from Mexico. On refer- 
 ring to the map, you will find that the direct road passes between 
 lakes Tezcuco on the north, Chalco and Xochimilco on the south. 
 At the Venta de Chalco, about twenty miles from Mexico, the 
 road turns off to pass southward of the lakes. El Penon, about 
 eight miles from Mexico, is a high hill entirely surrounded 
 with water, along the edge of which the great direct road to 
 Mexico passes, consisting of a causeway for about a mile and a 
 half approaching it, and also of a causeway the whole distance 
 after leaving it, till we reach the City of Mexico. 
 
 General Twiggs with his splendid division was in the 
 advance, followed on successive days by Quitman, Worth, and 
 Pillow. In five days Twiggs was pushed up to Ayotla, fifteen 
 or sixteen miles from Mexico, General Scott continuing with 
 him in the advance, and the other divisions five, fifteen, and 
 twenty-five miles in rear. As they came up (it required two 
 days), they were held in reserve at the head of Lake Chalco, 
 whilst the proper reconnoissances and examinations were made 
 to determine the general plan of attack. The first day, a recon- 
 noissance was made of the Penon, supported by a squadron of 
 dragoons, a regiment of infantry, and two pieces of artillery. 
 The Penon was found to be fortified and occupied in force. 
 Captain Mason, of the engineers (my friend Mason), Major 
 Gaines, of the Kentucky volunteers (taken prisoner just before 
 the great battle of Buena Vista, and who made his escape only 
 one or two days before the march of the army from Puebla), 
 and myself rode some distance in the advance, and observed 
 near the causeway some eight or ten Mexican officers. We were 
 at least three quarters of a mile from the rest of our force. We 
 advanced upon them, they curveting their horses and advan- 
 cing upon us. When within about three hundred yards they 
 discharged their pistols, but we continuing our advance, they 
 all turned their horses and returned full speed across the cause- 
 way, carrying with them a troop of lancers. The whole affair 
 
190 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 was very amusing and afforded much sport. It did not dimin- 
 ish our contempt of Mexican prowess. 
 
 The second day a splendid reconnoissance was made of the 
 whole country between the lakes, including the Penon and Mex- 
 icalcingo at the head of Lake Xochimilco. The particular recon- 
 noissance of the Penon was intrusted to me. On my little 
 horse, one of the most enduring, spirited, and beautiful animals 
 in the service, with two dragoons, I went half way round the 
 Penon, and was for seven hours within almost point-blank range 
 of its guns, examining the different batteries, determining the 
 various approaches, and particularly the character of the inun- 
 dation. Frequently I was in the water up to the belly of my 
 horse. General Scott was very much pleased with my recon- 
 noissance, and I got more credit for it than I deserved. The 
 same day Mason made an admirable reconnoissance of Mexi- 
 calcingo. 
 
 Our spies had given information that the road around Chalco 
 was impracticable for our trains, and in consequence thereof 
 the general almost made up his mind to force Mexicalcingo, 
 and at that point and westward, fight the great battle of the 
 war. He, however, determined to wait one day for additional 
 information. 
 
 Worth, who had now come up, was sent to Chalco, and a 
 column under the orders of Colonel Duncan reconnoitred the 
 road around the lakes. Our spies were found to have given 
 wrong information, and the road, though bad, was found to be 
 practicable. That same evening General Scott, with the whole 
 field before him, determined to move around Chalco, and 
 ordered the movement to commence on the morrow. 
 
 The prompt advance of Twiggs to Ayotla, the brigade of 
 dragoons of the famous Colonel Harney two miles farther in 
 advance, and the brilliant reconnoissances of the two succeed- 
 ing days impressed the enemy with the belief that the Penon 
 was to be attacked, and they lost no time in filling the place 
 with troops, and putting in position formidable batteries of 
 nearly forty guns. 
 
 In the movement around the lakes Worth was in the 
 advance, followed by Pillow, Quitman, and Twiggs. The road 
 was exceedingly bad and narrow, in many places a perfect 
 
MARCH AROUND THE LAKES 191 
 
 defile, obstructed by cuts, stones from the hills in some cases 
 formed into walls, and requiring great patience, energy, and 
 perseverance for the passage of the trains. 
 
 The third day Worth reached San Augustin, General Scott 
 and staff resting at Xochimilco with the divisions of Pillow, 
 Quitman, and Twiggs respectively some five and ten miles in 
 rear ; no obstruction of moment occurring either in front or 
 rear, unless we except a demonstration of a large force of 
 lancers on the movement of General Twiggs's division from 
 Ayotla, a demonstration brought speedily to a close by the 
 opening of Taylor's battery. 
 
 Early the next morning, Wednesday, August 18, Scott 
 joined Worth ; developed his general plan of attack, and or- 
 dered the engineers immediately to make vigorous reconnois- 
 sances of the position and force of the enemy. He remarked, 
 " To-day the enemy may feel us, to-morrow we must feel him." 
 
 Accordingly two reconnoissances were made, — one, of the 
 position of San Antonio, three miles from San Augustin, on 
 the great southern road to Mexico, conducted by Major Smith ; 
 the other, of the road to San Angel, turning the position of San 
 Antonio, and bringing us to the next great and adjacent cause- 
 way to the west. This latter reconnoissance was conducted by 
 Captain Lee. 
 
 The first reconnoissance was supported by the whole of 
 Worth's division. Captain Mason had charge of one party, I 
 had charge of the other. Whilst the whole party of engineer 
 officers with a portion of the escort were examining the position 
 of San Antonio within twelve hundred yards of its guns, and 
 in the causeway itself, the enemy discharged his battery of two 
 large brass 16-pounders, blowing to pieces the body of the gal- 
 lant Captain Thornton, commanding the escort, and severely 
 wounding an interpreter. The second reconnoitring party 
 (that of Captain Lee) were brought into pretty close contact 
 with a body of the enemy, whom they completely dispersed 
 without any loss. Thus, the enemy felt us the first day. Pil- 
 low and Quitman had now come up to San Augustin (ten 
 miles from Mexico), and Twiggs to Xochimilco, four miles in 
 rear. 
 
 It was determined to move the main body on San Angel, 
 
192 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 "Worth remaining in front of San Antonio, and by a vigorous 
 combined movement forcing this position and advancing upon 
 Tacubaya. 
 
 Accordingly, on Thursday Pillow and Twiggs were pushed 
 forward over a most difficult road, requiring much labor to make 
 it practicable for field-guns, and in full view of a large force 
 of the enemy, who, divining our intentions from the recon- 
 noissance of Wednesday, had intrenched himself in a strong 
 position, barring our passage. As our troops approached, they 
 were brought gallantly into action. Callender's howitzer bat- 
 tery was advanced to a very exposed position for the temporary 
 purpose of driving in a picket, was not withdrawn in time, and, 
 exposed to a formidable battery of twelve guns, was entirely 
 cut up, its gallant commander receiving severe wounds in both 
 legs. Magruder's battery of 12-pounders was in like manner 
 advanced and cut up. These batteries were supported by 
 Smith's brigade on the left, and the 9th infantry on the right. 
 The 9th infantry I led across an open field, exposed to the 
 enemy's grape, without the loss of a man. They advanced to 
 a strong position in a ravine, which they maintained till dark. 
 
 Riley's brigade and the greater portion of Pillow's division 
 were pushed forward against the enemy's right to cut him off 
 from his reserves, and by a vigorous charge take him in flank 
 and hurl him into the gorges of the mountains. 
 
 The whole field of approach was a perfect honeycomb of lava 
 projections, entirely impracticable for horse and difficult for 
 foot. Nothing was known of the ground. All the troops ad- 
 vanced with difficulty. That intrepid veteran, Riley, with his 
 gallant brigade, pushed forward and encountered the enemy's 
 lancers in large force, repulsing them in successive charges. 
 He organized his brigade to charge the battery, but felt it his 
 duty to await orders and support. 
 
 Smith, somewhat late in the day withdrawn from the right, 
 reached a village on the left of the enemy's position, to which 
 Riley had withdrawn, and was reinforced by the greater portion 
 of Shields's and a portion of Pierce's brigade. An attack 
 under the direction of Smith was organized, but could not be 
 executed in consequence of the gathering shadows of the night. 
 
 At this moment, all offensive operations on our side having 
 
CONTRERAS 193 
 
 ceased and no impression made on the enemy's line, their 
 reserves coming up in great force and bringing with them 
 additional guns, cheer on cheer rose from their whole line, 
 whilst on our part there was much gloom and despondency. 
 Our commands were much scattered, our batteries had become 
 disabled, and every one was overcome with the fatigues of the 
 day. During the latter part of the day I was reconnoitring 
 in the advanced position of the 9th infantry, and, not knowing 
 the progress of the day in other parts of the field, returned to 
 the rear for orders. I found General Pillow, who seemed some- 
 what perplexed with the posture of affairs, and gave me no 
 orders till dark was coming on. I endeavored to find my way 
 back, but could not succeed. I was so entirely exhausted that 
 it was with the greatest difficulty that I could drag one foot 
 after the other. Finally I fell upon a small party of rifles and 
 9th infantry, led by Lieutenant Foster, of the engineers, who 
 were making good their retreat from a house somewhat higher 
 up on the same stream with the position of the 9th infantry, 
 and from which they had been expelled by a whole regiment of 
 the enemy. On hailing the party, Foster recognized my voice, 
 and I concluded to return with him, but so entirely worn down 
 that I required his support. We made our way with great 
 difficulty, occasionally meeting little parties of soldiers seeking 
 their commands. It had already commenced raining. On 
 passing near the place where I left my horse, I could not find 
 him, and was obliged to pursue my way on foot. At length we 
 reached some dragoons near the foot of a hill, where General 
 Scott had placed himself to observe the field, and there learned 
 that he had left half an hour before for San Augustin, three 
 miles distant. I inquired for my horse, but could not find him. 
 Foster kindly lent me his, and after waiting some half an hour 
 I set out on my return to San Augustin in company with 
 Captain Sibley's troop of dragoons. 
 
 On my way back my feelings were not desponding, but I was 
 sad. The 9th infantry, called the New England regiment, who 
 had gallantly followed my lead, and had occupied for hours 
 an exposed position, I had not succeeded in bringing back to 
 the place indicated by the general. I felt deeply my physical 
 inability to support long-continued exertion. It seemed to me 
 
194 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 that I had abandoned a body of men who were relying on me. 
 The regiment had acted nobly, and none more so than Pitman, 
 acting as major. He was cool and intrepid throughout. 
 
 On my way home the rain poured in torrents much of the 
 time. I overtook my intrepid friend Callender, whom some 
 men of his company were carrying home on a litter. He 
 seemed to be comfortable, and is now rapidly recovering from 
 his wound. 
 
 On reaching my quarters, getting some supper, and changing 
 my clothes, I went to see General Scott. He was surrounded 
 by his personal staff, and was attentively listening to Captain 
 Lee's account of the state of the field. Soon after, General 
 Pillow and General Twiggs entered the room. Twiggs is a 
 gray-haired veteran of sixty, large in person, of rather blunt 
 address, and of little advantages of education, but possessing 
 in an eminent degree decision of character, great sagacity as 
 to men and events, and an aptitude for labor. He has the 
 most splendid division in the service, the fruit in great measure 
 of his own unwearied exertions. Captain Lee is an officer of 
 engineers to whom I have before alluded, and one of my mess- 
 mates. He is one of the most extraordinary men in the service. 
 In the very prime of manhood, of remarkable presence and 
 address, perhaps the most manly and striking officer in the 
 service, of great grace of manner and great personal beauty, 
 he has established an enduring reputation. His power of 
 enduring fatigue is extraordinary, and his strength of judgment 
 and perfect balance are conspicuous. For counsel, General 
 Scott relies more upon him than any other man in the service. 
 
 I never shall forget that evening, — Captain Lee in calm, 
 even, well-weighed words, giving a full view of the state of our 
 force, suggesting the various methods of reestablishing affairs, 
 and proffering his own services and exertions to carry out the 
 views of the general ; Scott, composed, complacent, weighing 
 every word he said, finding fault with no one's blunders, and 
 taking in all cases the best view of things, indulging in no 
 apprehensions, and exhibiting entire confidence in the ultimate 
 event. At length General Twiggs and Captain Lee returned 
 to the battlefield with full powers to retrieve affairs as their 
 best judgment should dictate. It had been proposed by Gen- 
 
CONTRERAS 195 
 
 eral Smith, one of Twiggs's brigadiers, to make a night attack 
 upon the enemy's position, defended by twelve guns and five 
 thousand of their best troops. Captain Lee's principal object 
 in seeing the general was to procure his sanction. It was not 
 denied. On returning to the field, all arrangements were made 
 to carry it into execution. 
 
 My dear wife, I am spinning out a long letter, and I must be 
 more brief. This night attack, in consequence of rain and the 
 difficult nature of the ground, was not carried into execution till 
 dawn of day. It was organized by General Smith. The recon- 
 noissance of the route was made in the night by my friend 
 Tower, of the engineers. The principal column of attack con- 
 sisted of Riley's brigade led by Tower. Two other columns 
 were pushed in the same general direction, one of which was 
 commanded by our friend Major Dimick. In front a column 
 was formed of the scattered commands, mostly new levies. 
 
 Eiley's column pursued its way over slippery and uneven 
 ground, crossing two deep ravines, halting from time to time to 
 keep the command together. Finally it reached the brow of a 
 hill in rear of the enemy's position, and was formed in two col- 
 umns, just as the coming day disclosed them to the enemy. 
 Immediately the charge was ordered, and the gallant brigade 
 made its terrible charge, ably supported by the other columns. 
 The contest was brief but decisive. In fifteen minutes one 
 thousand dead and wounded of the enemy lay on the field, 
 nearly a thousand more were taken prisoners, and the remain- 
 der were flying in all directions. Every one speaks in the most 
 exalted terms of the conduct of Tower. Some say he led the 
 brigade and did the whole work. 
 
 As for myself, broken down the evening before, greatly in 
 need of rest, I complied with the advice of Major Smith and 
 Captain Lee and remained in town, giving directions to my 
 servant to be called at three, in order that I might return to 
 the field to be in season for the fight. My servant did not wake 
 me till five. One delay after another occurred, and I was finally 
 detained by General Scott to conduct to the field a brigade of 
 General Worth's command. "We started and had got half way 
 out, when information came of the brilliant success of the night 
 attack, and the brigade was ordered back. I continued my way, 
 
196 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and finally came across Tower very quietly eating his breakfast 
 in company with Lieutenant Beauregard of our corps, who was 
 also conspicuous in the same attack. I rode on, passed over the 
 battlefield, reached the advance, and exchanged greetings with 
 my friends of the 9th regiment, who had felt as anxious for me 
 as I had for them. They informed me that they had withdrawn 
 to a safe place about nine in the evening, and were engaged in 
 the night attack. My friends of the 1st artillery, Major Dim- 
 ick, Captains Capron, Burke, etc., I also shook warmly by the 
 hand, and finally rode up to General Twiggs. I congratulated 
 him on the brilliant victory achieved by his command. " Gen- 
 eral Smith deserves the whole credit, but it was my division," 
 was his reply. 
 
 The order was soon given to advance upon the San Antonio 
 road, General Twiggs in advance, the object being to cause the 
 enemy to evacuate it and open the way for the advance of 
 Worth. I accompanied the advance. We soon reached the 
 village of Coyoacan, from which a picket of about two hundred 
 lancers was expelled. There we halted till General Scott rode 
 up. He proposed to wait half an hour to reconnoitre, deter- 
 mine the position of the enemy, and the proper mode of attack. 
 General Worth had previously received orders not to attack the 
 enemy till he heard the fire on the other line. 
 
 Calling for the engineer officers, Captain Lee was directed, 
 after examining a prisoner, to communicate with General Worth 
 at San Antonio, and I went to the steeple of the church to use 
 my glass. I turned it upon the San Antonio road, and ob- 
 served the enemy in full retreat, the causeway for more than a 
 mile being filled with troops, pack-mules, and baggage-wagons. 
 I immediately reported the fact to General Scott, who ordered 
 Twiggs to advance, and directed me to accompany his division. 
 Twiggs pushed on, and I went forward with the officers of the 
 engineer company to reconnoitre. We came to a fork of a road. 
 I took to the right, Lieutenant McClellan to the left. Mine 
 passed directly in front of a strong building (a church), occu- 
 pied in force by the enemy ; his led directly to the building. 
 At a little distance before me I saw the enemy in retreat, and 
 we took one prisoner, who informed us that the place was de- 
 fended by two guns. 
 
CHURUBUSCO 197 
 
 My dear wife, perhaps I had not better at this time go into 
 the details of the most terrible fight of the war, which now com- 
 menced. General Twiggs has said publicly that by my recon- 
 noissance and efforts it was brought on, as regards his division. 
 We all felt the strongest determination to fight the enemy, and 
 put him to a perfect rout. At all events, it so happened that I 
 was extremely active in pushing forward columns of attack, etc. 
 Our friend Major Dimick's regiment I directed to its position. 
 So with Taylor's battery. General Twiggs, in almost every 
 case, agreed to my suggestions. By my efforts and those of 
 the junior engineer officers, the troops were brought under fire 
 and the battle commenced. 
 
 The veteran division of Twiggs, already engaged in two hard- 
 fought battles, the desultory and galling conflict of the day be- 
 fore and the brilliant victory of the morning, exposed to the 
 rains of the night, and the whole without the least rest from 
 the wearisome march around Lake Chalco, came gallantly into 
 action against the enemy, intrenched in a position of remark- 
 able strength, — a bastioned field-work of high relief, wet 
 ditches, armed with eight guns, some of large calibre, and pro- 
 tected by a church converted into a defensive building of great 
 strength. Taylor, whom you knew in Newport, came into 
 action in most gallant style, and opened his fire upon the 
 enemy, driving him from the roof of the building. But so de- 
 structive was the return fire of the enemy behind his earthen 
 breastworks that in a short time his battery was cut up, and he 
 was obliged to withdraw, losing many men and horses, and two 
 of his officers were wounded. Lieutenant Martin, formerly 
 stationed in Newport, lost his arm. Riley opened his fire with 
 great spirit and effect against the left ; Smith's brigade, headed 
 by our gallant engineer company, against the right. Worth, 
 hearing our fire, hastened up his command, and attacked a 
 strong bastioned field-work on the great San Antonio causeway, 
 and a little in rear of the work attacked by Twiggs. The 6th 
 infantry and Duncan's battery were conducted directly up the 
 causeway. A terrible fire of grape temporarily checked the 
 advance of the 6th, and compelled Duncan to put his battery 
 under cover. An attack was directed, headed by the 2d artil- 
 lery, to turn the left of the position. The whole command of 
 
198 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Worth was rushed to the attack, not in the most orderly man- 
 ner, and the greatest gallantry was displayed by both officers 
 and men. A continued blaze of fire proceeded from the ex- 
 tended line of the enemy, resting on the two field-works, and 
 was returned with great spirit by both Twiggs and Worth. The 
 roar of battle did not for a moment cease, and at times the 
 stoutest hearts would quail. 
 
 In the mean time the brigades of Shields and Pierce, con- 
 ducted by the intrepid Captain Lee, were directed around the 
 enemy's right to get into his rear and cut off his retreat. The 
 enemy appeared in such great force that it was with the greatest 
 difficulty that the command could be brought to the attack. 
 The gallant Colonel Butler, leading most nobly the Palmetto 
 regiment, was shot dead, and Lieutenant-Colonel Dickinson was 
 wounded. After exceeding effort they were made to charge 
 the enemy, the causeway was gained, and his retreat cut off. 
 In this action both Shields and Pierce were conspicuous for 
 their gallantry, and the latter was wounded. 
 
 Previous to the attack of Worth, the work attacked by 
 Twiggs had been nearly silenced by the destructive fire of his 
 two gallant brigades, the gunners were shot down, and the guns 
 were served only at intervals. Still the church held out, and 
 the line in rear was not touched. Worth, after one repulse and 
 at heavy loss, took by assault the work on the causeway, the 
 guns of which, together with two from Duncan's battery, were 
 opened upon the work attacked by Twiggs. Shields and Pierce 
 had now cut the causeway. Seeing no hope of escape, the white 
 flag was hung out, and immediately the division of Twiggs 
 occupied the work, taking over one thousand prisoners, of whom 
 three were general officers. 
 
 The panic was now universal. Our troops pushed forward 
 on the great causeway, the dragoons in hot pursuit, sabring 
 the enemy in their path. They fled in all directions. The gal- 
 lant Captain Kearny charged up almost to the very walls of 
 the city, receiving a severe wound in the arm, which rendered 
 its amputation necessary. 
 
 This is a meagre account of this terrible fight, more protracted 
 and severe than anything seen at the Resaca, at Monterey, or 
 the Cerro Gordo. Our loss is great, some forty officers in 
 
CHURUBUSCO 199 
 
 killed and wounded, and over seven hundred rank and file ; 
 nearly half the officers of the 1st artillery were killed or 
 wounded. Major Diinick commanded the regiment in three 
 battles and escaped without a wound. 
 
 As I have before said, I was on duty with the division of 
 Twiggs. This veteran was greatly exposed during the whole 
 contest, and was conspicuous for his coolness and judgment. 
 General Scott himself was wounded. The chief engineer, 
 Major Smith, was also conspicuous for gallantry and good con- 
 duct. Our gallant engineer company nobly sustained its repu- 
 tation as the first company in the service. At the close of the 
 action General Scott rode over the whole field, speaking words 
 of encouragement to the wounded, and addressing the several 
 regiments as he passed them. On all sides he was received 
 with the greatest enthusiasm. His words were the eloquence 
 of the heart, and told with great effect. 
 
 General Scott and staff returned to San Augustin, some five 
 miles from the battlefield, to pass the night. We were all 
 greatly in need of rest. To our great satisfaction, on compar- 
 ing notes it was found that not a single engineer officer had 
 been touched, and only three soldiers of the company wounded. 
 
 Notwithstanding the great fatigues of the day, I slept little 
 that night. The battlefield was before me with its scenes of 
 terror and of blood. The gallant officers who fell haunted me. 
 The loss of human life was appalling. I reflected that with less 
 precipitation the works could have been carried with much less 
 loss. I was precipitate like the rest, and felt in a measure cul- 
 pable. 
 
 The next morning, after issuing the proper orders for the 
 movements of the troops, — orders given verbally from his horse 
 to his aides, and with admirable precision, — General Scott pro- 
 ceeded to the village of Coyoacan, and there met a white flag 
 from the city. We then learned that consternation sat on that 
 devoted place, and that her army of twenty-six thousand to 
 thirty-two thousand men had become reduced to four thousand 
 indifferent troops. The result of the white flag was the appoint- 
 ment of commissioners to treat of an armistice. This morning 
 (Monday) the articles were duly signed, and there is now every 
 prospect that the war has come to a close. The armistice is 
 
200 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 made by authority of the supreme government, and its avowed 
 object is to negotiate a treaty of peace. This armistice provides 
 generally that the two parties shall remain as they are. Hos- 
 tilities are to cease within a circuit of twenty-eight leagues of 
 the city, the guerrillas are to be withdrawn from the national 
 road, and our communications are to be free with Vera Cruz. 
 
 Monday evening. I have sad news to-day. The first day of 
 the armistice the Mexicans have commenced trifling with us. 
 The armistice provided that our army should draw supplies 
 from the city, and in consequence we commenced drawing specie 
 in exchange for drafts. The Mexicans denied this construction 
 of the article, and in consequence, at three o'clock, General 
 Scott gave notice of the termination of the armistice (the ar- 
 ticles guarantee forty-eight hours' notice). The Mexicans dare 
 not again invoke the power of our arms, and will yield the 
 point. But it looks bad. 
 
 Tuesday, August 24. The commissioners have met again 
 to-day, and the articles have been modified to meet General 
 Scott's views. 
 
 Thursday, August 26. Yesterday Santa Anna issued a pro- 
 clamation referring to his great exertions to defend his country, 
 and to the circumstances of the present crisis, and stating his 
 conviction that an honorable peace would promote the best 
 interests of his country. Accordingly to-day commissioners to 
 negotiate a treaty of peace were appointed on his part, who are 
 to meet our commissioner, Mr. Trist, to-morrow. 
 
 Friday, August 27. This has been a white day for me. The 
 archbishop's palace is a very good place for the general and his 
 personal staff. It has a splendid view from its top. But since 
 our arrival it has been crowded with the general staff and with 
 a company of dragoons. The courtyard was filled with horses, 
 and the whole place was becoming filthy in the extreme. The 
 chief engineer, Major Smith, and myself occupied a small, 
 dirty room, which we used for a sleeping-room, an eating-room, 
 and an office. Accordingly we determined to seek other quar- 
 ters. After much inquiry, I fell to-day upon a splendid suite 
 of apartments belonging to a judge in the City of Mexico, which 
 I have secured, and am now occupying with Major Smith. We 
 have a large parlor, dining-room, two large sleeping-rooms, a 
 
TACUBAYA 201 
 
 spacious kitchen, stable, and flower garden. As throughout all 
 Mexico, our apartments extend to the rear, looking upon an 
 open court, with one apartment only on the street. The house 
 is of one story, and each window extends to the floor and opens 
 upon the court. We feel quite comfortable in our new home. 
 The corresponding suite of apartments on the opposite side of 
 the court is occupied by the judge's clerks and law students. 
 We have been much indebted in securing these apartments to 
 the good offices of Mr. Jameson, a Scotch merchant of wealth 
 in the City of Mexico, who resides in Tacubaya. He is our 
 next-door neighbor, and will make a most pleasant acquaint- 
 ance. Just opposite us, he is now building a most elegant 
 mansion in the midst of a garden laid out in the English style. 
 Last evening Mason and myself took a walk to the top of 
 an eminence in rear of the palace, where we had a most beau- 
 tiful view of the City of Mexico and its neighboring lakes. 
 We both thought of Newport, and of the thousand delightful 
 recollections that cluster around it. Mason is in fine health, 
 and has greatly distinguished himself in the recent operations. 
 We both hope to see Newport before the close of the year. 
 
 Saturday, August 28. To-day I have for once felt entirely 
 recovered from the fatigues of the recent operations in the val- 
 ley, and have twice mounted my horse, and to-morrow I think 
 of going to the village of Mixcoac, some two and a half miles 
 from this place, where Pillow's division is quartered. Captain 
 Pitman is there with the 9th infantry. The colonel of this 
 regiment, Ransom, is a very fine officer. I saw General Pierce 
 to-day. He was not recovered from the effects of a fall from 
 his horse on the battle-ground of the 19th instant, but was able 
 to be about. He was not wounded, as I have before written. 
 He is making a fine impression upon the whole service. 
 
 The casualties are much higher than any one anticipated, — 
 over one thousand killed and wounded (about 1060). General 
 Pierce's command suffered to the extent of about 160 ; Gen- 
 eral Cadwallader's, about 100 ; General Shields's, 200 ; Gen- 
 eral Worth's, 336 ; General Twiggs's, 260. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 MOLINO DEL KEY. CHAPULTEPEC. CAPTURE OF CITY 
 
 OF MEXICO. RETURN TO UNITED STATES 
 
 The diary continues as follows : — 
 
 Saturday, August 21. General Scott and staff left 
 San Augustin at eight o'clock ; on his way to Coyoacan, 
 he gave orders that Worth should move on Tacubaya, 
 Pillow on Mixcoac, and Twiggs on San Angel ; and at 
 Coyoacan, he was met by commissioners from the city 
 asking for a suspension of arms. It was granted as pre- 
 liminary to an armistice to be concluded for the express 
 purpose of negotiating a peace, and commissioners were 
 to meet and adjust the terms of the armistice. The gen- 
 eral proceeded with his staff, and took up quarters in the 
 bishop's palace, on the slope ascending westward from 
 Tacubaya, and about a mile and a half from Chapultepec. 
 This palace is a favorite resort of Santa Anna, and 
 affords an extended view of the whole valley of Mexico. 
 
 Sunday, August 22. Generals Quitman, Smith, and 
 Pierce, American commissioners, met the Mexican com- 
 missioners, Villamil and Quijano, to adjust the terms of 
 the armistice. After sitting through the night of the 
 22d and 23d, the instrument was perfected, and signed 
 by General Scott and President Santa Anna. It pro- 
 vided generally that the belligerents should remain as 
 they were ; that hostilities should cease within a circuit 
 of thirty leagues ; that reinforcements to the American 
 army should stop at Puebla; that there should be no 
 interruption to supplies coming to the army from the 
 
MOLINO DEL KEY 203 
 
 city ; and that the American army should remain without 
 the city. 
 
 This armistice during the two or three subsequent 
 days occasioned considerable discussion. The army gen- 
 erally felt a strong desire to enter the city as conquerors, 
 and the foreigners of the city, somewhat numerous, fos- 
 tered this feeling. It was generally agreed, however, 
 by the most intelligent and reflecting, that General Scott 
 had pursued a wise course. Our object was not to 
 make a conquest, but to adjust the questions in dispute 
 by a definite treaty of peace. We ought, therefore, to 
 do nothing needlessly to humiliate them. Moreover, our 
 entering the city would disperse the government, and 
 there would be danger that the country would become 
 the prey of factions, and that no party would have suf- 
 ficient power to enter into treaty with. Such were the 
 views of our commissioner, Mr. Trist. 
 
 August 23-September 1. During these thirteen days 
 Commissioners Herrera and Mora, on the part of the 
 Mexican government, have met Mr. Trist several times 
 to negotiate the treaty. Thus far nothing has trans- 
 pired to afford reasonable apprehension that hostilities 
 will again be resumed. The appointment of the prin- 
 cipal men of the peace party, Santa Anna's opponents, 
 strengthens this belief. His own proclamation announ- 
 cing the armistice strongly advocates peace. It is believed 
 that, were Santa Anna firmly seated in power, the whole 
 thing could be arranged in thirty days. Unfortunately, 
 he depends almost entirely upon his army. At this very 
 moment clouds are overshadowing the heavens in all 
 directions : Almonte and Valencia have formed a coali- 
 tion to the west ; Paredes has returned from exile, and is 
 now said to be in the neighborhood of Puebla ; Alvarez 
 is somewhere to the north ; and a fourth faction is mak- 
 ing head towards the south. 
 
204 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 The Mexicans are great sticklers for forms, and, since 
 the conclusion of the armistice, they have sent back 
 our trains several times in consequence of some little 
 ceremony having been omitted. The first train that 
 entered the city was stoned by the populace, and there 
 was some little difficulty experienced in getting the train 
 out in safety. An apology was immediately made for 
 the affront. But it was made the ground for suggesting 
 that, for the safety of our people, the wagons should be 
 loaded outside, and that our people should not enter the 
 city. At this very moment there is no communication 
 between the city and the residents of the villages occupied 
 by our army. 
 
 I believe that with patience and firmness on our part, 
 and the being content with the cession of New Mexico 
 and New California, paying therefor an ample indemnity 
 in money, we shall get peace. We may consider the 
 relinquishment of the Mexican claims to the territory 
 east of the Rio Grande as the indemnity for the expenses 
 of the war. 
 
 September 6, 7. All our hopes have been doomed to 
 disappointment. General Scott, in consequence of the 
 violation of the third and seventh articles of the armis- 
 tice on the part of the Mexicans, terminated the armistice 
 to-day at twelve o'clock, and the ball is to be reopened. 
 God grant that a similar sacrifice may not be required of 
 us as at Churubusco ! 
 
 MOLINO DEL KEY. 1 
 
 September 8. At daybreak an attack was made on 
 the enemy's position at the foundry, and after a most 
 
 1 The hill of Chapultepec, famed as the ancient country-seat of the 
 Montezumas, rose some two miles outside the city, and was crowned by a 
 strong castle. An extensive grove of huge and hoary cypresses clothed its 
 slopes and stretched half a mile westward, the whole surrounded by a solid 
 wall of masonry. Molino del Key, the King's Mill, a group of stone build- 
 
MOLINO DEL KEY 205 
 
 terrific engagement of two hours the position was carried, 
 but with a loss of six hundred killed and wounded in 
 Worth's division alone. In addition to his command, 
 Cadwallader's brigade was engaged. The enemy was in 
 a position of immense strength, their left resting on Cha- 
 pultepec and the foundry, their right on a ravine, a con- 
 tinuous breastwork covering their front. 
 
 The attack was opened by two 24-pounders on the 
 walls of the foundry, upon which an assaulting column 
 of five hundred men picked from Worth's division, 
 organized in companies of one hundred men and com- 
 manded by Major Wright, deployed and advanced upon 
 the enemy's line. The right, led by Lieutenant Foster 
 with ten sappers and ten pioneers carrying crowbars and 
 axes, moved on the foundry; the left, led by Captain 
 Mason, on the enemy's battery of four guns. The 
 enemy were driven from their lines, but immediately 
 retook them, every officer of the assaulting column being 
 killed or wounded save two. Captain Mason had a flesh 
 wound in the thigh ; Lieutenant Foster one in the leg, 
 breaking the bone. The right of the assaulting column 
 having maintained its position under cover of the foun- 
 dry, the reserves of Garland and Clarke were promptly 
 brought up, and after a desperate conflict the enemy was 
 driven to the rear of Chapultepec, and the whole position 
 fell into our hands. 
 
 Drum's battery of two 6-pounders supported Garland 
 on the right, and with two rounds of canister drove the 
 enemy from his battery. It was then pushed forward 
 three hundred yards beyond support, opening its fire and 
 driving the enemy before it, but was finally recalled. 
 
 ings, stood at the foot of the grove, and the Mexican line of defenses 
 extended thence to a strong work, the Casa Mata, and far beyond it. It 
 was reported that the enemy had a gun foundry in Molino, and General 
 Scott determined to capture it. 
 
206 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Duncan on the left supported Clarke's brigade, and drove 
 the enemy, who was advancing, back to and out of the 
 right of his lines. The dragoons under Major Sumner 
 turned the right flank, causing a large body of lancers 
 to retire under cover of a village to the left. 
 
 I reconnoitred the ground to our left, and estimated 
 the lancers to be from one to two thousand. 
 
 The attack had simply for its object the destruction of 
 the foundry (which did not exist ; at least, no boring ap- 
 paratus or furnaces could be found), and the position was 
 finally abandoned. The battle was entirely without re- 
 sults ; two or three additional victories of the same kind 
 would annihilate our army. It has filled all hearts with 
 sadness. Colonel Scott, Captain Merrill, Captain Ayres, 
 Captain Armstrong, and others have fallen. Among 
 those most lamented is the gallant Colonel Graham, who 
 fell gallantly leading the 11th regiment to the charge. 
 Lieutenant Burwell, wounded in the assault, was barba- 
 rously murdered by the enemy by a lance in the head. 
 
 Duncan's efficiency was diminished in consequence of 
 the precipitate charge of Clarke's brigade on the Casa 
 Mata, masking his fire. A well-directed fire of round- 
 shot from his battery would have driven the enemy from 
 that strong position, and thus saved us many valuable 
 lives sacrificed in taking it by the bayonet. There was 
 great difficulty in reconnoitring the position without 
 bringing on a general action. More guns should have 
 been brought into action. It was more a case for artil- 
 lery than for the bayonet. An attempt should have been 
 made to reconnoitre the enemy's right, with a view of 
 sending round a column and taking his line in flank and 
 rear. 
 
 The loss to Worth's division was greater in this action 
 than the English loss at the assault of Badajos. 
 
 On the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th, in consequence of the 
 
CHAPULTEPEC 207 
 
 occupation of the church of Piedad by our troops, and 
 the pushing of the reconnoissances in that direction, the 
 enemy was exceedingly active in fortifying that front of 
 the city from the gate of Belen to that of Las Vegas, and 
 even prepared cuts in the road leading to Istacalco on the 
 canal. On the 10th they had a very respectable battery 
 in position, and were in expectation that the attack would 
 be made in that direction. 
 
 CHAPULTEPEC. 
 
 At a council of war at La Piedad on the 11th, it was 
 determined to establish batteries against Chapultepec, and 
 carry it by assault, then to operate against the city as 
 circumstances should dictate. This was General Scott's 
 proposition, and was concurred in generally by the offi- 
 cers present at the council. Accordingly, on the night 
 of the llth-12th batteries were commenced, one for two 
 18-pounders and one 8-inch howitzer on the road leading 
 to Chapultepec, and one for one 24-pounder and one 
 8-inch howitzer near the foundry. These batteries opened 
 their fire about eight a. m. on the 12th, Quitman's divi- 
 sion supporting on the right, Pillow's on the left. About 
 2.30 p. m. a third battery, one 18-pounder, one 8-inch 
 howitzer, and one mortar, was prepared also near the 
 foundry. 
 
 The fire was returned with some spirit, and about 
 eight a. m. on the 13th the order was given to commence 
 the assault. 
 
 Chapultepec stands boldly out two miles from the City 
 of Mexico, an eminence two hundred feet high, having on 
 its summit an irregular work with a stone scarp ten feet 
 high, the whole defended by the strong stone building 
 used as a military college. 
 
 At the southwestern foot of the height is the vener- 
 able cypress grove of the age of Montezuma, extending 
 
208 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 to within four hundred yards of the mill whence Pillow 
 was to direct the assault of his command. At its eastern 
 base was a formidable battery sweeping the causeway of 
 approach in the direction of Quitman's command, the 
 aqueduct and stone buildings affording cover to troops. 
 
 It was known, from a daring reconnoissance made by 
 General Quitman on the afternoon of the 12th, that the 
 enemy were in the occupancy of this base of Chapultepec, 
 five thousand strong. 
 
 Quitman, with a select storming party from Twiggs's 
 division two hundred and fifty strong, commanded by 
 Captain Casey and supported by Smith's brigade, was to 
 attack on the right, carrying the formidable position re- 
 connoitred by him on the 12th, and thence sweeping up 
 the hill to enter the citadel itself. Pillow, supported by 
 Worth's whole division with a select storming party from 
 that division, headed by the gallant Captain McKensie, 2d 
 artillery, was to break through the cypress grove, charge 
 up the hill, and pour his men into the work in conjunc- 
 tion with Quitman. 
 
 At eight o'clock the commands advanced. In Pillow's 
 attack, the Voltigeurs, with Callender's howitzer battery, 
 ran forward, and, charging the wood, soon cleared it of 
 the enemy's skirmishers. His whole command now 
 pushed forward with such unexpected vigor that, before 
 the storming party could pass them to take the lead, the 
 whole brow of the hill was covered by a dense body of 
 men, who, finding cover behind rocks and in the inequal- 
 ities of the ground, steadfastly maintained its position, 
 swaying slightly in the effort to get better cover whilst 
 endeavoring to advance. There they hung, like a cluster 
 of bees, whilst a tremendous fire of artillery opened upon 
 them from the work. The storming party with their 
 ladders now pressed forward ; soon they were planted, the 
 gallant McKensie, with his hat on his sword, pressed for- 
 
CHAPULTEPEC 200 
 
 ward, drawing after as by strings the whole command, 
 who in a moment overleaped the work and drove the gun- 
 ners down the eastern slope, where a fierce conflict still 
 raged on the part of Quitman. 
 
 Quitman, at the preconcerted signal, moved forward the 
 select storming party from Twiggs's division, a light bat- 
 talion under the gallant Major Twiggs, and a select storm- 
 ing party of forty marines under Captain Keynolds in the 
 advance, followed by the Maine battalion, the South Caro- 
 lina, New York, and Pennsylvania volunteers. 
 
 The brigade of Smith was in the adjoining field on the 
 right, and had assigned to it the duty of breaking through 
 the aqueduct and taking the enemy in flank and rear. 
 The command moved up the causeway, under a tremen- 
 dous fire of artillery and musketry, till they reached some 
 old buildings of adobe, where they were obliged to get 
 a momentary shelter. From this position, a company of 
 the rifles and portions of the storming parties being still 
 further in advance, they opened an effective fire in return. 
 As the volunteer regiments came up, they were turned off 
 into the open field on the left, intersected with ditches, 
 to the assault of Chapultepec. 
 
 The New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians made a detour to 
 the left, and entering the cypress grove at an abandoned 
 breastwork where some fifteen minutes previously portions 
 of Pillow's command had entered, pressed forward and 
 became intermingled with Pillow's command as it poured 
 into the work, as did the Palmettoes, who pierced the 
 stone wall at a partial breach made by a cannon-ball with- 
 out scarcely varying from their direction. 
 
 Smith in his advance, finding two wide and deep ditches 
 in his front without any adequate means to cross them, 
 and his force too small to force the passage in presence 
 of the immense force of the enemy, veered to the left, 
 and sheltering his troops partially by maguey plants, 
 
210 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 opened a well-directed fire upon the enemy in conjunc- 
 tion with the storming parties and marines on the cause- 
 way. 
 
 Meanwhile Drum's battery, a 9-pounder and a 16- 
 pounder, came up and opened on the enemy, as did 
 Hunt's section of Drum's battery. 
 
 For half an hour the contest was of unparalleled 
 severity. Our troops, however, pressed forward, and, 
 Chapultepec having fallen, the enemy fled to the city 
 along the Tacubaya causeway, and a causeway entering 
 the San Cosme causeway at the English cemetery, some 
 six hundred yards outside the garita, yet not till some of 
 the most resolute of their troops had maintained their 
 posts even to the interlocking of bayonets and clubbing 
 of rifles. 
 
 Quitman on the Tacubaya causeway, the rifles and 1st 
 artillery of Smith's brigade in advance, Worth on the 
 San Cosme causeway, pressed forward in pursuit of the 
 enemy. 
 
 Aqueducts supplying the city with water extended 
 along both these causeways, resting on arches that 
 afforded partial shelter to troops. The causeway of Ta- 
 cubaya led directly into the city, and with a strong field- 
 work midway was defended at the gate by another for- 
 midable battery, by the strong work of the citadel three 
 hundred yards distant, and by cross-fires from a formid- 
 idable battery on the paseo leading from the San Cosme 
 to the Belen suburb, and on both sides were almost 
 impassable ditches filled with water. 
 
 The San Cosme suburb extended even beyond the 
 English cemetery, where there was a formidable field- 
 work sweeping the main Cosme causeway and the cause- 
 way from Chapultepec. At the gate, and two hundred 
 yards without, were two batteries for two guns each. 
 
 Quitman pushed forward his command with unex- 
 
CHAPULTEPEC 211 
 
 ampled vigor. The rifles and 1st artillery in advance, 
 closely followed by the Palmettoes, marines, and the re- 
 mainder of the volunteer division, were in close contact 
 with the enemy till possession was effected of the garita 
 at twenty minutes past one. In this contest Drum's bat- 
 tery, assisted by Captain Winder's company of the 1st 
 artillery as a fatigue party, was served with a vigor and 
 enthusiasm unparalleled in this war. The iron men of 
 Drum pushed it into the very teeth of the enemy's fire, 
 and made it send forth an iron hail that drove the enemy 
 from all his positions, even the garita itself. Drum 
 paused not at the garita. With a sublime devotion, he 
 marched boldly up to the very citadel itself, and fell 
 mortally wounded, together with his gallant lieutenant, 
 Benjamin, two thirds of his company being disabled. In 
 command of a battery only three weeks, he fell univer- 
 sally lamented, the first artillerist of the army. 
 
 The temporary pause in the pursuit on the capture of 
 the garita, considered indispensable to get the command 
 in hand in order to proceed against the enemy, who was 
 still in force, gave time to reassure the troops at the cita- 
 del, who were at one moment struck with a panic, and on 
 the eve of evacuating the position. Notwithstanding the 
 heroic conduct of Drum and the gallantry of the rifles 
 and Palmettoes, the terrible fire which was soon opened 
 from that work and the battery on the paseo compelled 
 Quitman to withdraw his troops to the shelter of the 
 garita, where they sustained the tremendous fire of the 
 enemy till nightfall. 
 
 The command of Worth, on the fall of Chapultepec, 
 boldly pushed forward to the San Cosme suburb, Gar- 
 land's brigade and Magruder's battery in front. A 
 smart encounter was had with a considerable body of the 
 enemy's lancers, who were charging down the causeway. 
 Magruder Was vigorously pushing forward his guns, ably 
 
212 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 supported by the troops, and the battery at the English 
 cemetery was about to fall into our hands, when the 
 whole command was halted. Worth, on arriving at a 
 cross-road leading to the Tacubaya cemetery, was attracted 
 by the tremendous contest going on there, and in conse- 
 quence halted his command to be in condition to lend 
 a hand to Quitman in case of his being sorely pressed. 
 Timely assistance was rendered by Duncan's battery, 
 which contributed materially to Quitman's success. 
 Meanwhile a reconnoissance by the engineers showed 
 that the enemy had no artillery in position at the ceme- 
 tery, that the infantry force there was not formidable, 
 and the lancers hanging on the flanks were not worthy 
 of regard. Soon the order was given to charge the 
 works. Our troops pressed in, driving the enemy before 
 them and with little loss, and pressed forward to the 
 batteries at the garita and in advance. Worth, on his 
 arrival at the suburb about half past twelve o'clock, find- 
 ing that a continuous row of stone buildings put it in 
 our power to make a permanent lodgment, and reduce 
 the contest to the crowbar and pickaxe without exposing 
 the lives of the men, recalled the troops, and awaited the 
 arrival of the ordnance and engineer trains. 
 
 A reconnoissance having shown that the first battery 
 could easily be carried and with little loss, the enemy was 
 driven from it, and Hunt's section was put in position 
 behind it, and made to open on the enemy's battery of 
 two guns at the garita. But he was soon compelled to 
 put his battery under cover in consequence of the superior 
 metal of the enemy. 
 
 At four the trains arrived, and immediately the troops, 
 armed with the proper tools, commenced making their 
 way from house to house. One party, headed by the 
 engineer company, reaching the top of a high building, 
 forty yards from the garita, opened fire upon the enemy 
 
CAPTURE OF CITY OF MEXICO 213 
 
 at the guns at the very moment a similar fire was opened 
 from a party on the other side of the street led by the 
 gallant McKensie. The enemy was driven from the 
 garita, but took away one of their guns. At nightfall 
 Worth's whole command was lodged in the suburb, his 
 advance within twelve hundred yards of the Alameda. 
 
 During the night Quitman, in the erection of batteries 
 and infantry covers, was making every preparation to 
 renew the contest in the morning and to carry his attack 
 into the heart of the city. 
 
 The enemy, however, withdrew their troops, and at 
 seven o'clock Quitman's command entered the citadel, 
 and, pushing forward to the main plaza, the marines 
 cleared the palace of the leperos, or thieves, who were 
 infesting it, and hoisted the star-spangled banner from its 
 summit. 
 
 General Scott, who had been the master spirit of the 
 whole operations, originating the plan of attacking Cha- 
 pultepec, giving the order when the time had come to 
 make the assault, from the extended position of Chapul- 
 tepec ordering the movements upon the causeways, sup- 
 porting each by an adequate force, and on a lodgment 
 being effected in the Cosme suburb ordering the resort 
 to the crowbar and the refraining from the bayonet, — 
 General Scott at eight o'clock issued his orders from the 
 national palace announcing his occupation of the capital 
 of Mexico. 
 
 Still, a desultory contest was kept up throughout the 
 day from the houses of the city by an intermingled body 
 of soldiers and leperos led on by officers of the army. 
 Scott took the most decided means to stop it, and ordered 
 every house to be blown up from which a hostile shot 
 should be fired. At night the city was tranquil and in 
 the undisturbed possession of our troops. 
 
 Thus the crowning glories of Chapultepec and of the 
 
2lk ' ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 gates of San Cosme and Belen placed us in the undis- 
 puted possession of the City and valley of Mexico. The 
 public force of the enemy, dispirited and demoralized, 
 paused two or three days at Guadalupe and divided: Santa 
 Anna with a portion repairing to Puebla to try his for- 
 tunes against Childs, the governor of that place, and to 
 watch his opportunity to fall upon our reinforcements 
 coming up from Vera Cruz ; the remainder, a disorderly 
 rabble, repairing to Queretaro, where the government was 
 to be temporarily established. 
 
 The casualties to the American arms in this valley have 
 been immense, — 2703 out of a force of 10,737, over one 
 fourth, equal to the English loss at the siege of Badajos. 
 
 General Scott's movement against Chapultepec was 
 masterly, and in his plans he was well seconded by his 
 generals. The removal of the depot to Mixcoac, the con- 
 centration of the troops at La Piedad, and the reconnois- 
 sances in that direction, impressed the enemy with the 
 belief that that point of the city was to be attacked ; nor 
 were they undeceived till the very last moment, fully 
 believing that the operations against Chapultepec were 
 only a feint. 
 
 In the attack upon Chapultepec General Quitman's 
 arrangements are open to criticism. His select storming 
 party intended for the assault of Chapultepec, and armed 
 with ladders to scale and implements to break through 
 the walls, were kept on the causeway ; whereas the whole 
 volunteer force was sent in that direction, wholly unpro- 
 vided in every particular, and that, too, at too late a period 
 to be of much essential assistance, and in a direction 
 which made it necessary to fall in with Pillow's command, 
 already supported in great strength by the whole of 
 Worth's division. The consequence was that General 
 Smith found himself too weak to break through the 
 enemy's force at the aqueduct and take him in flank and 
 
CAPTURE OF CITY OF MEXICO 215 
 
 rear. Had Smith been preceded by the storming party- 
 provided with plank to cross the ditches, and supported 
 by two of the volunteer regiments, the slaughter of the 
 enemy must have beon immense, and large numbers must 
 have been taken prisoners. The marines with their storm- 
 ing party, the light battalion, and one of the volunteer 
 regiments with Drum's battery would have been in place 
 to encounter the enemy on the causeway. 
 
 At the garita Drum's battery and the Palmettoes were 
 pushed forward under the guns of the citadel, and large 
 numbers were uselessly sacrificed. 
 
 On the whole, however, General Quitman exercised 
 good judgment, and gave proof of extraordinary vigor, 
 intrepidity, and firmness. And he deserves the greatest 
 credit for his perfect mastery of his command. 
 
 General Pillow's dispositions were good and well exe- 
 cuted, excepting that the storming party did not move in 
 season, in consequence of which the supporting force, 
 pressing onward, gained the brow of the hill in dense 
 masses, and were there detained some little time awaiting 
 the storming party with their ladders, who in their turn 
 found great difficulty in pushing their way through to 
 the front, which only a small portion succeeded perfectly 
 in doing. 
 
 General Worth, in his attack upon the city, unneces- 
 sarily delayed his advance to succor Quitman. Quitman 
 was to be most effectually relieved by the vigorous attack 
 of Worth on his own line. On the arrival of the trains, 
 however, he proceeded with great judgment and efficiency, 
 and his attack alone, in consequence of being able to 
 work from house to house, must have of itself put the 
 city into our hands. Had it not been for Worth's vigor- 
 ous movement towards nightfall, bringing him well into 
 the city, the enemy would not have abandoned the citadel 
 to Quitman without a severe struggle. 
 
216 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Twiggs's command did not have the prominence as a 
 division that it had at Contreras and Churubusco in con- 
 sequence of the brigades being separated. Smith's brig- 
 ade did good service in conjunction with Quitman, and 
 Riley at La Piedad kept the enemy in check during the 
 storming of Chapultepec, and, afterwards joining Worth, 
 did good service in the streets on the 14th. 
 
 The engineers did good service during all their opera- 
 tions at Molino del Rey. Captain Mason made a most 
 daring and successful examination of the front of the 
 enemy's position, and in the attack on the 8th was sig- 
 nally gallant, but the result showed that the right of 
 the enemy should have been more particularly examined. 
 The character of his defenses at this point was never 
 known till our troops, in the full tide of battle, were hurled 
 against them, to be repulsed with the loss of nearly half 
 their number. 
 
 Without shining talents, and without any remarkable 
 decision or independence of character, Captain Lee has 
 rendered signal service on this line. Laborious, constant, 
 firm, of good judgment, patient, and guarded in his con- 
 duct, of popular manners and address, he has been a safe 
 counselor, and always efficient in the discharge of duty. 
 Distinguished at Vera Cruz, the Cerro Cordo, and in this 
 valley, both before and subsequent to the armistice, he 
 continued at his post to the last moment, even when 
 oppressed with illness and great physical fatigue. After 
 the storm of Chapultepec he received a severe contusion 
 in the thigh, which disabled him for the day. 
 
 Lieutenant Beauregard is one of the finest soldiers in 
 our corps. Of great strength, accomplished in all manly 
 exercises, well read in his profession, and of forcible and 
 independent character, much self-reliance and confidence, 
 he has established a good reputation throughout the ser- 
 vice. On the day of the storm of Chapultepec, although 
 
CAPTURE OF CITY OF MEXICO 217 
 
 struck several times and twice severely, he maintained 
 his post, and in the night supervised the erection of the 
 batteries and infantry covers, from which Quitman was 
 to open his fires upon the citadel in case the enemy had 
 continued the conflict on the following day. 
 
 Lieutenant Tower, for judgment, for an assured and 
 natural self-reliance, great force of character, and great 
 decision and intrepidity in emergencies, has no superior in 
 our corps. Indefatigable at Vera Cruz and the Cerro 
 Gordo, he was eminently distinguished at Contreras. 
 Subsequent to the armistice he was efficient in the dis- 
 charge of his duties, and the engineer officer of Quitman 
 on the day of the storm of Chapultepec ; he was remark- 
 ably intrepid under the fire of the enemy, and was at 
 his post till a severe wound in the head compelled him to 
 withdraw. 
 
 Lieutenant Smith, in command of the engineer com- 
 pany, has rendered the most distinguished service. He 
 has shown great power of command. The engineer com- 
 pany has rendered the most distinguished service. The 
 engineer company devolved upon him in a state of great 
 despondency and discontent on the part of the men. By 
 his judicious management he breathed into it the breath 
 of life, raised the spirits of the men, and inspired them 
 with hope and confidence. In his hands the company 
 has acquired a great reputation in the service. 
 
 His lieutenants, McClellan and Foster, are both brave, 
 intrepid, efficient, and devoted to duty. At Molino, Foster 
 was dangerously wounded in the leg. 
 
 But perhaps no officer of engineers has rendered more 
 brilliant service than Captain Mason. Of remarkable 
 intellectual force, great quickness of apprehension, highly 
 cultivated, an ambitious student, and frank and honest in 
 his life, on the field of battle, in a reconnoissance of the 
 enemy's position, indeed in every emergency, he has been 
 
218 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 conspicuous for force, rapid decision, and the most daring 
 intrepidity. 
 
 In my own case, delicate health has much diminished 
 my efficiency. Our long rest in Puebla did something 
 towards restoring my strength, and I entertained the 
 hope that it would prove equal to any emergency. I 
 rode in an ambulance to Buena Vista, and subsequently 
 from Ayotla to San Augustin. My reconnoissance of 
 the Penon, in which I was employed seven hours in mud 
 and water, and within almost point-blank range of the 
 enemy's guns, was highly satisfactory to General Scott. 
 On the 19th, at Contreras, I was too much exhausted and 
 in too delicate health to remain on the field exposed to 
 the rain. I in consequence returned to San Augustin, 
 and was not present in the splendid attack of General 
 Smith on Valencia's intrenched camp. At Churubusco I 
 was the senior engineer officer of Twiggs's division. At 
 the close of that day I was almost wholly prostrated by 
 my exertions, and I had not renewed the strength with 
 which I left Puebla on the termination of the armistice. 
 At Molino del Rey I accompanied the reserves to the 
 field, and on Mason and Foster becoming disabled from 
 wounds, did duty during the remainder of the action. 
 Subsequently, in conjunction with Beauregard and Tower, 
 I reconnoitred the southern front of the city. In con- 
 sequence of physical exhaustion I was not assigned to 
 duty in the establishing of batteries against Chapultepec, 
 but on the day of the 13th was on duty till I was wounded, 
 in the San Cosme suburb, about half past one o'clock. 
 
 September 13. At half past one o'clock I was wounded 
 in the foot, whilst posting a picket at a little work at a 
 village some five hundred yards beyond the English cem- 
 etery. Dr. De Lein cut out the ball. It struck close to 
 the little toe, and crossing over a little obliquely to the 
 rear, was cut out just in front of the instep. The bones 
 
CAPTURE OF CITY OF MEXICO 219 
 
 are fractured and the tendons lacerated. About half 
 past three o'clock I was taken to Tacubaya in an ambu- 
 lance, and in the evening Dr. Barnes dressed my wound. 
 
 September 14. I was removed to the city this day, 
 and placed in comfortable quarters in the palace. I suf- 
 fered some little pain last night and through the day. I 
 owe many thanks to Major Smith for his unwearied 
 kindness. 
 
 September 15. To-day I am relieved of pain, though 
 last night I got but indifferent rest. Dr. Barnes at- 
 tends me, and has commenced applying poultices. 
 
 September 17. Dr. Barnes, on examining my wound 
 this morning, observed, in a manner that showed he was 
 relieved of much anxiety, " I can save the foot." 
 
 September 18-30. During this period my wound has 
 done famously. I have been in no pain whatever. News 
 has come of large reinforcements pouring in from below, 
 and many expect them to reach Mexico as early as the 
 10th proximo. It seems to me we cannot reasonably 
 expect their arrival till the 20th or 30th proximo. 
 
 Santa Anna, some few days after our entrance, abdi- 
 cated the presidency in favor of the chief justice, Pena y 
 Pena, and announced his intention to go to Puebla, or- 
 ganize a force, and operate against Childs and reinforce- 
 ments coming up from below. No one here is much 
 apprehensive of the result. 
 
 The general has found it necessary to issue stringent 
 orders in regard to assassinations of men, and to enforce 
 the utmost vigilance on the part of our guards. In some 
 of the regiments the police is bad, and the guards totally 
 neglectful of their duty. 
 
 A large city is ruinous to the morale of troops. The 
 officers in our army spend the nights at the gambling- 
 houses (tigers), and the men indulge in women and drink 
 as long as their money lasts. 
 
220 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 A camp of instruction alone affords the means of put- 
 ting troops in a high state of discipline and efficiency. 
 Yet the occupation of cities has great advantages. The 
 residents become familiar with our character and customs, 
 and friendly relations grow up. 
 
 October 1. This day I have sat up the first time, — a 
 most agreeable change from the recumbent posture. We 
 hear news from below that Childs has been severely 
 pressed. Here, we are firmly of opinion that he cannot 
 be driven from his post. It is hoped and believed that 
 no troops will march up from below except in a strong 
 column, four to six thousand men. A small body might 
 tempt the enemy. He might fall upon it with a large 
 force and gain some success. 
 
 October 2-11. Rumors accumulate in reference to 
 Santa Anna's attack on Puebla. From all accounts, his 
 troops are of poor quality, and he is not on the best 
 terms with his subordinates. My wound is doing exceed- 
 ingly well, and I have at length found an opportunity to 
 write to my wife and father by way of Tampico. 
 
 October 12-24. My wound has been doing badly, 
 and my general health has been poor. For several days 
 the foot became much inflamed, and poultices had to be 
 applied. The new flesh has sloughed off, and the pro- 
 cess of granulation has to be gone over again. At the 
 present time my wound is doing well, and the fever or 
 flux, which has threatened me for many days, I have 
 nearly driven off. 
 
 November 1. A train of six hundred wagons departed 
 for Vera Cruz with a large number of wounded officers 
 and men, on their return to the States ; Generals Quit- 
 man and Shields, Colonels Garland, Andrews, and Mor- 
 gan, Major Smith, and other distinguished officers being 
 of the number. 
 
 General Quitman leaves behind him the most enviable 
 
CITY OF MEXICO 221 
 
 reputation. Courteous in deportment, just in conduct, a 
 man of business devoted to his duty, he is second to no 
 commander of division in this army. As a military man 
 he is said to be well informed, and to understand well 
 the principles of his profession. He has extraordinary 
 vigor, courage, and coolness, and he has exhibited great 
 ability in the management of the volunteer division. 
 
 General Shields has all the dashing and enthusiastic 
 bravery peculiar to the Irish race. There is no braver 
 man in our army. Since entering the military service he 
 has assiduously studied his profession, and is fast rising 
 as a military man. 
 
 November 2. Yesterday and to-day have been festi- 
 val (All Saints') days. Word came from Colonel Childs 
 that General Lane on the 29th set out from Puebla with 
 a column to meet the train, and that General Patterson 
 left Vera Cruz with five thousand men. There is still 
 an impression that General Patterson will assume the 
 command, and that General Scott will be recalled. But 
 I discredit it entirely. Very few cases of stabbing now 
 occur. 
 
 On the departure of Major Smith, with whom I have 
 messed nearly the whole time I have been in the country, 
 I find myself entirely alone. Colonel Watson (in com- 
 mand of Shields's brigade) and staff occupied adjoining 
 rooms, and we made a very pleasant little circle. Colonel 
 Watson is a candid, sensible, and good man. I esteem 
 him highly. Lieutenant Baker is a gentleman of much 
 intelligence, considerable acuteness, and of the most 
 friendly feelings. They are now all gone, and I am now 
 installed in Colonel Watson's apartment. I am in a 
 spacious room, with three large windows hung in damask 
 looking on the street, and having at one extremity a 
 raised platform, carpeted, and canopied with damask. 
 Here I have my bed, my table, and my armchair, as 
 
222 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 comfortable as all the world. Indeed, I now very much 
 feel as if I were in the halls of the Montezumas. My 
 brother officers have most kindly offered to do all they 
 can for me. 
 
 November 3. Since the departure of the train the 
 weather has been beautiful. Captain Naylor this morning 
 very summarily dispelled my dreams of luxuriating in the 
 halls of the Montezumas by saying that the room I now 
 occupied was needed for a commission, and that he must 
 ask me to remove to my old quarters. As they were 
 exceedingly damp and uncomfortable, and totally unfit 
 for an invalid, Captain Lee referred the matter to General 
 Smith, the governor of the city, who decided that I should 
 not be moved till a suitable room could be provided. 
 
 Captain Naylor is an enthusiast on the subject of the 
 regeneration of Mexico through American intervention. 
 As superintendent of the archives, he avails himself of 
 his opportunities to understand this people. They are 
 undoubtedly degenerating. The cities are falling into 
 decay ; the mechanic arts do not improve ; misrule and 
 anarchy have long been the every-day experience of this 
 unfortunate people. In the City of Mexico not a new 
 house has been built for years, and many structures are 
 crumbling into ruins. 
 
 November 4. My friends, Captains Lee, Power, and 
 Hardcastle, give glowing accounts of the scenic represen- 
 tations at the Santa Anna theatre, — more perfect in the 
 mechanical contrivances, and more splendid in effect, than 
 anything to be seen in our own country. I regretted 
 to learn that Captain Lee's man Peter was murdered in 
 Ayotla after the arrival of the train on the evening of 
 the 1st instant. 
 
 The officers are hard at work at their drawings, and 
 hope to finish them against my going down in the next 
 train. 
 
CITY OF MEXICO 223 
 
 November 11. During the past few days I have been 
 ill and well again, — a bad cold and the wound inflamed. 
 The doctor, however, still confines me to my room. He 
 considers that rest is necessary to prevent my foot's 
 inflaming. 
 
 Information has come that General Patterson, on the 
 27th ultimo, left Vera Cruz. He will probably require 
 twenty days to reach Puebla, and some twelve days more 
 to make his arrangements there and his journey to 
 Mexico. I shall not, therefore, look for a mail before 
 the 17th instant. 
 
 November 14. Nothing of interest has occurred in 
 the city. Anaya is said to have been elected provisional 
 president. A piece of leather of the size of half a tlaco 
 came from my wound to-day. It was cut out of my shoe 
 by the ball and carried into my foot. 
 
 November 15. A general order was published to-day 
 announcing the determination of the general to bring to 
 trial and punishment all officers who shall, contrary to 
 regulations, furnish for publication accounts of opera- 
 tions in the field, and censuring in the severest terms the 
 authors of " Leonidas " and of the Tampico letter in the 
 " North American." 
 
 November 16. Colonel Duncan, in a letter breathing 
 defiance to the general, announced himself as the author 
 of the Tampico letter, and exonerated General Worth 
 from all knowledge even of its having been written till it 
 was well on its way. It was not written for publication, 
 Colonel Duncan avers. Colonel Duncan was arrested in 
 consequence of these matters. 
 
 November 18. The long-expected train arrived to-day, 
 bringing me three letters from my dear wife, and news 
 of my little family being in excellent health. Mr. Trist 
 has been recalled, and it seems to be the determination 
 of the government to abandon all attempts to negotiate a 
 
224 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 peace, and to prosecute the war unto the occupation of 
 the whole country. 
 
 November 20. Much to my delight, I mounted my 
 crutches to-day and moved about my room. 
 
 November 21. I made a call on my friend Major 
 Kir by, and met several of my acquaintances. 
 
 November 22. To-day I got as far as the engineer 
 office. General Pillow is in arrest. 
 
 December 4. Went into the streets to-day and was 
 much rejoiced to be relieved from confinement. Called 
 to see my friend Foster, and found him doing nicely. 
 
 December 5. Went to the theatre, and was charmed 
 with Cafiete. My friends had spoken of her in glow- 
 ing terms, and I went prepared to find her overrated. 
 She is remarkably natural, chaste, and graceful in all 
 her impersonations, and I do not wonder that she is 
 so very popular with the whole world of theatre-going 
 people. 
 
 December 9. The train finally got off to-day, and pro- 
 ceeded as far as Venta Nueva. Foster and myself have 
 a tolerable ambulance assigned to us. We got off late, 
 the last wagons not leaving the city till towards noon. 
 The mules were a good deal fagged, and the train will 
 not probably get down so soon by two days in conse- 
 quence of the length of this day's march. Distance, 
 main plaza to Ayotla, fourteen miles. 
 
 December 10. Proceeded to Kio Frio. Here I met 
 my classmate, Colonel Irvin, in command of the 5th Ohio 
 regiment. The night was quite cold, and, not finding a 
 room, we were obliged to sleep in an ambulance. 
 
 December 11. This day went to San Martin, where 
 we found some excellent pulque. Distance, fifteen miles. 
 
 December 12. Reached Puebla. Distance, twenty 
 miles. 
 
 1847. The diary ends here. 
 
RETURN TO UNITED STATES 225 
 
 Lieutenant Stevens's wound was far more serious than 
 he, in his cheerful way of making the best of everything, 
 admitted. The ball ploughed across the bridge of the 
 foot, breaking nearly all the bones. At first the surgeons 
 were extremely doubtful of saving the foot. The wound 
 was slow in healing, and the foot never fully recovered 
 its strength and usefulness. Three times, at intervals of 
 one or two years, the wound opened and expelled pieces 
 of bone. For many years he had to wear a special shoe 
 with extra-thick sole. 
 
 The chief of the robbers who served as spies for Gen- 
 eral Scott, a man of striking presence and romantic 
 though blood-stained career, known as Don Juan el Dia- 
 blo (Don John the Devil), formed a strong attachment to 
 Lieutenant Stevens, and took care of him during a great 
 part of his sickness, and was devoted and unwearied in 
 his attentions to the wounded officer. 
 
 St. Charles, New Orleans, December 28, 1847. 
 My dearest Wife, — I have just reached this city after a 
 four days' passage from Vera Cruz, and a twenty days' journey 
 in all from the City of Mexico. I am in splendid health, al- 
 though my wound still keeps me on crutches. We are all going 
 up the river to-morrow, and I am full of the most blissful 
 anticipations at the idea of seeing you, the children, and friends. 
 You will not see me for eight or ten days after the receipt of 
 this. I shall be obliged to stay in Washington some days. 
 Love to friends, and to Hazard and Sue. I hope to see you 
 soon. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR 
 
 Washington, January 23, 1848. 
 
