User blog:Killermoves/Terrors of the Old West: Chief Joseph vs Clay Allison

A year of playing Red Dead Redemption 2 has inspired me to write my very own Western story. And why not? The Old West has been an era filled with great stories of brave warriors living in an unforgiving frontier, forced to survive from the elements and even each other. This is why the Old West was known as the "Wild West" for a reason.

And in crafting my tale, I have decided to pit two of the most iconic Wild West characters: the savage noble Indian vs the quick-drawing cowboy gunfighter! And when it comes to cowboys and indians, only two names pop as the perfect foil for each other! Chief Joseph: The peaceful Nez Perce chief forced to lead a large exodus of his people on one of the greatest Indian wars in history!

vs

Clay Allison: The crazy rancher and gunslinger who rallied his mob to fight for their land in one of the bloodiest range wars in history!   WHO IS DEADLIEST?!!

Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph (March 3, 1840 – September 21, 1904), was a leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce, a Native American tribe of the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States, in the latter half of the 19th century.

When his father died in 1871, Joseph was elected to succeed him. He inherited not only a name but a situation made increasingly volatile as white settlers continued to arrive in the Wallowa Valley. Joseph staunchly resisted all efforts to force his band onto the small Idaho reservation, and in 1873 a federal order to remove white settlers and let his people remain in the Wallowa Valley made it appear that he might be successful. But the federal government soon reversed itself, and in 1877 General Oliver Otis Howard threatened a cavalry attack to force Joseph's band and other hold-outs onto the reservation. Believing military resistance futile, Joseph reluctantly led his people toward Idaho.

Unfortunately, they never got there. About twenty young Nez Percé warriors, enraged at the loss of their homeland, staged a raid on nearby settlements and killed several whites. Immediately, the army began to pursue Joseph's band and the others who had not moved onto the reservation. Although he had opposed war, Joseph cast his lot with the war leaders.

What followed was one of the most brilliant military retreats in American history. Even the unsympathetic General William Tecumseh Sherman could not help but be impressed with the 1,400 mile march, stating that "the Indians throughout displayed a courage and skill that elicited universal praise... [they] fought with almost scientific skill, using advance and rear guards, skirmish lines, and field fortifications." In over three months, the band of about 700, fewer than 200 of whom were warriors, fought 2,000 U.S. soldiers and Indian auxiliaries in four major battles and numerous skirmishes.

By the time he formally surrendered on October 5, 1877, Joseph was widely referred to in the American press as "the Red Napoleon." It is unlikely, however, that he played as critical a role in the Nez Percé's military feat as his legend suggests. Nevertheless, Joseph's widely reprinted surrender speech has immortalized him as a military leader in American popular culture.

He was transported between various forts and reservations on the southern Great Plains before being moved to the Colville Indian Reservation in the state of Washington, where he died in 1904.

Melee=Spontoon Tomahawk
 * A tomahawk that has a a more triangular ax head which is common among the Crows and the Nez Perce. Typically 2-feet in length and can be thrown.


 * -|Short= Indian Short Bow
 * A short self bow similar to many Plains Indians bow. It is 4 feet in length and uses animal sinews for bow strings.
 * 200 yards
 * Designed to be used in both foot and on horseback. Typically for speed rather than range and accuracy.


 * -|Long= Winchester Model 1866
 * A common weapon for the Nez Perce and Joseph's most favored rifle.
 * This Winchester model is chambered for the .44 Henry rimfire in a 16-shot tubular magazine. It also has a 200 yard range and a muzzle velocity of 343 m/s. It is well-known for its brass/bronze receiver compared to other winchester rifles.


 * -|Tactics=Fighting Retreat
 * Since Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce was constantly on the run and in the defensive against the U.S. Army who were chasing them, they had to rely on guerrilla warfare to try and slow their pursuers down.
 * Chief Joseph used this in great effect during the Battle of Cottonwood in July 3–5, 1877. In order to make sure that their families manage to cross Salmon River, the Nez Perce had to outmaneuver the soldiers chasing them led by Captain Stephen Whipple. Joseph did this by moving his warriors to the rear of the enemy's position before ambushing them. The constant rifle fire pinned down the soldiers, and allowed the other Nez Perce to bypass them safely and unmolested. The warriors soon retreated, leaving 11 soldiers and 6 civilian volunteers dead.

