Battle of Pine Creek

By 1858, the Americans were well established in Washington and concentrating on the non treaty Indians (the Anishinabe Nation of course) to force them to capitulate. They were continuously sending their brave soldiers out to fight the better armed invading whites, who were settlers and miners who were being driven by great greed to illegally settle down on the land of the Anishinabe Nation of eastern Oregon and eastern Washington. In central and western Oregon and Washington, the Anishinabek had already been forced to diminish their fighting by the invading Americans, which forced the Anishinabek to either accept the American terms, or flee eastward into eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho or Canada. However, Anishinabe ogimak refused to cede their land.

To protect their settlers the Americans again raised numerous soldiers up to wage war on the Anishinabe people of eastern Washington, to attempt to subdue them. After the American militiamen were raised and organized, they went about searching for the Indians but were incapable of finding the target of their goals, which means the Anishinabek were using the nearby mountains of northeastern Washington as refuge from the Americans, and to send their soldiers out to raid the invading Americans. After the American military force searched the northeastern Washington terrain for the Anishinabek, they gradually withdrew, but it eventually led to Anishinabe ogimak agreeing to once again send their soldiers out to raid their white enemy. In central Oregon and Washington, many Anishinabek fled into the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains, and many into north central Idaho’s mountainous terrain, to escape from their American enemy. Most probably fled into Idaho. Some even fled up north to CAnada (British Columbia).

On May 6, 1858, an American military force of 160 soldiers and their Indian allies, under the command of Major Edward J. Steptoe, left the Walla Walla region. Near Rosalia, Washington they encountered a large force of Anishinabe soldiers (around 1,000) but decided to withdraw from them after negotiating, to request for more reinforcements. That number of 1,000 soldiers hints at the population of the Anishinabe people of that region of Washington, numbering around 10,000 or more. They originally lived in central, southern, and western Washington but many were driven out by the whites who used mainly Germ Warfare to wage war on them. On the morning of May 17, the Indians struck hard at the better armed white soldiers (they had the latest European guns which were immensely superior to the older European guns), which led to the Americans agreeing for a retreat to a former camp of their's, from a couple days previous. The larger number of Anishinabe soldiers were instrumental in dominating the early phase of this battle.

On their retreat, the Americans reached the area which is present day Rosalia, Washington then set up a perimeter to defend themselves, and ordered their howitzers to be prepared for use. Hot on their trail, the Anishinabe soldiers caught up to the Americans then attempted to attack the Americans, but the Americans superior weapons prevented the Indians from forcing them to capitulate. During the ensuing night, the Americans agreed to flee from the intense battle against the far more numerous Anishinabe soldiers. After finding a location among the surrounding Anishinabe soldiers, which they felt offered them a good opportunity of escaping, they took it. Although this was an Anishinabe victory it was a costly one. Indian casualties were estimated at 50 to 100, with either 9 killed or 40 killed. American casualties were around 20 with 7 killed. The high Indian casualties were the result of the superior weapons of the whites. After this battle the Americans lost, it made them all the more enraged and another military expedition was organized soon afterwards, to attempt to force Anishinabe ogimak, to capitulate.