[Rarebooks] fs: Americana Sale- Nez Perce Joseph (1881)

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Howard, O.O. "NEZ PERCE JOSEPH. An account of his ancestors, his lands, his 
confederates, his enemies, his murders, his war, his pursuit and capture"

Boston; Lee and Shepard Publishers: 1881.

A classic and tragic account of Indian fighting, by Brigadier General O.O. 
Howard, who chased and caught Chief Joseph in 1877.

Both Joseph and Howard were noteworthy men. General Howard was a 
distinguished commander in the Civil War, and led troops at First Bull Run, 
Fair Oaks (where he received a wound that resulted in the amputation of his 
right arm), Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

After the War he was named head of the Freedman's Bureau, charged with 
protecting and aiding newly freed slaves. He quickly earned the antipathy 
of Southerners for his efforts to distribute land to former slaves and 
secure them the right to vote. Never one who would not practice what he 
preached, he worked to make his own Washington, D.C. church racially 
integrated, and helped found an all-black college, named Howard University 
in his honor.

Sent West by President Grant in 1872, he negotiated with Cochise to end his 
decade-long war with honor, a position which brought him criticism from 
other military men. Sent to Oregon in 1877 to deal with the Nez Perce 
problem, Howard sympathized with Joseph and his tribe, but felt he had to 
follow orders, especially when the confrontation turned violent. 
Nevertheless, after Joseph's surrender, Howard was outspoken in defense of 
the chief and his people, and worked (unsuccessfully) to return them to 
their rightful homes.
Howard would go on to serve as Superintendent at West Point and wrote 
several other books about his experiences in the West.

Chief Joseph, or Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt (Thunder Rolling Down the 
Mountain) was more a spiritual leader than military leader, but it was his 
military campaign that brought him lasting fame. His father, the elder 
Chief Joseph, had converted to Christianity and supported a long-standing 
peace with white settlers which secured a large reservation in Oregon and 
Idaho for his people.

A gold rush in 1863 led the Federal government to break the treaty and take 
away all the lands except for a small portion in Idaho. At that point 
Joseph the Elder burned his Bible and his American flag and refused to move 
the tribe from their ancestral home in the Wallowa Valley. As the situation 
escalated Joseph the Elder died and his son, Joseph the younger, was 
elected to succeed him.

Following in his father's footsteps, he refused to budge, but in 1877 the 
arrival of General Howard with an overwhelming military force persuaded 
Joseph that further resistance would do no good. As the tribe began to move 
toward Idaho a small band of young men killed some white settlers, and the 
Nez Perce War was on.

The Nez Perce were outnumbered ten to one and outgunned, but they became 
masters of retreat. General Sherman commented that "the Indians throughout 
displayed a courage and skill that elicited universal praise... [they] 
fought with almost scientific skill, using advance and rear guards, 
skirmish lines, and field fortifications." Joseph became known in the press 
as "The Red Napoleon", even though the actual military campaign was led by 
other chiefs- his younger brother Olikut and Looking Glass. Nonetheless, 
Joseph remained the spiritual leader of his people.

The outcome of this campaign, however, was never really in question. After 
three months Looking Glass and Olikut were dead, and the tribe cut off. The 
Nez Perce surrendered and were shipped to Oklahoma, where many died of 
disease. In 1885 they were finally allowed to return to Idaho, but many of 
the leaders, Joseph among them, were separated from their tribe and kept in 
Washington state.

Joseph never gave up speaking out against the injustices done to his people 
and died in 1904 of (as his doctor wrote) "a broken heart". He remains a 
part of American history, most well known for his famous, oft-reprinted 
surrender speech-

"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. 
Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who 
say, "Yes" or "No." He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, 
and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My 
people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no 
food. No one knows where they are... perhaps freezing to death. I want to 
have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. 
Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My 
heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more 
forever".

Hardcover. 6"x8", 274 pages, two portraits, two maps (1 folding). Original 
pebbled cloth covers, cover bright and unworn (one small spot on the rear 
cover). Discreetly ex-lib with a small stamp on the title page and on page 
1; portraits of O.O. Howard and chief Joseph separated by a tissue guard, 
part of which became adhered to Joseph's portrait, leaving some residue and 
creating a tear in the margin of the page near the base. A little light 
soil, but overall a very nice copy. [01172] $500.00 // THIS WEEK $250.00




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