| Notes |
- From Maryland Historical Magazine, vol 35, #1, Mar 1940:
CAPTAIN C.S. WINDER'S ACCOUNT OF A BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS
A letter describing a desperate engagement with the Indians of Washington Territory in 1858, written by Captain Charles Sydney Winder, of Talbot County, afterwards Brigadier General in the Confederacy, has been transcribed for the Magazine by Dr. I. Ridgeway Trimble. This document was owned by Captain Winder's son, the late Edward Lloyd Winder of Presqu'ile, Talbot County, who, before his death, kindly consented to its publication in these pages.
Soon after Winder's graduation from West Point in 1850, he was ordered to the Pacific Coast. His vessel was shipwrecked, however, and the rescue ship landed him with his troops in Liverpool, England. His conduct in the emergency won him promotion to a captaincy. When he finally reached the assigned station he participated in several engagements among which was the encouter described in his letter, now known as the Battle of Steptoe Butte. [footnote: According to E.S. Meany, History of the State of Washington, N.Y., 1927, pp. 212-214]
The letter was directed to Charles H. Key, a son of Francis Scott Key, who had married Elizabeth Lloyd, daughter of Edward Llyod, VI, of Wye House. Winder's wife was Alice Lloyd, another daughter of this Edward Lloyd. General Winder was killed in the Battle of Cedar Mountain, at the age of 33. [footnote: Gen. Stonewall Jackson said in his report: "It is difficult within the proper reserve of an official report to do justice to the merits of this accomplished officer. Richly endowed with those qualities of mind and person which fit an officer for command, and which attract the admiration and excite the enthusiasm of troops, he was rapidly rising to the front rank of his profession, and his loss has been severely felt." General Lee also wrote, in his official report: "I can add nothing to the well-deserved tribute paid to the courage, capacity, and conspicuous merit of this lamented officer by General Jackson, in whose brilliant campaigns in the valley and on the Chickahominy he bore a distinguished part."--Confederate Military History, II, pp. 165-167.]
* * * * *
Charles Sidney Winder
Highest Rank: Brig-Gen
Birth Date: 1829
Birth Place: Talbot County, Maryland
Biography:
Brigadier-General Charles S. Winder was born in Maryland in 1829. He was graduated at West Point in 1850, and on advancement from second to first-lieutenant of infantry, U. S. A., was ordered to the Pacific coast. The steamer San Francisco, on which the troops took passage, encountered a hurricane off the Atlantic coast, and for several weeks was reported lost.
Lieutenant Winder and his men were, however, rescued and carried to Liverpool. For his coolness and devotion on this occasion he was promoted to captain of the Ninth regiment, March 3, 1855, being, it is believed, the youngest captain in the army. Finally reaching the Pacific coast he went into Washington Territory in 1856, and was engaged in the desperate combat of To-hots-nim-me, with the Columbia river Indians, and other engagements in 1856 and 1858 in the Spokane country, under the command of Steptoe and Wright.
Early in 1861 he resigned his commission, and was commissioned, to date from March 16th, major of artillery in the Confederate army. He served at Charleston during the reduction of Fort Sumter, and was in command of the South Carolina arsenal until commissioned colonel of the Sixth regiment, South Carolina infantry, July 8, 1861.
He hurried with his command to Manassas, but reached the battle ground at the close of the fight. Promoted brigadier- general in March, 1862, he was assigned to command the Fourth brigade in Hill's division, but on the occurrence of a vacancy was given command of the "Stonewall brigade," in Jackson's division, with which he served in the Valley campaign of 1862.
He led the advance and opened the battle of Port Republic and in the campaign on the Chickahominy led his brigade in the desperate and memorable charge which broke the Federal lines at Cold Harbor or Gaines' Mill. In his report of that battle General Jackson describes the forward movement of the brigade, through the swamp, meeting at that point the Hampton Legion, First Maryland, Twelfth Alabama, Fifty-second Virginia and Thirty-eighth Georgia, which were formed on General Winder's line. " Thus formed, they moved forward under the lead of that gallant officer, whose conduct here was marked by the coolness and courage which distinguished him on the battle- fields of the valley. "
In the subsequent advance against Pope he commanded the division lately under the leadership of Jackson, who was in command of the corps. He was, however, not destined to see the second overwhelming defeat of the Federal army on the historic field of Manassas. While in command of Jackson's division, on August 9, 1862, and directing the movements of his batteries in the terrific artillery duel of the battle of Cedar Mountain, he was given a mortal wound by a shell, and died in a few hours, at the age of thirty-three.
Gen. Stonewall Jackson said in his report, "It is difficult within the proper reserve of an official report to do justice to the merits of this accomplished officer. Richly endowed with those qualities of mind and person which fit an officer for command, and which attract the admiration and excite the enthusiasm of troops, he was rapidly rising to the front rank of his profession, and his loss has been severely felt.
General Lee also wrote, in his official report: "I can add nothing to the well-deserved tribute paid to the courage, capacity, and conspicuous merit of this lamented officer by General Jackson, in whose brilliant campaigns in the valley and on the Chickahominy he bore a distinguished part. "
Source: Confederate Military History, vol. II, p. 165
From The Pacific Historian, Summer 1970 14:3
THE 1858 BATTLE OF STEPTOE BUTTE
(After a letter from 1st Lieutenant, 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment, Charles Sydney Winder. Edited by Alice Lloyd, his Grand-daughter, and Arthur T. Brice.)
After service as Adjutant of the Benicia, California, U.S. Army Command during 1854, Lieutenant Winder returned to his home in Maryland to marry Alice Lloyd of Wye House, Talbot County, Maryland, on August 7, 1855. Her returned West with his bride to Washington Territory, where their first son, Charles Sydney, Jr., was born in 1856 at Vancouver Barracks, W.T. Leaving him on duty, his wife and first child returned to the Maryland home, where their second son, Edward Lloyd, was born on June 4, 1858.
