Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-06-08
THE INDIAN QUESTION.
How we May Have War or Peace-Just
what Gen. HanoOck's Expedition has
Done.

EDIToRs ST. Louis TIMES II have
been connected with the army for over
thirty years, and have been stationed
during the larger part. of that time on
The frontier among the Indians L
have been an Indian agent for q period
it is unnecessary to state, but sufficient
ly long TO render me familiar with the
| feelings and intentions of the Indians,
and know precisely how easy it is for
the government TO secure tranquility
among the tribes, the safety of our
! outer lines of civilization and the COM
municating routes of travel or on the
contrary. with what certainty war can
be created. in which not only the In
dams but the inhabitants of our terri
tories and infant settlements may be
the sufferers, involving an immense loss
of life, and the expenditure of immense
sums of money.
Last summer General Sherman took
an extended trip ont West, going by
the Platte Valley route as far as Den
yer and returned by the Arkansas. He
made no great display 'Of artillery,
cavalry or infantry, with their huge
columns of pOntoon trains and bag
gage wagons. He travelled with bis
ambulance and a very small number OF
attendants passed over tue route where
/ the Indians are reported the most saw
age, and he was not disturbed. His
| letters written to Gen. Grant from the
different points of his route, show that
then he nothing that led him to
believe i'll the many reports spread
abroad from Fort Dodge and Junction
| City, Kansas, to inflame the worst pas
sions of the human heart against the
/ Indians What truth was there III the
| fearful report spread from Junction
City, Of the massacre of fifty-nine men
out of sixty-three, belonging to oval
| lace's train, on the Smoky
Hill road TO Denver? The
whole thing was a fabrication, got
up to produce war upon the frontier.
The Fort Buford tragedy, what of that?
All massacTed, except Col. Rankin and
his wife, who, Col. Il. was reported TO
have shot, and himself, TO prevent fall
| ing into the hands of the saVages. ALI
a fiction, Fort Bnford and it's garrison,
| to-day is safe, but how is 1T with the
! Indians who have been made to figure
so cruelty? Gen. s., who up to the
| time he returned from the west, last
fall, saw nothing that wOnld indicate
serious difficulties with the Indians. If
/ rightly understood his letters, he
stated that some Indians would steal a
horse now and then, and he had known
white men TO do the same. elf en- In
dian when starving, should kill beef
or a shetp, he would not declare il
war;" These were cred table sentiments
| but Gene raj Sherman has been intiu-
enced to adopt others. He said IN one
of has late letters, IN substance that
| the Indians must be driven out
of the country between the
Platte river and Arkansas river
| If it could he done according to oar
treaties with them. Secretary Brown
| ing answered his proposition, and
showed by our treaties with them they
| had full permission to roam at will for
subsistence, over this very land. Gen.
| S. proposed to drive them from there,
and which purpose, 1T rs the belief OF
| the writer he is determined to carry
out unless stopped by high authority.
| When he was organizing the ''Grand
/ Expedition" under Major Generals
Hancock, Smith, Custer and David
son, the Secretary of War was called
upon by the Senate of the United
States to know what was the object of
this expedition. The Secretary of War
was urged 10 pre0em war. How was IT
to prevent war? It created war by
marching a column of troops twelve or
fifteen hund ed strong, consisting of ar
tillery, cavalry and infantry, with a
corps of engineers, pOntOon bridges,
and an immense baggage train, at the
cost of millions 10 the Government f;
over five hundred miles, at the season
of the year when the frost was just
leaving the ground, rendering 1t ex-
tremely difficult to move In any man
ner, for the sole purpose ''Of showing
the Indian that are are able to punish
any of them" THAT is, if they will let
ltSl, and to burn about one hundred
thousand dollars worth of property be-
longing to a perfectly friendly band
that had been there for months and
were encamped within thirty one miles
of Fort Earned, where their agent is
stationed. they had done no wrong,
there was not IA shadow OF complaint
against the members of this village OF
Indians. That they were suspicious
and jealous, it is true, the women and
children particularly so, for they had
but Just escaped the sad affair ut Sand
Creek, in November, 1864, where so
many women and children of this tribe
were massacred and mutilated, and
their fears should have been respected,
but they were not, and because
the women and children run
away, their lodges their furniture,
with their all, except what they fled
with were given up to- pillage and the
flames. III this does not give us war
1t will be because some other influences
are brought to bear, and that speedily,
upon those Indians, except those eyer-
cised by the military. Fifteen chiefs
and head men, of this band of Chey-
ennes, headed by Tall Bull" met
General Hancock at Fort Larned, at
which place they had been requested
by their agent, to meet him and have u
"talk." They were introduced to the
General by their agent, Col. Il. w.
Wynkoop, and had very "friendly
talk, as has been reported" "Tall
Bull" was the ''Orator, and when Gen.
Hancock told him he was going to Fort
Dodge with his command, and would
pass by his village. "Tall Bull" wished
to know why he should go that way
"ro have a talk with you, replied Gen.
Hancock. ''Tall Bull answered, 81
cannot say anything more to you at my
village than / have said to you here. .
But the march the next morn
ing was commenced towards Fort
Dodge, and the command of Gen. III.
went into camp that evening. twenty