Running Retreat
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 45° 47.237 W 116° 16.687
11T E 556110 N 5070666
The Running Retreat sign on the White Bird Battlefield Trail.
Waymark Code: WMAM7Y
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 01/28/2011
Views: 4
History sign about Running Retreat is the fifth sign on the White Bird Battlefield Trail.
Marker Name: Running Retreat
Marker Type: Roadside
Marker Text:
“We chased the remaining soldiers . . . fought them running for several miles . . .” --- himin maqsmaqs (Yellow Wolf)
Sgt. Michael McCarthy and a squad of five soldiers were ordered to hold this high ground -- site of the last organized action of the battle. Captain Perry’s main force was supposed to counterattack the Nez Perce, but the soldiers simply continued to retreat. Isolated on this knoll, and under heavy fire, McCarthy and only one of his men escaped alive. This was no orderly retreat. The cavalry and folunteers fragmented into small groups and fled up the steep slopes back toward the village of Mount Idaho, 10 miles away. Nez Perce warriors pursued, chasing down soldiers who became separated from larger groups.
In the aftermath, warriors and family members gathered abandoned army weapons and ammunition to use in the coming struggle. Although they had achieved a one-sided victory, the Nez Perce realized that it would only harden U.S. Army resolve.
County: Idaho
Group Responsible for Placement: National Park Service
Marker Number: None
Web link(s) for additional information:
http://www.nps.gov/nepe/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=216011
City: Not listed
Date Dedicated: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
If possible please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location.
Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Idaho history please include that in your log.