George Cowan

Now only George Cowan remained missing. After being left for dead along the trail, Cowan revived. He had already been shot in the leg, then shot in the head.

In about two hours I began to come back to life, as I did so my head felt benumbed.... My head felt very large, seemingly as large as a mountain, and I mechanically raised my hand and began feeling my face and head. / found my face covered with blood and my hair clotted with blood that had cooled there.... Feeling my leg, I found it completely benumbed, but there were no bones broken....

As I raised up I saw an Indian close by me sitting on his pony quietly watching me. I turned to run into the willows close at hand. The Indian observed the movement and started down toward me. As I was hobbling away, I glanced backward and saw him on one knee aiming his gun at me. Then followed a twinging sensation in my left side, and the report of the gun and I dropped forward on my face. The ball had struck me on the side above the hip and come out in front of the abdomen....

I now took another inventory of my wounds, and in trying to rise found that I could not use either of my lower limbs. They were both paralyzed. then turned upon my face and began crawling by pulling myself with my elbows....

I kept this up until Monday morning, having crossed the East Fork [Nez Perce Creek] Sunday night, and reached the wagons that we had abandoned on Friday. I had crawled about nine miles in sixty hours....

As I reached the wagon I found my faithful dog, Dido, laying beneath it. I called to her, and she came bounding to me, and covered my face and wounds with caresses. The pleasure of the meeting was mutual....

I could find nothing to eat.

It occurred to me that I had spilled some coffee when in camp, on Thursday in Lower Geyser Basin, and calling my dog we started for it, I crawling as before, and the dog walking by my side. The coffee was four miles distant, but I thought not of that. The only idea was to possess the coffee. I was starving....
I ... reached the Lower Geyser Basin on Tuesday night.

Here, as I anticipated, I found some coffee, and a few matches. I found about a handful of coffee, and placing it in an empty can that I had found, I pounded it up fine. I then got some water in another empty can, that had contained molasses, and building a fire, I soon had some excellent hot coffee that refreshed me greatly. This was the first refreshment that I had taken for five days and nights....

I remained where I was Tuesday night....

I made some more coffee, and drank it, which seemed to give me renewed strength, but as my strength returned I felt more keenly the horrors of my position. I thought now I would crawl to where the East Fork empties into the Fire Hole River, so calling my dog I began my journey. I found that I was gradually growing weaker, as I could now crawl but a little ways when I would be compelled to stop and rest. At about a mile and a half distant I ... had to cross the river, but as the water was not deep, I made it without mishap.... I was now exhausted and could go no farther. It was an expiring effort, and having accomplished it I gave myself up for dead.

In about two hours, I heard the sound of horses coming, but so completely tired out was I that I did not care whether they were Indians or not. My dog began to growl, but I did not try to stop her. The horses drew nearer, and approached and stopped. The riders had seen me. I looked up and saw that they were white men. They alighted and came to me....

One of them kept talking to me, and asking questions that I cared not to answer, while the other built a fire and made some coffee for me. They told me that they were scouts from Howard's command, and that the troops would reach me some time during the next day They left me some "hard-tack' and a blanket... After they were gone and I had eaten, my desire for life returned, and it seems the spirit of revenge took complete possession of me. I knew that I would live, and I took a solemn vow that I would devote the rest of my days killing Indians, especially Nez Perces.

I laid here until Thursday afternoon, when I heard the sound of approaching cavalry, and shortly afterward General Howard and some of his officers rode up to me. In a few minutes I saw Arnold coming. He came up, recognized me, and knelt beside me. We grasped hands, but neither spoke for some minutes. I could only gasp:

"My wife!"

'No news yet, George,' he replied. He added that Oldham was with the command, and that Mann, Harmon, Dingee and Myers had gone to Virginia City.

On reading Arnold's account below one can sense the attitudes of the participants in this drama — civilians, military and medical.

Cowan was a most pitiful looking object. He was covered with blood, which had dried on him.... His clothing was caked with dry mud...

The ambulance soon came up, and we placed him in it with Oldham.... When we encamped the soldiers gave us blankets to make Cowan a bed. ... The surgeon did not come, as he promised, and I went in quest of one, but could find none. At sundown I went again and saw Dr. Fitzgerald, who said that Dr. Hall was the one that should look after Cowan. However, Fitzgerald said he would go, and soon came over. He seemed to be angry and did his probing, I thought, in a manner not in keeping with the wounded man's condition. During the operation of probing and extracting the ball from his forehead, some of them held a blanket up to secure Cowan from the wind, and to keep the candles from blowing out.

After the probing the surgeon left us, saying that it was not his place to dress the wounds. I then, with the assistance of the boys, washed and dressed the wounds as best I could, and some of the boys gave him some underclothing. The officers of the command offered us nothing, although they were supplied with everything. Neither Cowan, Oldham, or myself were in any way indebted to the surgeons or the officers for anything.

Cowan wanted to be forwarded home by way of Henry's Lake, but Howard said that in his condition he needed the best of medical attendance, (which was true), and that he would see to it that he received it, and that he would send him to Fort Ellis [Bozeman], (which was untrue). The treatment that he received and the attention shown him was to be placed in an old wagon and jolted over the worst road that ever was passed over by a wagon. The officers and surgeons would have let him rot alive. Some of the teamsters gave him underclothing, that was of great service to him, as his wounds discharged a great deal.

During our encampment near the basin, there would not have been an officer or a surgeon captured by the Indians, in case of an attack, as they were all off visiting the geysers.

The compassionate one, Arnold, who had earlier given out food to the Nez Perce scouts decided to stay with Cowan and be bounced around in a supply wagon rather than be sent home by way of Virginia City as were the others. The ordeal would last three weeks.

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