frozen their feet in crossing the mountain. But immediately upon Lieutenant Monroe's departure becoming known in Walla Walla town, news was sent to the mule thieves by their fellows. On learning this, the commanding officer at the fort sent out another detachment under Lieutenant Apperson to overtake Lieutenant Monroe and give him assistance. Finding, after traveling one hundred and twenty-five miles, that he was not going to be able to come up with him, and not having rations or forage for more than ten days, Apperson returned to Walla Walla, when Captain Currey was instructed to take twenty cavalrymen and thirty days rations, and renew the pursuit. Snake River was crossed on the evening of the twelfth of March, 1863, the men in an Indian canoe, and the horses swimming the river being three hundred yards wide, swift, and very cold. This expedition which in four days met the mule rescuers returning and turned back, "is only mentioned," says Currey in his report, "to present the fact that forty-eight head of horses belonging to Company E made forced marches and swam Snake River when its waters were winter cold, as preparatory training for a summer campaign." To complete the mule stealing incident, Currey was ordered to take six men and proceed to Lapwai on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation a hundred miles distant, with the Indian lad in charge to be tried for horse stealing, the punishment for which was hanging, if proved guilty. He was acquitted and the detachment marched back again.
Fort Walla Walla was at this period commanded by Col. Justin Steinberger, Colonel Cornelius having resigned. Steinberger was colonel of the First Washington Infantry, and belonged to Pierce County in that territory. He went to California and raised four companies to fill out his regiment, reporting at Vancouver early in May, 1862, relieving Colonel Cady of the command of
