by troops at White Bird Canyon. As large
numbers of dispossessed Indians flocked
together at Weippe, a council of nontreaty
chiefs was held on July 15, 1877, to decide
upon strategy. What followed was a minor
military classic.
Looking Glass, by dint of his reputation as
a warrior and his commanding presence, was
approached for military advice. He strongly
urged his fellow tribesmen to flee their home-
land across the Lolo Trail and make haste for
Crow Indian lands in Montana. When the
tribal elders agreed, Looking Glass, assisted
by Joseph and other ranking chiefs, initiated
their 1,500-mile trek for freedom. The Indians
brushed aside several of Howard’s pursuing
units and conducted a safe and leisurely
crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains. Con-
cerned for the elderly and convinced that the
army troops were not nearby, Looking Glass
allowed his people to camp and rest at Big
Hole Valley on August 7, 1877. Security was
lax, and the Nez Percé failed to post any
scouts. Two days later, soldiers under Col.
John Gibbon managed to approach unde-
tected and launched a heavy attack on the
camp. Despite an initial panic, the Indians ral-
lied under Looking Glass and beat off the in-
truders. The toll, however, was high: around
90 men, women, and children were killed, in-
cluding 12 of the tribe’s best warriors. In view
of this reverse, Looking Glass became dis-
credited and lost his appointment as principal
war chief. That post was subsequently ac-
corded to Chief Lean Elk, although Looking
Class remained within the inner circle as a
military adviser.
The Nez Percé continued slogging east-
ward with the army in close pursuit. The Indi-
ans were surprisingly effective in several
more small encounters, but each had the ef-
fect of bleeding away manpower and sup-
plies. When it was determined that an alliance
with the Crow Indians would not be feasible,
the chiefs then decided to veer northward
into Canada to join forces with the Sioux
renegade Sitting Bull. Through it all, Look-
ing Glass continually argued that the people
were tired and needed rest. He prevailed upon
Lean Elk and others to slow the rate of march,
as Howard’s troops had been clearly out-
paced. This was partly true, but, unknown to
the Indians, Howard had telegraphed ahead to
Gen. Nelson A. Miles at Fort Keogh, Montana,
about the intended course of the refugees and
ordered him to intercept. At length the Nez
Percé crossed the Little Rockies and were en-
tering the Bear Paw Mountains with their final
destination less than 100 miles distant. When
the exhausted tribesmen grew disillusioned
by Lean Elk’s relentless pace, he was dis-
posed, and Looking Glass regained his stand-
ing as the principal war chief.
The footsore Nez Percé limped to within
40 miles of the Canadian border—and free-
dom—when Looking Glass allowed them to
encamp near the northern flank of the Bear
Paws. No danger was perceived at the time,
but on September 30, 1877, Miles suddenly
appeared out of nowhere and attacked the In-
dian encampment. Looking Glass directed
the defense of the camp admirably and threw
back his assailants for four days, but he had
clearly been surprised a second time. There
was little time for recriminations as the
weather worsened and food stocks dwindled.
Joseph and other chiefs began discussing the
unthinkable, but Looking Glass declared “I
will never surrender to a deceitful white
chief” and made plans to break away and ride
north. Shortly after convening a council on
October 5, 1877, scouts announced the ap-
proach of a mounted warrior outside the
camp. Looking Glass, anticipating that it was
a messenger from Sitting Bull, sprang up on
the rocks to get a better look. At that moment
he was cut down by a sniper’s bullet and
died, the last casualty of the Nez Percé War.
His death disheartened the defenders, and
Chief Joseph surrendered to General Miles
that same day. In return for their monumental
retreat, the Nez Percé endured nearly a
decade of exile on reservations in Kansas and
Oklahoma. But in 1885, they were finally and
permanently relocated to new homes in
Idaho, much closer to their traditional lands.LOOKINGGLASS