• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / Who was the last Indian Chief to surrender and When did Chief Joseph say “I Will Fight No More Forever”?

Who was the last Indian Chief to surrender and When did Chief Joseph say “I Will Fight No More Forever”?

February 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

One of the last chiefs to surrender to the U.S. government was Chief Joseph.

Joseph was the leader of a band of Nez Perce, a plateau Indian tribe native to western Idaho and eastern Oregon. Rather than settle on a reservation, Joseph’s band ran off toward Canada pursued by U.S. troops. Captured just 40 miles from the Canadian border, Joseph said these words as he surrendered on October 5, 1877:

“I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all 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 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.”

A 1903 photograph showed Chief Joseph one year before his death on the Colville Reservation in eastern Washington State, where he and his Nez Perce followers were forced to settle.

Twenty-seven years earlier, Chief Joseph had nearly led them to freedom in Canada.

Related Facts

  • When did the last Japanese soldier surrender in World War II?
  • Who Was Joseph Priestley and When Did Joseph Priestley Invent the Pencil Eraser?
  • What was the name of the song played at the surrender of the British to the Americans at Yorktown?
  • What was Indian Territory and Where was Indian Territory located?
  • What does the term "Indian sign" mean and Where does the phrase Indian sign come from?
  • Where does the term "Indian giver" come from and What does Indian giver mean?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where did horses in North America come from and did Plains Indians always ride horses?
Next Post: What was a tipi and What is a tipi made of? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy