Failure of US To Respond To Modoc
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs never responded to Meacham's request for a separate reservation for the Modoc. After hearing more complaints from settlers, Meacham requested General Edward Canby, Commanding General of the Department of the Columbia, to move Captain Jack's band to Yainax on the Klamath Reservation, his recommended site for their use. Canby forwarded Meacham's request to General Schofield, Commanding General of the Pacific, suggesting that before using force, peaceful efforts should be made. Jack had asked to talk to Meacham, but he did not go.
In the middle of the crisis, the Commission of Indian Affairs replaced Meacham, appointing T. B. Odeneal as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon. He "knew almost nothing of the background of the situation and had never met Jack or the Modocs" but was charged with "getting the Modocs to leave Lost River." In turn, Odeneal appointed a new US Indian agent, who was also unfamiliar with the parties and conditions.
On April 3, 1872, Major Elmer Otis held a council with Captain Jack at Lost River Gap, near what is now Olene, Oregon. At the council, Major Otis presented Captain Jack with some settlers who complained about the behavior of Jack's men, and Captain Jack countered that it was the Modoc who were being abused and unjustly accused of crimes which other Indians had committed.
Although the council's results were inconclusive, Otis resolved to remove Jack’s band of Modoc to the Klamath Reservation. He needed reinforcements and recommended waiting until later in the year, when he could put the Modoc at a disadvantage.
On April 12, the Commission of Indian Affairs requested the US Superintendent, T. B. Odeneal to move Captain Jack and his Modoc to the reservation if practicable. He was to ensure they were protected from the Klamath.
On May 14, Odeneal sent Ivan D. Applegate and L. S. Dyer to arrange for a council with Captain Jack, which the latter refused. On July 6, 1872, the US Commissioner of Indian Affairs repeated his direction to Superintendent Odeneal to move Captain Jack and his band to the Klamath Reservation, peacefully if possible, but forcibly if necessary. Minor skirmishes occurred during the summer and early fall, but some of the settlers in California were sympathetic to the Modoc, as they had gotten along well with them before. They felt they had been mistreated.
Read more about this topic: Modoc War
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