Kintpuash
Kintpuash, also known as Kientpaush, Kientpoos, and Captain Jack (c. 1837 – October 3, 1873), was a chief of the Modoc tribe of California and Oregon. Kintpuash's name in the Modoc language meant 'Strikes the water brashly.'
Kintpuash "Captain Jack" | |
|---|---|
Kintpuash in 1864 | |
| Chief, Modoc people | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1837 Tule Lake area, California |
| Died | October 3, 1873 (aged 35–36) Fort Klamath, Oregon |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Modoc War |
He led a band from the Klamath Reservation to return to their lands in California, where they resisted return. From 1872 to 1873, their small force made use of the lava beds, holding off more numerous United States Army forces for months in the Modoc War. Kintpuash was the only Native American leader ever to be charged with war crimes, and he was executed by the Army, along with several followers, for their ambush killings of General Edward Canby and Reverend Eleazar Thomas at a peace commission meeting. The Modoc leaders were hanged for "murder in violation of the laws of war" by the Army.