The biggest battle of the Rogue River Wars took place in the Grave Creek Hills on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 of 1855, and has since come to be known as the Battle of Hungry Hill (although recent archaeological evidence indicates the battle was not at the hill so-named on current maps). Despite being greatly outnumbered, the natives out-maneuvered Capt. Smith’s forces in the steep terrain and kept the regulars and volunteers pinned down over two days of fighting. Eleven volunteers were killed and 20 wounded, while four soldiers were killed and seven wounded. Possibly because it was such an embarrassing defeat, the official battle report was conveniently misplaced, leaving much of the history of the Battle of Hungry Hill to folklore.