Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-11-21
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LATEST BY TELEGRAPH.
WASHINGTON,
Report of GeneraI sherman.

itogether " ltn tnosS oi soeIerals onerldan,
ithese reports show that while theeountry
generallyhas been at peace, the people on the
plains and the troops of his command have
been constantly at war. He says he has
studied to find some lasting remedy for
this war, but thus Tar without success.
Our people will settle on the frontiers
and travel without precaution, and run
after wild reports of gold discoveries, and
thus come in contact with hostile sayages.
Surveys of public lands continues to be
extended and patents granted occupants to
| build railroads and establish mail routes,
as though all was peaceful.
Over all these matters the military au-
| thorities have no control; yet they are call
| ed upon for protection and subjected to all
the kicks and cuffs without thejptiyilege
of advising or being consulted.N So long as
these things continue the.military forces on
the frontier cannot be, reduced. pssE
( We had been directed BY the President
to subordinate the acts of all the troops to
whatever plan of action the latest peace
commission might adopt. This commits
sion unanimously agreed that all the Indi-
ans east of the Rocky Mountains should, as
soon as possible, be collected on reserva-
tions as far as possible from white settle
ments and lines of travel, and be maintain
ed blythe United States till they canspro-
vide for themselves.
Other provisions were made, all of which
we've wise and judicious. Councils had
been held by the Peace Commissioners
with all or nearly all the tribes, formal
written treaties were made and nearly all
confirmed by the Senate, but for some rea-
son Congress did not take action on the
chief proposition of the Commissioners,
which related to selling part of the res
ervations, and providing government for
the Indians. The people had said this was
the cause of the failure in securing a last
ing peace. 1t is always difficult to lesrn
the cause of war on the part of the Indi-
ans, as they never give notice beforeEa and
bof hostile intentions. r7Rp3< gaVei
The General gives, as near as he can
learn, the reason for the war. In General
Sheridan's department the Indians charged
the Government with not keeping faith;
that their game had been driven away by
building the Powder River road and the
Union Pacific railroad. The. Commission
ers consulted, and Recommended that the
construction of the former be discontinued.
1t was, however, August before the posts
could be withdrawn, and the Indians fol-
lowed up the parties having the stores in
charge and made raids on them. They
thought the action of the Government was
inspired by fear, and they so. Informed
other tribes, urging them to become hos
tile and they would drive the troops out of
other posts and force them to the abandon
ment Of the Smoky Hill line, which runs
Through the best buffalo hunting grounds
in America.
The General then proceeds to recite in
detail the hostilities of the Indians, which
have already been published, to show that
the Government agents gave them only the
kindest treatment, with one exception,
that of the agent at Leavenworth.
The soldiers, knowing an Indian war to
be ali-work and no glory, submitted to
many indignities, hoping that the Peace
Commissioners would license the with
dTawal OF the Indians.
80 General Sheridanfound, On Investigation,
that attacks on the settlers of the Saline,
Solomon and Republican were without
provision, yet he delayed striking their
camps until he had demanded the actual
perpetrators lotE the acts. This demand
failed of success, as the old chiefs could
not give up SO many of their young war
riors. War was then commenced along
the Smoky Hill and Arkansas roads by the
Indians attacking -all-white people, who
knew nothing of the renewed hostilities.
=, Gen. Sheridan, seeing war with the Chey-
ennes inevitable, endeavored to- keep the
Arapahoes out of It. In council with
them they agreed to keep out of the war
and go to the reservation. Instead. how
ever, at the time they agreed to move they
were in the war. The Kiowas and Com
IuduCHcS dCBeu III tl0 same Wdys-ii-~
General Sherman gives dispatches from
territorial Governors setting forth the hos
tile acts of these Indians. The Goyernor
of Kansas was speeially restive under the
butcherieS perpetrated in that State, and
rendered volunteer cavalry to General
Sherman. 10 General Sheridan was doing all
he possibly could to afford protec-
tion, but with a limited number of
troops could not doA ow the Indians
thnir rpmntQ (Mon Shorrno m
asked Gen. Grant tor more cavalry and it
was promptly furnished, and on the 9Th of
October the Secretary of War authorized
the acceptance of one mounted regiment of
Kansas volunteers for six months. Gen.
Sheridan expects to get these in the field in
November, and also expects, during the
coming winter, to so punish these hostile
Indians that they willnot again resort to
war.
General Sherman believes he will meet
with all the success he expects, 1t is idle
for US longer to attempt to occupy the
plains i'm common with, these Indians, for
the country is not susceptible of close set
tlementIwith farms like those of Missouri
and Iowa, and is solely adapted to grazing.
ALL our people there are necessarily scat
tered and have more or less cattle and
horses, which tempt the Indian, hungry
and it may be starving for the want of his
accustomed game, and he Will steal rather
than starve, and to steal he will not hesi-
tate to kill. Therefore joint Occupation
of that district of the country by these two
classes of people, with such opposing in
terests, is simple impossibility, and the
Indian must yield. .ta,-,Fz
The Peace Commissioner has assigned
them a reservation, which, if held fo- fifty
years, will make their dependents rich, and
i'm the meantime they are provided with
food whilst they are learning to cultivate
the earth and to rear their stock. To labor
with their own hands, or even to remain
in one place, initiates against all the
hereditary pride of the Indian, who must
be used to- accomplish this result.
1t was tor this reason that the Peace
Commission, at its Chicago session in Octo-
Der, after the events before described had
occurred and were known to them, was
forced to the g conclusion that the
management of Indian affairs should
be transferred back to the War
Department, where it belonged prior
to 1910. That Department. of our Govern
ment is the only one that can use force
without the circumiocution now necessary /,
and no other Department of GovernmeI
can act with promptness and vigor enough
to give any hope that the plans and pur-
poses of the. Peace Commission will becar-
ried out. Even then there is doubt the
Indiana themselves will make the necessa7
ry personal eHorts TO succeed, ana L 1ear
that they will at last fall back upon our
hands a mere mass of helpless paupers.
lam fully aware that many of our good
people far removed from contact with these
Indians, and dwelling with a painful inter-
est on the past events such as are'describ-
ed to have occurred in Missouri in 1854 and
at the Ghiyington massacre in 1864 believe
the whites are always in the wrong, and
the Indians have been forced to resort to
war in self-defense by actual want or by
convinced such is not the, case in the pres
ehtinstance, and Ihope Ihave made it cer-
tain.
1 favor the belief that the only hope OF
saving any part of these Indians from ut
ter annihilation is by a fair and prompt
execution of the scheme suggested by the