The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1855-02-01
The Threntened Indian war.

A~-N-@~~A-
The President in his special message to
Congress, on Thursday, transmitting a let
ter from the Secretary Of War, urging the /
employment of volunteers to protect the
frontiers from Indian depFedations, says:
"The proposed temporary provision to
meet special demand. so far from obvia-
ting, in my judgment, only serves to Illus
trate the urgent necessity OF an increase of
the regular army, at least TO the extent
recommended in my late annual message.
Unless by the plan proposed, or some 9th
er equally effective, fcrce ean be early
brought into the field adequate to the sup
preston ofexisting hostilities, the combl-
nation of predatory bands willb extended,
and the difficulty Of restoring order and Sc
curity greatly magnifed. On the other
hand, without a permanent military force
of sufficient strength to control the un-
friendly Indians, it may be expected that
lhostilities will soon be renewed, and that
Years of border warfare will aitlict the
country, retarding the progress OF settle
ment, exposing emigrant trains to savage
barbarities, and consuming millions OF the
public money"
The Secretary of War, in his letter, re-
fers to the recommendation In lis annual
report of 1853, of an increase of the army,
In order to afford protection to the frontier
settlements, and emigrants to California
and Oregon. In his late annual report
the recommendation was renewed. The
Secretary then adds:
"Since the date of that report, intelli
gence received from officers on the from
tier, and through the Department of the
sources, shows that the Indians of the
western praires and mountains are in hos
tile and defiant attitude, that several of those
tribes have entered into combinations for
the purpose of making general war upon
the whites during the approaching spring
and summer, and that these tribes eau
bring into the field from four to six or
eight thousand warriors. Had the increase
of the army which was urged in my report
of December, 1858, been at an early peri
cd authorised, the force at the disposal Of
the department would have been sufficient
to prevent these combinations, and, in all
probability, would have preserved the
lives of many valuable citizens from Indian
massacre. ..
"This measure, however, has not been
acted on, and at this advanced period,
should the bills now pending in Congress
be passed, twill be found too late to or
ganize regular enlisted force and place it
in position in season to prevent the antici-
pated attack, or to suppress it until after
much mischief shall have been done. The
only course now left to the department, in
anticipation Of the proposed increase, is the
, employment Of IA volunteer force to coop
crate with such of the regular troops as
can be collected for the heprcsentem Urgency;
and it is accordingly recommended that
authority be asked Of Congress to call into
; service 5000 mounted volunteers, to be or
ganized into companies, squ&drons, and
battalions, and to serve for a period ol
. eighteen months unless sooner discharged
, "Should the proposed increase Of the
S army be authorized during the present ses-
. sion, It is hoped that the two additional re-
{ giments Of cavalry may be organized
j mounted and put in position to relieve the
e volunteers some time during the summe'
e or fall; and the two regiments Of infantry
: recruited and organized for service in The
r department of the Pacific, and on our ex
e treme northwestern frontier, whero troop:
Il are greatly needed"
: Accompanying the letter ofthe Secretary
4
u are letters from A. j.. Vaughan, IndisI
= agent, dated Fort Pierre, November 21st.
0 Major Hoffman, commanding at Fort Lara
{ mie, and Col. Dougherty, al old Indiai
" agent, all showing the necessity of adopt
. . ing prompt measures to protect the from
u tiers. Col. Dougherty, says
% "All trade between our fur traders an
J the Indians should be stopped without de
Is lay. In this way, with good mounte
q force, we could keep the Sioux travelling
% back and forward with their families fror
% the Missouri river to the Big Platte, An
10 hsrass them TO such degree that othe
u Indian tribes would pounce down upo
50 them, and relieve US without any furthe
Is Is trouble with them. A prompt and dec
~ sive blow on tie Sioux, in effect, would b
p worth to us, for years to come, millions {
20 20 dollars and many strong armies"