 My dearest Margaret, — At the strong desire of the 
 colonel, I must remain here a few days longer. He wishes me 
 to go with him over all the reports in order to get at all the 
 facts in relation to the services of the engineer officers in the 
 recent campaign of Mexico. I am able to afford many explana- 
 tions of the reports, presenting in a stronger light the services 
 of our officers, which will enable the colonel to present a strong 
 case to the Secretary in matters of brevets. 
 
 The colonel and his family have been very cordial to me, and 
 nothing could be more grateful than the high appreciation they 
 have for the services of our officers. The colonel takes great 
 pride in the distinction which our corps has acquired. Indeed, 
 the services of the engineers have been so conspicuous that the 
 corps has become popular. Every one knows that the engineers 
 have important functions in the field. 
 
 I have paid my respects to the President and Secretary, and 
 was highly gratified with my interview. The Secretary had a 
 half hour's leisure, and I took the opportunity to express my 
 sense of the great ability, wisdom, and patriotism of General 
 Scott. The Secretary has the highest admiration for his mili- 
 tary achievements, and is indeed a just and judicious friend to 
 the service. 
 
 I am boarding at Mrs. Janney's with my old friends, Gilmer 
 and Woodbury. Woodbury married Miss Child s, a very 
 pleasant lady. Her mother is also boarding at the same place, 
 a highly intelligent person, and the wife of Colonel Childs, dis- 
 tinguished for his defense of Puebla. 
 
 You may be sure I am very impatient to see you and my 
 little ones. Nothing but a sense of duty to my brother officers, 
 who are absent in the field, could have induced me to remain. 
 
HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR 227 
 
 I hope to reach Newport within the week, certainly by next 
 Sunday morning. 
 
 Affectionate remembrances to friends, and love, much love, 
 to my Hazard and Susan. 
 
 Yours most affectionately, 
 
 Isaac. 
 My health is splendid, my wound improving. 
 
 The enforced visit to Washington was not without 
 pleasant features. He was received with the gratifying 
 attentions due an officer just from the seat of war, who 
 had distinguished himself for gallantry and conduct, and 
 enjoyed the congenial duty of explaining the military 
 operations to his chief, and aiding in securing for his 
 absent comrades the honors and rewards they had so 
 well earned. A letter of February 6 from his friend, 
 Captain Foster, is of interest in this connection : — 
 
 "On arriving at Washington I went immediately to Mrs. 
 Janney's. There I heard of you. They all spoke very highly 
 of you, particularly Mr. Robbins, who was very much interested 
 in you. I dined at Colonel Totten's on Wednesday, and Mrs. 
 T. told me all about your being here. They all paid you some 
 very fine compliments. Mrs. T. said she gained more informa- 
 tion from Mr. Stevens than from all the other officers who 
 had come from Mexico, your manner of speaking of men and 
 things was so frank and just. Miss Kate said she was delighted 
 with Mr. Stevens ; he was correct and reliable in all he said. 
 The colonel seemed glad to see me, and proud of the reputation 
 of his corps. The result of all this, I hope, will be that he will 
 give us two brevets, make you a major in charge of a work, 
 and send me as your ' assistant. ... It made me right jealous 
 to hear the flatteries that the ladies at Mrs. Burr's bestowed on 
 the ' gallant Mr. Stevens.' " 
 
 It was a joyful reunion when he reached Newport, and 
 enfolded his dearly loved wife and little ones in his arms. 
 A fortnight later he visited Andover, and one may im- 
 agine how his father, brother Oliver, and cousins and fel- 
 
228 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 low townsmen received the soldier, returned on crutches, 
 with open arms, and lionized him to the full. The coun- 
 try had been at peace for thirty years, and the returning 
 soldiers from Mexico, especially the wounded officers, 
 were received with mingled feelings of awe and admira- 
 tion. Writes a brother officer, " The boys look at me 
 around the corner, remarking, ' I see him/ 6 There he 
 goes.' ( The man that 's been to Mexico.' " 
 
 Newport, R. I., February 28, 1848. 
 
 My dear Father, — We reached Newport about half past 
 eight o'clock in the evening the same day we left Andover. I 
 am now in my office, and am devoting some six hours each day 
 to official matters. My wound is improving ; I go about the 
 house with a cane simply, and through the streets with one 
 crutch and a cane. In one month, or at least in two months, I 
 hope to be able to dismiss my crutches entirely. 
 
 I hope in all sincerity that our difficulties with Mexico are 
 in the way of a permanent adjustment. The general opinion 
 is that the Senate will ratify the treaty. The only difficulty 
 (and one which in my opinion is much to be apprehended) is 
 that Mexico, in consequence of a pronunciamiento, may disavow 
 her own act. I trust, however, that such will not be the case, 
 though I think it incumbent upon our government to continue 
 to raise and push out troops till the thing is settled. Should 
 there be want of faith on the part of the Mexicans, we should 
 be in condition to punish it with most exemplary severity. Let 
 our war measures be all pushed through without delay, and 
 let there be the greatest activity in raising troops. This course 
 of procedure, whilst ratifying the treaty, will make the treaty 
 an effective thing. 
 
 Remember me to friends. Margaret wishes to be affection- 
 ately remembered to you. Hazard has not forgotten your sto- 
 ries of King George and the Redcoats. 
 
 At this time he was being considered for the colonelcy 
 of one of the new regiments, which, if the war continued, 
 would have to be raised. A prominent member of Con- 
 gress from Maine, Hezekiah Williams, writes him, "I 
 
HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR 229 
 
 think our delegation would unite in recommending you. 
 It certainly would give me pleasure to aid in obtaining 
 your appointment." Mr. Stevens writes Oliver : — 
 
 " My policy is to get elected to the command of a volunteer 
 regiment, and get a leave of absence, so as to hold on to my 
 present commission. I should like to command a Massachusetts 
 regiment and put it through some good service in Mexico, 
 should we be obliged to resort to the alternative of renewing 
 the contest." 
 
 An incident occurred one day, when a light rifle that 
 Mr. Stevens had taken to Mexico, but had never used in 
 action there, stood in good stead. A mad dog ran amuck 
 down Broad Street, frothing at the mouth and snapping 
 at all he met. The people on all sides rushed into the 
 shops and houses for refuge, with loud outcries of alarm 
 and warning. Mr. Stevens, apprised of the danger, 
 seized the light rifle, hobbled out on his crutches to the 
 sidewalk, followed up the maddened beast, which had 
 now dashed into the hall of a neighboring house, and 
 shot him through the head, killing him on the spot. 
 
 He might now reasonably expect a little rest until he 
 could recover from his severe wound and injury. He 
 writes Oliver, March 15 : — 
 
 " I am taking things very quietly in this most quiet of all 
 places. There is no danger from dissipation or over-excite- 
 ment, and I need not, therefore, be apprehensive of anything 
 like inflammation in my wounded part. My wound is doing 
 exceedingly well. I can now move a little about the house 
 with a cane." 
 
 That very day he received orders to proceed to Savan- 
 nah, Ga., with the view of taking charge of the fortifi- 
 cations on the Savannah River. After his arrival there 
 he writes Oliver, March 27 : — 
 
 " I am here on temporary duty for a few days, and shall 
 return home next week. This is to be my permanent station in 
 
230 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the fall. The summer I shall spend in amusing myself. A 
 portion of it will be passed in Andover. 
 
 " Savannah is an old-looking, handsomely laid out, and 
 pretty well-built place, the most important town in the State, 
 and the only one having much trade. 
 
 " Colonel Mansfield will relieve me in Bucksport during the 
 latter part of April, at which time I shall bid adieu to my 
 friends in Maine. 
 
 44 1 am tolerably well pleased with my new station. It is 
 healthy throughout the year, and I have no doubt the change 
 will prove highly advantageous so far as health is concerned. 
 
 " The duties are trifling. The large work, Fort Pulaski, is 
 finished, and nothing remains to be done but to prepare a 
 bridge-head of timber, and secure the island from overflow by 
 the construction of dikes. The small work, Fort Jackson, will 
 require an expenditure of something less than one hundred 
 thousand dollars in the way of enlargement and repair. 
 
 44 My duties will therefore be comparatively light. Nothing 
 will be doing from June to October ; so I shall be able to go 
 North occasionally to pass the summer. 
 
 44 The people are very hospitable, and I shall make many 
 acquaintances before I leave. I have an old classmate just 
 rising at the bar here, and many officers' families reside here." 
 
 His next letter to Oliver, from Newport, April 6, is 
 interesting as presenting his view of Cromwell : — 
 
 44 1 am just back from Savannah after an absence of twenty 
 days, and return thither to commence operations in November 
 next. The intermediate time will enable me to get well of my 
 game foot, and to pass some little time among my friends. I 
 go down to Bucksport week after next to turn over the public 
 property to Colonel Mansfield, and I shall probably be in Port- 
 land on Friday, April 21. 
 
 44 1 am rather late to answer the principal thing in your 
 letter of the 25th ultimo. Both subjects are good. I should 
 think that 4 Individuality of Character ' would be preferable, 
 because its handling does not require so much reading as 
 Cromwell. With ample leisure for investigation, I should pre- 
 fer the latter. I do not know of a single unprejudiced author- 
 
HEROES HOME FROM THE WAR 231 
 
 ity. Foster's Statesmen of the Commonwealth and Clarendon's 
 History are the best I have seen. Russell's Biography is poor 
 and inaccurate. Hume is very superficial. Catherine Macau- 
 lay is a great bigot. Carlyle's Cromwell is good, because it 
 consists principally of Cromwell's letters and speeches. Bab- 
 ington Macaulay's essays on the various statesmen of the 
 rebellion are good. 
 
 " I like your idea of treating the subject of individuality. 
 The greatest example of the influence of a strong, original 
 character in moulding a great people in our own history is 
 Franklin. It was the strong, original characters of our Revo- 
 lution that achieved our independence. The many are always 
 ruled by a few, frequently by one, the wise, the strong man, or 
 men. I have found in this view many fine ideas in Carlyle's 
 Heroes. 
 
 " As regards Cromwell : he and he alone achieved the over- 
 throw of the Stuarts. Without him there would have been 
 no glorious restoration, as Burke calls the expulsion of James. 
 The French monarchy would have still been absolute, and the 
 French people would have still been in chains. Cromwell was 
 bold, direct, far-seeing, a great governor of men. Cromwell 
 was vastly superior in the elements of a great man to Hamp- 
 den, to Pym, to Strafford, to Vane. A bold sketch of Crom- 
 well's actual part in the greatest drama of English history 
 would be highly interesting. Dwell on his great foresight, 
 grasp, directness, sincerity ; his boisterous youth, his religious 
 fervor in after years, his unswerving advocacy of the rights 
 of his neighbors, which caused him to be called the Lord of 
 the Fens ; his unshrinking avowal of his opinions in his early 
 parliamentary career ; his extraordinary sagacity in organiz- 
 ing his Ironsides, the greatest soldiers of ancient or modern 
 times ; his self-denying ordinance, in which by a bold stroke 
 he threw half-way, indecisive men from the army, and sent it 
 forth to victory ; his earnest efforts to settle matters with 
 Charles after the forces of the latter were dispersed, and he a 
 prisoner ; his invincible opposition to all ecclesiastical tyranny, 
 whether presbyterian or prelatical ; his part in the execution 
 of the king ; his great Irish and Scotch campaigns, particu- 
 larly the battle of Dunbar, where his famous rallying cry, as 
 
232 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the sun shone through the morning clouds, 'Let God arise, 
 and let his enemies be scattered!' spread dismay through the 
 ranks of his enemies, and brought a glorious victory to his 
 arms." 
 
 Now he enjoyed a month of the rest he so much 
 needed. With his wife and little ones he occupied rooms 
 in the old family mansion, a welcome guest to Mrs. Ben- 
 jamin Hazard and her daughters, who always regarded 
 him with the greatest affection and admiration. As spring 
 opened, he took great pleasure in making a famous gar- 
 den in the spacious yard behind the mansion, having 
 the ground manured and cultivated in the most thorough 
 manner, and planting the greatest profusion of vege- 
 tables. His friend Mason was also in Newport, recov- 
 ering from his wound, and many were the accounts and 
 discussions had with him and Mr. Brooks and other 
 congenial spirits of the stirring scenes of the war. 
 
 Major Stevens was fully convinced of the justice and 
 necessity of the Mexican war. The repeated depreda- 
 tions by Mexico upon Americans, and her long-continued 
 refusal or evasion of all redress ; her publicly declared 
 purpose of conquering the republic of Texas after its 
 independence had been established and acknowledged for 
 ten years ; her arrogant demand that the United States 
 should not admit Texas to the Union, and her still more 
 arrogant threat that she would regard such admission 
 as an act of war ; the departure of her minister from 
 Washington ; and the breaking off of all friendly rela- 
 tions instantly upon the passage by Congress of the 
 resolution admitting the Lone Star State, — left no 
 alternative but to bring the inflated and treacherous 
 pronunciamientos to terms by force of arms, since they 
 were amenable neither to justice nor reason, and to 
 " conquer a peace " which even they would have to respect. 
 And, glorious as were her arms, not less creditable were 
 
RETURN TO BUCKSPORT 233 
 
 the moderation and magnanimity of the Great Republic, 
 when Mexico, her armies destroyed, her capital taken, 
 lay prostrate, in paying a large indemnity for the far- 
 distant and almost tenantless regions of New Mexico and 
 California, which, while ready to fall from Mexico's 
 feeble grasp, were essential to the expansion of the 
 populous and fast-growing Republic of the North. 
 
 In the latter part of May he visited Boston and An- 
 dover with his little son. 
 
 The following month the Savannah orders were counter- 
 manded, the Engineer Department deeming it best that 
 he should continue in charge of Fort Knox, and the 
 other works in Maine and New Hampshire. 
 
 After a preliminary visit, he moved his family again 
 to Bucksport, in June, and occupied a cottage at the fort 
 opposite the town. 
 
 He gathered about him his former assistants, A. W. 
 Tinkham and John Lee, and continued in charge of the 
 works for upwards of five years. 
 
 Having a strong desire to own a home of his own, he 
 purchased a house, with a generous lot of half an acre, 
 overlooking the river. The house was of two stories, 
 seven rooms, with a barn in the rear connected by a wood- 
 shed. The principal wharf was at the foot of the street, 
 and here Major Stevens kept his boat. The house had 
 an ill repute as being unhealthy, some of the former in- 
 mates having died from consumption. When cautioned 
 on this score, he replied : " It is high time some one took 
 the house who can give it a good reputation." He had 
 the cellar and grounds thoroughly drained, sunk a well, 
 blasting through a ledge of rock, and put the grounds 
 and garden in fine order. He took great pains with, and 
 pleasure in, the garden, raising all kinds of vegetables. 
 They kept poultry also, and among them was a flock of 
 twelve ducklings that every day solemnly waddled down 
 
234 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 to the river in single file, and as solemnly waddled up 
 the hill again after their daily bath and paddling in the 
 river, an unceasing source of interest and pleasure to 
 the children. 
 
 The government was contemplating the fortification of 
 the more important points on the Pacific coast, and to an 
 inquiry as to his willingness to be sent to that distant 
 field, he writes the following characteristic reply : - — 
 
 " As regards engineer duty on the Pacific coast for a year 
 or two, I should be well pleased with it did I feel certain that 
 I was physically in condition to undertake it. If the passage 
 thither should be an easy one, as mostly by sea, I have little 
 doubt that on my arrival at the scene of my duties my lameness 
 would be essentially gone. If the journey should be overland, 
 I should hardly be able to bear the fatigues of it in less than 
 two or three months. If ordered, I should go without hesita- 
 tion, and do the best I could. I must leave this matter entirely 
 with you. No officer should feel at liberty to decline a distant 
 duty of this kind, and in this case, as in all others, let the pub- 
 lic interests alone have weight." 
 
 Ambitious he was, but with a lofty ambition, not to 
 aggrandize himself, but to serve his country, ever ready 
 to sacrifice personal interests and feelings to the public 
 service. In this and other letters he displays a certain 
 impatience that personal convenience or interests should 
 be consulted at all in matters of public duty. 
 
 When the brevets were announced, Lieutenant Stevens 
 was brevetted "Captain, August 20, 1847, for gallant 
 and meritorious conduct in the battles of Contreras and 
 Churubusco," and "Major, September 13, 1847, for gallant 
 and meritorious conduct in the battle of Chapultepec." 
 
 He took great pains to secure justice to all the engi- 
 neer officers in the way of brevets, conceiving that he was 
 in a measure responsible therefor because, as adjutant of 
 the corps in Mexico, the engineer reports had been made 
 through him ; he had had charge of the records, and had 
 
VISITS WASHINGTON 235 
 
 been closely consulted by the chief, General Totten, and 
 spent no little time and effort in behalf of those who had 
 been overlooked. 
 
 The engineers felt themselves treated with injustice in 
 the matter of brevet pay, for while the officers of artillery, 
 cavalry, and infantry were allowed full pay when assigned 
 to duty according to their brevet rank, the former were 
 denied the same right, although frequently placed in 
 charge of works and assigned to duties above their nomi- 
 nal rank. They had other grievances, too, in the allow- 
 ances for rations, horses, etc. One so disinterested and 
 indefatigable in behalf of his corps and brother officers 
 as Major Stevens would be sure to be often called upon. 
 He took great interest in these matters, and even more 
 in the general reorganization of the army, upon which he 
 corresponded and consulted largely with able and public- 
 spirited young officers of other corps as well as his own. 
 
 It was not until November that his friend and class- 
 mate, Lieutenant J. F. Gilmer, relieved him of the vouch- 
 ers and papers relating to Savannah forts. Writing from 
 Washington, November 6, Gilmer says : " Captain Fred. 
 A. Smith would like much to have you here this winter. 
 It is possible you may do the corps a great service by 
 being in Washington this winter." 
 
 A call for service in any direction always appealed 
 strongly to him, and accordingly he determined to visit 
 Washington, as he writes his brother Oliver, under date 
 of Bucksport, December 8, 1848. This letter displays a 
 humorous vein not usual with him, and gives his view of 
 the character and public policy of General Taylor, then 
 just elected President : — 
 
 My dear Brother, — I rejoice to learn that you are still 
 in the land of the living, and that that severe and noble pursuit, 
 the law, does not prevent your seeing the lions of the town. 
 But you are very cruel to triumph over us benighted creatures 
 
236 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 in this region of frosts and snows. In truth we lead a quiet, 
 rational, country life, perhaps as much to be envied as the more 
 attractive life of the great city. I wish you, however, distinctly 
 to understand that we do not suck our paws during the winter, 
 and I feel bound to disabuse you of this misapprehension. That 
 is done still farther down East, I believe. We do not sleep more 
 than twelve or at most fourteen hours a day. We manage to 
 eat three meals per day. But it is hard work ; they approxi- 
 mate rather too closely. We drink tea nights, and eat apples 
 mornings. We get the newspapers generally every day, and 
 expect to read the Message to-morrow. By way of diversion, we 
 slide down hill on a moonlight evening. Then there are prayer 
 and conference meetings ad libitum. What a consolation these 
 latter privileges would be to one of your serious turn of mind ! 
 I can almost see your grave countenance lighted up with heavenly 
 radiance on such an occasion. 
 
 By the bye, I hope to see you in about four weeks, as I pass 
 on to Washington. There I shall probably remain till after 
 the inauguration. I find in the election of General Taylor the 
 great fact indicated that we poor devils in the army are citizens 
 of the country, and eligible to civil offices of trust. I should 
 have voted most cordially for General Cass, had I a vote to 
 throw. His election I vastly preferred. But there has been in 
 this canvass a vast deal of nonsense about the camp not being 
 the place to find our Presidents, and I am much mistaken if 
 General Taylor, in his own person, does not prove a happy in- 
 stance of the mingling of military and administrative ability. 
 And those miserable hacks of party, who have sought to depre- 
 ciate his military services and talents, have now the consolation 
 to reflect that their efforts at detraction served to promote his 
 election, as it did that of General Harrison. 
 
 " I unhesitatingly believe that General Taylor will administer 
 the government in an able, impartial, and patriotic manner, and 
 if during his presidency an emergency arises, he will prove a 
 hero-President as he has proved a hero-soldier. The Democratic 
 party ought not to prejudge him. Let them maintain a firm 
 attitude in Congress, and keep well organized everywhere. The 
 Whigs cannot carry any of their favorite measures through 
 Congress for two years at least. We may then have a Demo- 
 
GENERAL TAYLOR 237 
 
 cratic Congress, and, my word for it, there will be no collision 
 between such a Congress and General Taylor. On that great 
 cluster of questions, the public lands, the encouragement and 
 protection of distant settlements, the development of the great 
 Pacific coast, the old man will be right. If the Democratic 
 party will show candor and liberality towards General Taylor, 
 he may be their nominee four years from this time." 
 
 As one result of his visit to Washington, Major Stevens 
 took hold of the brevet pay question in his usual thor- 
 oughgoing and indefatigable manner. He first corre- 
 sponded with every bre vetted officer of the corps whom 
 he had not already consulted personally. Having thus 
 learned their views, he prepared a strong memorial on 
 the subject, which, after being submitted to, and warmly 
 approved by, Colonels Thayer and Mansfield and Major 
 Tower, was sent to all the officers for their signatures. 
 And in July he transmitted the memorial to General 
 Totten, signed by every brevetted officer of the corps 
 save one, with an urgent letter asking his interposition 
 with the War Department in their behalf. 
 
 It was the intention, in case the department denied the 
 application, to appeal to Congress, but the manifest jus- 
 tice of the cause as presented was unanswerable. The 
 department, after some doubts, concluded that it had the 
 necessary authority under the law regulating brevet pay, 
 and at length the engineers were placed on an equality 
 with the other arms in this respect. His brother officers 
 conceded that the gratifying triumph was due to the well- 
 directed and persistent efforts of Major Stevens, and show- 
 ered upon him their warm thanks and applause. This 
 success, however, was followed by more and more fre- 
 quent applications from them and others for assistance 
 and advice in their own personal matters. He never 
 failed to expend his thought, energy, and time in every 
 deserving case as promptly and freely as, ay, far more 
 than, if he was working for himself, and he never shunned, 
 
238 ISAAC LNGALLS STEVENS 
 
 nor complained of, these gratuitous tasks, which in the 
 next few years became a great burden, but always seemed 
 to take real pleasure and satisfaction in helping others, 
 even many who had little or no claim upon him. 
 
 In April writes Captain George B. McClellan, who 
 was stationed at West Point with the engineer company, 
 an urgent appeal to Major Stevens to use his influence to 
 have the company ordered away from the Point, and to 
 Fort Schuyler : — 
 
 My dear Stevens, — The detachment of artillery (labor- 
 ers) stationed here are to be transferred to the engineer com- 
 pany, — at least so many as may be necessary to fill up the 
 company. On our company then will it devolve to do all the 
 police of the Point, to make the roads, drive the carts, feed the 
 oxen, work in the blacksmith and carpenter shops, etc., etc., 
 — in plain terms, the engineer company is destroyed ; it has 
 become a company of mud-diggers; it will no longer be an 
 engineer company, for it will be impossible to do military 
 duty, and no instruction in the duties of engineer troops can 
 be given them. The object of the whole business is to get Sho- 
 ver's company of light artillery ordered on here, and we are 
 sacrificed to attain that object. 
 
 This is a matter that concerns equally all the officers of our 
 corps. We are disgraced if this order is allowed to remain 
 in force, and I beg of you to use whatever influence you may 
 possess in Washington to have the order rescinded, and the 
 company ordered away from here. I am in haste, 
 Truly your friend, 
 
 George B. McClellan. 
 
 Partly in response to this letter, but more to express 
 his own views as to the true policy in regard to engineer 
 troops, Major Stevens writes at length to General Totten. 
 It is characteristic that he does not treat the matter from 
 McClellan's narrow, personal standpoint, but at once ele- 
 vates the whole subject to a discussion of the require- 
 ments of the service. After referring to his intimate 
 
ENGINEER COMPANY 239 
 
 association with the engineer company in its organiza- 
 tion and in Mexico, he continues : — - 
 
 " I think every one owes something to his profession. Some- 
 thing is due to my profession, not inferior certainly in dignity 
 to any other. I would endeavor to discharge it according to 
 my ability. It will be in this spirit that I shall submit the fol- 
 lowing observations. In this spirit will I from time to time 
 communicate with the department on this and other topics 
 appertaining to the noble profession of arms, not doubting that 
 my suggestions will be kindly reoeived. 
 
 " By law, the engineer company is restricted to one hundred 
 men, a number entirely inadequate even to the duties of peace. 
 . . . The remedy I would propose is this: Let the utmost care 
 be exercised in enlisting men. Let no man be enlisted who can- 
 not in due course of time be made a non-commissioned officer. 
 Let there be in no case transfers from other branches of the ser- 
 vice. Let the whole strength of the officers of the company 
 be applied to discipline and instruct the men, so that in time 
 of need we shall have a band of splendid non-commissioned 
 officers, the peers of Everett and Hastings and Starr, — men 
 who have received commissions for their gallant services in 
 Mexico, and each of whom, had Smith and McClellan and 
 Foster fallen, could have gloriously led on the company to its 
 duty. 
 
 " I would propose a complete system of practical instruction 
 six or seven months of the year, sapping, mining, and pontooneer- 
 ing, and the whole subject of field-works, at some suitable place, 
 say Fort Schuyler, and a course of theoretical instruction the 
 remaining five months, embracing an elementary course of 
 mathematics (including drawing, surveying, and the use of 
 instruments) and of engineering. There should also be a good 
 general and military library. As regards the library, the corps 
 could be applied to for aid, if necessary. I will for one, and I 
 doubt not many officers would, liberally make donations. 
 
 " Even if the engineer arm were increased to four companies, 
 which I trust will be done the next session of Congress, I would 
 recommend this course. The fine practical education which 
 would thus be secured would induce men to enlist. And we 
 shall have the satisfaction that in the next war with England, 
 
240 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and when the question is to besiege Montreal, Quebec, and 
 Halifax, our four companies can be soon converted into twenty 
 companies." 
 
 Ever since his return from Mexico, Major Stevens was 
 deeply interested in the reorganization of the army. Even 
 while so vigorously fighting for his corps in the matter 
 of brevet pay, in discussions and correspondence with 
 Mansfield, Mason, Tower, G. W. Smith, F. A. Smith, 
 Beauregard, Hunt, and others, after disposing of this 
 particular grievance he would enlarge upon the reorgani- 
 zation of the whole army, giving his own ideas, and 
 urging them as a patriotic duty, not as members of any 
 corps, but from the standpoint of the whole army, to 
 prepare memoirs, or letters, giving their views. 
 
 He advocated an organization that would admit of 
 fourfold extension in case of war ; the keeping of at least 
 one third of the troops in camps of drill and instruction 
 in order to maintain the highest degree of military know- 
 ledge and discipline; and the raising of the standard 
 of the rank and file, attracting thereby American-born 
 young men as soldiers by increased pay, better instruc- 
 tion, and greater opportunities for advancement, even to 
 conferring commissions in meritorious cases. These let- 
 ters and replies, particularly a memoir by Hunt (after- 
 wards the distinguished general, Henry J. Hunt, chief of 
 artillery of the Army of the Potomac), are full of inter- 
 est and instruction. The army, with all the improvements 
 adopted in recent years, has not yet reached the standard 
 set by these patriotic and able young officers fifty years 
 ago. How Major Stevens followed up these preliminary 
 efforts will appear hereafter. 
 
CHAPTEE XIII 
 
 COAST SURVEY 
 
 During the summer Professor A. D. Bache, the dis- 
 tinguished scientist, chief of the United States Coast Sur- 
 vey, found himself obliged to obtain a new " assistant in 
 charge of the Coast Survey Office/' the second position 
 on the survey, in place of Captain A. A. Humphreys, of 
 the topographical engineers, who under the labors of that 
 office had become broken down in health and was obliged 
 to relinquish it. It was no light tribute to the rising 
 reputation of Major Stevens that so wise and sagacious a 
 man as Professor Bache, and so excellent a judge of men, 
 should have selected him out of the whole army as his 
 right-hand assistant and executive officer. He tendered 
 the position, August 7, in a letter well calculated to ap- 
 peal to a patriotic and ambitious young man, dwelling 
 upon the important character of the duties of the office, 
 and the opportunities it afforded "to build up a name 
 for executive ability," and " to reflect credit upon the 
 corps," etc., and stating that the chief engineer (General 
 Totten was an intimate friend of Professor Bache) would 
 look favorably upon his acceptance. 
 
 At first Major Stevens was disposed to decline the post; 
 but after several interviews with Professor Bache in Cam- 
 bridge and Boston, he reluctantly decided to accept it, 
 but upon condition that he should retain charge of the 
 Bucksport works in addition to the new position for a 
 year longer, with the right then to retain either the Coast 
 Survey or Fort Knox, as he might prefer, and relinquish 
 
242 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the other. This unique condition, by which an officer 
 about to undertake new and arduous duties stipulated to 
 retain also his former ones, thus voluntarily adding to his 
 labors instead of diminishing them, was at once accepted 
 by Professor Bache and agreed to by the engineer depart- 
 ment, a convincing proof of the esteem in which he was 
 held by both. 
 
 The concluding part of the following letter to his 
 brother Oliver shows that it was the wider field for his 
 energies and ambition, the better opportunities for service 
 and for putting in force his ideas of reorganizing the 
 army, of performing his " duty to his profession," that 
 really caused him to accept the onerous position : — 
 
 My dear Brother, — I am ready at once to give you a 
 decided opinion as to the course you should pursue, and I know 
 it will be in accordance with your own judgment. 
 
 Kemain in Cambridge a year and a half longer. Then go to 
 Boston. Throw yourself into the arena of the strongest men in 
 the State. Contend with strong men, the stronger the better, 
 and rise above them all. 
 
 I have watched your progress with the anxiety and tender 
 solicitude which an older brother must feel in a younger and 
 only brother. This is one of the turning-points of your life. 
 
 I have not the slightest doubt, in one year from being ad- 
 mitted to the bar, you will be able to marry and have a home 
 of your own. 
 
 Don't trouble yourself about the cost. If things go right 
 with me here, I have no doubt I shall be able to let you have, 
 from July, '50, to July, '51, all you will require. 
 
 I write with the earnestness of deep conviction. I am proud 
 of your talents, but you have a weight of character which gives 
 to talent its force. Let me hear from you soon. I beg of you 
 not to give way to despondency, and the least as to the bold 
 course I have indicated. 
 
 You and I both do best by taking bold, self-relying courses. 
 I never once failed in my life from the boldness of my course. 
 You will not. 
 
COAST SURVEY 243 
 
 I feel I have come to Washington at the right time. The 
 Coast Survey needs me to overhaul it. I feel that the army 
 has a representative in me which it has not had in Washington 
 in years. I know my position, — my strength, — and I swear 
 by the Eternal, to use Jackson's expression, I will put it forth. 
 
 In the following he gives his views on Coast Survey and 
 other matters. 
 
 Washington, D. C, October 22, 1849. 
 
 My dear Brother, — To-day I enter upon my duties. I 
 see no particular difficulty. There is no need of being a mere 
 office drudge. All the work can be done without any one's 
 breaking down. The Coast Survey is a large operation, and 
 the charge of the office here can be made an agreeable duty. 
 The responsibility will be considerable. But all details can be 
 thrown upon subordinates. The fact is, the work in the world 
 has got to be done. But it can be done by proper distribution 
 and arrangement in an easy, quiet manner. This will be my 
 study in my new duties. 
 
 We shall have a great session of Congress the coming winter. 
 The whole subject of our communications with the Pacific will 
 be discussed, railroad and ship canal across the Isthmus, — rail- 
 road through our own border. I have no doubt Congress will 
 direct the necessary explorations and surveys to determine the 
 practicability of the various schemes. 
 
 I am now boarding at a private house. But in a few days I 
 shall occupy rooms, and take my meals at one of the public 
 houses. This is the favorite mode with gentlemen that can 
 afford it. A good parlor with sleeping-room adjoining, in a 
 good situation, will cost me twenty-five dollars per month, the 
 rooms being furnished, and provided with fuel, light, and attend- 
 ance. And board simply, at the best public houses, will cost 
 about twenty dollars more. This mode of living is free and 
 easy. You go into retiracy when you choose, and can again at 
 any moment mingle with the crowd. 
 
 I am becoming acquainted with our Maine and Massachusetts 
 congressmen. Duncan, of Haverhill, I find quite an agreeable 
 gentleman. Hamlin, one of the Maine senators, seems to be 
 quite a clever fellow. Maine, however, has a mediocre repre- 
 sentation in both branches. I was present last evening at a 
 
244 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 reception at the "White House. The President looks hardy, 
 and as though he would survive the attacks that are being made 
 upon him. His nonchalance is by many mistaken for vacuity. 
 The old man has an iron will and most inflexible resolution, 
 and I assure my Democratic friends, who say that he is in the 
 keeping of others, that before his four years are through they 
 will be convinced of it. Take my opinion for what it is worth, 
 brother Oliver. 
 
 The Democrats, as regards General Taylor, are pursuing the 
 very course to reelect him. What did the Whigs gain by repre- 
 senting General Jackson to be in leading-strings? Can't we 
 learn from our enemies ? 
 
 The Coast Survey Office . was indeed " a large opera- 
 tion." All the maps, charts, computations, drawings, 
 printing, engravings, instrument-making, and business 
 administration of the survey were done here under the 
 management and supervision of the assistant in charge. 
 The force immediately under him comprised from sixty 
 to seventy persons, including several army officers. The 
 office occupied a large brick block of houses on New Jer- 
 sey Avenue, corner of B Street, the house at the northeast 
 end being the residence of the professor. The Coast 
 Survey now occupies the other end of the same square. 
 
 The first step taken by the new chief was to organize 
 the force into separate bureaus, each under a responsible 
 head, and performing a particular branch of the work. 
 This had not yet been done, although the difficulty, 
 or impossibility, of the head of the office personally di- 
 recting and supervising so many employees singly, and 
 the details of such multifarious and complicated work, 
 was daily becoming more evident, and doubtless was the 
 prime cause of Captain Humphreys's breakdown. 
 
 " On entering on my duties," he remarks in his first report, 
 " I saw at once that my only hope of filling the situation, with 
 satisfaction to the survey and to myself, was in at once apply- 
 ing my exertions to enlarging and adapting the organization 
 
COAST SURVEY 245 
 
 of the office to the increasing wants of the survey. The office 
 work would necessarily increase for two or three years without 
 any increase of field work. But it was manifest that the field 
 work of the survey itself must increase, and thus involve a still 
 greater increase of office work." 
 
 Accordingly he established the Departments of Engrav- 
 ing, Drawing, Computing, Publication and Distribution 
 of Maps, Archives and Library, and Correspondence. 
 To these were soon added Electro-plating, Printing, and 
 Instrument-making. The best-fitted men were selected 
 from the force, or new assistants were employed and put 
 in charge of the departments. The arrears of work were 
 rapidly brought up; the geographical data were collected 
 and indexed ; the registry of land work was improved ; 
 volumes of observations were bound ; and the register, 
 two years behind, was brought up to date. In his first 
 report, the new assistant in charge announced that the 
 Drawing Department would be up to the wants of the 
 survey in one year, and made many useful recommenda- 
 tions for the improvement of the service. 
 
 Professor Bache warmly acknowledged the efficiency 
 of his young assistant in his reports. December 5, 1851, 
 he declares : — 
 
 " For the development of the plans of office work, the urging 
 to completion the list of geographical positions, and the in- 
 creased rapidity of publication, the Coast Survey is indebted 
 mainly to the zeal and industry, guided by knowledge and 
 intelligence, of Brevet-Major Isaac I. Stevens, of the corps of 
 engineers, in acknowledging which, in connection with the 
 remarks on the speedy completion of the results of the survey, 
 I feel that I am doing simply an act of justice. 
 
 " Every department of the office has, under his able super- 
 vision, continued to improve, and has filled the full measure 
 required by the increasing number, amount, and variety of re- 
 sults returned by the field work of the coast. It is due to Major 
 Stevens to acknowledge the promptness which is secured in the 
 
246 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 publication of results, and the maturing of a system by which 
 sketches and preliminary work of charts are made in every 
 case to precede the more finished work, furnishing valuable 
 results to the navigator as soon as obtained by the survey. 
 
 " The rapid execution of the engraved charts of the Western 
 coast reconnoissance is a proof of the perfection of this organi- 
 zation, and of the zeal of those who administer it. Three well- 
 executed sheets of reconnoissance were engraved and ready for 
 publication within twenty working days after the beginning of 
 the engraving. " 
 
 During Captain Humphreys's illness the work had 
 fallen greatly in arrears; many of the employees had 
 become careless and idle, some of them dissipated; and 
 great disorder and confusion prevailed. It was common 
 report that the Coast Survey was the worst-conducted 
 office in Washington. Major Stevens set himself to cor- 
 rect this state of things with a vigor, at times a sever- 
 ity, that admitted no delay and brooked no opposition. 
 Strict punctuality, prompt compliance with orders, and 
 complete and exact performance of duty, he required and 
 exacted with military discipline. There was great discon- 
 tent and indignation among the old officers and employees, 
 and no little ridicule at the idea of the young major 
 enforcing army rule in a scientific institution. Even the 
 professor feared he was carrying it too far, and rather 
 pettishly remarked, " Since Major Stevens took hold, 
 there has been a continual jingling of bells all over the 
 building, but I suppose it won't do to interfere with 
 these army officers." It seems that Major Stevens had 
 caused bells to be placed in the various offices with wires 
 running to his own room, so that he could summon his 
 subordinates without delay when he wished to see them. 
 
 But the new assistant pursued the course he had 
 marked out unswervingly, without fear and without favor. 
 He summarily dismissed several of the worst offenders. 
 Others he degraded in pay or position. He made him- 
 
COAST SURVEY 247 
 
 self master of every branch and detail of that great 
 institution. The old computers, engravers, draughtsmen, 
 topographers, and others, who had passed years in the 
 office, were astonished to find that the new chief fully 
 understood their technical work, and was watching, 
 criticising, and directing it with expert skill and judg- 
 ment. As usual, he took a warm interest in the men 
 under his charge, ever ready to encourage and reward 
 the deserving, and to assist them in their personal affairs. 
 He caused one of the messengers, who had lost both arms 
 in an explosion, to learn to write with his foot, and gave 
 him copying to do to eke out his scanty pay. One of 
 the higher employees was addicted to periodical attacks 
 of intemperance utterly beyond his power to resist, but 
 otherwise was a respectable and useful man. Major 
 Stevens quietly told this gentleman to come to him when- 
 ever he felt one of these attacks coming on too strong 
 for him to withstand, and he should have a leave of 
 absence for a few days, enough to have, and recover 
 from, his spree, and on this footing he continued on the 
 survey for years. 
 
 Under his firm, masterful, and exacting but generous 
 treatment the outraged feelings of the office soon changed. 
 They could not but respect a chief who, if he required 
 good and full work, appreciated and acknowledged it; 
 and their respect changed to admiration, and finally to 
 affection, when they saw how he was building up the 
 efficiency and reputation of the office, and realized that 
 his strict rule was characterized by justice and impar- 
 tiality, and tempered by the kindness of a warm-hearted 
 and generous man. Professor Bache found in his new 
 assistant not only relief from the cares of the office and 
 of administration, but one whose ideas in most subjects 
 agreed with his own, and whose strong, bright, and well- 
 instructed mind could travel with his own through other 
 
248 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 fields. A warm and generous friendship grew up between 
 them, which lasted unbroken during life. 
 
 The task he had undertaken at the Coast Survey made 
 this a very laborious winter for Major Stevens, but one 
 that gratified his ambition for public service. He met 
 many of his brother officers, " the men of Mexico," and 
 discussed with them the questions of army reorganization, 
 fortifications, etc. He also made the acquaintance of 
 members of Congress, and freely impressed upon them 
 his views of these measures. General Shields was now 
 a senator from Illinois, and was always ready to adopt 
 and advocate the ideas of the young major of engineers, 
 and was glad of his aid in preparing his reports and bills. 
 Always and emphatically a national man, believing that 
 the preservation of the Union was essential to liberty 
 and national existence, Major Stevens took great interest 
 in the compromise measures so ably carried through by 
 Henry Clay, in support of which Webster delivered his 
 noted 7th of March speech, and fully approved the mea- 
 sures of these great statesmen to allay sectional strife and 
 preserve the Union. 
 
 The plans and hopes of the Southern leaders were 
 cruelly disappointed by the action of California, which 
 adopted a free constitution, and knocked at the doors of 
 Congress for admission as a free State. Consequently 
 they refused her admission unless additional safeguards 
 were thrown around the " peculiar institution," as slavery 
 was termed ; and many of the fire-eaters openly advocated 
 disunion as the only means of preserving it against the 
 free ideas of the North, and the preponderating increase 
 of free States. For a time the difference seemed irre- 
 concilable, and disunion and civil war imminent ; but at 
 length, by the wise counsels of Clay, Webster, and the 
 more broad-minded men of both sides, a compromise was 
 effected, and California entered the Union a free State. 
 
COAST SURVEY 249 
 
 The old Puritan in Andover, in his abhorrence of sla- 
 very, condemned all compromise, and writes the son he 
 so much loved and admired a pathetic and reproachful 
 letter, marked, too, by a sublime faith in the ultimate 
 triumph of right : — 
 
 Dear Son, — I have been confined to the house since the 
 22d of last November, but am now very well, excepting a weak 
 leg. I have thought much of my daughters duriug my sick- 
 ness, especially of the two youngest, who were ever ready to 
 wait upon me by night or day. ... I was sorry you should 
 so much commend D. Webster's speech, and thought no man 
 could commend it who was opposed to slavery. I do think 
 Webster to be a demagogue ; that he is so lost to every good 
 principle as to court slaveholders' approbation, and vote shame 
 on the descendants of the men of '75. 
 
 I believe the great Being who rules the destinies of nations 
 has ordained that we remain united, that we extend the area of 
 freedom, not slavery, that other nations may copy our example, 
 — too late in the day for Liberty to take a backward march in 
 our country, however much she may swing to and fro in the old 
 country. 
 
 Isaac Stevens. 
 
 His wife and family remained in Bucksport during the 
 winter, not wishing to break up the comfortable home 
 until he decided to remain on the Coast Survey perma- 
 nently. Early in April he visited Bucksport, where, on 
 the 28th of that month, a daughter was born to them, 
 named Gertrude Maude. 
 
 This winter Major Stevens's wound broke out afresh, 
 and discharged several small fragments of bone, causing 
 considerable suffering and much inconvenience. This 
 recurred several times during his stay in Washington, 
 and it was over four years before the wound permanently 
 healed. Sometimes, when walking, his foot would give 
 out entirely, and he would have to hail the nearest omni- 
 bus or carriage. He used to wear a shoe with very 
 
250 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 thick soles, which best protected and served the injured 
 member. 
 
 A letter to Professor Bache, written from Newport 
 while on his way to Bucksport, shows that he had 
 decided at this time to relinquish the Coast Survey, a 
 decision which he afterwards reconsidered : — 
 
 . . . " In Baltimore I met Colonel Lee and Captain Foster. 
 Colonel Lee was kind enough to go over my article on the 
 Mexican war. His suggestions and criticisms will very much 
 improve the article. The colonel thinks I have made a mistake 
 in determining not to remain on the survey. 
 
 " I saw General Scott in New York. He went over many of 
 the operations in the valley, and you may be assured it was a 
 great pleasure for me to meet my old chief. 
 
 " I need not say to you how very gratifying to me was your 
 letter in reply to mine communicating my intention to retire 
 from the survey ; and in answer to the concluding paragraph, 
 you may rely upon me to do all in my power to respond to your 
 wishes. I have been growing stronger every day since I left 
 Washington. I hope to return in condition to do more satis- 
 factory service than was in my power for some weeks previous 
 to my leaving." 
 
 So it would seem that his hard work and close appli- 
 cation were telling upon his health and strength. 
 
 In the spring he moved his family to Newport for the 
 summer. In August he paid off four hundred dollars 
 of the debt on the Bucksport house. Plain, simple, and 
 even frugal in personal habits and expenses, and careful 
 in money matters, he saved this sum from his pay. Yet 
 he never cared for money-making; and notwithstanding 
 the straitened circumstances of early life, and the les- 
 sons of economy so diligently inculcated by his father, 
 he was very generous, a free giver, a great provider, and 
 inclined to spend money freely. 
 
 He was obliged to spend most of the summer in Wash- 
 ington, making occasional visits North to look after the 
 
COAST SURVEY 251 
 
 Bucksport works and see his family. He now definitely 
 decided to stay on the Coast Survey. After a short visit 
 at Newport in August, he returned to Washington, and 
 spent no little time during the next month in hunting 
 up suitable quarters. How thoroughly sick and tired he 
 was of being separated from his wife and children ; how 
 he longed to live united with them ; how lofty and noble 
 were his ideals of woman, of marriage, of duty, of ambi- 
 tion ; and what success he was gaining on the survey, 
 — are graphically depicted in his letters to his wife : — 
 
 Washington, September 5, 1850. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — I began to-day seeking for a board- 
 ing-house. I find great objection is made to children coming 
 to table. I think a great deal of our children taking their 
 meals with us, and I think I had rather go to the second table 
 myself than to be deprived of the pleasure. . . . 
 
 I regret I did not remain a week longer. I found on reach- 
 ing Washington that there was no necessity for my hurrying 
 back. We should all of us have enjoyed the bathing. It is 
 mighty lonesome here, particularly from sundown till about 
 eight in the morning. It spoils a man on some accounts to be 
 married, particularly if he gets a good, lovable wife. He is 
 not good for much away from her. I assure you I will never 
 be separated from you again another winter unless it is an 
 absolute impossibility for us to be together. We are young, 
 and let us not renounce the comfort and support of each other's 
 society unless the necessity is imperative. I know you will 
 say amen to this. . . . 
 
 Washington, Saturday, September 6, 1850. 
 My dear Wife, — . . . A devoted, loving, tender, sympa- 
 thizing wife is the greatest element of my success in life. It 
 adds to my strength in all respects. Think of this, Margaret. 
 If I achieve what may be truly called success, it will be due 
 mainly to you. I have no desire for place, or wealth, or station. 
 But should I do something for my kind, should it be said of me 
 when I am gone that the world owes something to my memory, 
 that my fellow-men are happier and better for my labors, this 
 
252 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 is what I call success. It can be achieved only by constancy, 
 by nobility of purpose, by a self-sacrificing spirit. Your exam- 
 ple and your affection for me will help me to cultivate these 
 virtues. 
 
 Yesterday the House passed by ten votes the Texas Boundary 
 and the New Mexico Territorial Bill. You cannot imagine the 
 gratulation which was shown by all persons, both in and out of 
 Congress, when the result was announced. The feeling was 
 that all the danger which had menaced us had been averted. 
 If necessary, a great many members would have changed their 
 votes. On Wednesday the measure was defeated by a majority 
 of forty-six votes ; on Thursday by a majority of eight votes ; 
 and yesterday it passed by a majority of ten. All the other 
 measures will be rapidly pushed through, and Congress will 
 rise early next month. 
 
 In my judgment the most dangerous crisis that has occurred 
 since the foundation of the government has been happily passed. 
 Henry Clay has been throughout the master spirit of the times. 
 His services the present session are enough to immortalize his 
 name. It is the crowning triumph of his civic life, and he will 
 descend to posterity as one of the heroes and benefactors of his 
 age and generation. He has not his peer in Congress. No 
 man that combines his intrepid soul, his extended views, his 
 large American heart, his admirable tact and presence of mind, 
 and that quality of leadership which enables him through doubt 
 and defection, in spite of unexpected difficulties and notwith- 
 standing repeated defeats, to undauntedly pursue his course 
 and finally achieve the ultimate triumph. This is Henry Clay 
 in his seventy-fifth year. He has not his peer in our whole 
 parliamentary history. 
 
 Sunday, September 8. Yesterday the California and Utah 
 bills passed the House. Last evening a salute of one hundred 
 guns was fired, and a large multitude assembled in front of the 
 National to listen to a serenade to Henry Clay. But the glori- 
 ous old man had gone out to enjoy a quiet Sunday in the coun- 
 try, and was not to be seen. 
 
 Little Sue must, I know, miss me very much. She is a great 
 pet of mine. I never feel as if I could be put out with her, let 
 her be ever so whimsical. Tell Sue she shall see her papa in a 
 
COAST SURVEY 253 
 
 few weeks, and then we shall keep together for many months. 
 Our long separation, dearest wife, is drawing to a close, and we 
 shall be again united. My last visit was an oasis in the desert. 
 I saw the doctor in relation to my sore throat. He says it 
 has very much improved. The only precaution I must take is 
 not to expose myself to the night air. My general health is 
 quite good, and is still growing even better. My foot gives me 
 very little trouble. It has not been so strong for eight months 
 as for the last ten days. I now am not obliged to make much 
 use of the crutches. You may be sure I feel very much en- 
 couraged about my health, and I have no fears as to its being 
 perfectly reestablished. I eat well, sleep well, and am not 
 worried by work. Remember me, my dear wife, to all the 
 friends. Kiss the little Sue and Maude. 
 
 Your ever affectionate husband. 
 
 Washington, September 29, 1850. 
 
 My deakest Wife, — You must not think I have forgotten 
 you. I have been very much occupied the last few days. Our 
 appropriations were in danger, and both Professor Bache and 
 myself have been hard at work to save them. We have carried 
 everything, — secured no less than one hundred and ninety 
 thousand dollars for the Western coast. 
 
 A portion of this appropriation we carried in the House in 
 the teeth of the Committee of Ways and Means. They opposed 
 it vehemently, yet we went to work on Friday, worked hard all 
 day, and carried it two to one nearly against them. 
 
 The professor is in one respect a most skillful manager, but 
 his skill consists in his perfect directness, truthfulness, dis- 
 interestedness, and good temper. He is perfectly frank and 
 open. Margaret, such men have most influence with all men of 
 sense, whether members of Congress, or men in official station, 
 or in private life. This is the secret of his getting along so 
 well. You know I have always insisted that such a course was 
 the most sure and reliable. You stand on the solid rock, and 
 nothing can move you when you cast aside all intrigue and low 
 cunning, and pursue an open, truthful, manly course. Cun- 
 ning men cannot cope with you. This is my experience. 
 
 My duties in the office are becoming more and more pleasant. 
 
264 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 The office is becoming systematized, the back work is all coming 
 up, and in the spring I have no doubt everything will be in the 
 best possible condition. 
 
 Every department is improving, and a very fine spirit per- 
 vades all the employees. I am bringing to bear upon the men 
 my personal weight, and you know I rarely ever fail whenever 
 I am brought into direct personal contact with men. All the 
 men are beginning to know me. They know I am firm and 
 steadfast, but that I am as true to them as I am to the work 
 itself. Every man will find that he can have entire confidence 
 in my justice, and in my judgment of his merits. I am deter- 
 mined to be deserving of their confidence, and, if so, I shall 
 most assuredly gain it. 
 
 The professor's confidence in me seems to be greater every 
 day. This makes my position pleasant. It makes me more 
 efficient. My judgment is all the clearer for it. The truth is, 
 I take the same general view of things that he does, and my 
 judgment almost invariably brings me to the same conclusions. 
 Thus, in operating to secure our appropriations, we agreed per- 
 fectly in the mode of proceeding. Indeed, the professor left 
 the management entirely to me in the first instance. When 
 things were prepared for him, I sent an express to his camp to 
 bring him in. All my arrangements entered admirably into 
 his plans. This was pleasant. My part was, of course, a sub- 
 ordinate one, but it was in harmony with all that was done. 
 
 In the latter part of 1849 appeared the " History of 
 the Mexican War," by Major Roswell S. Ripley, of the 
 1st artillery, who had served in Scott's campaign, and 
 who had been given a year's leave of absence to enable 
 him to write the work. The history is fairly well written, 
 and accurate for the most part, but marred by the con- 
 stant effort to depreciate the character and services of 
 General Scott, and to extol Generals Worth and Pillow 
 at his expense. The former of these officers, a fine sol- 
 dier, and deservedly of high standing in the army and 
 before the people, needed no encomiums ; the latter was 
 unworthy of them. Some of Ripley's statements, too, 
 
COAST SURVEY 255 
 
 were deemed erroneous by many of the ablest officers who 
 participated in the contest, and there was a strong senti- 
 ment among them that these errors ought to be exposed, 
 and the truth vindicated before the public. None felt 
 this sentiment more strongly than Major Stevens. An 
 admirer of Scott's military talents, and a member of his 
 staff during the famous campaign, his sense of justice 
 and truth outraged by the attempt to disparage the gen- 
 eral's great services, and to heap unearned honors upon 
 Pillow, he deemed it his duty, even in the midst of his 
 arduous labors at the Coast Survey, to give to the world a 
 true and just account of these events, thus defending his 
 former chief, and vindicating the truth of history. 
 
 He labored upon this work with his usual energy and 
 thoroughness, submitted it in manuscript to Mason, Mans- 
 field, Robert E. Lee, and other officers, by whom it was 
 highly approved, and early in 1851 published his " Cam- 
 paigns of the Rio Grande and of Mexico." In the preface 
 he says : — 
 
 " His object in appearing before the public was to testify to 
 the services of those heroic officers and soldiers who were in his 
 judgment depreciated in the work of Major Ripley. He felt 
 impelled to this course by a sense of duty, and he appeals to 
 all the actors in those scenes to bear testimony in vindication 
 of the truth." 
 
 It is a strange instance of the foibles of a really great 
 man that this work, inspired by the noblest and most dis- 
 interested motives, and the ablest defense of Scott's course 
 in Mexico, was the cause of an estrangement for years 
 between the writer and the commander he so well vindi- 
 cated. Immediately on the publication of the book, Major 
 Stevens presented General Scott with a copy with his com- 
 pliments, fully expecting the warm thanks and apprecia- 
 tion of his former chief. To his astonishment, a few days 
 later General Scott returned the book by the hands of 
 
256 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 General Totten, with the message that Major Stevens was 
 to observe that the leaves were still uncut, thus implying 
 that he disdained even to read it. This affront he offered 
 to the officer whom for bravery and services in Mexico 
 he had highly commended and recommended for brevets, 
 whose advice he had listened to in councils of war and 
 followed on the battlefield, whom, hand upon his shoul- 
 der, he had presented to the shouting multitude in 
 Washington as c My young friend, Major Stevens, to 
 whose courage and ability I owe much of my success 
 in Mexico,' and who was his warmest and ablest defender 
 against the aspersions of his enemies. 
 
 Whether General Scott, whose overweening vanity 
 could ill brook the least criticism, was inflamed by some 
 remark in the work, which seems incredible, or whether 
 his mind was poisoned by one of those parasites that ever 
 hang upon the great, is uncertain. In truth, his move- 
 ments and entire course are highly commended, and in 
 only a few instances is he criticised. Major Stevens pro- 
 nounced his attack of Molino del Rey a mistake, and also 
 the not insisting upon the surrender of Chapultepec when 
 the armistice was granted after the battle of Churubusco. 
 Major Stevens was not in the least cast down by this 
 unwarranted rebuff. He simply pitied the foibles of the 
 man, while he retained his admiration for the general's 
 military talents. He always made it a point to call upon 
 him on New Year's, and to show him the respect due the 
 head of the army. But the cordial personal relations were 
 broken forever. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 LIFE IN WASHINGTON 
 
 In October, 1850, Major Stevens moved his wife and 
 little ones to Washington, and took quarters at Mrs. Kel- 
 ley's on Eighteenth Street, opposite Lafayette Square, in 
 a large, spacious brick house, known as the club-house. 
 Here also lived General Talcott, of the ordnance, Colo- 
 nel Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Senator McWillie, of Missis- 
 sippi, and Representative Burt, of South Carolina, with 
 their families, and Commodore Matthew C. Perry, soon to 
 become famous for opening Japan to the commerce and 
 intercourse of the world. The latter took a great fancy 
 to the little Sue, a sprightly, graceful child, and used to 
 keep a store of candy in his room for her especial benefit. 
 They were all cultivated and agreeable people, who lived 
 together harmoniously and pleasantly, and with social 
 calls, receptions, and parties the winter passed off rapidly. 
 They enjoyed, too, the pleasant intimacy and cordial 
 sympathy of their Portsmouth friends, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hayes, and Mr. and Mrs. Coues, who were now living in 
 Washington. 
 
 During this winter Major Stevens took up the fourteen 
 years' bill, a measure to promote lieutenants of engineers, 
 topographical engineers, and ordnance to the rank of cap- 
 tain after fourteen years' service, with the same energy and 
 thoroughness that characterized his efforts to procure for 
 officers on duty according to brevet rank the full pay of 
 such rank. He first induced the officers of these corps in 
 Washington to agree upon the proposed bill, and to unite 
 
258 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 in actively supporting it, no small task, for there was much 
 jealousy between them, and different schemes for benefit- 
 ing one or another corps. How he enlisted the coopera- 
 tion of officers at other stations will be seen from the 
 following letter to Lieutenant M. C. Meiggs, afterwards 
 major-general and quartermaster-general of the army: — 
 
 Dear Meiggs, — The inclosed memorial, asking that lieu- 
 tenants of engineers, topographical engineers, and ordnance be 
 promoted to the rank of captain after fourteen years' service, 
 was introduced into the Senate yesterday and referred to the 
 Military Committee. 
 
 We are all of us determined to do our best to get this mea- 
 sure through. We are all acting with great unanimity. The 
 idea is not to touch the question of the increase of either corps, 
 or the equalization of the third corps. It is simply a measure 
 of relief for the old lieutenants, and we ask for, it for the 
 reasons stated in the memorial. 
 
 We must urge the measure especially on the ground that 
 there is no characteristic duty for the particular grades, but 
 that with the proposed promotion not only will all our captains, 
 but many of the lieutenants, have the same duties essentially as 
 field officers. 
 
 The chiefs of our three corps have been consulted and 
 approve our course. The Secretary of War is also favorable 
 and advises us to this action. General Shields will strongly 
 support it. 
 
 Every man must help in this business, if he approves of it. 
 The committee desires each officer to correspond without delay 
 with such members of Congress as he personally knows, and lay 
 before them at length the grounds why this measure of relief 
 should become a law. 
 
 Let me hear from you soon, and let us all put our shoulders 
 to the wheel. If each officer can carry conviction to the under- 
 standing of one member of Congress, the measure will prevail. 
 
 His friend, General Shields, then senator from Illinois, 
 presented the memorial and advocated the bill in the Sen- 
 ate with hearty goodwill. The young major of engineers 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 259 
 
 lost no suitable opportunity of impressing other members 
 with the justice of the measure, and his earnest and for- 
 cible language, straightforward sincerity, and rising 
 reputation for character and ability made him always 
 listened to with attention and respect. He enjoyed the 
 satisfaction of seeing the bill become a law in 1853, 
 and of receiving the well-earned thanks and plaudits of 
 his brother officers. 
 
 The subject of the reorganization of the army, which 
 ever since the Mexican war held first place in his thoughts 
 and correspondence, now engrossed his attention more 
 than ever. His enlarged views, patriotic spirit, and gen- 
 erous nature abhorred the personal and corps jealousies 
 too rife among army officers. He was emphatically an 
 army man, not a corps man, seeking the best for the 
 whole army and the country, and not the advancement 
 of his corps or himself. Accordingly he corresponded on 
 this subject with officers of every branch of the service, 
 and especially with those who had served on the frontier ; 
 for he rightly foresaw that the most important duties 
 devolving upon the army would be the exploration of the 
 vast regions acquired by the Mexican war, and the pro- 
 tection of the settlers thereon. By this correspondence 
 he sought to draw out and gather the views of the ablest 
 and most experienced officers, in order to unite them upon, 
 and to formulate, a sound scheme of army reorganization, 
 and to impress it upon the country and Congress. He 
 wrote very many letters setting forth his own views, and 
 urging other officers to treat upon one or another branch 
 of the subject, or to pursue some line of inquiry, and 
 called upon them freely to look up authorities and collect 
 information. Thus he induced Major H. J. Hunt to pre- 
 pare valuable papers upon artillery and army reorganiza- 
 tion in general. He begs Captain Kendrick to prepare a 
 memoir on the New Mexico military problem ; Lieutenant- 
 
260 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Colonel W. J. Hardee, on the defense of the frontier; 
 Captain G. W. Smith, on " General Camp of Discipline, 
 where all the army come together to learn the military 
 art ; " Captain George B. McClellan, on engineer troops ; 
 Captain G. W. Cullum, subject of military instruction ; 
 and others. Most of these officers responded readily and 
 favorably to his appeals. In the following letters his 
 ideas are clearly stated : — 
 
 My dear Hunt, — We must move quietly as well as firmly 
 in this matter [army reorganization]. We must make up our 
 minds to encounter a violent opposition. The bureaucracy of 
 Washington will probably be against us. We should first 
 endeavor to get their aid, at least their neutrality in whole or 
 in part. If they combine against reform, we must resolve to 
 accomplish reform in spite of them. But time is necessary. A 
 right direction to public opinion is necessary. Many men in 
 Congress, the able men, must understand the question and be 
 ready to act. We must first, then, enlighten public opinion, 
 and enlighten members of Congress. We must bide our time, 
 and, when it comes, act. 
 
 Let it first, then, be stirred quietly in the army. Let a great 
 many officers in all good time, all discreet and sensible men, be 
 interested, and let them write for the papers. . . . 
 
 We must work to get public men informed. I would not 
 have the movement partake in the slightest degree of a party 
 character. But we must act on the known fact that the Demo- 
 cratic party is the only party that can govern the country. 
 The Whig party is totally incompetent. We must throw our 
 strength chiefly on Democrats. Douglas would be a tower 
 of strength in the Senate. Would it not be a good idea to 
 address a series of letters to him, and request him, if he 
 approves of their general spirit, to publish them in the " Wash- 
 ington Union " ? This he could do without pledging himself 
 to the particular views of the letters. In the House is Fuller, 
 of Maine, a new member but a rising man, a particular friend 
 of mine. There is Bissel, of Illinois. There is Rusk, of Texas. 
 General Bayly, Stanton, of Tennessee, and others I might men- 
 tion, are strong, reliable men. The Southern disunion men 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 261 
 
 will look coldly on all attempts to improve the army. Mr. 
 Burt will be lukewarm. I am somewhat fearful of Jefferson 
 Davis. But they are both strong, good men, and we should act 
 on the presumption that sectional views will not sway them 
 from their duty. 
 
 Yours, etc., 
 
 1. 1. Stevens. 
 
 He urged the elevating of the personnel of the army 
 
 by- 
 
 " enlisting none but intelligent, respectable men, a fair repre- 
 sentation of our people, attracted by increase of pay, and by 
 opportunity of promotion to the grade of commissioned officer ; 
 that by care in selecting men, by schools, by libraries, and by 
 camps of instruction, we can actually make of the common 
 soldier a pretty good military man, so that going into civil life 
 he may do good service in the militia, and in time of war be an 
 important element in rapidly organizing armies. In this way 
 the influence of West Point can be felt throughout the length 
 and breadth of the land, in peace as well as on the breaking 
 out of a war. It should be a settled principle to officer the 
 infantry and mounted regiments in part from the rank and file. 
 I know of no measure which is so calculated to elevate the 
 service, and impart to it a greater efficiency. Young men 
 of character would enter it, and our own citizens would fill up 
 the ranks. 
 
 " Commanding officers on the frontiers should have entire 
 discretion in matters of clothing, subsistence, and transporta- 
 tion. Officers of the administrative departments would in this 
 case make their usual returns and reports to their chiefs in 
 Washington. But the directions from Washington should be 
 to the commander, and should be of the most general character ; 
 else there will be divided, discordant government, there will be 
 a want of unity of purpose, there will be feebleness and delays 
 in action. It may be said that this involves great judgment, 
 energy, and foresight on the part of the commanding officer. 
 Undoubtedly, and none but officers of high qualities should be 
 placed in command. This is one of the most important duties 
 in the direction of affairs at Washington. Send the most com- 
 petent man to take command. Throw the responsibility upon 
 
262 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 him. Build Mm up, or break him down. In the latter case, 
 promptly supply his place by another officer." 
 
 He also suggested planting military colonies : — 
 
 " Farmers and artisans to be enlisted, heads of families as well 
 as young men, all intelligent, sober, moral men, at advanced 
 rates of pay, and with their families be located at important 
 points in the Indian country, the whole to be organized in a 
 military manner ; heads of families as the stationary infantry 
 force, and the young men as the dragoon force, always in the 
 saddle, and making up in mobility for paucity of numbers. 
 
 " I know well some of the prominent members of the Military 
 Committee. My opinion is sometimes asked, and I wish to com- 
 municate sound, practical views. Here I am, and in my inter- 
 course with members of Congress I intend to be, an army man 
 and not a corps man. Let me tell you that truthful, intelligent 
 officers have weight with Congress. The prominent members 
 will give heed to their suggestions, and will be apt to adopt 
 their views. There is a strong feeling in Congress that things 
 are not managed rightly. Officers here must not only show 
 what things are managed well ; they must also show wherein 
 things are mismanaged, and they must suggest the remedy. It 
 is time for officers having a common purpose to act together, 
 and do something for their profession. I am at all events 
 determined to do my duty. If we will act in concert, compare 
 views in a fraternal and generous spirit, merging the arm in 
 the army, and taking views as large as our country, and occupy- 
 ing the whole ground of the public defense, and thus come to 
 conclusions, we shall be right, and Congress will act accord- 
 ingly, I care not what opposition be made in interested quar- 
 ters." 
 
 In a letter to Captain G. W. Smith, he declares — 
 
 " that the experience of our corps is too confined in time of 
 peace, and that a portion ought to serve with troops in the West. 
 This has always been my opinion, and the first year I entered 
 the army I corresponded with Halleck in relation to it, and was 
 in favor of a strong effort being made by our officers to get a 
 change in our duties. . . . Were I not tied up on the Coast 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 263 
 
 Survey as I am, I would make a great effort to get ordered to 
 New Mexico or Texas. There is a field for such of us as will 
 go there with a determination to carve one out, if it is not, in 
 consequence of the stupidity of superiors, offered us." 
 
 Major Stevens followed up this subject with great dili- 
 gence, expending a vast amount of thought and work 
 upon it for three years, and until the engrossing duties 
 of the exploration of the Northern route to the Pacific in 
 1853, and of the governorship of Washington Territory, 
 the making of Indian treaties, and the conduct of the 
 Indian war in the Pacific Northwest occupied his whole 
 time and energies. Some of his ideas bore fruit, and 
 have since been adopted, notably the raising of the 
 standard of the rank and file by increasing the pay of the 
 private soldier, improving his opportunities, and allowing 
 him to compete for a commission. And the thorough- 
 going and comprehensive plan he suggested of deciding 
 upon the best system of national defense by the study 
 and conferring together of the ablest military men, the 
 appeal to patriotic and intelligent citizens, and the en- 
 lightening of public opinion, is as wise and practical now 
 as then, and as necessary. For the dear-bought experi- 
 ence of our four great wars is entirely unheeded, indeed 
 almost unknown to the mass of the people ; and the army 
 to-day, in organization as in numbers, in its influence 
 upon the military ideas and aptitudes of the nation in 
 peace as in its capacity for expansion in time of war, is 
 inadequate to our needs as a great nation. 
 
 Upon this subject the following characteristic letter of 
 McClellan is of interest : — 
 
 Friday. 
 
 My dear Stevens, — The inclosed are the result of a 
 search through the libraries of the War and Eng'r Dep'ts. I 
 hardly feel satisfied that they are precisely what you need. 
 
 If they do not suit you, inform me of it, and I will gladly 
 renew the research. 
 
