Chief Joseph

Biography

Chief Joseph (Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it — 'Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain') led his Wallowa band of Nez Perce on one of the most extraordinary strategic retreats in military history — 1,170 miles through Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, fighting off multiple Army columns, before being stopped just 40 miles from the Canadian border. Though he was the political and humanitarian leader of the exodus, the military genius of the retreat belonged largely to the war leaders Looking Glass, Toohoolhoolzote, and others. Joseph's greatness lay elsewhere: in his care for civilians, the aged, children, and wounded throughout the grueling journey, and in his conduct after surrender. Joseph had sought peace for years and had resisted war. When his young men, enraged by the forced removal from their Wallowa Valley homeland, began killing settlers, war became unavoidable. His surrender speech to General Miles — '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' — became one of the most powerful statements of human dignity in American history. Miles promised the Nez Perce could return to Idaho. Washington overruled him. Joseph spent years advocating for his people's return, met with President Roosevelt, and lectured in the East. He died on the Colville Reservation in Washington, far from his Wallowa Valley home.

Key Battles