Captain Jack
From Freepedia
- This article concerns the Modoc Indian chief; for others similarly named, see Captain Jack (disambiguation).
Kintpuash, better known as Captain Jack (died October 3, 1873), was a chief of the Native American Modoc tribe of California and Oregon, and was their leader during the Modoc War.
In 1864, the Modoc tribe agreed to live on a reservation in their ancestral home near Tule Lake, on the California-Oregon border. However, due to settlers complaining about losing the fertile land, they were moved to the Klamath Reservation in southwestern Oregon, home of their traditional rivals, the Klamath tribe. As the Klamath outnumbered their neighbors, and the reservation was on traditional Klamath land, the Modoc were poorly treated. In 1865, Captain Jack led the Modoc off the reservation and back to their home. In 1869, the Modoc were again captured by the United States Army, and returned to the Klamath Reservation, but conditions had not improved, and Capain Jack led a band of about 180 Modoc to the Tule Lake area in April, 1870.
In 1872 the Army was again sent to capture Captain Jack's band. On November 29, while negotiating their surrender at Lost River, Oregon, fighting broke out between a soldier and one of the Modoc warriors. The short battle of Lost River ensued, and Jack took the opportunity to take his band into the wastelands of what is now Lava Beds National Monument. The band settled in a natural fortress, now known as Captain Jack's Stronghold, consisting of many caves and trenches in the lava beds. When they were located, the Army quickly launched a battle on January 17, 1873; the Army lost 35 dead and many wounded, while the Modoc suffered no casualties.
Captain Jack's advisors, apparently not attuned to relevant differences between Modoc and Euro-American culture, suggested that the Army would leave in response to killing their leader, Gen. Edward Canby. Jack hoped, to the contary, for a peaceful solution to the conflict, and entered into negotiations with a Federal peace commission. During the months-long negotiations, the Modoc hawks gained in influence. Jack was shamed, his opponents even dressing him in the clothing of a Modoc woman to symbolically strip him of his manhood. To bolster his influence, Jack agreed to their plan: he called for a meeting with the commission (of which Canby was by then the chair) with the intention of killing them. During a conference on April 11, Captain Jack and several other Modocs drew pistols upon a pre-arranged signal, and killed both members of commission; Captain Jack personally shot Canby to death. (Canby was the only general killed during the Indian Wars -- contrary to the occasional impression that Custer ranked higher than lieutenant colonel). The murder had far from the desired effect, and Canby's successor, Gen. Jefferson C. Davis brought in over 1000 soldiers as reinforcements. On April 14, the Army again attacked the stronghold, this time forcing the Modoc to flee.
Over the next several months, various groups of Modoc continued to fight the army, while many began to surrender. On June 1, Captain Jack surrendered, ceremonially laying down his rifle. He was taken to Fort Klamath, Oregon, and on October 3, he and three of his warriors were hanged for the murder of General Canby and the negotiators.