264 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 I had another conversation with the general this morning 
 about the sappers. It 's of no use whatever, — his mind is 
 made up to detail fifty men on the Coast Survey. He says the 
 duty I propose for them in Texas is not legitimate and belongs 
 not to them. Amen ! I have said my say. I 've done what I 
 could. Some one of more influence than I possess must con- 
 vince him, — my words are idle breath and of no avail. 
 Truly your friend, 
 
 George B. McClellan. 
 
 It should be remembered that he was undertaking this 
 great task of reorganizing the army, expending so much 
 thought, labor, and time upon it, in addition to the inces- 
 sant labors of the Coast Survey and the cares of the 
 fortifications in Maine. It was his lofty and patriotic 
 ideals, his noble ambition to do his duty by his profes- 
 sion and his country, that spurred him on, and his untiring 
 energy and power of concentration that enabled him to 
 throw off work so rapidly and effectively. His great 
 ambition was to accomplish results, and he was careless 
 and indifferent as to claiming credit for himself, or push- 
 ing himself in any way. 
 
 Notwithstanding all these engrossing labors, he re- 
 sponded as promptly and generously as ever to the per- 
 sonal calls of his friends and others. He writes and 
 interviews the War Department and Generals Scott and 
 Totten in behalf of another brevet for Captain G. W. 
 Smith, aids McClellan in regard to the engineer company, 
 obtains information for H. L. Smith, has the accounts of 
 Sergeant Lathrop, of the engineer company, passed, and 
 is ever ready to lend a helping hand to any deserving man 
 or cause. 
 
 Early in 1851 Major Stevens moved to Mrs. Janney's, 
 an excellent and well-known boarding-house on Eighth 
 Street, next the Avenue. Here lived several members of 
 Congress and government officials, and also the Turkish 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 265 
 
 ambassador, a grave, quiet man in a dark red fez, with 
 whom Major Stevens occasionally played checkers in the 
 evening. At this establishment breakfast was served at 
 eight, dinner at four, with a lunch at noon, and at nine in 
 the evening tea and thin sandwiches were handed around 
 in the parlor. 
 
 In June Major Stevens carried his family to Newport 
 for the summer, where leaving them, he visited Bucks- 
 port to look after the works at Fort Knox, which still 
 remained under his charge. He hastened back to Wash- 
 ington before the month was out. Passing through New 
 York, he again sat to Professor Fowler for his " phreno- 
 logical character," but this time was not accused of being 
 a poet. Whether informed by the bumps or other means, 
 the phrenologist seems to have drawn his characteristics 
 pretty accurately, with some glaring exceptions. 
 
 Desirous of keeping house, Major Stevens now leased 
 a roomy brick house, one in a block of two, on the west 
 side of Third Street, and only a block north of the Ave- 
 nue. This house had a large garden fronting on the 
 street, and in the rear of it was a stable opening on an 
 alley behind. Having obtained a position on the Coast 
 Survey for his cousin, George Watson Stevens, a son of 
 uncle William, a young man of nineteen, Major Stevens 
 invited the youth to become a member of his family. 
 
 Washington, July 27, 1851. 
 My dear, good Wife, — I have read your last letter over 
 three times, and it has done me a world of good. I love to have 
 you write so from your heart. You know that in marriage, in 
 my wife and children, are centred all my hopes of earthly hap- 
 piness. I am conscious it occupies too large a space in my 
 youthful longings. It seems to me, with a devoted, loving, 
 and lovely wife and lovely children, I might shut out the cares 
 of life, and give myself up to happiness and joy. But we have 
 duties to perform, trials to encounter, victories to achieve. Life 
 is a warfare. We must contend with evil. We must accom- 
 
266 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 plish good. I feel that I have done something, but that I have 
 just begun ; that I am entering upon the great field of useful 
 exertion. I feel that the past has simply given me the expe- 
 rience and the knowledge to wisely conquer the present, and 
 thus achieve a future. I feel there is something heroic and 
 noble in this view of life. I feel that the greatest support, next 
 to the consciousness of well-doing, is the sympathy and support 
 of you, my dear companion and friend, and the confiding, ten- 
 der helplessness of our dear babes. 
 
 I like George in the house very much, and, so far as I am 
 concerned, I should like to have him a member of our family. 
 I think, moreover, it would be to his advantage. Charging 
 him simply the actual outlay to us, it will diminish his expend- 
 itures. Moreover, I shall be absent on inspections more or 
 less, and you will thus have some one to call on. 
 
 He is studious, attentive to his duties, is impressing every one 
 favorably with whom he is brought in contact, and is advan- 
 cing steadily and quite rapidly. I feel highly pleased with his 
 progress. With economy his pay will, the first year, pay his 
 expenses. 
 
 I fear, if I am off in August, it will embarrass me very seri- 
 ously in the fall. Our reports are still coming in, and now is 
 the time to put things in a successful train. I do not wish, by 
 inaction or delay now, to make trouble hereafter. My health 
 is remarkably good. I have never had a better appetite, or 
 more ability to work, than I have now. I am surprised at my 
 vigor. I don't care how hot the weather is. The perspiration 
 will drop from my face and hands, and I will feel neither lan- 
 guor nor fatigue. The other men in the office complain and 
 have to slacken in their exertions, whilst I seem to have, with 
 every hot day, fresh strength and force. 
 
 Give my love to the bairns. I want very much to see them. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Isaac. 
 
 Washington, July 28, 1851. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — I was very glad to learn that you 
 
 were so well, and that the visit to Tom's was so pleasant. The 
 
 farm is the place for children. On their account I wish I could 
 
 pass four months every summer in that way. Hazard should 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 267 
 
 go to school seven or eight months. I am delighted with his 
 doings, — learning to swim, and do all kinds of work. Maude, 
 too, learning to walk, — yes, actually walking, little darling. 
 She must have forgotten me, but she will soon recollect me on 
 seeing me again. And Sue learning to ride on horseback ! 
 Why, verily, Margaret, you have a hopeful family, one of which 
 you may well be proud. Whether I go on to Tom's farm this 
 summer is doubtful. I am glad they are doing so well. Daniel 
 is a first-rate business man, and, as he likes farming, why not 
 make it his business ? I believe he could in a few years clear 
 from debt a large farm, going upon it without a cent in his 
 pocket. This is my opinion, and in a pecuniary point of view 
 it is much better than a salaried place, — far better. 
 
 You may be assured my health is remarkably firm and good. 
 I never knew it better. This warm weather does not affect me 
 in the least. I bear labor better than any man in the office. 
 Not a man in the office can do as much as I can. 
 
 Well, as to the book. It is said to sell pretty well. Most 
 of the copies have been disposed of. Very good notices have 
 appeared both in the " Intelligencer " and " Republic." The 
 notice of the " Intelligencer " I sent you. The notice in the 
 " Republic " was short, but very good. Some of my friends 
 think it will excite a controversy. Others think it will be 
 found a very hard thing to reply to. The fact is, whilst I have 
 endeavored to clearly discern errors, I have sought to look 
 charitably on all that was done. This seemed to me the only 
 true wisdom. Some of my friends think I have carried this 
 spirit too far, and that I have not censured enough. The 
 general criticism is that I am too favorable towards Ripley. I 
 think I have simply done him justice. 
 
 Washington, August 8, 1851. 
 
 My dearest Wife, — My health is remarkably good, my 
 duties multifarious, and I must not spend time in recreation 
 which my health does not require. I have not had such health 
 for years, and have enjoyed this summer. 
 
 We are getting on famously with our housekeeping. The 
 woman is a neat, respectable, honest person, who tries to do her 
 duty, a very respectable washer and ironer as well as cook. I 
 think you will be pleased with her. I shall send a boy whom 
 
268 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 we have had for a month away in the morning. One of the 
 messengers comes to the house every evening to attend to the 
 garden. So we are getting along. To-day we put six chick- 
 ens into our coop, and to-morrow eight hens will be admitted. 
 You will find us getting on swimmingly when you come on in 
 October. 
 
 Friday morning. I have just received two very gratifying 
 letters, one from General Shields, which I send you. Don't 
 show it to any one, for he is very extravagant in praise of my 
 book, and his suggestions are made in a corresponding spirit. 
 But I value what he says very much, because he writes from his 
 heart and in the spirit of friendship. I feel, too, there are 
 many points of sympathy between him and me, and I value his 
 friendship and words of encouragement. 
 
 The other letter is from Major Pitman. His article on 
 my book in the " Providence Journal " of August 6 is alto- 
 gether the best that has appeared. He has presented his own 
 views with clearness and force on certain points of difference. 
 This is what I want. I don't want eulogies, but discriminating 
 notices. I want to see my errors exposed, otherwise I shall not 
 learn to correct them. 
 
 Taylor & Maury have sold out all the copies of my book, and 
 in consequence I loaned them half a dozen that I still had on 
 hand. They think they will sell a great many more. 
 
 I am pushed exceedingly, and can write no more to-day. Love 
 to the children. 
 
 Affectionately. 
 
 In the latter part of September Major Stevens made a 
 hasty visit North, spent a few days at Andover and New- 
 port, and brought his family back to Washington. His 
 wife's youngest sister, Miss Nancy Hazard, accompanied 
 them and spent the winter with them. He still retained 
 charge of the works at Bucksport, although the second 
 year of duty on the Coast Survey was near its close, and 
 writes full and explicit instructions to Mr. A. W. Tink- 
 ham, C. E., concerning it. At a later date he obtained 
 a good position for Mr. Tinkham on the Coast Survey, 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 269 
 
 and also secured a situation in the same service for Mr. 
 John E. Lee, whom he had employed in Bucksport as clerk. 
 
 The family this winter was increased by George W. 
 Stevens and Miss Nancy L. Hazard. There was the 
 colored cook, and Bridget Sullivan, the children's nurse, 
 and Sampson Ingraham, a most faithful, capable, and 
 respectable colored man and a free man. Sampson had 
 one cross to bear which sorely tried his devotion to the 
 family, and that was milking the cow and taking care of 
 it, which Major Stevens compelled him daily to do ; for 
 Sampson, never having done any farm work, regarded 
 this as derogatory, and was much distressed and morti- 
 fied thereby. But finally Major Stevens, perceiving his 
 trouble, relieved him from this duty. In the next house, 
 on the south side, lived the family of Captain Simon F. 
 Blount, of the navy. Nearly across the street Senator 
 William Gwin, of California, and family occupied a 
 roomy mansion, where they dispensed a generous hospi- 
 tality. After breakfast, at eight, Major Stevens usually 
 walked down to the Coast Survey Office, and walked back 
 in time for dinner at four in the afternoon. In the 
 evening there was tea at eight o'clock. 
 
 Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian patriot, visited Wash- 
 ington this winter, and attracted the greatest attention 
 and admiration. He was a man of noble presence, a 
 finished orator, speaking English with great purity and 
 ease. The Democratic Jackson Club gave a banquet on 
 January 8 in honor of Kossuth, which was attended by 
 Webster and many of the first men of the country. 
 Major Stevens was called upon to respond to the toast 
 of " The Army and Navy," and spoke as follows : — 
 
 Gentlemen, — In the name of the army I return my thanks 
 for the honor of this toast. I speak in behalf of the American 
 army, — that army which presents its breast to the enemy, 
 which pours out its blood, which lays down its life. A weighty 
 
270 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 significance already attaches to these words, " the American 
 army." For, first, it achieved the independence of these States 
 against the most powerful nation of modern times ; second, it 
 waged against the same power the second war of independence 
 to maintain the freedom of the seas, the war the culminating 
 glories of which we this evening celebrate ; and, third, when a 
 contiguous republic interfered with the domestic concerns of 
 one of our States, the vindication of the law of nations, thus 
 trampled under foot, was placed in its hands, and the stars and 
 stripes soon waved over the ancient seats of the Montezumas. 
 The American army will never forget what is due to its past 
 renown and its future glory. We feel that, citizens alike with 
 you, we are the army of a free people. We know, too, that 
 our country possesses elements of military strength scarcely 
 appreciated by the inattentive observer of events, — elements 
 that have been nurtured by the wonderful growth, the trials 
 and vicissitudes, of our young nation struggling into manhood. 
 No other people so combines command and obedience, is so 
 subordinate to law, yet is so much a law unto itself. No other 
 people of ancient or modern times possesses such elements of 
 military power. It is the profound conviction of my heart that 
 in a just cause we could meet the world with a million armed 
 men, each man a tried and true soldier, surpassing even the 
 iron men of Cromwell, those men who feared God but not man ; 
 those men stern in fight yet merciful in victory ; those men 
 who achieved the great triumph of English independence, and 
 transmitted to us its glorious recollections. 
 
 The members of both services, which you have honored 
 to-night, see that the American people are marching forward 
 to mighty destinies, and that upon them heavy responsibilities 
 will rest. We mean to do our whole duty. We mean at all 
 times to be in harness and at our posts. We know not when 
 the time may come, — probably in our lifetime, and perhaps 
 to-morrow. We feel no despondency, but are filled with joy 
 and hope. When our beloved nation, "a power on earth," 
 shall determine to measure its strength with other powers in 
 the maintenance of right, and in vindication of violated law 
 and outraged humanity, the army and navy will carry their 
 country's flag in triumph over all seas and through all lands. 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 271 
 
 Congress was disposed then as now to starve the coast 
 defenses, appropriating scarcely enough to maintain the 
 works already built. Major Stevens, deeply interested in 
 the proper fortification of the coast, both from his profes- 
 sional knowledge and experience and his enlarged and 
 patriotic views, with his accustomed zeal and energy 
 undertook the task of inculcating upon the country and 
 Congress sound ideas in regard to this important subject, 
 and of obtaining the appropriations necessary to keep up 
 and complete existing works. In this, as in everything 
 he undertook, was evinced his prominent characteristic of 
 going to the bottom of a subject, of basing his action 
 upon broad principles ; and so, instead of being satisfied 
 with simply securing the needed appropriations for the 
 time being, he treats of the whole system of fortifications 
 required for national defense, both present and future. 
 He had repeated conferences with General Shields on 
 this subject, who in March, as chairman of the Military 
 Committee, brought into the Senate a favorable report 
 and bill. In support of this, and advocating a proper 
 system of coast defenses, Major Stevens wrote a number 
 of articles, which were published in the "National Intel- 
 ligencer " of Washington, the " Boston Post," Portland 
 "Eastern Argus," "Bangor Democrat," and papers in 
 New York, Richmond, New Orleans, and other places. 
 He caused these articles, with Shields's report, to be sent 
 to many officers and influential men in different parts 
 of the country, urging them to advocate the matter on pa- 
 triotic grounds. These articles were much commended, 
 especially by his brother officers of the engineers. 
 
 He also at this time published in the " Boston Post " 
 an article on the lighthouse system. 
 
 In April, 1852, Major Stevens was appointed a member 
 of the Lighthouse Board, which was considered no slight 
 honor, and which added much to his responsibilities and 
 
272 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 his duties. His colleagues on the board were all men of 
 talent and reputation, the association with whom was con- 
 genial and gratifying. In May he visited Wilmington 
 on this duty. 
 
 The Bucksport house had remained on his hands all 
 this time, a source of more care than income ; but in 
 April a purchaser was found in Mr. Knox for $1350, 
 evidently quite a sacrifice. 
 
 He took his two elder children, Hazard and Sue, to 
 Newport for the summer ; but his wife and Maude, the 
 youngest child, remained in Washington. 
 
 General Franklin Pierce, having been nominated for 
 the presidency by the Democratic party, was outrageously 
 assailed by the unscrupulous press and partisans of the 
 other side on account of his services in Mexico, and even 
 his personal courage was impugned. Major Stevens, 
 having met Pierce in Mexico, and having been favorably 
 impressed by him, was indignant at these slanders, and 
 felt called upon to aid in refuting them. Accordingly 
 he published six letters in the " Boston Post " and two 
 in the " Kepublic," a Washington paper, warmly, but in 
 a temperate and courteous style, vindicating the unjustly 
 assailed public man. He takes pains in these articles to 
 eulogize the military talents of General Scott, the rival 
 candidate nominated by the Whig party, quotes his favor- 
 able mention of Pierce in his reports of operations in 
 Mexico, and shows that the rival candidates entertained 
 warm feelings of esteem for each other, thus ingeniously 
 making Scott a witness to refute his own reckless parti- 
 sans. He concludes the last article as follows : — 
 
 " You well know, Mr. Editor, my exalted appreciation of 
 the conduct and services of General Scott in Mexico. It has 
 been a pleasing reflection that the standard-bearers of the two 
 great parties were warm personal friends, each possessing in an 
 eminent degree the respect and confidence of the other. The 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 273 
 
 friends of General Pierce have never claimed that he was a 
 great military man. They concede with pride and gratification 
 that General Scott is, and that he is a judge of military quali- 
 ties. They simply claim that General Pierce in his service in 
 Mexico did his whole duty as a son of the Republic, that he 
 was eminently patriotic, disinterested, and gallant, and that it 
 has added a laurel to his beautiful civic wreath : as a citizen he 
 has been ready to make sacrifices for his country ; as a soldier 
 and commander, he has shown gallantry before the enemy, and 
 was eminently the friend and father of his command.'' 
 
 Colonel Charles G. Greene, editor of the "Post," writes 
 that General Pierce was much pleased with, and highly 
 commended, these letters. 
 
 Major Stevens always took great interest in public 
 affairs. He was emphatically a national man. He held 
 the Union as the noblest work of our Revolutionary 
 patriots, and as indispensable to liberty and national 
 greatness. An ardent Democrat from boyhood, he re- 
 garded the Democratic party as preeminently the national 
 party, the party of progress. He fully justified the Mex- 
 ican war, the great Democratic measure, and believed 
 with full faith in the future growth and destiny of the 
 Great Republic. The slavery question, destined in a few 
 brief years to wreck that party and so nearly destroy the 
 nation, was still in abeyance, and it was almost universally 
 believed that the compromise of 1850 had averted all 
 danger from that quarter. 
 
 Not content with vindicating Pierce in the papers, 
 Major Stevens now concluded to support him on the 
 stump. He wrote Gayton P. Osgood, and other friends 
 in Massachusetts, as to the advisability of this step, but 
 received rather discouraging replies, one correspondent 
 even taking him to task for speaking so highly of Gen- 
 eral Scott in his articles, and recommending him to be- 
 come a thoroughgoing partisan if he took the stump. 
 
274 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 But as usual he held to his own opinion, and in August 
 addressed a large public meeting in Hillsborough, N. H., 
 in support of the Democratic principles and candidate, 
 and later, in October, spoke in Andover, Newport, and 
 Portsmouth. His brother officer and friend, Colonel 
 James L. Mason, also addressed the meeting in Newport, 
 and Hon. Charles Levi Woodbury spoke with him in 
 Portsmouth. In his speeches Major Stevens took pains 
 to do full justice to General Scott as a military man, 
 without disparaging him as a statesman or otherwise. 
 His arguments were drawn from the ideas and objects 
 of the two parties, — a contest of principles, not men. 
 
 It appears that the course of the young army officer in 
 stumping for Pierce, and as in Mason's case even stirring 
 up other officers to do likewise, excited no little commo- 
 tion in the War Department, for it was a Whig adminis- 
 tration. On his return, the Secretary of War, Charles M. 
 Conrad, undertook to take him to task for it, and wrote 
 Major Stevens a severe letter, demanding an explanation 
 of his conduct. This was soon bruited about Washing- 
 ton, and many of his friends and brother officers came 
 anxiously to advise with him about it. They felt that he 
 was in an embarrassing position, and one from which he 
 could hardly hope to extricate himself with credit, and 
 they were not a little troubled as to the outcome. 
 
 At length Major Stevens prepared his answer to the 
 Secretary, and, before sending it, read it to a group of 
 his anxious brother officers. In a direct, forcible, but 
 courteous style, he reminded the Secretary that, in becom- 
 ing an officer of the army, he had not forfeited his rights 
 as a citizen, nor become relieved from his duties as such ; 
 that, while he had never failed in the respect due his supe- 
 rior officers, he had the right of an American citizen to 
 advocate such public measures as he deemed best for the 
 country, and to vote for the public servants best fitted to 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 275 
 
 carry them out ; and he concluded in a somewhat sarcastic 
 but perfectly respectful way by calling the Secretary's 
 attention to the fact that General Scott himself was a 
 candidate for the presidency, and was setting the example 
 of that participation in politics which the Secretary so 
 severely reprobated, and suggested that his animadver- 
 sions would have greater weight with the service, and 
 be more worthy the dignity of the War Department, if 
 launched against the senior major-general of the army 
 instead of a simple lieutenant and brevet major; that 
 they were more applicable to the former than the latter, 
 and might well be deemed an attempt to scourge General 
 Scott over his back. 
 
 As Major Stevens read aloud this letter, the faces of 
 his friends cleared up ; soon they began to applaud it, 
 and as he finished they crowded around him with cheers 
 and laughter and exclamations, — " That 's good ! that 
 covers the ground ! " " You are right, Stevens. You 
 are perfectly right." " He can't answer it," etc. Sure 
 enough, the Secretary did not answer it, and attempted 
 no further action. 
 
 In fact, Major Stevens had now become quite a leader 
 among the able young officers. They were constantly 
 calling at his house, and discussing with him the measures 
 he was pushing forward for the improvement of the army, 
 fortifications, etc. He was always ready to assist any of 
 them, too, and it was known that his aid was frequently 
 effective. He obtained a detail on the Coast Survey for 
 his friend, Captain J. C. Foster, and secured for several 
 others lighthouse inspectorships. He also had a number 
 of the engineer company detailed on the Coast Survey, 
 although his friends Cullum, G. W. Smith, and McClellan 
 strenuously opposed it. 
 
 Writes a young man on the survey, whose pay Major 
 Stevens had tried to increase but without success : — 
 
276 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 " Having been informed to-day that you did not succeed in 
 your efforts to make my compensation $1500 per annum from 
 October 1, 1851, and consequently was obliged to pay out of 
 your own pocket $ 50 to make your word good, I believe it un- 
 becoming a gentleman to remain a moment longer in possession 
 of said money. The inclosed check will indemnify you for your 
 loss sustained for my sake, and joyfully I return my heartfelt 
 thanks for the efforts you have made in my behalf." 
 
 Writes Cullum from West Point : — 
 
 " Your feeling and commendatory remarks on the death of 
 private Logan were read to the company [engineer], and will 
 doubtless produce an excellent impression." 
 
 In truth, these personal demands grew to be a grievous 
 burden upon his time and energies, yet he never refused 
 his aid to any claim of friendship or desert. Among 
 others a lady, who had long prosecuted a claim before 
 Congress in vain, was introduced by his corps chief, Gen- 
 eral Totten, to Major Stevens, as the only man who could 
 win her cause. Although the latter felt that this was 
 a task altogether outside of his sphere of duty, and one 
 which should not have been thrust upon him, he cheer- 
 fully undertook it, and succeeded in having it allowed by 
 Congress. 
 
 The friendship between Major Stevens and Professor 
 Bache grew stronger the longer they were associated to- 
 gether. They appreciated and admired each other. Both 
 were gifted with uncommon powers of mind, uprightness 
 and purity of character, and disinterestedness. Bache 
 was more the philosopher, the student ; Stevens, the man 
 of action. Major Stevens also saw much of Professors 
 Henry and Baird, of the Smithsonian. He took pains to 
 meet the able men in Congress, and other men of talent 
 and reputation who visited Washington. Occasionally of 
 an evening he would take his little boy by the hand, and 
 make the rounds of Willard's and other hotels, meeting 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 277 
 
 and chatting with old army and other friends and ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 With but little intermission, Major Stevens was an inde- 
 fatigable worker, and never so well content as when driv- 
 ing his work at high pressure ; and his sound judgment 
 guided his energy so well that he would throw off an enor- 
 mous load with astonishing rapidity. He had the faculty 
 of getting a great deal of work out of his subordinates. 
 But, not realizing that others lacked equal ability and 
 power of labor, he was at times too exacting and severe. 
 He was also inclined to overrate both the good qualities 
 and the ability of others, and too often had cause to re- 
 gret having done so from the ingratitude of many whom 
 he befriended. 
 
 The two elder children, Hazard and Sue, returned to 
 Washington in October, and Miss Mary W. Hazard, Mrs. 
 Stevens's sister, also came on and spent the winter with 
 them. 
 
 The youngest daughter, Kate, was born in the Third 
 Street house on November 17, 1852. 
 
 In September Major Stevens with Professor Bache was 
 appointed on a commission for the improvement of the 
 James, Appomattox, and Cape Fear rivers, and in Novem- 
 ber visited Richmond and Wilmington on this duty. 
 
 But all these additional duties and pursuits made no 
 impairment of his vigorous hold upon, and improvement 
 of, the Coast Survey. The character and standing of the 
 office was steadily rising, and able young officers were 
 glad to accept details in it under Major Stevens. Lieu- 
 tenant John G. Foster became his principal assistant. 
 Professor H. E. Hilgard, who afterwards rose to be chief 
 of the Coast Survey, had charge of the computing; Lieu- 
 tenant Richard C. Rush, and afterwards Lieutenant A. 
 A. Gibson, of drawing; and Lieutenant E. B. Hunt, of 
 engraving. The field work, as fast as it came in, was 
 
278 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 given to the public in preliminary sketches, or charts, 
 which served as a great incentive both to parties in the 
 field, who saw at once the fruits of their labors, and to 
 the office force in affording a better opportunity to train 
 the younger members, and prepare them for the finished 
 charts ; and for the first time the annual report was illus- 
 trated by these sketches, giving all the field work done to 
 date. He greatly facilitated the sale and distribution 
 of Coast Survey maps, declaring that "they should be 
 carried to every man's door having an interest in com- 
 merce, navigation, geography, or science." He took 
 every means to encourage and reward the deserving, 
 and opened the office to young men to learn the art of 
 engraving, for there was a scarcity of skillful engravers, 
 most of whom were foreigners. He reports : — 
 
 " The system of teaching the art of engraving to youths of 
 promise is succeeding admirably. By combining lessons in 
 drawing, instructions at night schools, with engraving, the best 
 spirit is excited, and the^ greatest excellence attained. There 
 are now six lads in the office, whose terms vary from two to 
 nineteen months. 
 
 " During the past year there has been a visible improvement 
 of the office in all its branches, and it is my pleasure and duty to 
 bear unqualified testimony to the zeal and efficiency of the sev- 
 eral assistants in charge of the departments, and of the numer- 
 ous employees under them. Each man has shown an honest 
 purpose to do his duty, and I have been much oftener obliged 
 to moderate exertion than to rebuke indifference and neglect." 
 
 And Professor Bache in his reports declared : — 
 
 " The office under the charge of Major Stevens has improved 
 in the system and order of every one of its divisions ; and the 
 zeal and ability of the assistant in charge has been reflected in 
 the spirit of the officers under him, and in the general diligence 
 of the employees. The office is characterized by a very marked 
 spirit of industry, of working to results, and of progress. Every 
 encouragement, as it should be, is afforded to those who en- 
 deavor to advance in their several occupations. 
 
LIFE IN WASHINGTON 279 
 
 " The office work has, by great diligence on the part of the 
 persons employed, and by the excellent administrative arrange- 
 ments of Major Stevens, been kept close to the field work. 
 In no former year have so many preliminary sketches been 
 promptly issued, and so much information of various kinds 
 been published, or furnished to the officers of government or 
 to individuals." 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY. EXPLORATION, 
 
 NORTHERN ROUTE 
 
 The triumph of the Democratic party in November, 
 1853, and the election of General Franklin Pierce as the 
 next President insured a more vigorous policy of explo- 
 ration and settlement of the vast domain stretching from 
 the Mississippi to the Pacific. Major Stevens was strongly 
 attracted to this field. It appealed to his ambition. 
 It afforded a greater opportunity for public service and 
 achievement. Prominent and gratifying as was the posi- 
 tion and standing he held in Washington, he realized its 
 limitations. He knew, too, that with the army on a 
 peace footing and filled with young officers, no promo- 
 tion in his corps could be expected for years. In brief, 
 feeling the powers and ambition of a leader, he was not 
 content to remain longer a subordinate. 
 
 In March Congress formed the new Territory of Wash- 
 ington out of the northern half of what was then Ore- 
 gon, being the territory extending from the Columbia 
 River and the 46th parallel northward two hundred and 
 fifty miles to the British Possessions and the 49th par- 
 allel, and from the crest of the Rocky Mountains west- 
 ward six hundred miles to the Pacific, an area larger 
 than New England and New York combined. Save a 
 handful of settlers on the lower Columbia and the shores 
 of Puget Sound, and a few missionary and trading posts 
 in the interior, the whole vast region was unsettled, and 
 much of it unexplored by civilized man. It contained 
 
GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY 281 
 
 many thousands of Indians, some of whom had lately 
 been at war with the whites, and regarded their approach 
 with jealous and hostile eyes ; the Indian title to the land 
 had not been extinguished ; and there were troublesome 
 questions with the Hudson Bay Company, which still 
 held its posts in the Territory, and claimed extensive 
 rights as guaranteed by treaty. 
 
 On March 3 Congress appropriated $150,000 for the 
 exploration and survey of railroad routes from the Mis- 
 sissippi to the Pacific, to be expended by the Secretary 
 of War under the direction of the President. Jefferson 
 Davis entered the new cabinet as Secretary of War, and 
 it was early determined to survey four principal routes 
 to the Pacific. 
 
 Early in the year Major Stevens applied for the gov- 
 ernorship of the new Territory, to which was attached, 
 ex officio, the superintendency of Indian affairs, and also 
 for the charge of the exploration of the Northern route. 
 Either of these fields was enough to fully task the most 
 able and energetic man, but his ambition reached for 
 both. Equally characteristic was the high ground upon 
 which he based his application. He asked the appoint- 
 ment, not as the reward of political services, nor for the 
 sake of personal or political friendship, but because he 
 was the fittest man for the place, the one who could best 
 serve the public interests. He told General Pierce that 
 if he could find any one else better qualified for the posi- 
 tion, who would accept it, it was his duty to appoint him. 
 There was no question on that score. But his wife and 
 many of his friends thought that he was making a great 
 personal sacrifice in relinquishing the enviable position 
 he had attained in Washington for the toils, hardships, 
 and dangers of the Western exploration and governorship. 
 Professor Bache was of this opinion, and deeply regretted 
 to lose his efficient assistant and friend. 
 
282 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 One of the first acts of the new President was to send 
 the name of Isaac I. Stevens to the Senate as governor 
 of Washington Territory ; he was confirmed, and his 
 commission was issued March 17. He was just thirty- 
 four years old, in the prime of life and of mental and 
 physical powers. 
 
 Major Stevens's letter of resignation from the army 
 and General Totten's reply show the cordial and appre- 
 ciative feelings of both. 
 
 Washington, D. C, March 21, 1853. 
 Brigadier-General Joseph G. Totten, 
 
 Chief Engineer, 
 
 Sir, — I herewith resign my commission of lieutenant of en- 
 gineers and brevet major United States army, to take effect on 
 Wednesday, the 16th instant. 
 
 This resignation is tendered with a profound sense of the 
 high honor, intelligence, and sentiment of duty which is char- 
 acteristic of the officers with whom I have been associated 
 the best years of my life, whom I have known and honored 
 in peace and war, in sunshine and in storm, and whose equals 
 I can scarcely expect to find in the new career upon which I 
 have entered. I shall carry into civil life the conviction that 
 the country owes the army a debt of gratitude, and is yet to 
 receive signal benefits at its hands. 
 
 This conviction, rest assured, will show itself both in words 
 and deeds whenever the service has to be vindicated or main- 
 tained. 
 
 To yourself, both personally and officially, as a friend and as 
 a superior officer, permit me to acknowledge the kindness and 
 confidence which I have received at your hands. It has had 
 no hindrance or interruption during the period of nearly four- 
 teen years, many of them years of weighty responsibilities and 
 perplexing cares, during which I have served under your com- 
 mand. 
 
 And to me, sir, not only my commanding officer, but my 
 honored friend, it is the completest of satisfactions to be able 
 to say that during my service in the army I have not bad a 
 serious difficulty with a brother officer, and that I am not aware 
 
GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY 283 
 
 that between me and any officer in or out of the service there is 
 the slightest feeling of unkindness. 
 
 Very truly and respectfully, 
 
 Your friend and obedient servant, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 Writes General Totten in reply : — 
 
 While regretting that the corps of engineers are thus de- 
 prived of the future services of an officer whose high traits of 
 character have, both in peace and war, so fully vindicated its 
 position, I anticipate the more unhesitatingly that these charac- 
 teristic qualities will continue to procure for you, in the new 
 and wider scenes on which you have now entered, all the re- 
 wards which they so justly merit. . . . 
 
 For myself, I have to make acknowledgment for great assist- 
 ance rendered in every form, and under all the circumstances 
 that your military duties admitted, — at all times fulfilling my 
 wishes, abridging my cares, and exalting the usefulness and 
 reputation of the corps. And in all our personal relations you 
 have observed a kind consideration which I have fully appre- 
 ciated. These things have created a warm interest in your 
 welfare, and make me feel that, while the service is losing a 
 most valuable officer, I am parting from a friend. 
 I remain with high respect, 
 
 J. G. Totten, 
 Bvt. Brig. -Gen, and Col. Engineers. 
 
 Major Stevens turned over the charge of Fort Knox 
 to Colonel John L. Smith, and was succeeded on the 
 Coast Survey by Captain H. W. Benham. Major Ste- 
 vens had long since overcome the ill feelings excited by 
 the vigorous and drastic way in which he had reformed 
 the office, and had long since won the confidence of the 
 force, and their admiration as well. They deeply re- 
 gretted his departure, and in token of their esteem pre- 
 sented him with a beautiful service of plate, consisting 
 of a large silver pitcher and salver, with two goblets, in 
 repousse work. 
 
284 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 PRESENTED TO 
 
 ISAAC I. STEVENS, 
 
 GOVERNOR 
 
 OF THE TERRITORY OF WASHINGTON, 
 
 LATE BREVET MAJOR, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A., 
 
 AND ASSISTANT IN CHARGE OF THE OFFICE OF THE 
 
 U. S. COAST SURVEY, 
 
 AS A TOKEN OF ESTEEM, BY HIS 
 
 FRIENDS ON THE SURVEY, 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C, 
 
 MARCH, 1853. 
 
 In his next annual report after Major Stevens had left 
 the Coast Survey, Professor Bache remarks : — 
 
 " The gain to the country in his appointment, and especially 
 to that new region to which he has been called, will no doubt 
 be great, but our loss is proportionably great. An administra- 
 tive ability of a high order was joined to unceasing activity and 
 great force of character ; varied general and professional know- 
 ledge to great clearness in discerning ends, and fixedness of 
 purpose in pursuing them ; remarkable knowledge of men, and 
 easy control of those connected in business with him, to per- 
 sonal qualities which rendered official intercourse agreeable to 
 those about him. The system with which he followed up plans, 
 complicated as well as simple, insured success in his adminis- 
 tration, and was felt in every department of the office, of which 
 he had thoroughly mastered the details as well as the general 
 working. The experience acquired by such an officer is inval- 
 uable to the work, and not soon to be replaced, whatever may 
 be the resources of his successor." 
 
 A remark of Benbam's, soon after he assumed charge, 
 well illustrates his egotistic and assuming character : 
 " Major Stevens grew up with the office from its infancy, 
 but I grappled the lion when full-grown." Benham did 
 not long remain on the survey. 
 
 Scarcely was the ink dry on his commission, when 
 Governor Stevens set to work to obtain charge of the 
 exploration of the Northern route, and the rapid and 
 
GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY 285 
 
 masterly way in which he effected it, and planned the 
 survey and increased its magnitude and importance, must 
 have astonished the red tape officials of Washington. As 
 usual, all his recommendations were based upon the high- 
 est grounds of public welfare and public service. On 
 March 21 he writes the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, 
 a strong letter, proposing to conduct an exploration to 
 determine the emigrant route, and the route for a railroad 
 from the sources of the Mississippi to Puget Sound, and 
 submits a memoir for accomplishing it by means of three 
 parties, with estimates of organization and cost in detail, 
 and concludes, "Should an expedition be intrusted to 
 my charge, I pledge the devotion of all my force, energy, 
 and judgment to its accomplishment." 
 
 The following day he addresses the Secretary of State, 
 William L. Marcy, submitting his project, and showing 
 that he could best promote the interests of the new Ter- 
 ritory by exploring the route to it, obtaining a large 
 amount of useful information in relation to the agricul- 
 tural, mineral, commercial, and manufacturing resources, 
 and publishing the information thus obtained, thereby 
 inviting emigrants, filling up the Territory, and develop- 
 ing its resources. He shows that this duty need not 
 greatly delay the organization of territorial government, 
 and calls attention to — 
 
 " the great influence which this exploration will exercise over 
 the Indian tribes, the exceeding efficiency which it will give 
 to me in discharge of my duties as Superintendent of Indian 
 Affairs, and the interesting information which it will enable 
 me to collect in regard to their numbers, customs, locations, 
 history, and traditions. This I design making the subject of 
 a special communication to the Department of the Interior. 
 Should my views meet the approbation of the department, 
 I will earnestly request that the necessary communication be 
 had with the War Department to arrange the exploration in 
 
286 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 conformity with the plan which I have thus rapidly sketched. 
 I ask that it be done with the least possible delay, so as to 
 insure its complete success. I think it important that my 
 arrangements here should be brought to a close in sixteen days, 
 that previous to that time competent men be dispatched to the 
 Mississippi River to assure the expedition, and thus we shall 
 all be hard at work in the field the first week of May." 
 
 As governor he was under the jurisdiction of the State 
 Department. On the same day he addresses a similar 
 letter to the Secretary of the Interior, Robert McClelland, 
 for, as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, he came under 
 that department. Governor Stevens enforced his views 
 by personal interviews with the secretaries and the Presi- 
 dent ; and his earnestness, zeal for the public service, 
 sound judgment, and strong, convincing way of express- 
 ing his views, carried all before him. Within four days 
 his proposal to lead the expedition was accepted, and all 
 his suggestions adopted. The administration were only 
 too glad to find such a man to head the most important 
 of the explorations and insure its success. Perhaps no 
 part of his career more clearly stamped Governor Stevens 
 as a born leader of men than this. At a time when the 
 new President and cabinet were overwhelmed with the 
 pressing questions and personal claims ever engrossing 
 the incoming administration, a mere subordinate, not con- 
 tent to simply await the instructions of his superiors, 
 surveys the whole field of Western exploration intrusted 
 to him, and its attendant problems of white settlement, 
 Indians, etc., with comprehensive and far-sighted vision, 
 decides upon the measures and action required by the 
 needs of the country and the public service, and then so 
 impresses his views upon the President and three great de- 
 partments by sheer force of character, earnest patriotism, 
 and sound, good sense, that all his recommendations are 
 adopted without delay, and he is given carte blanche to 
 
GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY 287 
 
 carry them out. The bare conception, if broached in 
 March, when the new administration assumed charge, of 
 obtaining both the governorship of Washington Territory 
 and the charge of the Northern Pacific exploration, of 
 inducing three secretaries to adopt his measures, of com- 
 pletely organizing and outfitting and starting in the field 
 a great expedition for the survey of two thousand miles of 
 wilderness, and all to be accomplished within two months, 
 would have seemed not merely bold, but visionary and 
 presumptuous, and nothing could have relieved Governor 
 Stevens from such reproach but the fact that all this he 
 actually accomplished. 
 
 The following letter to Jefferson Davis, Secretary of 
 War, shows how energetically Governor Stevens was 
 already gathering information and assistance for the ex- 
 ploration. The last part touches upon a delicate ques- 
 tion, the placing army officers under the command of a 
 civilian, as Governor Stevens now was, a thing repugnant 
 to all military ideas and usages, and almost without pre- 
 cedent. But Governor Stevens held that his case was 
 altogether exceptional, and found no difficulty in secur- 
 ing the voluntary services of as many able officers as he 
 needed. It is believed that there is no similar instance 
 in our history where twelve army officers came under the 
 command of a civilian : — 
 
 Washington, March 25, 1853. 
 Hon. Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War. 
 
 Sir, — I am now quite certain that a sufficient number of 
 army officers will volunteer to go with me on the proposed explo- 
 ration from the headwaters of the Mississippi to Puget Sound, 
 as will much reduce the force of civilians to be employed. 
 Several accomplished officers would be glad to be detailed, and 
 would do effective service as astronomers, engineers, artists, 
 naturalists, draughtsmen, etc. I can make arrangements both 
 with the American Fur and Hudson Bay Company for active 
 cooperation and assistance. The distinguished geologist, Dr. 
 
288 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 J. Evans, who has gone over the greater portion of the country 
 between the Mississippi and the Pacific, has explored two of 
 the passes in the Rocky Mountains north of the South Pass, 
 and has received much information of the topography of the 
 country, has kindly given me much valuable information, and 
 is ready to cooperate with all his energy in a plan whereby 
 each shall render to the other every possible facility, and best 
 promote the public service without an unnecessary expenditure 
 of means. 
 
 I think it exceedingly important that the whole exploration 
 from the Mississippi River to Puget Sound, including a thorough 
 examination of the passes of the Cascade Range, should be 
 placed under the charge of the same person, he, under general 
 instructions from the department, giving the necessary direction 
 to the several parties, thus securing united and energetic action, 
 and guarding against the almost certain failure of the expedi- 
 tion should it be divided into two independent commands. As 
 soon as the department shall decide upon the scale of the opera- 
 tions, and shall issue its orders assigning me to the duty, which 
 I presume from the correspondence with the Department of 
 State to be definitely decided upon, I will at once submit a 
 more detailed plan of operations, and make the necessary re- 
 quisition for the detail of officers, and for the various facilities 
 which may be extended by the administrative branches of the 
 service. As in the Coast Survey, I propose no assignment of 
 officers except by their own desire, and of officers who have 
 especial adaptation to the particular duty. 
 
 Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 Among his first acts Governor Stevens, on March 31, 
 applied for Brevet Captain George B. McClellan, then in 
 Texas, to be " at once assigned to duty with me as my 
 principal officer. I design to put him in charge of the 
 exploration of the Cascade Range, and I can not only 
 speak with confidence of his great ability for the par- 
 ticular duty, but as his friend can say that the duty will 
 be in the highest degree agreeable to him. ,, 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 289 
 
 Washington, April 5, 1853. 
 
 My dear McClellan, — I have succeeded in securing your 
 detail to take charge of the Western party in the Northern 
 Pacific Railroad survey. 
 
 You will get the orders to-day, and be directed probably to 
 repair to New Orleans, and there await instructions. The 
 route is from St. Paul, Minn., to Puget Sound by the great 
 bend of the Missouri River through a pass in the Rocky Moun- 
 tains near the 49th parallel. A strong party will operate west- 
 ward from St. Paul ; a second but smaller party will go up the 
 Missouri to the Yellowstone, and there make arrangements, 
 reconnoitre the country, etc., and on the junction of the main 
 party they will push through the Blackfoot country, and, reach- 
 ing the Rocky Mountains, will keep at work there during the 
 summer months. The third party, under your command, will 
 be organized in the Puget Sound region, you and your scientific 
 corps going over the Isthmus, and will operate in the Cascade 
 Range, and meet the party coming from the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 As soon as my force is at work in these mountains, I shall 
 push forward with a small reconnoitring force and find you, 
 and, after conference with you, arrange the entire plan of 
 operations. 
 
 Your scientific corps will consist of a physician and natural- 
 ist, an astronomer, a draughtsman and barometer man, and an 
 officer of the artillery, Johnson K. Duncan, who, I am informed 
 by Foster, is a strong friend of yours, and will work under you. 
 You will have authority to call upon the officers and troops 
 stationed in the Territories of Oregon and Washington, and I 
 have no doubt you will be able to secure valuable assistance. 
 At the same time funds will be placed in your hands to hire 
 suitable guides, hunters, etc. A complete set of instruments 
 and appliances will be sent with the necessary instructions. 
 
 Your friend, Professor Baird, is arranging the natural his- 
 tory part of the business. The expedition will be altogether 
 the most complete that has ever set out in this country, and if 
 we are true to it, the results will be satisfactory to the country. 
 The amount of work in the Cascade Range and eastward, say 
 to the probable junction of the parties at the great bend of the 
 north fork of the Columbia River, will be immense. Recollect, 
 
290 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the main object is a railroad survey from the headwaters of 
 the Mississippi River to Puget Sound. 
 
 We must rely upon the ordinary astronomical observations 
 in the field, upon the odometer and barometer and the compass, 
 for getting the direction, length, and profiles of routes. With 
 the sextant for determining height along the route, and with a 
 good sketcher and draughtsman, you will be able to get good 
 results. I may get for you a small detachment of sappers, and 
 I shall try to get you assigned to duty according to your brevet 
 rank. 
 
 I telegraphed you some days since, asking your views, but 
 in consequence of your great distance from Washington it was 
 essential to act at once. Knowing your views so intimately in 
 relation to such service, and venturing on our long acquaint- 
 ance and mutual friendship, I have in the strongest terms 
 pressed your case, on the ground that, could you be consulted, 
 the duty would be sought by you. In my telegraphic message 
 I informed you that I was put in charge of the duty in conse- 
 quence of my civil position. It has been done at the joint 
 desire of the War Department, of the Department of State, 
 and of the Department of the Interior. Officers have volun- 
 teered for the service, and I shall receive the services of several 
 very valuable and experienced men. I have in the strongest 
 terms taken the ground that my having left the army and 
 standing in a civil position would not, under the circumstances 
 of the case, be any objection on your part to acting under my 
 direction. 
 
 As your friend, and knowing the opportunity for distinction 
 it would give you, I would not hesitate for a moment. 
 
 One word more as to the railroad survey. We must not be 
 frightened with long tunnels or enormous snows, but set our- 
 selves to work to overcome them. When you reach New 
 Orleans you will find your instructions. 
 
 Truly your friend, 
 
 Isaac I. Stevens. 
 
 The warning in the last paragraph seems almost pro- 
 phetic ; for, as will be seen hereafter, McClellan's fear of 
 deep snows caused him to fail in an important part of 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 291 
 
 his survey of the Cascade passes, viz., the determining 
 the depth of winter snow. 
 
 Governor Stevens also obtained the detail for his sur- 
 vey of Lieutenant A. J. Donelson, of the engineer corps, 
 and ten non-commissioned officers and men, of the engi- 
 neer company, also known as sappers and miners, and of 
 Lieutenant Beekman Du Barry, of the 3d artillery. He 
 also obtained from the War Department authority to call 
 upon the several army administrative departments for 
 transportation, subsistence, and arms, and even the pay of 
 two civilian surgeons and naturalists, thus providing for 
 all the expenses of the expedition except those pertaining 
 to civilians employed as a scientific corps and their 
 assistants, which were to be defrayed by the funds 
 allotted to the Northern route out of the civil appropria- 
 tion, viz., $40,000 out of the $150,000 thus appropriated. 
 By these arrangements he vastly increased the extent, 
 thoroughness, and value of his exploration. 
 
 On April 7 Governor Stevens sent Lieutenant Donel- 
 son to Montreal armed with letters from the British 
 Minister in Washington to Sir George Simpson, governor 
 of the Hudson Bay Company, to obtain all the informa- 
 tion possible relative to the country from the Great 
 Lakes to the Pacific, the location of the trading-posts, 
 the amount of supplies obtainable from them for the 
 exploration party in case of emergency, the names of 
 hunters and half-breeds who might serve as guides and 
 interpreters, and to learn all possible about the geography, 
 and examine all books and maps, making copies of the 
 latter if necessary, etc. 
 
 " The information we already have of this region," he writes 
 Donelson, " is based upon the following works : Lewis and 
 Clarke's Travels; Irving's Astoria and Rocky Mountains; Trav- 
 els by the Missionary De Smet, Nicollet, and Pope ; Governor 
 Simpson's Journey around the World ; and some information, 
 
292 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 not yet published, obtained from Dr. Evans on his geological 
 survey of those regions. A book recommended by the British 
 Minister, 'Hudson Bay Company,' by Montgomery Martin, I 
 wish you to obtain. He suggested it might be obtained from 
 Governor Simpson. As soon as you have finished your inquiries 
 at Montreal, which I think you can do in a week, return to 
 Washington, and report to me in person. 
 
 " In reference to the detachment (sappers), it is necessary 
 that the men be selected with great care. None should be taken 
 who cannot assist the scientific corps as sketchers, draughtsmen, 
 or collectors, etc. It is necessary that they should be put under 
 special training. Captain Seymour, perhaps, might be willing 
 to take charge of one, and Lieutenant Du Barry of another, 
 giving them instructions in the use of the barometer and astro- 
 nomical instruments used in the field." 
 
 This is interesting as showing* how little was then 
 known of the region to be explored, and how few and 
 meagre were the works describing it. 
 
 Governor Stevens had thus been driving the work of 
 preparation and organization for a fortnight, when, on 
 April 8, the formal order placing him in charge and 
 giving full instructions was issued by the War Depart- 
 ment. These instructions exactly embody his own sug- 
 gestions, much of them in the very language of his 
 letters and memoir to Secretary Davis, In fact, he really 
 prepared his own instructions. The following brief 
 synopsis will give some idea of the scope and magnitude 
 of the exploration, of the task Governor Stevens had set 
 himself : — 
 
 1. The exploration and survey of a route for a rail- 
 road from the sources of the Mississippi River to Puget 
 Sound is placed in charge of Isaac I. Stevens, governor 
 of the Territory of Washington, to whom all officers 
 detailed for the same will report for instructions. 
 
 2. To operate from St. Paul, or some eligible point on 
 the Upper Mississippi, towards the great bend of the 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 293 
 
 Missouri River, and thence on the table-land between the 
 tributaries of the Missouri and the Saskatchewan to some 
 eligible pass in the Rocky Mountains. A depot to be 
 established at Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellow- 
 stone, with a subsidiary party to await the coming of the 
 main party. A second party to proceed to Puget Sound 
 and explore the passes of the Cascade Range, meeting 
 the eastern party between that range and the Rocky 
 Mountains, as may be arranged by Governor Stevens. 
 
 3. To explore the passes of the Cascade Range and 
 Rocky Mountains from the 49th parallel to the head- 
 waters of the Missouri River, and to determine the capa- 
 city of the adjacent country to supply, and of the Colum- 
 bia and Missouri rivers and their tributaries to transport, 
 materials for the construction of the road, great attention 
 to be given geography and meteorology of the whole 
 intermediate region, to the seasons and character of 
 freshets ; the quantities and continuance of its rains and 
 snows, especially in the mountain ranges ; to its geology ; 
 in arid regions the use of artesian wells; its botany, 
 natural history, agricultural and mineral resources; the 
 location, numbers, history, traditions, and customs of its 
 Indian tribes ; and such other facts as shall tend to de- 
 velop the character of that portion of our national 
 domain, and supply all the facts that enter into the solu- 
 tion of the particular problem of a railroad. 
 
 4-7. Assigns to survey, in addition to those already 
 assigned, Captain John W. T. Gardiner, 1st dragoons ; 
 Second Lieutenant Johnson K. Duncan, 3d artillery; 
 Second Lieutenant Ruf us Saxton, 4th artillery ; Second 
 Lieutenant Cuvier Grover, 4th artillery; and Brevet 
 Second Lieutenant John Mullan, 1st artillery ; and twenty 
 picked men of the 1st dragoons and two officers and 
 thirty men to Captain McClellan's party. 
 
 8. The administrative branches of the army, on requi- 
 
294 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 sition approved by Governor Stevens, to supply the officers, 
 soldiers, and civil employees of the expedition (except 
 the scientific corps and their assistants), with transporta- 
 tion, subsistence, medical stores, and arms, and to furnish 
 funds for the same when not supplied in kind. 
 
 9-10. After completion of field work, the expedition 
 to rendezvous at some suitable point in Washington Ter- 
 ritory to be designated by Governor Stevens, and reports 
 to be prepared. ♦ Officers and enlisted men to be sent to 
 their stations and employees to be discharged. 
 
 11. $40,000 set apart from the appropriation for the 
 survey thus intrusted to Governor Stevens. 
 
 It is difficult to realize the magnitude of the task here 
 outlined. It was to traverse and explore a domain two 
 thousand miles in length by two hundred and fifty in 
 breadth, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pa- 
 cific Ocean, across a thousand miles of arid plains and two 
 great mountain ranges, a region almost unexplored, and 
 infested by powerful tribes of predatory and warlike sav- 
 ages ; to determine the navigability of the two great rivers, 
 the Missouri and the Columbia, which intersect the region ; 
 to locate by reconnoissance and to survey a practicable 
 railroad route; to examine the mountain passes and de- 
 termine the depth of winter snows in them ; to collect all 
 possible information on the geology, climate, flora and 
 fauna, as well as the topography, of the region traversed ; 
 and finally to treat with the Indians on the route, cultivate 
 their friendship, and collect information as to their lan- 
 guages, numbers, customs, traditions, and history ; and all 
 this, including the work of preparation and organization, 
 to be accomplished in a single season. 
 
 It was Governor Stevens's plan to effect this vast work 
 by means of two parties operating simultaneously from 
 both ends of the route, the principal one starting from St. 
 Paul at the eastern end, under his own immediate charge ; 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 295 
 
 and the other, starting from the western end, under 
 McClellan, to meet on the upper Columbia plains between 
 the two great mountain ranges; and two subsidiary 
 parties, — one, under Lieutenant Donelson, to ascend the 
 Missouri to Fort Union with a stock of supplies, and there 
 await the coming of the main party ; and the other, under 
 Lieutenant Saxton, to proceed from the lower Columbia to 
 the Bitter Root valley, in the heart of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, with an additional stock of supplies for the main 
 party. The subsidiary parties were also to examine the 
 country traversed by them, and collect all the information 
 possible bearing on the various objects of the expedition. 
 By this plan McClellan was required simply to explore the 
 Cascade Range, or about 200 miles of the route ; while 
 Governor Stevens allotted all the remainder, some 1800 
 miles, including the great plains, the Rocky and Bit- 
 ter Root Mountains, to the parties under his immediate 
 charge. 
 
 During the next four weeks Governor Stevens drove 
 forward the work of preparing and organizing the ex- 
 pedition with tremendous energy. He applied for and 
 obtained the assignments of officers and men from the 
 army ; made requisitions upon the administrative branches 
 for supplies and funds for the several parties ; obtained 
 $6000 from the Interior Department for the purchase of 
 Indian goods and for treating with them ; employed A. 
 W. Tinkham, his former assistant at Fort Knox, and Fred. 
 W. Lander, afterwards the Brigadier-General Lander 
 who was wounded at Ball's Bluff and died of his wounds, 
 as civil engineers ; appointed George W. Stevens as secre- 
 tary and astronomer; placed Professor Baird, of the 
 Smithsonian, in charge of the zoological and botanical col- 
 lections, and of preparing the outfits and instructions for 
 field work ; made Isaac Osgood, his former clerk at Bucks- 
 port, disbursing officer; Dr. John Evans, geologist; Drs. 
 
296 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 George Suckley and J. G. Cooper, surgeons and natural- 
 ists ; J. M. Stanley, artist, and engaged a number of other 
 subordinates, including six young gentlemen who went as 
 aides. 
 
 Early in April Lieutenant Saxton and Lieutenant Dun- 
 can started for the Columbia via the Isthmus and San 
 Francisco, with detailed instructions, that no time might 
 be lost in organizing the western parties, and were fol- 
 lowed by McClellan as soon as he reached Washington 
 from Texas and received his instructions. He was also 
 furnished by Governor Stevens with letters from Sir 
 George Simpson to the officers of the Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany's posts, and with letters from the governor to many 
 of the prominent American settlers in Washington and 
 Oregon, and also a circular letter bespeaking their good- 
 will and support for Captain McClellan. 
 
 Governor Stevens also placed under McClellan's charge 
 the construction of a military wagon-road from Fort Stei- 
 lacoom, on Puget Sound, to Fort Walla Walla on the 
 Columbia, for which Congress had appropriated $20,000, 
 and which the Secretary of War had placed in Governor 
 Stevens's hands, with authority to assign an officer or a 
 civil engineer to its construction, as he deemed best. The 
 governor gave very full instructions in regard to this 
 road ; furnished the names of prominent citizens and 
 advised McClellan to consult with them as to the best 
 location for the road, and gave him full notes of his cor- 
 respondence with them bearing on the matter. 
 
 Sir George Simpson having proposed to forward an 
 extra stock of supplies to his posts in the interior for the 
 expedition, Governor Stevens made haste to decline the 
 proffered assistance, not wishing to incur such an obli- 
 gation to a foreign company, assuring Sir George that his 
 own government would provide ample supplies, and that 
 he merely wished to know what the company's posts 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 297 
 
 could spare from their usual stock in case of emergency. 
 On this point he is emphatic in his instructions to Saxton 
 and McClellan : — 
 
 " I am exceedingly desirous no exertion should be spared to 
 have means of our own for our expedition, and shall much 
 prefer to be in condition to extend aid than to be obliged to 
 receive aid from others. Whilst we will gratefully receive aid 
 from the company in case of necessity, let it be our determi- 
 nation to have within ourselves the means of the most complete 
 efficacy. I am more and more convinced that in our operations 
 we should be self-dependent, and whilst we exchange courtesies 
 and hospitalities with the Hudson Bay Company, the people 
 and the Indians of the Territory should see that we have all the 
 elements of success in our hands. The Indians must look to us 
 for protection and counsel. They must see that we are their 
 true friends, and be taught not to look, as they have been accus- 
 tomed to, to the Hudson Bay Company. I am so impressed \ 
 with this fact that I wish no Indian presents to be procured from 
 British posts. I am determined, in my intercourse with the 
 Indians, to break up the ascendency of the Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany, and permit no authority or sanction to come between the 
 Indians and the officers of this government." 
 
 The Hudson Bay Company still held trading-posts 
 in the new Territory at Steilacoom, Vancouver, Walla 
 Walla, and Colville, and claimed extensive but ill-de- 
 fined rights and possessions, and its officers lost no op- 
 portunity to cultivate the goodwill of Governor Stevens, 
 hoping to win his favoring view, if not support, of their 
 claims. 
 
 Lieutenants Donelson and Mullan, with part of the 
 sappers, were sent to St. Louis to prepare the supplies, 
 etc., for ascending the Missouri to Fort Union. Gov- 
 ernor Stevens had already ascertained by correspondence 
 the character of the river boats at St. Louis and at Pitts- 
 burg, and the cost of purchasing or chartering them, but 
 was unable to find one of sufficiently light draught and 
 
298 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 power, and therefore decided to send the party by the 
 American Fur Company's boat. 
 
 Captain Gardiner was dispatched to St. Paul to select 
 the dragoon detachment, establish a camp, and make pre- 
 liminary arrangements for starting the main party afield 
 as early as possible. The civil engineers, Lander and 
 Tinkham, were also sent to the same point to examine 
 the crossings of the Mississippi and their approaches. 
 
 Lieutenant Grover, as assistant quartermaster and com- 
 missary of the expedition, was also sent to St. Louis, 
 assisted by a civilian employee, to procure supplies and 
 forward them to St. Paul. Lieutenant Du Barry was 
 directed to push on beyond St. Paul to Pembina to pro- 
 cure guides. 
 
 The most detailed and careful instructions were fur- 
 nished all these officers; requisitions and arrangements 
 made with the officers of the army administrative branches 
 in Washington, St. Louis, St. Paul, San Francisco, and 
 Vancouver for the outfit and supply of the different par- 
 ties ; all existing information in the way of maps, reports, 
 etc., was copied and furnished, and full instructions for 
 the making and preservation of natural history collec- 
 tions, and for the astronomical and meteorological obser- 
 vations were prepared and printed, and placed in the 
 hands of all those having charge of those branches. 
 
 The very full, carefully considered, and complete in- 
 structions given these various officers by Governor Ste- 
 vens would fill two hundred pages. They are not only a 
 remarkable monument of industry, but show a complete 
 grasp and mastery of the whole field, great foresight of 
 the conditions and difficulties to be encountered, and are 
 remarkably clear and precise in stating the objects to be 
 obtained, but leave much to the judgment of the officer 
 addressed in the ways and means of attaining them. 
 
 Not content with omnivorously devouring all the books, 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 299 
 
 reports, and maps upon the field of operations, and seek- 
 ing information by correspondence with the officers of 
 the Hudson Bay Company and citizens of Oregon and 
 Washington, Governor Stevens procured and studied all 
 the available works on the steppes of Russia and Asia, as 
 throwing light upon the formation and characteristics of 
 the great plains. 
 
 During these four weeks the Third Street house was 
 filled with clerks and draughtsmen, hard at work on in- 
 structions, requisitions, maps, etc., with officers and civil 
 employees conferring as to their duties and making pre- 
 parations, and with many others anxious to accompany 
 the expedition and seeking positions upon it ; and was 
 crammed from garret to cellar with books, maps, papers, 
 instruments, arms, and other paraphernalia incident to 
 such an undertaking. Professor Baird took the greatest 
 interest in the scientific collections, preparing rules, and 
 getting up panniers and apparatus, and made that fea- 
 ture so important that Governor Stevens was impelled to 
 say, " I want you to understand, Professor Baird, that 
 my exploration is something more than a natural-history 
 expedition." The fitting out of the expedition attracted 
 much attention in Washington, and the parlors were filled 
 every evening with gentlemen connected with or inter- 
 ested in it. Among them was Fred. W. Lander, a tall, 
 athletic young man, confident in bearing, frank and ready 
 in conversation, and fond of relating the adventurous ex- 
 periences and escapes, especially with horses, into which 
 his daring not to say reckless disposition often led him. 
 Lieutenant George B. McClellan, afterwards the well- 
 known commander of the Army of the Potomac, was 
 of charming manners and personality. On being asked 
 how he liked being under Governor Stevens, he replied, 
 " At any rate, I shall serve under a man of brains." Lieu- 
 tenants Saxton and Grover rose to be major-generals in 
 
300 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the Civil War. General Joseph Lane, who represented 
 Oregon in Congress, was a frequent caller. He was a 
 man of native grace and dignity of manner and fine char- 
 acter, — one of nature's noblemen. 
 
 The energy and capacity for effective work displayed 
 by Governor Stevens during this time astonished his 
 friends. His labors with the pen alone were enough to 
 fully occupy any man. Besides this, he was incessantly 
 engaged in consultations, conferences, and interviews with 
 the subordinates and others, and was embracing every 
 opportunity of talking with men who had experience on 
 the plains or the Pacific coast. George Stevens declared 
 that no human being could stand such a strain, and on 
 another occasion exclaimed, " The major is crazy, actu- 
 ally crazy, or he never could work as he does ! " 
 
 In just a month from the date of the order placing 
 him in charge, Governor Stevens had effected the whole 
 work of organization and outfitting, and on May 9 left 
 Washington for St. Paul to start the expedition. During 
 the same month he also broke up housekeeping, disposed 
 of his furniture, and moved his family into private lodg- 
 ings. His wife was seriously ill, and was obliged to re- 
 main in Washington with her young child and her sister 
 Mary until sufficiently recovered to stand the journey to 
 Newport. 
 
 He also at this time selected and purchased of D. Apple- 
 ton & Co., of New York, the Territorial Library, — for 
 which $5000 had been appropriated by Congress, — and 
 had the books sent out by sea around Cape Horn. This 
 was no small task, for he went over the lists of books and 
 made the selection with great pains. He stated in his first 
 message to the legislature that he had taken care to get 
 the best books in each department of learning, and had 
 applied to the executive of every State and Territory and 
 to many learned societies to donate their publications. 
 
EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE 301 
 
 This work is not the place to narrate the progress and 
 results of that great exploration and survey. They are 
 ably and fully recorded by Governor Stevens himself in 
 three large volumes, comprising 1500 pages, with many 
 views and illustrations, published by Congress, being the 
 first and twelfth volumes (the latter in two parts) of " Re- 
 ports of the Explorations and Surveys for a Railroad 
 Route from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean." 
 And it is only from these pages that one can learn and 
 appreciate with what thoroughness and completeness Gov- 
 ernor Stevens executed the vast work intrusted to him. 
 For years these volumes were the great storehouse of 
 information relating to the region treated by them, the 
 source of innumerable reports and articles, and are to-day 
 full of interest and valuable information. These reports 
 really embody the results of three years' labors. And it 
 will be related farther on how Governor Stevens, not con- 
 tent with having most successfully conducted his explora- 
 tion across the continent in one season and fully per- 
 formed his instructions, did, of his own patriotic devotion 
 to the public interests, carry on that great work for two 
 years longer, using the Indian service and the volunteer 
 forces under his command, and gave the full and final 
 results of his labors in vol. xii., published in 1860. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE PARTY. THE START 
 
 Leaving Washington May 9, and, after spending a 
 day in New York to complete arrangements, going by 
 way of Detroit and Chicago, Governor Stevens reached 
 St. Louis on the 15th. Here he was disappointed in 
 finding the outfits not so far advanced as he expected, 
 and was even seriously alarmed at the mules furnished 
 by the St. Louis quartermaster, which were only three or 
 four years old, and perfectly wild and unbroken. This 
 was the more inexcusable from the fact that he had pre- 
 viously sent Mr. Charles Taplin to St. Louis with instruc- 
 tions that only well-broken and serviceable animals were 
 to be procured. Consequently he remained there a week 
 hastening the necessary outfits, during which time he 
 started Lieutenant Donelson's party up the Missouri on 
 the American Fur Company's steamboat with Lieutenant 
 Mullan, Mr. William H. Graham, and six sappers, and 
 10,000 rations. Dr. John Evans and Mr. Alexander 
 Culbertson also accompanied them. The latter, having 
 spent twenty years on the upper Missouri as a fur-trader 
 and married a Blackfoot squaw, had great influence over 
 that warlike tribe. He was appointed by Governor Ste- 
 vens as special agent for these predatory and intractable 
 savages, and sent forward to prepare the way for the 
 expedition through their country by securing guides and 
 hunters and arranging for a council. 
 
 Leaving St. Louis on the 23d and proceeding up the 
 Mississippi, Governor Stevens, in order to repair the 
 
ST. PAUL 303 
 
 neglect of the quartermaster, purchased at the several 
 landings and at Galena a number of teams of strong, 
 well-broken mules and horses, in some instances taking 
 them off the wagons where they were at work. Four 
 days were spent on the Father of Waters. 
 
 " Leaving Galena on the 25th," says the governor, " on the 
 steamer Nominee, we proceeded up the river, and were enabled 
 to make short stops at Dubuque, Prairie du Chien, Lansing, 
 La Crosse, and other places. Intervals of leisure were em- 
 ployed in reporting fully to the War and Interior Departments 
 my proceedings thus far, and the arrangements in contempla- 
 tion for the execution of my several trusts. The scenery on 
 the Mississippi is bold and at times beautiful, though but little 
 variety is presented. Bluff banks on both sides, topped with 
 trees, line its banks, and occasionally marked views occur, 
 among which I might mention as most prominent Lake Pepin, 
 Maiden Eock, Barn Bluffs, etc. 
 
 " St. Paul is beautifully situated upon a high bluff on the 
 east bank of the river, and is rapidly growing in size and im- 
 portance." 
 
 St. Paul is said in the report to have then had a popu- 
 lation of 1200. 
 
 While on the Nominee, Governor Stevens writes a let- 
 ter of eight pages to his wife's brother, Mr. Daniel L. 
 Hazard, who had had much experience with Mississippi 
 boats, — but was then at Newport recovering from malarial 
 illness, — on the draught, power, and size of steamboats 
 suitable for the navigation of the upper Missouri, and 
 suggests to him the opportunity for steamboating on 
 Puget Sound, concluding with the following remarks, 
 showing his own feelings towards the new country, and 
 how completely he was adopting it : — 
 
 "I have no doubt that it is one of the most delightful and 
 salubrious regions in the whole country, with all the health of 
 Newport, but with a grandeur and largeness of scenery far sur- 
 passing ikv It is just such a place as I have for many years 
 
304 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 proposed to myself, one of these days, to carve out a home. I 
 am satisfied my family will all be pleased with their new home, 
 and that we will be willing to settle down there for life." 
 
