New-York tribune., 1867-09-05
NT,IAN AFFAIRS.
OP ,c,N OF THE INDIAN WAR.

oih | am in the receipt OF your P"POi
"D inst containing your -. Louis coIIc9io'
ing an account of the meeting ol INC CoinH'">' y,
- ',,n,inted 70 make peace with the Indians on the
AL rcnorting especially the statements OF
r,nr;s,ionerS f. Tappan, in regard to the origin Oh
.t Ind;,n war and the connection OF the people oi
C,Io,,do with it, Those statements are so iuli Vi
la,der and do the people of Colorado such gross III
ipstice that | have been requested by a huiOei Oi
pr citizens TO correct them through the
i,anence of THE TRIBUNE, through when the S'io0i
has gone forth. , ,-+I,,, of
,rh.s. a, te,ncn+s would not be deemed worthy ol
such notice. but fOr their accord Win Pie'Hio"'
,roneous belief at the East that the people Oh 'o
so,t;er are responsible for the war; and my laihi-
iritv with the facts in the case leads 10 the nope
.hn, may do something to correct IT, lhese state-
,n| nts being the text for my remarks, ana not m ms
malice toward many of our people, myself Iciuuoo' 1
ynnst be the excuse for using MI. lappdh haihV t
NJ official connection with Indian alars NJ ehaV
time will excuse the reference m!ke " NY . scIt -
the course of this letter our @ his conflict
near Dsnver Colorado April 1907 BY @o Stcer 1,,emP &
,os to d5 % oei i ns to force the Idn, to b. able
ms The 1'Ss q 70 '1 b - stat second 10
reara "a Colorado then on service IN N Ttee all Of
them 70 be used parpose Of securing the eesss o. POsS @ tho
YsT, c,umsndaut Of tbo Colorado district to Congress
Erst II il not true that the Indian War began in
Coorado nor that it commenced in April, 1864. The
war WAS begun in Minnesota by the Sioux Indians,
who were driven thence to the Plains and in lSo0
spread their hostility to the other tribes first on ing
Itppsf Missouri and thence south 10 the AIhaHst nt
river nntil All the tribes were involved. In the an
of 1865 they completed the alliance lOT VA "i1 @ ~ ~
tribes the Arkansas all agreeing 10 eu enort of the
Commissioners of Indian Affairs, 10r ioot, pay pay et
The sioux have BEEN and are yet the head ana S, On
of bostities In the language used 10 Ile III OOun-
Gil by Bull Bear a Cheyenne chief reported at pase
90 of Senator Dooittles report, Their plan Is 70 70
clean ont all this country & Se cam anu
+. About one half OF all the Missouri Rlver
Sioux and YanktOns who were driven Qnt OF 9lire I
sofa are those who have crossed the p!a'f t+ the
evidence is above doubt, and complete that sne
Sioux of Minnesota sent their emsSaies 10 our IlQes
i'm 1863 proposing TO them that while the whites
were fighting among themselves, by lOlnlng tOgeuue
the In1ians could drive them out of this country"
As early rs April 1853, their negotiations WIN lhe
tribes in Colorado were officially known 10 me, anu
as superintendent of Indian Affairs sent MAYOR
Ioree the Agent for the Sioux, ArapahOeS ana Chey
ennes of the Upper Platte Especial messenger 70
the Department at Washington to represent the uah
ger and urged the adoption of measures to prevent
0nr tribes from Joining in the war. l spent most OF
the Summer of 1863 in an earnest effort 10 ndGce te
tribes in Colorado to meet me III cOuncli that IlsuV
assure them OF the good offices of the Government,
and prevent them from joining the hostlle SIOUX
who we're then among them urging them 10 nosIll-
ties. | sent trusty messengers 10 them WIN pres
ents and travelled for weeks through their country
on the head of the Republican 10 meet tIeIh' Dut
thoy peremptory refused TO hoid any In rotnS
%othn% more 10 do with it. (See Report Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs 1891 In the Autumn OF lSo3
81 marty of Cheyennes travelled through our settle
Inents notifying the people TO leave, as tho country
belonged to them, and they intended TO nave IL.