The Army Commands at Vancouver Barracks, Walla Walla, and the Cascades knew that, since early 1857, the Missionaries in Washington Territory -- Fathers Hoeken, Ravalli, and others -- although they could go freely wherever they desired -- were fearing a general Indian uprising.
Cayuse, Yakima, Palouse, Spokane, Coer d'Alene, and Walla Walla tribes were mentioned as hostile in early dispatches. Stock had been stolen from the Walla Walla Army Post. Two white men on their way to the Colville mines had been killed. Forty people living there had petitioned the Army for protection.
On June 2, 1858, Lieutenant Winder wrote to his Brother-in-Law, Charles Henry Key, youngest son of the author of the U.S. National Anthem, from Walla Wall, W.T.:
My Dear Charley;
Many thanks for your very welcome letter of April 3rd, which I received May 16th, some 150 miles north of this, and in far from a pleasant situation, as you shall hear in this letter. Ere this reaches you as you will have heard, by the papers and through my letters home, we are in for a big Indian war, also that I was of the command which had a fight and got into a bad scrape.
I will try to give you a concise account of it, that you may know definitely of it, for the papers doubtless have various accounts. Even here rumors were many. A command left this post on May 6th, consisting of portions of three dragoon companies, and 25 of my men (artillerymen equipped with two small Howitzers), making in all 8 officers and 152 men. We moved in a northerly direction towards Colville, passing through the Nez Perce, Pelouse, and Spokane country. For ten days the march was without incident of note, and scarce an Indian had been seen, except a few friendly ones. We had marched about 150 miles at to within 20 miles of the Spokane River, in the country of the same name, when suddenly on the 16th, we found ourselves opposed by a body of Indians, painted and dressed for war, bows strung and guns loaded. At first sight with my glass I could count but 70, in a few seconds as if by magic, the moment one or two rode up to talk they appeared all around us, some 800, and in half an hour from 1000 to 1200, the Indians here say 1600 which may be true.
A talk was had, and they were determined on fighting; evidently a large combination had been formed, and our movements watched, awaiting our arrival in this place, where they had the best positions. They were painted and dressed in the most fantastic and savage style; their horses painted and dressed. We formed for defense, and marched two miles or more to water, they charging around us, yelling, whooping, shaking scalps and such things over our heads, looking like so many fiends. Our little band behaved nobly, and kept cool, waiting for them to take the initiative, though they dashed up even to our lines, without doing anything, however, except yelling. This began about 12M and continued until about 8:00 PM, when dusk coming they withdrew. All that time some had been talking with the commanding officer (Colonel E. J. Steptoe), and we had been standing ready to fight.
Twas Sunday, and I contrasted it with the quiet days passed among you all at home. About 7:00 PM and express reached us with our mail and t'was then your letter reached me. I soon read it and was glad to receive good accounts of all. That night it was supposed we would be attacked. We had a strong guard, and I was officer of the day. We were up at 2:00 o'clock Monday morning, and started to retrace our steps, as it would have been madness to go on. At first not an Indian was to be seen. Shortly after we started, they were seen in masses following and getting on our flanks. They began the performances of the previous day, keeping at a greater distance, sometimes firing into the air. I was soon convinced we had to fight. In a short time they fired into our rear guard, and in a few minutes the fight became general.
The scene beggars description, 1000 of those infuriated devils, painted and dressed as I said, charging in all directions, yelling, and whooping, and firing on us. They fought well, but we moved on and got a good position on a hill (Steptoe Butte). For six hours the firing was hot and heavy. It then abated, but continued until dark. It began at 8:00 AM and lasted near 12 hours. Our loss was great for our numbers, though considering the force opposed to us and the length of the affair we were fortunate. Of five company officers, we lost two, poor Captain Taylor, and Lieutenant Gaston, fell doing their duty nobly. We had seven killed and 13 wounded on our side, the Indians acknowledged nine killed (two Chiefs), and 20 wounded, many mortally. We feel sure there were more, for in one charge 12 were left on the field. My men were cool and courageous, behaving well through the entire affair. I had three wounded, one severely though no seriously, and he is doing well. It was a hard days work, and nothing to eat.
At night our ammunition was nearly expended, and the numbers around us increasing, and it was decided to abandon our property, and make a forced night march for the safety of the command. At 10:00 PM we started, and 8:00 PM the next evening (Tuesday) we had made 85 miles, without sleeping or eating. It was a hard march and exhausted all of us. I can't tell you my feelings or thoughts during the fight, and march afterwards, while balls were whistling freely around, and yells ringing in my ears. For two or three days after did I ever hear the same. Tis the first fight of any importance I have participated in, and must say in candor I should be satisfied were my fate so changed as to prevent my ever going into another, a strange sentiment you may say for a soldier, and myself, nevertheless t'is my conviction after recent experience, though I'll do my duty under all and any circumstances.
We arrived at this post on the 22nd, instant, rather the worse for wear and tear and deficient many things we started with, and having had a short though rough campaign. Such is an account of a two weeks trip out here, as full as I can make it on paper. Some of these days I will tell you more of it. All is quiet now, and we are awaiting orders, and an increase of our force. We want 1000 men to operate successfully, where they are to come from I can't say. I do trust they will be got here soon, and enable us to strike a decisive blow ere November or December. I will keep you informed of our movements.
Truly your firend and relative, C.S. WINDER
Editor's note:-Paragraphs and comments bearing on purely personal and family affairs have been omitted from the transcript of the letter.
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1829 - 1862 (33 years)
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