Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-11-26

hunting all over the country they returned,
reporting no signs Of Indians, bat fresh
track of . large body Of buffalo.
The chief Of the Crows expressed the
most friendly feeling towards the whites
and wished me to remain here till he could
bring the nation in TO see me; this could
not promise. The traders here report
that they expressed quite different feel.
ing towards the whites before they heard
was in the country.s The Assiuaboines
were here few days before arrived to
rec"jv" their goods; they got part of them,
issued hY the comma nding officer, for the
ny4rt d &It these upper bands left some
wcen> a-' This system of issuing Of an
nuifv ra1i5 is one grand humbug. The
a"uuitjs2 ~nnt are so very small that it is
imp ,ssih!l for every one Of the nation to
- a share without they we're issued at
thu rae OF spoonsful of sugar and strips
Of cloth one inch wide per man. The
strongest and boldest of the bands, and
often the worst Indians, get the largest
share. This breeds dissatisfaction. The
agent comes up the river with the goods
on some boat and if he don't find the
Indians present to receive their annuilies
he returns in the boat, leaving the stores
in charge of the fort to be issued or not as
may seem best, and liable to be stolen.
1t cannot be expected of the Indians
that they will leave their hunting grounds,
and bring their families to some fort where
there is no game, TO starve while waiting
to receive spoonful Of sugar, or few
beads, and part Of blanket per head,
and maybe have to wait for weeks and
weeks ut one Of the forts the arrival Of
their agent with the goods, who must re-
turn in the boat that brought him up or
be obliged to remain up in the country
until next year.
1t would be better to do away with this
annuity business altogether, as the Indians
call it, paying them to be good; or if it
is considered necessary to make tribe
present let it be on their good conduct and
when ordered by the President, or le. the
years to 4 respectable amount, and send
them under charge Of some honest man
who would remain aud see that the Indians
got them.
here parted with my emigrant train,
but rot until they had succeeded in giving
me further cause no. to forget them.
Quitc number of horses, mules, and
oxen turned up missing. At first it was
supposed they had strayed away in the
thick timber. \ large number of pistols
aud other arms ana property were also re-
ported to me missing, and severa! desert.
crs therefore sent force after the
Idaho gentlemen. They overlook part Of
it, for it was scattered al! over tho country;
twenty Indians could have captured them
in detail. The part Of the train my troops
overlook was compos ed of the better class
of citizens. They only had nine oxen, six
horses, and few rifles. They ackuowl.
ICED that a party ahead had very large
amount OF arms that they had purchased
from soldiers for whisky, out as they had
good animals (sto!en ours) they were some
twenty miles ahead with them were the
descrters. These gentlemen expressed
great regret tina: they should be associated
with such scoundrels, We: they did not give
me information by which | might have
caught these men. 1suppose they did cot
think it Of Importance.
The fort is an old dilapidated affair, al
mos. falling to pieces. have here depos-
tied the stores intended for the pos. up
the Yellowstone under charge Of company
!, 30th Wisconsin. This command viii!
remain here this winter to guard the stores.
l look upon the position at the mouth of
the Yellowstone as very important one
as depot Of supplies.
Fort Union is too far above the mouth
of the Yellowstone, and frequently mac.
cessib!e. | therefore made a military res
ervaticn about four miles square at and
below the mouth of the Yellowstone river,
taking in all the heaviest bodies of timber
The two boats start below in a day or
so with the sick and wounded. As soon
as load up my train | will start for Fort
Berthold.
With much respect, your obedient ser.
want, ALF. SULLY, Brig. General.
Assistant Adu'ant General Department
of the Northwest
NFAnQ' ARrERs N. W. INDIAN EXPEDITION,
foar BEErHoLD, Aug. 90, 1864
SIN; | started from Fort Union on the
Dist aud roached this point yesterday our
march at first had to be slow on account
OF our animals, but after marching about
seventy miles the grass improved greatly,
and in consequence our animals. 1t was
/
would here no donbt be able to learn some.
thing about the Sioux from the Rec In-
dams. After marching down the river
six days, about eighty miles by land below
Union, we came to place near the head
of the big bend, where q very large body
Of Indians had crossed the Missouri about
ten days before, and camped there one
night; there were very few trails Of lodges,
but very large number Of pony tracks,
some thousand at least. Their track, after
going north, appeared to turn to the east,
and cross the Little Knife river in the
direction Of Devils Lake. These were
undoubtedly the same Indians whose trail
mentioned we crossed after our fighting
in the hills east Of the Yellowstone, and | |
had no doubt they were the Yanktonais
this afterwards found out was the case
They may have gone into the British pos.
eoe s;onc c,r n II tha Indiana VOL Lpow ,ro