The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-12-11
THE INDIAN WAR;
Gen. Sheridan's Reperf-The Work Done
and to be Done.

ing the Department of the Missouri
has forwarded his annual report oil
affairs within his command for the yeaI
1868, to Lieut.. Gen. w. T. Sherman
commanding the Military Division OF
the Missouri. The following is a copy
of the report:
HD Q'RTERs, DT'TMENT or THE MIssoURI.t
IN THE FIELD. FIT. HAYS, Nov. 16. 1868. {
Lieut.. Gen. ". z. SheT-nasa. Command.
ing Military Dfetsio1s of the Missou-
ri, st. Louis:
GENERAL In reply to your letter OF
Oct. /, calling for an annual report. ]
regret to state that will be compelled,
in consequence of my presence in the
field being necessary, to make a much
more incomplete report than had
assuTned the pefmanemC command;
of the Department of the Missouri
March 2, 1868, relieving Bneyet Major
Gen. A. j. Smith, Colonel Seventh
Cavalry, temporarily in command.
The Department comprises the districts
of New Mexico, the Indian Territory.
Kansas, the Upper Arkansas and the
State of Missouri.
The District of New Mexico. COM
manded by Brevet Major Gen. G. w.
Getty, is an old and established COM
mand. 1t has within its limits the
Navajo nation of Indians, the Utes and
wandering bands of Apaches, together
with few bands of semi-ciVilized In
dams. This District has been, with the
exception of an occasional depreciation
on the part of the Apache bands, com
paratlvely quiet. During the past year
the Navajo Indians were successfully
f0
Lieutenant General, from their tempo
rary reservation near Fort Sumner
to their permanent reservation in
in the northwestern portion of the Ter
ritory. The Utes have remained
friendly, although more neglected. by
the Government than any other Indian
tribe within my command. In fact the
suffring from hunger and want in some
of the smaller bands has been very
great. This District has been ably and
economically administered by its distin-
guished commander.
The District of the Indian Territory
is also an old District, having in it the
posts of Forts Gibson and ArbuckIe,
and has been under the command of
Brevet Major Gen. Grierson, Colonel
Tenth Cavalry, since May, 1868. 1t had
previously been commanded by Breyet
Major Montgomery Bryant, Captain
Sixth Infantry. This District has in it
all the semi-civiliZed bands of Indians,
the principal tribes being the Chero-
KEGS, ChickasaWs, ChoctaWs and Osa0-
es. 1t also contains the new reserva-
tions of the Kiowas, Comanches, Arap-
ahoes and Cheyennes, as fixed by the
Treaty with the Indian Commissioner
of last fall. OF these bands portion
of the KiOwas and Comanches visited
Fort Cobb early last spring, the point
designated for their agent to reside at,
apparently for the purpose of obtaining
their annuities' and other supplies.
The Indian Department having failed
to purchase the supplies, they fell out
with the agent, drove him off, destroy
ed the agency building, and came up to
their old haunts on the Arkansas,
threatening war if their demands were
not complied with. No other events of
of importance occurred in this District
during the last year. The District was
fairly and economically managed by
both its commanders. Troops were
sent twice or three times to Cobb, on
requisition of the agent, who appeared
to be constantly in trouble, either
through his own fault OF that of his
Indians-most probably the latter, as
they told me they did not like him, but
at Larned, to be their agent, and that
they put a halter about his neck and
had him led out on the prairie, and
that If they had any more bad agents
they would hang them.
The District of Kansas has been
under the control of Brevet Lieut.. Col
T. G. English, Major Fifth Infantry,
since the departure of Gen. Hoffman
about the beginning of May, 1868. 1t
comprises within its limits the posts of
Forts Riley and Leavenworth, with
one company of soldiers at the Kaw
crossing of the Cottonwood, not far
on the Republican, at the Big Bend.
The District has been very we'll COM
manded.
The District of the Upper Arkansas
embraces nearly all the Territory of
Colorado and that portion of Kansas
west of a north and south line through
Fort Harker, and has been commanded
by Brevet Brig. Gen. A. Sully, Lieu
tenant Colonel Third, Infantry, since
May, 1868, previous to which time it
was commanded by Brevet Lieut.. Col.
T. G. English, Major Fifth Infantry.
This District was the most difficult to
manage and the most pregnant with
events during the year. 1t had within
Sc
Arapahoes, Kiowas and COmanches,
which they had agreed to give up in
their treaty with the Peace Commission.
The two great commercial highways to
Colorado and New Mexico, and the
lateral roads connecting them from
Harker to Larned, and HAYS to dodge
and Wallace to Lyon, pass through the
district; also the western line to 'front.'
Ter settlements in Kansas and the east
ern line of settlements in Colorado.
which, from their scattered and helpless
condition. were much exposed and in
vited the cupidity of the savage. 1t is
likewise the hunting ground of Sioux.
northern Aarpahoes and northern
Cheyennes, and it was the permanent
residence of the first named tribes.
These Indians (the Kiowas, Comanches,
Arapahoes and Cheyennes) were able
to put into the field about 5000 well
mounted and well armed warriors,
with from two to ten spare horses
each. -
| To guard the lines of the Union Pa.
cifie Railroad and the Denver stage
line, and other interests in this State
there had been established in 1867 the
posts of Forts Harker, Hays and Wal
lace, and the outpost of Cedar Point
and to guard the line of the Arkansas
to New Mexico there were the posts OF
Larned, Dodge, Lyon and Reynolds
and the outposts of Zarah and the
mouth; of Little Arkansas. All these
posts were garrisoned during the sum.
Iner by companies of the Tenth and
Seventh Cavalry. Fifth and Third In.
Il r. \