 Long before daylight the next morning after reaching 
 St. Paul, Governor Stevens was in the saddle, riding to 
 the camp established by Captain Gardiner two days be- 
 fore, and had the pleasure of rousing the gentlemen of 
 the expedition from their sleep. The camp was situated 
 on the borders of Lake Amelia, about nine miles from St. 
 Paul and about three northwest from Fort Snelling, and, 
 in honor of the President, the governor named it Camp 
 Pierce. 
 
 " About a quarter of a mile to the eastward lay another lake, 
 connected with Lake Amelia by a creek, which was very con- 
 venient for watering our animals, and formed a fine meadow 
 on which they grazed. These lakes furnished us with fish in 
 abundance, consisting of bass, pickerel, and sunfish. 
 
 " The mules presented a fine appearance, and were apparently 
 strong and healthy, though young, and even more unbroken and 
 unserviceable than I had feared. Not a single full team of 
 broken animals could be selected, and well-broken riding ani- 
 mals were essential, for most of the gentlemen of the scientific 
 corps were unaccustomed to riding. I felt that time was pre- 
 cious and a great difficulty to be overcome, so at once resolved 
 that the whole force should set to work to break them. Fortu- 
 nately, my purchase of mules along the river enabled me to 
 break in the animals rapidly to the teams, by which they were 
 started several days earlier than otherwise could have been 
 done." 
 
 A letter of George W. Stevens gives the following 
 amusing account of the scenes which occurred when 
 every man, by the governor's order, set to work to break 
 his own mule : — 
 
 " Of the 200 mules received, much to the chagrin and disap- 
 pointment of the major, not ten of them were broken. But 
 though the unbroken and unqualified age of our young mules 
 
BREAKING MULES 305 
 
 presented a hindrance, the major has the more vigorously cut 
 out his plans. In a week's time, of very hard labor on the part 
 of the men, we were able to move. Even the members of the 
 scientific corps put their shoulders to the wheel, and each 
 gentleman broke his own riding animal. The operation of 
 breaking these most stubborn of creatures was highly exciting 
 and interesting. First they were tolled into a corral by leading 
 in the bell mare, which they follow with the most laughable 
 devotion. Then lassos were thrown over their necks, and after 
 a long process of choking and hauling they were sufficiently 
 exhausted to allow themselves to be led out and tied to a long 
 picket rope stretched across stakes some four feet high. They 
 did not at all relish the feeling of the rope about their necks, 
 and such capers as they cut up, turning summersets 4 both be- 
 fore and behind,' throwing themselves upon the ground, and 
 jumping and doubling themselves with all the agility of the cat. 
 At length nearly all of the 200 were tied to the picket rope, 
 and, after a sufficiently elapsed interval to regain their minds 
 and strength, the same antics were gone through with again. 
 Some leaped over the ropes, some tangled themselves with their 
 lariats. Breaking them to the saddle proved highly interesting. 
 After breakfast each morning we all went out and saddled our 
 own animals, and spent an hour or two in a pleasant drive. 
 Behold some fifteen or twenty of us mounted ; off we start, and 
 in a moment all sorts of scenes are being enacted. Here one is 
 thrown headforemost; here one is borne through the air with 
 lightning speed, fortunate if not brushed off beneath the scrubby 
 oaks. Some of the mules lie down, and some persist in running 
 among a number of picketed animals, and tangling themselves 
 in the lariats ; the riders — however good — are sent ' bound- 
 ing through the air.' I had a truly tough job in breaking my 
 animal. Every time I mounted her I was sure to be thrown, 
 and it was not until some weeks' march that she became well 
 trained, but afterwards there was not a better-broken mule in 
 the train. Many were badly beaten and bruised in the break- 
 ing operation, and certainly a whole month's delay in our arrival 
 at Fort Union was the result of the selection of these young, 
 unbroken animals by the St. Louis quartermaster." 
 
306 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 The next few days the rains were almost incessant; 
 but, says the governor, June 1 : — 
 
 " Although it rained heavily all day, every one in camp was 
 engaged in breaking mules, causing many an amusing scene. 
 Several of the party were thrown repeatedly, but the determi- 
 nation they evince must overcome all obstacles; and I feel 
 not only pleased to see their spirit, but to congratulate myself 
 and them that no accident has occurred worthy of mention. 
 Much hilarity was produced by the efforts of different persons, 
 and each fall occasioned a laugh. Thus what I had seriously 
 expected to prove a great difficulty was, in the midst of heavy 
 rains and gloomy weather, a source of mirthful enjoyment. ,, 
 
 The main party here organized, including a few mem- 
 bers who joined soon after starting, consisted of Governor 
 Isaac I. Stevens ; Lieutenant Cuvier Grover, 4th artillery ; 
 Lieutenant Beekman Du Barry, 3d artillery ; detachment 
 of four sappers ; detachment of twenty men, 1st dra- 
 goons; Fred. W. Lander, A. W. Tinkham, civil engineers; 
 Dr. George Suckley, surgeon and naturalist; Isaac F. 
 Osgood, disbursing agent; J. M. Stanley, artist; John 
 Lambert, topographer ; George W. Stevens, secretary and 
 astronomer ; James Doty, A. Remenyi, astronomical and 
 magnetic observations ; Joseph F. Moffett, meteorolo- 
 gist ; T. S. Everett, quartermaster and commissary clerk ; 
 Elwood Evans, Thomas Adams, F. H. Burr, Max Strobel, 
 
 A. Jekelfaluzy, B. F. Kendall, Evelyn, aides ; C. P. 
 
 Higgins, wagon-master ; William Simpson, pack-master ; 
 Pierre Boutineau, Le Frambois, Belland, Henry Bou- 
 lieau, Paul Boulieau, guides ; Menoc, hunter ; and sixty 
 teamsters, packers, and voyageurs, numbering altogether 
 one hundred and eleven members. Captain Gardiner was 
 relieved from duty in consequence of illness, and did not 
 accompany the expedition. 
 
 The pay was certainly moderate : $125 for Mr. Stanley, 
 the artist ; $100 to the civil engineers, Lander and Tink- 
 ham ; and $25 to each aide, per month. 
 
THE PARTY 307 
 
 The subsidiary party, ascending the Missouri to Fort 
 Union, where it was to join the main party, consisted of 
 Lieutenant A. J. Donelson, engineer corps ; Lieutenant 
 John Mullan, 1st artillery ; six sappers ; William M. Gra- 
 ham, astronomer ; Dr. John Evans, geologist ; Alexander 
 Culbertson, special Indian agent. 
 
 The other subsidiary party, which met the main party 
 in the Rocky Mountains, consisted of Lieutenant Rufus 
 Saxton, 4th artillery ; Lieutenant Robert Macf eely, 4th 
 infantry ; Lieutenant Richard Arnold, 3d artillery ; Mr. 
 D. L. Arnold ; Mr. D. S. Hoyt ; detachment of eighteen 
 soldiers j twenty-nine packers, herders, etc., — in all, fifty- 
 two. 
 
 The western party consisted of Lieutenant George B. 
 McClellan ; Lieutenant Johnson K. Duncan, 3d artillery, 
 astronomer, etc. ; Lieutenant Henry C. Hodges, 4th 
 infantry, quartermaster and commissary ; Lieutenant 
 Sylvester Mowry, 3d artillery, meteorologist ; George 
 Gibbs, geologist and ethnologist ; J. F. Minter, civil 
 engineer ; Dr. J. C. Cooper, surgeon and naturalist ; Mr. 
 Lewis, interpreter ; detachment of twenty-eight soldiers ; 
 thirty civil employees, — in all, sixty-six in number. 
 
 The entire force under Governor Stevens's command 
 for the exploration comprised eleven officers and seventy- 
 six enlisted men of the army, thirty-three members of the 
 scientific corps, and one hundred and twenty civilian em- 
 ployees, teamsters, packers, guides, herders, voyageurs, 
 etc., — altogether, some two hundred and forty. 
 
 Governor Stevens's general plan was, while surveying 
 a continuous compass and odometer line with the princi- 
 pal train, to keep detached parties far out on the sides of 
 the route, examining the topography of the country, and 
 gathering all possible information concerning it, and thus 
 to embrace the widest possible field in the exploration. 
 The following pages will give simply the governor's per- 
 
308 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 sonal experiences on the expedition, and largely in his 
 own language, referring the reader to his reports, espe- 
 cially the final report in vol. xii., for the details of this 
 most interesting exploration. 
 
 " As rapidly as the breaking-in of the mules and heavy rains 
 for half the time allowed, the expedition moved seventy miles 
 up the Mississippi in detachments, crossed to the west bank, 
 and on June 10 were again assembled on the Sauk River, two 
 miles above its mouth, in Camp Davis, so named in honor of 
 the Secretary of War. In this first movement of the expedition 
 on the 31st, Lander was sent ahead to explore, and Tinkham to 
 run the survey line. Doty on June 3, and Simpson on 4th, 
 took the route with small trains, with such animals as were suffi- 
 ciently broken in to be worked, and on the 6th Camp Pierce 
 was broken up, and the remainder of the force followed in three 
 parties, Grover with the scientific men and instruments by 
 steamboat, Du Barry with Stanley, Dr. Suckley and sixteen 
 dragoons, and Everett with the train, both these by land up the 
 east bank of the river. Thus, despite the mules and the weather, 
 the least possible time was lost in starting afield, and the young 
 subordinates were being taught to command and operate de- 
 tachments, which the governor regarded as of great importance, 
 4 in order to infuse hope into the whole party, and avail myself 
 of the present high spirit of the camp.' " 
 
 Having seen the several parties started off, and the 
 camp broken up, the governor continues : — 
 
 I remained at St. Anthony until noon of June 7 to secure 
 the services of several voyageurs, and particularly of the guide 
 Pierre Boutineau and the hunter Menoc, in which I was suc- 
 cessful, and starting about noon, and taking a rapid convey- 
 ance, I pushed forward the same day forty miles, overtaking at 
 Rum River Lieutenant Du Barry, and, some miles beyond, both 
 Doty and Simpson, and reaching Sauk Rapids, a distance of 
 thirty miles farther, by eleven A. M., found Mr. Tinkham ac- 
 tively engaged in the survey of that portion of the river. The 
 crossing at St. Anthony is by a rope ferry, its motive power 
 being the action of the current, having a short rope at the bow 
 
THE START 309 
 
 and a longer or slack rope astern. On the west side of the 
 Mississippi, about three miles above Rum River, there was a 
 large encampment of Winnebago Indians, consisting of about 
 one hundred lodges. These are constructed of oak bark, fas- 
 tened by strips of buckskin over arched poles, resembling in 
 shape the cover of a wagon ; they are about eight feet high, and 
 from ten to thirty feet long, according to the number of fami- 
 lies to be accommodated. The chief's lodge in the centre is 
 much larger, and distinguished by the flags upon it, two British 
 and two American colors. The shores are lined with canoes, 
 and the village extends an eighth of a mile along the river. 
 The country, for the first seven miles after leaving camp and 
 striking the St. Anthony road, is a wet prairie. After leaving 
 St. Anthony the country appears to rise towards the north ; the 
 road lies on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, along the pla- 
 teau, which is generally timbered with the smaller varieties of 
 oak, in some places forming beautiful groves. On the road, 
 and at Sauk Rapids, several additional men were engaged, 
 among them some Canadian voyageurs. These men, being 
 sometimes half-breeds, speak a jargon of patois French, Chip- 
 pewa, and other Indian dialects. They are a hardy, willing, 
 enduring class, and used to encounter all sorts of difficulties in 
 their journey between different posts of the fur companies. They 
 must be treated with kindness and a certain degree of famil- 
 iarity, and, their confidence and affections being secured, they 
 are the most obedient and hard-working fellows in the world. 
 This morning I learned that Lieutenant Grover and his steam- 
 boat party had landed late last evening about five miles below 
 Sauk River, and had there encamped. In the afternoon, ac- 
 companied by Boutineau, I crossed the Mississippi to find him, 
 and went three miles in a drenching rain without reaching his 
 position. 
 
 I dispatched Henry Boulieau in search of Lander, and he 
 returned with the information that Lander was about eighteen 
 miles ahead at Cold Spring, and that he had made there a good 
 crossing for wagons. 
 
 June 9. I went to Mr. Lander's camp, and examined the 
 crossing, which I find to be practicable, and the work well 
 done. 
 
310 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 June 10. I returned to Lieutenant Grover's camp, which 
 was beautifully situated on the north bank of the Osakis or 
 Sauk River, about two miles from its mouth. The grass was 
 indifferent and backward, but, with half rations of oats, abun- 
 dant for the animals ; water excellent. In honor of the Secre- 
 tary of War, we named it Camp Davis. Lieutenant Du Barry 
 arrived this afternoon with his party, as did the small trains of 
 Doty and Simpson. A very severe thunderstorm, with heavy 
 rain for about five hours, occurred at night, amounting in the 
 rain-gauge to 6.1 inches. 
 
 My acquaintance with the voyageurs, thus far, has impressed 
 me favorably. They are thorough woodsmen, and just the men 
 for prairie life also, going into the water as pleasantly as a 
 spaniel, and remaining there as long as needed; stout, able- 
 bodied, and willing to put their shoulders to the wheel when- 
 ever necessary ; no slough or bog deters them. 
 
 Camp Davis, two miles west of the Mississippi River, 
 June 10, 1853. 
 My dearest Wife, — We are getting on finely. Camp 
 Pierce was broken up on Monday, and in five days we have 
 gone up the river seventy miles, and the bulk of the party is 
 now west of the Mississippi. Yesterday I rode forward twenty- 
 six miles to the crossing of the Sauk Kiver to make arrange- 
 ments for the advance of the civil engineer party. I had 
 previously traveled rapidly from St. Anthony to Sauk Rapids 
 in a carriage, passing all the parties on the road. It was a 
 beautiful ride all the way, and I had a most interesting com- 
 panion in Pierre Boutineau, the great guide and voyageur of 
 Minnesota. He is famous as a buffalo-hunter, is a Chippewa 
 half-breed, and surpasses all of his class in truthfulness and 
 great intelligence. Not only is he experienced in all the vicis- 
 situdes of travel and frontier life, being the hero of many inter- 
 esting events, but he has the broadness of view of an engineer, 
 and I am confident he will be of the greatest service to us in 
 finding our way. At the Falls of St. Anthony, where he resides, 
 he is greatly esteemed, and is known throughout the Territory. 
 I breakfasted with him Monday morning, and was delighted 
 with the affection and respect with which he inspired his whole 
 household. There was his old Indian mother ; his four children 
 
CAMP REGULATIONS 311 
 
 by his first wife, a half-breed ; his second wife and babe ; his 
 sister ; his brother and wife ; and the wife of an absent brother. 
 We all sat down to a breakfast of two roasted sucking-pigs, 
 eggs, beefsteak, etc. He is a natural gentleman, and in his 
 family I saw exhibited the most refined and courteous man- 
 ners. 
 
 He drove a pair of very spirited horses, and on the road, 
 seeing some plover, he called them to him and shot one. He 
 understands, as Mr. Sibley in Washington told me, everything 
 from shooting a bird or paddling a canoe to hunting buffalo, 
 and conducting a large party through a long extent of difficult 
 country. I have also secured Menoc, the best hunter of the 
 Territory. He joins the party to-morrow, and will in ten days 
 be able to supply us with deer and elk. 
 
 June 12. Messrs. Osgood and Kendall reached camp this 
 morning with the barometers and india-rubber boats. At St. 
 Louis I was telegraphed that many of the barometers had been 
 broken, and they could not be supplied short of New York. 
 They were absolutely indispensable. I sent Mr. Kendall there 
 immediately, and in thirty days the boats and instruments were 
 made and brought to my camp, eighty miles on our way. Mr. 
 Everett also arrived about noon to-day. I regretted to observe 
 that many of his animals were in very bad condition. Of our 
 whole number some forty were disabled, and eight or ten so 
 much so as to give very little hope that they could do any further 
 service. I refused, however, to sell even these to the many 
 applicants who expressed a willingness to take them off our 
 hands below the cost of purchase. Assembling both officers 
 and men to-day, I caused to be read the camp regulations, which 
 I had prepared for the government of the party, and made a 
 short address, in which I informed them that every man would 
 be expected to look to the safety of his comrades ; that all alike, 
 whether soldier or civilian, would be expected to stand guard, 
 and in case of difficulties to meet them promptly. I exagger- 
 ated the difficulties which lay before us, and represented that 
 the country through which they would pass was intersected by 
 bogs, marshes, and deep morasses ; that rivers were to be forded 
 and bridged, mountains and valleys to be crossed ; that the first 
 one hundred and eighty miles of the journey was reported to be 
 
312 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 through a continuous marsh, barely practicable, where every 
 man would have to go through mud and water and apply his 
 shoulders to the wheel ; that in ten days we would reach the 
 Indian country, where heavy guard duty would have to be per- 
 formed to protect property and preserve lives ; that still farther 
 on we would probably be compelled to force our way through 
 the country of the Blackfoot Indians, a tribe proverbially treach- 
 erous and warlike, that then the snows of the mountains would 
 have to be overcome, and that every man would be expected to 
 follow wherever he might be led ; that no one would be sacri- 
 ficed, nor would any one be subjected to any risk which I would 
 not freely incur ; and that whoever was not willing to cooperate 
 with us had better at once retire. After these remarks the 
 camp regulations were read by Mr. Kendall, and my views were 
 cordially approved. I dispatched Lieutenant G rover with a 
 picked party of fifteen men, with instructions to reconnoitre the 
 country north, and in the vicinity of White Bear Lake. 
 
 June 13. Continuing the project of sending off the train in 
 detached parties, and thus gradually breaking up the camp, 
 much of the day was spent in preparing a party to be placed in 
 charge of Dr. Suckley. All was effected by four p. M., when his 
 party, consisting of Belland the guide, Menoc the hunter, a 
 cook, Corporal Coster, and two dragoons, with two led horses 
 and two led mules, two men in charge of them, Belland's rid- 
 ing horse, and a Pembina cart in charge of Henry Boulieau, 
 started from camp. He was instructed to follow Lieutenant 
 Grover's trail in easy marches, looking carefully to his animals, 
 and paying particular attention to the collections in natural 
 history. 
 
 To-day I issued an order creating assimilated rank in the 
 expedition, by which certain gentlemen of the party were ap- 
 pointed to the grade of lieutenant, and others to the grade 
 of non-commissioned officer, for convenience in detailing guard. 
 By this course the relative position of each man was fixed ; and, 
 whether in the main or detached parties, it was known whose 
 duty it was to give orders in case of necessity. Military organi- 
 zation is in some degree indispensable, and the idea of an escort 
 has been entirely abandoned. All are soldiers in the perform- 
 ance of guard duty, and the soldiers accompanying us are on 
 
MARCHING ORDERS 313 
 
 fatigue duty, and not merely to escort us by day and to stand 
 guard at night. Several of the Pembina carts purchased by 
 Dr. Borup arrived in camp to-day. They are made entirely of 
 wood, having no iron at all about them, very roughly con- 
 structed, and the wheels usually wrapped with rawhide or 
 buffalo skin in place of an iron tire, to prevent their cutting 
 through the marshy ground so extensive between here and Pem- 
 bina. They are drawn by horses, oxen, or mules, one person 
 usually driving from two to six carts, and when loaded they will 
 carry from six to eight hundred pounds. They look as if made 
 for only one trip, and the creaking of the wheels on the wooden 
 axle does not give the idea of their standing much service. 
 Their first appearance, to those of the party unaccustomed to 
 the sight, with the oxen harnessed in them, caused much merri- 
 ment, and as they moved over the prairie, the singular noise 
 produced by their wheels assured us that, with such an accom- 
 paniment, no need existed for any musical instrument or players, 
 for these discoursed most sweetly. 
 
 " There is no such thing as an escort to this expedition. 
 Each man is escorted by every other man/' begins this 
 order. It required each man habitually to go armed ; 
 arms to be inspected morning and evening ; no march on 
 Sundays, on which days thorough inspection of persons 
 and things to be made, and each man to bathe his whole 
 person ; each member of the scientific corps to take care 
 of his own horse, and to take from and place in the wag- 
 ons his own personal baggage ; no firing on the march ; 
 personal baggage reduced to twenty-five pounds per man. 
 By the strict enforcement of these stringent but salutary 
 regulations, and the extreme care with which all were re- 
 quired to treat the animals, Governor Stevens conducted 
 the entire expedition without the loss of a man, save one 
 who shot himself by accident, and the animals actually 
 improved on the march. 
 
 June 14. Spent the day in making the necessary arrange- 
 ments to push forward the whole camp, to be organized for the 
 
314 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 present in detached parties under separate heads, and all under 
 my general direction. Lieutenant Du Barry was placed in gen- 
 eral charge of the meteorological observations and of the train, as 
 executive officer. Everything now presents a favorable aspect, 
 and all will be ready to move off to-morrow morning. Procured 
 several more Pembina carts. Engaged to-day Paul Boulieau, 
 a half-breed Chippewa of collegiate education, who has filled a 
 seat in the territorial legislature with credit, and also been long 
 in the service of the fur company. He was placed in charge of 
 the Pembina train, so called, which, consisting at first of five 
 carts, each drawn by an ox, was this day increased by a very 
 superior wagon team, drawn by two yoke of very large and ser- 
 viceable oxen. It may here be observed that the Pembina train, 
 managed entirely by the voyageurs, invariably moved by itself, 
 crossed all the streams without additional assistance, gave us 
 the least trouble in supervision, and was altogether the most 
 economical and effective transportation we had. A pioneer 
 wagon containing rations for the advance party and the india- 
 rubber boats, loaded lightly in order in case of necessity to be 
 pushed rapidly forward to the advance parties, and a wagon of 
 Indian goods, were with the train. The arrangements thus 
 made left me free to be either with the advance parties or with 
 the train, or to make personal examinations of important fea- 
 tures of the country off the lines of the trail. 
 
 Again sending on detached parties, under Lieutenant 
 Grover, Dr. Suckley, Lander, and Tinkham, the march was 
 resumed to Pike Lake, a distance of eighty-one miles. 
 The season was unusually backward, the rains frequent 
 and heavy, and great labor was required in crossing the 
 swollen streams, — some by bridging, others by means of 
 the india-rubber floats for ferrying over the goods while 
 the animals swam across. The wagons, bogged in the miry 
 ground, had to be frequently unloaded and loaded again ; 
 but many soft and marshy places were made passable 
 by covering the road deep with cut grass, for which pur- 
 pose the governor, with his usual foresight, had provided 
 scythes. The country, with its beautiful prairies, groves, 
 
MARCH TO PIKE LAKE 315 
 
 and lakes, and many streams and bogs to be crossed, and 
 the incidents of the march are graphically described in 
 Governor Stevens's report, with many views taken along 
 the route. The following extracts will show the char- 
 acter of the country and the difficulties overcome : — 
 
 June 16. Three miles from Camp Davis we passed through 
 a belt of woods for two miles, where the flies were excessively 
 annoying, persecuting our animals so that it was hard to keep 
 them in the road, as they constantly attempted to rush into the 
 bushes. The country to Cold Spring has a rich alluvial soil, 
 with scattered groves of timber. It is mostly level prairie, 
 occasionally broken by a small stream, and is excellent for 
 agricultural purposes. Passing through Lieutenant Du Barry's 
 camp, I went on to Dr. Suckley's, on the west side of the Sauk. 
 Sauk River at our ford is about one hundred and twenty feet 
 wide, though, owing to the obliquity of the banks and rapidity 
 of current, the ford is near three hundred feet wide and the 
 water five feet deep. 
 
 June 17. This morning I started with Dr. Suckley and 
 went on to Lake Henry, nineteen and a half miles. The coun- 
 try was a rolling prairie, interspersed with small sloughs filled 
 by the recent rains ; the soil is rich and black, grass good, and 
 occasionally gravelly hillocks. In the crossing of the Sauk by 
 the main train, the india-rubber boats were for the first time 
 used. The larger one is about twelve feet long and four wide, 
 weighing seventy-five pounds, the other about one fifth smaller. 
 A rope was stretched across the stream, and the boats ferried 
 across by means of a ring attached to their bows, and sliding 
 along the rope. They succeeded admirably, and a birch canoe, 
 managed by one of the voyageurs, was also used in crossing. 
 Some of the men were in the water for hours, but worked faith- 
 fully and efficiently. Lieutenant Du Barry effected the cross- 
 ing in one day, and encamped on the west side of the river, six 
 miles from Cold Spring. 
 
 June 18. Left camp about seven o'clock, and in about 
 three quarters of a mile crossed a bad place, requiring some 
 grass. The water was two feet deep, and the bottom miry. 
 Our road lay through a beautiful prairie. The shores of Lake 
 
316 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Henry are heavily wooded. In two and a half miles farther 
 we found two very wet places, one hundred yards apart. In 
 two miles farther we came to a long marsh, where the ground 
 was very soft, and where our wagons stalled. Three quarters 
 of a mile beyond we encountered a very deep, muddy slough, to 
 cross which we had recourse to a long rope, and all our force 
 pulled on it. A branch of Crow River is then reached in a 
 mile, or a little more. It is about twelve feet wide and two 
 deep ; both sides are overflown marsh, making the place very 
 difficult to cross. To avoid breaking bulk, we again used the 
 long rope, and attaching three pairs of mules to it, all our men 
 pulling on it at the same time, we got the wagon through. We 
 arrived about noon at Crow Wing River, nine miles from camp. 
 It was four or five feet deep and twenty feet wide, and at this 
 time overflowing its usual banks. Broke bulk here, the men 
 packing our stuff across. Passing Crow River, we find a con- 
 tinuous grove of oak-trees on our left, and in five miles a series 
 of small lakes on our right, not wooded but abounding in game. 
 Arrived at camp on Lightning Lake about half past eight p. M. 
 Distance traveled, eighteen miles and three quarters. The fre- 
 quent sloughs and bad crossings in our march to-day added 
 much to the labors of the men and animals. After the hard 
 day's march we enjoyed our supper of game, cooked in hunter's 
 style on sticks before the fire, although it was midnight before 
 we could have it ready. 
 
 June 19, Sunday. Lightning Lake is a very beautiful 
 sheet of water, so called from the fact that during Captain 
 Pope's expedition, while encamped here, one of those storms so 
 fearfully violent in this country occurred, during which one of 
 his party was instantly killed by a stroke of lightning. Its 
 northern shore is thickly studded with timber, and the southern 
 side, upon which we are encamped, affords an ample supply for 
 all camping purposes. Pickerel, pike, and bass fill the lake, 
 numbers of which our parties caught ; and ducks, geese, swans, 
 plover, and prairie chicken abound in the vicinity. The day 
 of rest was enjoyed by the whole party ; some fishing, washing 
 and mending their clothes, others trying various modes of cook- 
 ing the game and fish which abounded. Evans succeeded 
 admirably in roasting a fish in the ashes, first rolling it up in 
 
MARCH TO PIKE LAKE 317 
 
 brown paper dampened, which, when removed, brought off the 
 scales with it, leaving the meat clean and well done. Early 
 after dinner Mr. Osgood arrived, informing me that Lieutenant 
 Du Barry, misconstruing my instructions, had declined to allow 
 him to bring forward the two wagons which I had ordered for 
 the use of the advanced parties. 
 
 June 20. Started at 3.30 a. m. to go back to the main 
 train, which I met five miles west of Lake Henry. Taking 
 charge of the train myself, I directed Boutineau to explore in 
 advance for the most practicable route. The bad crossing 
 referred to in the narrative of the 18th was, by great exertion 
 and the united force of the whole party, effected without acci- 
 dent, and the whole train reached Lightning Lake by 4.30 P. M. 
 
 Lieutenant Du Barry appears to have felt affronted at 
 the action of the governor in taking the personal charge 
 of the train, and indeed the latter was apt to be pretty 
 severe and decided if anything went wrong. It will be 
 observed how summarily he weeded out and sent back 
 inefficient men : — 
 
 June 21. In compliance with his own request, I relieved 
 Lieutenant Du Barry from duty with the expedition, and ordered 
 him to report in person to the Adjutant-General in Washing- 
 ton. He was desired to call upon the Secretary of War and 
 acquaint him with the whole history of the expedition up to this 
 point ; and, to enable him to reach the settlements with some 
 degree of comfort and expedition, I dispatched Mr. Kendall 
 and two of the voyageurs to accompany him as far as Long 
 Prairie on his return, whence there would be no difficulty in 
 his procuring transportation to Sauk Rapids. 
 
 Captain Remenyi and his assistant, Mr. Jekelfaluzy, were 
 discharged to-day, as they did not perform their duties to my 
 satisfaction. 
 
 All these matters detained us until 4.30 p. m., when I 
 pushed forward with Dr. Suckley's and the scientific parties. 
 The clouds were gathering and indicated a severe gust. We 
 reached a beautiful lake about three miles distant, called by us 
 Lake Stanley, in honor of the artist of the expedition, and had 
 
318 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 just time to get into camp to save ourselves from a very severe 
 storm, which continued with great violence till near seven p. M. 
 
 June 22. My party, leaving Dr. Suckley, got off about six 
 A. M. We arrived at White Bear Lake, about nine and a 
 half miles from the morning's camp, at 10.15 A. M. Leaving 
 Lightning Lake the country seems to change its character, and 
 is no longer a flat, undiversified surface, with occasionally a 
 gentle undulation scarcely attracting attention. It has gradu- 
 ally changed to a heavy, rolling prairie, which, before approach- 
 ing White Bear Lake, becomes broken up into hills, valleys, 
 and basins varying from thirty to fifty feet in depth. Boul- 
 ders and stones, from the size of pebbles to paving-stones, are 
 very numerous. Our route to-day appears to be gradually 
 ascending at a probable rate of eight or ten feet per mile. 
 White Bear Lake is a beautiful sheet of water, bordered with 
 timber, about fourteen miles long and two wide, with high, 
 swelling banks, running back a mile or so, and rising to the 
 height of about one hundred and fifty feet. As the animals 
 looked so fresh, and the day was cool and good for traveling, 
 we halted only for a rest. About five miles from the lake 
 we came to a stream, apparently running into it. Other bad 
 places occurred ; soft bogs, marshes, and brooks impeded our 
 progress so much that we did not get into camp until three P. M., 
 making nine and one third miles from our halting-place, and 
 eighteen and three fourths for our day's march. Our camp was 
 on a very rapid stream, with steep, high banks. We called it 
 Lambert River, in honor of our topographer, who received a 
 sad overturn as he crossed it with Lieutenant Grover's com- 
 mand. 
 
 The main train in charge of Mr. Osgood moved from camp 
 on Lightning Lake at seven o'clock, after settling a difficulty of 
 a very serious aspect growing out of a strike of all the teamsters, 
 in consequence of a discharge by him of six of their number, 
 according to my directions, because their services were not 
 required. They threatened to shoot the first driver who moved 
 out of camp. Mr. Osgood declared that he would drive out 
 each wagon himself. Finally, after some discussion, the dis- 
 charged men moved off cheerfully, and the main train pushed 
 forward to White Bear Lake. 
 
CAMP MARCY 319 
 
 June 23. Our first labor this morning was to cross the 
 stream at a point half a mile from our camp, from which we 
 moved about six. This crosshig delayed our little party some 
 two hours. Grass had to be cut and placed on both sides of 
 the stream. The banks were steep and soft, and it required 
 the presence of a man or two at each wheel to keep the wagons 
 in motion and prevent their being stuck in the mire. The 
 country to-day appears admirably adapted to grazing purposes, 
 and the bottoms, of frequent occurrence, are of a very rich 
 character. Marshes and little streams, bordered by soft places, 
 occur frequently. In one of these places, fully one hundred 
 feet in length, one of our wagons got mired, making it neces- 
 sary to remove part of its load to get it through. 
 
 About ten a. m. I left the train in charge of Mr. G. W. 
 Stevens, and, pushing on, reached Lieutenant Grover's camp 
 about twelve. The train arrived at half past one, crossed a 
 marsh and a small stream, and encamped opposite the camps 
 of Messrs. Grover, Lander, and Tinkham. Lieutenant Grover's 
 camp is beautifully situated on the shores of Pike Lake. The 
 main train and Dr. Suckley's party arrived about half past 
 eight, and the whole expedition was again brought together. 
 This I consider the real starting-point of the expedition, and 
 named our camp here Camp Marcy, in honor of the Secretary 
 of State. We remained here a day in order to give the ani- 
 mals a chance to rest. They appear to be in very good condi- 
 tion, and the grazing is fine. Keceived of the various scientific 
 chiefs reports of their labors to this point. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 PIKE LAKE TO FORT UNION 
 
 From Pike Lake the expedition pursued a general 
 course westerly by ten degrees northerly in order to clear 
 the great northeastern bend of the Missouri, and reached 
 Fort Union in thirty-eight days, traversing a distance of 
 five hundred and fifty miles. A compass and odometer 
 line was run with the main party. Pursuing his system 
 of exploring a wide scope of country by means of de- 
 tached parties, Governor Stevens dispatched Lieutenant 
 Grover with a picked party to survey a separate route 
 south of that of the main body as far as Fort Union, and 
 kept Lander, Tinkham, Dr. Suckley, Lambert, Doty, and 
 Adams, with small parties of the voyageurs, examining the 
 country within forty miles of the route by frequent side 
 trips. The main train crossed the Red River near the 
 town of Breckenridge, the James River some distance 
 north of Jamestown, and skirted the Mouse River near 
 Minot, on the Great Northern Railroad, from which point 
 to Fort Union, and for hundreds of miles beyond, that 
 railroad follows Governor Stevens's route. It is char- 
 acteristic of the governor that in sending officers on the 
 detached trips he always furnished them the best men 
 and animals of the party, frequently allowing them to 
 select them themselves. On July 12 he overstrained 
 himself in his exertions to prevent a herd of buffalo 
 from stampeding the train, and the old rupture, which 
 had given him so much trouble in Mexico, broke out 
 afresh, and obliged him to ride in an ambulance for many 
 
PIKE LAKE TO FORT UNION 321 
 
 hundreds of miles. But his spirit and energy were no- 
 wise quelled by this grievous physical disability. The 
 graphic descriptions of the country, the incidents of the 
 march, the encounter with countless herds of buffalo, and 
 the meetings with the Ked River hunters and Assiniboine 
 Indians are given in the final report with a fullness of 
 detail which cannot be attempted here, but the following 
 extracts will give a fair idea of this stage of the explora- 
 tion : — 
 
 June 24. I directed Lieutenant Grover to select a party 
 of twenty picked men, twenty-six mules, three horses, and 
 twenty-five days' provisions, including an ox, with which to go 
 forward on the Dead Colt Hillock line. In thus giving to 
 Lieutenant Grover his own selection of animals and men, my 
 purpose was to make him in the highest degree effective in 
 the means at his disposal, and to demonstrate by the success of 
 his undertaking the entire feasibility of operating in detached 
 parties. Messrs. Lander and Tinkham moved forward this 
 afternoon to Chippewa River. 
 
 On counting rations, it was found that for the main party 
 there was a supply for twenty days, while it might take forty- 
 five to reach Fort Union. But with the eight oxen in the 
 carts, and the known abundance of game, I feared no scarcity. 
 The men showed some anxiety, and talked of a strike, but, see- 
 ing the confidence of the officers, abandoned any open demon- 
 stration. I had ordered a reducing of rations whenever the 
 quantity of game would justify it, and henceforward I gave the 
 most particular attention to it, so that, although we did not 
 reach the Yellowstone for thirty-eight days, there was at no 
 time a scarcity of provisions. 
 
 June 25. To-day the expedition may be considered fairly 
 under way. Lieutenant Grover started at 7.30 A. M. The main 
 party, under my own direction, moved forward at about the 
 same time. In ten miles reached the Chippewa River. The 
 india-rubber boats did good service, carrying over each time 
 more than half a wagon-load. The whole train was all well 
 encamped two miles further on at a fine lake by sunset. 
 
 June 26. The main party moved to-day to the camp of Mr. 
 
322 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Tinkham of last night, and the whole command was over the 
 river and in camp by six o'clock. As we were now approach- 
 ing the Indian country, I systematized all the arrangements of 
 camp and guards, and the details of duty on the march. The 
 dragoons were distributed as follows : two for the pack-train ; 
 two with a led horse each for reconnoitring duty ; two to strike 
 and pitch tents ; two to catch fish ; two with the howitzer ; Ser- 
 geant Lindner and seven men with the main column. The 
 sergeant was, moreover, charged with the duty of laying out the 
 encampment under my direction. For the care of the camp, an 
 officer of the guard, who also served as officer of the day, two 
 non-commissioned officers, and six privates were detailed. 
 
 Cook-fires to be made at two A. M. ; the cooks and teamsters 
 called at three, and the animals to be put in good grass ; reveille 
 to be sounded at four, and all the officers to be called by name ; 
 the whole camp to breakfast about four, and the teamsters 
 immediately to commence harnessing up ; tents struck by half 
 past four, and camp in motion by five ; the sentinels instructed 
 to fire upon any prowling Indians. 
 
 June 27. Camp roused at four A. M. While at breakfast, 
 Lieutenant Moffett gave me notice that we had but four minutes 
 left to eat in, and, as we failed to get through, he had the tents 
 struck over our heads. The train moved at five o'clock. About 
 eight miles from camp passed Elbow Lake, fourteen miles 
 reached Rabbit River, followed the stream to where it empties 
 into Bell's Lake, and, going along the beach through water 
 eight inches deep with a pebbly bottom, we found a good cross- 
 ing, though a ridge has to be ascended before getting upon 
 the plain where our camp is placed. The grass is most excel- 
 lent, and the animals, accustomed to each other, are visibly 
 improving. 
 
 Tuesday, June 28. At half past ten A. M. the advance had 
 crossed Rabbit River, fifteen miles from camp, and halted until 
 the arrival of the main train. Leaving the train to rest, the 
 advance started at two. In three miles met Mr. Lander, whose 
 camp was with Mr. Tinkham's, and went into camp at five on 
 the Bois de Sioux, and were joined by the whole party at nine 
 o'clock, after a march of twenty-seven miles over a country that 
 had been invariably reported the very worst of the whole route. 
 
DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY 323 
 
 Our animals, though somewhat tired, immediately went to feed- 
 ing. There were some soft places between the Rabbit River 
 and the Bois de Sioux, in which the animals were mired and 
 wagons stalled ; but we were agreeably disappointed in having 
 comparatively a very comfortable day's journey. 
 
 Numerous large catfish were caught this afternoon, some 
 weighing from twelve to twenty pounds. At half past eleven 
 p. M. we sat down to a supper of ducks, catfish, and coffee, and 
 all the men were in fine spirits. The Bois de Sioux had been 
 a great point to reach, — the end of bad roads and the com- 
 mencement of the buffalo country. Here we may take a gen- 
 eral review of the country since leaving St. Paul. 
 
 Between Camp Pierce and Sauk Rapids, seventy-nine miles, 
 the road passes through beautiful prairies and oak openings, 
 with occasional meadows, wet at this early season, and, at some 
 distance to the right, groves of tamarack, varying the landscape 
 with their light and feathery foliage. 
 
 From the crossing at Sauk Rapids to Lightning Lake most 
 of the country is rolling prairie, with the wooded banks of 
 Sauk River on the south, and numerous small ponds and lakes 
 with trees on their banks, abundant and excellent pasture, and 
 swarms of water-fowl, supplying plenty of fresh provisions. 
 
 A similar delightful country continues to the Bois de Sioux 
 River, with some decrease in the amount of timber, until the 
 banks of that river are reached. 
 
 After leaving Lightning Lake the country seems to change 
 its character; no longer a flat, undiversified surface, or with 
 gentle undulations scarcely attracting notice, it has gradually 
 changed to a heavy, rolling prairie, and at White Bear Lake 
 becomes broken up into hills, valleys, and basins. Boulders 
 and smaller stones are numerous. 
 
 This whole dividing ridge, then, separating the waters of 
 the Mississippi from those of the Red River, which flow into 
 Hudson Bay, is not the lofty range of mountains which might 
 be supposed to separate the sources of two such great bodies of 
 water flowing in opposite directions and to outlets so widely 
 distant, but is a gently undulating and exceedingly rich prairie 
 country, abundantly wooded and watered, having a width of 
 one hundred miles, and an elevation not exceeding six hundred 
 
324 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 feet above the river and about sixteen hundred above the sea. 
 There is a very slight rise in the general level in going west- 
 ward, the Bois de Sioux being at the crossing only thirty- 
 one feet higher than the Mississippi at Sauk Rapids. Undu- 
 lating and level prairies, skirted by woods of various growth, 
 and clothed everywhere with rich verdure ; numerous and rapid 
 streams, with innumerable small but limpid lakes, frequented 
 by multitudes of wild fowl, most conspicuous among which 
 appears the stately swan, — these, in ever-recurring succession, 
 make up the panorama of this extensive district, which may be 
 said to be everywhere fertile, beautiful, and inviting. 
 
 The most remarkable features of this region are the in- 
 tervals of level prairie, especially that near the bend of the 
 branches of Red River, where the horizon is as unbroken as 
 that of a calm sea. Nor are other points of resemblance want- 
 ing : the long grass, which in such places is unusually rank, 
 bending gracefully to the passing breeze as it sweeps along the 
 plain, gives the idea of waves (as indeed they are) ; and the 
 solitary horseman on the horizon is so indistinctly seen as to 
 complete the picture by the suggestion of a sail, raising the 
 first feelings of novelty to a character of wonder and delight. 
 The flowing outlines of the rolling prairies are broken only by 
 the small lakes and patches of timber, which relieve them of 
 monotony and enhance their beauty ; and though marshes and 
 sloughs occur, they are too small and infrequent to affect the 
 generally attractive character of the country. The elevation 
 of the rolling prairie is generally so uniform that even the 
 summits between streams flowing in opposite directions exhibit 
 no peculiar features to distinguish them from the ordinary 
 valley slopes. 
 
 Wednesday, June 29. The advance parties crossed the 
 river before seven o' clock, but the train was not started till 
 eleven, so as to give the animals rest. The ford, very good for 
 a small train, became very muddy towards the last, and though 
 we unloaded all the wagons and carried the loads over in boats, 
 the wagons and animals were badly stalled at the edges and on 
 the soft and steep banks of the river. The country from the 
 Bois de Sioux to the Wild Rice River is a broad, level prairie, 
 covered with luxuriant grass eighteen inches high; the dis- 
 
SHEYENNE RIVER 325 
 
 tance eleven miles, with occasional sloughs. The heat to-day 
 was excessive, and the mosquitoes very annoying to men and 
 animals. At four o'clock, profiting by our experience in cross- 
 ing the Bois de Sioux, I sent Mr. Lander with a select force of 
 axemen to cut timber to bridge the Wild Eice. The train came 
 up slowly, the last wagons not reaching camp till midnight. 
 
 Thursday, June 30. Part of the men were employed in 
 carefully currying and washing the animals, and in catching 
 fish; the remainder were detailed to build the bridge, which 
 was completed by one p. M. It was made of heavy logs, filled 
 in with cut willow-brush and mown grass. Moved at two 
 o'clock ; in three miles came to a small creek, which was quite 
 marshy, and caused delay to cross. Moving a mile and a 
 half farther we again struck the same stream, and encamped 
 at half past four p. M. During our march we encountered a 
 very severe storm, accompanied with thunder and lightning. 
 Boutineau brought in an elk, which furnished about two pounds 
 of excellent fresh meat to each man, and was much enjoyed. 
 Kendall and the two Boulieaus overtook us to-day, bringing 
 supplies and five Indian ponies. 
 
 July 1. I determined to push forward with the engineer 
 party to the Sheyenne, and, if I found it necessary, have it 
 bridged. Smooth prairie extended all the way, road good, and 
 the distance twenty-six and a half miles. A very severe thun- 
 derstorm occurred this morning, lasting an hour, and wetting 
 us thoroughly. At eleven A. M. we met the train of the Red 
 River traders, and visited their camp, six miles distant. We 
 were very hospitably received, purchased some pemmican, com- 
 mon moccasins, and articles of dress worked with porcupine 
 quills. Bought also some carts and oxen, being very deficient 
 in transportation. 
 
 The main train only proceeded thirteen miles, and I returned 
 to them about three p. m., accompanied by Kittson, Father Dela- 
 cour, Roulet, and Cavilaer. Kittson and Roulet were members 
 of the territorial legislature from Pembina ; Cavilaer, the col- 
 lector of customs ; and Delacour is a very clever, shrewd priest. 
 They are on their annual trip to St. Paul with robes, skins, 
 pemmican, and dried meat of the buffalo, collected by trading 
 with the half-breeds of the Red River settlements. We found 
 
326 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 that they had bridged the Sheyenne, saving us considerable 
 trouble and delay. Their company proved very agreeable, and 
 we were glad that a heavy thunderstorm coming on obliged 
 them to be our guests for the night. 
 
 July 2. Struck camp at seven o'clock and parted with our 
 new friends, sending back with them Strobel and two team- 
 sters, who proved inefficient. The whole train crossed the Shey- 
 enne bridge safely by noon, and camped on the other side. 
 "We had apprehended that possibly the heavy rain of last night 
 would swell the river and carry away the bridge, but hurrying 
 up the wagons, we made the crossing just before the water had 
 risen sufficiently to flow over the bridge. I called this camp 
 McClelland, intending to halt here over Sunday and make up 
 dispatches for Washington. I sent Lander and Tinkham to 
 reconnoitre both up and down the river. 
 
 July 3, Sunday. Lander came back from his reconnois- 
 sance, having been as far south as Dead Colt Hillock. He 
 met with a singular adventure, which afforded us a great deal of 
 amusement. Riding along with his four voyageurs, whom he 
 used to call his " men of iron," at some distance ahead they saw 
 a skunk moving leisurely through the grass, with tail erect and 
 defying their approach. Lander leveled his glass at it, and, 
 satisfying himself that it was an Indian watching their move- 
 ments and trying to hide himself, gave the order for his gallant 
 band to "charge." They did charge, and at the same time 
 firing their revolvers, the poor skunk fell, riddled with balls 
 and weltering in his blood ; when coming up, they discovered 
 the extent of their bold exploit. Joking in camp is one of the 
 pastimes to relieve the annoyances of the march, and every 
 little thing is seized upon to feed the disposition. 
 
 Fourth of July. The train started at six A. M. I remained 
 behind to get off a mail. Started about ten and followed the 
 Red River trail some twelve miles, when we left it altogether. 
 Crossed Maple River, and camped on its banks. About dusk 
 we raised the American flag, made of red and white shirts, con- 
 tributed by the party and sewed together by Boulieau. As it 
 went up, the assembled command gave it three hearty cheers, 
 and then indulged in some refreshments in honor of the day, 
 ending the evening with songs and story-telling. 
 
SHEYENNE RIVER 327 
 
 July 5. Traveled twenty miles over a high, firm, and almost 
 level prairie, camping on a small branch of Maple River with- 
 out any wood near it. The pack-train requiring more attention 
 and care of the animals than has been given by the man in 
 charge, who does not take sufficient pains with the disabled 
 animals, I to-day directed Mr. Kendall to oversee them and 
 have them properly attended to. 
 
 July 6. Went twenty miles farther, making a noon halt of 
 two hours, when Mr. Tinkham returned from a long and rapid 
 reconnoissance ahead. Prairie more rolling, but road good. A 
 high butte to the left of our course enabled me to get a fine 
 view of the surrounding country. Two Indians were seen by 
 Boutineau, who was out after buffalo, which he did not find; 
 but abundance of ducks continue to supply the camp with fresh 
 meat. 
 
 July 7. About 8.30 we struck the Sheyenne six miles from 
 camp, and rested an hour. Keeping the Sheyenne on our left, 
 we moved forward ten miles and camped about a mile and a 
 half from the river on the banks of a fine lake. To-day Le 
 Frambois and Menoc killed an old buffalo bull, and also brought 
 in some dozen geese. Several of the messes supplied themselves 
 with frogs, which have been most abundant on our march for 
 the past two days. The whole command took supper off of 
 buffalo, and the meat, though old and tough, tasted very good, 
 and saved us an ox which had been destined for the slaughter. 
 Several antelopes and wolves were seen to-day. 
 
 July 8. Started this morning at 6.30, and arrived at the 
 crossing of the Sheyenne River after a march of fifteen miles. 
 Buttes in considerable number are seen ahead, among which 
 the Horse -Butte and the Butte Micheau are plainly visible. 
 Mr. Tinkham, Paul, and Henry were out again to-day, making 
 a reconnoissance on the Sheyenne. We went into camp about 
 one o'clock on the east and south side of the Sheyenne, and a 
 party was at once detailed to cut wood and prepare charcoal. 
 The magnetic tent was put up, and the astronomical and me- 
 teorological parties went immediately to work. I called our 
 camp Camp Guthrie, in honor of the Secretary of the Treasury, 
 and determined to remain here all day to-morrow. 
 
 Boutineau and Henry Boulieau went out this afternoon, and 
 
328 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 returned with the choice pieces of a fine, fat, young buffalo 
 bull, and we made a delightful meal, around the fire, of the 
 ribs, marrow-bones, etc., cooked hunter's fashion. Towards 
 evening, on the coteau on the other side of the river, a herd of 
 some twenty elks made their appearance. Numerous wolves 
 were also seen, which, during the night, kept up a constant 
 howling. We planted flags on high hills in the vicinity as sig- 
 nals to Lander, who may follow the Sheyenne River to find our 
 crossing-place. 
 
 July 9. An accurate return was made of the provisions on 
 hand, so as to regulate its weekly distribution. Our flour is 
 fast diminishing, and the issue was reduced to half a pound per 
 day to each man. This state of affairs caused considerable 
 grumbling in camp. We are fast approaching the buffalo 
 country, and then shall be expected to do with much less. 
 About 2.30 P. M. the main train under Mr. Osgood crossed the 
 river, and moved forward to a good camping-place. The astro- 
 nomical, magnetic, and meteorological parties, with the detail of 
 three men attending to the coal-pit, and Mr. Evans and myself, 
 remained at Camp Guthrie, intending to join them before they 
 moved in the morning. 
 
 July 10. After partaking of a cup of coffee at three o'clock, 
 our little train, consisting of an ambulance and - spring wagon 
 with a cart loaded with charcoal, had crossed the Sheyenne by 
 sunrise. About seven o'clock we reached the main train, en- 
 camped some seven miles off. The train was preparing to 
 move, and soon after we came up it started ; at eight o'clock 
 we followed and passed them. About five miles from camp we 
 ascended to the top of a high hill, and for a great distance 
 ahead every square mile seemed to have a herd of buffalo on it. 
 Their number was variously estimated by the members of the 
 party, some as high as half a million. I do not think it is any 
 exaggeration to set it down at 200,000. I had heard of the 
 myriads of these animals inhabiting these plains, but I could 
 not realize the truth of these accounts till to-day, when they 
 surpassed anything I could have imagined from the accounts 
 which I had received. 
 
 The timber bordering on Lake Jessie was distinctly visible 
 ahead, and between us and it were countless herds of buffalo, 
 
BUFFALO IN COUNTLESS HERDS 329 
 
 through which we were compelled to pass. The train moved 
 on till eleven o'clock, when we all halted, drew up in line, and 
 picketed the loose animals. Six of the hunters, Boutineau, 
 Menoc, Le Frambois, the two Boulieaus, and Rummell, were 
 mounted upon the best horses in the command, some of which 
 were specially reserved, and rode off in fine style, keeping to- 
 gether till ready to dash in among the herd. The immense sea 
 of flesh remained quiet until their approach, and then, separat- 
 ing, they rode in among them, selected the fat cows, and, riding 
 around until the proper time to do execution, the quick succes- 
 sion of shots announced the fact that our supplies of meat were 
 fast being added to. In less than an hour a wagon was called 
 into requisition to collect the choice pieces of nine buffalo cows. 
 While we were resting, several small bands came within firing 
 distance of our train. One or two dragoons on foot gave one 
 a chase, but the buffalo, of course, distanced them. The most 
 amusing scene was the dog Zack, of the dragoon detachment,' 
 dashing into a whole herd, and following them a considerable 
 distance. Paul Boulieau and Rummell were both thrown by 
 their horses stumbling in one of the numerous holes with which 
 the prairie abounds. They were considerably, though not seri- 
 ously, hurt. 
 
 We arrived at Lake Jessie at three p. m., the bluff shore on 
 which we encamped being sixty-four feet above the level of the 
 lake. The water of Lake Jessie is considerably saline in its 
 character ; but about three quarters of a mile from camp, an 
 excellent spring of good, fresh water was found by Henry Bou- 
 lieau and myself while out on a reconnoitring trip. 
 
 Between one and two o'clock at night a herd of buffalo ap- 
 proached our camp, and it required all the exertions of the 
 guard, assisted by many of the men, to prevent an entire stam- 
 pede of all our animals. As it was, some got loose, though none 
 were lost. The buffalo were followed a considerable distance, 
 and some ten or a dozen shots were fired before the animals 
 without were entirely driven off. 
 
 July 11. Having proceeded about four miles, a small band of 
 buffalo started off ahead of us. Le Frambois's horse and four 
 loose mules near the head of the column started in pursuit, the 
 horse taking the lead. Boutineau, Le Frambois, Menoc, Guy, 
 
330 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Lindner, and Paul Boulineau, all well mounted, gave chase in 
 hopes of recovering them. By this time they had mixed up in 
 the herd, and, though they were followed some twelve or fifteen 
 miles, all efforts to secure them were unavailing. About a mile 
 farther we encountered a very severe slough, the approach to 
 which was marked by a very great curiosity in the form of a 
 buffalo trail ; at least 100,000 must have crossed here by the 
 footprints and marks visible, and I determined on crossing the 
 slough at the same point which the instinct of these animals 
 had selected. 
 
 July 12. In company with Tinkham and some of the guides, 
 I started from camp this morning at five o'clock, designing to 
 be in advance of the train some miles, to reconnoitre and pick 
 out a good road, our route lying over high hills. 
 
 At about eight o'clock I sent off Mr. Tinkham, accompanied 
 by the two Boulieaus, well mounted, with instructions to go 
 southward, determining the position of the headwaters of Bald 
 Hillock Creek, and thus connecting his work with Mr. Lander's 
 reconnoissance ; thence westward in a line nearly parallel with 
 our route of to-day, making a reconnoissance of the tributaries of 
 the Jacques River (James), leaving it to his discretion whether 
 to join our camp to-night or the next day. By this we would 
 secure the reconnoissance of a belt of country forty miles wide, 
 lying between the Sheyenne and Jacques (James) rivers. 
 
 About eleven miles from camp we crossed a deep slough. 
 About a mile farther on we crossed a fine little stream which I 
 took to be Beaver Lodge Creek. Shortly afterwards Boutineau 
 killed a fine buffalo cow, not twenty feet from the compass line. 
 The dispatch and dexterity with which these men cut up buffalo 
 is truly astonishing. Before the cart came up, the animal was 
 entirely butchered, and had only to be thrown into the cart. 
 We moved forward to-day some sixteen miles, and camped on 
 the side of a small lake. We had scarcely got into camp before 
 we were visited by a very severe storm, accompanied by thunder 
 and lightning. Our fires were put out by the rain, and during 
 a temporary cessation were built up again ; but it soon came on 
 with increased violence, and our fires were again washed out. 
 About six o'clock two of Mr. Lander's party who left us on 
 the 4th arrived in camp, announcing that Mr. Lander and the 
 
THE MISSING PARTY 331 
 
 rest of his men were only some three or four miles behind, with 
 considerable difficulty bringing in the horses, which were giving 
 out. 1 I dispatched two men with led horses to meet them, and 
 about sundown they came up. We found great difficulty in 
 keeping up our fires so as to get our supper cooked. The rain 
 fell in torrents, our supply of wood was limited, and the buffalo 
 chips were so wet as to be entirely useless. 
 
 Towards the close of the day's march I became disabled from 
 my exertions in endeavoring to keep off a herd of buffalo from 
 the train, causing an old wound to break out, which compelled 
 me to ride many hundred miles in the ambulance. 
 
 July 13. A very heavy fog this morning delayed our getting 
 off as early as expected, and the hope of Tinkham and his small 
 party joining us made me less hurried about starting. Sixteen 
 miles from camp we struck James River, and crossed over a 
 good ford, from which point I sent Mr. Lander down the river 
 to examine it. Noticing that the river ran very nearly in the 
 course of our compass, we followed it, and again crossing it 
 some five miles above, we encamped. I had a large amount of 
 rushes collected, with a view of building as large a camp-fire as 
 practicable, in order to give notice to Tinkham of our position, 
 he not having returned. 
 
 July 14. The missing party not having arrived, three rounds 
 of the howitzer were fired at sunrise, and we started later than 
 usual. It was evident that the whole camp was in a great state 
 of anxiety for the safety of our comrades. Many believed that 
 they had fallen in with Indians, and were deprived of their 
 horses and their lives. Taking everything into consideration, I 
 deemed it best to leave a party at this point so equipped as to 
 combine great energy and force with promptness of movement, 
 so as to be able to overtake the main train without difficulty. 
 Accordingly Mr. Lander was left in charge of the engineer 
 wagon and the wagon belonging to the mountain howitzer, 
 which was made light enough to be moved with ease forty miles 
 in a single day. The howitzer was also left with him for the 
 purpose of making signals. Mr. Doty, with three voyageurs 
 
 1 Lander, it seems, was an inveterate horse-killer, and almost always 
 returned from his trips with his animal badly used up. Buffalo chips are 
 the dried dung frequently used on the plains as a substitute for fuel where 
 there is no wood. 
 
332 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and three men to manage the howitzer, together with the team- 
 sters of the ammunition wagon, remained with Mr. Lander, hav- 
 ing abundance of arms, provisions, animals, etc., to supply any- 
 emergency. This party was instructed to keep up fires, to fire 
 three rounds with the howitzer at noon and at sunset should the 
 party not arrive, and to communicate with us if any casualty 
 occurred. 
 
 A party of four brave and thorough woodsmen, whose know- 
 ledge of the prairie life was derived from experience in many ex- 
 peditions, and who well understood the Indian character, were 
 sent out on the route traveled yesterday, and were directed, 
 after traveling some eight or ten miles, to leave the road, and, 
 going in different directions, to plant signals and scour the 
 country. I felt certain that Mr. Tinkham would be found by 
 these men, if found at all. 
 
 The remainder of the train left about seven o'clock, pursuing 
 the same course as yesterday. The first ten miles was over a 
 level plateau. We encamped about 4.30 o'clock at the bank of 
 a fine lake, having made to-day a distance of little over twenty 
 miles. The mosquitoes were exceedingly annoying, flying 
 against the sides of the tents with a noise like the pattering of 
 rain, while the inside was perfectly black with them. Their 
 constant humming drove the men out into the open air, and 
 rendered it almost impossible to sleep. 
 
 July 15. At daybreak Broadwell went back to Lander's 
 camp, and I dispatched Osgood and Kendall to a high hill to 
 reconnoitre and look for a new camp. The guides and hunters 
 were also sent on to the Sheyenne to ascertain the distance, and 
 if not too far we would go to it. Being very unwell, I laid by 
 all the morning, and the delay of the train was employed in 
 shoeing the animals, equalizing loads, and arranging them in 
 such a manner as to give about nine hundred pounds to each 
 wagon, and so distributed in bulk that a portion of each wagon 
 could be appropriated to the conveyance of wood and the meat 
 killed each day. 
 
 The men are much interested in the labors of Dr. Suckley, 
 the naturalist. It is amusing to see each one making his con- 
 tribution of snakes, reptiles, birds, bugs, etc. 
 
 Near noon Osgood and his party returned, having been to the 
 
THE ALARM 333 
 
 Sheyenne, where they found no wood, poor grass, and swarms 
 of mosquitoes. Soon after the guides returned, announcing that 
 they had seen a party of Sioux of a thousand lodges, not more 
 than nine miles in advance of us. Boutineau's manner was full 
 of fear, and his public announcement spread alarm through the 
 whole camp. I at once gave orders to make ready, with the 
 intention of visiting their camp ; and, calling Boutineau to my 
 tent, asked him whether they were not the Red River hunting 
 party. He assured me indignantly that " he knew half-breeds 
 from Indians, and that they were certainly Sioux." 
 
 I suggested that they might be friendly Sioux, who, being 
 engaged in the hunt and hearing of our approach, were coming 
 forward to meet us, to receive the usual presents and gratify 
 their curiosity. He still insisted that they were hostile Sioux, 
 and saw in their presence the explanation of the cause of the 
 absence of the missing party. We were, in his opinion, to be 
 surrounded and cut off. 
 
 After dinner, as the alarm was spreading throughout the 
 command, the arms were inspected and ammunition distrib- 
 uted, and orders given to have the train in readiness to move 
 at once. I sent Boutineau, Le Frambois, and Menoc to the 
 top of a high ridge as a lookout, while a flag was prepared to 
 be sent forward if necessary. Word soon came that the coun- 
 try was alive with Indians, who were fast surrounding us; 
 and I sent scouts to hills on the right and left, having the 
 lake to protect our rear. Mounting my horse, I rode to the 
 hill in front, and saw two horsemen rapidly approaching. Our 
 flag-bearers rode forward to meet them, and soon discovered 
 that they were two of the Red River hunters, and that their 
 camp was three miles beyond the Sheyenne. Having discerned 
 our party, they came to invite us to visit them, and expressed 
 their kindly feelings for us. The train, which before this was 
 in motion, arranged in a double line, with the pack and loose 
 animals between, proceeded two miles, where there was better 
 water, and encamped. 
 
 The agreeable disappointment established a fine feeling 
 throughout camp ; and, half an hour after, Boulieau and Lind- 
 ner arrived in camp with news of Tinkham's safety, which was 
 received with three cheers. The men to-day showed a good 
 
334 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 spirit, and although there was naturally some anxiety, they 
 obeyed e?ery order with alacrity. Thus ended the apprehen- 
 sions of the command concerning Indians. 
 
 RED RIVER HUNTERS. 
 
 July 16. Awaited the coming up of the back parties, and 
 during the morning Tinkham arrived and was received with 
 nine cheers, being followed soon after by the rest of the rear 
 guard. About two p. M. the whole Red River train came in 
 sight, and as they approached, fired a succession of volleys 
 of firearms as a salute, which we returned with three rounds 
 from the howitzer. The train consisted of 824 carts, about 
 1200 animals, and 1800 persons, men, women, and children, 
 the whole presenting a very fine appearance. 
 
 They encamped near by, and the close yard which they 
 formed presented quite a contrast to the open camp adopted by 
 us. They made a circular or square yard of the carts, placed 
 side by side, with the hubs adjoining, presenting a barrier 
 impassable either to man or beast. The tents or lodges were 
 arranged within at a distance of about twenty feet from the 
 carts, and were of a conical shape, built of poles covered with 
 skins, with an opening at the top for the passage of smoke and 
 for ventilation. They were one hundred and four in number, 
 being occupied generally by two families, averaging about ten 
 persons to the lodge. Skins were spread over the tops of the 
 carts, and underneath many of the train found comfortable 
 lodging-places. The animals were allowed to run loose during 
 the day to feed, but were driven into the corral at dark. Thirty- 
 six of the men were posted as sentinels, remaining on guard all 
 night. We had but twelve guards, three reliefs, not more than 
 four men being on guard at one time. 
 
 As our camps were only about two hundred yards apart, 
 there was much visiting between them. I was struck with the 
 good conduct and hospitable kindness of these people. A small 
 band of prairie Chippewa Indians, who accompanied this party, 
 visited our camp during the evening, and entertained us with 
 one of their national dances. 
 
 I was much pleased with Governor Wilkie, who is the head 
 of the expedition. He is a man about sixty years of age, of 
 
RED RIVER HUNTERS 335 
 
 fine appearance and pleasant manners. This party are resi- 
 dents of Pembina and its vicinity. When at home they are 
 engaged in agriculture, raising wheat, corn, potatoes, and bar- 
 ley. The land yields about twenty-five bushels of wheat to the 
 acre, their farms averaging about fifteen acres each. They are 
 industrious and frugal in their habits, and are mostly of the 
 Romish persuasion, leading a virtuous and pious life. They are 
 generally accompanied by their priests, and attend strictly to 
 their devotions, having exercises every Sabbath, on which day 
 they neither march nor hunt. 
 
 Their municipal government is of a parochial character, 
 being divided into five parishes, each one presided over by an 
 officer called the captain of the parish. On departing for the 
 hunt, they select a man from the whole number, who is styled 
 governor of the hunt, who takes charge of the party, regulates 
 its movements, acts as referee in all cases where any differences 
 arise between the members in regard to game or other matters, 
 and takes command in case of difficulty with the Indians. 
 
 In the early part of the year, till the middle of June, these 
 people work at agriculture, when they set out on their first 
 hunt, leaving some thirty at the settlements in charge of their 
 farms, houses, stock, etc. They start out to the southward in 
 search after buffalo, taking with them their families, carts, and 
 animals. These carts, when loaded, contain about eight hun- 
 dred pounds, and are used in common. There were three hun- 
 dred and thirty-six men in the present train, of whom three 
 hundred were hunters. Each hunt, of which there are two 
 every year, continues about two months, the first starting in 
 June, the second about the middle of October. Their carts 
 were already half full, and they expected to return to their 
 homes in the latter part of August. On their first trip the 
 buffalo are hunted for the purpose of procuring pemmican, 
 dried meat, tongues, etc. ; the skins, being useless for robes, are 
 dressed for lodge-skins, moccasins, etc. In October the meat 
 is still better and fatter, and they procure a like quantity of 
 dried meat, reserving sufficient for a year's provisions, which 
 is about one half of the whole amount procured ; they dispose 
 of the rest at the trading-posts of the Hudson Bay Company. 
 The meat which they carry home finds its way, through the 
 
336 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Red River traders of the Fur Company, to Fort Snelling, where 
 it is exchanged for goods, sugar, coffee, etc., at the rate of 
 fifteen cents a pound. 
 
 The trade of this country is all in dry-goods, sugar, tea, am- 
 munition, etc. Notes are also issued by the Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany, which are currency among them. Several of these, of the 
 denomination of five shillings, payable at York Factory and 
 bearing the signature of Sir George Simpson, were offered in 
 change to various members of the expedition on purchasing 
 articles. The skins collected in the summer hunt are usually 
 retained by the hunters for their own use, while the robes col- 
 lected in the fall hunt are a staple of trade with the Fur Com- 
 pany, and also with the Hudson Bay Company, which latter 
 company do a large business in this portion of the country, 
 supplying the settlers with most of their clothes, groceries, etc. 
 
 The Red River settlements are made up of a population of 
 half-breeds, traders of the Hudson Bay and Fur Companies, 
 discharged employees of these companies, and Indians, repre- 
 sentatives of every nation of Europe, — Scotch, Irish, English, 
 Canadians, — and speaking a jargon made up of these dialects, 
 intermingled with Chippewa and Sioux, patois French being 
 the prevailing tongue. These settlements, started some twenty- 
 five years since, now number, in the vicinity of Pembina Moun- 
 tain, some four thousand people. The men are generally much 
 finer looking than the women. On the latter depend all the 
 drudgery of camp duties, pitching the tents, attending to ani- 
 mals, cooking, etc. The men dress usually in woolens of 
 various colors. The coat generally worn, called the Hudson 
 Bay coat, has a capote attached to it. The belts are finely knit, 
 of differently colored wool or worsted yarn, and are worn after 
 the manner of sashes. Their powder-horn and shot-bag, at- 
 tached to bands finely embroidered with beads or worked with 
 porcupine quills, are worn across each shoulder, making an X 
 before and behind. Many also have a tobacco-pouch strung 
 to their sashes, in which is tobacco mixed with kinnickinnick 
 (dried bark of the osier willow scraped fine), a fire-steel, punk, 
 and several flints. Add to these paraphernalia a gun, and a 
 good idea will be formed of the costume of the Red River 
 hunter. The women are industrious, dress in gaudy calicoes, 
 
BUTTE DE MORALE 337 
 
 are fond of beads and finery, and are remarkably apt at mak- 
 ing bead-work, moccasins, and sewing. 
 
