Captain David Perry commanded Company F and Captain Joel Graham Trimble commanded Company H of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment.
 The officers and men of the two companies totaled 106.
Eleven civilian volunteers rode with the soldiers and 13 Nez Perce scouts from treaty bands had been recruited at Fort Lapwai.
Nearly half the soldiers were foreign-born and most were inexperienced and inexpert horsemen and marksmen.
 Their horses, as well as the riders, were untrained for battle and both men and horses arrived exhausted at White Bird Canyon after a two-day ride of more than 70 miles.

The Nez Perce counted as many as 135 warriors, but they had stolen a large quantity of whiskey in their raids and, on the morning of June 17, many of the men were too drunk to fight.
Only about 70 men participated in the battle.
Ollokot and White Bird led roughly equal numbers of warriors.
Chief Joseph may have fought in the battle, but he was not a war leader.
The Nez Perce had only 45-50 firearms, including shotguns, pistols, and ancient muskets.
Some warriors fought with bows and arrows.
Although the Nez Perce had no experience of war with White soldiers, their knowledge of the terrain and their superb horsemanship and well-trained Appaloosa horses were advantages.
Accustomed to economy in the use of bullets in hunting, the Nez Perce were also good marksmen.
They usually dismounted from their horses to fire and a fighter's horse would "stand and eat grass while his owner fought."
By contrast, many U.S. Cavalry horses panicked in the battle and that panic was given as a major reason for the U.S. defeat.
Captain David Perry commanded Company F and Captain Joel Graham Trimble commanded Company H of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment.  The officers and men of the two companies totaled 106. Eleven civilian volunteers rode with the soldiers and 13 Nez Perce scouts from treaty bands had been recruited at Fort Lapwai. Nearly half the soldiers were foreign-born and most were inexperienced and inexpert horsemen and marksmen.  Their horses, as well as the riders, were untrained for battle and both men and horses arrived exhausted at White Bird Canyon after a two-day ride of more than 70 miles.
The Nez Perce counted as many as 135 warriors, but they had stolen a large quantity of whiskey in their raids and, on the morning of June 17, many of the men were too drunk to fight. Only about 70 men participated in the battle. Ollokot and White Bird led roughly equal numbers of warriors. Chief Joseph may have fought in the battle, but he was not a war leader. The Nez Perce had only 45-50 firearms, including shotguns, pistols, and ancient muskets. Some warriors fought with bows and arrows. Although the Nez Perce had no experience of war with White soldiers, their knowledge of the terrain and their superb horsemanship and well-trained Appaloosa horses were advantages. Accustomed to economy in the use of bullets in hunting, the Nez Perce were also good marksmen. They usually dismounted from their horses to fire and a fighter's horse would "stand and eat grass while his owner fought." By contrast, many U.S. Cavalry horses panicked in the battle and that panic was given as a major reason for the U.S. defeat.
Battle of White Bird Canyon