[Hosea Stout Diary] At the dawn of day our company was divided into 4 parties the better to surround the camp of Indians. I first started with a party to close in on the farthest side of them to prevent them from escaping to the mountains while another party under A. Williams marched into the mouth of the Cañon to keep them from escaping in that direction. Judson Stoddard with a few horsemen formed below on the creek to be ready to pursue them in case they attempted to escape into the valley while the fourth party under D. B. Huntington marched directly to their camp.
They discovered us about the time we had fairley surrounded them while it was yet twilight & attempted to escape in several different directions but found themselves surrounded whereupon they commenced a long & loud speech which I afterwards learned only consisted in telling us to go away or they would fire upon us while our interpreters also told them that we desired to see them and wished them to come out.
The Utah who was along with us also tried to persuade them to come out but all to no purpose.
Some time was spent in this way while they steadily refused to give up threatning all the time to fire upon us if we did not leave & when finding we were determined to have them the gave the war hoop & fired 3 guns upon. We also now fired in return. The battle now commenced in good earnest and in a few moments one of the Indians was killed and several wounded.
They soon took shelter in the creek which had perpendicular banks about 4 feet high thickly set with willow which so completely shielded them that we could not see them only when they raised up to shoot at us. We were about two hours engaged with them.
They fought with the most determined resolution to die rather than yield as they could often be heard to encourage each other.
... Some of the Squaws were at length found couch in the water under the thick brush & were induced to come out. They were in a most deplorable situation. Having been in the water about an hour & a half, they were nearley froze. We kindled up a fire for them which rendered them more comfortable.
By sending these back we soon prevailed on the rest to come out also and soon 13 women & children came ou,...
Two of the women were wounded on the head with stones which we had thrown into the brush to ascertain where they were hid. Soon after they gave up we succeeded in killing two more men leaving only one more who immediately broke through the brush and tryed to escape to the Utah who was on the hill looking on. He was killed however before he ran far
Thus ended the battle without one of our men even being hurt although they shot hundreds of arrows at ussometimes at only a few yards distance.....
This little band had seperated themselves from the rest because they were determined to live by stealing from the whites while the rest were friendly and would not suffer it. They had for some time been very insolent and some of them had even shot at some of the whites. ...
[Source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]
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