Chief Looking Glass Battlefield 6922 C
The hilltop on Bear Paw Battlefield in northern Montana where Chief Looking Glass was killed at the conclusion of the Nez Perce War of 1877.
The tribe's grueling 1,200-mile running fight through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana ended on these hills, only 40 miles from their goal: political sanctuary across the Canadian border and safety from the U.S. Armies that had been battling them for four months.
The tribe was led by a shifting coalition of five chiefs. Chief Joseph is the best-known leader, but he was largely a politician, while Looking Glass was the senior warrior chief.
Looking Glass had done everything he could to avoid becoming embroiled in the war. “I fight when I cannot avoid it, but not otherwise”. At the war’s start, Looking Glass had been appalled by the massacre of about 20 settlers by a handful of young warriors, who were outraged by the broken treaties and the unpunished murder of their father by a settler.
But General O.O. Howard, influenced by false rumors that Looking Glass was about to join the conflict, ordered the chief and his band arrested. An undisciplined volunteer civilian fired a shot, and the soldiers attacked and destroyed Looking Glass' village, which had been flying a white flag. The chief felt he had no choice but to join the fighting bands.
Looking Glass convinced the other bands to flee from Idaho to join his friends the Crows in Montana, believing that the Nez Perce would be leaving their troubles behind them in Idaho.
Travelling through western Montana, Looking Glass ordered warriors to not harm or steal from Whites. When a few rogue warriors ransacked a ranch, an enraged Looking Glass forced the warriors to give their horses to the rancher as compensation.
Looking Glass temporarily lost his influence after the bands were surprised and attacked at the Big Hole Battle in western Montana by a second U.S. army that had been, unknown to the Nez Perce, pursuing the caravan. During the battle, Looking Glass yelled at the young warriors who had massacred settlers at the beginning of the war, “This is battle! These men are not asleep as were those you murdered in Idaho! Now is the time to show your courage and fight!”
At Big Hole, many of the best Nez Perce warriors were killed and many women, children and elders were slaughtered by soldiers. Almost every Nez Perce family lost a relative in the battle and the caravan’s escape route was lined with graves.
At the Battle of Canyon Creek in central Montana, the Nez Perce defeated yet another pursuing army, but the Nez Perce were shocked to see Crow warriors fighting alongside the U.S. soldiers, so the caravan trudged north to seek sanctuary in Canada with Sitting Bull and The Sioux.
As the Nez Perce made haste through northern Montana and neared Canada, so close finally to freedom, Looking Glass balked at the grueling routine of the marches endured by the remaining women, children and elders. He took back command and set a more leisurely pace, unaware that yet another army, this one under the talented and ambitious Colonel Nelson Miles, was force marching 300 miles to intercept them.
Miles surprised the Nez Perce in these hills with a fierce cavalry attack, which the tribes repulsed. The 520 Soldiers succeeded in surrounding the 200 warriors who fought from rifle pits on these hilltops while 500 women, children and elders suffered in the wintery October weather in a ravine about 100 yards to the right of this photo, where they also endured artillery shelling.
At the beginning of the following five day siege, Looking Glass had sent a messenger through the siege lines to Sitting Bull across the Canadian border asking him for help breaking the siege and to lead the Nez Perce to Sitting Bull's camp in Canada. While Looking Glass fought prone in a rifle pit on this hill, a warrior shouted that a rider approached from the North. Looking Glass, thinking the rider was a messenger from Sitting Bull, stood up to look and was instantly killed by a sniper bullet to the head.
No help arrived and after five days the Nez Perce surrendered to Miles.
This composite is made with the only known photo of Chief Looking Glass.
Sources: Wikipedia; Nez Perce Summer, Jerome Greene; Children of Grace, Bruce Hampton; Yellow Wolf: His Own Story, M.C. McWhorter; Following the Nez Perce Trail, Cheryl Wilfong.
Chief Looking Glass Battlefield 6922 C
The hilltop on Bear Paw Battlefield in northern Montana where Chief Looking Glass was killed at the conclusion of the Nez Perce War of 1877.
The tribe's grueling 1,200-mile running fight through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana ended on these hills, only 40 miles from their goal: political sanctuary across the Canadian border and safety from the U.S. Armies that had been battling them for four months.
The tribe was led by a shifting coalition of five chiefs. Chief Joseph is the best-known leader, but he was largely a politician, while Looking Glass was the senior warrior chief.
Looking Glass had done everything he could to avoid becoming embroiled in the war. “I fight when I cannot avoid it, but not otherwise”. At the war’s start, Looking Glass had been appalled by the massacre of about 20 settlers by a handful of young warriors, who were outraged by the broken treaties and the unpunished murder of their father by a settler.
But General O.O. Howard, influenced by false rumors that Looking Glass was about to join the conflict, ordered the chief and his band arrested. An undisciplined volunteer civilian fired a shot, and the soldiers attacked and destroyed Looking Glass' village, which had been flying a white flag. The chief felt he had no choice but to join the fighting bands.
Looking Glass convinced the other bands to flee from Idaho to join his friends the Crows in Montana, believing that the Nez Perce would be leaving their troubles behind them in Idaho.
Travelling through western Montana, Looking Glass ordered warriors to not harm or steal from Whites. When a few rogue warriors ransacked a ranch, an enraged Looking Glass forced the warriors to give their horses to the rancher as compensation.
Looking Glass temporarily lost his influence after the bands were surprised and attacked at the Big Hole Battle in western Montana by a second U.S. army that had been, unknown to the Nez Perce, pursuing the caravan. During the battle, Looking Glass yelled at the young warriors who had massacred settlers at the beginning of the war, “This is battle! These men are not asleep as were those you murdered in Idaho! Now is the time to show your courage and fight!”
At Big Hole, many of the best Nez Perce warriors were killed and many women, children and elders were slaughtered by soldiers. Almost every Nez Perce family lost a relative in the battle and the caravan’s escape route was lined with graves.
At the Battle of Canyon Creek in central Montana, the Nez Perce defeated yet another pursuing army, but the Nez Perce were shocked to see Crow warriors fighting alongside the U.S. soldiers, so the caravan trudged north to seek sanctuary in Canada with Sitting Bull and The Sioux.
As the Nez Perce made haste through northern Montana and neared Canada, so close finally to freedom, Looking Glass balked at the grueling routine of the marches endured by the remaining women, children and elders. He took back command and set a more leisurely pace, unaware that yet another army, this one under the talented and ambitious Colonel Nelson Miles, was force marching 300 miles to intercept them.
Miles surprised the Nez Perce in these hills with a fierce cavalry attack, which the tribes repulsed. The 520 Soldiers succeeded in surrounding the 200 warriors who fought from rifle pits on these hilltops while 500 women, children and elders suffered in the wintery October weather in a ravine about 100 yards to the right of this photo, where they also endured artillery shelling.
At the beginning of the following five day siege, Looking Glass had sent a messenger through the siege lines to Sitting Bull across the Canadian border asking him for help breaking the siege and to lead the Nez Perce to Sitting Bull's camp in Canada. While Looking Glass fought prone in a rifle pit on this hill, a warrior shouted that a rider approached from the North. Looking Glass, thinking the rider was a messenger from Sitting Bull, stood up to look and was instantly killed by a sniper bullet to the head.
No help arrived and after five days the Nez Perce surrendered to Miles.
This composite is made with the only known photo of Chief Looking Glass.
Sources: Wikipedia; Nez Perce Summer, Jerome Greene; Children of Grace, Bruce Hampton; Yellow Wolf: His Own Story, M.C. McWhorter; Following the Nez Perce Trail, Cheryl Wilfong.