Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1859-01-05
~ u .As state o..ssis.
General Twiggs.

1
! We refer our readers to the able and patri.
oiic letter Of Gen. Twggs TO ihe Assistant
Adjutant General Thomas, below II rebukes
in strong terms, a COMMUNICATION IN the N.
Y. News, written ut Fort Arbuckle. by a gov.
ernment officer Tor w. purpose Of preventing
any further cxpedititl gainst the Camanche
Indians. We direct The attention Of our ren.
ders to this matter, because il reflects light up.
on the causes which have prevented our, Fed.
eml Government from giving us-the protec.
tion to which we are entitled by the sacred
provisions of the constitution,
Fort ArbucLle is trading point where The
United States agents distribute arms and pro-
visions TO our savage enemies. These inla-
nous ofiicinls make lucrative trade out OF
these transactions. They are willing that our
people should be robbed and massacred, pro.
vided they can derive n profit from our mis-.
fortunes. They purchase at low rates from
the Indians the horses which are stolen from
Texas. These bands collect at the Fort, open.
" displaying the CORY scalps OF our slaught.
cred countrymen, and avowing that they are
at war with Texas, but at peace with the Uni.
ted States.
Our Federal Government, listening to her
own agents, is deaf to the voice of the sover.
cgn people of Texas, claiming protection.
HEApouARreRs, DEPARTMENT OF Texas. |
San Antonio, Nov. 90, 1858.
Sir: Enclosed herewith have the honor
to forward copy of an article which appear.
ed in the National ln,eligencer of October
23d, 1858, and also the following paragraph
copied from the New York WeeSly Times of
October 9Th, 1858, and which was evidently
founded on this letter, viz:
"The Indian Department is much cmb,r-
rassed by Van Dorn's attack upon the friendly
Indians, who were reported as bringing, into
the Agents of Department stolen horses"
have also herewith enclosed copies OF let
rers received from the Commanding Officer oil
Fort Arbuckle, both before and after Maj.
Van Dorn's engagement, which show how ut.
terly false are the statements OF the. CORES.
pondent to lis relatise IN Washington City,
Should any further evidence TO the same Ell.
feet be desired, it may be found in the report
of His Exceency, Governor RunneIs, of Oc-
tober 9Th, which, with my action in the case,
was forwarded October 30th, giving an ac.
count Of the murder, on the 2lst of that
month"; by the Indians, Of the Jackson family
on Pecan Bayou.
Whilst the falsity of the article above allu.
ded to, is perfectly apparent to myself and the
people of Texas, the malicious effect it was
designed to accomplish will have undoubtedly
been produced. My object in writing is to re.
quest that, if possible, it may be ascertnned
who is the dirty author of this malignant pub.
Iication, and that he may be at once elected
from the employment Of the United States
racshla nrf.
rage upon the gallant Commander of the
Wichita Expedition, and upon all who were
permitted to share with him the honors ach'ev.
ed in the fight of October lst,-upon the lndi.
nm Department. and upon the people of Texas
by procuring the publication, in the National
Intelligencer, of his slanderous letter of the %
ulumo.
Within the past two years, the troops of this
Department have had about twenty engage
nlents with the Comanches, in each of which,
some were killed or wounded, to say nothing
of there being many more cases in which large
parties of them have b zen pursued hundreds
of miles without being overtaken, and il is, to
all those engaged in this Comanche, police an.
noyins in the extreme, to find that, after all
their hardsbips, privations and wounds, the "ln-
dien department is much embarrassed" by their
operations-that these murderous savages are
"being murh sin1ed against" and "if protect
ed," would be eminently peaceable..
If negotiations are to be entered into with
these laAles5 creatures, have respectfully to
request that the annual issue to them, by the
Government, of thousands of tomahawks ami
scalpiug knives, be lrst suspended, and>-11ettI
them be treated with BY persons respecting the
interests of Texas, so that they may be made
to feel that it is with Texas, as-&el as the
balance of the Uni,ed States, they are 10 be
at peace.
am, sir. very respectfully, your ob't. serv't.,
(Slgned) ID. E. TWlGGS,
B'rt. Maj. Gen. U. S. A., Commanding DEPT.
Lieut.. Col L. TiioMAs, Asst. Adjt Gen, Head Quar-
tsrs Of the Army, New York