The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-01
Correspondence of the Washington Daily Unionl
FoRT DEFIANCE, NEW MEXICO,

FoRr DEFIANCE, NEW MEXICO
November 81, 1858.
rush of business Of various kinds and especially
a rush of Indians and soldiers have prevented Inc from
furnishing YOU with the state of Navajo politics for
weeks past Your readers doubtless however have been
Informed through other of the progress Of affairs
here, and it only is necessary for to deal with the
present.
For several weeks repeated and persistent appeals have
been made by the nation, wherever they the troops
marching through the county, for peace. In the last
scout were in the sand the road,
which indicated that the Indians asking us, as
erected. On it white piece of muslin with a
small yellow spot stained with the powder from the
tassel. The white muslin was the American emblem of
peace the cross the Mexican and the yellow STAIN the
Navajo. Around this Cross thus erected in the wilds
and wastes of barren and ul-lookng country
the bare footprints of little children and women, who
doubtless, had placed it there silent appeal to
Christian feelings and education to have pity upon their
fororn and almost helpless condition reminding of
the sacred ties of childhood home and juvenating
rcmembrances of 'Auld Lang Syne, which moved to
compassion and tears the inties heart Little tracks Of
almost nfinte size were in the snow, where fam
lilies fed like frighed Etwns, from advancing troops
and hid themselves in the rocks and of the i'm
mense mountains and caions of the country.
1t surrounded by such incidents and circumstances
that chief approached with white flag pleading for
peace Colonel Miles, with consideration which showed
that the carnage of and the hardened life of the soldier
had not smohered the impulses of humanity listened to
his appeal, and informed him that If he would be at
certain point with other Chiefs at certain time, prs
oner from the garrison would be sent ont meet them
and bring them in, that they could talk with their
agent who expected TO return to the post about the
time fixed On hearing these facts the agent instantly
despatched another prisoner out into the country TO
form the ohels Of his presence and his willingness to
meet and counsel them In accordance with this
rangement, ten of the chiefs and of the principal
men Of the nation into the garrison vest rday the
GOTH and, after full and free 'talk' with the agent
and the military commander asked through the agent
cessation of hostites, which was granted for thirty
days. upon certain terms, at the close of WHICH commits
soners are to meet them and conclude peace.
have not time at this writing to give you the par
cuars of the armistice but they such to show
the utter humiliation of the Indians and their spbcc
ton Heretofore they have believed that we afraid
of them that they tho greatest people on EARTH and
manifested In every respect their semportanoe They
now acknowledge their weakness express the most
earnest desires for peace and say they want to be our
frauds 5trder The interview between the chiefs and the
agent quite affecting When told that the agent had
prevailed the troops to stop for while. they
braced him. and hung their heads in profound silence
il performing some Religious rite. One old chefAr-
mio-ose up, and taking hs little boy about eight years
old-named Henry Dodge, after ther former agent
by the hand said he wanted peace for sch as him the
ohdren-for they suffering much from cold and
hunger and had place they could call home as they
were continually being chased from their lodges and
fires Another chief Slycios Largo who was supposed
TO have been lcd the head chief of the nation point
ed TO his wife, ard said he wanted peace for tho women
They were crying their homes were broken up, their
friends and relatives being killed, and they could not
1,lie down at night and turn in quiet The old
chief said he wanted ''straight-out peace one that
would last forever and would agree to do anything in
his power to bring " about. 1t was truly an affecting
council and exhibited more than can describe imagine
the deep distress Of these people the immense suffering
they have endured during the brief, but energetic and
successful yar made against them by the small column
of 800 men which Col Miles has marched through every
part Of the Navajo country, scaling their ost inacccs,
sble mountains and penetrating their most fearful and
terrific Gallons where white men had never trod, and
where the Indian asay dreamed he could elude the pur
suit of our army,
this peace are the facts that the murderer of Major
Brookss negro the immediate Of the war, and his
whole band have left the Navajo country and gone
live with The Utah Indians and their paintiye
appeals for peace which IL would have been nhuman TO
have dsregarded. The whole nation say that the MUIR