Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-03
The Indian War.

The public mind is, we apprehend, con-
siderablys muddled about the "Indian
War; Whether we really are at war or
no? If so, with whom, and what for ? are
points not very lucid. Whether the ''war"
has begun OF ended {? Whether it be with
Sioux, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Canaan
ches, Kiowas, or Blackfeet. or if all these
have indeed consolidated for the demolition
of red pipes? An occasional telegram from
the supposed .theater of operations lights
up the muddle, and makes the darkness
visible. Gen. Hancock has had an inter-
view with few of them, and told them his
forte was "hitting hard" Then we are
told that ,she was unable to find their
trail, and, in the next breath; that
he compensates himself by surrounding
them,' and then, that when surrounded
they were not, there." This, to be
sure, was somewhat ''hard hit" for the
General The Indians (and it is not very
wonderfully declined to let the army visit
their women and children. When our
army had determined to visit them, it is
ltelegraphed as an outrageous circumstance
that only the warriors were seen, and these
'sarmed''-a fact, the startling character OF
which may be estimated by those who
know that it is impossible to see an Indian
unarmed, unless he is asleep. Then comes
the telegram that the stations on the
Smoky Hill route'' are taken, or burned {;
and this telegram, first denied from
the nearest telegraphed station, Den
yer, is afterward corroborated from
the army on the Arkansas river two
hundred miles off, who discover that it
was done by the very Indians who broke
up camp on the Arkansas, and whose
.s trail - Gen. Custar has been unable to dis
cover, although persons there have no hesi-
tation in coming to the conclusion that
they were the veritable Indians that COM
mitted the outrages in question, in che face
tI,1 of fhof nf no
and the distance make it physical impos-
sibility. Nevertheless, it is very pretty
quarrel as it stands" The Indians would
not let Gen. Hancock's army into their do
nestle retirement; they are EARNED" They
run away and cannot be found. Certain
stations are reported burned; of course
they are burned, and these copper-colored
heathens burned them.
If weare not to shoot down the first abo
ripines we meet for this. we would like to
know what is the advantage of being able
to 90 to war? Further to show its charac-
ter. a telegram comes from Denver, from
persons Just over the Smoky Hill road in
coaeh-in ALL some five or ten persons,
probably-who have seen several thousand
Indians on the, way, and who glibly an
nounce that they are "On the war-path,"
although they appear to have allowed said
coach to pass peaceably enough through
400 miles inhabited but by them; and it
may be taken for certainty that, if they
saw the Indians, the Indians saeo them. b
Is some one interested in getting up an
Indian war. whether or no? If the Indians
were really determined that travel should
not pass on the "Smoky, Hill route or
the Platte route either, for that matter, not
a coach, without heavy escort, would go
from Eastern Kansas to Denver, or pass in
safety up the Platte. That they do so is
evidence that there is no matured plan of
offensive operations on our overland COM
merce. One telegram informed us that
the first blood Of the ''War'' was drawn