Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-12-31
THE INDIANS.
Letter from Gen HaneOck-Hfs Reply
20 Col. WyneOOp.

Letter from GEN HaneOek-Hfs Reply
10 Col. WyneoOp.
NEW YORK, Tuesday, Dec. %, 1865
TO the Editor of the NelU YORK.
Times: On the 18th instant your paper
contained letter from L. w. WyncoOp,
United States Indian Agent for the
Cheyennes, Arapahoss and Apaches OF
the Plains, addressed to the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs, resigning his (Col.
Wyncoop's) agency, and giving his rea>
sons therefor. That portion Of it ex>
pressing or implying that l committed a
breach Of faith in my intercourse with
him at the time Of the destruction Of the
Cheyenne village on Pawnee Fork, April
l9, 1867, is entirely unwarranted by the
facts Of the case, as the official documents
presented herewith will show. COL
Wyncoop states as follows, in his letter
referred to:
"The Indians were naturally under
the impression that l was responsible for
the outrage, but, after they fully UNDER
stood my position, became, at their res
quest, their agent, and they have re-
newea the confidence they had in me
| previous to the Sand creek murder, trust
ing me implicitly up to the time of Gen.
Hancock's memorable expedition, they
then having received assurances from me
that Gen. Hancock would not harm them,
| and seeing me with him, whom l had
been induced to accompany, under assu>
RANGES from himself that his mission was
peaceful one. Upon the destruction of
their lodges, and other property, again
they naturally inferred the fault was
mine, and some time after, while in the
performance of my duty among the
Indians, l came near losing my life in
consequence"
On the llth of March, 1867, l ad-
dressed Col. WyncOop an official letter
setting forth the object Of the contem-
plated visit to the Plains; and on tho 22d
of the same month, another on the same
subject, informing him that since my
communication of the l1th, my orders in
reference to the expedition had been
modified, and that we would make no de- |
mands upon his tribe for past offences,
but in the future would require certain |
course of conduct on the part of the
Indians which had been dictated to me |
in my instructions before set out on the |
expedition; and that if depredations or
outrages were committed by the Indians |
thereafter, we would punish the Offend |
ing tribes.
The night before the expedition |
1867, held "talk" with Tall Bull and |
White Horse, two young chiefs of the |
DOG Soldiers" (Cheyennes) in Colonel |
Wyncoop's presence, when / told them in |
distinct terms what would be the conse-
quences if they continued to commit |
murders and other outrages upon the
whites. This talk" is on record. |
never departed in my actions from the
tenor of the letters referred to addressed |
to Col. Wyncoop, dated March IL and
y, 1867, nor from my declarations to the |
chiefs Tall Bull and White Horse, at |
Fort Larned.
On the 18th Of April issued an order
which clearly set forth why directed the
destruction of the village. The murders
and depredations committed by the Indians
who had left that village a few days /
before are stated in said order 1t /
expresses that those murders and dspre-
datiOns wee committed after l had ar
rived at the village, and when the In
dams knew perfectly well my intention
to punish any new hostilities on their
part. The fact of these murders never
has been, and cannot be disputed The
the terms of my letters to Col. WynkoOp
of the llth and 22d March. was not
therefore violated by me.
My orders required me to go among
the Indians with a sufficient force, to talk
with them, to inform them that war or
peace was optional with them, and to
punish on the spot any new acts Of hos
tility. They committed new acts of hos
tility almost in my presence by killing
and burning our people, and l destroyed
their village as a punishment therefor.
My action in the matter met the ap-
proval of my commanding officer, Lieut..
Gen. Sherman.
In conclusion, may add, thai the m
dian Bureau, through its agents, has
charged me with inaugurating the Chey-
enne war of 1861, by destroying their
villages, notwithstanding the fact that
my orders for the destruction Of the same
expressly sets forth that it was punish
ment for acts Of war committed by the
Indians belonging to that village y few
days before. am, sir, very respectfully,
your obedent servant,
WINFIELD S. HANCOCK,
Ma1nr fNapara1 IT