 We purchased from the train a supply of pemmican, dried 
 meat, sugar, and other things, some of the men buying mocca- 
 sins, whips, and other necessaries. 
 
 I engaged the services of Alexis Le Bombard, who was in 
 company with this encampment, as guide to the Yellowstone. 
 He came from the Yellowstone this season, and the impression 
 gathered from my interview with him, as well as the represen- 
 tations of others, satisfied me that he will be extremely valu- 
 able as a guide. 
 
 July 18. Started a few minutes before seven, still following 
 the trail of the Red River train. About eight o'clock we crossed 
 a branch of the Sheyenne, flowing through a deep valley with 
 an extended plateau, bounded on both sides by the high coteau. 
 This stream appears to take its rise in a number of small lakes, 
 and the branch crossed this morning is slightly brackish. Many 
 of the lakes are very salt. These appear to have no outlet, and 
 their saline qualities are accounted for by the fact that they are 
 never washed out, and consequently retain the salt deposits 
 and incrustations. We often notice in this region lakes lying 
 very close to each other, in some cases not more than twenty 
 yards apart ; one will be so saline as to be offensive, while the 
 water of the other will be excellent to the taste. We passed 
 to-day a narrow lake, some three miles in length, somewhat re- 
 sembling a canal. It lay at the foot of a high hill, called the 
 Butte de Morale. Here occurred an engagement between some 
 half-breeds and Sioux, in which one of the former, by the name 
 of Morale, was killed ; hence its name. The altitude of this 
 butte, as determined by barometric measurement, is 281.8 feet 
 above the level of the Sheyenne River. 
 
 Our way was strewn with the carcasses of many buffaloes 
 killed by the Red River hunting party. At times the air was 
 very much tainted. One of our men reported having ridden 
 through a section of land, a quarter of a mile square, on which 
 were strewn the remains of some three hundred buffaloes. In 
 killing these animals, only the choice bits and hides are taken, 
 and the remainder is left as a prey to wolves, or to rot on the 
 ground. 
 
 •' UNIVERS 
 
338 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 We had wood to-day, for the first time since leaving Lake 
 Jessie, our fuel in the mean time consisting of greasewood and 
 buffalo chips. The sight of a camp-fire of wood is quite a treat 
 to us. Our camp is beautifully located on a range of hills, 
 nearly surrounded with salt lakes, called the White Wood 
 Lakes. An excellent spring near by furnishes us an abundant 
 supply of cold, fresh water. The odometer line measured to- 
 day was twenty and a half miles. That pursued by the train 
 was probably two miles longer. 
 
 July 19. Our course lay over a level country. After pro- 
 ceeding ten miles we crossed a branch of the Sheyenne River, 
 at this time very shallow, but the high banks on each side, to- 
 gether with the grass and deposits, gave evidence of its size 
 during the freshets in the spring. After traveling sixteen 
 and one half miles, we encamped near a small lake in sight 
 of the Maison du Chien, which by bearings and calculation, 
 Mr. Tinkham estimated to be about twenty-one miles distant. 
 We passed on the march several salt-marshes abounding with 
 tadpoles, from which the effluvia was very offensive. In some 
 places the ground was covered with deposits of salt to the depth 
 of a quarter of an inch. I am much pleased with our new 
 guide, Le Bombard, who appears to have a very accurate know- 
 ledge of the country, although his ideas of distance are not found 
 to be very reliable, which is generally the case with voyageurs. 
 
 July 20. Fitted out Lander's party, consisting of himself, 
 Le Frambois, Guy, and Rummell, to make a reconnoissance of 
 Butte Maison du Chien and the Coteau du Missouri, to connect 
 our work with Lieutenant Grover's survey, and join us on the 
 Mouse River in four days. We moved off about half past six, 
 and after traveling five miles reached the first tributary of the 
 Mouse River. The crossing occupied nearly three hours, the 
 water being shoulder deep ; half the wagon-loads were removed 
 and carried across in the india-rubber boat. The road was 
 generally very good, passing over a level prairie intersected 
 with lakes and sloughs. About twelve miles from camp we 
 struck a beautiful ridge, resembling a railroad embankment, 
 which lay directly in our compass course ; on the top of this 
 the train moved for some miles. We passed around the first 
 coulee of the Mouse River, and after a march of some seventeen 
 
RED RIVER HUNTERS 339 
 
 miles (odometer measurement, 15.7), encamped on the bank of 
 a small lake. 
 
 July 21. Left camp at six A. M. It commenced raining 
 about nine, and lasted an hour or more. About eight miles 
 from camp we saw the tracks of Grover's train in a slough, by 
 which we judged that he had passed some days previous. Soon 
 after this we crossed one of the coulees making into Mouse 
 River. These coulees are very severe on the animals, in some 
 places being very steep. We traveled to-day sixteen miles. 
 Our camp is located on the top of a ridge, which descends 
 into a coulee. We are about one hundred and fifty feet above 
 the valley of Mouse River. There is plenty of timber in the 
 coulee which we are to cross to-morrow in starting. 
 
 July 22. Left camp about 6.30 o'clock, and found the cross- 
 ing of the coulee, about half a mile to our left. On the other 
 side of the coulee we have a fine level plateau ahead. The 
 grand Coteau du Missouri was in sight all day. The depth of 
 the first coulee, as indicated by the barometer, was eighty-two 
 feet below our camp. About four miles out we crossed another 
 severe coulee one hundred and eight feet below the level of our 
 camp. The third coulee was a depression of fifty-four feet, the 
 prairie level being some forty-two feet lower than the level of 
 our last camp. 
 
 While making our usual midday halt we were overtaken by 
 two hunters of the Red River train from the vicinity of the 
 Selkirk settlements, who were encamped some eight miles dis- 
 tant. They invited me to visit them, which I determined upon 
 doing, and, placing the train in charge of Dr. Suckley, I gave 
 him directions to move on some eight miles, find a good camp- 
 ing place, and await my return. 
 
 July 23. During my absence this morning Dr. Suckley sent 
 Le Bombard and Sergeant Lindner ahead some twelve miles to 
 reconnoitre for a good road for the train; Messrs. Tinkham 
 and Burr went to the Mouse River, and Mr. Moffett, accom- 
 panied by Broadwell, went to the Grand Coteau. 
 
 I sent Guy and Rummell ahead to Dr. Suckley's camp to 
 apprise him of our coming. At about four o'clock, accom- 
 panied by Governor de L'Orme and seven of his principal men, 
 we started towards Dr. Suckley's camp. The whole force of 
 
340 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the survey, headed by Dr. Suckley, Sergeant Lindner bearing 
 an American flag, met us about a mile out of camp, and saluted 
 us with a volley from their guns, the mountain howitzer being 
 fired three times. A large tent was put up for the accommo- 
 dation of our guests, and Governor de L'Orme was invited to 
 share my tent. The guard tent was made use of as a banquet- 
 ing-room, and several of the men were detailed to collect buffalo 
 chips. The cooks of the various messes assisted each other, and 
 the meal was ready for us about nine o'clock. Tinkham and 
 Burr got in just in time to partake of it with us, as also did 
 Moffett and Broadwell. Mr. Moffett reported the height of 
 the bluff or Coteau range as seven hundred and two feet above 
 the level of Mouse River, and distant twenty miles from it ; the 
 height of the hill seven miles from the camp of to-day is two 
 hundred and fifty-six feet. 
 
 Seated around the camp-fire, we had a very pleasant confer- 
 ence with our friends. I was very favorably impressed with 
 Governor de L'Orme, and with his opinion in regard to their 
 right to hunt on our territory, they being residents of the 
 country north of our boundary line. They claim the protection 
 of both governments, and the doubt as to the position of the 
 boundary line makes them ignorant as to which one they have 
 the most claim upon. During the hunting season they carry 
 with them their families and their property, and they consider 
 that this territory is open to them, that the right to hunt on 
 it belongs to them, and that their children born during this 
 transit over our soil possess the heritage of American citizens. 
 With but little care, our government could obtain the whole of 
 these people as citizens, thus protecting and building up our 
 frontier, and having in this vicinity always a controlling check 
 upon the Indians. Already is the salutary effect of their pre- 
 sence visible in the entire safety, now, with which single white 
 men and small parties can go through this country. Their vir- 
 tuous mode of life, their industry and frugality, their adapta- 
 tion to frontier life, all combine to render them a valuable class 
 of people, and well worthy the attention of our government. 
 They expressed a desire that I should represent these things to 
 the government, and I assured them that I would do so with 
 pleasure. Governor de L'Orme, before retiring to rest, attended 
 
RED RIVER HUNTERS 341 
 
 to his devotions, and I have been struck with his piety and real 
 goodness, manifested in his conduct and conversation. 
 
 July 24. We took a late breakfast this morning, and after 
 parting with our guests we got off at nine A. M. We halted 
 for two hours at noon, during which time the hunters went out 
 and drove a herd of buffalo towards us, and right on the line 
 killed two fine cows. I sent Mr. Tinkham and Paul Boulieau 
 out to the Mouse River, which they followed some distance, as 
 also the Eiver of the Lakes, joining us at camp at eight p. m. 
 We made fifteen miles and a quarter to-day, and the grazing 
 is excellent. 
 
 July 25. The express started this morning at six for Fort 
 Union, which I think cannot be over one hundred and fifty 
 miles distant. It consists of Mr. Osgood, Boutineau, Henry 
 Boulieau, and Gray. They are to procure additional wagons 
 or carts at Fort Union, and carry letters to Lieutenants Grover 
 and Donelson. Messrs. Tinkham, Lander, and Paul Boulieau 
 went to-day to make an examination of the Mouse River valley 
 and the River of the Lakes. We had but one coulee to cross, 
 and that was shallow, and offered no impediment. We made 
 to-day twenty-one miles, and found fine grass and excellent 
 water at our camp. 
 
 July 26. We started this morning about six o'clock, and, 
 traveling eleven and one half miles, we halted on the bank of a 
 lake. A herd of buffalo approached on the south side of this 
 lake to drink, and crossed within gunshot on the opposite side. 
 Some of our party fired at them, and Le Bombard followed, 
 and killed a fine, fat cow. About seven miles farther on I 
 received a letter from Mr. Osgood by the hands of an Assini- 
 boine Indian. The express party camped last night about ten 
 miles ahead of this place at a large encampment of Assiniboine 
 Indians, numbering some one hundred and fifty lodges and 
 twelve hundred persons. The Indians built for them a lodge in 
 the centre of their camp, and treated them with great hospitality. 
 One of them offered to act as Mr. Osgood's express, and he told 
 them that on my arrival I would have a talk with them and 
 make them some presents. By this note I also learned that 
 Lieutenant Grover had passed some eight miles to the east of 
 our line about four days ago. 
 
342 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 July 27. Reaching camp a little after noon, fifteen miles 
 from last night's camp, and about a quarter of a mile from that 
 of the Assiniboines, numbers of Indians rode out to welcome us. 
 We found them to be under the command of the chiefs Blue 
 Thunder and Little Thunder, the latter probably thirty-six years 
 of age. As soon as we were encamped, they informed me that 
 they had reserved a present of skins for me, and were making 
 preparations to have a talk. While dinner was being prepared, 
 many seated themselves in squads around the tents, smoking 
 with the men. One large pipe served a dozen, and the custom 
 adopted is to smoke it a little and pass it to their neighbor, and 
 thus go round. It is the first signal of welcome or friendship 
 after the hand is offered, and they will have no business or 
 other transaction previous to it. 
 
 After dinner, accompanied by Dr. Suckley, Messrs. Stanley, 
 Lander, Tinkham, Everett, Evans, Adams, Menoc, with Paul 
 Boulieau, Le Bombard, and Le Frambois as interpreters, I went 
 to their camp, which was irregularly arranged in a sort of 
 corral, consisting of about one hundred and fifty lodges, averag- 
 ing ten persons to each lodge. 
 
 Our approach was hailed by the barking of an immense 
 number of dogs. These dogs are a prominent feature in every 
 Indian camp, being used for drawing lodges, provisions, and 
 property from place to place, — indeed, furnishing the entire 
 transportation of the Indians in winter. A sledge drawn by 
 four dogs will carry two hundred pounds over the snow with 
 great ease. They appeared also to be abundantly supplied with 
 horses, many of which were of good quality. All the women 
 and children turned out of the lodges as we passed, curious to 
 see us. Frames of poles stood around, upon which skins and 
 meat were drying. Yet, in spite of the appearance of plenty, 
 all had a look of poverty, judging from the meagreness of 
 clothing and the length of time it appeared to have been worn, 
 while all appeared very filthy and miserable. 
 
 A very large lodge, about fifty feet in diameter, had been 
 erected for our reception in the centre of the inclosure, within 
 which we found seated two circles of chiefs, braves, warriors, 
 and others. At the back of the lodge was arranged a long seat 
 for us, consisting of a pile of skins, which were afterwards pre- 
 sented to me. 
 
ASSINIBOINE INDIANS 343 
 
 There were about eighty persons present, including our own 
 party. During the preparation for the ceremonial reception, 
 there was a general smoking among all present, during which 
 an old man, one of the dignitaries of the tribe, prepared the 
 pipe of reception, only smoked on great occasions. The stem 
 was decked with ribbons of various colors, and when it stood 
 obliquely, feathers would drop down like the wing of a bird. At 
 the lower end of this pipe, where it enters the bowl, was a 
 duck's head. The pipe-stem was supported against a small 
 stick stuck in the ground and crotched at the end. The pipe 
 was turned towards the sun, the invariable practice in such 
 cases. Some sweet grass, platted, was then set on fire and used 
 in the manner of incense, both to the bowl and the stem. After 
 lighting the pipe with the scented grass, it was planted near by 
 in a small hole and burned. 
 
 During the smoking the bearer of the pipe shook hands 
 with each member of our party, handing the pipe after this 
 ceremony was over. Then a bowl of water was handed around 
 by a second individual, who also shook hands with each one of 
 us before we drank of the contents of the bowl. Next came 
 the eating of soup, made of buffalo and typsina, a species of 
 turnip, which was rich and greasy but quite palatable. Soon 
 after this ceremony, which completed the reception, an old man 
 advanced to me and shook hands, after which he shook the 
 .hand of each member of our company. His appearance was 
 much in his favor, carrying himself with great dignity. With 
 considerable fluency, and at times with many gestures, he 
 addressed me substantially as follows : — 
 
 " My father, you see us now as we are. We are poor. We 
 have but few blankets and little clothing. The Great Father of 
 Life, who made us and gave us these lands to live upon, made 
 the buffalo and other game to afford us subsistence ; their meat 
 is our only food ; with their skins we clothe ourselves and build 
 our lodges. They are our only means of life, food, fuel, and 
 clothing. But I fear we shall soon be deprived of these ; star- 
 vation and cold will destroy us. The buffalo are fast disappear- 
 ing, and before many years will be destroyed. As the white 
 man advances, our means of life will grow less. We will soon 
 have to seek protection in our poverty from the Great Father, 
 who can so well supply it. 
 
344 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 " My father, we hear that a great road is to be made through 
 our country. We do not know what this is for, we do not 
 understand it, but we think it will drive away the buffalo. We 
 like to see our white brothers ; we like to give them the hand 
 of friendship ; but we know that, as they come, our game goes 
 back. What are we to do? " 
 
 After shaking hands with all of us he sat down, and after a 
 short interval of silence the chief, through his interpreter, sig- 
 nified a desire to hear me reply. 
 
 I explained that the road to be made from the Mississippi to 
 the Pacific would not injure the Indians, nor deprive them of 
 comforts ; that whites would settle along the line, and, though 
 they would drive off the buffalo, they would also supply other 
 articles in place of them. They would receive from the Presi- 
 dent implements of agriculture, and learn to till the soil, so as 
 to obtain food with less labor than now. 
 
 I told them that I would go through the lands of the Black- 
 feet and other Indians beyond the Yellowstone, carrying the 
 friendly messages of the Great Father, and insisting on peace 
 among all, to secure the safety of the whites. My remarks 
 seemed to make a very favorable impression, and were received 
 with every mark of respect. Their approbation was shown, as 
 each paragraph was interpreted, by the ejaculation " How ! " a 
 common word, answering every purpose of salutation, approval, 
 or concurrence. 
 
 The present they gave me consisted of thirty-two dressed 
 skins and two robes. 
 
 We spent about half an hour in going around among the 
 various lodges, and then returned to our camp, being followed 
 by the whole encampment. During the time we were engaged 
 in inspecting their camp, they became aware of the profession 
 of Dr. Suckley, and there was scarcely a lodge that did not 
 contain some patient for his medical attention. The doctor 
 vaccinated some eight or nine, and through Le Frambois ex- 
 plained its object. It was near dusk when the party arrived at 
 our camp and were arranged to receive their presents. They 
 were seated around in the form of three sides of a square, the 
 open side being opposite the places occupied by our party, the 
 chief, and higher order of the Indians. At each of the four 
 
FORT UNION 345 
 
 corners was posted a brave or chief. These men never receive 
 a gift, considering it a degradation to receive anything but what 
 their own prowess acquires for them. Their hearts are so good 
 and strong that they scorn to take anything, and self-denial and 
 the power to resist temptation to luxury, or easily acquired 
 property, is a boast with them. On these men in time of peace, 
 when difficulties occur among themselves, the tribe relies, and 
 in time of war they are their leaders to the scene of action. 
 To two old men of the tribe was assigned the duty of making 
 the distribution, and the presents were placed in the centre of 
 the area. During the whole distribution the Indians sat in 
 perfect silence. All seemed satisfied with the articles they 
 received, and not a grumble escaped one of them. After this 
 was over they returned to their camp, the chiefs and braves 
 remaining. At half past eight we had a collation of coffee and 
 bread in our mess tent, and remained till a late hour, smoking 
 and conversing. Soon after this our friends left, myself and 
 the interpreters escorting them outside the sentinels. I was 
 much pleased with these Indians, and they seemed to be very 
 favorably inclined towards the whites, and sincere in their pro- 
 fessions of friendship. Nothing to-day of the slightest value 
 has been missed, as far as I can learn. 
 
 July 28. It was very late this morning before we started* 
 being occupied in fitting out a party, consisting of Mr. Lander, 
 Dr. Suckley, Mr. Burr, and Corporal Rummell, with instruc- 
 tions to strike the Pierced Rock on Mouse River, and make a 
 careful examination for coal and iron. They were to explore 
 the White Earth River, examine the Coteau du Missouri, and, 
 reaching the 49th parallel, make a detour to the northwest, and 
 arrive at the Yellowstone in some three or four days. 
 
 Four days later, on August 1, after a march of eighty 
 miles along the Mouse River and the River of the Lakes, 
 they reached Fort Union. As the broad Missouri and its 
 beautiful bluff banks dotted with timber came into view, 
 the whole party gave three cheers. Lieutenants Donelson 
 and Grover, who had already arrived at the fort, and Mr. 
 Denig, the trader in charge, came out to meet them. 
 The governor mounted his horse, for the first time since 
 
346 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the false alarm about the Sioux, and received them with 
 a salute of a volley of small-arms, which was answered 
 by thirteen guns from the fort. News was brought of 
 the death of sapper White, of Donelson's party, by the 
 accidental discharge of a gun in his own hands. Camp 
 was soon pitched, and the whole party assembled at the 
 governor's tent. 
 
 " I congratulated them on the zealous performance of their 
 duty, gave them a cordial invitation to go on, and whatever 
 their determination, even should they leave us here, promised 
 them an honorable discharge. All seemed desirous of going 
 on, and not one availed himself of the opportunity to leave the 
 expedition. 
 
 " By the great vigilance exercised on the march, the animals 
 had been constantly improving, gaining flesh and becoming 
 cured of sores, so that, though we started from the Mississippi 
 with forty disabled animals, all but one were serviceable on our 
 arrival at Fort Union. 
 
 "The whole distance from St. Paul to Fort Union is by 
 odometer measurement 715.5 miles, and we had accomplished it 
 in 55 days, and, excluding halts from time to time, in 48 travel- 
 ing days. The rate of traveling was therefore about 15 miles a 
 day, most of the way over a country almost unknown, without 
 roads, and with such an imperfect knowledge of the distances 
 to be made between camps as to cramp our movements much 
 more than if the route had been measured and itineraries con- 
 structed for our use." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 FORT UNION TO FORT BENTON 
 
 " Fort Union is situated on the eastern bank of the Mis- 
 souri, about two miles and three quarters above the mouth of the 
 Yellowstone. It was built by the American Fur Company in 
 1830, and has from that time been the principal depot of that 
 company. It is framed of pickets of hewn timber, about six- 
 teen feet high, and has two bastions, one at the northwest and 
 one at the southeast corner. The main or front entrance is on 
 the side opposite the river. The fort is 250 feet square. The 
 main buildings, comprising the residence of the superintendent 
 and the store, are on the front or eastern side. They are two 
 stories high, and built of wood. The shops and dwellings of 
 the blacksmith, the gunsmith, the carpenter, the shoemaker, 
 the tailor, and others are of adobe or of wood, and occupy the 
 other sides.* These mechanics are mostly French half-breeds, 
 and have half-breed or Indian wives and many children. 
 There is a grassy plain around the fort, extending to the base 
 of the rising ground, which is a full mile distant on the eastern 
 side. The Assiniboines, the Gros Ventres, the Crows, and 
 other migratory bands of Indians trade at this fort, exchanging 
 the skins of the buffalo, deer, and other animals for such com- 
 modities as they require. Mr. Culbertson, who has occupied 
 the position of chief agent of the company during the past 
 twenty years, has under his supervision not only Fort Union, 
 but Forts Pierre and Benton also. He is a man of great en- 
 ergy, intelligence, and fidelity, and possesses the entire confi- 
 dence of the Indians. His wife, a full-blooded Indian of the 
 Blood band of the Blackfoot tribe, is also deservedly held in 
 high estimation. Though she appears to have made little or 
 no progress in our language, she has acquired the manners and 
 adapted herself to the usages of the white race with singular 
 
348 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 facility. Their children have been sent to the States to be edu- 
 cated in our best schools." 
 
 Fort Union was long since abandoned. 
 
 Agreeably to instructions, Mr. Culbertson, immediately 
 on reaching Fort Union, dispatched expresses to the 
 chiefs of the Blackfoot nation with presents of tobacco 
 and goods, and Governor Stevens's message : — 
 
 " I desire to meet you on the way, and assure you of the 
 fatherly care and beneficence of the government. I wish to 
 meet the Blackfeet in a general council at Fort Benton. Do 
 not make war upon your neighbors. Remain at peace, and the 
 Great Father will see that you do not lose by it." 
 
 The Blackfeet at this time numbered 12,000, divided 
 into four great bands, — Blackfeet proper, Bloods, Pie- 
 gans, and Gros Ventres. Pressing down from the north 
 over a century before, they drove back the Crows, Sho- 
 shones, and Flatheads, and took possession of all the 
 country about the headwaters of the Missouri from above 
 the boundary line to the Yellowstone, and from the 
 Rocky Mountains eastward to Fort Union. True Ishma- 
 elites, they waged perpetual war upon all other tribes, 
 and cherished special and inveterate hostility against the 
 whites ever since one of their number was slain by Cap- 
 tain Lewis, of Lewis and Clark's expedition, in 1807. 
 They suffered, indeed, two rival trading-posts on the upper 
 Missouri, three hundred miles above Fort Union, namely, 
 Fort Benton and Fort Campbell, for it was indispensable 
 for them to exchange their peltries for arms, ammunition, 
 blankets, and goods ; but the traders never dared admit 
 them within the forts. 
 
 War was their sole business, the only means by which 
 the young braves acquired influence, gained wealth, and 
 found favor in the eyes of the maidens. Their war par- 
 ties invariably started out on foot, each warrior trailing a 
 
FORT UNION TO FORT BENTON 349 
 
 long lariat, and bearing a bundle of moccasins with raw- 
 hide soles. It was a point of honor never to return 
 unless mounted, and war parties were sometimes absent 
 over a year before they succeeded in capturing their 
 steeds. Penetrating thus on foot from three hundred to 
 a thousand miles into the country of their foes, they 
 would patiently lurk in the mountains, or some hidden 
 resort, until an opportunity offered, when, running off 
 the horses, and perhaps lifting a few scalps, they would 
 retreat home at full speed, mounted and triumphant. 
 Thus they raided the Crows and Assiniboines on the east 
 and south, the Shoshones, Snakes, and Flatheads on the 
 west, and even beset the emigrant trail of the Platte and 
 South Pass, eight hundred miles distant; and many a 
 lonely trapper and emigrant had fallen victim to their 
 cunning and ferocity. Yet the chiefs and elders plainly 
 saw that this incessant warfare was slowly but surely 
 cutting off their warriors in detail, and threatened the 
 ultimate extinction of the tribe, and were not unwilling to 
 relinquish it for a more peaceful mode of life, but ever 
 found it impossible to restrain the young braves. 
 
 With these powerful and intractable savages Governor 
 Stevens undertook to make a lasting peace, not only 
 between them and the whites, but also between them 
 and their hereditary enemies, the other Indian tribes. He 
 early realized that the establishment of peace and the 
 cessation of Blackfoot war parties were indispensable \o 
 the exploration and settlement of the country, and the 
 passage of emigrants through it, and characteristically 
 set to work to effect it, without waiting for orders. He 
 took every opportunity to meet and confer with the chiefs 
 and parties of the Blackfeet, urging them to make peace, 
 and proposing a great council for the next year, at which 
 they and the whites and the other Indian tribes were to 
 meet together and unite in bonds of lasting friendship. 
 
350 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 From Fort Benton the governor reported his views and 
 action to the government, and in the strongest manner 
 recommended the holding of the council. He sent Mr. 
 Culbertson expressly to carry his report to Washington, 
 and impress his policy upon the government. It is 
 remarkable how Governor Stevens, although eminently 
 loyal and subordinate to authority, always impressed his 
 own views upon the government, and caused them to be 
 adopted, instead of waiting for instructions to be given 
 him. With his sagacious foresight and ardent patriotism, 
 he was quick to discern needed measures, which always 
 appeared to him as duties to be undertaken, and more- 
 over he had such courage and force of character that he 
 never hesitated to take the responsibility of any action 
 that he deemed necessary for the public welfare. 
 
 Thus far the expedition had met with most gratifying 
 success. Lieutenant Donelson made a satisfactory ex- 
 amination of the Missouri to a point one hundred and 
 twenty-five miles above Fort Union, and an extended 
 reconnoissance of the country north of that point. The 
 main party surveyed two routes westward from Pike Lake, 
 and ascertained the topographical features on both flanks 
 for a wide scope, while Lander, during the stay at Fort 
 Union, examined the Mouse River country northward to 
 the 49th parallel. Dr. Evans was at work geologizing in 
 the Bad Lands on the other side of the Missouri. The 
 force was now hardened to field work and in fine spirits, 
 and the animals were toughened, thoroughly broken, and 
 in fine condition. 
 
 " From the 2d to the 9th of August we were closely occupied 
 in preparing for the continuation of the survey. The men were 
 engaged in making Pembina carts, and additional transporta- 
 tion was purchased of the fur companies. Our experience thus 
 far had shown how well adapted ox-trains were to transporta- 
 tion, and accordingly two additional teams were added at Fort 
 
FORT UNION TO FORT BENTON 351 
 
 Union. In all these arrangements both the fur companies 
 zealously cooperated, placing at my disposal not only all the 
 animals they could spare, but guides, hunters, and their in- 
 formation in regard to the country. We were, much pleased 
 and benefited by the good offices of the Indian women at the 
 two posts, the wives of the officers, who fitted us out with a 
 good assortment of moccasins, gloves, and other guards against 
 the severity of the weather in the fall and winter. 
 
 " The voyageurs belonging to the fur companies' posts thought 
 it a good practical joke to spread bugbear stories about the 
 immense snows to be expected early in the season, and many 
 of the men got to believe that they would find snow knee-deep 
 before they reached Fort Benton, and that it would be twenty 
 feet deep in the passes of the Rocky Mountains in October, 
 and the men became exceedingly alarmed. Fortunately I had 
 with me some books of travel in that country, particularly De 
 Smet's 'Oregon Missions,' and had carefully investigated the 
 climates of the country west of the Rocky Mountains. Mr. 
 Culbertson and the officers of the companies also gave me relia- 
 ble information in reference to the lightness and lateness of the 
 snow this side of the mountains, and therefore little difficulty 
 was found in satisfying the men that they had been trifled with 
 in this matter." 
 
 Advancing the expedition westward again in two par- 
 ties under Lieutenants Grover and Donelson on the 9th 
 of August, the governor, to quote from his final report, 
 
 started on the 10th from Fort Union at about twelve o'clock, 
 followed by a war party of the Blackfeet, consisting of twenty 
 Blood Indians and forty Piegan Indians, who arrived at Fort 
 Union on the 8th on a visit to my party, and with whom I 
 had had the most friendly interchange of civilities. I desired 
 their company for two or three days in order to impress them 
 fully with the beneficent policy of our government towards the 
 Indians, and with the peaceable character of my own duties 
 and objects, intending then to dispatch them on their way to 
 their several tribes, and to make generally known to the Black- 
 foot nation our objects in passing through their country. I 
 camped that evening with Lieutenant Grover on the Little 
 
362 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Muddy River, when, towards night, a serious difficulty came 
 near happening between them and our party. Mr. Culbertson 
 and myself, however, succeeded in arranging the matter, and 
 we spent a most interesting evening with the principal men in 
 conversing about the Blackfeet and the Indian policy of our 
 government. On this occasion I presented the subject of a 
 general council to be held at Fort Benton the ensuing year, to 
 make peace between the Blackfoot Indians and the hunting 
 tribes west of the mountains, and to preserve peace with the 
 white children of the Great Father. On this as on previous 
 occasions, Mrs. Culbertson, a native of the Blood tribe of the 
 Blackfeet, was unwearied and efficient in her good offices. 
 
 The next day we reached the Big Muddy River. The cross- 
 ing was at a difficult ford, and we were all highly gratified at 
 the zeal and efficiency of one of the Blackfeet, who pulled as 
 steadily at the rope as any man of my party. 
 
 Before leaving the Big Muddy I had a long conversation 
 with the White Man's Horse, the chief of the war party of 
 Blackfeet. He had frequently visited the Bitter Root valley, 
 and stolen horses from the Flatheads. He observed, " I take 
 the first Flathead horse I come to ; it is sure to be a good one." 
 He and one of his men had just returned from the Flathead 
 country, and they gave a very favorable description of the 
 route, assuring me, pointing to my wagons and Pembina carts, 
 that there would be no difficulty in taking them through the 
 mountains. The country between Fort Union and this point is 
 broken and rolling, with occasional formations of the mau- 
 vaise terre and outcroppings of sandstone. On the Big Muddy 
 there is quite a large and open valley of a very good soil and 
 excellent grass, with a very heavy growth of cottonwood near 
 its junction with the Missouri. 
 
 On starting from the Big Muddy on the 14th of August, the 
 command was in most excellent condition and spirits. Two of 
 the mule teams were strengthened by an additional pair of 
 mules, and the wagons were somewhat overloaded ; for I deter- 
 mined to take nearly all my provisions along, so there should 
 be no possibility of suffering for want of food, even though the 
 depot of provisions in the Bitter Root valley had not been estab- 
 lished by Lieutenant Saxton. We made eleven and a half 
 miles, and encamped at a most beautiful point in the midst of 
 
MILK RIVER 353 
 
 luxuriant grass. The day was very sultry, some rain fell, and 
 one ox died from the heat. 
 
 August 15. Excellent road all day. Crossed Poplar River 
 and encamped on the west side, distance eighteen miles. I 
 now felt the importance of renovating my health in order to 
 prepare for the mountain work. It had been my custom thus 
 far to continue at work till midnight, and to be up with the 
 first in the morning. 
 
 August 16. The road to-day was over the level river-bottom 
 of the Missouri. Timber in sight all day, the route running 
 through timber for about a mile. Eeached a camp where 
 there was excellent water, grass, and abundance of timber at five 
 o'clock, making twenty three and two thirds miles. I issued this 
 evening an order directing every person in the expedition, so far 
 as it was consistent with his duties, to walk a portion of the 
 way each day ; for in approaching the mountains my effort was 
 that the animals should be increasing rather than diminishing 
 in flesh, and our experience had taught us that, by care in all 
 these particulars, long marches could be made and the animals 
 improved each day. 
 
 August 17. Made fifteen miles to-day, and camped on the 
 Missouri at two o'clock. The road was over the level river- 
 bottom. Much side work has been done since leaving the Big 
 Muddy by Lieutenant Grover, Mr. Lander, and Mr. Tinkham, 
 and the meteorological observations have been as numerous 
 as they were on the route up to Fort Union. We organized 
 to-day a day guard for the care of the animals, the object being 
 to keep them in the best grazing without picketing as long as 
 possible. 
 
 August 18. Passed through to-day villages of prairie dogs. 
 Crossed the Porcupine River about five miles from camp. En- 
 camped on Milk River, sixteen miles being the day's march. 
 Here we determined to remain a day to prepare charcoal for 
 the blacksmith, and to make observations for the geographical 
 position of its mouth, which is considered a very important 
 point in the survey. Our camp was surrounded by a large 
 grove of Cottonwood, and near it was a delightful spring of 
 water. The valley of Milk River is wide and open, with a 
 heavy growth of cotton wood as far as the eye can reach, which 
 is also to be found along the adjacent shores of the Missouri. 
 
354 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 At this camp, which I named Camp Atchison, in honor o£ the 
 acting Vice-President, I reduced to writing, and issued in an 
 order, the instructions for the government of the expedition and 
 the distribution of duties, under which we had been moving by 
 my verbal instructions from the Big Muddy River. I availed 
 myself of this opportunity to express my sense of the services 
 of the several members of my party. On the 19th there was 
 some little alarm in camp in consequence of false reports about 
 the vicinity of a war party of Blackf eet. 
 
 We left Camp Atchison on the 20th, and after moving fifteen 
 miles reached a very pleasant camp, with excellent grass, wood, 
 and water. In the evening there was a very heavy thunder- 
 storm. My order was read to the gentlemen of the party this 
 evening, and was the subject of general congratulation, and not 
 a little mischievous by-play or joking. 
 
 August 21. This morning was clear, cool, pleasant, and de- 
 lightful for moving. Engineer parties, both yesterday and to- 
 day, have been actively at work getting in the country bordering 
 the route of the main party. I dispatched a small party across 
 Milk River to Panther Hill to observe the country. Game was 
 very abundant ; plenty of buffalo, antelope, and beaver. A 
 heavy rain and thunder-storm occurred about noon. Wild 
 horses were reported as having been seen to-day by the recon- 
 noitring parties. A fine eagle was shot and brought in to Dr. 
 Suckley, our naturalist. To my exceeding regret, I found that 
 there were points arising regarding the relations of army offi- 
 cers and civilians, and I concluded that the only way to over- 
 come all difficulty was to pursue a firm, steady course, accord- 
 ing to the terms of my written order. The distance to-day was 
 seventeen and two thirds miles. 
 
 August 22. We crossed Milk River five miles from camp, 
 and took a cut off to the south. We made our camp, after 
 moving nineteen and a half miles, a quarter of a mile from the 
 river, in the vicinity of a very heavy growth of cottonwood, 
 there being a high bluff between us and the river. As usual, 
 the evening was spent in considering the question of the pro- 
 posed Blackfoot council, and in examining the work of the par- 
 ties, and preparing for the work ahead. We passed through 
 large herds of buffalo to-day. 
 
THE GROS VENTRES 355 
 
 August 23. We left camp late in consequence of the oxen 
 straying, and about a mile from camp crossed Milk River. 
 The order to walk some miles each day has been carefully ob- 
 served, and the effect was to be seen upon our animals. On 
 reaching our camping-ground, we found a deputation of Gros 
 Ventres, consisting of seven of their chiefs, five of whom were 
 accompanied by their wives. Among these was the Eagle 
 Chief and his son, White Eagle, and the Little Soldier. The 
 wife of the son of Eagle Chief was a very pretty woman. Her 
 name was the White Antelope. They welcomed us in the most 
 cordial manner, and were dignified in their deportment, which 
 was marked by the strictest propriety. We were invited to 
 visit their camp, about thirty miles farther On. After smoking 
 and talking for some time, lunch was served up about dusk, 
 consisting of coffee, rice, etc., after which they made us pre- 
 sents of horses, giving one to myself and two to Mr. Culbertson, 
 to whom they seemed to be much attached. There was a large 
 tent put up for their accommodation, and supper was provided 
 about ten o'clock. 
 
 As my health had now been rapidly improving for some 
 days, I determined to push ahead as rapidly as possible with 
 two advance parties in order to examine the approaches to the 
 mountains. Accordingly I organized two parties, under Lieu- 
 tenant Grover and Mr. Lander, for the above purpose. To Mr. 
 Lander I assigned four and to Lieutenant Grover five mem- 
 bers of the party. Each was provided with reserve horses, 
 and with fifty days' rations of flour, sugar, and coffee. These 
 arrangements delayed me, so that on the following morning, 
 
 August 24, I got off somewhat late, and was obliged to go 
 into camp seven and a half miles this side of the Indian camp. 
 Our Indian friends were again with us to-night, and We treated 
 them with bread and coffee. 
 
 I learned to-day that a feud has lately broken out between 
 the Gros Ventres and the Blackfoot tribes. A Gros Ventre 
 was married to a Blackfoot woman. Traveling along, he was 
 attacked, killed, and a fleet horse of his stolen. His wife was 
 with him at the time, and the assassin proposed that she should 
 marry him, go northward, and the Gros Ventres would never 
 learn of the death of one of their tribe. She assented. He 
 
356 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 gave her the slow animal, upon which he had ridden himself, 
 mounting the fast horse, which had been taken from her mur- 
 dered husband. They soon arrived at water ; she went off to 
 get some, and on her return pressed him to go, as the water was 
 very good. He did so, leaving his horse with the squaw. After 
 he had gone some two or three hundred yards she mounted the 
 fast steed, and, pursuing a contrary direction, joined the tribe 
 of her deceased husband, and gave such information as would 
 lead to the revenge of his untimely death. I find these Indians 
 determined to revenge this outrage, and they are now fitting out 
 war parties for the purpose of cutting off straggling Blackfeet, 
 and stealing their horses. 
 
 August 25. Took an early breakfast, making to-day twenty- 
 two and a half miles, when we reached the camp of Gros 
 Ventres on the bank of Milk River, at half past three o'clock. 
 This camp consisted of three hundred lodges, at least one 
 thousand horses, and over two thousand Indians. We were 
 soon waited on by others of the tribe, dressed in their finest 
 costumes, among whom I would name the Cloudy . Robe, who 
 presented me with a horse ; the Eagle, Big Top, the Discoverer 
 or Ball in the Nose, the Man who goes on Horseback, the 
 White Tail Deer, the Running Fisher, the Two Elks, the 
 Wolf Talker, the Bear's Coat, White Bear, the Clay Pipe- 
 stem Carrier, the Old Horse, the Sitting Squaw, the Little 
 White Calf. Accompanied by the gentlemen of the party, I 
 visited their camp and the lodges of the principal chiefs, at all 
 of which we were treated with the utmost kindness and hospi- 
 tality. They first received us in a large lodge prepared for the 
 occasion, some twenty-five feet in diameter, within which some 
 sixty were seated. We here smoked, drank, and ate, talked 
 some time, and then visited the lodges. I was much struck 
 with the prominent characteristics of this tribe. Polygamy is 
 universal ; several of the chiefs above named having four, five, 
 and even six wives, one of whom is the especial favorite and 
 mistress of the household. The husband will appropriate any 
 of them to purposes of prostitution when he can profit by so 
 doing. They are filthy in the extreme in their habits, many of 
 the women actually eating the vermin out of each other's heads, 
 and out of the robes in which they sleep. Being improvident, 
 
THE GROS VENTRES 357 
 
 it is always feast or famine. Returned to camp about eight 
 o'clock, and fixed the next day for a council. 
 
 August 26. The Pembina train arrived shortly after break- 
 fast, and the main train about noon. The necessary prepara- 
 tions were made for the feast, and about one o'clock the Indians 
 were seated around in squads of twenty or thirty to the number 
 of two hundred. Before the feast the Indians seemed to be 
 in high glee, passing the time in singing their songs, accompa- 
 nying them with rattles made of the hoofs of antelopes strung 
 very fancifully upon a piece of wood about a foot long, with 
 which they marked time. 
 
 Shortly after the feast was over we had a council, at which 
 the chiefs and many of the principal men were present. Mr. 
 Culbertson acted as interpreter. When I first commenced 
 talking with them, I found they were deeply enraged against 
 the Blackfeet for the cause alluded to in the journal of the 
 24th ; that they were determined to wage war against that tribe. 
 I determined to put an end to this, and at once made a proposi- 
 tion to them to settle with that tribe on their delivery of the 
 offender, or making a suitable reparation. I then explained 
 the folly of going to war ; how much they would suffer from it 
 and how little was to be gained ; that it was the desire of the 
 Great Father that all his children should be at peace with each 
 other ; that while war parties of both tribes were scouring the 
 country, the road was dangerous to the whites who should go 
 there ; and it was my duty to demand that they should not so 
 act as to endanger the life of a single man of my own party, or 
 any white man who should hereafter travel through this region. 
 
 I then proceeded to explain the objects of the expedition 
 in passing through their country. I wished to make a treaty 
 of peace between the Gros Ventres, Blackfeet, Piegans, and 
 Bloods, and between these and the Indians west of the moun- 
 tains who resort to the plains of the Missouri to hunt the 
 buffalo. I then proceeded to explain the advantages which 
 would arise to the Indians from entering into such a treaty, 
 and receiving from the government directly what they now get 
 from other Indians. They would then obtain goods, provisions, 
 etc., in the way of annuities ; could keep their horses, instead 
 of being obliged to go with their horses and purchase of other 
 
358 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Indians at an increased price, what the liberality and bene- 
 volence of the Great Father, in his fostering care over his 
 children, would at once freely and abundantly supply them. 
 " Think well of the matter. Suspend for the present your 
 difficulty with the Blackfoot Indians. Let some of your chiefs 
 come with me to Fort Benton, and we will try to settle the diffi- 
 culty between the tribes. If it cannot be settled there, let it 
 be referred to a commissioner sent here by the Great Father, 
 who will settle all your differences at a council of the tribes to 
 be held next year, where the grievances of both parties will be 
 fully heard. But I must insist on the safe conduct of every 
 white man through this country." 
 
 They then held a consultation with their braves and prin- 
 cipal men. In about an hour we met again. They assented 
 to every proposition made. Some of their chiefs consented to 
 accompany me to Fort Benton, and the whole tribe announced 
 their willingness to wait until some time next year, and refer 
 their difficulties to such a council. We continued the talk for 
 some time, after which the Indians were invited to come over 
 to the camp of the main party and witness the firing of the 
 howitzer, which seemed to give them much pleasure. About 
 five o'clock we made a distribution of the presents and pro- 
 visions designed for this tribe, consisting of blankets, shirts, 
 calico, knives, beads, paint, powder, shot, tobacco, hard bread, 
 etc. They received them with the greatest satisfaction ; no 
 grumbling or envy was manifested. They continued about 
 our camp, loitering, smoking, and talking, all the afternoon 
 and evening. 
 
 August 27. Busy this morning in the purchase and ex- 
 change of horses with the Indians. We secured several very 
 good horses in place of six very indifferent mules. Several 
 members of the expedition bought horses for clothing, guns, 
 etc., their private property, thus relieving for the use of the 
 expedition their present riding animals. By the distribution 
 of presents and provisions, and consumption at camp, we 
 lightened our loads some two thousand pounds, apart from 
 the issue to the detached parties, and have received twelve ser- 
 viceable animals in place of unserviceable ones, besides four 
 new ones purchased by members of the party, two presented to 
 me, and two purchased by Mr. Culbertson. 
 
THE GROS VENTRES 359 
 
 August 28. I made to-day twenty-four and a half miles with 
 the advance parties. I was very much pleased with the good 
 offices of the Running Fisher, who brought into camp two of 
 our missing horses. By my invitation he will accompany us to 
 Fort Benton. 
 
 August 29. The road to-day was not as good as usual : the 
 river-bottom was much dried up, with deep cracks in the soil, 
 and the numerous holes made by the prairie dogs were even, at 
 times, a worse obstacle to our progress. Made our halt about 
 twelve miles from camp, where we dined. By an accident, the 
 wind being high, the prairie took fire, which extended over con- 
 siderable surface. Our dining-place was on a branch of Milk 
 River, flowing from Cypress Mountain. Parallel to this, and 
 some three miles farther on, crossed a second branch, issuing 
 also from the Cypress Mountain. By a bend, the two branches 
 nearly meet, forming what is called the junction. 
 
 Mr. Culbertson estimates the number of the Gros Ventres at 
 about three hundred lodges, ten persons to the lodge, of which 
 the proportion of men to women is one to two, the number of 
 men being about six hundred. On his arrival in the country 
 twenty-three years ago, they numbered four hundred lodges. 
 In 1838-39, by a junction of the Crees and Assiniboines, some 
 sixty lodges were entirely destroyed at Julius Mountain. A 
 few years subsequently another attack was made at Cypress 
 Mountain, in which sixty more lodges were exterminated, three 
 men only escaping on this occasion, one of whom was the 
 Sitting Squaw, father of the one already mentioned. Soon 
 after Mr. Culbertson's arrival in the country, he and four or 
 five other whites, with a party of Blackfoot Indians, were at- 
 tacked by a war party of Assiniboines, numbering some seven 
 or eight hundred. The field was contested all day, night only 
 ending the conflict. In the morning the Assiniboines did not 
 resume the attack, and abandoned many of their dead on the 
 field. A considerable number of the Blackfeet were also killed, 
 but none of the whites. 
 
 August 30. Yesterday we were in sight of the Bear's Paw, 
 quite a broad and rugged mountain upheaval, stretching from 
 Milk River to the Missouri. I sent off Lieutenant Grover, Mr. 
 Lander, and Mr. Stanley, to make an examination of the Bear's 
 
360 ISAAC JNGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Paw, so far as it could be done by ascending one of its highest 
 peaks, estimated to be about seventeen or eighteen miles dis- 
 tant. I moved on myself with the remainder of the party, 
 having determined that I would no longer ride in the ambu- 
 lance, but would make the effort to push forward either on 
 horseback or on foot. After moving seven or eight miles I 
 suffered so exceedingly from riding that I walked some five or 
 six miles with great difficulty, until, coming to a good camp on 
 our second crossing of Milk River, and the point where we 
 were to leave it on our way to Fort Benton, I halted the party 
 and rested for two hours. This gave me strength enough to 
 mount my horse and ride to camp, eighteen miles farther on, 
 on a tributary of the Box Elder Creek. We crossed several 
 branches of this creek, which is a tributary of Milk River, that 
 has its source very near the Missouri and is on our general line 
 to Fort Benton. The ascent is very gradual from Milk River 
 to our camp ; the soil generally is very good. The view this 
 afternoon was delightful. Bear's Paw itself presents a rugged, 
 grotesque appearance, and it requires no great stretch of the 
 imagination to see in it the paw of a grizzly bear, ready to 
 spring upon the plain. 
 
 The Three Buttes, or the Sweet Grass Hills, some sixty miles 
 to the northward of us, are a favorite resort of the Blackfeet, 
 who say that Providence created these hills for the tribe to 
 ascend and look out for buffalo. Southward we have a view 
 of mountains on the other side of the Missouri. Our distance 
 to-day was twenty-nine and a half miles. 
 
 August 31. We made an early start this morning, and in 
 twelve miles came to the upper waters of the Box Elder Creek, 
 which is a clear, limpid stream, affording an unfailing supply 
 of water. We then pushed on five miles over a fine rolling 
 prairie to a coulee in the hills, where there was a spring, and 
 here we halted to dine. This spring is a great resort for 
 buffalo. Considerable water flows from it, but the ordure of 
 the buffalo was in such great quantities about it that it infected 
 the water, and moreover they had trampled all the ground, and 
 had stirred up the water of the spring with their feet. We 
 however thought it would be well enough for us to make coffee, 
 and we managed to get up a very respectable meal. After stop- 
 
THE BEAR'S PAW 361 
 
 ping three hours, we continued on over a very good road. There 
 was a shower of rain and hail about four p. M. At five the 
 Missouri was in sight, the Belt Mountains looming up beyond 
 it at a distance of not less than fifty miles. After a march of 
 thirty-three miles from our morning camp, we came to a place 
 called the Springs ; here the water was dried up, and there was 
 no wood, but excellent grass. We pitched our camp in a coulee 
 surrounded by high hills, and went to work to dig wells for 
 water, in hopes to procure some for our animals. We succeeded 
 in getting only a small quantity for each. There was a very 
 high wind and a heavy thunder-shower until near midnight. 
 Our Indian friends assisted us very much in the night in look- 
 ing out for our animals. Grover, Stanley, and Lander have not 
 come in, which gives me a good deal of apprehension. The 
 Running Fisher told me a story to-day illustrating one of the 
 phases of Indian life. The Bear's Paw, as one would infer 
 from its wild and stern appearance, has been a scene of Indian 
 fight and massacre. Seven years ago a fight occurred in the 
 Bear's Paw between their tribe, allied with the Blackfeet, and 
 the Crows, in which he killed one of the latter. The Crows 
 occupied an impregnable post, from whence they could shoot 
 down all who approached within twenty paces. A Blackfoot 
 was shot in the head through a fissure in the rocks. The Gros 
 Ventres then determined to surround and starve them out; at 
 night the Crows got off with the loss of one man, killed by 
 Running Fisher. 
 
 September 1. This morning we made an early start, and, 
 crossing over a high, rolling prairie, in eleven miles and three 
 quarters came to the Marias River. The descent to this river on 
 the trail is somewhat steep, the prairie plateau being over two 
 hundred feet above the river-bottom. The river itself here 
 presents a beautiful view. It is a clear, limpid stream, flowing 
 over a pebbly and sandy bed, the bottoms lined with cotton- 
 wood of heavy growth, with thickets of the service and other 
 berries. The Belt Mountains are very distinctly visible in the 
 distance, as is also Citadel Hill, called so because its base rests 
 upon the Missouri, and it rises perpendicularly like a bastion 
 some two hundred feet high. Near by is Square Hill, so called 
 from its supposed resemblance to that geometrical figure. 
 
362 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 At our noon halt, or near by, was the scene of a sanguinary 
 conflict between the Gros Ventres and the Crows in 1849, in 
 which the latter were all killed. Several of those traveling in 
 our company figured in the action. A party of Crows to the 
 number of twenty-two were concealed in the hollow just in 
 advance of where we dined, for the purpose of stealing horses 
 from the Gros Ventres' camp, consisting of two hundred lodges. 
 Being discovered, the Gros Ventres surrounded them, and 
 threw up dust in the air, which was carried by a strong wind in 
 the faces of the Crows, blinding them, when the Gros Ventres 
 rushed in upon them, and killed the whole number without 
 losing a man. None were left to carry home the news. 
 
 We were off about noon ; passed over the prairie, and de- 
 scended in the valley of the Teton, where we met Mr. Clarke, 
 in charge of Fort Benton, who came out to meet us. We 
 arrived at Fort Benton at 3.30 o'clock, where we were received 
 with a salute of fifteen guns. 
 
 Fort Benton stands on the eastern bank of the Missouri, near 
 the Great Bend, and three hundred and seventy-seven miles 
 by the trail taken by me above Fort Union. The river is here 
 perfectly transparent at most seasons of the year. The Teton 
 River empties into the Missouri six miles below Fort Benton, 
 the Marias twelve miles below, and the Milk two hundred miles 
 below. The falls of the Missouri are seventy miles above this 
 fort. The muddy character of the Missouri has its commence- 
 ment at the mouth of Milk River, which takes its name from 
 the whitish muddiness of its waters. The ascent from the wide, 
 grassy plain in which the fort is located to the high table-land is 
 somewhat abrupt, the only passage on a level with the plain 
 being close to the river on the south and very narrow. Fort 
 Benton is smaller than Fort Union. Its front is made of wood, 
 and the other sides of adobe, or unburned brick. It usually 
 contains about a dozen men, and the families of several of them. 
 The Blackfoot Indians are the principal traders here. It is the 
 custom of the several bands of this tribe to locate in sheltered 
 and otherwise eligible places in the vicinity of wood, water, and 
 grass in the early winter, where they remain as inert as possible 
 until the melting of the snow. At such times the half-breeds 
 of the fort visit them with goods upon horses and mules, and 
 
FORT BENTON 363 
 
 exchange their merchandise for the skins and furs captured by 
 the Indians. 
 
 Fort Campbell is situated on the same plateau with Fort 
 Benton, about half a mile above it, and is built in very much 
 the same way as the latter place. 
 
 I was agreeably relieved by the missing gentlemen coming 
 into the fort September 3. They were in fine spirits, although 
 they had eaten but little food since they left me on Milk 
 River, had traveled a very long distance, partly on foot, and 
 had been a good deal annoyed at the loss of so much time. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 WIDESPREAD EXPLORING PARTIES 
 
 For several days Governor Stevens was busily engaged 
 in examining voyageurs and Indians in regard to the 
 mountain passes and the general character of the coun- 
 try. Additional horses were procured, and arrangements 
 made for sending out parties to explore in advance and 
 both north and south of the route. Lieutenant Donelson 
 with the main train reached the fort on the 6th. Dr. 
 Evans arrived on the 5th, after an extended trip through 
 the Bad Lands, where he made a large collection of geo- 
 logical specimens. The same day Lieutenant Grover was 
 sent forward with a small party to the Bitter Root valley, 
 crossing the main divide of the Rocky Mountains, for the 
 purpose of ascertaining if Lieutenant Saxton had estab- 
 lished his depot of provisions at that point. Thence he 
 was directed to forward an express to Captain McClellan 
 and return to Fort Benton. 
 
 Lieutenant John Mullan, with a party of six men, was 
 sent southward to the Muscle Shell River, not only to 
 examine the country, but also to convey to a band of 
 Flathead Indians supposed to be in that region " a mes- 
 sage of peace and goodwill, to express my desire to make 
 a permanent peace between them and the Blackfeet, 
 and to build up anew their beautiful St. Mary's village." 
 Thence he was to cross the mountains by a more southerly 
 pass and rejoin the main party in the Bitter Root valley. 
 
 The governor decided to send Lieutenant Donelson 
 ahead with a party of twenty-five men to examine the 
 
EXPLORING PARTIES 365 
 
 approaches to Cadotte's Pass, the main train to follow 
 more slowly in charge of Mr. Osgood, and to dispatch 
 Lander to examine a pass at the head of the Marias Kiver, 
 considerably north of Cadotte's. " I gave Mr. Lander," 
 says the governor, " authority, with certain exceptions, to 
 select his animals from my whole train, deeming it im- 
 portant that he should be exceedingly well fitted out, as 
 he would probably have a long distance to make' before 
 he joined the main party in the valley of Clark's Fork." 
 The governor was exceedingly desirous of taking his 
 wagons across the mountains as the most striking demon- 
 stration of the practicability of the passes. 
 
 The following from a letter of George W. Stevens, of 
 September 10, shows the high spirits and fine condition 
 of the party : — 
 
 " We have reached this point with our full number of scalp- 
 locks, and now are preparing to cross the mountains. Up to 
 this point we have proceeded with wonderful success, and have 
 done what no American expedition has done before us. We 
 have not felt the slightest hardship, but the journey of over one 
 thousand miles has been made with as much ease and comfort 
 as we could possibly have experienced in traveling at home 
 fully equipped. Our train, of forty wagons and carts, over two 
 hundred animals, and more than one hundred men, has safely 
 arrived. Not a man has died (except one who accidentally shot 
 himself), nor has there been a single case of serious illness. 
 Not more than a dozen or fifteen animals have been lost, and as 
 a general thing they are now in as good condition as when we 
 left the Mississippi. We are now eighty miles from the Rocky 
 Mountains. On Monday we leave with a train of twelve 
 wagons, with which we hope to make a comfortable crossing of 
 the mountains in twenty days. Yesterday the fort was the 
 scene of the greatest confusion, growing out of the preparations 
 making to fit out four 'war parties,' as we term them. The 
 first, under Mr. Lander, explores the Marias Pass, the most 
 northern and nearly in the latitude of the boundary line. The 
 second, under Lieutenant Mullan, goes to the Muscle Shell. The 
 
366 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 third war party is under the direction of Lieutenant Donelson, 
 and is to survey the approaches to Cadotte's Pass, the one 
 which will be taken by the main train. A fourth war party 
 is the major's own to a camp of Piegan Indians. Lieutenant 
 Grover is already in the mountains. The major's health is ex- 
 cellent, and though the labor is enormous, he is the only man 
 who could have carried the expedition through in so glorious a 
 manner. If he succeeds in getting the wagons through, he will 
 have opened a good emigrant road from the Mississippi to the 
 Pacific, and you may be sure the attempt will be most vigor- 
 ously made. If fortune continues with us, within two months 
 we shall reach Puget Sound, that looked-for garden-spot. We 
 have met the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre bands of Indians, 
 and by both were hospitably received. Upon the Sheyenne 
 River we first came upon buffalo, and from that point until a 
 week's journey back we have met them in the greatest abun- 
 dance. Buffalo meat has, therefore, been our principal article 
 of food, and we ask nothing better." 
 
 A very serious difficulty of another kind now con- 
 fronted Governor Stevens. He found that the funds al- 
 lotted to his exploration would not suffice to carry on the 
 work so far and so thoroughly as he deemed necessary, 
 and he was forced to the alternative of cutting it short 
 or incurring a deficiency. He decided to continue the 
 work, notwithstanding the great pecuniary risk to him- 
 self, and the risk, too, of incurring the serious displeasure 
 of the government : — 
 
 " I very frankly and explicitly stated that to continue the 
 survey, and to carry out the instructions with regard to the 
 work to be accomplished, it was absolutely necessary to incur a 
 deficiency: believing that, if the facts as they existed were known 
 to Congress and the department, their instructions would be for 
 me to continue the exploration, I determined to incur the defi- 
 ciency and make the survey. My instructions required me to 
 examine into the question of the snows on the route, into the 
 freshets of the streams, and the period of time they were locked 
 up by the ice, to do which it was indispensable that there 
 
TAKES THE RESPONSIBILITY 367 
 
 should be winter posts established at Fort Benton, and in the 
 Bitter Eoot valley; and it was desirable, in connection with 
 these posts, to have such arrangements made, and such facilities 
 afforded, as would enable the gentlemen in charge of them 
 to continue the explorations of the passes and the adjacent 
 country." 
 
 In a letter to Professor Bache the governor gives the 
 reasons for his incurring the deficiency, which were, 
 briefly stated, the delay in the start, owing to the young 
 and unbroken animals furnished by the quartermaster's 
 department, notwithstanding that the governor had sent 
 an agent especially to St. Louis to insure the securing of 
 seasoned and broken animals, and to the unusually late 
 and rainy season ; the distance across the continent, which 
 turned out to be greater than the best estimates previ- 
 ously obtainable ; the fact that in consequence of the 
 great number of Indians on the route, and the warlike 
 and treacherous character of some of them, particularly 
 the Sioux and Blackfeet, it was necessary to make the 
 expedition strong, especially in guides, interpreters, and 
 hunters ; and that to carry out the instructions and 
 objects of the exploration it was indispensable to make 
 extended examinations, and to leave parties to continue 
 the work throughout the winter, in order to determine 
 the questions of snow and climate. 
 
 It is perfectly apparent that the $40,000 allotted to 
 the Northern route, even though eked out by the details 
 and supplies furnished by the War Department, were 
 altogether inadequate to the task intrusted to Governor 
 Stevens. His management was marked by strict economy 
 and good judgment ; he was simply not given sufficient 
 funds for the work. And it is most creditable alike to 
 his judgment and moral courage that he shouldered the 
 responsibility of the deficiency, and made his complete 
 and exhaustive exploration. 
 
368 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Having completed all these arrangements, made his 
 reports to the War and Indian departments, and started 
 off the several detached parties, the governor decided to 
 visit personally the main camp of the Blackfeet, near 
 the Cypress Mountain, about one hundred miles north 
 of Fort Benton, and just above the 49th parallel, in 
 order to confer with their chiefs in regard to the contem- 
 plated council at Fort Benton next year, and secure 
 guides for the survey of the Marias Pass. He desired, 
 also, personally to examine the approaches to the several 
 passes of the mountains from the boundary southward, 
 expecting to overtake the main party before it reached 
 the Bitter Root valley. Says he in the final report : — 
 
 I gave my instructions to Lieutenant Donelson on the 9th 
 instant, inspected the train, found everything in good order, 
 the men cheerful, satisfied, and confident as to going on, and 
 the means of transportation ample, and set off towards night, 
 having been preceded a few hours by Mr. Lander, on the way 
 to Cypress Mountain. I encamped that night on the Teton, 
 fourteen miles from Fort Benton. Besides the party of Mr. 
 Lander, I was accompanied by Mr. Culbertson, special agent ; 
 Mr. Stanley, artist ; Augustus Hammell, interpreter ; and three 
 voyageurs. 
 
 September 10. We had been joined last evening by a con- 
 siderable party of the Blackfeet, who accompanied us to-day, 
 the principal men being the Little Dog, the Three Bears, and 
 the Wolf that Climbs. Started before seven, and after trav- 
 eling three hours reached a fine spring, with excellent grass, 
 at a celebrated landmark known by the name of the Rotten 
 Belly Rocks. It is a formation of sandstone, and has the char- 
 acteristic of Les Mauvaises Terres. Columns with capitals, re- 
 semblances to the human figure, etc., etc., abound. Beneath, 
 in the coulee, passes the broad Indian trail leading to the 
 Piegan camp. Here was killed Rotten Belly, the Crow chief, 
 in an encounter between one hundred of his braves and eleven 
 well-armed Gros Ventres of the prairie. This celebrated chief, 
 urged on by his people, had previously beleaguered Fort 
 
INDIAN FIGHTS 369 
 
 McKenzie. He captured all the animals of the fort, — thirty- 
 five horses. The place was in charge of Mr. Culbertson, and 
 there were but nineteen men to defend it. For a month this 
 little force baffled all the attempts of the Crows to get posses- 
 sion of the fort. Being, however, in a starving condition, and 
 it being apparent that it could not hold out much longer, resort 
 was had to stratagem. All the squaws, twenty-nine in number, 
 were dressed in men's clothes, and with arms in their hands 
 were distributed around the fort in sight of the Crows, who, 
 thus deceived in reference to the force defending the place, 
 became disheartened, drew off, and separated. Rotten Belly, 
 with a portion, mortified at his failure, declared that he would 
 go north and seek death in battle. On reaching the rocks, and 
 seeing the Gros Ventres, he said : " Here I will die to-day ; you 
 have brought me to this ! " And, rushing upon his enemies, he 
 killed two, and then received his death wound. Before his 
 death he advised his people to be the friends of the whites, say- 
 ing it was their only chance to escape defeat and utter ruin. 
 
 Kept on through the afternoon, passing over a rolling coun- 
 try, and reached the Marias about half past four o'clock, 
 where we camped. This stream at our crossing was about fifty 
 yards wide, one foot deep, and of somewhat rapid current, and 
 the river valley was about a mile wide. There was plenty of 
 Cottonwood, and we had a most excellent camp. Spent the 
 evening in conversing with the Indians who accompanied us. 
 
 September 11. We were off about seven o'clock, and after 
 traveling until near noon halted at a spring, where we procured 
 a small supply of water. Continuing on without unsaddling, in 
 less than an hour I was overtaken by Baptiste Champagne with 
 an express from Lieutenant Donelson, inclosing a brief report 
 from Lieutenant Grover, to the effect that he met Lieutenant 
 Saxton near the dividing ridge, and that they were returning 
 together to Fort Benton. Lieutenant Grover intimated in his 
 brief letter that Lieutenant Saxton reported the route could not 
 be traversed by wagons. This changed the aspect of affairs, and 
 I determined to send Mr. Stanley to the- Piegan camp with the 
 interpreter Hammell, and to return immediately with Mr. Cul- 
 bertson to Fort Benton. I determined, also, to defer the exam- 
 ination of the Marias Pass to another season. There was not 
 that harmony in Mr. Lander's party which I deemed indispen- 
 
370 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 sable to making the examination which I had intrusted to him. 
 Accordingly I ordered him to return with me. Stanley con- 
 tinued on to the Piegan camp, and I started back on my way to 
 Fort Benton. It made a long march for us, for to get a good 
 camp it was necessary to reach the Marias. Our Indian guide 
 made his way pretty directly to the camp : one hour and a half 
 we traveled in the dark. The descent to the river was steep 
 and difficult. We succeeded in getting into a good camp about 
 eight o'clock. Before starting on my return, I dispatched an 
 express to Lieutenant Donelson to push on with his advanced 
 party, but to keep the main train till my arrival. 
 
 September 12. Started early, and, pushing rapidly, reached 
 the fort by three o'clock. 
 
 Lieutenants Saxton and Grover also reached Fort Benton 
 the same day. The former successfully led the western sub- 
 sidiary party by way of Pend Oreille Lake to the Bitter Root 
 valley, from which point Lieutenant R. Macfeely, with twenty- 
 six men and sixty animals, no longer needed, returned to the 
 Dalles, crossing the Bitter Roots by the southern Nez Perces trail, 
 a more direct but vastly more difficult route than that of the 
 lake. Lieutenant Richard Arnold, with his brother, Mr. Daniel 
 Lyman Arnold, and four men, remained with the supplies at 
 Fort Owen in the valley ; while Lieutenant Saxton, with seven- 
 teen men, pushed on across the mountains, and was met by 
 Lieutenant Grover at the summit on September 8 ; and, as the 
 governor remarks, " He felt rejoiced that the plan of our opera- 
 tions had been successful and the object of the expedition 
 accomplished, as a party from the Atlantic and one from the 
 Pacific, each in search of the other, had met by appointment, 
 after traversing thousands of miles of unknown country, at the 
 foot of the dividing ridge between the oceans." 
 
 The same evening Mr. Tinkham arrived, after an exten- 
 sive and successful trip of exploration up the Milk River 
 to the Three Buttes, across country to Marias River, and 
 thence to Fort Benton. 
 
