Chief Joseph Campground

Attempts by General Howard and Colonel Sturgis to communicate were interrupted and met with disastrous results as the Nez Perce had killed the messengers. This left Colonel Sturgis wondering if he had missed the Nez Perce and should have been stationed instead on the Stinking Water (Shoshone River) to the south. He left the Clarks Fork and travelled south, second-guessing the earlier conclusion about where the Nez Perce would emerge. 

In the meantime General Howard’s troops were also moving south. When Gen. Howard crossed Crandall Creek on September 8, he intersected the trail of the Nez Perce. 

“Dead couriers, miners, and prospectors were found in this vicinity in fearful frequency, showing how di cult it had been for Sturgis and me to communicate.”
– General Oliver O. Howard

“The Indians’ big trail, now in plain view, swept down the valley, and not a soul was in sight for ten miles and more.”
– General Oliver O. Howard