The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-02-11
From tine Chicago Tribune, Fei rIlry l.
The Late Indian Fight in Montana

During the past summer communi-
cations were sent to the Secretary of
the interior By General SUlly, superin-
. tendent OF Indians II MOntan3, and
by Indian agents and citizens, setting
forth the Outrages Of various kinds,
including several murders, and attacks
Oh small parties Of men, committed
by these Indians. These communica-
tiOns were referred through the War
Department and General Sherman 20
General Sheridan who replied 10y the
following letter:
HEADQ'Rs MILITARY DIVISION
OK THE Missouri,
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Oct. =, 1859. J
--Brevet Major General +. ID. Town
send, Adjutant Genera! L. :. Army,
Washington, D. C.:
SIR have honor to acknowledge
the receipt ola letter from the Sccrcta-
~ Of the Interior with accompanying
( reports OF General Sully, Mr. Pease,
and Mr.. Culbertson, Indian Agents IN
. Montana, Oh the subject OF depreda-
tions by the Piegan tribe Of Indians
1--WE have had 20 few troops III Mon
tana, on account Of the expiration of
cnlistments, a. to have been unable
/ II do much against these Indian ma
rauders; but the regiments are now
: filling up, and think it would be the
/ best plan 10 let me find out exactly
where these Indians are going TO spend
the winter, and about the time of a
! good heavy snow Twill send out party
and try and strike them. About the
18th OF January they viii be helpless;
and if where they live Is not too far
from Shaw or Ellis, we might be able
to give them a good hard blow, which
will make peace desirable object.
$50 simply keep the troops on the
defensive will not stop the murders
we must occasionally strike where it
hurts; and if the General-in-chief
thinks well Of this, ! viii try and steal
a small force OH this tribe from Fort
Shaw or Ellis during the winter.
at numbers about fifteen hundred
men, women, and children, all told.
Very respectfully.
"P. II. SHERIDAN,
Lieutenant General
This letter was replied to by General
! sherman, as follows.
'HEADQ'Rs OF THE ADJUTANT /
! GENERALS OFFICE, WASHINGTON,
November 4, 1863.
/ Lieutenant General p. II. Sheridan,
( Commanding Military Division of
the Missouri, Chicago Illinois:
"Sir-Referring to your communica-
l Eon of the Dist ultiino, relating to
depredations by Piegan Indians in
Montana, have the honor to inform
you that your proposed action as
stated therein, for the punishment of
/ these marauders. has been approved
by the General of the army. Very
respectfully, your Obedient servant.
''E. d. TOWNSEND,
"Adjutant Generap
Instructions were then given by
General Sheridan to General Hancock,
as follows;
/ HEADQ'Rs MILITARY DIVISION !
OF Missouri
CHICAGO, Ill, November Is. 1869 }
sMaior General w. S. Hancock, COM
! mander Department of Dakota, st.
/ Paul, Minnesota:
/ "GENERAL-I inclose you the cor
respOndence which referred to in my
private note of the 5th instant. 1t
. will be seen from General TOwnsend's
/ Iettor that authority has been given to
J !
/ ing distance; and you are authorized
/ by me to extend this authority to any
of the Blackfeet who may have been
engaged in the murders and rObberies
lately perpetrated in Montana.
Colonel Baker, who is now earOUte
/ to Fort Ellis, is most excellent man
to be intrpsted with any party ynIf
may see fit tn send ont. ] spoke to
him on the subject when he passed
through Chicago.
'Tt will be of no use to make the
attempt unless the positions of the
villages are well known. Then the
greatest care should be taken to keep
the Indians from gaining any inform
alton or the subject. 1t will be impOs-
sible to strike these maTaudeFs unless
the greatest secrecy is maintained.
Very respectfully.
"P. H. SHERIDAN.
Lieutenant General"
! Befnre the time for the execution of
/ these directions had arrived, the IN
/ dams became so troublesome that the
/ Superintendent of Indian Affairs rec
commended the raising of three hun
dred mounted volunteers in the terri
4 tory to operate against them.
General Sheridan then sent his In
spector General, Brevet Major Gen
eral James A. Hardie, United States
| Army, to investigate the condition of
affairs; and determine whether any
notifications of the instructions al
ready given were necessary, and on
his reporting by telegraph the Gen.
/ eral replied to him as follows:
'HEADQ'RS MILITARY DIVISION
OF THE MISSOURI,
Chicago, ILLINOIS, Jan. 10, 1870. J.
"Brevet Major General James a.
Hardie, Fort Shaw, Montana Terri
tory:
''If the lives and property of citizens
of Montana can best he protected by
striking the Indians, | want them
struck Tell Baker TO strike them
hard. - .a"
"P. H. SHERIDAN.
'Lieut. General commanding"
The following dispatch shows the re-
suits:
''HEADQ'Rs MILITARY DIVISION !
oF THE MISSOURI,
CHICAGO, ILL.,, Jan. 30, 1870.
"General w. 7. Sherman, Command
ing Army of the Z. S., Washington,
d. c.: ....I
'In compliance with your permits
sion of November 4, 1869, to punish
the Piegan Indians who have been
robbing and numbering in Montana,
I have the honor to report the COM
plete success of an expedition sent
against them under command of Col
onel F. NJ. Baker. Second Cavalry, in
in which lT3 Indians were killed, A
lodges destroyed, also a large amount
of winter provisions, and 300 horses
captured, &c . tI
~ think this will end Indian trOub-
les in Montana, and will do away
with the necessity of sending addi- |
tiOnal troops there in the spring as
contemplated. !
''P. H. SHERIDAN,