 In consequence of Lieutenant Saxton's positive repre- 
 sentation that it was impracticable to take the wagons 
 across the mountains, Governor Stevens reluctantly de- 
 
WIDESPREAD EXPLORING PARTIES 371 
 
 cided to leave them at Fort Benton, a decision he after- 
 wards regretted, for after traversing the route he was 
 satisfied that he could have taken them at least across the 
 main range to the Bitter Root valley without difficulty. 
 The whole train was now outfitted with pack animals, and 
 was pushed forward on the 16th under Lieutenant Donel- 
 son. Lieutenant Saxton, with all but three of the dragoon 
 detachment and some discharged men, and accompanied 
 by Mr. Culbertson, making a party of twenty-eight all 
 told, was sent down the Missouri by keelboat with instruc- 
 tions to examine the river, especially as to the navigabil- 
 ity for steamboats of its upper waters, disband his party 
 at Fort Leavenworth or St. Louis, thence proceed to 
 Washington, and make a full report, in which he was to 
 urge the necessity of holding the proposed Blackfoot 
 council, and of continuing the surveys of the mountain 
 section of the route. The governor also instructed him 
 to advise with Professor Bache in relation to the con- 
 tinuation of the survey, and to providing for the defi- 
 ciency, necessarily incurred, in the next deficiency bill ; 
 giving him letters to the professor, and to Judge Stephen 
 A. Douglas, Hannibal Hamlin, Dr. Gwin, H. M. Rice, 
 then delegate from Minnesota, and other prominent sena- 
 tors and members of Congress. Mr. Culbertson carried 
 the governor's reports to the Indian Department, and was 
 charged also to urge upon that department the impor- 
 tance of the council. 
 
 Mr. Doty, with three men, was stationed at Fort Ben- 
 ton for the winter to make meteorological observations, 
 and such examinations of the country as he could, and 
 more especially to collect information about, and take a 
 census of, the Blackfeet, and improve every opportunity 
 to impress upon them the benefits of the proposed coun- 
 cil and peace with the western Indians. As already 
 stated, Lieutenant Grover was directed to examine the 
 
372 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Missouri for two hundred and fifty miles below the fort, 
 and the country between it and Milk River, and after- 
 wards to cross the mountains in midwinter with dog- 
 sledges, and study the depth of snow and winter climate. 
 Lander, with a detached party, was directed to examine 
 along the base of the mountains from the Marias Pass to 
 Cadotte's Pass. As already stated, the governor had 
 countermanded the survey of the former by Lander in 
 consequence of the lack of harmony in that engineer's 
 party. After leaving Fort Union, Lander developed a 
 fractious, almost insubordinate disposition. He chafed at 
 the presence and authority of the army officers. At Fort 
 Benton Governor Stevens had to curb his insubordinate 
 spirit with some severity, and even told him that he would 
 shoot him down like a dog if he disobeyed his orders. 
 Lander, realizing that Governor Stevens would enforce 
 discipline at whatever cost, yielded, professing his readi- 
 ness to obey instructions, but thereafter he did so accord- 
 ing to the letter, not the spirit. Yet the governor, both 
 before and after this occurrence, gave him the best op- 
 portunities for distinction, intrusting to him the most 
 important side explorations, and in the reports gave him 
 full and generous commendation for all he accomplished, 
 passing lightly over his shortcomings. A bold, energetic, 
 high-strung man, Lander could ill brook any authority. 
 He afterwards conducted an independent government 
 survey with credit, and but for his early death would 
 undoubtedly have achieved distinction as a soldier. 
 This appears to have been the only instance of lack of 
 due subordination, or harmony, shown during the whole 
 expedition, and certainly some of the governor's orders 
 had been rigorous enough to cause restiveness, as, for 
 instance, requiring the scientific gentlemen to break their 
 own mules, to stand guard, and to walk a part of each 
 day's march. Remarks the governor : — 
 
WIDESPREAD EXPLORING PARTIES 373 
 
 " I was exceedingly gratified at this time by the spirit of the 
 men. Several men, who I was afraid had not strength to 
 make the trip, and whom I had ordered to accompany Lieu- 
 tenant Saxton down the Missouri, were so anxious to go on that 
 they brought me a certificate from the surgeon, Dr. Suckley, 
 stating that in his opinion they were strong enough for the 
 journey, and accordingly I allowed them to go on. We had 
 now been together some three months, and there was great 
 confidence between the several members of the exploration." 
 
 On the 20th Mr. Stanley returned from his trip to the 
 Blackfoot camp, having traveled on horseback three hun- 
 dred and twenty miles in eleven days. A thousand In- 
 dians accompanied him back as far as Milk Kiver, where 
 the main body remained to hunt, while thirty of their 
 chiefs, with their families, came with him to Fort Benton 
 to hold council with the great white chief, who remained 
 for that purpose. 
 
 "On the 21st we held our talk with the Blackfeet. The 
 chiefs and warriors were all richly caparisoned. Their dresses 
 of softly prepared skins of deer, elk, or antelope were elegantly 
 ornamented with bead-work. These are made by their women, 
 and some must have occupied many months in making. The 
 other articles of their costume were leggings made of buffalo 
 skins, and moccasins, also embroidered, and a breech-cloth of 
 blue cloth. Their arms were the Northwest guns, and bows and 
 arrows. On all solemn occasions, when I met the Indians on 
 my route, they were arrayed with the utmost care. My duties 
 in the field did not allow the same attention on my part, and the 
 Indians sometimes complained of this, saying, ' We dress up to 
 receive you, and why do you not wear the dress of a chief ? " 
 
 " The governor addressed them in the same strain as the Gros 
 Ventres : ' Your Great Father has sent me to bear a message 
 to you and all his other children. It is that he wishes you to 
 live at peace with each other and the whites. He desires that 
 you should be under his protection, and partake equally with 
 the Crows and Assiniboines of his bounty. Live in peace with 
 all the neighboring tribes, protect all the whites passing through 
 your country, and the Great Father will be your fast friend.' " 
 
374 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Low Horn, the principal Piegan chief, replied favor- 
 ably in behalf of the Indians, but spoke of the difficulty 
 of restraining their young men, who were wild, and 
 ambitious in their turn to be braves and chiefs. They 
 wanted by some act to win the favor of their young 
 women, and bring scalps and horses to show their prowess. 
 To this the governor rejoined : — 
 
 " * Why is it that you have two or three women to one man ? 
 Is it not because your young men go out on war parties, and 
 thus the flower of your tribe is cut down ? And you will go on 
 diminishing every year until your tribes are extinct. Is it not 
 better that your young men should have wives and children, 
 and that your numbers should increase ? Won't your women 
 prefer husbands to scalps and horses? The Gros Ventres 
 desire to meet you in council, and have the difficulties between 
 you arranged. Will you meet them in council ? ' 
 
 " While in the council, Low Horn, the principal chief and 
 speaker, made all his replies without rising from his seat, and in 
 a quiet, conversational tone. After the council he assembled 
 his braves, and resumed the lofty bearing of a chief. He ad- 
 dressed them with great fervor and eloquence, commanded them 
 henceforth to cease sending out war parties, and threatened 
 them with severe punishment if they disobeyed. It will not be 
 uninteresting here to state that Low Horn, the quiet spokes- 
 man of the council and the trumpet-toned chief in the presence 
 of his men, crossed the Missouri in 1855 with his whole band, 
 moved up the Judith, and camped on the Muscle Shell, — the 
 first man who extended the hand of welcome and friendship to 
 the western Indians as they crossed the mountains on their way 
 to the council, showing most conclusively that faith can be put 
 in Indians ; for it must be remembered that two years inter- 
 vened between my conference with the Indians at Fort Benton 
 in 1853 and their reassembling in 1855 at the council appointed 
 at that time." 
 
/ 
 
 
 
 / f P 
 
 ■a. o bj h&*n. 
 
 { 0(M^^..' tivt£f< 
 
 LOW HORN 
 Piegau Chief 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 EXPLOEESTG THE ROOKY MOUNTAINS 
 
 September 22. This morning we bade adieu to Fort Ben- 
 ton, and separated from the portions of the expedition who were 
 assigned to duty east of the mountains. Before sunrise we saw 
 Lieutenant Saxton off in his keelboat, drawing eighteen inches 
 of water, accompanied by Mr. Culbertson, who was directed by 
 me to report to the department at Washington, and to urge the 
 importance of the Blackfoot council. Lieutenant Grover, on a 
 smaller craft, commenced his minute examination of the Mis- 
 souri. Mr. Doty, who had won very much upon me by his intel- 
 ligence, his fidelity, his promptitude, and energy of character, 
 parted from me with feelings of hope and pride at the idea that 
 now a field was opening to him where he could be useful to his 
 country, and make a reputation for himself. 
 
 In order to make a long march this day, the evening before 
 I dispatched my train to a point well up on the Teton, some 
 twelve miles from Fort Benton ; and there Mr. Osgood and 
 Mr. Stanley, who had remained behind with me at Fort Benton, 
 and myself, breakfasted with the rest of our party. Dr. Suckley 
 and Messrs. Evans and Kendall, who had assisted me in my 
 correspondence, were the additional members of my party. 
 
 The whole party moved off at nine o'clock, continuing for 
 some distance up the valley of the Teton, when we ascended a 
 hill to the prairie, and in twenty-one miles reached a coulee, 
 where there were springs of water sufficient for our animals. 
 Large bands of antelopes were seen on the road. We struck 
 the Prairie Lake at five P. M. Our guide, the voyageur Baptiste 
 Champagne, took us to the nearest point of Sun River, hoping 
 to get in before dark, but we did not reach camp till some time 
 after. The view at almost any point of the plateau between the 
 Teton and Sun rivers is exceedingly picturesque and suggestive. 
 The various minor upheavals and swales of ground, which here 
 
376 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and there dot the surface of the country, have connected with 
 them some story of Indian war, wrong, or suffering. This whole 
 country was once occupied by the Snakes, and in later times 
 by some of the tribes of the Flathead nation. It belongs now 
 to the Blackfeet by conquest. 
 
 September 23. Moved up the valley of the Sun River, hav- 
 ing made an early start this morning. The Sun has a wide, 
 open valley, grazing exceedingly good and soil excellent. We 
 continued up in the direction of the pass between the Crown 
 Butte and the Rattlers, prominent landmarks west of the river, 
 and visible at a great distance. This is a favorite resort of 
 deer, antelope, and bighorn. They were present to-day in very 
 large numbers. Continuing on, we came in view of the Bird 
 Tail Rock, and immediately to the west, in a line near it, is 
 another landmark, known as the Piegan's Tear. After making 
 forty miles we found a camp a little off our route, in a most 
 delightful valley, a spring of water gushing out near by, and 
 the remains of an old camp of the Blackfeet at hand, furnishing 
 us with fuel already prepared to our hands. 
 
 September 24. Started as usual very early this morning, 
 and in four miles came to Beaver Creek, a very beautiful stream 
 of water. The stream is now full of beaver, and is much ob- 
 structed by their dams. The country is somewhat more broken 
 to-day than it was yesterday ; timber comes in view on the tops 
 of the mountains, and the scenery becomes more grand with 
 each mile as we proceed. Three miles beyond Beaver Creek, a 
 high peak, called the Goose's Neck, comes in view to the south 
 of us ; at the southern foot of which equally as good a road 
 is found, though some two days longer, as the one now being 
 traveled by us. It is a branch of the present trail, and is usu- 
 ally pursued by the Flatheads on their way to buffalo. That is 
 called the Flathead and our own the Blackfoot trail. 
 
 We now crossed several mountain streams in the course of 
 a few miles, and in sixteen miles we struck the Dearborn River. 
 At noon we moved forward to the dividing ridge, which was 
 reached at four o'clock. To this point our road from near the 
 Dearborn lay over sideling hills and through timber. As we 
 ascended the divide, a severe pelting hail and rain storm, ac- 
 companied with high wind, thunder, and lightning, suddenly 
 
THE SUMMIT OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 377 
 
 came upon us, and did not abate until we had reached the sum- 
 mit. The wind blew very violently, and the mist resulting from 
 the storm prevented our getting a very clear view of the coun- 
 try before us. It was with great gratification that we now left 
 the plains of the Missouri to enter upon the country watered 
 by the Columbia ; and it was the more especially gratifying to 
 me as, looking to my future duties in the Territory, I felt that 
 I could welcome to my future home and the scene of my future 
 labors the gentlemen of the party, which I did very cordially 
 and heartily. The scenery throughout the day's march, up to 
 the divide, has been picturesque in the extreme ; and the latter 
 portion of it, from the entrance proper to the pass, our road 
 passed between hills on every side covered with timber, on 
 the sides of which we were constantly traveling; while many 
 feet below are to be seen the small upper tributaries of the 
 Missouri, flowing from their source in a valley that is very 
 wide for so small a channel, and lined with verdure and the 
 foliage in yellow leaf. All this made a combination full of 
 interest to the eye of one who could appreciate the beauties of 
 nature. 
 
 The ascent from the eastern base by the Indian trail is 
 somewhat steep, though in 1855 I gained the summit by a large, 
 wide, open ravine north of the Indian trail by a very gradual 
 ascent, and without much increase of distance ; I was a good 
 deal surprised to find how small an obstacle this divide was to 
 the movement of a wagon-train. Had we gone on with our 
 wagons, there would not have been the slightest interruption, 
 up to the entrance of the pass, to making the usual journeys 
 each day. 
 
 We were twenty minutes simply descending on the western 
 side, which was somewhat more steep than the eastern. Con- 
 tinuing on, we followed the valley of the Blackfoot River some 
 ten miles, and camped in good grass, with excellent water and 
 abundance of wood. Shortly after getting into camp it com- 
 menced raining, and continued steadily all night, the weather 
 being raw and cold. 
 
 Immediately on crossing the divide, on the summit of 
 the Rocky Mountains, Governor Stevens issued his procla- 
 mation, declaring the civil territorial government extended 
 
378 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and inaugurated over the new Territory of Washington. 
 And then, as related in the narrative, he heartily welcomed 
 the members of the party to his new home. 
 
 It was on the summit of Cadotte's Pass that this dra- 
 matic and interesting scene occurred. As originally out- 
 lined, the main divide of the Kocky Mountains formed 
 the eastern boundary of Washington, but subsequently 
 the mountain section was joined to Idaho and Mon- 
 tana. 
 
 September 25. Raining hard this morning. The animals 
 having strayed some distance, we were detained until eight a. m. 
 The first fourteen miles was through an open, wide, and beau- 
 tiful prairie, after which much of our way was through wood, 
 where fallen timber offered serious impediment to our rapid 
 progress. At one o'clock Stanley and myself, having gone 
 rapidly ahead, had a big fire built to receive our party as they 
 came up. Here we lunched. By three o'clock the clouds were 
 breaking away, and the rain had ceased. Crossed several hills 
 to-day, traveling on the sides of some of them. Just before we 
 came out on the prairie on which we found Lieutenant Donel- 
 son and the main train encamped, we were three hundred feet 
 above the level of the river. On the sides of the hill below us 
 was growing the mountain pine ; in the valley beneath, right at 
 the base of this hill, was the clear, rapid stream ; beyond was 
 the foliage of the trees growing in the bottom. The tops looked 
 like a rich, green carpet; further on were wide prairies, all 
 bounded by a high ridge of beautiful hills, altogether forming 
 a scene of surpassing beauty. At five P. M. we reached Lieu- 
 tenant Donelson's camp, and found we had traveled one hundred 
 and forty-four miles since leaving Fort Benton. 
 
 September 26. The gentlemen not required by my rapid 
 trip to the westward, namely, Dr. Suckley, Mr. Evans, and Mr. 
 Kendall, now joined the main party, and we pushed on over the 
 Blackfoot prairie (called, in Lewis and Clark's narrative, the 
 Prairie of the Knobs), and after a march of thirty-odd miles 
 came to a beautiful camp, near what is known in the country as 
 the canon. To show the condition of the animals of the expe- 
 dition, I will observe that as I passed by the mules of the train 
 
HELL GATE 379 
 
 (for I remained somewhat late in camp this morning to confer 
 with Lieutenant Donelson, the whole party being several miles 
 on the march before I started), I observed that their rate of 
 travel on a fast walk was from four to four and a half miles per 
 hour, and the advance of the train moved thirty miles that 
 day, getting into camp early, the animals being apparently not 
 fatigued. We had hardly made up our camp-fire, when seeing 
 a black bear and two cubs near by, we felt sure that we should 
 have bear-meat for supper, but although all the voyageurs were 
 on their track, they made their escape. 
 
 September 27. We started about seven o'clock, and soon 
 entered the canon, not, properly speaking, a canon, for through- 
 out its extent, until you reach the debouch of Hell Gate, there 
 is no special difficulty on the trail, nor would there be excessive 
 work to open a good wagon-road. But a good many sharp 
 spurs come down close to the river, throwing the trail well 
 back, or involving a crossing of the stream to avail one's self 
 of the prairies invariably found opposite each of these spurs. 
 Much of the country was of a very excellent description, abound- 
 ing in timber, well watered, and with soil of an excellent 
 quality. Emerging from the canon, we came into a wide, open 
 valley, commencing half a mile before reaching the mouth of 
 the Blackfoot, continuing down the valley of the Hell Gate 
 until we enter the Hell Gate Ronde, a large, extensive tract of 
 many miles in circuit, and where the Hell Gate joins its waters 
 to the Bitter Root. Crossing the Bitter Root at a good ford, we 
 continued up its valley and reached a most excellent camp on 
 the west side of the Bitter Root, some twenty miles from Fort 
 Owen. 1 
 
 September 28. Keeping up the west bank of the Bitter Root 
 River we crossed two streams, one being the Traveler's Rest 
 Creek of Lewis and Clark, and, passing through a grove of pine 
 timber, in twelve and one half miles crossed the Bitter Root 
 River, just before reaching which we met some Indians from 
 Fort Owen. Lieutenant Arnold, whom we met after crossing 
 
 1 The town of Missoula is seated at the entrance to Hell Gate. The 
 Bitter Root River is now known as the Missoula, the name Bitter Root being 
 transferred to a branch of Clark's Fork. The Bitter Root or St. Mary val- 
 ley is likewise now known as the Missoula valley. 
 
380 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the river, on his way to Victor's camp, returned with us. We 
 reached Fort Owen 1 about noon, where we met the other gen- 
 tlemen of Lieutenant Arnold's party. I found Mr. Lander 
 in camp near Fort Owen, and learned that he arrived the day 
 before yesterday. 
 
 Fort Owen is situated on the Scattering Creek of Lewis and 
 Clark. It was a matter of the greatest gratification, with their 
 narrative in hand, to pass through this valley and realize the 
 fidelity and graphic character of their descriptions. Lieutenant 
 Arnold had been jerking beef against our arrival, and making 
 all arrangements to enable us without delay to push on west- 
 ward. I examined very carefully into the condition of the 
 train left by Lieutenant Saxton, and of the provisions brought 
 to this point, and had every reason to congratulate myself for 
 having assigned to him this undertaking. We found there 
 nearly two thousand rations, but the animals were very few of 
 them serviceable, yet from their appearance it was obvious that 
 none of them would continue unserviceable for any considerable 
 time, and I believed they would be entirely equal to any service 
 which Lieutenant Mullan's duties might require of them. 
 
 September 29-October 3. During these days we were all 
 occupied in making arrangements for the movement of the 
 parties westward, and to establish Lieutenant Mullan's winter 
 post. Lieutenant Donelson arrived on the 29th with the main 
 party, and Lieutenant Mullan on the 30th with a delegation of 
 chiefs from the Flathead nation. 
 
 It will not be attempted here to give any extended 
 account of the explorations made by the detached par- 
 ties, which is very fully done in the final report by Gov- 
 ernor Stevens. No less than nine passes across the main 
 chain, covering the range from the 49th parallel to the 
 Yellowstone, and four passes across the Bitter Koot 
 Eange, were examined. The most northerly of these, 
 the Marias Pass, is now traversed by the Great Northern 
 Eailroad, and one of the more southerly ones, the Mul- 
 
 1 Fort Owen occupied the site of the Flathead village and Catholic mis- 
 sion of St. Mary, which had been recently abandoned in consequence of the 
 incessant forays of the Blackfeet. 
 
FORT OWEN 381 
 
 Ian Pass, situated some fifty miles south of Cadotte's 
 Pass, is crossed by the Northern Pacific Railroad. 
 
 Mr. Lander ran a line from the Marias River via the 
 Teton, Sun, and Dearborn rivers to Lewis and Clark's 
 Pass, being the one crossed by Captain Lewis on his 
 return trip, and situated twelve miles north of Cadotte's 
 Pass, and made an examination of the pass. After trav- 
 eling some distance down the valley of the Blackfoot, he 
 left it, and went across country to the Hell Gate River, 
 and moved up the valley of this stream, mistaking it for 
 the Bitter Root. Finally, realizing his mistake, he turned 
 from it, and, crossing over a number of divides and 
 streams, he followed an Indian trail which led him to 
 Fort Owen. In consequence of this eccentric route, and 
 his animals having been much pushed, they came in ex- 
 ceedingly jaded, although he started with the best train 
 of the whole party. He made no observations bearing 
 upon the railroad line except for seven miles of the pass, 
 a short distance thence down the Blackfoot valley, and a 
 small portion of the Hell Gate valley. 
 
 Lieutenant Mullan's trip to the Muscle Shell was a very 
 extended one, four hundred and fifteen miles in length. 
 He returned by the pass which now bears his name, ac- 
 companied by a delegation of the Flathead Indians. 
 
 Mr. Tinkham, after examining the approaches to Ca- 
 dotte's Pass from the Sun River, on a more northern 
 route than that taken by the main party, had left it at 
 the camp of the 26th on the Blackfoot to explore a route 
 westward to the Jocko and Clark's Fork, which it was 
 expected might prove a cut-off, and had not yet rejoined 
 the main party. 
 
 On September 30 and October 1 Governor Stevens 
 had conferences with the chiefs of the Flatheads, and 
 broached to them his great idea of a Blackfoot peace 
 council. They were very doubtful at first, having too 
 
382 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 recent and bitter experience of Blackfoot depredations. 
 What should they do, they asked, in case the Blackfeet 
 came near their camp at night ? In reply the governor 
 advised them not to attack unless it was evident they 
 intended to do mischief. Still they must not remain 
 quiet and see their men killed or horses stolen. " I would 
 leave Lieutenant Mullan with ten or fifteen men to pro- 
 tect you from the Blackfeet, but they have promised 
 not to disturb you, and I believe they mean to abide by 
 it," etc. After considering the matter for a day among 
 themselves, the Indians promised to attend the council. 
 
 The governor decided to establish a post in the Bitter 
 Root valley for the winter, under the charge of Lieuten- 
 ant Mullan, in order to determine the winter regimen of 
 the mountains, the depth and duration of snow, the cli- 
 mate, etc. Thirteen men were left with Lieutenant 
 Mullan, and a large band of animals and ample supplies, 
 and he was instructed to make careful meteorological 
 observations during the winter, to continue the explora- 
 tion of the mountain section, extending it to Fort Hall 
 on the south, and as far as Flathead Lake or Clark's 
 Fork on the north, and to keep a watchful and protec- 
 tive eye over the Flathead Indians. 
 
 The governor directed Lieutenant Donelson to pro- 
 ceed with the main party by way of Clark's Fork and 
 Pend Oreille Lake, and assigned Lander to duty with 
 him for side examinations, while the governor himself 
 took the more direct but rugged Cceur d'Alene route 
 over the Bitter Roots. To Dr. Suckley was intrusted 
 the adventurous -duty of descending the Bitter Root 
 River, Clark's Fork, Pend Oreille Lake, and the Co- 
 lumbia River by canoe to the Dalles, then the frontier set- 
 tlement. Lieutenant Arnold was to proceed from Pend 
 Oreille Lake, separating from the main party at that 
 point, in a direct westerly course to Colville, and thence 
 
EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS 383 
 
 to explore the plains of the great bend of the Columbia, 
 east of that river. 
 
 Mr. Tinkham, who came in a few days later, was di- 
 rected to explore the Marias Pass from the west side, 
 and, crossing the mountains by it, to proceed to Fort 
 Benton, confer with and take letters of instruction to 
 Lieutenant Grover and Mr. Doty, and return to the Bit- 
 ter Root valley by one of the southerly passes. Thence 
 he was to cross the Bitter Root Mountains by one of the 
 Nez Perces trails, and proceed to Walla Walla valley and 
 Olympia. 
 
 Thus by the establishment of the two stations at Fort 
 Benton and in the Bitter Root valley, under Mr. Doty and 
 Lieutenant Mullan, respectively, and by the explorations 
 of the detached parties, Governor Stevens kept the whole 
 mountain region under observation and solved the ques- 
 tions of climate and snows. Indeed, he had the range 
 crossed at every month in the year by one or other of 
 these parties. 
 
 Continues the personal narrative : — 
 
 Accordingly, on the 2d Mr. Lander went down the valley 
 to make some examinations of Hell Gate, and on the 3d Lieu- 
 tenant Donelson was under way with the main party. I left on 
 the 4th and overtook and camped with the main party in my 
 old camp of the 27th and 28th of September. Continuing on, 
 on the 5th we both moved down the valley, and encamped on the 
 Bitter Root, some three or four miles below the mouth of Hell 
 Gate. Here I ascertained that Mr. Lander, instead of waiting 
 for the arrival of Lieutenant Donelson to receive the instruc- 
 tions which I had directed to be issued to him, to go down the 
 Bitter Root to its mouth and join the main party at the Horse 
 Plain, had preceded him on the main trail, and must be some- 
 where near the divide between the Bitter Root and the Jocko. 
 Accordingly instructions were sent directing him to return in 
 order to proceed on the duty which had been assigned to him. 
 
 This same day I visited Victor at his camp on the Hell Gate, 
 three miles above its junction with the Bitter Root, and in return 
 
384 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 was visited by him at our camp, where we had much interest- 
 ing conversation in regard to the Indians, the character of the 
 country, and the passes, particularly in the winter. I deter- 
 mined to remain here until Mr. Tinkham returned, who had not 
 yet been heard from. 
 
 October 6. Lieutenant Donelson moved off this morning on 
 the route of the Jocko River and Clark's Fork. Mr. Lander, 
 who had returned to my camp in compliance with instructions, 
 moved down the Bitter Root this afternoon. I sent up to Fort 
 Owen for Lieutenant Mullan, and we remained in camp, pass- 
 ing the time as pleasantly as we could, awaiting the arrival of 
 Mr. Tinkham. Meanwhile a huge joint of beef was placed 
 upon the spit, to be in readiness when the explorers should 
 come in, and honest Sergeant Simpson undertook to act as 
 cook. Bending over the fire, with huge drops of perspiration 
 rolling from his glowing red face, a picture was presented 
 which Mr. Stanley thought not unworthy a trial of his pencil, 
 while Osgood jokingly told Simpson he was working then for 
 " two dollars a day and roast beef." The meat was cooked in 
 the nicest manner, and at half past five o'clock we sat down to 
 it, having as guests Mr. Tinkham and his party, the returned 
 " lost sheep of the house of Israel," also Lieutenant Mullan, 
 who had arrived in season to join in our meal. 
 
 Having no guide, Mr. Tinkham had not succeeded in 
 finding a direct route, but after a circuitous trip got 
 through to the Jocko, and, moving back on Lieutenant 
 Donelson' s trail, joined the governor, who now gave him 
 the instructions to examine the Marias Pass, etc. The 
 narrative continues : — 
 
 It is extraordinary how easy of passage the mountains are 
 in this latitude. A favorite time of the return of the Flathead 
 Indians from the buffalo hunt is between Christmas and New 
 Year's ; it is only in winters of unusual severity that they are 
 unable to cross during any month. 
 
 We have to-day seen at our camp a good deal of Victor, the 
 Flathead chief, celebrated in the book of De Smet. He appears 
 to be simple-minded, but rather wanting in energy, which 
 might, however, be developed in an emergency. I secured a 
 
MEETING THE NEZ PERCES 385 
 
 Flathead guide to go with Mr. Tinkham through the Marias 
 Pass, returning with him by the Flathead Pass. He was at 
 first reluctant to go, but afterwards consented. In the course 
 of the evening he came to me to decline going, and one or two 
 of the men wished to back out. On tracing the cause to its 
 source, I found they had been alarmed by some remarks of the 
 guide Monroe, who told them he was afraid they would fall in 
 with parties of Blackfoot young men. I will here remark that 
 the Indian agent, Dr. Lansdale, in 1856 went over the route 
 from the Jocko to the Big Blackfoot, sought by Mr. Tinkham 
 in 1853. It is much used by the upper Pend Oreille Indians 
 in going to hunt buffalo east of the mountains. 
 
 October 7. At 8.30 o'clock we were on the road, the party 
 consisting of Mr. Stanley, Mr. Osgood, and four voyageurs, 
 with Antoine Plante, the half-breed guide. Mr. Lander, who 
 had preceded us, we overtook in twenty-seven miles, when con- 
 tinuing on eight miles over a rolling country, we came to a good 
 camp on a small stream of water ; wood and grass most excel- 
 lent. The valley of the Bitter Root is generally a wide valley, 
 with occasional spurs running sharp down to the banks of the 
 stream, but having opposite to such spurs an open prairie on 
 the other side of the river. 
 
 October 8. We started at 7.30 o'clock, passing over a hilly, 
 wooded, and at times difficult country, with several patches of 
 prairie, one of which, two and a half miles long and containing 
 probably 1000 acres, was covered with an excellent growth of 
 grass. Here we met a band of fifty Nez Perces Indians going 
 to hunt. They have from 250 to 300 horses, most of them 
 splendid animals, in fine condition, and with perfectly sound 
 backs. Women and children helped to compose the band, and 
 babies of fifteen months old, packed in a sitting posture, rode 
 along without fear, grasping the reins with their tiny hands. 
 We met them in the entrance to a narrow place, a mile in 
 length, leading along the water's edge ; and wishing to have 
 a talk with them, but unwilling to lose time in returning to the 
 open ground, I invited them to turn around to the first prairie, 
 which Antoine assured me was not more than a mile or two 
 beyond. The prairie we found to be well grassed, open, and 
 wooded. We now made our halt, and, while preparing for our 
 
386 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 talk, a band of Cceur d'Alenes joined us. They, too, were on 
 their way to the hunt, and numbered about sixty, men, women, 
 and children, and had about 200 horses. We had a long talk. 
 I told them about the steps taken to meet in council at Fort 
 Benton ; dwelt particularly upon the prospect of the Blackf eet 
 making peace with all the Indian tribes, — upon the promise they 
 had given that their war parties should be stopped ; and told 
 them that at Fort Benton and at St. Mary's I had left men who 
 would interfere unless these war parties ceased. This intelli- 
 gence was most gratefully received. They tell me that they 
 return from the hunt in March, going home by the Pend Oreille 
 route. We parted with them at two o'clock, and at six made 
 a good camp near the ford by which we mean to cross to the 
 left bank of the Bitter Root River. Two miles from camp we 
 met two Pend Oreilles, who turned around with us. At the 
 camp we found a mother and daughter who had just crossed the 
 river and pitched their lodge. They had eight pack and as 
 many spare animals, and were on their way to join the Indians 
 we met this morning. We gave all the Indians coffee, and the 
 women in return gave us some cooked kamas root. It is of a 
 dark color, small, between the pear and onion in shape, and of 
 a sweet, agreeable flavor. 
 
 October 9. We started at eight, and crossed the ford. The 
 ride of to-day has been rather tedious. We left the valley to get 
 rid of the undergrowth of bushes, and took a trail over the side- 
 hill, which carried us up and down hill successively, and in some 
 instances through woods, occasionally obstructed by fallen tim- 
 ber. At noon we halted at a creek, where we found a single 
 Indian family drying venison. For a little tobacco they gave 
 us some fresh meat and trout, which we roasted before the 
 fire, and which made us a substantial lunch ; after which, pur- 
 suing our course, we fell upon a stream flowing from the divid- 
 ing ridge, and, continuing up it six miles, made a camp where 
 we found an abundance of grass. Distance to-day nineteen 
 miles. 
 
 October 10. We continued in the valley about ten miles, the 
 road leading through wood. Larch and spruce, and inexhaust- 
 ible supplies of limestone and marble, were met with, and the 
 latter we afterwards found in large quantities all through the 
 
C(EUR D'ALENE OR STEVENS PASS 387 
 
 mountains. At this point the trail forks, one keeping to the 
 right along the stream, and the other turning to the left, and 
 passing over a high, overhanging mountain spur. Our guide, 
 Antoine, informed us that the mountain trail was more easy for 
 the animals, the one to the right being much obstructed by- 
 fallen timber. After commencing the ascent we heard the 
 voices of our men driving the animals in the valley beneath us, 
 and waited until we had turned them upon the trail we had con- 
 cluded to take. We ascended the dividing ridge, and reached 
 a camp with good grass upon a small lake, within a mile of its 
 top. The lake, to which we were obliged to descend for water, 
 is twelve hundred feet below the camp. 
 
 CCEUR D'ALENE OR STEVENS PASS. 
 
 October 11. The pass beneath us was made by two rivers 
 flowing from the dividing ridge in opposite directions, having 
 their sources in lakes not more than half a mile apart; the 
 general direction of the valleys being east and west. We 
 estimated our camp to be two thousand feet above the eastern 
 base of the mountain, and two thousand five hundred feet above 
 the western base. The lake upon the eastern side was about 
 twelve hundred feet below us, and that upon the western side 
 about seven hundred feet higher. After pitching camp last night 
 a drizzling rain commenced falling, which we supposed would 
 turn into snow before morning. Upon awakening this morning 
 we were surprised to be greeted with one of the loveliest days 
 imaginable. The sky was clear, and the air as soft and balmy 
 as a morn in summer. After striking camp we ascended to 
 the highest point of the ridge, about a mile and a half from 
 camp. Here we made a long halt, enjoying the magnificent 
 view spread open to us, which, I venture to say, can scarcely 
 be surpassed in any country. Far distant in the east the peaks 
 of the Rocky Mountains loomed up into view, stretched out to 
 a great length, while the Flathead Lake and the valley thence 
 to the Blackfoot Pass were plainly visible. Nearly the entire 
 range of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, clothed with evergreen 
 forests, with here and there an open summit covered with grass ; 
 numerous valleys intersecting the country for miles around ; 
 courses of many streams marked by the ascending fog, — all 
 
388 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 conduced to render the view fascinating in the greatest degree 
 to the beholder. The mountains were covered with luxuriant, 
 coarse grass. Seated on this point, Mr. Stanley was enabled 
 to transfer this beautiful panorama to his sketch-book. De- 
 scending the peak to the general level of the ridge, we con- 
 tinued on for six miles, when the descent commenced, and in 
 less than three miles we passed down a very steep descent and 
 gained the base of the mountains, which we estimated rose 
 thirty-five hundred feet above us. This brought us into a 
 valley filled with gigantic cedars. The larch, spruce, and vine- 
 maple were found in to-day's march in large quantities, the 
 latter giving a pleasing variety to the forest growth. About 
 four o'clock we encamped upon the bank of a stream, which 
 here grows much wider. A Coeur d'Alene accompanied us to 
 this point from the eastern base of the dividing ridge, and at 
 to-night's encampment we found a Coeur d'Alene and his wife 
 on their way to hunt. 
 
 October 12. The scarcity of grass last night caused our ani- 
 mals to wander, and three of them were found at the base of 
 the mountains six miles back. It was not until half past ten 
 o'clock that our men had them all collected, and we were pre- 
 pared to move. We rode until half past three, when we halted 
 at a beautiful camp, although the day's march had been but 
 twelve miles. Learning from Antoine that the Coeur d'Alene 
 Mission was only eleven miles beyond, I determined on going 
 in to-night. Antoine and I accordingly mounted, and rode to 
 the Mission in an hour and three quarters. 
 
 CCEUR D'ALENE MISSION. 
 
 The Mission is beautifully located upon a hill overlooking 
 extensive prairies stretching to the east and west towards the 
 Coeur d'Alene Mountains and the Columbia River. About a 
 hundred acres of the eastern prairie adjoining the Mission are 
 inclosed and under cultivation, furnishing employment to thirty 
 or forty Indians, men, women, and children. I observed two 
 ploughing, which they executed skillfully ; others were sowing 
 wheat, and others digging potatoes. Pere Gazzoli received me 
 with the most pleasing hospitality. Associated with him are 
 Pere Ravalli, now absent to procure supplies, and Brothers 
 
THE MISSION 389 
 
 Charles Huet and Maginn. Towards evening I witnessed the 
 burial of an Indian chief. The funeral ceremonies were con- 
 ducted after the Catholic form, and I was struck with the har- 
 monious voices of the Indian choristers, and with their solemn 
 observance of the ceremonies. 
 
 The Mission is composed of buildings inclosing a square. 
 Some of them are quite old, but the barn is large and new. 
 The church stands a little distance from the rest, and does 
 much credit to those who erected it. It is constructed upon a 
 plan designed by Pere Kavalli, and is of the Roman demi-style 
 of architecture. Pulleys and ropes were the only mechanical 
 aids in the construction. The interior is prettily arranged. 
 The altar is supported by two massive timbers of pine which 
 are four feet in diameter. The priests live in a self-denying 
 manner, and the good effect of their influence over the Indians 
 around them is plainly manifest. There is quite a village of 
 Indians near the Mission. They have some half dozen log- 
 houses, but most of them live in lodges. 
 
 October 13. While awaiting the arrival of the train, I was 
 enabled more particularly to observe the manner in which the 
 affairs of the Mission are conducted. Brother Charles has 
 charge of the buildings, and attends to the indoor work, cooks, 
 makes butter and cheese, issues provisions, and pays the In- 
 dians for their work, which payment is made in tickets bearing 
 a certain value, " good for so many potatoes, or so much wheat," 
 etc. By this arrangement the Indians are able to procure their 
 subsistence in the summer by hunting and fishing, and have 
 tickets in store for living during the winter. They are well 
 contented, and I was pleased to observe habits of industry 
 growing upon them. In the barn we saw their operations of 
 threshing : four boys rode as many mules abreast in a circle, 
 being followed by two girls with flails, who appeared to be 
 perfectly at home in their business. One half of the barn is 
 reserved for their crops, while the other is arranged for cattle. 
 Their stock at present consists of twenty cows, eight pairs of 
 oxen, and ninety pigs, which are driven to pasture upon the 
 prairie by Indian boys daily. I noticed an Indian woman milk- 
 ing, and was surprised to see her use both hands, something 
 rarely seen amongst the Indians. We afterwards visited the 
 
390 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS ' 
 
 field ; a large fire was burning, and around it sat Indians roast- 
 ing and eating potatoes. There appeared to be a great scarcity 
 of proper implements, and in digging potatoes many had nothing 
 better than sharpened sticks. The train arrived about one 
 o'clock, and Pere Gazzoli allowed us to turn our animals into 
 the inclosure. 
 
 I have heard of an ingenious method of hunting deer which 
 is practiced by the Indians. When the Coeur d'Alenes, Pend 
 Oreilles, Spokanes, and Nez Perces meet together to fish and 
 hunt, they form a large circle, and upon the trees, around its 
 circumference, attach pieces of cloth made to resemble the 
 human figure as much as possible. Then the hunters enter the 
 area and start up the deer. Each cloth having the effect of a 
 man, the deer, being afraid to pass them, are kept within the 
 circle and easily killed. Last year the Pend Oreilles killed 
 eight hundred in one hunt ; the Coeur d'Alenes, more than four 
 hundred. 
 
 When the Indians returned from the field I addressed them 
 as follows : — 
 
 " I am glad to see you and find that you are under such good 
 direction. I have come four times as far as you go to hunt 
 buffalo, and have come with directions from the Great Father 
 to see you, to talk to you, and do all I can for your welfare. I 
 see cultivated fields, a church, houses, cattle, and the fruits of 
 the earth, the work of your own hands. The Great Father will 
 be delighted to hear this, and will certainly assist you. Go 
 on, and every family will have a house and a patch of ground, 
 and every one will be well clothed. I have had talks with the 
 Blackfeet, who promise to make peace with all the Indian 
 tribes. Listen to the good Father and to the good brothers, 
 who labor for your good." 
 
 October 15. We started at eight o'clock, after having given 
 Brother Charles as many lariats for raising the timbers of the 
 church as we could spare, and made eighteen miles and a quar- 
 ter, meeting on the way some forty Indians, Coeur d'Alenes, 
 Nez Perces, and Spokanes, on their way to buffalo. We camped 
 to-day in a beautiful prairie, called the Wolf's Lodge, with good 
 grass. Here we found nearly a hundred Spokanes, with some 
 three hundred horses, on their way to the hunt. Towards sun- 
 
CCEUR D'ALENE LAKE 391 
 
 down this evening I was greatly interested in observing the 
 Spokanes at their devotions. A bell rang, and the whole band 
 gathered in and around a large lodge for evening prayers. 
 There was something solemn and pathetic in the evening psalm 
 resounding through the forests around us. This shows what 
 good results can flow from the labors of devoted missionaries, 
 for the Spokanes have had no religious instruction for the 
 last five years. As I went down the river and met band after 
 band of the Spokanes, I invariably found the same regard for 
 religious services. 
 
 Afterwards they came around to my camp-fire, and we had 
 a talk. Garry, they say, is at his farm, four miles from the 
 Spokane House. 
 
 October 16. We started at eight o'clock, our route being 
 through an open wooded prairie. Soon after leaving camp the 
 Cceur d'Alene Lake came in view to the south of us, and eleven 
 miles from camp we struck it near its western extremity. It 
 is a beautiful sheet of water, surrounded by picturesque hills, 
 mostly covered with wood. Its shape is irregular, unlike that 
 given it upon the maps. Its waters are received from the 
 Coeur d'Alene River, which runs through it. Below the lake 
 the river is not easily navigable, there being many rapids, and 
 in numerous places it widens greatly, and runs sluggishly 
 through a shallow channel. Above the lake I am informed 
 by the missionaries that it is navigable nearly to the Mission. 
 Leaving the lake, we followed the river on its northern bank, 
 passing a camp of CoBur d'Alenes, occupied with their trout 
 fisheries. Here we witnessed a touching sight, a daughter 
 administering to her dying father. Still keeping through open 
 woods on a most excellent road, in two miles farther we came 
 to the Cceur d'Alene prairie, a beautiful tract of land contain- 
 ing several hundred square miles. After crossing the prairie, 
 a distance of some eighteen miles, we continued on and en- 
 camped at a spring with sparse grass. Had we gone two miles 
 farther, we should have found an excellent camp on the river, 
 and the next morning some of our animals were found in this 
 very spot. The horses of the Spokanes roam over this prairie 
 in herds of from twelve to twenty. Towards the latter portion 
 of the march the river runs over a rocky bed of trap. 
 
392 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 October 17. Leaving camp, Antoine, Osgood, Stanley, and 
 myself turned from the trail to visit the falls of the Cceur 
 d'Alene River, while Lavatte took the train ahead on the trail 
 to the Spokane House. There are two principal falls, one of 
 twenty feet and the other of from ten to twelve feet, in the latter 
 there being a perpendicular fall of seven or eight feet ; for a 
 quarter of a mile the descent is rapid, over a rough bed of 
 rocks, and in this distance we estimated a fall of ninety or one 
 hundred feet. One mile below this point we came to the ferry 
 crossed by Saxton. Here there is a small Indian village, and 
 the inhabitants were engaged in catching salmon. I noticed 
 one large woman who seemed to pride herself upon her person, 
 which she took pains to set off in the most becoming manner 
 by means of a blanket wrapped around her. The road to the 
 Spokane House was over a sandy prairie, interspersed with 
 groves of pine. Crossing a dividing ridge with high and steep 
 banks, we came into the prairie in which the Spokane House is 
 situated, in which were two Spokane villages. We inquired 
 for Garry, and I sent him a request that he would visit me at 
 my camp. The train we found a mile below the junction, across 
 the Spokane. The Indians indicating a good camp some dis- 
 tance beyond, we moved on eight and a half miles to it, which 
 we reached half an hour before sundown. Here there was good 
 grass and plenty of water, and we soon made up a large camp- 
 fire. After arranging matters in camp, I observed about night- 
 fall a fire down the river, and, strolling down to the place, came 
 upon a little camp of Spokane Indians, and found them engaged 
 in religious services, which I was glad of an opportunity to 
 witness. There were three or four men, the same number of 
 women, and half a dozen children. Their exercises were, 1, 
 address ; 2, Lord's prayer ; 3, Psalms ; 4, benediction, and 
 were conducted with great solemnity. 
 
 In the evening Garry visited us with some of his tribe. They 
 gave rumors of a large party having arrived opposite Col- 
 ville, also of a small party having gone from Walla Walla to 
 Colville. 
 
 Garry was educated by the Hudson Bay Company at Red 
 River, where he lived four years with six other Indians from 
 this vicinity, all of whom are now dead. He speaks English 
 
COLVILLE 393 
 
 and French well, and we have had a long conversation this 
 evening ; but he is not frank, and I do not understand him. 
 He has an extensive field, where he raises a large quantity of 
 wheat. To-morrow he is going to Colville to get some of it 
 ground. Garry promises to send me to-morrow the Indian who 
 has just arrived from the Yakima country, and who is posted up 
 concerning the news of that place. 
 
 October 18. A Spokane breakfasted with us this morning, 
 and we started at 8.30 o'clock. After riding till ten o'clock we 
 were joined by the old Indian referred to yesterday, and An- 
 toine's services were immediately put into requisition to obtain 
 information. At twelve o'clock we lunched. The old man 
 stated that a large party reached the bank of the river opposite 
 Colville yesterday, and that they would cross to-day. I was 
 satisfied from his accounts that the party was McClellan's, and 
 accordingly determined on going to Colville to-night. Antoine 
 has horses half way. We rested until two o'clock and then set 
 out, Antoine and myself pushing ahead of the train. We met 
 Antoine's family encamped on a fine prairie, with whom An- 
 toine remained, sending his brother-in-law with us as a guide. 
 At 4.15 we reached the ferry, where we were detained fifteen 
 minutes. At 4.45 we met Jack (Lieutenant Macfeely's guide), 
 who informed me that Macfeely reached Walla Walla three 
 weeks ago, being twenty-two days coming from St. Mary's. He 
 lost twenty animals, and was detained two days in an unsuc- 
 cessful search for a man who had strayed from the trail. The 
 road was bad, and they got off the trail, having struck too high 
 up. Jack told us it was twenty-eight miles to Colville, and 
 that we could not reach there to-night, but, being determined to 
 do so, we pushed on and reached Brown's at 5.45, who informed 
 us that the distance to Colville was eighteen miles. After par- 
 taking of some bread and milk, we resumed the road with the 
 same animals, dashing off at full speed, going eight or nine 
 miles an hour most of the way, and reached Colville at nine 
 o'clock. Mr. McDonald, the trader in charge, gave me a most 
 hospitable reception, and addressed a note to McClellan, who 
 had just gone to his camp near by, informing him of my arrival. 
 McClellan came up immediately, and, though I was fairly worn 
 out with the severeness of the ride, we sat up till one o'clock. 
 
394 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 At eleven we sat down to a nice supper, prepared by Mrs. 
 McDonald, and regaled ourselves with steaks cooked in buffalo 
 fat, giving them the flavor of buffalo meat. I retired exhausted 
 with the fatigues of the day. 
 
 CAPTAIN MoCLELLAN's EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 It took Captain McClellan a month to fit out his train 
 after he reached Vancouver, on the lower Columbia, so 
 that he did not start on his survey until the last of July. 
 Crossing the Cascade Kange by a pass south of Mount 
 Adams, he proceeded northward over the plains on the 
 eastern side of the range to the Yakima valley, moving 
 one hundred and eighty miles in thirty days, and re- 
 mained there a month longer, during which Mr. Gibbs 
 examined the lower and Lieutenant Duncan the upper 
 valley. Captain McClellan himself, leaving his party in 
 camp, made a hasty examination of the Snoqualmie Pass, 
 at the head of the main Yakima. Then he crossed over 
 a dividing ridge to the Columbia Eiver, and continued up 
 its right or western bank to the Okinakane (Okanogan) 
 River, a distance of ninety miles, spent several days in 
 exploring that and neighboring streams, then ascended 
 the Okinakane (Okanogan) River some fifty miles to 
 Lake Osoyoos, and moved eastward from this point eighty- 
 two miles to the Columbia, opposite Colville, and crossed 
 on the 18th, the very day of Governor Stevens's arrival 
 at the same point. 
 
 McClellan, as appears from his report, took a decidedly 
 unfavorable view of the country, and of a railroad route 
 across the Cascades. He declared in substance that the 
 Columbia River Pass was the only one worth considering, 
 that there was no pass whatever north of it except the 
 Snoqualmie Pass, and gave it as his firm and settled 
 opinion that the snow in winter was from twenty to 
 twenty-five feet deep in that pass. 
 
McCLELLAN'S SURVEY 395 
 
 His examination of the pass was a very hasty and 
 cursory one, with no other instruments than a compass 
 and a barometer, and extended only three miles across 
 the summit. His only information as to the depth of 
 winter snow was the reports of Indians, and the marks of 
 snow on the trees, or what he took to be such. Thus the 
 most important point, the real problem of the field of 
 exploration intrusted to him, namely, the existence and 
 character of the Cascade passes, he failed to determine. 
 He failed utterly to respond to Governor Stevens's ear- 
 nest and manly exhortation, " We must not be frightened 
 with long tunnels, or enormous snows, but set ourselves 
 to work to overcome them." He manifested the same 
 dilatoriness in preparation and moving, the same timidity 
 in action, the same magnifying of difficulties, that later 
 marked and ruined his career as an army commander. 
 
 Two railroads now cross the range which he examined, 
 — the Northern Pacific, by a pass just south of the Sno- 
 qualmie and north of the Nahchess, the very place of 
 which McClellan reported that " there certainly is none 
 between this (the Snoqualmie) and the Nahchess Pass;" 
 and the Great Northern, by a pass at the head of the 
 Wenachee or Pisquouse River, of which stream he de- 
 clared, "It appears certain that there can be no pass at 
 its head for a road." The snows he so much exaggerated 
 have proved no obstacle, and in fact have actually caused 
 less trouble and obstruction in these passes than in the 
 Columbia Pass itself. 1 
 
 1 One of the lines of the Northern Pacific Eailroad now crosses the Cceur 
 d'Alene Pass on Governor Stevens's route, to the vicinity of the Mission, 
 running thence south of the Cceur d'Alene Lake to Spokane. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 UPPER COLUMBIA TO PUGET SOUND 
 
 Upon learning the results of McClellan's explorations, 
 Governor Stevens proposed to send him up the Yakima 
 again to carry the survey clear across the Cascades to 
 Puget Sound, and at first that officer seemed willing 
 to undertake the duty. After spending two days at Col- 
 ville the governor, accompanied by McClellan and his 
 party, moved south in three marches to a camp six miles 
 south of the Spokane River, named Camp Washington, 
 where on October 28 arrived Lieutenant Donelson with the 
 main party. During these days there was a fall of snow 
 covering the ground, which, however, soon melted and 
 disappeared. But it was enough to dismay McClellan. 
 He now demurred to crossing the Cascades, claiming it 
 to be impracticable so late in the fall. It was indeed late ; 
 snow had already fallen on the plains, and presumably 
 would be deeper in the mountains ; and the Cascades were 
 McClellan's own particular field, of which he ought to be 
 the best judge. The governor therefore reluctantly, and 
 rather against his better judgment, relinquished the plan 
 of crossing the Snoqualmie Pass that fall, and gave orders 
 for both parties to move by way of Walla Walla and the 
 Dalles to Vancouver, and thence to Olympia, at the head 
 of Puget Sound. 
 
 " Had I possessed at Camp Washington," says the governor, 
 " information which I gained in six days afterwards at Walla 
 Walla, I should have pushed the party over the Cascades in the 
 present condition of the animals ; but Captain McClellan was 
 
MCDONALD'S INDIAN TALES 397 
 
 entitled to weight in his judgment of the route, it being upon 
 the special field of his examination." 
 
 The incidents of the march to Camp Washington are 
 thus narrated : — 
 
 During our stay at Colville, we visited McDonald's camp. 
 Near it there is a mission, under the charge of Pere Lewis, 
 whom we visited. The Indians about the mission are well dis- 
 posed and religious. As we returned to the fort, Mr. Stanley- 
 was just going into camp, having made a march of thirty-five 
 miles. In the evening we listened to the thrilling stories and 
 exciting legends of McDonald, with which his memory seems to 
 be well stored. He says intelligence had reached him through 
 the Blackf eet of the coming of my party ; that the Blackf eet 
 gave most singular accounts of everything connected with us. 
 For instance, they said that our horses had claws like the 
 grizzly bear; they climbed up the steep rocks and held on by 
 their claws ; that their necks were like the new moon ; and 
 that their neighing was like the sound of distant thunder. 
 McDonald has, of course, given a free translation of the reports 
 made by Indians. We listened to his accounts of his own 
 thrilling adventures of his mountain life, and a description of 
 an encounter with a party of Blackfeet is well worth relating. 
 At the head of a party of three or four men he was met by a 
 band of these Indians, who showed evidences of hostility. By 
 signs he requested the chief of the Blackfeet to advance and 
 meet him, both being unarmed. When the chief assented, and 
 met him half way between the two parties, McDonald caught 
 him by the hair of the head, and, holding him firmly, exacted 
 from the remaining Indians promises to give up their arms, 
 which they accordingly did, and passed on peaceably. He has 
 lived here many years, and is an upright, intelligent, manly, and 
 energetic man. 
 
 October 21. We moved off. McDonald presented us with 
 a keg filled with cognac to cheer the hearts of the members of 
 all the parties, and obliged us also to take a supply of port 
 wine. We passed his gristmill on Mill River, the only one in 
 the neighborhood. A march of twelve miles brought us into 
 camp, McDonald accompanying us We had a glorious supper 
 
398 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 of smoking steaks and hot cakes, and the stories added to the 
 relish with which it was eaten. McDonald again charmed us 
 with a recital of his thrilling adventures. 
 
 October 22. We got off early, and at Brown's we stopped 
 to purchase horses, and succeeded in obtaining two, one for 
 McClellan and the other for myself. McDonald accompanied 
 me some distance farther, when, bidding each other adieu, I 
 pushed ahead, and, reaching a small stream, I found that 
 McClellan's party had taken the left bank, and that the cap- 
 tain had gone on to join them. We took the right, and thus 
 avoided a bad crossing in which McClellan's party became in- 
 volved. We encamped upon the borders of the stream. Our 
 train is larger and more heavily laden than heretofore, in con- 
 sequence of the increased supplies. To-day we have thirteen 
 packs. At night we killed a cow purchased of Brown, and we 
 still have an ox in reserve, to be killed when we meet Donelson. 
 The air is cool and fresh, and our appetites keen. I may say 
 here that two pounds of beef and half a pound of flour per man 
 are not too much for a day's allowance. 
 
 October 23. Snow is falling this morning, and it has cleaned 
 our beef admirably. We journeyed but ten miles, encamping 
 near where we had seen Antoine's family in going to Colville. 
 The snow ceased falling about noon, with five inches upon the 
 ground. It is light, and we think it will disappear in a few 
 days. The Indians inform me that we shall not probably find 
 it south of the Cceur d'Alene, and from their statements it 
 would seem that this river is a dividing line as regards climate. 
 
 October 24. We started this morning with the intention of 
 reaching the appointed place of meeting to-night. McClellan, 
 Minter, Osgood, Stanley, and myself pushed ahead, and at noon 
 we reached the old Chemakane Mission, so called from a spring 
 of that name near by. The mission was occupied by Messrs. 
 Walker and Eells, but in 1849, in consequence of the Cuyuse 
 difficulties, it was abandoned. These gentlemen labored ar- 
 dently for the good of the Indians. Walker was a good farmer 
 and taught them agriculture, and by them his name is now 
 mentioned with great respect. The house occupied by Walker 
 is still standing, but Eells's has been burned down. The site of 
 the mission is five miles from the Spokane River, in an exten- 
 
CHEMAKANE MISSION 399 
 
 sive open valley, well watered and very rich. Here we met 
 Garry and two hundred Spokanes. Garry has forwarded the 
 letter to Donelson, but has received no intelligence of his 
 arrival in the Cceur d'Alene plain. We therefore concluded 
 to encamp here, and to-morrow McClellan and myself are 
 to accompany Garry to the Spokane House. The Colville or 
 Slawntehus and Chemakane valleys have a productive soil, and 
 are from one to three miles wide, and bordered by low hills, 
 covered with larch, pine, and spruce, and having also a produc- 
 tive soil. In the evening the Indians clustered around our fire, 
 and manifested much pleasure in our treatment of them. I 
 have now seen a great deal of Garry, and am much pleased 
 with him. Beneath a quiet exterior he shows himself to be a 
 man of judgment, forecast, and great reliability, and I could 
 see in my interview with his band the ascendency he possesses 
 over them. 
 
 In the Colville valley there is a line of settlements twenty- 
 eight miles long. The settlers are persons formerly connected 
 with the Hudson Bay Company, and they are anxious to become 
 naturalized, and have the lands they now occupy transferred to 
 themselves. I informed them that I could only express my 
 hopes that their case would be met by the passage of a special 
 act. They are extensive farmers, and raise a great deal of 
 wheat. 
 
 October 25. Having left the necessary directions for moving 
 camp to the place of meeting with Donelson, Captain McClellan 
 and myself accompanied Garry to the Spokane House. The 
 road was slippery in consequence of the melting of the snow, 
 and we were obliged frequently to dismount. We found Garry's 
 family in a comfortable lodge, and he informed us that he 
 always had on hand flour, sugar, and coffee, with which to 
 make his friends comfortable. We then went to our new camp 
 south of the Spokane, which had been established whilst we 
 were visiting Garry's place. From the Chemakane Mission 
 the train left the river, and, passing through a rolling country 
 covered with open pine woods, in five miles reached the Spo- 
 kane, and crossing it by a good and winding ford, ascended the 
 plain, and in six miles, the first two of which was through open 
 pine, reached Camp Washington. 
 
400 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 October 26, 27, 28, and 29. During these days I was occu- 
 pied at our camp (Camp Washington) in making the arrange- 
 ments for moving westward. Lieutenant Donelson arrived on 
 the 28th, and we all sat down to a fine supper prepared for 
 the occasion. All the members of the exploration were in fine 
 spirits ; our table was spread under a canopy, and upon it a 
 great variety of dishes appeared, roasted beef, bouillon, steaks, 
 and abundance of hot bread, coffee, sugar, and our friend 
 McDonald's good cheer. But the best dish was a beef's head 
 cooked by friend Minter in Texas fashion. It was placed in a 
 hole in the ground on a layer of hot coals, with moss and leaves 
 around it to protect it from the dirt, and then covered up. 
 There it remained for some iiye or six hours, when, removing 
 it, the skin came off without difficulty, and it presented a very 
 tempting dish, and was enjoyed by every member of the party. 
 
 Having given the necessary instructions to McClellan 
 and Donelson to proceed with their parties to the Walla 
 Walla, thence to the Dalles, Vancouver, and Olympia, 
 making careful survey of the country on the route, the 
 governor, with his small party, pushed on ahead, having 
 Garry and his brother as guides. Starting late in the 
 afternoon of the 29th, they journeyed thirteen miles over 
 undulating hills and a high table-land, and encamped upon 
 a small stream called Se-cule-eel-qua, with fine grass and 
 fertile soil. 
 
 October 30. We commenced to move at sunrise, and at 
 three P. M. encamped on a small lake twenty-two miles from 
 our place of departure in the morning. In view of this camp 
 were the graves of a number of Spokane Indians, indicated 
 by mounds of stones, designed to protect the bodies from the 
 wolves, and by poles supported in an upright position by the 
 stones. It was the usage until within a few years past, for 
 the Spokanes and other northern tribes towards the Pacific to 
 slay the horses and cattle of the deceased at his grave, and also 
 to sacrifice his other property, but they are gradually relin- 
 quishing this pernicious practice, under the influence of the 
 counsels and example of the white man. 
 
p8H U£ 
 
 * OF TE1 
 
 INDIAN TRADITION! J^IVERSITT 
 
 October 31. We continued to follow the general course of 
 the stream upon whose banks we were encamped, and after 
 riding eight miles we crossed another small stream, rising in 
 a chain of small lakes south of our last camp. These lakes 
 abound in wild fowl, which at this season are very plentiful, and 
 they are therefore much resorted to by the Spokanes and other 
 Indians. We saw in one of these lakes, surrounded by ducks 
 and geese, a pair of white swans, which remained to challenge 
 our admiration after their companions had been frightened 
 away by our approach. 
 
 Garry assures us that there is a remarkable lake called En- 
 chush-chesh-she-luxum, or Never Freezing Water, about thirty 
 miles to the east of this place. It is much larger than any of 
 the lakes just mentioned, and so completely surrounded by high 
 and precipitous rocks that it is impossible to descend to the 
 water. It is said never to freeze, even in the most severe 
 winter. The Indians believe that it is inhabited by buffalo, 
 elk, deer, and all other kinds of game, which, they say, may be 
 seen in the clear, transparent element. He also narrates the 
 story of a superstition respecting a point of painted rock in 
 Pend Oreille Lake, situated near the place now occupied by 
 Michal Ogden. The Indians, he says, do not venture to pass 
 this point, fearing that the Great Spirit may, as related in the 
 legends, create a commotion in the water and cause them to be 
 swallowed up in the waves. The painted rocks are very high, 
 and bear effigies of men and beasts and other characters, made, 
 as the Indians believe, by a race of men who preceded them 
 as inhabitants of the land. 
 
 Our route to-day has been through a rocky and broken 
 country, and after a march of thirty-two miles we encamped 
 on a small stream called En-cha-rae-nae, flowing from the lake 
 where we last halted, near a number of natural mounds. 
 
 November 1. Our course lay down the valley of the En-cha- 
 rae-nae, a rugged way, beset with deep clefts in the volcanic 
 rocks. We crossed the Pelouse River near the mouth of the 
 former, and near the stream flowing from the never freezing 
 lake, and twelve miles from the mouth of the Pelouse. Four 
 miles from our place of crossing the Pelouse runs through a deep 
 canon, surrounded by isolated volcanic buttes, to its junction 
 
402 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 with Snake Kiver. At two p. m. we arrived at the mouth of 
 the Pelouse, and, crossing Snake Kiver, we encamped on its 
 southern bank, several Pelouse Indians accompanying us, and 
 among them a chief from a band but a few miles distant from 
 our camp, Wi-ti-my-hoy-she. He exhibited a medal of Thomas 
 Jefferson, dated 1801, given to his grandfather, as he alleges, 
 by Lewis and Clark. 
 
 November 2. I have referred in an early stage of this narra- 
 tive to the condition of my health, and will state that not a day 
 was I on the road from Fort Benton to this point that I did 
 not suffer much. The day I made my long ride to Colville, I 
 was so feeble and exhausted that, on making my noon halt after 
 moving fifteen miles, I was obliged to have my bed spread in 
 order to rest ; but the idea of meeting gentlemen so soon, from 
 whom I had been so long separated, enabled me to bear the 
 fatigue of my afternoon fifty miles' ride to Colville. Although 
 in great suffering, I determined to move with Garry from 
 Snake River to Fort Walla Walla to-day, leaving Mr. Stanley 
 to come on with my party and train in two days. I desired to 
 save a day in order to collect information at Walla Walla, and 
 to visit the Walla Walla valley. Accordingly we set off. It 
 required me three hours to get my courage up to the sticking- 
 point, so that I could bear the pain growing out of traveling 
 at a gait faster than a walk ; but, getting warm in the saddle, 
 we increased our speed, and on reaching the Touchet we dis- 
 mounted for a slight halt. Pushing on a little before two 
 o'clock, we reached Fort Walla Walla at sundown, moving the 
 last twenty-five miles at the rate of about eight miles an hour, 
 and were there hospitably received by Mr. Pembrum, the factor 
 in charge, and after a little conversation I refreshed myself 
 with reading some late papers. On the road my time was 
 much occupied with studying the deportment of the mountain 
 ranges in view, and all the peculiarities of the country about 
 me, to judge something of its winter climate and the probable 
 fall of snow ; and on reaching Walla Walla I became satisfied 
 from these things, and especially from a view of the highest 
 spur of the Blue Mountains in sight, that the snows of the Cas- 
 cades could not be so formidable as they had been represented. 
 I accordingly determined to search thoroughly into this matter 
 at Walla Walla. 
 
PU-PU-MOX-MOX 403 
 
 November 3-8. I remained in the "Walla Walla country 
 during these days, spending two days up the valley and the 
 remainder at the fort. Mr. Stanley, with the train, reached the 
 fort on the 3d, and, 
 
 November 4, we started upon the trip through the valley, rid- 
 ing upon our horses. Arriving at the Hudson Bay farm, we 
 exchanged them for fresh ones. This farm is eighteen miles 
 from Walla Walla, and is a fine tract of land, well adapted to 
 grazing or cultivation. It is naturally bounded by streams, and 
 is equivalent to a mile square. There is the richest grass here 
 that we have seen since leaving St. Mary's. From this we 
 went to McBane's house, a retired factor of the company, from 
 whence we had a fine view of the southern portion of the val- 
 ley, which is watered by many tributaries from the Blue Moun- 
 tains. Thirty miles from Walla Walla, and near McBane's, 
 lives Father Chirouse, a missionary of the Catholic order, who 
 with two laymen exercises his influence among the surrounding 
 tribes. 
 
 November 5. We remained with Mr. McBane overnight, 
 and returned to the fort to-day by way of the Whitman Mis- 
 sion, now occupied by Bumford and Brooke. They were har- 
 vesting, and I saw as fine potatoes as ever I beheld, many 
 weighing two pounds, and one five and a half. Their carrots 
 and beets, too, were of extraordinary size. Mr. Whitman must 
 have done a great deal of good for the Indians. His mission 
 was situated upon a fine tract of land, and he had erected a saw 
 and grist mill. From Bumford's to the mouth of the Touchet 
 are many farms, mostly occupied by the retired employees of 
 the Hudson Bay Company. On our return we met Pu-pu- 
 mox-mox, the Walla Walla chief, known and respected far and 
 wide. He possesses not so much intelligence and energy as 
 Garry, but he has some gifts of which the latter is deprived. 
 He is of dignified manner, and well qualified to manage men. 
 He owns over two thousand horses, besides many cattle, and 
 has a farm near that of the Hudson Bay Company. On the 
 occurrence of the Cuyuse war, he was invited to join them, but 
 steadily refused. After their destruction of the mission, he was 
 asked to share the spoils, and again refused. They then taunted 
 him with being afraid of the whites, to which he replied : " I am 
 
404 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 not afraid of the whites, nor am I afraid of the Cuyuses. I defy 
 your whole band. I will plant my three lodges on the border 
 of my own territory at the mouth of the Touchet, and there 
 I will meet you if you dare to attack me." He accordingly 
 moved his lodges to this point, and remained there three or 
 four weeks. Stanley was on his way from Walker and Eells's 
 Mission to Whitman's Mission, and indeed was actually within 
 three miles of the latter, when he heard of the terrible tragedy 
 which had been enacted there, and the information was brought 
 to him by an Indian of Pu-pu-mox-mox's band. Pu-pu-mox- 
 mox has saved up a large amount of money (probably as much 
 as $5000) ; still he is generous, and frequently gives an ox and 
 other articles of value to the neighbors. Some of his people 
 having made a contract to ferry the emigrants across the river, 
 who crossed the Cascades this year, and then having refused to 
 execute it, he compelled them to carry it out faithfully, and, 
 mounting his horse, he thrashed them until they complied. He 
 has the air of a substantial farmer. 
 
 On the 6th Lieutenant Donelson and on the 7th Cap- 
 tain McClellan reached old Fort Walla Walla with the 
 main parties. Governor Stevens was now satisfied, both 
 from his own observations and from information fur- 
 nished by Pembrum, Pu-pu-mox-mox, and others, among 
 them a voyageur who had actually crossed the Cascades 
 in the month of December, that it was not yet too late 
 to send a party across these mountains. Accordingly he 
 directed Mr. Lander to proceed up the Yakima and over 
 the Nahchess Pass in order to run the line to the Sound. 
 
