Letter from California

LIGHTFOOT

Posted By: Anne Hermann (email)
Date: 6/7/2008 at 10:09:54

Western Democrat
Bellevue, Iowa
November 12, 1851

EXTRACT FROM A CALIFORNIA LETTER.
Sacramento City Sept. 20th, 1851

The last letter I wrote was in July, from Bear River about 8 or 900 miles from the mines. Crane and the rest of the company traded their teams for horses and we started to pack through. – We were getting along very well 14 in company, when we were attacked by about 50 Indians. Eight out of the 14 were killed. The Indians were well armed, while we had but 5 guns and but 2 of them in a condition to be fired.

The attack was on 3 sides and through the opening thus left what were not killed escaped. I had a ball through my hat. We lost 12 horses and all our clothing. We went 50 miles on the S. L. road and met a train which we joined. The names of those killed were John Woods, the Irish Constable from Galena, Jourdan, Underwood, Henry Garlenger, Tinner, Chamberlain, all from about Galena, Macomb Russel, from East Fork of Fever River, Nathan Stewart, Small Pox; John Bounting from Indiana, and Luke Barry from Wisconsin. We went back after 5 days and tried to bury them but the ground was so hard that we could not.

JAMES LIGHTFOOT.
To his Wife, Bellevue, Iowa