Captain Jack was a Modoc chief. During the battle of Lost River Captain Jack brought his band of Indians to the wastelands of Oregon, now called Lava Beds National Monument. It was there that his band settled at Captain Jack's Stronghold, a natural monument that provided them with protection. They were able to defeat U.S. Army forces ten times their own numbers for several months before running out of supplies and fleeing. When Captain Jack and others attended a conference to discuss peace, he and the others drew pistols on a prearranged signal and killed the negotiators of the Federal peace commission. Captain Jack himself killed General Edward Canby, the only General killed in the Indian Wars. Captain Jack surrendered and was sentenced to be executed with three other Modocs on October 3, 1873. When he was executed, accounts document that his long hair needed to be trimmed in order for the noose to fit properly.
From the description of Letter from George H. Hoge regarding the hanging of Modoc Indians, 1873 October 4. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 64064225
