Editing Nez Perce War (section)

===White Bird Canyon===
{{main|Battle of White Bird Canyon}}
By June&nbsp;16, the bands had moved to the southern end of [[White Bird, Idaho|White Bird]] Canyon, about {{convert|5|mi|0|spell=in}} long, {{convert|1|mi|spell=in}} wide at its maximum, and bounded by steep mountain ridges. That night, sentinels reported the approach of U.S. soldiers from the north. After much deliberation, the Nez Perce decided that they would stay at White Bird and make an effort to avoid war, but fight if they were forced to do&nbsp;so. The soldiers included Company F and Company H of the [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Cavalry Regiment]], commanded by Captain David Perry and Captain Joel Graham Trimble, respectively. The officers and men of the two companies totaled 106.

Awaiting the soldiers, 50 warriors under [[Ollokot]] deployed to a butte on the western side of the canyon and 15 warriors under Two Moons on a butte to the east, thus placing themselves on both sides of the cavalry's route down the canyon.<ref>{{cite book |last=McDermott |first=John D. |year=1978 |title=Forlorn Hope: The Battle of White Bird Canyon and the Beginning of the Nez Perce War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5wO7aOMIikC&q=Forlorn+Hope:+The+Battle+of+White+Bird+Canyon+and+the+Beginning+of+the+Nez+Perce+War |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |location=Boise, ID |pages=83|isbn=978-0870044359 }}</ref> Six Nez Perce warriors waited with a white flag to discuss a truce with the approaching soldiers. An advance party, consisting of Lieutenant Edward Theller, Trumpeter John Jones, a few Nez Perce scouts employed by the Lapwai Agency, seven soldiers from Company F and civilian volunteer Arthur "Ad" Chapman made first contact with the truce party. For reasons never fully explained, Chapman fired at the truce party. The truce party took cover and the Nez Perce returned fire.<ref>McDermott, p. 84</ref>

Captain Perry, riding back and forth between the two companies, saw the volunteers retreating up the canyon. Perry's left flank and Trimble's right flank were compromised. Seeing further collapse of his flank, Perry tried to rally his men to advance to McCarthy's position and make a stand on the high ground about {{convert|300|yd}} to the south. But Company F, confused and having suffering numerous casualties, misinterpreted Perry's order as a general retreat. Company H, seeing the urgent retreat of Company F, joined the flight and left McCarthy and his men stranded. Sensing victory, Ollokot's mounted warriors chased the retreating soldiers.

Lieutenant Parnell and Lieutenant Theller led squads in an attempt to retrace their approach towards the White Bird camp. Under fire, Theller became trapped in a steep rocky ravine and ran out of ammunition, and he and his seven men were killed by the Nez Perce. Captain Perry and Captain Trimble fled to the northwest up steep ridges. They reached the [[Camas Prairie]] on top of the ridge line and were able to regroup at Johnson's Ranch. Within minutes, Nez Perce warriors pressed the attack and the survivors continued their retreat for several miles toward [[Mount Idaho, Idaho|Mount Idaho]], where they were rescued by fresh volunteers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hampton |first=Bruce|title=Children of Grace: The Nez Perce War of 1877|url=https://archive.org/details/childrenofgracen00hamp |url-access=registration |publisher=Henry Holt and Company|location=New York|year=1994|pages=[https://archive.org/details/childrenofgracen00hamp/page/77–78]|isbn=9780805019919 }}</ref>

By midmorning, 34 U.S. Cavalry soldiers had been killed and two had been wounded, while two volunteers had also been wounded in the opening of the battle. In contrast, only three Nez Perce warriors had been wounded. Some 63 carbines, many pistols, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were picked up off the battlefield by Nez Perce warriors. These weapons greatly enhanced the Nez Perce arsenal for the remaining months of the war.