Chapter 12

Chief Joseph Surrenders

Summary
      The author of this chapter was fascinated with the "melancholy story" of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians, who were mostly friendly up until the 1870s, when they were forced out of the homeland and onto a reservation (187). They tried to escape to Canada, leading General Howard on a wild goose chase, but General Miles surprised them from the East, causing chaos in the Nez Perce camp. The Indians put up a good fight by digging shelters, which protected them from Miles' men and allowed them to "cut down any of his attacking soldiers" (196). After a cold day of fighting, Chief Joseph, under a flag of truce, went to talk with Miles. Miles told him that if the Indians gave up their weapons, then they could return peacefully to their reservation.
      Slowly, they began to comply, until Chief Joseph was made a prisoner despite the truce. They exchanged him for a general the Indians had captured, but the fighting began full force again. Suddenly, they began firing a cannon into the shelters, and Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce realized that there was no hope left, so they went to negotiate again. Miles repeated his earlier promise, which turned out to be a lie later on. Scouts returned to the general and told him that Chief Joseph had surrendered, saying "I will fight no more forever" (201). He then came and gave over his rifle, and the men shook hands.

Reflection
      The author said that what happened to Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce embodied the whole Indian experience, which I thought was very true. There was unfairness, fighting, forcing them into reservations, lies, and more. Why were the generals so eager to catch these Indians? Why couldn't they just go to Canada and live in peace with Sitting Bull and the Sioux? They had been through so much, what was the harm in simply keeping their promise and letting them go back to their reservation at Lapwai, instead of sending them to Oklahoma and leaving them there to die?