Battle of Walla Walla

Battle of Walla Walla. Tellier Cabin Site. The longest battle in the history of Washington Territory was fought in this area, from December 7-10,1855. The primary fighting extended from the Larocque cabin a mile west of here, held by approximately 350 Oregon Mounted Volunteers, to the Tellier cabin in this vicinity, held by an estimated thousand Walla Walla, Cayuse, Palouse, and Yakama warriors. , The fighting began near the mouth of the of the Touchet River eight miles west of here when the Oregon Volunteers began a march to establish a camp at the ruins of the Whitman Mission, with Walla Walla Chief Peopeomoxmox as a hostage. The tribal forces first made a stand at the Larocque cabin, but were driven back to this point. Each night during the battle, the Volunteers returned to the Larocque cabin, where they built a stockade they called Fort Bennett, and every morning found the Indians had retaken the area surrounding it, including the woods along the river, the flat, and the tops of the hills. Each side tried to outflank the other at various points in this terrain and many skirmishes occurred. On the evening of December 10, 1855, Volunteers reinforcements arrived from Fort Henrietta, after which the Indians withdrew, ending the battle. , In the vicinity of the Larocque cabin, the battleground became the site of an early Frenchtown chapel, cemetery, and school. In 1876, the St. Rose of Lima Mission Church and the present Frenchtown cemetery were established there. , The Frenchtown Historic Site, a mile west of here, is open to the public and provided information on the history of the area, its people, and its wildlife. Additional information can be found online at www.frenchtownpartners.org.