They stole lot OF property ana whe4 ~ troops Me ~
indgnty and to leave without recovering 1t to pre-
The following statement of Robert North which,
with other evidences cOrrobOrating its truth, leaves
no doubt of its correctness, occurs at page ~ OF te
Report of the COMMISSIONER of Indian Affairs Tor lo64
from the tt. obtained Of the Indians completely
hoao Of my exploit in recovering prisoner the Indians
Gently gave me big Medicine Dance 80 miles below Fort Lyon
n River which the leading chiefs and warriors oi sew
eTsl of the tribes Of the Plains met. ,.,
and all Of Chyeuu With the Sioux have pledged one another TO 60
va. "S % l en- & S sG % n ussr ceh and the few Of them
opposed forced be quiet and we're really 10 danger OF
friendly With the until they procured ammunition
seas and the plan the war at ssyes
yoSs ,e% s IN s war saving that ihy So take es. many
and children pson and get heap Of P5SPty& @ & ss1s @ r.
white and wish to avoid 9oSi,ed II he o are s % M HSs
promising help the Indians theTselys ana ,na great nan ~ %
Spring"
On the 4th of November 1863 forwarded to the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs copy of letter
from Major Loree, United States Indian Agent gly-
ing account of the murder of party of whites by
Indians north of Fort Laramie Also of the stealing
of 20 head of horses and other property, from Mr.
L
on the 9th of November 1863 forwarded 10 the Of
flee copies of letters from Capt John Smith, inter
prefer. and Major s. g. COlley, United States Indian
Agent az Fort Lyon stating that the Indians were
evidently preparing for war also, copy OF notice
sent to MAJOR Colley to distribute no more arms and
less file in the Indian Bureau, with other dOcu-
mentS OF the same import
1t is clearly and officially shown that the war which
began in Minnesota was transferred thence TO the
Plains in 1853 and spread their vast extent.
And its breaking out simultaneously along the line
1f frontier settlements in Colorado, Nebraska, and
Kansas in the Spring OF 1864, was III pursuance OF a
general understanding among the tribes, c0nsunl-
mated in 1863. To say that the battle of Bull Run
the origin of the Rebellion would be Just as true
as that the skirmish referred to by Mr. Tappan was
the origin of this Indian war.
Second, lt is not true that the war in Colorado was
intentionally brought There is not particle of
evidence in the whole history of the war but goes to
prove an earnest and faithful effort on my part TO
prevent tribes from joining Ill 1t. That asked
for troops to be left on the Plains to prevent war
that asked for them to defend the lives and prop
ery of onr people after 1t commenced here IS true
and had not done so 1t would have been criminal
negligence of duty. That asked for Colorado troops
was natural and proper, knowing their valor and
efficiency. But TO say that any one IN Colorado,
knowing the terrible consequences to life property,
and prosperity from an Indian war, and dreadlng it
for years. as our people all had DONE should pur-
pOsely bring 1t on is absurd 1t Is mOnstrous.
While people earnest for military protection
while they believe that the only successful way TO
make peace with hostile savageS rs to conquer them
10y chastlseinent there Is no people III the worid VINO
would so heartily rejoice at the cOnsummation OF
permanent peace with the tribes whether effected
by treaty or otherwise.
As a sample of my constant to avoid any cause
Of war with the Indians, quote the following from
official request for troops to recover stolen stock,
made the district commander, Nov 2, 1868, after
the alliance was formed:
81 ere that they he OOps) shall be directed to proceed such
rea pradent avoid collision with Indians
III feeling that performance Of
reQurrd that they will If possible induce chiefs Of
Iny bands they nnd 10 with them TO me" SC
My every act and desire was to prevent
On the 9th of june 1864, long after the war had
become general and open, III the hope that might
yet induce tribes TO abandon their hostilities,
sent proclamation to them offering to feed and