The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1865-07-20
Letter from Albert Pike, Of Arkansas.

Letter from Albert Pike, Of Arkansas.
July |, 1866.
To the Editors of the n. Y Express:
GENTLEMEN / find in a paragraph in
the Express, of June 80, 1865, noticing
my arrival at Indianapolis, this SEN
tence: Mr. Pike denies having
countenanc I'd the atrocities with which
he is charged at Pea Ridge, aud is conf
dent OF his ability to eXcul pate himself
AS did not know that | was " charged
with having countensnced any atrocities
at Pea Il dge," could not have denied
l. nor been confident Of my abnity to ex
culpate myself.
AS Commissioner of the Co nfederate
States, l made treaties OF allia nee with
the slaveholding civilized tribes occupy
ing the country west of Ark ansas and
Texas, to secure the friendship OF those
people, and p. event Indian htstlltles on
the frontiers of both States. | agreed
with each tribe that it should raise reg
iment of men for the CoLfederAte service,
not to be taken out of their own country
without their consent Ny object was TO
keep them in their country 70 defend it.
The United States had often accepted
the services of these very tribes, not only
against Indians, h11 a@aiKat AiAh British
and Sponish of FI1E dlE M That
was loudly cansur6d N6hlh for
agreeing 10 enNl1y AeiN IHN 1aN uoEn-
manding them NsithS. 4 new
thing, nor one ul Whihli MH United
States could complain. W.. eIIIY were
Kansas Indians ARMED tAAiA employed by
them to fight agairist " " Kansas, but
they offered arms fn the Ef51nanches that
they might war against u 8A 1la enemies,
the Texans.
was always opposed Ap taking the
Indians out of their own country. | re-
fused to take them into Missouri, + for
babe their making raids into either State,
and prohibited irregular bands of parti-
sans from taking in the Cherokee coun-
try and issuing out OF it to ravage the
neighboring States.
Compelled to obey the positive order
| of General Van Born, in February, 1861,
to Join him with all my force, | took into
Arkansas only those who offered to 60
paris at TWO Cherokee regiments-in all
about 1G0 men.
AT Pea Ridge we charged and took a
battery with the help of some Texan
companies, and our Indians here killed,
in tair fight some forty men. They only,
fought at that point. ! never heard of
any scalping until some days afterwards,
when Surgeon E. l.. Massi9 my medical
director, reported to me that they found
one man scalped, that having evidently
been done after he was dead, and proba
bly, late in the evening, when Drew's
Regiment, which afterwards went over
to the enemy, retired toward their own
country DIR. Massie knew Ia. wanted
the whole truth, and lNHNA aFHnt
| told me the whole. AN AlE
| breed shoot wounded AiMA Nm iN IHAN NM
tried to prevent, bu he N
out OF eight, and nARAA AAAA MIN
titled.
immediatels IAanaa dn #. mi
iting the kiIIipE VI 3'I| Hf
scalbing rs inhai1s4A 4n6 &@
sent General CArlia. hW NN MN W MI
copy Of the order sN
the arrest of pffNNl#A Nm. E1ht| WIN NM N I1
reported to have shot aS
had charges preferred ~ IAA MNM
WAS trieo by court mar NGS
Quilted for want of testIn1A4 II a had
been convicted he would have received
no pardon at my hands.
!. know that it was published that a
great number of men were scAlped, but
never kne'o that any one was so except
: from DR.. Massle's report. It is an inta:
nous lie to say that ever countenanced
} any atroclty. ever loudly condemned
the guerrilla system and shooting at
steamboats,, and in Fannin county,
. Texas, prevented the execution OF a
) Union man sentenced by a committee to
: be hung. until was actually charged
! myself with being member Of secret
Union association and the head OF all the
: Union jayhawkers in Arkansas.