, 1870-03-25
THE INDIAN QUESTION.

Lettcf from General Sheridan 10
General sherman.
Washington tAa'rh g, bt.7,ntcA to the cfae,nnati
Tho following important official communica-
tiou from General Sheridan was received To-
day 1t army headquarters:
''HEApQ'Rs Mil D1v. or TIE M1ssorR1,l
Cn1cAao. ILL.,, March IL, 1870.
" 6t'NTdt ". I. bhe77naR, commanding C1i-
ted States .army, Washington, u. c.:
- GENERAL: The further report OF Colonel
Baker, in reference to the punishment Of tho
liegan Indians, las not get been received
1T seems strange that there should bo such
\ want Of knowledge Of tho position which
Indian affaizs. ! have in my command ut least
five Thousand miles Of frontier settlements, mt
chief and only duty being to gire protection to
tho families tesiding on these long lines
against tho outrages Of the Indians. The
government has invited these settlers by open
ing the lands 70 them for pre- emption snd in
1royement. Tho number Of men. women and
children on this e1tenleI frontier is very
great, aud there iB not i day from
one years. end TO the other that
! the fearful thought G. being murdered in tho
most aendish manner, the men scalped, tho
women rasishet!, tic brains Of tho children
dashed out. When I said, in previous letter,
| that eight hundred had met that fate since 1852
| was below the figure, and should hare aald
twelve Thousand. Ny duties arc to protect
Indians but in this connection there il scarce
y day IN which do not receive tho most
len f1og iHPe' el t. ,s,s ss,' Witt sst,
my come upon them Gae apa an ny forced io to
tho alternative Of choosing whether shall re-
| gard their appeats, or 1lluw them to be butch
erea II order to saye myself from the hue and
c1r Of people who know not the Indian, and
whose families have not tho fear, morning.
by them, The wife Of the man at the centre
Of wealth, civilization, and refinement is no
| more to linn than IL the wife Of the pioneer of
the frontier. have no hesitaton in making
my choice. l am going to stand by the people
over whom ! an placed, and give them what
Ne have not the troops to place at oach
mans honse to defend it. and have sometimes
to take the offensiye to punish for crimes
already committed, in order to prevent the
sire, have to select that ncason when can
catch the tiends, and, il village is attacked
and women and children killed. the seaponai-
biiitx is not with the soldier, but with the
people whose crimes neceesitate that attack.
During the WAT, did any one hesitate to attack
because women or children were within
it's Limits Did We eease to throw
shells into yicksb,,1g or Atlanta b.
cauee women and children were there? II the
women and children were saved in these
places, it Was because they had cellars to 70
into; and should any OF the women aud Child
ren OF the Iiegans have lost their lives, ein.
eore!y regret they had not similar places Of
1cfuge, though doubt il they would have
svailed themselves Of them, for they fight With
more fufy than the men.
THE soldiers do not want to kill Indians.
After two yea1s Of Indian frontier service. !
am satisfied they are the only good+ practical
friends the Indians have.
We can not avoid being abuEed by one side
or the other. II VIC allow tho dcfcnec1ess peo-
pie of the frontier to be acalpce and 7ayished
we are burnt in edisy and exec1sted ~ sonlleas
monsters, insen1ble to the suhcrings Of hc-
manity. II tho Indians arc punished to giye
security to these people, we are the tsne soul
less monsters from the other side This is 4
bad rredicanent to be in; but, as haro said
by the people whom the government has placed
me here to protect
The reservation is the last ditch 10 the
wild Indian; but, to get him there, be must b.
forced by the troope- Thoae who think he car
he induced to SO thcre By other nezns arc mis-
taken. When On the reservation, he will haye
10 be kept there By the presence Of troops, and
thus become tangible for the good work oi
civilization; and be can only be protected II
Lis rights while there by troops keeping OF
these points are practically exhibited esch year
The Cheyennes. ArSapahoes, Comanches
Kiowas and Aracbes have Just been forced OF
By the troops. During the last year. as 500,
as Withdrew the troops from the SIC and Fo,
Reservation. the emig1ants took possession. !.
stzong, moved in solid uass md occupied sh,
0sAge Reservation, because there were nj
troops there to lceF them Of Al the cthe
reservations on which the Indian may get b.
rlaced VII BE- lost IN the same manner, nnles
guarded by the military. Yours tnly,
z -