Clay Allison
Robert Clay Allison (September 2, 1841 – July 3, 1887) was a cattle rancher, former Confederate soldier, and one of the most notorious gunfighter of the American Old West. Allison epitomized the classic image of the gunslinger in today's popular culture; the lone skilled gunman who wandered to a desolate town and forced to defend its townsfolk against the rich and powerful bullies, iconic in films such as Shane and Magnificent Seven.

Clay Allison started his violent life when he enlisted twice in the Confederate Military during the American Civil War, serving both in the Army and in the Cavalry. He served in Captain W. H. Jackson's artillery battery and in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment under the infamous Confederate "Wizard of the Saddle," General Bedford Forrest. After years of battling the Union, he surrendered in Gainesville, Alabama on May 4, 1865, but his violent escapade did not stop there. He once escaped his prison by killing a Union guard, at one point going back to his family's land and killing another Union corporal who tried to seize it, and being involved in raids conducted by the Klu Klux Clan.

Allison soon retired, albeit temporarily, from bloodshed when he started to operate his own ranching business. He even participated in the iconic Goodnight-Loving Trail through Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. In 1875 however, while working as a cattleman in New Mexico Allison became entangled in the bloody Colfax County War, between the rich Santa Fe and Maxwell Land Grant group, and the smaller farmers, ranchers and Native Americans over a large piece of land.

Clay Allison became one of the leading figures of the settlers, leading his mob and posses in numerous lynchings and shootouts in the County. He was known to have led the hanging of Hispanic gunfighter Cruz Vega and later another by the name of Cardenas for the murder of a reverend. He participated in numerous quick-draw shootouts, such as his gunfight with Chunk Colbert in 1874 and Francisco Vega in 1875. In both times his enemies were the first one to draw and aim their pistol, but Allison always managed to draw and fire faster. Besides these, he was also an advocate of resisting the military incursion sent by the Santa Fe.

At one point in October 31, 1878, Clay Allison was entangled in a small skirmish with Comanches during the ongoing Texas-Indian War in Wheeler County, Texas. While riding, Clay Allison came upon a small family home being besieged by Indians. After his request for assistance from the U.S. cavalry was denied, he personally collected a group of ranchers an cowboys to mount a rescue party. They charged at the Indians at killed one of them before the rest fled.

Clay Allison died on July 3, 1887 in Pecos, Texas not from the result of a gunfight, but because of a wagon accident.

Melee=Arkansas Toothpick
 * The common name of bowie knives used by Confederate militias as fighting knives during the Civil War. Bowie knives were also popular for many cowboys for their size and utility. Clay Allison himself has been through numerous knife fights, leaving many butchered or dead.
 * The knives are 12-inches long, is single edged and has a clip point for penetrating cans or carving flesh. It can also be thrown.


 * -|Short= Colt Six Shooter
 * The personal and preferred weapon of Clay Allison based on Charles Edward Chapel's book.
 * The Colt Six Shooter, also known as the Frontier Model, is chambered for the 44-40 Winchester and has a 6-shot cylinder. It has a 25 to 50 yard range and a 300 m/s muzzle velocity.
 * It is popular amongst cowboys for its convenience, since Winchester rifles also use the same cartridge as the Colt Frontier.


 * -|Long= Winchester Model 1873
 * The Gun that Won the West which is very popular in ranches.
 * Winchester Model 1873 is chambered for the 44-40 Winchester and has a 14-round tubular magazine. It has a range of over 200 yards and a muzzle velocity of 379 m/s. It has a smoother lever action compared to older lever actions like the Henry rifle.


 * -|Tactics=Quick Draw
 * As one of the prominent members of the settlers, Clay Allison rallied his men to combat against the gunmen and the soldiers employed by the Maxwell land Grant and Santa Fe. These resulted in numerous assassinations in the form of mob lynchings and hit-and-run gunfights. And in many of these gunfights, the use of speed and accuracy was key.
 * Clay Allison's tactics was seen largely in many Skirmishes in the St. James Hotel perpetrated by him or his friends. For example in 1875, Clay Allison was ambushed by gunman Griego in the hotel, but Clay managed to draw and shoot faster. In 1876, Allison's ally Davy Crockett managed to kill three Buffalo Soldiers in one draw in that same hotel. On the same year, Clay Allison and company outdrew and killed one black sergeant and 4 other soldiers in the nearby bar. These shootouts helped in forcing the military to relieve the 9th cavalry off Colfax County by late 1876.

X-Factors
Physicality


 * -|Experience


 * -|Mental Health


 * -|Resources

TBC