The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-08-07
solid masses Of grasshoYpers through which

solid masses Of grasshoYpers through which
we marched. rs
From our camp at Lake Traverse, re-
connoissance was made to the Ooteau des
Prairie, by q squadron of mounted rangers
and detachment of scouts, under Major
Buel. The country was examined as far
as Big Foot's village, at Buffalo Lake, near
the head of the Big Sioux River; but no
indications of the recent presence of In
dams were to be found.
During the progress of the march, the
scouts have at intervals found Indian signs,
showing that our movements are watched
by scouts from the hostile camp; bit, al
though the utmost vigilance has been used,
no live Indian has been discovered.
BY the by, your correspondent elm
Valid" in his letter published in copy of
the PIoNEER which reached camp yester-
day, has done great injustice to the Indian
scouts. He says they move in advance
"with an eye to plumber" and then in
stances the finding of forty dollars on the
body of a woman, and winds up by saying
that the scouts "know where to look for
plunder," thereby intimating that they
were engaged in the massacres and plum
behring's of last summer. 1t is true that
scout found port-monnaie containing
forty dollars near the body of dead Indian
woman, and that the fact was Immediately
reported by the scout at headquarters, and
the money turned over to Capt. Forbes to
be properly disposed of.
As for the charge that the scouts open
graves, or interfere with the bones of the
dead, it is entirely gratuitous on the part
of "Invalid." They are not sufficiently
advanced in civilization for such an occu-
patton, and the position "Invalid " held
should have enabled him to ascertain that
the opening of graves and the scattering of
the bones of the dead over the prairies was
solely the work of white members OF the
regiments accompanying the expedition.
We have been detained at this camp
since the 4th inst, for the double purpose
of waiting for the train from Fort Aber-
crombie, and at the same time allowing
the animals to repose and recruit. The
grass here is good and comparatively abun-
dant, and the mules are picking up rapidly.
The prospect for grass for grazing is
very good along the Cheyenne, and if we
continue to follow that stream, water of
course will be abundant and good. I
think there is no danger of failure of the
expedition for want of grass or water, and
the cautious and watchful qualifications of
the commanding General is guarantee
against any surprise from the Indians eth
er by day or night. True we are not tray
cling as fast as the Indians usually travel
aohen they haze provisions, but when they
have t., hunt for their subsistence and
will be required to follow the Buffalo in
their uncertain course over the prairie,
they will find the troops gradually, but
certainly overtaking them. With their re-
treat across the Missouri cut off by Cen
eral Sully, they cannot escape the steady
operations Of the troops sent out against
them, and have not the least doubt of
the final and thorough success Of this ex-
petition. True it is ponderous concern
nou, but it has all that is necessary for
three months campaign. The wagon
train is as necessary to the successful ope-
rations of interpolation as heavy freight
of wood is to the successful advance of
steamer.
You hear of the burning the country be-
tween the Red and the Cheyenne rivers,
and Of the drouht, grasshoppers, and va
rious other causes for the return of this
expedition, but all this is CANNON. True,
the country is unusually dry, the rivers
and lakes unusually low, the grass-hop-
pers unusually numerous, the grass unu-
sually sparse and short, the high prairies
generally parched, and the grass on the up
lands in condition to burn feely at this
unusual season of the year, yet all these
are simply indications that the men and
animals may not have the usual abund-
ance of water and grass, but by no means
suggest an entire failure of either.
The Cheyenne and the James, running
parallel and within short distance of each
other, usually have luxuriant growth of
grass on the bottom land along the course
of the streams, and between those streams
are numerous lakes around which grass
usually gross abundantly. The luxuriance
of the growth is only diminished, the en-
tire crop is not destroyed, and the green
grass cannot be destroyed by fire where
the old grass was burned last fall or last
spring. There is not the least danger
therefore of the failure of this expedition
for want of wood, water or grass. All
that is necessary for its successful advance
| is little more watchfulness and more