October 5, 1877 - Chief Joseph Surrenders

Chief Joseph

Joseph was a chief of the Nez Perce, which was a Native American tribe of the Wallowa Valley in Northwest Oregon. Joseph continued his father’s efforts to secure the land of Nez Perce. Chief Joseph, known to his people, the Nez Perce, as “Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights,” tried to resist the takeover by white settlers of Nez Perce territory in 1877. Chief Joseph led his people to Canada due to the United States forcing them to relocate. [i]

In 1877, the United States ordered the Nez Perce to leave their reservation in Oregon. They refused to leave. This started Chief Joseph’s journey from Idaho and Montana to Canada. During this journey Joseph the Nez Perce and the white settlers fought for five days. The Nez Perce won several victories against a U.S. force. Chief Joseph and his people reached the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana by the fall of 1877. As they arrived, they were too exhausted and starved to continue to fight. This led Chief Joseph to surrender to his enemy. He created one of the greatest speeches in American history. [ii]

In one of the greatest speeches in American history, Chief Joseph surrendered to the U.S government on, October 5, 1877. This speech tells Americans how his people weren’t taken care of on the reservation, and that they would have been abandoned after being forced off their reservation. The speech that Chief Joseph had announced was to tell everyone that he was surrendering with his people. He was not afraid of what people would have to say about this speech. According to Chief Joseph, he said,

"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are, perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." Chief Joseph did not want his people to suffer any longer and that is why he said this speech. Understanding the significance of being a real leader to his people, he chose to surrender. According to what Joseph has done, “this was considered one of the greatest retreats in military history."[iii]

Following his surrender, Chief Joseph and his people were escorted first to Kansas, and then to Oklahoma. Joseph spent years pleading his people’s case and meeting the President Rutherford Hayes in 1879. In 1885, he and many others were allowed to return back to the Northwest. Chief Joseph did not live too long after this. Chief Joseph died on September 21, 1904. [iv]

- Kara R. and Tiffany C.


[i] "Chief Joseph biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.biography.com/people/chief-joseph-9358227>.


[ii] [ii]"Chief Joseph surrenders." History.com. A&E Television Networks. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/chief-joseph-surrenders>.


[iii] "Chief Joseph's Surrender Speech at Bears Paw Battle October 5, 1877." Chief Joseph's Surrender Speech at Bears Paw Battle October 5, 1877. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.nezperce.com/npedu11.html>.


[iv] "Chief Joseph biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. 01 Oct. 2013 <http://www.biography.com/people/chief-joseph-9358227>.