<P> In 1870 Captain Jack and his band of nearly 200 left the reservation and returned to Lost River . During the months that his band had been on the reservation, a number of settlers had taken up former Modoc land in the Lost River region . </P> <P> Acknowledging the bad feeling between the Modoc and the Klamath, Meacham recommended to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. that Captain Jack's Modoc band be given a separate reservation at Yainax, in the lower southern part of the reservation . Pending a decision, Meacham instructed Captain Jack to remain at Clear Lake . Oregon settlers complained that Modoc warriors roamed the countryside raiding the homesteads; they petitioned Meacham to return the Modoc to the Klamath Reservation . In part, the Modoc raided for food; the US did not adequately supply them . Captain Jack and his band did better in their old territory with hunting . </P> <P> The Commissioner of Indian Affairs never responded to Meacham's request for a separate reservation for the Modoc . After hearing more complaints from settlers, Meacham instead requested General Edward Canby, Commanding General of the Department of the Columbia, to move Captain Jack's band to Yainax on the Klamath Reservation, his recommended site for their use . Canby forwarded Meacham's request to General Schofield, Commanding General of the Pacific, suggesting that before using force, peaceful efforts should be made . Jack had asked to talk to Meacham, but he sent his brother John Meacham in his place . </P> <P> In the middle of the crisis, the Commission of Indian Affairs replaced Meacham, appointing T.B. Odeneal as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon . He "knew almost nothing of the background of the situation and had never met Jack or the Modocs" but was charged with "getting the Modocs to leave Lost River ." In turn, Odeneal appointed a new US Indian agent, who was also unfamiliar with the parties and conditions . </P>

What was the cause of the modoc war