Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-10-07


At8o'clock Mai. Ketchum was also ordered
to the upper village with his company.
Between and o'clock the six FOUNDER and
the troops opposed To the upper village, were
withdrawn, and our whole force concentrated
below the lower village, and the troops or
dered 10 form, for the purpose OF collecting
corn for their own use, as Gen. Ashley's men
had then been destitute OF provisions for two
days. AT this time, party Of Sioux, aud a
party Of Ricaras, both on horseback, were dis
covered holding parley on the hill beyond
the upper town. 1t was also discovered that
the Sioux were going off, though they had
given no intimation oftheir intention to do so.
The Rcaras sent out and begged for peace.
They said that the first shot from our cannon
had killed the celebrated Chief, called "Grey
Eyes" who caused all the mischief, and that
we had killed great many of their people,
and OF their horses. They We're evidently
very much terrified, and completely humbled.
Being convinced of this, and supposing that
the government would be better pleased to
have those Indians corrected than erierminafed.
and as the Sioux, amounting to about z or
500 warriors, had left us in very strange aud
unaccountable manner, ii was thought best,
under all the circumstances of the case, TO
listen to the solicitations of the Ricaras for
peace, especially as it was understood that our
sequently, treaty was made with them, a
copy of which is enclosed.
In restoring TO Gen. Ashley the property
taken, IT was thought that the Indians did not
perform their engagements on that subject,
as we'll as they were able TO do and they
were threatened with an attack. Their prin-
cipal chief, the Little Soldier, came TO us, and
begged permission to Withdraw his family from
the village before we attacked it and he
gave as the most conclusive evidence of his
friendly disposition towards us. Ii was now
late IN the afternoon of the 18th, the 10th and
nth having been spent in actinn aud negotia-
tim, and interchangug visits, our men fire.
queniing the towns for the purpose of trading
for mocassias, &c. aud the Indians manifesting
every symptom of having been thoroughly
brought To a sense of their interest and duty
ii was concltisied To postpone the attack un-
Ill mOrnIng, and the troops were dismissed
from parade.
Ii had been asccrtaiDed by me that the In
dians were So much alarmed by our threaten
iog again To attack them, that they would
probably run away and leave their villages
Thu, il was thought, would have an unfayora
bic effect upon the Indians, and make them
more inclined 10 commit depredations upon
the traders and, as the Little Soldier soon
after sent out, for Gen. Ashley, few more
budalo robes, with message that he could not
possibly do more, aud begging that we would
have pity on them, sent him word that |
would not attack them; that it was not their
property that we wanted To make his peo-
pie feel safe, and conduct themselves well. and
they should not be hurt.
Early On tAr morning of the 18th, we found
The Rckaras had let their towns during the
night.
NJ jor Ketchum, with his company, and
L. Il ID.
and Lieut.. Morris, with one six FOUNDER we're
ordered Ia take possession of the towns, and
to suffer not the least article To be taken away,
or the towns To be injured.
messenger was seat 10 call back the In
di ms, u posslble and tn Ind nee them To take
possession OF their villages, but thoy could not
be found. Ii was noy ident that oar artil
lery had been served with very great effect
The towns had been completely rddled.-
We ioii'!d 81 new graves, aud we found that
ssveral old ones had been opened, and the sur
face scl thick with priCbdy pears to conceal
the new dirt. w know mat 10 men, who
were killed by the Sioux in the skirnisl on
the 9th, were buried la five graves aud we
know, also, that more than one was buried in
several of the other graves. From the best
evidence which we could collect, il is supposed
ihai more than DO OF their people were killed,
and great number wounded. Our nessrn-
gers returned on the evening ofihe i4ih, with
out having been able 10 lind Tie Rckaras.
On themorning nf the 18th, we placed the
mother of the late chief, Grey Eyes, Ian aged
and lnsrm woman, whom they left in their
fiishi,) in one of the principal lodges Of the
lower village, gave her pleniy OF provisions
and water, aud left her in the quiet possession
ofthe towns, & the property Irfi by the Indians,
except some corn which had been taken for the
subsistence of the men. AT about 10 O'Clock,
on The evening of The 18th, the troops were
embarked To descend the river, and our guard
Withdrawn, and every soul removed from the
villages, except the woman aforementioned.
All lie boats were got under way nearly at
the same time. Beforr we Nerp ont OF sigh;
oil the towns, we had the modification to dis
cover them To- be on fire. There is no doubt but
they nave been consumed 10 ashes nor is there
any doubt but that they were set on fire by one
M'Donald partner, & one Gordon, clerk of
the Missouri Fur Company. Had not this been
u0nr, there IS no doubt, there is no room to
doubt, but that the Ricsra Indians would. in
future, have behaved az well towards our
Go!inirymcn as any other indians on the river.
IL Is now my Deliberate opinion, that those In
dams viii be excited to further hostiliiies
III Is understood that this Company 1.-THE Mis-
souri, have Withdrawn their trade from above
me Sioux country. Not 80 with Messrs Ash
icy and Henry they have small number of
men and a large amount of property at the
mouth of the Yellow Stone river, and they
We're deeply interested in the correction and
pacltication Of the Ricaras Their zeal and
efficiency in aiding to- chasise those Indians
We're conspicuous and highly honorable.
We found the Ricsra Indians in two villages,
he lower one containing y dirt lodges, and the
upper village 20 dirt lodges. Each village was
enclosed with pasadOes, or pickets, and a
uiteh, and-a greater part of the lodges had a
ulch around the bottom on the inside. These