Chief Joseph - War Chiefs Author:Bill Dugan The Nez Perce have always been friendly to the white men. But when gold is discovered on their land, miners, gamblers, and settlers flood the Columbia Basin. Gradually, the Nez Perce Reservation is whittled away by corrupt officials, backed by the military might of the United States Army. — Rather than fight, Chief Joseph, celebrated ... more »by military historians as "The Indian Napoleon," leads his people to Canada where they can live in freedom. Yet the United States has other ideas and General Oliver Otis Howard is ordered to stop the flight of the Nez Perce at all costs. Running for their lives, the Nez Perce are forced to battle the U.S. Army at Bear Paw. Their loss marks the tragedy of the most pointless of the indian wars, where a general who did not want to fight battled a great war chief who had no other choice.« less