The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-25
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The New Indian Campaign-Scene OF Ope.
ratiOns.

From The ~. y Times.
The winter campaign against the Indians,
30 long and carefully prepared, is now sue
cessfully launched. General Sheridan COM
mands in person, and his forces are probably
over three thousand strong - nearly all
mounted aud well equipped with breech-
loading arms Starting in several columns
from various points, such as Fort Wallace,
Fort Dodge, and Fort Lyon, under Custer,
Carr, Carpenter, and others, they will con-
verge in the region OF the Canadian river.
The ampagnng-ground of these new ope-
ratiops is not generally understood, nor is the
precise pun Ipose OF the present expedition.
The great region stretching from the head
waters of the Missouri down to Texas aud
New Mexico, and which of old was styled the
"Iudian Territory" is still Indefinitely called
'The Plains" However, it will not be diff
cult to set forth ana describe the terrain OF the
present war.
The two tribes with whom we have here
tofoIe had our chief difficulties are the Sioux
and the CheyeuDes, the four tribes against
whom, principally, Sheridan l. now operating,
are the Chey eDues, ATTApAhoes, KIOwas, and
Camanches. The Sioux have always been
among the most MUIR erous and malignant OF
our enemies, as they are the strongest. How
ever, they gained their object last spring,
when our forces abandoned the famous Powder
river route, breaking up the posts at Forts
Reno, Phil Keamey, and G. +. Smith. The
war with the Sioux was ended, and late
Omaha despatch asserts that Red Cloud, the
great Sioux chief (whO, with Big Bear, was
lately az Laramle), has, with other chlettains
of hrs tribe, signed treaty OF peace. IL Is
important to nOte that this element Is for the
first time in many years eliminated from the
Indian problem. IL was the Sioux of Miune-
sofa who committed the horrible raid on tue
frontier settlements OF thal State aud of Iowa
and Dakota during the Rebellion, and who,
thence expelled, passed over and joined their
kinsmen, the Sioux OF Upper Dakota, and have
ever since been engaged III such bloody per-
foTmances as FetteTmtn's massacre.
Thus it happened namely, by our conces-
s;ons-that the Upper NJ ssOur, which for
years had been the chief seat of Indian hos
tlities, became tranquil, and that we aud the
Sioux are now at peace. Some lodges OF the
Sioux some Ar karees (who are so small
tribe as TO be of no iInpOrtauoe), aud per-
haps few other Indians, may be joined in
hostility with the four chief tribes already
named
The abandonment of the Powder river
route naturally concentrated oar troops
southsrly on the Smoky Hill route; and the
news of its abandonment seems to have stimu-
lated the tribes now hostile to try the same
mode of getting their end-namely, an aban-
donment by our forces Of the Smoky Hill
route-by the same means, that is, robbery
and murder.
The Nebraska, or Platte river, runs easterly
through Nebraska from Fort Laramie, along
the limo OF the Pacific Railroad, to where, south
OF Omaha City, it empies into the Missouri.
This was the scene OF the main Indian hos
tilities of former years-this and the region
north along the upper Missouri; and the
word used to be- 'The War ou the Platte"
South of the Platte, and nearly parallel to it,
is the Kansas river, another tributary of the
Missouri; and just south OF that, but with its
hesdwaters close to those of the Kansas is
Al All VIII. nd
southe asterly into the Mississippi. The State
of Kansas, and particularly the neighboring
afluents of these two rivers, namely, the
Big Blue, Republican, Solomon's, Sa-
line and Smoky Hill forks of the
Kansas, aud Walnut Creek, Pawnee
Fork and the Cimarron river, branches Of
the Arkansas, formed the theatre OF last sum-
mer's atrocities. All OF these streams lie close
together, running, in the order named, south
easterly to the two principal rivers. The mere
mention of them will recall the events OF the
summer and autumn-the plundering OF
ranches, pillaging of trains, murder OF settlers,
stampedipg OF cattle, aud all the wonted array
of savage warfare. But We find that Sheridan
is no longer campaigning here. Colonel Car
penter's detachment of three companies and
seme tweve-p Founders is, indeed scouting
near the Pawnee fork and Walnut creek-but
this is the northernmost or rear column. The
rest of the force is ALREADY gone far southerly,
crossing tne OlmhrrOD, anu DOunu lOr tne
Canadian rivera large stream which runS
easterly through Indian Territory proper,
parallel to the Red river, just north Of it, and
not far from Northern Texas.
The explanation of this removal of the war
from the Platte region far down to the Cana
dian, and probably even into New Mexico and
Texas, is to be found in sentence of Sher-
mans late report. "rhe many expeditions
have" he says, Unnecessarily been OF desul-
tory and somewhat unsatisfactory character,
because the Indians can scatter so long as
their ponies can get grass everywhere, but as
soon as winter com ssls them to collect to-
gether in villages, | bsieYe that General Sheri-
dams troops will be able TO find them, and TO
destroy all that Offer resistance" In other
words, the 'obective," so to speak, of the
campaign is their winter quarters. 1t
is a new experiment, often urged, but never
yet fairly tried.
Now. the headwaters Of the Canadian are
the proper homes OF the Camsnches aud
Kiowas, two of the hostile tribes; those of the
Cheyennes and ARA pahoes are further north
say near the Republican Fork. But these aud
other tribes range freely across all the plains
il summer, while winter forces them south to
shelter from the winds and storms. Ths
operations of Sheridan on the streams above
mentioned had already FASTENED the southerly
migration of the troops. L5t him now strike
at their villages, their stores OF b5ffalo meat,
their winters provisions Of food, forage, and
fuel, and his work is accomplished. Driven
from their proposed shelter and their supplies,
the Indians are ruined. And it is to effect this
that Sheridan is now, with winter impending,
Son the war path"
What Meaneth This!