 The governor had a remarkable faculty for getting in- 
 formation from people of every kind and condition, Hud- 
 son Bay Company men, settlers, voyageurs, and Indians, 
 and always took great pains to learn all they could im- 
 part, while his keen and sound judgment enabled him to 
 distinguish the chaff from the wheat in their reports. 
 
 Having provided fresh animals for Mr. Lander, given 
 him his written instructions, and in conversation urged 
 upon him the entire feasibility of the survey intrusted to 
 
DESCENDING THE COLUMBIA 405 
 
 him, the governor, with Mr. Stanley, on November 8 
 started down the Columbia in a canoe managed by voy- 
 ageurs, and reached the Dalles on the 12th. Says the 
 governor : — 
 
 " We took with us two days' provisions, and were four days 
 in reaching the Dalles, having been detained nearly two days in 
 camp by a high wind which blew up the river, but we eked out 
 our scanty stores by the salmon generously furnished us by the 
 Indian bands near us. At the principal rapids I got out and 
 observed the movements of the canoe through them, and, from 
 the best examination which I was able to make, I became at 
 once convinced that the river was probably navigable for steam- 
 ers. I remained at the Dalles on the 13th to make arrange- 
 ments for the moving forward of the parties and for herding the 
 animals, looking to a resumption of the survey, where I was the 
 guest of Major Rains, and had a most pleasant time, meeting 
 old acquaintances and making new ones with the gentlemen of 
 the post. On the 14th I reached the Cascades, where I passed 
 the night. Here I met several gentlemen — men who had 
 crossed the plains, and who had made farms in several States 
 and in Oregon or Washington — who had carefully examined the 
 Yakima country for new locations, and who impressed me with 
 the importance of it as an agricultural and grazing country. 
 November 15 we went down the river in a canoe, and on the 
 16th reached Vancouver, where I remained the 17th, 18th, and 
 19th as the guest of Colonel Bonneville, and where I also be- 
 came acquainted with the officers of the Hudson Bay Company. 
 
 " Leaving Vaucouver on the 20th, I reached Olympia on the 
 25th, where for the first time I saw the waters of Puget Sound. 
 No special incident worthy of remark occurred on the journey, 
 except that I was four days going up the Cowlitz in drench- 
 ing rains, and two nights had the pleasure of camping out. I 
 will now advise voyageurs in the interior, when they get sud- 
 denly into the rains west of the Cascades, to take off their 
 buckskin underclothing. I neglected to do this, and among the 
 many agreeabilities of this trip up the Cowlitz was to have the 
 underclothing of buckskin wet entirely through. I was enabled 
 to examine the country pretty carefully all the way to Olympia, 
 
406 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and had with me a very intelligent man, who could point out 
 localities and inform me about the country not in view of the 
 road ; and I saw that not only was it entirely practicable for a 
 railroad line to the Sound, but that the work was light, and the 
 material for construction of all kinds entirely inexhaustible. 
 
 " After considerable delays at Vancouver, the gentlemen of 
 the parties under Captain McClellan and Lieutenant Donelson 
 arrived at Olympia for office duty, being preceded a few days 
 by Mr. Lander, who for reasons not conclusive to my mind did 
 not persevere in the examination of the Nahchess Pass. One 
 of his reasons for not continuing his examination was that it 
 was not on the railroad line, which did not apply, because that 
 fact was well known to him previously, having been announced 
 to him positively in my written instructions. I did not censure 
 Mr. Lander for not continuing on this duty, as I know the per- 
 plexity of mind in which one is placed by the contradictory 
 character of the information gained ; but I resolved to get my 
 line to the Sound, and accordingly dispatched an express to the 
 Walla Walla, directing Mr. Tinkham on his arrival at that 
 point to cross to Puget Sound by the Snoqualmie Pass, my 
 object being twofold, — to get at some facts which would deci- 
 sively settle the question of the depth of snow, in regard to 
 which Captain McClellan and myself differed, as well as really 
 to connect our work with the Sound itself." 
 
 Thus Lander purposely balked the task intrusted to 
 him, and threw away another fine opportunity of achiev- 
 ing credit for himself. 
 
 Upon McClellan's arrival at Olympia, Governor Stevens 
 directed him to take up from the Sound the reconnois- 
 sance for a railroad line to the Snoqualmie Pass, con- 
 necting with his examination on the eastern side, which 
 had extended three miles across the summit. But again 
 McClellan failed to accomplish the task, deterred as usual 
 by the reports of Indians, and magnified difficulties. 
 Leaving Olympia December 23, with Mr. Minter, civil 
 engineer, and four men, he spent five days at Steilacoom 
 in a vain attempt to procure horses and guides for the 
 
CAPTAIN McCLELLAN'S FAILURE 407 
 
 Snoqualmie Falls, intending to proceed thence on snow- 
 shoes. Then he went by canoe down the Sound and up 
 the Snohomish River to the falls, and pushed forward on 
 foot four miles to the prairie just above the falls. 
 
 "I found," he reports, "the prairie to be about as repre- 
 sented, — in places bare, but in others with three or four inches 
 of snow. Leaving my companions at the Indian bivouac to 
 make the best preparations they could for passing the night 
 (for we had neither tent, blanket, nor overcoat), I went forward 
 on the trail with two Indians. 
 
 " As soon as we left the prairie the ground became entirely 
 covered with snow ; it soon became a foot deep in the shallowest 
 spots, and was constantly increasing. All signs of a trail were 
 obliterated, — the underbrush very thick and loaded with snow, 
 — the snow unfit for snowshoes, according to the Indians. I 
 now turned back to our bivouac, and there awaited the arrival 
 of an Indian who was out hunting, and who was said to possess 
 much information about the country. He soon arrived, and 
 proved to be a very intelligent Yakima, whom I had seen on the 
 other side of the mountains in the summer. He had been hunt- 
 ing in the direction I wished to go, and stated that the snow 
 soon increased to * waist-deep ' long before reaching the Nooksai- 
 Nooksai, and that it was positively impracticable to use snow- 
 shoes. He also said that the Indians did not pretend to cross 
 over the mountains at this season, but waited till about the end 
 of March, and then took their horses over. 
 
 " Next morning, after again questioning the Indian, I reluc- 
 tantly determined to return, being forced to the conclusion that, 
 if the attempt to reach the pass was not wholly impracticable, 
 it was at least inexpedient under all the circumstances in which 
 I was placed." * 
 
 Could any man but McClellan have seriously asserted 
 that " it was positively impracticable to use snowshoes " 
 on snow, and that, too, on the authority of Indians, who 
 were notoriously unreliable, and who, in their jealousy of 
 white exploration, habitually exaggerated the difficulties 
 1 Pacific R. R. Reports, vol. i. pp. 622-624. 
 
408 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 of the country ? This seems the very acme of imaginary 
 obstacles. It was January 10 that McClellan turned back. 
 Had he manfully taken to his snowshoes, he could have 
 reached the summit in three or four days, and connected 
 with his reconnoissance on the eastern side, and this was 
 soon demonstrated to his deep disgust. 
 
 Far different was the action and spirit of Tinkham. 
 He had just arrived at Walla Walla from a remarkable 
 and arduous trip, during which he crossed the Rocky 
 Mountains by the Marias Pass, proceeded to Fort Benton, 
 recrossed the mountains by a more southern pass to the 
 Bitter Root valley, and thence crossed the Bitter Root 
 Range on snowshoes by the rugged southern Nez Perces 
 trail, when he received Governor Stevens's instructions 
 to push to the Sound by way of the Snoqualmie Pass. 
 Starting from Walla Walla on January 7 with two 
 Indians, he proceeded up the Yakima to its head on 
 horseback, and there leaving his animals, he crossed the 
 mountains on snowshoes, and reached Seattle on January 
 26, seven days after leaving the eastern base of the divide, 
 and twenty days from Walla Walla. He carefully mea- 
 sured the depth of snow and reported : — 
 
 " From Lake Kitchelus to the summit, some five miles, and 
 where occurs the deepest snow, the average measurement was 
 about six feet, but frequently running as high as seven feet. 
 Passing on to the west side of the Cascades, the snow rapidly 
 disappears ; fourteen miles from the summit there was but eight 
 inches of snow, and thence it gradually faded away as approach 
 was made to the shores of the Sound : for only a few miles was 
 the snow six feet deep ; the whole breadth over twelve inches 
 deep was somewhat less than sixty miles in extent." 
 
 Thus Tinkham actually crossed the range and reached 
 the Sound, making the very trip that McClellan pro- 
 nounced "impracticable " and would not even try, only 
 ten days after the latter's failure. 
 
THE PIONEERS 409 
 
 But McClellan's pride was hurt by this incident. He 
 took Governor Stevens's opinion as to the snow question, 
 and his action in sending Tinkham across the pass, in 
 high dudgeon as a reflection on himself, and, regardless 
 of the true friendship shown him and benefits conferred 
 upon him by the governor, treated him with marked cold- 
 ness. In his usual generous and magnanimous way, Gov- 
 ernor Stevens took no notice of this changed attitude of 
 McClellan, but gave him all possible credit in his reports. 
 Some years afterwards, when Governor Stevens was in 
 Congress, their mutual friend, Captain J. G. Foster, came 
 to him, and said that McClellan wished to meet him again 
 and renew their old friendship. Accordingly they met 
 at Willard's, and McClellan appeared as cordial and agree- 
 able as of old. 
 
 Captain McClellan had been instructed, after complet- 
 ing his reconnoissance of the Snoqualmie Pass, to examine 
 the harbors on the eastern shore of the Sound as far as 
 Bellingham Bay. But he gave up this duty also, after 
 proceeding a single day's trip in canoes about twenty 
 miles north of the mouth of the Snohomish River to the 
 northern extremity of McDonough or Camano Island, 
 where he encamped for the night, alleging as usual the 
 inclemency of the weather : " During that night six inches 
 of snow fell and a violent gale arose, so that on the next 
 day we were unable to proceed. On the next day (14th), 
 the wind still continuing dead ahead and very violent, I 
 turned back," etc. 
 
 Yet at this very time Governor Stevens was making 
 a complete tour of the Sound in a small open sailboat, 
 regardless of wind and weather. 
 
 McClellan also failed to do anything towards opening 
 the military road across the Cascades between Steila- 
 coom and Fort Walla Walla; and Lieutenant Richard 
 Arnold, under the governor's general supervision, re- 
 
410 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 lieved him of the charge of the road, and completed it in 
 1854. 
 
 It will be remembered how Governor Stevens had 
 placed this road in McClellan's hands, had furnished him 
 with information and correspondence relating to it, and 
 had advised him to consult with the prominent settlers in 
 regard to the best location of it. Of these people the 
 governor remarks in his report : — 
 
 " They have crossed the mountains, and made the long dis- 
 tance from the valley of the Mississippi to their homes on the 
 Pacific ; they have done so frequently, having to cut out roads 
 as they went, and knowing little of the difficulties before them. 
 They are therefore men of observation, of experience, of enter- 
 prise, and men who at home had by industry and frugality 
 secured a competency and the respect of their neighbors ; for it 
 must be known that our emigrants travel in parties, and those 
 go together who were acquaintances at home, because they 
 mutually confide in each other. I was struck with the high 
 qualities of the frontier people, and soon learned how to con- 
 fide in them and gather information from them." 
 
 Contrast with this McClellan's assertions in his letter to 
 Secretary of War Davis, of September 18, 1853 : — 
 
 " But the result of my short experience in this country has 
 been that not the slightest faith or confidence is to be placed in 
 information derived from the employees of the Hudson Bay 
 Company, or from the inhabitants of the Territory ; in every 
 instance, when I have acted upon information thus obtained, I 
 have been altogether deceived and misled." 
 
 But he was ready enough to adopt the reports of Indi- 
 ans in support of obstacles which existed chiefly in his 
 own imagination. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 ORGANIZING CIVIL GOVERNMENT. THE INDIAN SERVICE 
 
 It was indeed a wild country, untouched by civiliza- 
 tion, and a scanty white population sparsely sprinkled 
 over the immense area that were awaiting the arrival of 
 Governor Stevens to organize civil government, and shape 
 the destinies of the future. A mere handful of settlers, 
 3965 all told, were widely scattered over western Wash- 
 ington, between the lower Columbia and the Strait of 
 Fuca. A small hamlet clustered around the military 
 post at Vancouver. A few settlers were spread wide apart 
 along the Columbia, among whom were Columbia Lan- 
 caster on Lewis River ; Seth Catlin, Dr. Nathaniel Ostran- 
 der, and the Huntingtons about the mouth of the Cowlitz ; 
 Alexander S. Abernethy at Oak Point ; and Judge Wil- 
 liam Strong at Cathlamet. Some oystermen in Shoalwater 
 Bay were taking shellfish for the San Francisco market. 
 At Cowlitz Landing, thirty miles up that river, were ex- 
 tensive prairies, where farms had been cultivated by the 
 Hudson Bay Company, under the name of the Puget 
 Sound Agricultural Company, for fifteen years ; and here 
 were a few Americans and a number of Scotch and Cana- 
 dians, former employees of that company, and now look- 
 ing forward to becoming American citizens, and settling 
 down upon their own " claims " under the Donation Act, 
 which gave 320 acres to every settler, and as much more 
 to his wife. A score of hardy pioneers had settled upon 
 the scattered prairies between the Cowlitz Farms and the 
 Sound ; among them were John R. Jackson, typical Eng- 
 
412 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 lish yeoman, on his prairie, ten miles from the Cowlitz ; 
 S. S. Saunders, on Saunders's Bottom, where now stands 
 the town of Chehalis ; George Washington, a colored man, 
 on the next prairie, the site of Centralia ; Judge Sid- 
 ney S. Ford on his prairie on the Chehalis River, below 
 the mouth of the Skookumchuck Creek ; W. B. Good ell, 
 B. L. Henness, and Stephen Hodgdon on Grand Mound 
 Prairie ; A. B. Rabbeson and W. W. Plumb on Mound 
 Prairie. A number of settlers had taken up the prairies 
 about Olympia, the principal of whom were W. 0. Bush, 
 Gabriel Jones, William Rutledge, and David Kendrick 
 on Bush Prairie ; J. N. Low, Andrew J. Chambers, Na- 
 than Eaton, Stephen D. Ruddell, and Urban E. Hicks on 
 Chambers's Prairie ; David J. Chambers on the prairie of 
 his name. James McAlister and William Packwood were 
 on the Nisqually Bottom, at the mouth of the river, just 
 north of which, on the verge of the Nisqually plains, was 
 situated the Hudson Bay Company post, Fort Nisqually, 
 a parallelogram of log buildings and stockade, under 
 charge of Dr. W. F. Tolmie, a warm-hearted and true 
 Scot. Great herds of Spanish cattle, the property of this 
 company, roamed over the Nisqually plains, little cared 
 for and more than half wild, and, it is to be feared, occa- 
 sionally fell prey to the rifles of the hungry American 
 emigrants. Two miles below Olympia, on the east side 
 of the bay, was located a Catholic mission under Fathers 
 Ricard and Blanchet, where were a large building, an 
 orchard, and a garden. They had made a number of con- 
 verts among the Indians. 
 
 Towns, each as yet little more than a " claim " and a 
 name, but each in the hope and firm belief of its found- 
 ers destined to future greatness, were just started at 
 Steilacoom, by Lafayette Balch ; at Seattle, by Dr. D. 
 S. Maynard, H. L. Yesler, and the Dennys ; at Port 
 Townsend, by F. W. Petty grove and L. B. Hastings ; 
 
SETTLERS AND SETTLEMENTS 413 
 
 and at Bellingham Bay, by Henry Koder and Edward 
 Eldridge. 
 
 Save the muddy track from the Cowlitz to Olympia 
 and thence to Steilacoom, and a few local trails, roads 
 there were none. Communication was chiefly by water, 
 almost wholly in canoes manned by Indians. The monthly 
 steamer from San Francisco and a little river steamboat 
 plying daily between Vancouver and Portland alone vexed 
 with their keels the mighty Columbia ; while it was not 
 until the next year that reckless, harum-scarum Captain 
 Jack Scranton ran the Major Tompkins, a small black 
 steamer, once a week around the Sound, and had no rival. 
 Here was this great wooded country without roads, the 
 unrivaled waterways without steamers, the adventurous, 
 vigorous white population without laws, numerous tribes 
 of Indians without treaties, and the Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany's rights and possessions without settlement. To 
 add to the difficulties and confusion of the situation, Con- 
 gress, by the Donation Acts, held out a standing invitation 
 to the American settlers to seize and settle upon any land, 
 surveyed or unsurveyed, without waiting to extinguish 
 the Indian title, or define the lands guaranteed by solemn 
 treaty to the foreign company, and already the Indians 
 and the Hudson Bay Company were growing daily more 
 and more restless and indignant at the encroachments 
 of the pushing settlers upon their choicest spots. Truly 
 a situation fraught with difficulties and dangers, where 
 everything was to be done and nothing yet begun. 
 
 It is a great but common mistake to suppose that the 
 early American settlers of Washington were a set of law- 
 less, rough, and ignorant borderers. In fact they com- 
 pare favorably with the early settlers of any of the States. 
 As a rule they were men of more than average force of 
 character, vigorous, honest, intelligent, law-abiding, and 
 patriotic, — men who had brought their families to carve 
 
414 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 out homes in the wilderness, and many of them men of 
 education and of standing in their former abodes. Among 
 them could be found the best blood of New England, the 
 sturdy and kindly yeomanry of Virginia and Kentucky, 
 and men from all the States of the Middle West from 
 Ohio to Arkansas. Most of them had slowly wended 
 their way across the great plains, overcoming every ob- 
 stacle, and suffering untold privations; others had come 
 by sea around Cape Horn, or across the Isthmus. They 
 were all true Americans, patriotic and brave, and filled 
 with sanguine hopes of, and firm faith in, the future 
 growth and greatness of the new country which they 
 had come to make blossom like the rose. Governor Ste- 
 vens, as has been shown, at once appreciated the character 
 of these people. 
 
 After the arduous and exposed journey up the Cowlitz 
 by canoe, — where the Indian crew had to gain foot by 
 foot against the furious current of the flooded river, 
 oftentimes pulling the frail craft along by the overhang- 
 ing bushes, — and over the muddy trail by horseback, 
 Governor Stevens reached Olympia on November 25, 
 1853, just five months and nineteen days since starting 
 from St. Paul. He found here awaiting his arrival the 
 new territorial secretary, Charles M. Mason, brother to 
 his old friend Colonel James Mason, of the engineers, 
 who had just come out by the Isthmus route. Mason 
 was of distinguished appearance and bearing, with fine 
 dark eyes and hair, fair, frank face, and charming but 
 unobtrusive manner. He was highly educated, gifted 
 with unusual ability, and a noble and amiable disposition, 
 and was beloved by all who knew him. The other ter- 
 ritorial officers on the ground were : Edward Lander, 
 chief justice, and Victor Monroe, associate justice ; J. V. 
 Clendenin, district attorney; J. Patten Anderson, marshal; 
 and Simpson P. Moses, collector of customs. 
 
CHARLES H. MASON 
 
 Secretary of Washington Territory 
 
ARRIVAL AT OLYMPIA 415 
 
 Among the settlers welcoming their new governor were : 
 Edmund Sylvester, the founder of Olympia ; Colonel Wil- 
 liam Cock, Shirley Ensign, D. R. Bigelow, George A. 
 Barnes, H. A. Goldsborough, John M. Swan, C. H. Hale, 
 Judge B. F. Yantis, Judge Gilmore Hayes, John G. 
 Parker, Quincy A. Brooks, Dr. G. K. Willard, Colonel M. 
 T. Simmons, Captain Clanrick Crosby, Ira Ward, James 
 Biles, Joseph Cushman, S. W. Percival, Edwin Marsh, 
 R. M. Walker, Levi and James Offut, J. C. Head, W. 
 Dobbins, Isaac Hawk, Rev. G. F. Whitworth, Jared S. 
 Hurd, H. R. Woodward, B. F. Brown, and M. Hurd. 
 
 The arrival of the governor and his party was the great 
 event for the little town, as well as for the new Territory 
 generally, and warm and hearty was his greeting by the 
 pioneers. And when shortly afterwards, December 19, 
 the governor delivered a lecture, giving a description of 
 his exploration and an exposition of the Northern route, 
 their hopes and expectations were raised to the highest 
 point, and they already saw in the mind's eye the iron 
 horse speeding across the plains and through the mighty 
 forests, and the full-flowing tide of immigration following 
 its advent. 
 
 Without delay the governor issued his proclamation, as 
 empowered by the organic act marking out and establish- 
 ing election districts, appointing time (January 30) and 
 places for holding the elections, for a delegate in Con- 
 gress and members of the legislature, and summoning 
 that body to meet in Olympia on the 28th of February. 
 
 The Indian service next engaged his attention. He 
 appointed Colonel M. T. Simmons Indian agent for the 
 Puget Sound Indians, with B. F. Shaw and 0. Cushman 
 as interpreters and assistants, and sent them to visit the 
 different tribes and bands, to assure them of the protec- 
 tion and guidance of the Great Father in Washington, 
 to urge them to cultivate the soil and " follow the white 
 
416 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 man's road," that is, to adopt the habits of civilized life ; 
 and to impress upon them the necessity of making treaties, 
 in order to prevent future trouble and secure them peace 
 and safety. He also appointed A. J. Bolon agent for the 
 Indians east of the Cascades, and William H. Tappan 
 agent for the coast and river Indians on the Chehalis and 
 Columbia rivers, Gray's Harbor, and Shoalwater Bay. 
 
 Governor Stevens deeply commiserated the condition 
 and probable future of the Indians under his charge, and 
 felt the greatest interest and concern in their welfare 
 and improvement. How wise, generous, and beneficent a 
 policy he established in his treaties, with what great kind- 
 ness, justice, and firmness he uniformly treated them, will 
 be shown later in this work. It is enough to say now 
 that the Indians came to know him as their friend and 
 protector, and to this day hold his memory in reverence; 
 that the treaties he made and the policy he inaugurated 
 have remained in force to the present time, and that 
 under them the Indians of Washington have more fully 
 preserved their rights and improved their condition than 
 the aborigines of any other State. 
 
 Having thus started the civil government and Indian 
 service, and set the young men of the exploration hard at 
 work preparing the reports, and, as already related, dis- 
 patched McClellan to run the line from the Sound to the 
 Snoqualmie Pass, the governor took the Sarah Stone, 
 a small sailboat, or " plunger," and, accompanied by Mr. 
 George Gibbs, went down the Sound in person, in order, 
 as he states, " to visit and take a census of the Indian 
 tribes, learn something of the general character of the 
 Sound and its harbors, and to visit Vancouver Island 
 and its principal port, Victoria. 
 
 " In this trip I visited Steilacoom, Seattle, Skagit Head, Penn's 
 Cove, the mouths of the Skagit and Samish rivers, Bellingham 
 Bay, passed up the channel De Rosario and down the channel 
 
TOUR OF THE SOUND 417 
 
 De Haro to Victoria, and on my return made Port Townsend 
 and several other points on the western shore of the Sound. 
 We examined the coal mines back of Seattle and Bellingham 
 Bay, and saw a large body of Indians of nearly all the tribes. 
 I became greatly impressed with the important advantages of 
 Seattle, and also with the importance of the disputed islands." 
 
 In a report to the Secretary of War, written immedi- 
 ately after this trip, he remarks : — 
 
 " I was agreeably impressed with Elliott's Bay, on which 
 are the flourishing towns of Seattle and Alki, and I agree en- 
 tirely in the opinion of Captain McClellan that it is the best 
 harbor on the Sound, and unless the approach to it from the 
 pass should, on a more minute examination, prove less favor- 
 able than to some other point, which is hardly to be expected, 
 that it is the proper terminus of the railroad." 
 
 In his reports Seattle is assumed as the terminus on 
 the Sound, and all the distances measured and calcula- 
 tions of cost, etc., are made with reference to that point 
 as the western end of the route. 
 
 The above is a provokingly brief and meagre record of 
 this trip, which occupied the whole month of January, 
 the same month that McClellan, after balking the Sno- 
 qualmie survey, turned back from Camano Island and 
 abandoned the examination of the lower Sound in conse- 
 quence of the inclemency of the weather. The governor's 
 trip could have been no holiday excursion, in an open 
 sailboat in that stormy, rainy season, and among the 
 swift tides and fierce gales of the lower Sound. But it 
 was fruitful in results. He grasped with the acute and 
 discriminating eye of an engineer the whole system of 
 waters and the several harbors and points of importance, 
 talked with the principal men of each place and gleaned 
 all the information they could furnish, and gained a com- 
 prehensive and correct idea of the numbers, distribution, 
 and character of the Indians. 
 
 Moreover, he met at Victoria Governor Sir James 
 
418 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Douglass and the other officers there of the Hudson 
 Bay Company, and discussed with them their claims 
 within our borders. He had now visited and personally 
 examined all but one (Fort Okanogan) of that company's 
 posts within his territory, Colville, Walla Walla, Van- 
 couver, Cowlitz Farms, and Nisqually, and had discussed 
 their claims with the officers in charge of them, and with 
 the chief factor, Sir James Douglass. As the result of 
 this investigation he made, on his return to Olympia, an 
 exhaustive report to the Secretary of State, setting forth 
 in detail the actual holdings and improvements of the 
 company at each point. He estimated that their value 
 could not exceed $300,000, and recommended that a 
 commission be appointed to adjudicate the claims, and 
 that such sum be appropriated by Congress to extinguish 
 them. Secretary Marcy adopted his views and recommen- 
 dations, and transmitted them to Congress, and a bill 
 appointing the commission and making the appropriation 
 passed the Senate the following session, but failed in the 
 House. These claims remained a bone of contention 
 between the countries for many years, until finally Great 
 Britain, by means of a joint commission, and by sticking 
 to the most extravagant demands with true bulldog tena- 
 city, succeeded in wringing nearly a million dollars from 
 the United States. 
 
 At the election Columbia Lancaster was chosen dele- 
 gate in Congress. He was a lawyer by profession, and a 
 man of ability and education. 
 
 The legislature assembled on the appointed day, and 
 Governor Stevens delivered his first message. Briefly 
 reviewing the great natural resources of the Territory 
 and its commercial advantages, with its unrivaled harbors 
 and location to control in due time the trade of China 
 and Japan, he recommended the adoption of a code of 
 laws, the organization of the country east of the Cascades 
 
THE FIRST MESSAGE 419 
 
 into counties, a school system with military training in 
 the higher schools, and the organization of the militia. 
 The latter he declared necessary in view of their remote 
 situation, compelling them to rely upon themselves in case 
 of war, for a time at least, and to enable them to draw 
 arms and ammunition from the general government, 
 which could be issued only to an organized militia force. 
 He dwelt on the importance of extinguishing the Indian 
 title and the claims of the Hudson Bay and Puget Sound 
 Agricultural Companies, and settling the boundary line 
 on British territory, and recommended them to memori- 
 alize Congress in behalf of these measures. He informed 
 them that, under instructions from the Secretary of State, 
 he had already notified the foreign Fur Company that 
 it could not be allowed to trade with Indians within the. 
 Territory, and would be given until July to wind up theirj 
 affairs. He also urged them to ask Congress for a sur- 
 veyor-general and a land office, for more rapid surveys 
 of public land, so that they might be kept in advance of 
 settlement ; to amend the land laws by facilitating the 
 acquisition of title, and by placing single women on the 
 same footing with married women ; for a grant of lands 
 for a university; for improved mail service; for roads 
 to Walla Walla, to Vancouver, and to Bellingham Bay 
 along the eastern shore of the Sound ; and for continu- 
 ing the geographical and geological surveys already begun. 
 He boldly advocated the construction of three railroads 
 across the continent, undoubtedly the first to foresee the 
 necessity of more than a single line. From this time he 
 always advocated three transcontinental roads. 
 
 All these recommendations were promptly adopted by 
 the legislature, except as regarded the militia, concerning 
 which no action was taken ; an unfortunate neglect, which 
 left the people almost defenseless when the Indian war 
 broke out less than two years later. 
 
420 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Soon after arriving at Olympia, Governor Stevens 
 writes his friend Halleck announcing his arrival and the 
 successful achievement of the exploration. In this letter 
 he expresses the opinion that the waters of San Francisco 
 Bay and Puget Sound should both have their connections 
 with the States by railroad. 
 
 He asks Halleck how lands should be donated and 
 managed for the establishment of a university in Wash- 
 ington Territory, and his views as to a plan, etc. 
 
 January 9 he writes Joseph Grinnell & Co., of New 
 York, a great mercantile and shipping and whaling firm, 
 suggesting to them the establishing of a whaling and 
 fishing depot on one of the harbors of the lower Sound. 
 
 Halleck writes a cordial letter in reply to the gov- 
 ernor's, and gives him a glimpse " behind the curtain" 
 of California and Southern Democratic politics, which 
 throws light on Jefferson Davis's action in shutting off 
 the further exploration of the Northern route. 
 
 " I have by no means lost my interest in the Democratic 
 party, or the great public questions of the day. The first and 
 most important of these is the great continental railroad. 
 Present examinations would seem almost conclusive against 
 Benton's central project. If so, this road must run from some 
 point in New Mexico to some pass near Los Angeles, and thence 
 to San Francisco (and San Diego, perhaps). 
 
 " If this southern route should be selected, it would lead to 
 another northern route, perhaps the one explored by yourself to 
 Puget Sound. Even if a single road should be adopted on the 
 central line, it must fork to San Francisco and Puget Sound, 
 the two great termini of the Pacific coast. 
 
 " The pro-slavery extension party will work very hard against 
 the North Pacific States, which must of necessity remain free. 
 The first branch of this project was to call a new convention in 
 California dividing it into two States, making the southern one 
 a slave State, with San Diego as the port and terminus of a rail- 
 road through Texas. Circulars and letters to that effect were 
 sent to pro-slavery men in California, and the attempt made to 
 
PREPARING EXPLORATION REPORTS 421 
 
 divide the State, but it failed. The next move was to acquire 
 Lower California and part of Sonora and Chihuahua, making 
 Guaymas the terminus, and the newly acquired territory slave 
 States. Two separate plans were set on foot for the same ob- 
 ject, the Walker « filibustering ' expedition against Lower Cali- 
 fornia and Sonora, and Gadsden's treaty with Santa Anna. 
 The former is thus far a most complete and contemptible 
 failure, but rumor says the latter is likely to be successful, and 
 will be undoubtedly, if backed with sufficient money. If the 
 territory is acquired, it will be slave territory, and a most tre- 
 mendous effort will be made to run a railroad if not the rail- 
 road from Texas to Guaymas, with a branch to San Francisco." 
 
 Amid all these pressing and engrossing official duties 
 the governor found time to purchase his future home- 
 stead in Olympia, Block 84, and also a tract of ten acres 
 a little farther back, where Maple Park is now situated. 
 He also contracted for the purchase of the north half of 
 the Walker Donation claim, a tract of three hundred and 
 twenty acres situated a mile and a half south of the town 
 and half way to Tumwater. All these tracts were then 
 buried in the dense and tall fir forest; but when the 
 country was cleared, it appeared that the governor had 
 selected them with unerring judgment, for they are the 
 finest sites in the town or vicinity. 
 
 During all this time the governor and the officers and 
 scientific men of the exploration were hard at work on 
 the reports of their operations, working up the obser- 
 vations, and classifying the collections. As McClellan, 
 Donelson, Lander, Suckley, Gibbs, Arnold, Tinkham, 
 and Grover successively reached Olympia, bringing fresh 
 contributions of information gathered in their trips, each 
 took hold of the work. The offices of the survey were 
 in two small, one-storied buildings on the west side of 
 Main Street, between Second and Third, hired of Father 
 Ricard, and presented a busy scene, filled with desks, 
 tables, instruments, collections, maps, and papers, among 
 
422 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 which the young men were writing and working for dear 
 life. 
 
 Lieutenant Arnold and Dr. Suckley executed the recon- 
 noissances intrusted to them most satisfactorily. Lieu- 
 tenant Grover, starting from Fort Benton in January 
 with his dog-train, crossed the main range to the Bitter 
 Koot valley, finding only eight inches of snow, and thence 
 continued with horses down Clark's Fork and Pend 
 Oreille Lake and to the Dalles. On reaching Vancou- 
 ver the governor dispatched an express to Lieutenant 
 Mullan by Spokane Garry, who had accompanied him to 
 that point, and in January he sent wagonmaster Higgins 
 with a second express to the same point. Thus, by these 
 expresses going and returning, he had the route between 
 the Bitter Eoot valley and Olympia traversed four times 
 in addition to Grover' s trip. Lieutenant Mullan crossed 
 the main continental divide six times that winter, extend- 
 ing his trips to Fort Hall, on the upper Snake Eiver, 
 and traveling nearly a thousand miles. The explora- 
 tions made by the young officers, including Tinkham 
 and Doty, were very remarkable and valuable, and were 
 attended at times with great exertions and privations, 
 and full accounts of them are given in the final report. 
 
 Thus, by his winter posts and parties, the governor 
 was solving, in the most complete and satisfactory man- 
 ner, the questions of mountain snows and climates. From 
 Olympia he reported to Secretary of War Davis the re- 
 sults of the explorations, and particularly on these points. 
 He urged that the posts be continued, and a closer exam- 
 ination made of the more favorable mountain passes, and 
 that lines be surveyed from the Northern route to Great 
 Salt Lake and to San Francisco. 
 
 At this juncture Governor Stevens received a curt and 
 peremptory order from Secretary Davis, disapproving his 
 arrangements, and ordering him to disband the winter 
 
FURTHER EXPLORATIONS STOPPED. 423 
 
 parties and bring his operations to a close. Acknow- 
 ledging the receipt of the order, February 13, he declares 
 that it shall be promptly obeyed, and continues : — 
 
 " But I earnestly submit to the department the importance 
 of the continuation of these surveys, and indulge the hope that 
 Congress will make liberal appropriations, both in a deficiency 
 bill and in the general appropriation bill, in order that the field 
 now so well entered upon may be fully occupied. 
 
 " I will respectfully call the attention of the department to 
 the peculiar circumstances of my exploration, which will, it 
 seems to me, explain the exceeding of the appropriation, with 
 every desire and effort on my part so to arrange the scale and 
 conduct it as not to involve a deficiency. The field was almost 
 totally new, rendering it impossible to form an estimate. Much 
 work of reconnoissance had to be done, which had previously 
 been done for all the other routes, before a direction could be 
 given to the railroad examinations and estimates proper. Un- 
 foreseen expenses in the way of presents, etc., had to be incurred 
 to conciliate the Indian tribes, for our route was the only one, 
 so far as I was informed, that at the time was deemed particu- 
 larly dangerous ; and the investigation of the question of snow 
 was a vital and fundamental one, essential to making any reliable 
 report at all, and included within the express requirements of 
 the original instructions. I deeply regretted the deficiency 
 which I found impending at Fort Benton, and I took at that 
 place that course which I believed Congress and the department 
 would have taken under the circumstances." 
 
 Moreover, to provide funds indispensable for the imme- 
 diate needs of the survey, the governor had drawn on 
 Corcoran and Riggs, government bankers in Washington, 
 to the amount of $16,000, and these drafts all went to 
 protest. 
 
 But the Secretary's order arrived too late to frustrate 
 Governor Stevens's thoroughgoing measures for deter- 
 mining the snow question. The problem was solved 
 before the work of the winter parties could be arrested, 
 and this most important point was clearly and satisfac- 
 
424 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 torily set forth in the report. The much-feared moun- 
 tain snows were found to be greatly exaggerated, and to 
 present no real obstacle to the operation of railroads. In 
 this respect the report has been fully confirmed by sub- 
 sequent experience, and in fact less difficulty has been 
 encountered from snow in the mountains than on the 
 plains of Dakota. 
 
 He decided, therefore, to hasten to Washington the 
 earliest moment his threefold duties of the governorship, 
 Indian service, and the exploration would admit of, filled 
 with the fixed determination to prevent the discontinu- 
 ance of the exploration, to secure the payment of the 
 protested drafts, and to enlighten the government as to 
 the necessity of the Blackfoot council, and of extinguish- 
 ing the Indian title within his own Territory. 
 
 To justify his going without leave first obtained, the 
 legislature passed a joint resolution that " no disadvan- 
 tage would result to the Territory should the governor 
 visit Washington, if, in his judgment, the interests of 
 the Northern Pacific Railroad survey could thereby be 
 promoted." 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 RETURN TO WASHINGTON. REPORT OF EXPLORATION 
 
 Governor Stevens left Olympia on March 26, and, 
 proceeding by way of the Cowlitz to the Columbia, and 
 by steamer down the coast, reached San Francisco early 
 in April. Here he found a group of his old friends and 
 brother officers, including Mason, Halleck, and Folsom, 
 and how warmly he was received by them, and how inter- 
 esting they found his accounts of the exploration, the 
 Indians, and the many wild and new scenes he had passed 
 through, may be imagined. His arrival attracted much 
 public attention ; his exploration was deemed a very im- 
 portant and remarkable one, and one conducted with 
 remarkable ability and success ; and in Music Hall, on 
 Bush Street, April 13, before a crowded audience, and 
 introduced by Mayor Garrison, he gave an able address 
 upon the Northern route. In this address he boldly 
 advocated three railroads across the continent, declaring 
 that the subject of internal communications was too great 
 to be treated from a sectional point of view. He demon- 
 strated the favorable character of the route and country 
 he had explored, the navigability of the upper Columbia 
 and Missouri, and the little obstruction from snows. The 
 impression made by this address is reflected in the edi- 
 torial of the San Francisco " Herald : " — 
 
 " Of all the surveys ordered by the general government at 
 Washington with a view to the selection of a route for a rail- 
 road across the continent, that intrusted to Governor Stevens 
 is by far the most satisfactory. He took the field in June last, 
 
426 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 having left the Mississippi River on the 15th of that month, 
 and, moving steadily westward, — throwing out parties on the 
 right and left of his line, surveying every stream of any con- 
 sequence, exploring every pass again and again, — he has 
 accomplished in that time the survey of a belt extending two 
 thousand miles from east to west, and from one hundred and 
 fifty to two hundred miles from north to south. In the Rocky 
 Mountains his explorations have extended over four hundred 
 miles from north to south, and in the Cascade Mountains over 
 two hundred and fifty miles. While the main work of recon- 
 noissance was going on, the auxiliary departments of geology, 
 natural history, botany, etc., were prosecuted with vigor and 
 success. The results obtained in so short a space of time are, 
 as far as we are aware, unparalleled. 
 
 "The route thus occupied by Governor Stevens and his 
 party is the route of the two great rivers across the continent, 
 the Missouri and Columbia. Their tributaries interlock ; the 
 whole mountain range is broken down into spurs and valleys, 
 and no obstruction exists from snow. The whole route is emi- 
 nently practicable. The highest grade will be fifty feet to the 
 mile. The summit level of the road will be about five thousand 
 feet above the sea. There will be but one tunnel. The snows 
 will be less than in the New England States. The Missouri 
 River has been surveyed, and found to be navigable for steamers 
 to the Falls, about seven hundred miles from Puget Sound, and 
 five hundred miles to the point where the main Columbia is 
 first reached by railroad from the East. This five hundred 
 miles is in part along Clark's Fork, affording one hundred 
 miles navigable for steamers. 
 
 " The results of the survey may be summed up as follows : 
 Three lines run from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Moun- 
 tains; nine passes explored in the Rocky Mountains; three lines 
 run from the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River and 
 Puget Sound ; the Cascades explored from the Columbia to the 
 49th parallel ; Puget Sound examined with reference to a rail- 
 road depot; the fact that not the slightest obstruction will occur 
 from snow established beyond controversy." 
 
 After a short stay in San Francisco, Governor Stevens 
 took the steamer for the Isthmus, and reached New York 
 
JEFFERSON DAVIS CONDEMNS NORTHERN ROUTE 427 
 
 in May, and the next morning had a joyful reunion 
 with his wife and little girls in Newport. After his 
 severe and long-continued labors, the sea voyage com- 
 pelled him to a much-needed rest. On such voyages he 
 threw off his wonted intense, high pressure mood of work, 
 and, with mind relaxed, enjoyed the soothing influence 
 of old Neptune. 
 
 He proceeded immediately to Washington with his 
 family, except his son, who was at school at Phillips 
 Academy in Andover, and who joined him later at the 
 summer vacation, and took rooms at the National Hotel 
 on Pennsylvania Avenue. A great deal was still to be 
 done to complete the report of the exploration, and with 
 Tinkham, Osgood, and other assistants he drove it with 
 his accustomed vigor. On June 30 he submitted it to 
 the department, the first report of all the routes, although 
 it covered the greatest field, and was by far the most 
 comprehensive and exhaustive. 
 
 Secretary Davis, recognizing that in his measures for 
 prosecuting the survey Governor Stevens was actuated 
 solely by zeal for the public service, submitted an esti- 
 mate to cover the deficiency, which was duly appropri- 
 ated, and the protested drafts were honored. General 
 Hunt gives the following incident, which shows the con- 
 fidence Governor Stevens's old friends had in his ability 
 to carry his points : — 
 
 " I followed him in the thorough work he made of the North- 
 ern Pacific Eailway survey, — of his row with Jeff Davis for 
 overrunning in his expenditures the amount assigned him, and 
 so preventing Jeff's designs of defeating that road. In 1854 I 
 had, at Fort Monroe, occasion to describe your father to old 
 Major Holmes, a classmate of Jeff. He went to Washington, 
 and on his return told me, ' Your friend Stevens is ruined. 
 Davis refuses to recommend to Congress to make good the ex- 
 penditures as contrary to orders. It will ruin Stevens.' ' Wait 
 awhile,' said I; 'I see by the last "Union" that Stevens has 
 
428 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 just arrived en route to Washington at Panama. He will 
 leave Jeff nowhere 1 ' Soon after he arrived in Washington, 
 was followed by an appropriation covering all his bills, and so 
 Jeff failed all round." 
 
 Secretary Davis was in fact astonished and deeply 
 disappointed at the results of the survey, and the very 
 favorable picture of the Northern route and country 
 given in Governor Stevens's report. A leader among 
 the Southern public men, who were so soon to bring on 
 the great rebellion, of which he was to be the official 
 head, he had set his heart upon the Southern route, and 
 was anxious to establish its superiority to all others and 
 secure its adoption as the national route, in order to 
 aggrandize his own section. He could ill brook, there- 
 fore, Governor Stevens's clear and vivid description of 
 the Northern route, showing its great superiority in soil 
 and climate, the easy grades, absence of snow, and acces- 
 sibility by inland river navigation. He chose to consider 
 the accounts overdrawn as the best way of sustaining his 
 chosen route. In his report to Congress, transmitting 
 the surveys of the several routes, he took great pains 
 to belittle the results of Governor Stevens's labors and 
 disparage the Northern route. In his comparison of 
 routes, he arbitrarily increased the governor's estimate 
 of cost from $117,121,000 to $150,871,000, or nearly 
 $38,000,000 ; magnified the physical difficulties ; con- 
 demned the agricultural resources ; declared that " the 
 country west of the Kocky Mountains to the Pacific slope 
 may likewise be described as one of general sterility," 
 and that "the severely cold character of the climate 
 throughout the whole route, except the portion west of 
 the Cascade Mountains, is one of its unfavorable fea- 
 tures." He ignored the governor's statements, and Tink- 
 ham's reconnoissance as to the snow in the Snoqualmie 
 Pass, and the practicability of the latter, and, quoting 
 
GOVERNOR STEVENS'S REJOINDER 429 
 
 McClellan with approval, declared that "the snow is 
 twenty feet deep, the pass barely practicable, and the 
 information now possessed is sufficient to decide against 
 this route,' ' It is significant that he pays a warm com- 
 pliment to McClellan, remarking that " his examination 
 presents a reconnoissance of great value, and, though per- 
 formed under adverse circumstances, exhibits all the in- 
 formation necessary to determine the practicability of this 
 portion of the route." And this of an officer who had 
 consumed a whole month in moving one hundred and 
 eighty miles ; lay another month in camp in the Yakima 
 valley, making only the most cursory examinations; found 
 the passes non-existent, or " impracticable ;" reported the 
 snow twenty to twenty-five feet deep on the credit of 
 Indians ; ignobly quailed at inclement weather and snows, 
 which other men bravely faced and overcame ; and gen- 
 erally condemned the country, and vilified the hardy 
 pioneers. In sober truth McClellan found credit in the 
 eyes of the Secretary, not for what he accomplished, but 
 for what he failed to accomplish, for his unfavorable and 
 condemnatory report on the route and the country, which 
 was precisely the kind of testimony the Secretary wanted. 
 The country, stigmatized as one of " general sterility," 
 and which Governor Stevens pronounced a fine, arable 
 region of great fertility, is now one of the great wheat- 
 fields of the country, yielding twenty to thirty million 
 bushels a year. 
 
 Moreover, Mr. Davis manifested a dissatisfied and 
 fault-finding spirit towards the governor. On one occa- 
 sion, when the latter was calling on him, and asking his 
 attention to some matter of importance connected with 
 the survey, Davis interrupted him with marked impa- 
 tience, and intimated that he had no time to hear him. 
 "I do not come here to talk with Jefferson Davis," 
 exclaimed the governor with dignity, "but to confer with 
 
430 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 the Secretary of War upon the public business intrusted 
 to my charge, and I demand his attention." The Secre- 
 tary at once gave him full and considerate hearing until 
 the matter was fully gone into, and as the governor took 
 his leave, followed him to the door, and frankly apolo- 
 gized for his momentary rudeness. Jefferson Davis was 
 not without generous and magnanimous traits, and appre- 
 ciated the earnest and sincere character of his caller. But 
 he put a stop to further work on the Northern route, 
 prevented any more appropriations for it, and kept up 
 his fight against it. Some time afterwards, in speaking 
 of the route to a mutual friend, 1 he declared : " Governor 
 Stevens is a man of great ability, and of upright and 
 high-toned character, but he has entirely misconceived 
 and exaggerated the agricultural resources of the North- 
 ern route. The fact is, he has no knowledge of agricul- 
 tural soils or conditions. ,, When this was repeated to 
 the governor he remarked : " Indeed, perhaps Mr. Davis 
 does not know that I was brought up on a farm until my 
 seventeenth year." 
 
 But Governor Stevens indulged in no complaints at 
 this unworthy treatment. He knew that the information 
 given in his report was too well founded and abundant 
 to be refuted by mere official rancor. Despite the depri- 
 vation of funds, he continued the work of exploration, 
 survey, and observation for the next three years, making 
 free use of the Indian agents and volunteer troops under 
 his command, and unsparing in his own personal exer- 
 tions, and on February 7, 1859, submitted to the War 
 I Department " My final report of the explorations made by 
 me and under my direction in the years 1853, 1854, and 
 1855, to determine the practicability of the Northern 
 route for a railroad to the Pacific." This report, pub- 
 lished by order of Congress in two large quarto volumes, 
 
 1 Major George T. Clark. 
 
GOVERNOR STEVENS'S REJOINDER 431 
 
 as Parts I. and II., vol. xii., Pacific Railroad Reports, con- 
 tains over eight hundred pages, with plates, tables, and 
 views, and most fully sustains the earlier report, besides 
 adding an immense amount of new information. And 
 this was Governor Stevens's answer to Secretary Davis. 
 
 But the governor found the sultry summer in Wash- 
 ington a very trying one, in cramped quarters, overbur- 
 dened with the voluminous data and details of the report, 
 and subject to many annoyances. Unfortunately, the 
 meteorological and astronomical observations, while in 
 care of Lieutenant Donelson, were lost, presumably on 
 the Isthmus, by the carelessness of the express company, 
 and could not be recovered, although that officer re- 
 turned to San Francisco expressly in search of them, 
 and this loss caused serious embarrassment. The gov- 
 ernor found, too, that some of the scientific corps were 
 proposing to publish as their own separate work the 
 materials gathered as members of the exploration, and 
 had to adopt decided and severe measures to prevent the 
 barefaced attempt. During great part of July he was 
 seriously ill, and incapacitated from work. 
 
 In addition to all these labors and cares, he obtained! 
 the sanction of the government for holding the Blackf oot 
 council he had so much at heart, for which he was ap- 
 pointed a commissioner, and allotted $10,000 for assem- 
 bling and bringing the western Indians to Fort Benton. 
 His views and recommendations in regard to treating with 
 the Indians of Washington Territory, and purchasing 
 their lands, were also adopted, and he was appointed the 
 commissioner to make such treaties. As already stated, 
 his recommendations in regard to the claims of the 
 Hudson Bay Company were adopted by the Secretary of 
 State. Congress appropriated $30,000 for a wagon-road 
 from Fort Benton to Walla Walla, a matter which the 
 governor strenuously urged ; and also amended the land 
 
432 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 laws, created the office of surveyor-general, and made ap- 
 propriations for universal surveys and mail service. To 
 all these matters " Governor Stevens addressed himself 
 with the energy, ability, and straightforwardness which 
 were his characteristics, supplementing the feebler efforts 
 of Lancaster, and, with Lane of Oregon, coming to the 
 rescue of the most important bills for Washington, and 
 really doing the work of the delegate." 1 Notwithstand- 
 ing Secretary Davis's attitude on the Northern route, 
 Governor Stevens seems to have lost none of his influ- 
 ence with the administration. When about to return to 
 the Pacific coast, President Pierce invited him to write 
 him personally and frequently. 
 
 1 Bancroft's Pacific States, vol. xxvi. p. 88. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 CROSSING THE ISTHMUS 
 
 Governor Stevens, with his family, consisting of his 
 wife, four children, the two youngest being only two and 
 four years old respectively, and the nurse Ellen, a bonny 
 young Irish woman, sailed from New York, September 
 20, 1854, en route for his far Western home. The vessel 
 was packed full, with thirteen hundred passengers. The 
 food was execrable, meats and poultry tainted and almost 
 uneatable. Ice was charged extra, twenty-five cents a 
 pound. The second cabin table rivaled at times a scene 
 from Bedlam. The hungry passengers would often hurl 
 the spoiled chickens overboard amid loud complaints, 
 laughter, and the imitated crowing and cackle of cocks 
 and hens. Christy's minstrels were on board, bound to 
 San Francisco, — a reckless, noisy, drinking crew, but 
 fine performers, both instrumental and vocal, and always 
 ready and willing to entertain the passengers with their 
 pleasing melodies. The best state-rooms were allotted the 
 governor and family, with seats next the captain at table, 
 but the younger children had to sit at the second table. 
 The ship put in at Havana for a day, where the family 
 enjoyed a delicious repast of broiled birds on toast and 
 guava jelly at the Dominica restaurant, and viewed the 
 cathedral and tomb of Columbus. Crossing the Carib- 
 bean sea in hot and sultry weather, they arrived at Aspin- 
 wall on the 29th. 
 
 This place was squalid, dreary, and repulsive. Low, 
 flat, swampy morass, some filled-in land ; great pools of 
 
434 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 dirty, green, stagnant water ; a f rail, rickety wharf, which 
 the ship hardly dared touch lest it fall over; a railroad 
 track along the shore ; a hundred yards back, a number 
 of large, cheap-built wooden houses, like overgrown tene- 
 ment houses, unpainted and dilapidated ; the street a bed 
 of mud, littered with broken boards and refuse lumber 
 and piles of rubbish; black pigs roaming and rooting 
 about; many rascally and worthless-looking natives, in 
 whom the negro predominated, — the whole thoroughly 
 wet down by heavy, drenching, tropical showers, — such 
 was Aspinwall, as the disappointed passengers landed, 
 and sought the shelter of the buildings supposed to be 
 hotels, but where almost everything was lacking except 
 extortionate charges. 
 
 After a comfortless night and miserable breakfast, the 
 party embarked on the cars, and proceeded about twenty 
 miles to the " Summit," which was half way to Panama, 
 and as far as the road then extended, and which was 
 reached about noon, and learned that the rest of the way 
 across had to be made on horse or mule back. There 
 were no animals ready, but it was announced that the 
 party would have to wait until the next morning, when 
 plenty of mules would be provided. Some railroad sheds, 
 a few native huts, and a huge pavilion, consisting of an 
 immense pyramidal thatched roof surmounting low sides 
 mostly open, comprised the only shelters, and into them 
 the passengers flocked. 
 
 The great pavilion belonged to a huge, jet black 
 Jamaica negro, named Carusi, and was not partitioned 
 off, consisting of nothing indeed but the earthen floor and 
 the roof above it, with the low sides. At night this rude 
 structure was thronged with the weary passengers. Deli- 
 cate ladies and children, rough men, and people of every 
 kind and condition fairly covered the floor, or rather 
 ground, seeking rest as best they could; while in the 
 
CROSSING THE ISTHMUS 435 
 
 centre of the apartment, in a big, old-fashioned, four- 
 poster bed, lay the gigantic Carusi side by side with his 
 fat wife, their ebony faces contrasting with the white pil- 
 lows and sheets. The minstrels improved the occasion 
 with banjo and song until late at night, when some of 
 them, becoming drunk, began disturbing the company 
 with oaths and obscene language, but Governor Stevens 
 rebuked them in such stern and minatory manner that 
 they were cowed, and relapsed into silence. 
 
 The expected mules began arriving in small bands 
 under charge of natives about noon the next day, and 
 with much bargaining and contention the passengers 
 secured their mounts, and started off in groups. The 
 governor employed two natives to carry the two youngest 
 children, who were mere babies, on their backs in chairs, 
 and set off followed by the rest of the family mounted 
 each on a mule. It soon began to rain in torrents. In 
 an hour it as suddenly ceased, and the sun came out, hot 
 and sultry, soon to be followed by another downpour, 
 and so deluge and sunshine alternated all day. After 
 riding two hours over narrow, muddy trails, and up and 
 down steep though short hills, where the mules had 
 trodden the clay into regular steps, they reached the 
 Chagres Kiver, and found all the passengers who had 
 preceded them collected on the bank, gazing in dismay 
 on the raging yellow flood, for the stream was up under 
 the tremendous rains, and fearing to essay its passage. 
 After viewing the river carefully, the governor forced his 
 mule into it, and, guiding him diagonally across, safely 
 made the opposite bank. Then, returning, he led the way 
 across again, his little daughter Sue, only eight years old, 
 close behind on her mule, then the rest of the family, and 
 after them followed all the waiting crowd. It was dark 
 when they reached Panama, and found shelter in an old 
 cloistered stone convent, now used as a hotel, exchanged 
 
436 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 their wet clothes for dry purchased at the nearest shop, 
 and obtained much-needed food and rest. But nothing 
 was seen or heard of the natives with the two babies, since 
 they stole off on a footpath soon after starting, and late 
 in the evening the governor mounted a fresh animal, and 
 with a guide went back to find them, spending the greater 
 part of the night in a vain search. At breakfast the next 
 morning the natives brought in the children, safe and 
 well and perfectly contented. They had taken the little 
 ones to their huts on account of the heavy rains, where 
 the native women fed them and put them to bed, dried 
 their clothes, and sent them in the next morning, safe 
 and sound. 
 
 During the day the passengers were taken out in boats 
 to the steamer Golden Age, which was anchored in the 
 bay three miles from the town. She was a larger and 
 more commodious ship than the other. The voyage up 
 the coast began the next morning. A stop of several 
 hours was made in the land-locked harbor of Acapulco, 
 which the governor improved by taking his family ashore, 
 and treating them to a dinner of fried chicken at a small 
 posada on the old and quaint paved main street. The 
 Panama fever soon made its dreaded appearance among 
 the passengers, owing to their exposure on the Isthmus ; 
 many fell sick, and a considerable number died and were 
 buried at sea. The weather was fine, the sea calm and 
 smooth save for the long rollers of the Pacific, and the 
 voyage would have been an enjoyable one had it not been 
 for the fearful fever and the crowded condition of the 
 vessel. On the fourteenth day she entered the Golden 
 Gate, and rested in the welcome port of San Francisco. 
 
 The governor took rooms at the Oriental Hotel. His 
 wife and the three little girls were all seized with the 
 fever on the ship, and their condition was serious when 
 they landed. Doctors Hitchcock and Hammond, old 
 
PANAMA FEVER 437 
 
 army friends of ,the governor, were unremitting in their 
 attentions, and after several weeks' care brought the suf- 
 ferers past the danger point, all except the little four-year- 
 old Maude. Her case they at length pronounced hope- 
 less. But her father would not give her up. He had a 
 hot bath administered as a last resort, and sat by her bed- 
 side hour after hour, giving liquid nourishment drop by 
 drop, and at last she passed the crisis and began to re- 
 cover. By all this sickness they were forced to remain 
 in the city over a month ; but in the society of his old 
 friends, and amid the bright, vigorous men and bustling 
 scenes of the new-born metropolis, the time passed rapidly 
 and well improved. Folsom, a man of wealth, placed his 
 fine carriage and horses at Mrs. Stevens's disposal. Hal- 
 leck would have long talks with the governor. Dr. Gwin 
 and his family, old friends and neighbors, met them with 
 real Southern cordiality. 
 
 One incident is worth relating, because it materially 
 affected subsequent events, as the governor believed. A 
 number of officers and other gentlemen were convers- 
 ing together at the hotel one evening, among whom was 
 General John E. Wool, then commanding the United 
 States forces on the Pacific coast. The talk turned on 
 the battle of Buena Vista, and General Wool loudly 
 claimed for himself all the credit for that battle, dispar- 
 aging in an offensive manner General Taylor and the part 
 he took in it. At length Governor Stevens, whose strong 
 sense of justice was outraged by the boastful and unfair 
 tirade, spoke up and said : " General Wool, we all know 
 the brilliant part you bore in the battle, but we all know 
 and history will record that General Taylor fought and 
 won the battle of Buena Vista." * Wool, although visi- 
 bly offended, made no reply to this rebuke, but it rankled 
 
 1 Governor Stevens's own statement. See Bancroft's Pacific States, vol. 
 xxvi. p. 117, note. 
 
438 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 and caused a bitter animosity, which subsequently found 
 vent in hostile speech and action. 
 
 The voyage up the coast was made without special inci- 
 dent; they crossed the bar, steamed up the Columbia, 
 and landed at Vancouver early in November. Here they 
 remained a fortnight, the guests of Captain Brent, the 
 quartermaster, in order to enable the sick members to 
 gain strength sufficiently to stand the hard trip to the 
 Sound. After this brief stay the governor took his 
 family on a little steamboat to Portland, where they spent 
 the night. The town then consisted only of a string of 
 small wooden buildings along the river-bank. The street, 
 or road, was a perfect quagmire of mud-holes. Single 
 planks laid along irregularly, with many intervals, fur- 
 nished the only sidewalks. The next morning they em- 
 barked on a steamer and went down the river to Rainier, 
 where they landed. This place consisted of a wharf and 
 a sawmill. It was called Rainier, it was said, by way 
 of a joke, because it rained here all the time ; but doubt- 
 less it was named after Mount Rainier, which was named 
 by Admiral Vancouver after a lord of the British admi- 
 ralty. The party took canoes, manned by Indians, the 
 same afternoon, crossed the Columbia, and paddled a few 
 miles up the Cowlitz to Monticello, where they spent the 
 night. At daylight the next morning the governor and 
 family embarked in one large canoe, while the trunks 
 and baggage followed in another, and pushed upstream 
 against a swift current. There were in the canoe the 
 governor, his wife and four children, the nurse, and a 
 crew of four Indians, two at each end. It was a dark, 
 drizzling day, with frequent showers. The passengers sat 
 upon the bottom of the canoe upon plenty of Indian mats, 
 and well wrapped in blankets, and, except for the con- 
 strained and irksome position, were fairly comfortable. 
 The Indians, urged by promise of extra pay, paddled vig- 
 
CANOEING UP THE COWLITZ 439 
 
 orously. At the rapids (and it seemed that nearly all the 
 stream was in rapids) they laid aside their paddles, and, 
 standing up, forced the canoe ahead with poles, which 
 they wielded with great skill and vigor. All day long 
 they paddled and poled with unabated energy, now pad- 
 dling where they could take advantage of an eddy or 
 stretch of back water, now forcing the canoe up swift 
 rapids, gaining inch by inch. It was after dark when 
 they reached Cowlitz Landing, thirty miles above Monti- 
 cello, and found shelter for the night at the hospitable 
 inn kept by Dr. and Mrs. U. G. Warbass. 
 Writes Mrs. Stevens of this trip : — ■ 
 
 " We were placed in the canoe with great care, so as to bal- 
 ance it evenly, as it was frail and upset easily. At first the 
 novelty, motion, and watching our Indians paddle so deftly, then 
 seize their poles and push along over shallow places, keeping up 
 a low, sweet singing as they glided along, was amusing. As we 
 were sitting flat on the bottom of the canoe, the position became 
 irksome and painful. We were all day long on this Cowlitz 
 River. At night I could not stand on my feet for some time 
 after landing. We walked ankle-deep in the mud to a small 
 log-house, where we had a good meal. Here we found a num- 
 ber of rough, dirty-looking men, with pantaloons tucked inside 
 their boots, and so much hair upon their heads and faces they 
 all looked alike. After tea we were shown a room to sleep in, 
 full of beds, which were for the women. I was so worn out 
 with this novel way of traveling that I laid down on a narrow 
 strip of bed, not undressed, all my family alongside on the same 
 bed. The governor sat on a stool near by, and, strange to say, 
 slept sound through the long, dismal night. He had been shown 
 his bed up through a hole on top of the shanty. He said one 
 look was sufficient. Men were strewn as thick as possible on the 
 floor in their blankets. The steam generated from their wet 
 clothes, boots, and blankets was stifling. One small hole cut 
 through the roof was the only ventilation. 
 
 " As soon as breakfast was over the next morning, we mounted 
 into a wagon without springs and proceeded on our journey. 
 
440 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 The governor took M. in his arms to keep her from being 
 jolted. There surely were no worse roads to be found any- 
 where in the world than this. The horses went deep in the mud 
 every step ; the wheels sank to the hub, and often had to be 
 pried up. We forded rivers, the water coming above our 
 ankles in the wagon. Many big, deep holes they would jump 
 over, making the horses run quick, when the wagon would jump 
 across, shaking us up fearfully. In one of these holes our 
 horses fell down, and we stuck fast in the mud. We were 
 taken from the wagon by men of our party plunging up to 
 their knees in the mud, and carrying us out by sheer force of 
 their strength. After seating us upon a fallen log, the horses 
 were with difficulty extricated from the mud. After another 
 long day's tiresome travel we stopped at a log-house for the 
 night. Upon entering from the porch we found a big room, 
 with a wood fire filling up one side, blazing and crackling, low 
 chairs in front ; in the centre of the room was a table with a 
 clean cloth on it, and a repast of well-cooked food, relishing 
 and abundant, was placed upon it, to which we did ample jus- 
 tice. Our host was an Englishman, a farmer, who was getting 
 on well, a genial, hospitable man. His wife was a superior 
 woman. She had crossed the plains with her first husband. 
 On the journey they were surrounded by Indians. He was 
 killed. She was taken prisoner by these savages, and after 
 passing through untold suffering she managed to make her 
 escape, and after walking hundreds of miles, living upon ber- 
 ries by the way, she came into the Dalles, a forlorn, starved 
 woman, almost destitute of clothing, with her boy ten years of 
 age. It was here our host met her and offered shelter to her 
 child and herself, which she gladly accepted, and finally became 
 his wife. She was a fine-looking woman and a thorough house- 
 keeper, but had the saddest expression on her face. At night 
 she took us across the yard into another log-house, where we 
 found a bright fire burning on the hearth, and nice, clean beds. 
 I felt like staying in this comfortable shelter, hearing the rain 
 patter on the roof, until the rainy season was over, at least." 
 
 The host referred to was John R. Jackson. His farm 
 was only ten miles from Cowlitz Landing, but the roads 
 
OVERLAND TO OLYMPIA 441 
 
 were in such wretched state that a whole day was con- 
 sumed in traveling this short distance. 
 
 After a cheerful breakfast the next morning, the jour- 
 ney was resumed. George W. Stevens and several other 
 gentlemen came out to meet the governor and family, and 
 escorted them to Olympia. The governor mounted his 
 horse Charlie, which he purchased of the Red River half- 
 breeds, and which was brought out to him. This was 
 a great, powerful gray charger, of high spirit, and able 
 to cover twelve miles an hour in a swinging trot without 
 distress. It was another rainy, drizzling day. The road 
 was almost impassable. At Saunders's Bottom, where 
 the town of Chehalis now stands, the mud was knee-deep 
 for two miles, terribly wearing on the animals. At length, 
 after fording the Skookumchuck at its mouth, and trav- 
 ersing an extensive prairie, the wet, tired, and bedraggled 
 party reached the log-house of Judge Sidney S. Ford, 
 and found hospitable shelter for the night, having trav- 
 eled about twenty-five miles that day. 
 
 The next day the party reached Olympia late in the 
 afternoon, after a thirty miles' journey over much better 
 and pleasanter roads, traversing prairies over half the dis- 
 tance, including Grand Mound, Little Mound, and Bush's 
 prairies. It was a dreary, dark, December day. It had 
 rained considerably. The road from Tumwater to Olym- 
 pia was ankle-deep in mud, and thridded a dense forest 
 with a narrow track. With expectations raised at the 
 idea of seeing the capital and chief town of the Terri- 
 tory, the weary travelers toiled up a small hill in the edge 
 of the timber, reached the summit, and eagerly looked to 
 see the future metropolis. Their hearts sank with bitter 
 disappointment as they surveyed the dismal and forlorn 
 scene before them. A low, flat neck of land, running 
 into the bay, down it stretched the narrow, muddy track, 
 winding among the stumps which stood thickly on either 
 
442 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 side; twenty small wooden houses bordered the road, 
 while back of them on the left and next the shore were a 
 number of Indian lodges, with canoes drawn up on the 
 beach, and Indians and dogs lounging about. The little 
 hill mentioned is where now stands the Masonic Building, 
 opposite the Olympia Hotel. The site of the Indian 
 camp is now Columbia Street, between Third and Fourth. 
 There were only one or two buildings above, or south of, 
 Sixth Street. The public square was a tangle of fallen 
 timber. Main Street terminated in Giddings's Wharf, 
 which was left high and dry at low tide. 
 
 Mrs. Stevens continues her account as follows : — 
 
 "At night we were told, on ascending a hill, ' There is Olym- 
 piad Below us, in the deep mud, were a few low, wooden houses, 
 at the head of Puget Sound. My heart sank, for the first time 
 in my life, at the prospect. After ploughing through the mud, 
 we stopped at the principal hotel, to stay until our house was 
 ready for us. As we went upstairs there were a number of 
 people standing about to see the governor and his family. I 
 was very much annoyed at their staring and their remarks, 
 which they made audibly, and hastened to get in some private 
 room, where I could make myself better prepared for an inspec- 
 tion. Being out in rains for many days had not improved our 
 appearance or clothes. But there seemed no rest for the weary. 
 Upon being ushered into the public parlor I found people from 
 far and near had been invited to inspect us. The room was full. 
 The sick child was cross, and took no notice of anything that 
 was said to her. One of the women saying aloud, 4 What a cross 
 brat that is ! ' I could stand it no longer, but opened a door and 
 went into a large dancing-hall, and soon after, when the gov- 
 ernor came to look me up, I was breaking my heart over the 
 forlorn situation I found myself in, — cold, wet, uncomfortable, 
 no fire, shaking with chills. What a prospect ! How I longed 
 to find myself back in my childhood's home, among good friends 
 and relatives ! Just then we were told we were expected across 
 the street. The governor had his office there, and had us taken 
 directly there. It was a happy change. We went into a large, 
 
OLYMPIA 443 
 
 cheerful room, with the beds on the floor, a bright fire burning, 
 book-cases filled with books smiling upon us. We soon had a 
 good repast, and felt comfortable at last. In a few days we 
 were at housekeeping, very pleasant indeed, all picking up in 
 health, and good friends around us. 
 
