Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1855-01-20
INDIAN HOsTILITIEs.

ject OF Indian hostilities, which was communi
Gated on Thursday to both Houses of Con
gress. Wc>publish to-day the letter Of the
Secretary Of War, and other letters on the
same nbject, which accompanied the message
There is scarcely man, woman,-o child, in
this country who has not known Of the many
and daring Indian murders and outrages that
have been committed for the last two or three
years. Scarcely letter comes from our From.
tier settlements that does not bring news Of
murder, violence and depreciation. In conse.
quence of the inadequacy Of our military force,
and Of being unable to punish past and check
threatened INSTRUMENTATION, Indian hostilitiea
have become both more violent and more fire.
quent Comparative immunity from punishment
has stimulated their revenge and their cupidity.
Many valuable American officers, many faith.
full American soldiers, and many useful Amer
can citizens have fallen victims to Indian VIC.
lence.
An increase Of the army with the view Of
protecting the lives and property Of our citizens
has been repeatedly and forcibly urged upon
Congress. But nothing has thus far been done
by that body. The recommendations Of the
President and Of the Secretary Of War in favor
Of an increase Of our military force have been
attended with no beneficial effect. Both of
these high functionaries OF the Government
the President in his annual message Of Decem.
Der, 1853, and the Secretary Of War in his re-
port Of the same month, urged upon Congress
the necessity Of reasonable increase Of the
army, in order to keep the Indians in subjec
ton.
AS will be seen by the following extracts
from the last annual message of the President
and the last report Of the Secretary Of War,
these recommendations were repeated and en-
phasized:
Extract from the Presidents annual Message,
December, 1854.
The experience of the last year furnishes
additional reasons, regret to say, Of painful
character, for the recommendation heretofore,
made, to provide for increasing the military
force employed in the territory inhabited by
the Indians. The settlers on the frontier have
suffered much from the incursions of predatory
bands, and large parties Of emigrants to our
Il
impunity. The recurrence Of such scenes can
only be prevented by teaching wild tribes the
power Of, and their responsibility to the United
States. From the garrisons of our frontier
posts it is only possible to detach troops in
small bodies and though these have on all
occasions displayed q gallantry and stern de-
voton to duty, which on larger field would
have commanded universal admiration, they
have usually suffered severely in these conflicts
with superior numbers, and have sometimes
been entirely sacrificed. All the disposable
force Of the army is already employed on this
service, and is known to be wholly inadequate
to the protection which should be afforded.
The public mind of the country has been re.
Gently shocked by savage atrocities committed
upon defenceless emigrants and border settle
ments, and hardly less by the unnecessary de-
struction of valuable lives, where inadequate
detachments of troops have undertaken to
furnish the needed aid. Without increase OF
the military force, these scenes will be re-
peated, it is to be feared, on larger scale, and
with more disastrous consequences. Congress,
am sure, will perceive that the plainest duties
and responsibilities of government are in
yolved in this question, and doubt not that
prompt action may be confidently anticipated
when delay must be attended by such fearful
hazards
Extract from Report Of tie Secretary Of War
Of December 4, 1854
That this force is entirely inadequate to the
purposes for which we maintain any standing
army needs no demonstration, and / take oc-
cason again to urge the necessity of such i'm
mediate increase as will at least give some de-
gree of security to our Indian frontier. That
for this purpose regular force is not only the
efficient and cheap, but the proper and Consti.
tutional means, seems to me demonstrable, if
not obvious. The President is authorized to
call out the militia to repel invasion and sup
press instruction. These are the emergencies
Tor which it was deemed proper to confer upon
the Executive the power to call citizens from
their homes and ordinary avocations, and these
nre the great occasions on which they may be
Justly expected to make all the personal sacri.
fees which the safety OF the country may re-
auire. II is in this view that we habitually
and securely look to the militia as our reliance
for national defense. II was not the design Of
the Constitution and laws to enable the Presi-
deat to raise and maintain a standing army,
yet this would be the practical effect Of a power,
at his discretion, to call the militia into service,
and employ them for the ordinary duty Of pre-
serving order in the Indian territory. The
ABUSE W WHICH ouNh PvwNi' ~ ~ "ViV Poo-
sessed, would be subject sufficiently attests the
wisdom Of our forefathers in not comforting it,
and must remove far from US any desire to pos
sess IT, If this view Of the subject be correct,
it follows that the Executive must look to the
army regularly authorized by law to preserve
police among the Indian tribes, and to give
that protection to pioneer settlements which in
ieresi, humanity, and duty alike demand.
Cur border settlements, extending from the
Missouri westward, and from the Pacific ocean
eastward are steadily pressing the savage
tribes into narrower limits and an unproduc-
tive reg,oo, from which result combinations Of
bands heretofore separated from each other,
producing at the same time by their concen-
tration an increase of power and diminution
of their ability to live by the precarious pro-
ducts Of the chase. Hence a two-fold neces.
sity for an increase Of our military force.