Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/403

THE MCNEMEES AND TETHEROWS 361 mission to charge the farm house and dislodge the In- dians. The major was aganist it, and told him it would only result in the needless loss of men; that we could sur- round the place and capture the Indians. Captain Bennett came back again and asked permission to charge the farmhouse. The major said, 'I am against it, but do as you please about it. If you think best, go ahead.' Captain Bennett was a brave officer, but hadn't been trained to fight Indians as the Indians fight, by taking advantage of every bit of cover. The volunteers had enlisted to kill Indians and not to salute officers and to be taught to act pretty with a gun. Captain Bennett was strong for drill in the manual of arms, and so he wasn't very popular with the volunteers. When he had obtained permission to charge the farmhouse, instead of scattering his men out he had them charge in company front, as if they were at drill. As they started forward toward the fence around the farmhouse one of the Indians in the farmhouse picked off Captain Bennett, and a private in Company A was also killed. The Indians had all the fighting they wanted at the 'Four Day Fight' there, and skedaddled. "The next spring, while we were out scouting after Indians, we went up into the Yakima country. On Canon creek, early in April, we ran across the Indians. Captain Hembree, with several of the volunteers, started for the top of the ridge to see if he could locate the Indians and find out how many there were. Not far from the camp they ran across some horses, and as they approached them the Indians, who had sp.en Captain Hembree and the vol- unteers coming, attacked them. From camp we could see everything that happened. Captain Hembree fought bravely and killed two of the Indians, but he himself was killed and scalped. Major Cornoyer followed the Indians, overtook them and killed six of them. They took the body of Captain Hembree to The Dalles and from there they shipped it to his home in LaFayette, where they held a big funeral.