The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-05-04
THE INDIAN EXPEDITION.
SPECIAL cORRrspONufncf OF THE KRMB.

~""~s'
The Abandoned Indian viiase--Isventery Of
What IL Comsained-- Bar barnies Of the in-
dians-. De-tructisn Of the shiase--DanSoT
IN tbe Buffalo Creek Settlement, sc.
CAsr GsssRAL HAsoock's ExPEpr1sosARY FeRcE,
April Il. 1857
The abandonment Of the village lately occupied by
Sioux and Chey ennes and the partial esructoa Of their
lodges by The Indians PRIOR to earng was regarded
with by all the men connected with the expedi
sonary that may be said haze been capable Of
forming any just estimate of the Indian character and
movement. They would mot have cu lodges had they
intended them There is 20 doubt
that they would have taken their lodges with them
had they feared the trail that would be le by the
lodge poles General Hancock delsrmined 70 place a
guard the village and gave that moth
ing should be removed his idea being nat the Indians
see II their intentions we're nOc hostile that 50 tar as
she troops we're concerned their fears il they had any
we're groundles An inventory Of the contents or she
camp made, which is as follows tnm*M
25l lodges s42 buffalo robes A36 saddles AS6 traves.
$50 Tin cups, 3Sl TIN pans, 80 stones 2I2 sacks of
pant W waller Kegs, ovens, Al grubbing horns Is
Is eurryconbs OF coffee pos 4e hoes 81 SScnpa ,rons
lao born spoons, n crowbars % brass ketcs II ham,
sr 70 o1 ID drawing e spades
~ spoons ID knives, 10 pickaxes, sword hayonct
1n,.sd states MAJ. ~, bag stone mas's lance g
~
meat stoves, . ponies, Sioux very assdl and !
r.yshed child.
This inventory was not accomplished withous great
Afcu,y The different articles scattered AL over
she village even the names Of many Of the were
unknown to the officers who made the inventory and
the interpreter Dick Curtis called in assistant
These precautions proved useless for there was but
just sufficient time for the to from General
Custer when information received TO the effect that
the Indians at their old tricks, and the long
threatened troubles had broken out the favorite
ground Tor Indian depredatons-- the Smoky Hill route
from the Missouri Denver General Custer ia
his report 10 General Hancock states that the Indians
visited the different stations Of the Overland Stage
Company on the 18TH at station known as Look
Out, but formerly designated Rathden The Indians
killed three men, dsembowelled them and piled logs
upon the bodies, which burned, bot not su1i-
gently 10 entirely destroy the OF the devils engaged
10 the performance Of the outrage Rathden twenty
nix miles west OF Fort Hayes. AT Big Creek station
tnext Of Fort Hayes the Indians attempted to gain
entrance but we're prevented from doing By the de-
termined resistance of the occupants when parjev en-
sued The Indians anxious to shake hands, and
told the station men, by means Of haf-breeds who al
ways accompany the different bands on their path
tnat they had been on the Arkansas had big talk
General Hancock, and that peace had been made
wich should be lasting one SO far they were con-
ed,
TIE station men we're very much satisfied that such
should be the Case but did regard the naked
ar indication OF peace the Indian did not gel in He
did however, take from the stable ali the stock
HayStaCk
cations we're committed at every station between |
Dsnoers and Fort Hayes, distance Of fty-six miles
This the l5th and General Hancocks troops did
reach tho neghborhood Of the Indian village on the
Pawnee Fork, nearly sixty miles distant. until the /
evening OF the A,h.
The receipt Of this from General Custer made il
TO account for the strange behavior Of the Indians
that met General Hancock ten miles from the village
accounted too Tor the statement made by OF the
chiefs that some OF their young we're buffalo hunt
ing and showed that the stories told by tho Kova that
the Sioux and Cheyenne were making preparations for
Snrn the vcaa ,horI
would permit were true The Kiowas have been invited
400 JON 70 me ouDreak ~. they prefer peaos-sha
high TO enable them to they may talk differently
As soon as General Hancock became aware Of the out
RACES on the Smoky he determined burn the village
he did not receive OF character that might make
him doubt that the perpetrators " the ourages OF
ment The last from General .uster lett no doubt
TO who the Indians that had committed the out
RACES and orders were ~ once issued for the destruction
On the morning Of the 18th three companies OF the
nnder the superlhlendence Of General a J. smith de-
saroyed the articles before enumerated In this letter.
the exception Of few lodges some Articles thai could be
two aged Indians the halfbreed child and incom-
basble punder 40 an Indian has sbous lodges such
IRON, tin and stone The articles first collected In
separate piles the lodge poles piled travesres
which were made OF wood The saddles then thrown
composed, followed Head mats their mating |
tsma wllows) were thrown among the lodge to
piles were ready for the application Of the
torch The wagons with their loads Of articles,
20 camp Brands nom The smoudsrnc osmp res used
by the soldiers who had guarded the village thrown
Into the heaps, which were quickly in bright blaze.
fierce drive the soldiers Of the village few or
she ofcers stayed 20 see that the connagration
complete success, when they took their departure.
IL 10 extremely difficult TO estimate the loss inflicted
upon the Indians IN this destruction Of their village
snns ana The remainder southern cheyenne or /. nav
- well 70 designate them Dog Soldiers az 10 s BY this
name ,ha. they are ordinarily known u seems proba
e-nied od by The Indians. Roman Noses band Of /
Asyennss dd not pitch their camp, and 30 escaped
ens " ihe most Troublesome on Tie plans and likely
be made bot by their good fortune in escaping
The estimate made by she station men on sns smoky
eight hundred. OF these few were squawA
Following the destruction Of the village General Ham
Of the north branch OF the Pawnee Fork, from which
place he did not march until the next day, when the
troops moved IN . souheriy direction and camped
Nat night twelve mies north Of the present camp The
command has thus far been sappiied with wood and
sssp up extremely vel the grass sp ri, up
rapidly, and even Ia OF sufficient height 70 afford
n sr Ds which il on IN.
Arkansas uveF about twelve miles southwest OF this
camp The stay o. Dodge VII undoubtedly be . short
sue probably than day, when II Ia thought
shat short campaign will DO made 70 the south OF the
Arkansas prior 70 the return TO Fort Larnard II s
attack The settlements Bufalo crock small tribu
Vary Of the Republican they do you may expect 10
have accounts Of some shocking barbantes.
Arrival q she Expeditiesary Force NJ Eers
DOage-Ftahs With Isdinns-Three Red.
sAsss kiIIed-Rebbcry ~ Maies-ralk with
sh< kiswas. &C., &c.
Fonr DopcR Kansas. April ~, 1851.
0cssrk Hancocks sxpsditicnary force arrived Al this
paee on the afternoon OF The 22d The troops in
wsn closed up after . march q twelve nlea The
ssAns formed 10 double column, presenting aspendd
ssghl Upon i arrival n This place the troops which
sonposed The garrison Of the fort were drawn up Just
sssssss me sarshworks and section Of . mountain
Aswits battery fred MAJOR Generals salute - Gen.
ssas Hancock and Smith rode toward the fort u the
Aeaa OF ne connand MAJOR Douglass ccmmsndant Of
ssc posi- received General Hancock. and sxsendsd 70
him MI the courtesy his power The troops encamped
nrlow the fovt To-day the officers Of General HAN