CONNELL'S PRAIRIE
On September 24, 1855, acting Gov. C.H. Mason, Governor Stevens was out of the country at the time, sent a letter to Capt. Maurice Maloney at Ft Steilacoom. In it he requested that Maloney send a detachment of men to join Maj. Haller. Fulfilling this order on September 27, 1855, Maloney sent Lt. William Slaughter with about 40 men. They were to ride over the Naches Pass, joining Haller in the Yakima country. Slaughter went beyond the Cascade summit and learned that a large number of well armed Indians were in front of him. He also learned that Haller had engaged the enemy and met with a setback. Slaughter drew his troops back to the White River to wait for reinforcements and further orders.
Under orders from his superior, Maj. G.H. Rains, Capt. Maloney left Ft Steilicoom on October 21, 1855, and joined Lt. Slaughter on the White River. They waited 4 days for the newly organized company of volunteers under Capt. Gilmor Hays to join them. Maloney had taken all available men at the fort. It was apparent that no trouble was expected from the Indians west of the Cascade Mountains.
Upon arriving at the Naches Pass Maloney rested his animals and men. He received information that there were two or three thousand well armed Indians in front of him determined to fight. Although his orders were to go into the Yakima country, he knew the situation better than Rains. If he moved forward he would go into what looked like apparent annihilation. His force wasn't strong enough. If he waited for reinforcements his food would run shot and new snow would cut off a retreat. Snowfall would also raise the Naches River, preventing communications.
Trouble was started by the organization known as the Eaton
Rangers, a company organized by Capt. Charles Eaton and Lt. James McAllister. This
unit, 19 strong, started with instructions to
apprehend Leschi and his brother, Quiemuth, at their home and bring them to
Olympia to be under government surveillance; it having been reported that they
had been for some time preparing their band for active hostilities against the
settlements.
The brothers having learned of the purpose for which the company was organized
left the Nisqually Valley quickly.
Finding the Indians had gone, Capt. Eaton spent a couple of
days reconnoitering on the upper Puyallup, and then sent Lt. McAllister with a
small party to scout out the vicinity of White River.
McAllister was accompanied by a man named Michael Connell who had a claim on
White River. Both were shot from ambush on the road leading from the prairie
through a swampy tract with fallen timber and thick underbrush on either side.
This happened on the October 27, 1855; and was the first overt act of
hostilities west of the Cascade Mountains. The following day the Indians raided
the White River settlement killing a total of 9 men, women, and children.
Maloney reached Connell's cabin
only the chimney remained. Realizing that the Indians must be close by he made
camp. The next morning he put Capt. Hays and Lt. Slaughter on their trail which led to the White
River. At the crossing they were fired on by the Indians and one man was killed. The fight continued until 3:00
in the afternoon and no crossings were made that day. The
next day the Indians were found on the opposite bank of the Green River.
For the next four months there were many encounters with the Indians in Pierce
County. The troops fought them on the White, Green and Puyallup Rivers. The
Indians usually fired first and held the best positions. Even the high waters
worked for them.
In January 1856, Leschi and a band of Indians came to the Indian reservation on
Fox Island. An unsuccessful attempt was made to capture him by Captain Maloney
and thirty men.
On March 10, 1856,
at Connell's Prairie, the decisive battle was fought, Capt. White and his
company of about 32 men were sent to White River to build a block house and a
ferry. Capt. Swindal and 10 privates joined him that day.
They had gone about a half a mile from Camp Connell when they were attacked by
about 10 Indian warriors supported by a large group of women. They started the
attack unseen by the troops.
Seeing the troops needed help Capt. Hays sent Capt. Henness with
20 men and Lt. Martin with 15. The Indians swiftly extended their lines to the
left and Lt. Van Ogle came in to check them. But before he could reach a
favorable position, they had extended too far and it was necessary to send Capt. Antonio Rabbeson
with 12 men. The Indians were fighting on a
hill while the troops fought on the bottom; the battle continued for two
hours.
Orders were given for Swindal who held a center position and Rabbeson in his
extreme left position to charge while Henness and White held. This drove some of
the Indians out of their positions. Capt. Swindal and company gained a position
on a ridge in back of the main group of Indians. Capt. Rabbeson and men joined Henness and White. The Indians
fighting from behind tree and log were not easily dislodged.
Finally Rabbeson and a few men joined Swindal. Together they made a flank
movement to the right, charging the enemy's rear. Henness and White charged in
front. the Indians broke and fled. The troops chased them for a mile over a
trail of blood.
Scattered along the way were blankets, hats, and shirts torn by bullet holes and
stained with blood. In their great haste the Indians had left their drum. Here
and there lay pieces of rope the Indians used to drag their dead into the brush.
Just two dead Indians were found.
The Connell's Prairie battle took the fight out of the
Indians. They broke into small bands and scattered. On May 19
Lt. Col. Silas Casey declared the war west of the
Cascades ended.
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