CAPTAINJACK
Captain Jack
(ca. 1837–October 3, 1874)
Modoc Subchief
C
aptain’s Jack’s re-
fusal to settle on
a reservation trig-
gered an embarrassing
episode for the United
States that witnessed the
only U.S. Army general to
be killed by Indians. The
Modocs then conducted
an epic stand in the lava
beds along the Oregon-
California border, but
they would pay a heavy
price for success.
Kintpuash (He Has
Water Brash; i.e., indiges-
tion) was born along the
Lost River near the Cali-
fornia-Oregon boundary,
the son of a local Modoc
subchief. In his dealings
with white settlers, he
subsequently acquired the
sobriquet “Captain Jack” on account of a
fondness for army clothing and decorations.
The Modocs at this time had enjoyed rela-
tively peaceful relationships with the tide of
white settlers that flooded Northern Califor-
nia after the Mexican-American War (1846–
1848). However, tensions began to rise as
more and more Indian land was confiscated
by the new residents. Sporadic fighting en-
sued and Captain Jack’s father was killed in
a deliberate ambush by vengeful whites. Tak-
ing his father’s place within the tribe, Jack
thereafter advocated peaceful relations be-
tween Modocs and settlers. Little upheaval
occurred in Northern California until 1864,
when Chief Schonchin, under great pressure,
signed a treaty stipulating the surrender of
prime Modoc land in exchange for a reserva-
tion in Oregon. Unfortunately, this arrange-
ment placed the Modocs, a small tribe, in the
very lap of their hostile
Klamath neighbors. For
nearly six years, the Kla-
maths bullied and ha-
rassed the Modocs in a
squabble over scarce re-
sources; the local Indian
agent refused to inter-
vene or assist. At length,
Captain Jack decided he
had endured enough
abuse, and in April 1870,
accompanied by 150 Mo-
doc warriors, women, and
children, he departed the
Klamath reservation for
his former Modoc home
near Tule Lake in North-
ern California.
The Modocs lived
peaceably for two years
on their old land before
settlers demanded their
removal. When threats and entreaties failed to
convince Captain Jack to return to Oregon, on
November 28, 1870, the army dispatched a
troop of 36 soldiers under Capt. James Jack-
son to persuade them by force. A heated argu-
ment ensued in the camp and a fight broke
out, leaving several soldiers and Indians dead.
This skirmish was the opening volley of the
so-called Modoc War, an expensive and all-
around embarrassing episode in the history of
Indian removal. Captain Jack, fearing the in-
evitable retaliation was coming, hastily relo-
cated his small band to the lava beds south of
Tule Lake. At length he was joined by another
group under Hooker Jim, who had massacred
18 white settlers en route. The position cho-
sen by Captain Jack was sparse, but as it was
marked by caves, fissures, and other obsta-
cles, it formed an excellent defensive position
if held with determination. Within weeks, theCaptain Jack
National Archives