Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-04-06
Gen. Sheridan on Indian Civilization.

Gen. Sheridan on Indian Civilization
The following important officis
communication from General Sheri
dan was received at army head-quar
tiers, Washington, March %:
''HEADQ'Rs MILITARY DIV. or THE
MISSOURI,
| CHICAGO, ILL, March is, 1870.
General w. T. Sherman, commanding Uni
ted States Army, Washington, d. G.
"GENERAL-The further report o
Colonel Baker, in reference to thu
punishment Of the Piegan Indians
has not yet been received.
"It seems strange that there SHOULD
be such a want of knowledge of tn,
position which army officers have t
maintain in reference to Indian affairs
! l have in my command at least five
thousand miles of frontier settlements
my chief and only duty being to give
/ protection TO the families residing on
these long lines against the outrages
[ of the Indians. The Government has
| invited these settlers by opening the
land to them for pre-emption and i'm.
/ prOvement. The number of men,
women and children on this extended
| frontier is very great, and there is not
day from one years end to the 9TH
er that these families are exempt from
the fearful thought of being murdered
in the most fiendish manner, the
men scalped, the women ravisbed the
brains of the children dashed out.
When said, in previous letter, that
eight hundred had met that fate since
1862, | was below the figure, and
should have said twelve thousand
My duties are to protect these people.
have nothing to do with Indians
but in this connection there is scarce
ly day in which | do not receive the
most heart-rending appeals to save
settlers from the cruel fate which may
come upon them and am forced TO
the alternative of choosing whether l
shall regard their appeals, or allow
them to be butchered in order to save
myself from the hue and cry of people
who know not the Indian, and whose
families have not the fear, morning,
noon and night, of being ravished and
scalped by them. The wife of the
man at the center of wealth, civiliza-
ton and refinement, is no more to
him than is the wife of the pioneer of
the frontier. / have no hesitation in
making my choice. 1 am going to
stand by the people over whom I am
placed, and give them what protection
can.
1--WE have not the troops to place at
each mans house to defend it, and
have sometimes to take the offensive
70 punish for crimes already commit
ted, in order to prevent the perpetra-
ton of others. In taking the often
sive have to select that season when
l can catch the fiends, and if village
is attacked and women and children
killed, the responsibility is not with
the soldier, but with the people whose
crimes Hecessitate that attack. During
the war did any one hesitate to attack
a village or town occupied by the en-
emy because women or children were
within its limits? Did we cease to
throw shells into Ficksburg or Allan
ia because women or children were
there? If the women and children
were saved in these places, it was be-
cause they had cellars to go into; and
should any of the women and chill
dren of the Piegans have lost their
lives, sincerely regret they had not
similar places of refuge, but doubt if
they would have avaiied themselves
of them, for they fight with more
fury than the men.
1.-THE soldiers do not want TO kill
Indians. After two years of Indian
frontier service am satisfied they are
the only good, practical friends the
Indians have.
1--WE can not avoid being abused by
one side or the other. If allow the
defenseless people of the frontier to be
scalped and rayished, we are burnt in
efigy and eXecrated as soulless mon
sters, insensibie to the suffering of
humanity. If the Indians are pun
ished to give security to these people,
we are the same soulless monsters
from the other side. This is a bad
predicament to be in, but, as l have
said, l have made my choice, and am
going to stand by the people whom
the Government has placed me here
to protect.
THE reservation is the last ditch to
the wild Indian, but to get him there
he must he forced by the troops
Those who think he can be induced
TO go there by other means are mis-
taken. When on the reservation he
will have to be kept there by the pres
ence of troops, and thus become tang /
Ible for the good work of civilization, |
and he can only be protected in his /.
rights while there by troop keeping /
1tf the emigrants who encroach on I
MS land. All these points are practi- [
,ally exhibited each Var.
1.-The Cheyennes, Arrapahoes, Co /
EiOwas, and Apaehes have /
ust been forced on by the troops. /
During the last year, as soon as l /
the troops from the Sac and /
Fox reservation, the emigrants took
possession. 4 flood of emigration,
almost ten thousand strong moved in
old mass and occupied the Usage
because there were no
rOops there to keep them off. All
he other reservations on which the
indian may yet be placed will be lost
n the same manner unless guarded
" the military.
"YOUrs1ruly, P. H SHERIDAN, I
Lieutenant General"
General Sherman has written the
.AAO"A45 AONeCA III ACB41 ~ bheis AAOlh
General Sheridan: 4
HEADQUARTERS ARMY,sU. S. !
d. c., March "a, 30. J
General P. H Sheridan. Commanding d.
vision Of the Missouri, Chicago, Illinois,:
"GENERAL-YOur letter of March
s is received. Il have shown it to the
eeretary of War. 1t is of course to
e supposed that some of our people
refer to believe the story of the Pie
an massacre as trumped up by inter-
sted parties at Benton more than one
undred. miles off, rather than the
ffioial report of Colonel Baker, who :
as on the spot, and is the responsible {
arty. l prefer to believe that the
lajOrity of the killed at Mountain
hief's camp were warriors, that the {
ring ceased the moment resistance
as at an end. that quarter was given {
} all who asked for it, and that a {
undred women and children were
lowed to go free to join other bands !
the same tribe, known to be camped Q
par by, rather than the absurd re- l
Drt that there were only thirteen 4
arriOrs killed, and that all the bal Z
ice were women and children, more s
: less afflicted with small pox. The u
ldians on the reservations are eXclu- Il
vely under the protection of the In s.
an Bureau, but the bureau officers II