Captain Sou

Moguannoga (Mo-guan-no-ga) or Captain Sou (also "Cap Sou" and "Captain Soo") was the chief of a Paiute band near Unionville.

Captain Sou was the leader of 1860 Williams Station massacre that started the Pyramid Lake War.

In May 1865, it was reported that Cap. Soo and Cap. John met with soldiers and agreed "to a contract for the removal of all friendly Piutes to some point on the Carson River and to the killing of all Piutes or other Indians to be found in this country one week from the date of the contract."

Captain Sou later worked with the Whites in tracking down other Paiutes. In December 1865, Captain Conrad and Captain Sou tracked Black Rock Tom to Fish Creek (present day Battle Creek Ranch) and in the resulting battle killed forty of Tom's band with only three survivors. See Wheeler's Nevada's Black Rock Desert for a detailed description of the battle.

Below is the text from Records of California Men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867:

"Remarks on Return of Company B, Second Cavalry, for November 1865.- In accordance with P.O. No. 35 dated November 12, 1865, First Lieutenant R. A. Osmer, Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, and sixty enlisted men of Company B. Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, proceeded to the Black Rock Mountains on November 13, 1865, taking with them one mountain howitzer. At Willow Creek Station, thirty-five miles from this post (Dun Glen, Nev.), seven enlisted men, who are on detached service, joined company; also two citizens, and ten Indian warriors under command of Captain "Sou" (friendly Piute). On Friday, at daybreak, attacked the Indian camp five miles from Black Rock Mountains, and one hundred ad five miles northwest of this post. Killed about one hundred and twenty Indians in all; of these about eighty were bucks, but the Indian allies could not be restrained from a general slaughter, neither could a squaw be distinguished from a buck in the general fight and but one Indian is supposed to have escaped. Captured a quantity of ammunition, several guns, five Indian ponies, and destroyed a large lot of provisions. These were the same Indians who killed and robbed the teamster two weeks ago, as some of his load was found in camp, The loss was private David W. O'Connell, killed and Sergeant Lansdon and private Moon, wounded; also one horse was wounded, but will recover. Four privates deserted the day of departure from this post. Detachment returned to this post at 6 o'clock A.M. November 20, 1865. Distance traveled, two hundred and fifty miles."

On May 5, 1867 (p. 2), the Humboldt Register published a citizen's petition that declared that Old Winnemucca was a traitor to his tribe and that Captain Sou would be known as the New Winnemucca. Old Winnemucca did not deserve this reputation as he had attempted to preserve the peace, except during the Pyramid Lake War.

Some sources state that Captain Sou was wounded and never fully recovered from the 1866 battle. His wife Susie, died in 1888.

Thompson and West (1881) state that Captain Sou was killed by his brother:

Moguan-no-ga was chief at the Humboldt Meadows; and was known to the whites as Captain Soo. He was for war, and was shot by his brother Bob, a few years later, receiving a wound that eventually resulted in his death. He was in command of the expedition whose acts precipitated the war, by the killing of the Williams brothers, and the burning of their station. Before his death, however, he became a strong friend of the whites, and rendered valuable assistance in breaking up the bands that kept up hostilities in Humboldt County for several years after the outbreak. His friendship for the whites was the cause of his death. He had been leading a company of soldiers into the Black Rock country, where they had killed a number of Pah-Utes. When he came back a cousin of his, named Captain Jobn, wanted him to resign because of what he had done; and expressed a determination of becoming the chief himself. Soo’s brother Bob proposed to settle the matter by shooting both of them, and the one not killed, being the genuine medicine man, ought of course to be chief. He accordingly “turned loose” on his brother first, and proved him to be “no good medicine;” but before he was ready for Jobn, that worthy “blazed away,” and fetched the would-be arbitrator to “grass.” Bob eventually recovered; but, said our informant, “he beep sorry bime-by, ’cause he think he kill um both, and get to be chief himself.”

Davis (1913) is substantially the same:

Mo-guan-no-ga was chief at the Humboldt Meadows, and was known to the whites as Captain Soo. He was for war, and was shot by his brother Bob a few years later, receiving a wound that eventually resulted in his death. He was in command of the expedition whose acts precipitated the war, by the killing of the Williams brothers and the burning of their station. Before his death, however, he became a strong friend of the whites and rendered valuable assistance in breaking up the bands that kept up hostilities in Humboldt County for several years after the outbreak. His friendship for the whites was the cause of his death. He had been leading a company of soldiers into the Black Rock country, where they had killed a number of Pah-Utes. When he came back a cousin of his, named Captain John, wanted him to resign because of what he had done, and expressed a determination of becoming the chief himself. Soo's brother Bob proposed to settle the matter by shooting both of them and the one not killed, being the genuine medicine man, ought, of course, to be chief. He accordingly "turned loose" on his brother first and proved him to be "no good medicine," but before he was ready for John, that worthy "blazed away" and fetched the would-be arbitrator to "grass." Bob eventually recovered, but, said our informant, "He heep sorry bime-by, 'cause he think he kill um both, and get to be chief himself."

An 1881 newspaper article recounts how the medicine man who unsuccessfully treated Captain Sou was killed.