 " Many of the people called on me. I found them pleasant 
 and agreeable people; many of them were well-educated and 
 interesting young ladies who had come here with their hus- 
 bands, government officials, and who had given up their city 
 homes to live in this unknown land, surrounded by Indians 
 and dense forests. 
 
 " I remained three years at Olympia, a great part of the time 
 living alone with the children, the governor being away in all 
 parts of the Territory, making treaties with the Indians, plan- 
 ning and arranging the settlement of the country. There was 
 a pleasant company of officers, with their wives, stationed at 
 Steilacoom, twenty miles from Olympia, with whom I became 
 acquainted, and had visits from and visited. Naval ships came 
 up Puget Sound with agreeable officers on board. I had a 
 horse to ride on horseback across the lovely prairies. Almost 
 daily I took a ride about the picturesque, beautiful country, 
 with the rich, dense forests and snowy mountains, green little 
 prairies skirted by timber, lakes of deep, clear water, all of 
 which was new to me, affording great pleasure in exploring 
 Indian trails and country, which was completely new. I also 
 had a boat built, in which I made excursions down the Sound. 
 About two miles down there was a Catholic mission, a large, 
 dark house or monastery, surrounded by cultivated land, a fine 
 garden in front filled with flowers, bordered on one side, next 
 the water, with immense bushes of wall-flowers in bloom ; the 
 fragrance, resembling the sweet English violet, filling the air 
 with its delicious odor. Father Ricard, the venerable head of 
 this house, was from Paris. He had lived in this place more 
 than twenty years. He had with him Father Blanchet, a short, 
 thickset man, who managed everything pertaining to the tem- 
 poral comfort of the mission. Under him were servants who 
 were employed in various ways, baking, cooking, digging, and 
 planting. Their fruit was excellent and a great rarity, as there 
 was but one more orchard in the whole country. There was a 
 
444 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 large number of Flatheads settled about them, who had been 
 taught to count their beads, say prayers, and were good Catho- 
 lics in all outward observances ; chanted the morning and even- 
 ing prayers, which they sang in their own language in a low, 
 sweet strain, which, the first time I heard it, sitting in my boat 
 at sunset, was impressive and solemn. We went often to visit 
 Father Eicard, who was a highly educated man, who seemed to 
 enjoy having some one to converse with in his own language. 
 He said the Canadians used such bad French." 
 
 Mrs. Stevens was still suffering from the Panama fever, 
 and it was a year before she and little Maude recov- 
 ered from it. The new quarters consisted of two long, 
 one-story wooden buildings, one room wide, little more 
 than sheds, hired of Father Ricard at $900 a year. They 
 were cheaply built, without plastering, but lined inside 
 with cotton cloth. There was a narrow passageway be- 
 tween them, from which doors gave access to the differ- 
 ent rooms. In rear was a large yard, extending to the 
 beach, upon which a gate in the rear fence opened, and 
 where a boat was kept. The Indian camp began at the 
 corner of the yard. The governor had secured two men 
 servants, Agnew as cook, and W. F. Seely, man of all 
 work. The latter was a lusty young Irishman, strong 
 as a bull and quick as a cat, witty, boastful, brave, and 
 devoted to the governor and his family. He was a 
 member of the exploring party, where he had fought and 
 beaten all the pugilistic heroes up to the wagon-master, 
 C. P. Higgins, by whom he had been handsomely van- 
 quished, and whom he regarded ever after with great 
 admiration and esteem. 
 
 The family soon felt at home in the new abode, amid 
 the novel scenes and experiences, and cheered by new 
 and old friends. George Stevens, Mason, and Lieutenant 
 Arnold came in and out like brothers. There were Evans 
 and Kendall, who came with the exploration ; Major H. 
 
THE SECOND LEGISLATIVE MESSAGE 445 
 
 A. Goldsborough, George Gibbs, Colonel Simmons, Frank 
 Shaw, and Orrington Cushman, known as " Old Cush," 
 with his great red beard, a great favorite with children, 
 and liked and trusted by both whites and Indians. Major 
 James Tilton, the surveyor-general, arrived with his fam- 
 ily after a voyage around the Horn,— a man of soldierly 
 bearing and aristocratic tastes, who was to render valua- 
 ble service. Captain J. Cain also arrived, as Indian agent, 
 — a typical Indiana politician, but a man of parts and 
 integrity and public spirit, and a true friend. 
 
 The second legislature met on December 4, and the 
 governor on the 5th delivered his message in person. 
 
 After acknowledging the consideration shown him as 
 their executive, and congratulating them on the flatter- 
 ing prospects of the Territory, he recommended them 
 to memorialize Congress for roads, mail service, steamer 
 lines, etc., and other needs, and mentioned with regret 
 the failure of Congress to provide for objects for which 
 he had earnestly striven, viz., the extinction of the Hud- 
 son Bay Company's claims, the running of the northern 
 boundary line, and a geological survey of the coal mea- 
 sures. He urged the organization of an effective militia, 
 referring to the danger of Indian hostilities, his recom- 
 mendation to the first legislature, and to the fact that 
 the government had refused his recent applications for 
 arms because the militia was not organized. He summed 
 up the results of his exploration in saying : " Beautiful 
 prairies and delightful valleys, easy passes practicable at 
 all seasons of the year, have taken the place of savage 
 deserts and mountain defiles impracticable half the year 
 from snow. . . . The more the country is examined, the 
 better it develops." 
 
 In closing he invoked their support of his efforts in 
 behalf of the Indians : — 
 
446 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 " I will indulge the hope that the same spirit of concord and 
 exalted patriotism, which has thus far marked our political 
 existence, will continue to the end. Particularly do I invoke 
 that spirit in reference to our Indian relations. I believe the 
 time has now come for their final settlement. In view of the 
 important duties which have been assigned to me, I throw my- 
 self unreservedly upon the people of the Territory, not doubting 
 that they will extend to me a hearty and generous support in 
 my efforts to arrange on a permanent basis the future of the 
 Indians of this Territory." 
 
 Referring to the military road across the Nahchess Pass, 
 he said : — 
 
 "It would be a great benefit to those traveling this road 
 should the legislature take some step toward sowing with grass- 
 seed the small prairie known as the Bare Prairie, situated a 
 little below the mouth of Green River, as also the sides of the 
 mountain known as La Tete. These points are intermediate in 
 a long distance destitute of grass, and are almost necessarily 
 stopping-places on the march. A very small sum would cover 
 the expense of planting them, and the advantage would be 
 incalculable.' ' 
 
 This humane and sensible suggestion was turned into 
 ridicule and defeated by one of those wiseacres, strong in 
 their own conceit and ignorance, that infest most assem- 
 blies, who cried out, " Governor Stevens need n't try to 
 make grass grow where God Almighty did n't make it 
 grow." 
 
 There was great jealousy on the part of the settlers of 
 the far-reaching claims of the Hudson Bay Company, 
 and under the influence of this feeling the council re- 
 quested the governor to communicate any information 
 he had as to the manner in which Congress arrived at the 
 estimated amount of $300,000 as the value of such 
 claims. The attentions paid him by the officers of that 
 company, in their open efforts to gain his goodwill and 
 support, were well known, and, with the fact that an 
 
THE SECOND MESSAGE 447 
 
 appropriation of the above amount for extinguishing the 
 claims had passed the Senate, had excited some mistrust 
 as to the governor's action and attitude on that impor- 
 tant question. In reply he simply gave a synopsis of his 
 report to the State Department, which set all doubts at 
 rest. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 INDIAN POLICY. TREATIES ON PUGET SOUND 
 
 Governor Stevens regarded his Indian treaties and 
 Indian policy, and his management of the Indians of the 
 Northwest, as among the most important, beneficial, and 
 successful services he rendered the country. By ten 
 treaties and many councils and talks, he extinguished 
 the Indian title to a domain larger than New England ; 
 and by the Blackfoot council and treaty he made peace 
 between those fierce savages and the whites and all the 
 surrounding tribes, and permanently pacified a region 
 equally extensive, embracing the greater part of Mon- 
 tana and northern Idaho ; and during the four years, 
 1853-56, he treated and dealt with over thirty thou- 
 sand Indians, divided into very numerous and inde- 
 pendent tribes and bands, and occupying the whole vast 
 region from the Pacific to and including the plains of 
 the upper Missouri, and now comprising the States of 
 Washington, part of Oregon, northern Idaho, and the 
 greater part of Montana. Moreover, by gaining the 
 wavering friendship and fidelity of doubtful tribes, and 
 even many members of the disaffected, he frustrated the 
 well-planned efforts of the hostile Indians to bring about 
 a universal outbreak, and saved the infant settlements 
 from complete annihilation at the hands of the treacher- 
 ous savages. 
 
 His Indian policy was one of great beneficence to the 
 Indians, jealously protected their interests, and provided 
 for their improvement and eventual civilization, while at 
 
INDIAN POLICY 449 
 
 the same time it opened the country for settlement by the 
 whites. The wisdom with which it was planned, and the 
 ability and energy with which it was carried out, during 
 this brief period, are attested by the remarkable suc- 
 cess which attended it, and by the fact that many of 
 these tribes are to-day living under those very treaties, 
 and have made substantial progress towards civilized hab- 
 its. It is believed that in their extent and magnitude, 
 in their difficulties and dangers, and in the permanence 
 and beneficence of their results, these operations are with- 
 out parallel in the history of the country. Yet for sev- 
 eral years Governor Stevens's Indian treaties were bitterly 
 assailed and misrepresented both by hostile Indians and 
 by officers high in authority ; their confirmation was re- 
 fused by the United States Senate, and he himself was 
 made the target for virulent abuse. It was his intention 
 to write the history of these operations, an intention which 
 the pressure of public duties during the few remaining 
 years of his life, and his early death, prevented. In his 
 final report on the Northern route he remarks, in words 
 of manly fortitude and confidence : — 
 
 " I trust the time will come when my treaty operations of 
 1855, — the most extensive operations ever undertaken and car- 
 ried out in these latter days of our history, — I repeat, I trust 
 the time will come when I shall be able to vindicate them, and 
 show that they were wise and proper, and that they accom- 
 plished a great end. They have been very much criticised and 
 very much abused ; but I have always felt that history will do 
 those operations justice. I have not been impatient as to time, 
 but have been willing that my vindication should come at the 
 end of a term of years. Let short-minded men denounce and 
 criticise ignorantly and injuriously, and let time show that the 
 government made no mistake in the man whom it placed in 
 the great field of duty as its commissioner to make treaties with 
 the Indian tribes." 
 
 And in another place he adds : — 
 
450 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 " I intend at some future day to give a very full account of 
 these large operations in the Indian service." 
 
 In his journey across the plains, amid all the cares 
 and labors of the great exploration, Governor Stevens 
 took the utmost pains, by messages, talks, and councils 
 to and with the Blackfeet and other tribes, to prepare 
 them for the great council and peace treaty which he 
 saw was necessary for the opening and settlement of the 
 country, and on arriving in his own Territory was equally 
 indefatigable in impressing upon the Indians there the 
 advantages of living at peace with the white man, of 
 adopting his better mode of livelihood, and of securing 
 the aid and protection of the Great Father in Washing- 
 ton. Among his first acts was the appointment of In- 
 dian agents, and sending them to urge these views upon 
 the tribes. It was high time for judicious and prompt 
 action ; for the Indians, especially the powerful and war- 
 like tribes of the upper Columbia, were becoming alarmed 
 at the way the whites were pouring into the country, and, 
 under the invitation of Congress given by the Donation 
 Acts, were taking up their choicest lands without asking 
 their consent. On his recent visit in Washington he had 
 impressed his views upon the government, obtained its 
 sanction and authorization for the Blackfoot council, and 
 the necessary authority and funds for treating with the 
 Indians of his own superintendency. He now planned 
 treating first with the tribes on Puget Sound and west of 
 the Cascades for the cession of their lands, then with the 
 great tribes occupying the country between the Cascades 
 and Rocky Mountains for their lands, and then, crossing 
 the Rockies, to proceed to Fort Benton, accompanied by 
 delegations from the hunting tribes of Washington and 
 Oregon, and there hold the great pre-arranged peace 
 council with the Blackfeet, Crows, and Assiniboines of 
 the plains east of the mountains, and the Nez Perces, Flat- 
 heads, Pend Oreilles, etc., of the western slope. 
 
PUGET SOUND INDIANS 451 
 
 Immediately on his return to Olympia the governor 
 sent out the agents and messengers to assemble the 
 Sound Indians at designated points for council and treaty 
 making, and early in January dispatched Mr. Doty with/ 
 a small party east of the Cascades to make the prelimi- 
 nary arrangements for bringing together in council the 
 Indians of that region. 
 
 The Indians on the Sound, including those on the 
 Strait of Fuca, numbered some eight thousand five hun- 
 dred, and were divided into a great many tribes and 
 bands. They were canoe Indians, and drew most of 
 their food from the waters, chiefly salmon and shell-fish, 
 eked out with game, roots, and berries. Those about 
 the upper Sound had bands of ponies, with which they 
 roamed the prairies in summer. They lived in large 
 lodges, several families together, constructed of planks 
 split from the cedar, with nearly flat roofs, and often 
 thirty or forty feet long and twenty wide. They showed 
 no little artistic skill in their canoes, paddles, spears, 
 fish-hooks, basket-work impervious to water, and mats of 
 rushes. Out of a single cedar-tree, with infinite pains 
 and labor, they hewed and burned the most graceful 
 and beautiful and finest canoe ever seen, the very model, 
 in lines and run, of a clipper ship. These varied in 
 size from the little fishing-craft, holding but two per- 
 sons, to a great canoe carrying thirty. They held as 
 slaves the captives taken in war and their descendants, 
 and, singularly enough, the heads of the slaves were left 
 in their natural state, while the skulls of the free-born 
 were flattened by pressure during infancy into the shape 
 of a shovel. Many of the bands were remnants of former 
 large tribes, for they had been greatly diminished in 
 numbers by the ravages of smallpox and venereal disease. 
 They lacked the energy and courage of the Indians of 
 the upper country, and lived in perpetual dread of the 
 
452 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 gigantic and savage northern Indians, — the Hydahs 
 and other bands of Tlinkits of British Columbia and 
 Alaska, — who would periodically swoop down the coast 
 in their great war canoes and raid these feebler folk, 
 ruthlessly slaughtering the men, and enslaving the women 
 and children. They suffered also, but to a less degree, 
 from incursions of bands of Yakimas across the moun- 
 tains, equally on trade and plunder bent, whom they 
 designated " Klikitats," or robbers, a term which has 
 been taken as a tribal name. To these dangers were 
 now added the fear of the all-powerful and ever-increas- 
 ing whites. Thus situated and thus apprehensive, the 
 messages and exhortations of the governor promising 
 them protection, pointing out the way of bettering their 
 condition, and of even imitating the envied superior race, 
 broke upon them like a lighthouse in a dark night upon 
 the storm-tossed mariner, relieved their fears and anxi- 
 eties, and gave them hope. They hastened to assemble 
 at the appointed council grounds, eager to listen to the 
 new white chief, and to learn what he offered from the 
 Great Father for their benefit. 
 
 On December 7, only two days after delivering his 
 message to the legislature, Governor Stevens organized 
 his treaty-making force by appointing James Doty secre- 
 tary, George Gibbs surveyor, H. A. Goldsborough com- 
 missary, and B. F. Shaw interpreter, Colonel M. T. 
 Simmons having already been appointed agent. The 
 governor assembled these gentlemen to confer upon the 
 projected treaties. After giving his views, and showing 
 the necessity of speedily treating with the Indians and 
 placing them on reservations, he had Mr. Doty read cer- 
 tain treaties with the Missouri and Omaha tribes, which 
 contained provisions he deemed worthy of adoption, and 
 invited a general and thorough discussion of the whole 
 subject. So many points were settled by this frank and 
 
ORGANIZING THE TREATY SERVICE 453 
 
 free interchange of views that Mr. Gibbs was directed 
 to draw up a programme, or outline of a treaty, which 
 on the next meeting on the 10th, after discussion and 
 some changes, was adopted as the basis of the treaties to 
 be made with the tribes on the Sound, coast, and lower 
 Columbia. 
 
 No better advisers could have been found than the men 
 with whom he thus took counsel ; and one is struck by 
 the clever and considerate way in which he secured the 
 best fruits of their knowledge and experience, and enlisted 
 their best efforts in carrying out the work. Simmons 
 and Shaw were old frontiersmen, among the earliest 
 settlers, and had dealt much with, and thoroughly, 
 understood, the Indians, and were respected and trusted] 
 by them. Simmons has been justly termed the Daniel 
 Boone of Washington Territory. Shaw was said to be 
 the only man who could make or translate a speech in 
 Chinook jargon offhand, as fast as a man could talk in 
 his own vernacular. The Chinook jargon was a mongrel 
 lingo, made up for trading purposes by the fur-traders 
 from English, French, and Indian words, and had become 
 the common speech between whites and Indians, and 
 between Indians of different tribes and tongues. He 
 greatly distinguished himself afterwards in the Indian 
 war as lieutenant-colonel of volunteers. Gibbs and 
 Goldsborough were men of education, and had lived in 
 the country long enough to know the general situation 
 and conditions, and to learn* much about the Indians. 
 Gibbs, indeed, made a study of the different tribes, and! 
 rendered an able report upon them as part of the North-j 
 ern Pacific Railroad exploration. Doty, a son of ex-Gov- 
 ernor Doty, of Wisconsin, was a young man of uncommon 
 ability and energy, who had spent the preceding winter 
 at Fort Benton, and had studied and made a census of 
 the Blackf eet. 
 
454 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 The salient features of the policy outlined were as 
 follows : — 
 
 1. To concentrate the Indians upon a few reserva- 
 tions, and encourage them to cultivate the soil and adopt 
 settled and civilized habits. 
 
 2. To pay for their lands not in money, but in annu- 
 ities of blankets, clothing, and useful articles during a 
 long term of years. 
 
 3. To furnish them with schools, teachers, farmers 
 and farming implements, blacksmiths, and carpenters, 
 with shops of those trades. 
 
 4. To prohibit wars and disputes among them. 
 
 5. To abolish slavery. 
 
 6. To stop as far as possible the use of liquor. 
 
 7. As the change from savage to civilized habits must 
 necessarily be gradual, they were to retain the right of 
 fishing at their accustomed fishing-places, and of hunt- 
 ing, gathering berries and roots, and pasturing stock on 
 unoccupied land as long as it remained vacant. 
 
 8. At some future time, when they should have be- 
 come fitted for it, the lands of the reservations were to 
 be allotted to them in severalty. 
 
 " It was proposed," reported the governor, " to remove 
 all the Indians on the east side of the Sound as far as 
 the Snohomish, as also the S'Klallams, to Hood's Canal, 
 and generally to admit as few reservations as possible, 
 with a view of finally concentrating them in one." It 
 was found necessary, however, in consequence of the 
 mutual jealousies of so many independent tribes, to allow 
 more reservations than he first intended, but some of 
 them were established temporarily, with the right reserved 
 in the President to remove the Indians to the larger 
 reservations in the future. 
 
 The schooner R. B. Potter, Captain E. S. Fowler, was 
 chartered at $700 per month, manned and victualed by 
 
CARE TO INFORM AND CONSULT THE INDIANS 465 
 
 the owner, to transport the personnel and treaty goods 
 from point to point on the Sound. Orrington Cushman, 
 Sidney S. Ford, Jr., and Henry D. Cock, with several 
 assistants, were employed as quartermasters, to prepare 
 camps and council grounds, make surveys, etc. 
 
 In all his councils Governor Stevens took the greatest 
 pains to make the Indians understand what was said to 
 them. To insure this he always had several interpreters, 
 to check each other and prevent mistakes in translation, 
 and was accustomed to consult the chiefs as to whom 
 they wanted as interpreters. 
 
 " It was my invariable custom," he states in the introduction 
 to his final railroad report, page 18, " whenever I assembled a 
 tribe in council, to procure from them their own rude sketches 
 of the country, and a map was invariably prepared on a large 
 scale and shown to them, exhibiting not only the region occu- 
 pied by them, but the reservations that were proposed to be 
 secured to them. At the Blackfoot council, the map there 
 exhibited of the Blackfoot country — of the hunting-ground 
 common to the Blackfeet and the Assiniboines, of the hunting- 
 ground common to the Blackfeet and the tribes of "Washington 
 Territory, and of the passes of the Rocky Mountains by which 
 this hunting-ground was reached — was the effective agent in 
 guaranteeing to the Indians the exact facts as to what the 
 treaty did propose, and to give them absolute and entire con- 
 fidence in the government." 
 
 He always urged and encouraged the Indians to make 
 known their own views, wishes, and objections, and gave 
 them time to talk matters over among themselves and 
 make up their minds. Between the sessions of the coun- 
 cil he would have the agents and interpreters explain the 
 terms and point out the benefits of the proposed treaty, 
 and would frequently summon the chiefs to his tent, and 
 personally explain matters to them, and draw out their 
 ideas. He also frequently invited public officers, and 
 citizens of standing, to attend the councils, and would 
 
456 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 make use of them also to talk with and satisfy the In- 
 dians. All the proceedings of these councils, the delib- 
 erations and speeches as well as the treaties, were every 
 word carefully taken down in writing, and transmitted to 
 the Indian Bureau in Washington, where they are now 
 on file. No one can read these records without being 
 impressed with Governor Stevens's great benevolence 
 towards the Indians, and the absolute fairness, candor, 
 and patience, as well as the judgment and tact, he man- 
 ifested in dealing with them. One is also likely to be 
 enlightened as to the native intelligence, ability, and 
 shrewdness of the Indians themselves. 
 
 The first council was held on She-nah-nam, or Medi- 
 cine Creek, now known as McAlister's Creek, a mile 
 above its mouth on the right bank, just below the house 
 of Hartman, on a rising and wooded spot a few acres in 
 extent, like an island with the creek on the one side 
 (south) and the tide-marsh on the other. This stream 
 flows along the south side of the Nisqually bottom, 
 parallel to and half a mile from the river. The governor 
 and his party, including Mason, Lieutenant W. A. 
 Slaughter, of the 4th infantry, Doty, Gibbs, Edward 
 Giddings, and the governor's son, Hazard, a boy of 
 twelve, went down to the treaty ground by canoes on 
 December 24, and found a large space cleared of under- 
 brush, the tents pitched, and everything made ready for 
 the council by Simmons, Shaw, Cock, Cushman, and 
 others, who had been sent ahead for that purpose. Seven 
 hundred Indians of the tribes dwelling upon the upper 
 Sound and as far down as the Puyallup River, including 
 the Nisqually, Puyallup, and Squaxon tribes, were en- 
 camped near by. It rained nearly all day. In the after- 
 noon the Indians drove a large band of ponies across the 
 creek, forcing them to swim. Provisions were issued to 
 the chiefs to distribute among their people. 
 
COUNCIL OF MEDICINE CREEK 457 
 
 On the following day the Indians assembled, taking 
 seats on the ground in front of the council tent in semi- 
 circular rows, and the objects and points of the proposed 
 treaty were fully explained to them. The governor would 
 utter a sentence in simple and clear language, and Colo- 
 nel Shaw would interpret it in the Chinook jargon, which 
 nearly all the Indians understood. The governor was 
 extremely careful to make the Indians comprehend every 
 sentence. Colonel Simmons, Gibbs, Cushman, and the 
 citizens present, all knew the Chinook, and attentively 
 followed Shaw as he interpreted, so that no mistake or 
 omission could occur. It was slow and fatiguing work, 
 this going over the ground sentence by sentence, and 
 after several hours the Indians were dismissed for the day, 
 told to think over what they had heard, and to assemble 
 again the next morning. The governor wished to give 
 them time to fully understand and reflect upon the 
 proposed treaty, and encouraged them to talk freely to 
 himself or any of his assistants in regard to it. 
 
 On the 26th the Indians assembled about nine o'clock 
 to the number of 650, and Governor Stevens addressed 
 them as follows : — 
 
 " This is a great day for you and for us, a day of peace arid 
 friendship between you and the whites for all time to come. 
 You are about to be paid for your lands, and the Great Father 
 has sent me to-day to treat with you concerning the payment. 
 The Great Father lives far off. He has many children. Some 
 of those children came here when he knew but little of them, or 
 of the Indians, and he sent me to inquire about these things. 
 We went through this country this last year, learned your num- 
 bers and saw your wants. We felt much for you, and went to 
 the Great Father to tell him what we had seen. The Great 
 Father felt for his children. He pitied them, and he has sent 
 me here to-day to express these feelings, and to make a treaty 
 for your benefit. The Great Father has many white children 
 who come here, some to build mills, some to make farms, and 
 
458 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 some to fish ; and the Great Father wishes you to learn to farm, 
 and your children to go to a good school ; and he now wants me 
 to make a bargain with you, in which you will sell your lands, 
 and in return be provided with all these things. You will have 
 certain lands set apart for your homes, and receive yearly pay- 
 ments of blankets, axes, etc. All this is written down in this 
 paper, which will be read to you. If it is good you will sign it, 
 and I will then send it to the Great Father. I think he will 
 be pleased with it and say it is good, but if not, if he wishes it 
 different, he will say so and send it back ; and then, if you agree 
 to it, it is a fixed bargain, and payments will be made." 
 
 The treaty was then read section by section and ex- 
 plained to the Indians, and every opportunity given them 
 to discuss it. 
 
 Governor Stevens then said : — 
 
 " The paper has been read to you. Is it good ? If it is good, 
 we will sign it ; but if you dislike it in any point, say so now. 
 After signing we have some goods to give you, and next sum- 
 mer will give you some more ; and after that you must wait 
 until the paper comes back from the Great Father. The goods 
 now given are not in payment for your lands ; they are merely 
 a friendly present." 
 
 The Indians had some discussion, and Governor Ste- 
 vens then put the question : " Are you ready ? If so, I 
 will sign it." There were no objections, and the treaty 
 was then signed by Governor I. I. Stevens, and the chiefs, 
 delegates, and headmen on the part of the Indians, and 
 duly witnessed by the secretary, special agent, and seven- 
 teen citizens present. 
 
 The presents and provisions were then given to the 
 chiefs, who distributed them among their people. To- 
 wards evening Mr. Swan arrived with twenty-nine Indians 
 of the Puyallup tribe, and reported twenty more on the 
 way. They had started three days before, but had been 
 detained by bad weather. The governor decided to send 
 them presents from Olympia. 
 
COUNCIL OF MEDICINE CREEK 459 
 
 Thus it will be seen that the governor first explained 
 the objects and terms of the treaty generally, and the 
 next day had the text of it read to them and also ex- 
 plained. The idea of selling their lands and being paid 
 for them was not new to the Indians, for the settlers were 
 in the habit of assuring them, when they objected and 
 complained at the appropriation and fencing up of their 
 choicest camping, root, and berry grounds, that the Great 
 Father would soon pay them well for their country. 
 
 The scope and policy of the treaty will best appear by 
 the following abstract of its thirteen articles : — 
 
 1. The Indians cede their land to the United States, 
 comprising the present counties of Thurston, Pierce, and 
 parts of Mason and King. 
 
 2. Sets off and describes the reservations, viz., Klah- 
 she-min Island, known as Squaxon Island, situated oppo- 
 site the mouths of Hammersley's and Totten's inlets, and 
 separated from Hartstene Island by Pearl Passage, con- 
 taining about two sections of land, or 1280 acres, a square 
 tract of two sections near and south of the mouth of 
 Mc A lister's Creek, and another equal tract on the south 
 side of Commencement Bay, now covered by the city of 
 Tacoma. Provision is made for the Indians to remove 
 to these reservations, and for roads through them and 
 from them to the nearest public highways. 
 
 3. Gives the Indians the right of fishing at their ac- 
 customed grounds, except the right of taking shell-fish 
 from beds staked out or cultivated by citizens, and the 
 rights of hunting, gathering berries and roots, and pas- 
 turing herds on unclaimed land. 
 
 4. $32,500 to be paid in annuities of goods, clothing, 
 and useful articles during the next twenty years. 
 
 5. And $3250 to be expended in aiding the Indians to 
 settle on their reservations. 
 
 6. Empowers the President to remove the Indians to 
 
460 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 other reservations, when the interests of the Territory 
 require it, by remunerating them for their improvements. 
 
 7. Prohibits the use of annuities to pay the debts of 
 individuals. 
 
 8. Prohibits war or depredations, and the Indians 
 agree to submit all grievances to the government for 
 settlement. 
 
 9. Excludes ardent spirits from the reservations on 
 penalty of withholding annuities. 
 
 10. Provides at a central or general agency a free 
 school, a blacksmith shop, and a carpenter shop, and to 
 furnish a blacksmith, a carpenter, a farmer, and teachers, 
 all to give instructions for twenty years. 
 
 11. Frees all slaves and abolishes slavery. 
 
 12. Prohibits the Indians from trading outside the 
 dominions of the United States, and forbids foreign In- 
 dians to reside on the reservations without the permission 
 of the superintendent or agent. 
 
 13. The treaty to go into effect as soon as ratified by 
 the President and Senate. 
 
 The twelfth article was aimed against the liquor traffic, 
 and also to counteract the undue influence of the Hud- 
 son Bay Company. It carried out the idea expressed in 
 the governor's instructions to McClellan and Saxton at 
 the outset of the exploration, already quoted. " The In- 
 dians must look to us for protection and counsel. ... I 
 am determined, in my intercourse with the Indians, to 
 break up the ascendency of the Hudson Bay Company, 
 and permit no authority or sanction to come between 
 the Indians and the officers of this government." 
 
 Sixty-two Indians signed this treaty, " chiefs, headmen, 
 and delegates of the Nisqually, Puyallup, Steilacoom, 
 Squawksin, S'Homamish, Steh-chass, TTeek-sin, Squiaitl, 
 and Sa-ha-wamish tribes and bands of Indians, occupy- 
 ing the lands lying around the head of Puget Sound 
 
TREATY OF MEDICINE CREEK 461 
 
 and the adjacent inlets, who, for the purpose of this 
 treaty, are to be regarded as one nation." The Indians 
 all made their marks to their names as written out in 
 full by the secretary. They were : Qui-ee-metl, Sno-ho- 
 dum-set, Lesh-high, Slip-o-elm, Kwi-ats, Sta-hi, Di-a-keh, 
 Hi-ten, Squa-ta-hun, Kahk-tse-min, So-nan-o-youtl, Kl- 
 tehp, Sahl-ko-min, T'Bet-ste-heh-bit, Tcha-hoos-tan, Ke- 
 cha-hat, Spee-peh, Swe-yah-tum, Chah-achsh, Pich-kehd, 
 S'Klah-o-sum, Sah-le-tatl, See-lup, E-la-kah-ka, Slug-yeh, 
 Hi-nuk, Ma-mo-nish, Cheels, Knut-ca-nu, Bats-ta-ko-be, 
 Win-ne-ya, Klo-out, Se-uch-ka-nam, Ske-mah-han, Wuts- 
 un-a-pum, Quuts-a-tadm, Quut-a-heh-mtsn, Yah-leh-chn, 
 To-tahl-kut, Yul-lout, See-ahts-oot-soot, Ye-tah-ko, We-po- 
 it-ee, Kah-sld, La'h-hom-kan, Pah-how-at-ish, Swe-yehm, 
 Sah-hwill, Se-kwaht, Kah-hum-kit, Yah-kwo-bah, Wut- 
 sah-le-wun, Sah-ba-hat, Tel-e-kish, Swe-keh-nam, Sit-oo-ah, 
 Ko-quel-a-cut, Jack, Keh-kise-be-lo, Go-yeh-hn, Sah-putsh, 
 William. 
 
 Lesh-high, the third signer, was the principal chief 
 and instigator of the Indian war that broke out the fol- 
 lowing year, and, after the outbreak was suppressed, was 
 tried and executed for the murder of settlers, after an 
 excited controversy and strenuous efforts to save him on 
 the part of some of the regular officers. Born of a Ya- 
 kima mother, he was a chief of unusual intelligence and 
 energy, had much to do with the Hudson Bay Company's 
 people at Fort Nisqually, by whom he was much trusted as 
 a guide and hunter, and was supposed to be well affected 
 towards the whites. The first signer, Qui-ee-muth, was 
 Lesh-high's brother, and met with a more tragic fate, 
 being slain by a revengeful settler after he was captured. 
 Sta-hi, the fifth signer, was killed during the Indian war. 
 
 The witnesses who signed the treaty, nineteen in num- 
 ber, including well-known public men and pioneers, were 
 the following: M. T. Simmons, Indian agent; James 
 
462 ISAAC LNGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Doty, secretary ; C. H. Mason, secretary of the Territory ; 
 W. A. Slaughter, 1st lieutenant, 4th infantry, U. S. A. ; 
 James McAlister, E. Giddings, Jr., George Shazer, Henry 
 D. Cock, Orrington Cushman, S. S. Ford, Jr., John W. 
 McAlister, Peter Anderson, Samuel Klady, W. H. Pullen, 
 F. 0. Hough, E. R. Tyerall, George Gibbs, Benjamin F. 
 Shaw, interpreter, Hazard Stevens. 
 
 The governor became satisfied at a later date that the 
 reservations set off for the Nisquallies and Puyallups were 
 inadequate for their future needs, being of inferior soil 
 and heavily timbered, and in 1856 caused them to be ex- 
 changed for two larger tracts of fine, fertile bottom land, 
 — one on the Nisqually, a few miles above its mouth, and 
 the other at the mouth of the Puyallup River, directly 
 opposite the city of Tacoma, which the Indians still oc- 
 cupy. 
 
 In the evening, after the council broke up, the governor 
 had another long conference with his advisory board, 
 and settled the points and programme for other treaties. 
 The next morning, directing Gibbs to survey the lines of 
 the two reservations on Nisqually and Commencement 
 bays, and dispatching Simmons and Shaw with the rest 
 of the party in the schooner to the lower Sound to assem- 
 ble the Indians for the remaining treaties, he returned 
 to Olympia with Mason and Doty. The treaty was imme- 
 diately forwarded to Washington, and was ratified by the 
 Senate, March 3, 1855, but little over two months after 
 the council. 
 
 THE TREATY OF POINT ELLIOTT. 
 
 The next council was held at Mukilteo, or Point Elliott, 
 where, between January 12 and 21, the Indians of the 
 east side of the Sound assembled to the number of 2300. 
 On the latter date Governor Stevens arrived on the 
 Major Tompkins, accompanied by Secretary Mason, and 
 
COUNCIL OF POINT ELLIOTT 463 
 
 by his friend, Dr. C. M. Hitchcock, of San Francisco, 
 who was visiting the country. After a long conference 
 with his assistants in regard to the most suitable points 
 for reservations, and the views and feelings of the Indi- 
 ans, he appointed Gibbs secretary, in place of Doty, who 
 had departed on his mission east of the mountains, and 
 directed him to prepare the draft of a treaty embodying 
 the points decided upon, and in terms similar to the one 
 recently concluded. 
 
 The next morning the Indians all assembled ; the four 
 head chiefs — Seattle, chief of the Duwhamish and other 
 bands on White River and the Sound within twenty miles 
 of Seattle ; Pat-ka-nim, chief of the Snohomish ; Goliah, 
 chief of the Skagits ; and Chow-its-hoot, chief of the 
 Bellingham Bay and island Indians — took seats in front 
 on the ground ; the sub-chiefs occupied a second row, and 
 the various tribes took places behind them in separated 
 groups. The governor then addressed them as follows, 
 Colonel Shaw interpreting : — 
 
 " My children, you are not my children because you are 
 the fruit of my loins, but because you are children for whom I 
 have the same feeling as if you were the fruit of my loins. 
 You are my children for whom I will strenuously labor all the 
 days of my life until I shall be taken hence. What will a man 
 do for his own children? He will see that they are well cared 
 for ; that they have clothes to protect them against the cold and 
 rain ; that they have food to guard them against hunger ; and 
 as for thirst, you have your own glorious streams in which to 
 quench it. I want you as my children to be fed and clothed, 
 and made comfortable and happy. I find that many of you 
 are Christians, and I saw among you yesterday the sign of the 
 cross, which I think the most holy of all signs. I address you 
 therefore mainly as Christians, who know that this life is a pre- 
 paration for the life to come. 
 
 "You understand well my purpose, and you want now to 
 know the special things we propose to do for you. We want 
 to place you in homes where you can cultivate the soil, raising 
 
464 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 potatoes and other articles of food, and where you may be able 
 to pass in canoes over the waters of the Sound and catch fish, 
 and back to the mountains to get roots and berries. The Great 
 Father desires this, and why am I able to say this ? Here are 
 two thousand men, women, and children, who have always 
 treated white men well. Did I not come through your country 
 one year since ? Were not many of you now present witnesses 
 of the fact ? [All said Governor Stevens came.] Did I then 
 make promises to you ? [All said he did not.] I am glad to 
 hear this, because I came through your country, not to make 
 promises, but to know what you were, to know what you wanted, 
 to know your grievances, and to report to the Great Father 
 about you. I have been to the Great Father and told him your 
 condition. Here on this Sound you make journeys of three and 
 four days, but I made a journey of fifty days on your behalf. 
 I told the Great Father I had traveled six moons in reaching 
 this country, and had never found an Indian who would not 
 give me food, raiment, and animals to forward me and mine to 
 the great country of the West. I told him that I was among 
 ten thousand Indians, and they took me to their lodges and 
 offered me all they had, and here I will pause and ask you again 
 if you do not know that I have been absent several months on 
 this business ? [All shout, ' Yes.'] I went away, but I left 
 a good and strong man in my place. I call upon Governor 
 Mason to speak to you." 
 
 Mr. Mason then addressed them, and then the governor 
 called upon Colonel Simmons, who made them a speech 
 in Chinook, at the conclusion of which the Indians 
 cheered. 
 
 The governor then resumed : — 
 
 " The Great Father thinks you ought to have homes, and he 
 wants you to have a school where your children can learn to 
 read, and can be made farmers and be taught trades. He is 
 willing you should catch fish in the waters, and get roots and 
 berries back in the mountains. He wishes you all to be virtu- 
 ous and industrious, and to become a happy and prosperous 
 community. Is this good, and do you want this ? If not, we 
 will talk further. [All answer, « We do.'] 
 
COUNCIL OF POINT ELLIOTT 465 
 
 " My children, I have simply told you the heart of the Great 
 Father. But the lands are yours, and we mean to pay you for 
 them. We thank you that you have been so kind to all the 
 white children of the Great Father who have come here from 
 the East. Those white children have always told you you would 
 be paid for your lands, and we are now here to buy them. 
 
 " The white children of the Great Father, but no more his 
 children than you are, have come here, some to build mills, some 
 to till the land, and others to build and sail ships. My chil- 
 dren, I believe that I have got your hearts. You have my heart. 
 We will put our hearts down on paper, and then we will sign 
 our names. I will send that paper to the Great Father, and if 
 he says it is good, it will stand forever. I will now have the 
 paper read to you, and all I ask of you two thousand Indians 
 is that you will say just what you think, and, if you find it 
 good, that your chiefs and headmen will sign the same." 
 
 Before the treaty was read, the Indians sung a mass, 
 after the Roman Catholic form, and recited a prayer. 
 
 Governor Stevens: "Does any one object to what I have 
 said ? Does my venerable friend Seattle object ? I want Seat- 
 tle to give his heart to me and to his people." 
 
 Seattle : " I look upon you as my father. All the Indians 
 have the same good feeling toward you, and will send it on 
 the paper to the Great Father. All of them — men, old men, 
 women, and children — rejoice that he has sent you to take care 
 of them. My mind is like yours ; I don't want to say more. My 
 heart is very good towards Dr. Maynard [a physician who was 
 present] ; I want always to get medicine from him." 
 
 Governor Stevens : " My friend Seattle has put me in mind 
 of one thing which I had forgotten. You shall have a doctor 
 to cure your bodies. Now, my friends, I want you, if Seattle 
 has spoken well, to say so by three cheers. [Three cheers 
 were given.] Now we call upon Pat-ka-nim to speak his 
 mind." 
 
 Pat-ka-nim : " To-day I understood your heart as soon as you 
 spoke. I understood your talk plainly. God made my heart 
 and those of my people good and strong. It is good that we 
 should give you our real feelings to-day. We want everything 
 
466 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 as you have said, the doctor and all. Such is the feeling of 
 all the Indians. Our hearts are with the whites. God makes 
 them good towards the Americans." [Three cheers were given 
 for Pat-ka-nim.] 
 
 Chow-its-hoot : " I do not want to say much. My heart is 
 good. God has made it good towards you. I work on the 
 ground, raise potatoes, and build houses. I have some houses at 
 home. But I will stop building if you wish, and will move to 
 Cha-chu-sa. Now I have given you my opinion, and that of 
 my friends. Their feelings are all good, and they will do as 
 you say hereafter. My mind is the same as Seattle's. I love 
 him, and send my friends to him if they are sick. I go to Dr. 
 Maynard at Seattle if I am sick." [Cheers for Chow-its-hoot.] 
 
 Goliah : " My mind is the same as the governor's. God has 
 made it so. I have no wish to say much. I am happy at heart. 
 I am happy to hear the governor talk of God. My heart is 
 good and that of all my friends. I give it to the governor. I 
 shall be glad to have a doctor for the Indians. We are all 
 glad to hear you, and to be taken care of by you. I do not 
 want to say more." [Cheers were given for Goliah.] 
 
 The treaty was then read and interpreted to them, and 
 the governor asked them if they were satisfied with it. 
 If they were, he would sign it first, and then they should 
 sign it. If not, he wished them to state in what they 
 desired it to be altered. All having signified their ap- 
 probation, it was signed first by Governor Stevens, and 
 afterwards by the chiefs and headmen. 
 
 The hour being late when the signing was finished, 
 the distribution of the presents was deferred to the next 
 day. 
 
 Tuesday, January 23. The Indians having reassem- 
 bled, Governor Stevens informed them that he was about 
 to distribute some presents. They were not intended as 
 payment for their lands, but merely as a friendly token 
 of regard. He gave them but few things at this time, 
 but the next summer he should again give them a larger 
 present, when the goods intended for them arrived. 
 
TREATY OF POINT ELLIOTT 467 
 
 Seattle then brought a white flag, and presented it, 
 saying : — 
 
 " Now, by this we make friends, and put away all bad feel- 
 ings, if we ever had any. We are the friends of the Americans. 
 All the Indians are of the same mind. We look upon you as 
 our father. We will never change our minds, but, since you 
 have been to see us, we will always be the same. Now ! now ! 
 do you send this paper of our hearts to the Great Chief. That 
 is all I have to say." 
 
 The presents were then given to the chiefs to distrib- 
 ute among their people, the camp was struck, and the 
 party embarked on board the steamer, which had been 
 chartered for the purpose of expediting the preparations 
 for the next council, that with the S'Klallams and Sko- 
 ko-mish, but, a heavy blow coming on, she lay at anchor 
 till morning. An Indian express arrived with news 
 that the Indians were collected at Fort Gamble, awaiting 
 the arrival of the governor. 
 
 The tribes, as enumerated in the treaty, furnish a long 
 list of unpronounceable Indian names, as follows : Dwam- 
 ish, Suquamish, Sk-tahl-mish, Sa-mah-mish, Smalh-ka-mish, 
 Skope-ah-mish, Sno-qual-nioo, Skai-wha-mish, N'Quentl- 
 ma-mish, Sk-tah-le-jum, Sto-luck-wha-mish, Sno-ho-mish, 
 Skagit, Kik-i-all-us, Swin-a-mish, Squin-a-mish, Sah-ku- 
 me-hu, Noo-wha-ha, Nook-wa-chah-mish, Me-see-qua-guilch, 
 Cho-bah-ah-bish, and others. 
 
 The fifteen articles of this treaty contain the same gen- 
 eral provisions as that of She-nah-nam Creek. The terri- 
 tory ceded by Article 1 extends from the summit of the 
 Cascades to the middle of the Sound, and from the 49th 
 parallel as far south as the Puyallup Eiver, very nearly, 
 and comprises the present counties of King, part of Kit- 
 sap, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan. 
 
 The reservations, Articles 2 and 3, included 1280 acres 
 at Port Madison, 1280 acres on the east side of Fidalgo 
 
468 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Island, and the island called Chah-chu-sa in the Lummi 
 River. An entire township on the northeast side of Port 
 Gardner, embracing Tulalip Bay, was made the princi- 
 pal reservation, to which the Indians might be removed 
 from the smaller ones ; $150,000 in annuities in goods, 
 etc., for twenty years, and $15,000 for improvements on 
 the reservation were provided. The rights of fishing, 
 hunting, gathering berries and roots, and pasturage on 
 vacant land were secured to the Indians. Slavery was 
 abolished, liquor prohibited on the reservations, wars and 
 depredations forbidden, and trading in foreign dominions 
 prohibited. A free school, teachers, doctor, blacksmith 
 and carpenter with shops, and a farmer were provided for, 
 and provision made for eventually allotting the reserva- 
 tions to them in severalty. 
 
 The first chief to sign the treaty was Seattle, after 
 whom was named the metropolis of the Sound ; the next 
 was Pat-ka-nim, then Chow-its-hoot, then Goliah, and 
 then follows the long list of guttural and sibillant native 
 names, unspeakable by white lips, some of which were 
 accompanied by an alias, as the Smoke, the Priest, 
 General Washington, General Pierce, Davy Crockett, etc. 
 
 The treaty was witnessed by M. T. Simmons, C. H. 
 Mason, Charles M. Hitchcock, H. A. Goldsborough, George 
 Gibbs, John H. Scranton, Henry D. Cock, S. S. Ford, Jr., 
 Orrington Cushman, Ellis Barnes, P. Bailey, S. M. Col- 
 lins, Lafayette Balch, E. S. Fowler, J. H. Hall, Robert 
 Davis, and Benjamin F. Shaw, — seventeen in number. 
 
 The ratification of this and all Governor Stevens's sub- 
 sequent Indian treaties was delayed some four years in 
 consequence of the Indian war which broke out in the 
 fall of 1855, and the misrepresentations made concerning 
 them, and the charges that they were the cause of the 
 war, — misrepresentations and charges originally started 
 by the hostile Indians, and taken up by prejudiced army 
 
COUNCIL OF HAHD-SKUS 469 
 
 officers and political and personal enemies ; and it was 
 not until he entered Congress, and personally vindicated 
 his treaties before the government and Senate, that they 
 were ratified, on March 8, 1859. 
 
 TREATY OF HAHD-SKUS OR POINT-NO-POINT. 
 
 The next council was held at Point-no-Point, on the 
 west side of the Sound, opposite the southern end of 
 Whitby Island. The weather was very stormy on the 
 24th and 25th, but twelve hundred Indians assembled 
 here, comprising the S'Klallams or Clallams, who occu- 
 pied the shores from half way down the Strait of Fuca 
 to the council ground ; the Chim-a-kums, of Port Town- 
 send Bay and the lower end of Hood's Canal ; and the 
 Skokomish or Too-an-hooch, from Hood's Canal and the 
 country about its southern extremity. The Major Tomp- 
 kins reached Point-no-Point on the 24th, and, leaving the 
 schooner at anchor, and the men on shore to form camp, 
 ran down to Port Townsend to bring up additional provi- 
 sions, and returned in the afternoon. On the 25th, not- 
 withstanding the storm, the Indians gathered at the 
 council ground, and, having seated themselves in a cir- 
 cular row under their chiefs, Governor Stevens addressed 
 them as follows : — 
 
 " My children, you call me your father. I, too, have a 
 father, who is your Great Father. That Great Father has 
 sent me here to-day to pay you for your lands, to provide for 
 your children, to see that you are fed, and that you are cared 
 for. Your Great Father wishes you to be happy, to be friends 
 to each other. The Great Father wants you and the whites to 
 be friends ; he wants you to have a house of your own, to have a 
 school where your children can learn. He wants you to learn 
 to farm, to learn to use tools, and also to have a doctor. Now, 
 all these things shall be written down in a paper ; that paper 
 shall be read to you. If the paper is good, you will sign it 
 and I will sign it. I will then send the paper to the Great 
 
470 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 Father. If the Great Father finds that paper good, he will 
 send me word, and I will let you know. The Great Father 
 lives a long way off, and some time will be required to hear 
 from him. I want you to wait patiently till you hear from 
 him. In the mean time the Great Father has sent to you some 
 presents simply as a free gift. Some of these presents I will 
 give you to-day, but I shall give you more in the course of the 
 summer. You will also have your agent, Mr. Simmons, to take 
 care of you. This you will have all the time ; and, when the 
 paper comes from the Great Father, then you will have your 
 own houses and homes and schools. Now, what have you to 
 say ? If good, give your assent ; if not, say so. Now, sit quiet 
 a moment, and the paper will be read." 
 
 After the treaty had been read and interpreted, Gov- 
 ernor Stevens again asked them if they had anything to 
 say. 
 
 Che-lan-teh-tat, an old Skokomish, then rose and 
 said : — 
 
 " I wish to speak my mind as to selling the land. Great 
 Chief, what shall we eat if we do so ? Our only food is berries, 
 deer, and salmon. Where, then, shall we find these ? I don't 
 want to sign away all my land. Take half of it, and let us 
 keep the rest. I am afraid that I shall become destitute and 
 perish for want of food. I don't like the place you have chosen 
 for us to live on. I am not ready to sign that paper." 
 
 S'Haie-at-seha-uk, a To-an-hooch, next spoke : — 
 
 " I do not want to leave the mouth of the river. I do not 
 want to leave my old home and my burying-ground. I am 
 afraid I shall die if I do." 
 
 Dah-whil-luk, the Skokomish head chief, an old man, 
 rose and said : — 
 
 " I do not want to sell my land, because it is valuable. The 
 whites pay a great deal for a small piece, and they get money 
 by selling the sticks [timber]. Formerly the Indians slept, 
 but the whites came among them and woke them up, and we 
 now know that the lands are worth much." 
 
COUNCIL OF HAHD-SKUS 471 
 
 Hool-hole-tan or Jim said : — 
 
 " I want to speak. I do not like the offers you make in the 
 treaty to us. You say you will give us land, but why should 
 you give us the mouth of the river ? I don't like to go on a 
 reservation with the S'Klallams ; and, in case of trouble, there 
 are more of them than of us, and they will charge us with it. 
 Before the whites came among us, we had no idea who made the 
 land; but some time ago the priests told us that the Great 
 Chief above made it, and also made the Indians. Since then 
 the Americans have told us that the Great Father always bought 
 the land, and that it was not right to take it for nothing. They 
 waked the Indians up by this, and they now know their land 
 was worth much. I don't want to sign away my right to the 
 land. If it was myself alone I signed for, I would do it ; but 
 we have women and children. Let us keep half of it, and take 
 the rest. Why should we sell all? We may become desti- 
 tute. Why not let us live together with you ? I want you to 
 hear what I have to say. All the Indians have been afraid to 
 talk, but I wish to speak and be listened to." 
 
 Chits-a-mah-han or the Duke of York, the head chief 
 of the Clallams : — 
 
 "My heart is good. I am happy since I have heard the 
 paper read, and since I have understood Governor Stevens, 
 particularly since I have been told I could look for food where 
 I pleased, and not in one place only. Formerly the Indians were 
 bad towards each other, but Governor Stevens has made them 
 agree to be friends. Before the whites came we were always 
 poor ; since then we have earned money, and got blankets and 
 clothing. I hope the governor will tell the whites not to abuse 
 the Indians, as many are in the habit of doing, ordering them 
 to go away, and knocking them down." 
 
 Other chiefs of the Clallams and of the Chem-a-cums 
 followed in the same strain as the Duke of York, approv- 
 ing the treaty. After further explaining its provisions 
 the governor adjourned the council to the morrow at the 
 request of the Skokomish chief, in order that they might 
 talk it over and understand it thoroughly. 
 
472 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 It will be observed that this treaty encountered con- 
 siderable opposition on the part of the Skokomish, who 
 were, however, the most benefited by it, as the reserva- 
 tion was located in their country. They were largely 
 influenced by the example of the other tribes, and after 
 much discussion among themselves, and talks between 
 sessions with the governor and his assistants, concluded 
 to accept it. 
 
 The next morning was a fine, pleasant one, and the 
 Indians came to the council bearing white flags. The 
 governor addressed them, pointing out that the treaty 
 gave them all those things that a father would give his 
 children, as homes, schools, mechanics, and a doctor ; the 
 right to fish, hunt, and gather roots and berries. Besides, 
 it prohibited fire-water, and does not a father prevent his 
 children from drinking fire-water ? The Great Father 
 was good to his children, and did not wish to steal their 
 lands. It was for them to say what they thought right. 
 If they had anything to say, say it now. 
 
 The Duke of York then presented a white flag, saying : 
 
 " My heart is white, so are those of my people, and we will 
 never stain it with blood." 
 
 Dah-kwil-luk, the Skokomish chief, said : — 
 
 " My heart, too, has become white, and I give it to the chief. 
 I put away all bad feelings. I will be as a good man, not steal- 
 ing or shedding blood. We have thrown away the feelings of 
 yesterday and are now satisfied.'' 
 
 He also presented a flag to the governor. 
 
 Kul-kah-han, the Chem-a-cum chief, then presented his 
 flag, saying: — 
 
 " We can say nothing but what this flag tells. We give our 
 hearts to you with it in return for what you do for us. We 
 were once wretched, but since you came you have made us right. 
 Formerly other Indians did wrong us, but since the whites came 
 we are free and have not been killed." 
 
SAILING DOWN THE STRAIT OF FUCA 473 
 
 Then all signed the treaty, and at a signal a salute was 
 fired from the steamer in honor of the event. 
 
 Some hostile feelings having previously existed between 
 the tribes, Governor Stevens now declared that they must 
 drop them forever, and that their hearts towards each 
 other should be good as well as towards the whites. Ac- 
 cordingly the three head chiefs, in behalf of their people, 
 then shook hands. Then the presents were distributed to 
 them. In the afternoon the party reembarked, Mr. Mason 
 returning to Olympia on the steamer, and Governor Ste- 
 vens with the remainder proceeding to Port Townsend in 
 the schooner, on his way to Cape Flattery, the next point 
 of meeting. 
 
 The tribes mentioned in the treaty as parties thereto 
 are the Skokomish, To-an-hooch, Chem-a-cum, and S'Klal- 
 lam, and the sub-bands of the last, viz., Kah-tie, Squah- 
 quaihtl, Tch-queen, Ste-teht-lum, Tsohkw, Yennis, Elh-wa, 
 Pishtst, Hun-nint, Klat-la-wash, and O-ke-ho, occupying 
 lands on the Strait of Fuca and Hood's Canal. 
 
 A reservation was set off at the mouth of the Skoko- 
 mish River, of 3840 acres. $60,000 in the usual annui- 
 ties, and $6000 for the improvement of the reservation, 
 were provided, and the other provisions were the same 
 as in the Tulalip and She-nah-nam Creek treaties. This 
 treaty was witnessed by the same gentlemen who wit- 
 nessed the preceding. 
 
 COUNCIL OF NEAH BAY, AND MAKAH TREATY. 
 
 From Port Townsend the schooner sped rapidly down 
 the Strait of Fuca, running one hundred and twenty 
 miles in two days, — no holiday voyage, in a small vessel 
 in midwinter, along that exposed and shelterless coast, — 
 and reached Neah Bay on the evening of the 28th. At 
 this point, just inside Cape Flattery, the Makah Indians 
 had their principal village. Messengers were immediately 
 
 H 
 
474 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 dispatched to call in the Indians of the other Makah 
 villages, and of tribes farther south on the coast. The 
 tents, goods, and men were landed on the 29th, and camp 
 established. The following day the governor, accompa- 
 nied by Mr. Gibbs, crossed the Cape Flattery peninsula to 
 the Pacific coast, and examined the country for the pur- 
 pose of selecting a suitable reservation. In the evening 
 he called a meeting of the Makah chiefs on board the 
 schooner, the other villages having come in during the 
 day, and explained the principal features of the proposed 
 treaty. The Great Father had sent him here to watch 
 over the Indians. He had talked with the other tribes 
 on the Sound, and they had promised to be good friends 
 with their neighbors, and he had now come to talk with 
 the Makahs. When he had done here, he was going to 
 the Indians down the coast, and would make them friends 
 to the Makahs. He had treated with the other Sound 
 Indians for their lands, setting aside reserves for them, 
 giving them a school, farmer, physician, etc., etc. When 
 he concluded, Kal-chote, a Makah chief, spoke : " Before 
 the big chiefs Klehsitt, the White Chief, Yall-a-coon or 
 Flattery Jack, and Heh-iks died, he was not the head 
 chief himself, he was only the small chief, but though 
 there were many Indians then, he was not the least of 
 them. He knew the country all around, and therefore 
 he had a right to speak. He thought he ought to have 
 the right to fish, and take whales, and get food where he 
 liked. He was afraid that if he could not take halibut 
 where he wanted, he would become poor." 
 
 Keh-tchook, of the stone house: "What Kal-chote 
 had said was his wish. He did not want to leave the 
 salt water." 
 
 Governor Stevens informed them that, so far from 
 wishing to stop their fisheries, he wished to send them 
 oil-kettles and fishing apparatus. 
 
COUNCIL OF NEAH BAY 475 
 
 Klah-pr-at-loo : " He was willing to sell his land. All 
 he wanted was the right of fishing." 
 
 Tse-kan-wootl : " He wanted the sea. That was his 
 country. If whales were killed and floated ashore, he 
 wanted, for his people, the exclusive right of taking them, 
 and if their slaves ran away, he wanted to get them 
 back." 
 
 Governor Stevens replied that he wanted them to fish, 
 but the whites should fish also. Whoever killed the 
 whales was to have them if they came ashore. Many 
 white men were coming into the country, and he did not 
 want the Indians to be crowded out. 
 
 Kal-chote : " I want always to live on my old ground, and 
 to die on it. I only want a small piece for a house, and will 
 live as a friend to the whites, and they should fish together." 
 
 Ke-bach-sat : " My heart is not bad, but I do not wish to 
 leave all my land. I am willing you should have half, but I 
 want the other half myself." 
 
 It-an-da-ha : " My father ! my father ! I now give you my 
 heart. When any ships come and the whites injure me, I will 
 apply to my father, and tell him of my trouble, and look to him 
 for help, and if any Indians wish to kill me, I shall still call on 
 my father. I do not wish to leave the salt water. I want to 
 fish in common with the whites. I don't want to sell all my 
 land. I want a part in common with the whites to plant pota- 
 toes on. I want the place where my house is." 
 
 Governor Stevens asked them whether, if the right of 
 drying fish wherever they pleased was left them, they 
 could not agree to live at one place for a winter residence 
 and potato ground, explaining the idea of subdivision of 
 lands, and he desired them to think the matter over dur- 
 ing the night. They were asked to consult among them- 
 selves upon the choice of a head chief. As they declined 
 doing this, on the ground that they were all of equal rank, 
 the governor selected Tse-kan-wootl, the Osett chief, as 
 the head, a choice in which they all acquiesced with satis- 
 
476 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 faction. Temporary papers in lieu of commissions were 
 then issued to a number of the sub-chiefs. 
 
 The Indians assembled in council on the morning of 
 January 31. The number of the tribe was found to be 
 six hundred. Governor Stevens explained the provisions 
 of the treaty : — 
 
 " The Great Father sent me to see you, and give you his 
 mind. The whites are crowding in upon you. The Great 
 Father wishes to give you your homes, to buy your land, and 
 give a fair price for it, leaving you land enough to live on and 
 raise potatoes. He knows what whalers you are, how far you 
 go to sea to take whales. He will send you barrels in which to 
 put your oil, kettles to try it out, lines and implements to fish 
 with. The Great Father wants your children to go to school, 
 to learn trades." 
 
 The treaty was then read and interpreted and ex- 
 plained, clause by clause. 
 
 Governor Stevens then asked them if they were satis- 
 fied. If they were, to say so. If not, to answer freely 
 and state their objections. 
 
 Tse-kan-wootl brought up a white flag and presented 
 it, saying : " Look at this flag. See if there are any spots 
 on it. There are none, and there are none on our hearts." 
 
 Kal-chote then presented another flag and said, " What 
 you have said is good, and what you have written is 
 good." 
 
 The Indians gave three cheers or shouts as each con- 
 cluded. The governor then signed the treaty, and was 
 followed by the Indian chiefs and principal men, forty- 
 one in number, of the Neah, Waatch, Tsoo-yess, and 
 Osett villages, or bands of the Makahs. Among the 
 names are Klah-pe-an-hie or Andrew Jackson, Tchoo- 
 quut-lah or Yes Sir, and Swell or Jeff Davis. 
 
 The witnesses were M. T. Simmons, Indian agent; 
 George Gibbs, secretary; B. F. Shaw, interpreter; C. M. 
 
MAKAH TREATY 477 
 
 Hitchcock, M. D. ; E. S. Fowler, Orrington Cushman, and 
 Robert Davis. 
 
 The provisions of this treaty are the same as in the oth- 
 ers. The annuities in goods, etc., amounted to $30,000, 
 and $3000 were provided to improve the reservation, 
 which embraced Neah Bay and Cape Flattery and their 
 principal village. It was intended only for a place of 
 residence, with enough cultivable land for potatoes and 
 vegetables, and, what was more important, to prevent their 
 being crowded off by fishing establishments. The local- 
 ity is unfit for agriculture, being rocky and sterile, with 
 an annual rainfall of 122 inches. And the reserve was 
 all they needed, for the Makahs are bold and skillful 
 fishermen and sailors, accustomed to venture thirty to 
 fifty miles out to sea in their large canoes, and take the 
 whale and halibut, while inshore they hunt the seal and 
 sea-otter, and catch the salmon. They are a more sturdy, 
 brave, and enterprising race than the natives of the 
 Sound, more resembling the northern Indians. In their 
 remote, rocky stronghold, protected by the strong arm of 
 the government extended over them by this treaty, but 
 depending upon the sea and their own efforts for a liveli- 
 hood, they have prospered greatly, putting up vast quan- 
 tities of fish, furs, and oil for market ; and there are few 
 white communities that have so much wealth per capita, 
 or wealth so evenly distributed, as these industrious and 
 manly Indians. 
 
 Immediately after the signing the presents were dis- 
 tributed, the camp was broken up, and in the evening the 
 party reembarked. The little vessel at once hoisted sail 
 for Port Townsend, where, after a three days' trip, being 
 delayed by head winds, she arrived February 3. The 
 next day the governor, with some of the party, took the 
 Major Tompkins for Victoria, in order to confer with 
 Governor Douglass upon the means of preventing the 
 
478 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 piratical incursions of the northern Indians upon the 
 Sound. On the 5th he returned to Port Townsend, and 
 reached Olympia on the night of the 6th. 
 
 This brief campaign was Napoleonic in rapidity and 
 success. In six weeks Governor Stevens met and treated 
 with five thousand Indians, of numerous independent 
 and jealous tribes and bands, and in four separate coun- 
 cils carefully and indefatigably made clear to them the 
 new policy, convinced them of its benefits to them, and 
 concluded with them four separate treaties, by which the 
 Indian title to the whole Puget Sound basin was ex- 
 tinguished forever, and the great source and danger of 
 collision between the races was removed. For the eight 
 thousand five hundred Indians hitherto ignored by Con- 
 gress and treated by the settlers as mere vagrants, to be 
 shoved aside at the whim or self-interest of any white man, 
 he established nine reservations, containing over 60,000 
 acres, for their permanent homes and exclusive posses- 
 sions; provided annuities of clothing, goods, and useful 
 articles for twenty years, aggregating $300,000; abol- 
 ished slavery and war among them; excluded liquor from 
 the reservations; extended over them the protection of the 
 government, with agents, schools, teachers, farmers, and 
 mechanics to instruct them; and, in a word, set their feet 
 fairly on " the white man's road." To accomplish this 
 astonishing work in such brief time, he traveled eight 
 hundred miles upon the Sound and Strait in the most 
 inclement season of the year, half the distance, and that 
 the most dangerous, in a small sailing-craft. He disre- 
 garded the storms and rains of that inclement season, 
 and spared neither himself nor his assistants. It is not 
 easy to say who had the hardest task, the agents and 
 messengers who traveled all over the Sound in canoes in 
 the tempestuous rainy season to call the scattered bands 
 together, or the unfortunate secretary, who had to catch 
 and set down on paper the jaw-breaking native names. 
 
NAPOLEONIC TREATY CAMPAIGN 479 
 
 The success and rapidity with which he carried through 
 these treaties were due to the careful and thorough man- 
 ner in which he planned them, and prepared the minds 
 of the Indians by his tour among and talks to them a 
 year previous, and by the messages and agents he had 
 sent among them. Besides, the Indians realized their 
 own feebleness and uncertain future, divided into so 
 many bands, exposed to the depredations of the north- 
 ern Indians, and dreading the advent and encroachments 
 of the whites. Their minds consequently were well 
 attuned for treating ; and when they understood the wise 
 and beneficent policy and liberal terms offered by the 
 governor, they gladly accepted them, and put their trust 
 in him as their friend and protector, a trust never with- 
 drawn and never forsaken. 
 
 The Indian war which occurred soon after, and the 
 delay in the ratification of the treaties, seriously militated 
 against carrying out the beneficent policy so well inau- 
 gurated, and later the occasional appointment of ineffi- 
 cient and dishonest agents has proved even more detri- 
 mental ; but notwithstanding all these drawbacks the 
 Indians have made substantial advances in civilization, 
 and it is interesting to compare their present condition, as 
 given in the last reports of the Commissioner of Indian 
 Affairs, and from local sources. 
 
 Their numbers have diminished only about one half. 
 No one seeing their debased condition in 1850 to 1860 
 (except the Makahs) would have deemed it possible for 
 them to hold their own so well. 
 
 Makahs 750 
 
 Tulalip Agency, lower Sound Indians . . . 1700 
 Puyallup Agency, upper Sound Indians . . 1850 
 
 4300 
 
480 ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 
 
 All now wear civilized dress, and live in houses. Many- 
 can read and write, and many of their children attend the 
 reservation schools. 
 
 " Among the Makahs, many of the younger Indians are turn- 
 ing their attention to farming and raising stock, and many of 
 them have fine gardens. They still catch a great many fish, 
 sending them to market in Seattle by steamer, and have caught 
 and shipped as high as 10,000 pounds in one day. There are 
 few places with so large a population where so little crime is 
 committed." 
 
 All the reservations on the Sound have now been allot- 
 ted, and the Indians are living on their respective allot- 
 ments. A considerable number have taken up farms 
 under the homestead laws, or purchased lands from the 
 whites, and are farming successfully,, Such Indians are 
 frequently seen driving into the towns with good wagons 
 and teams, as well dressed as the average white rancher, 
 and accompanied ofttimes by their wives and children. 
 
 " Practically all these Indians dress as civilized men and 
 women, and live in houses, some of which are good, comfortable, 
 and roomy, fully equal to the average farm dwellings in prosper- 
 ous communities of whites, and from these they grade down to 
 the most squalid shacks imaginable. Under the influence of 
 the teachers, and the example of the more advanced Indians 
 and the better class of white neighbors, there is slow but sure 
 improvement in this particular." 
 
 During the fall hundreds of them congregate on the 
 hop-fields, where they supply the most reliable hop-pick- 
 ers, whole families — men, women, and children — dili- 
 gently working together. After this harvest crowds of 
 them flock into the towns, and lay in stores of clothing 
 and provisions for the winter before returning home. 1 
 
 1 Commissioner of Indian Affairs' Report for 1899, pp. 301-303, 612. 
 
Electrotyped and printed by H. O. Houghton &* Co. 
 Cambridge, Mass, U.S. A. 
 
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