The Portland daily press., 1874-06-06


three powerful trbes-the Cheyenles,
Kiowas, and Arrapahoes, waged relehtiess
and brutal warfare ON the frontier OF Kansas
and Nebraska.
Beautiful valleys, and limpid streams
whose margins were fringed with dense
growth of timber. under the shadows OF
which the clear water rippled along ryth-
micaly towards the sGreat River fields rich
in their golden cereals, and primitive homes
peeping p:cturesquely out of the dark foliage
of their surroundings, masked that fair region
whose peaceful inhabitants were inhumanly
butchered during the raids of those Indians.
who devastated the whole line OF settlements
from the Republican to the Arkansas.
Men, women, and children were slaughter
ed with pitilessness possible only TO the In
dian, their simple little dwellings consigned
TO the torch, and young girls alone saved
from the keen edge of the scalping knife fol
the horrors of captivity infinitely greater
than death.
The dark sky was illuminated night after
night by the glare of burning ranches, and
the red glow on the horizon, as the flames
died out, carried the terrible tidings to the
paid watchers along the border that the
savages were crcling nearer to them in their
fiendish travels Often young mothers had
only time to snatch their little ones from the
cradle, and dragging an older child by the
hand, hurriedly hide in the thick brush on
the creek bottoms, while the husband, jump
ing on his horse, alarmed the neighbors, who
returning with him, sometimes were sue
cessful in driving off the Indians. But this
was of rare occurrence, for families so widely
separated as they were in that new country
could afford but little mutual protection,
their houses being frequently twenty miles
apart, and before the news could spread, or
the people gather in some strong log-cabin
for defence, the Indians came down upon
fI,at, = hn ind nd do
stroying whole settlements in single sum
mer afternoon.
That lovely belt of country between the
two rivers was consequently abandoned, and
the few settlers who escaped the fury of the
Indians were driven into the military Posts
OF Harker and Riley, houseless, homeless
and starving. There they were kindly shell
tered, clothed and ted, until it was safe for
them to return to their abandoned claims and
commence the settlement of the country
over.
They found nothing of course but the bare
land. A little mound of ashes alone .ndicat-
ed the spot where their houses had stood !;
their fences and cattle were all gone, some
times wife and children, too-tortured and
then murdered, or miserable slaves liz the
power of the Indians. But with determine
alton to surmeunt obstacles that any other
than our noble army Of pioneers would shrink
from, they took up the axe again and cut
their way to the peace and thrift that has
gradually increased to what it is to-day in
that region.
The condition of affairs on that verge of
civilization in Kansas, during the year re-
ferred to-, was much more terrible than the
mere outline above attempted. The horrible
truths and outrageous brutalities inflicted can
never appear in type to shock the sensibilities
OF refined people, and the very impossbty
of this fact has doue much towards creating
false sympathy for the Indian, who, if his
diabolical acts were known universally, as
they are known to the comparative few,
would be declared beyond the pale of the
slightest mercy or lenency in his swift pun
ishment that would be sure to follow.
The middle of September, 1868, brought
General Sheridan to the immediate command
of the Department of the Missouri, who at
once organized winter campaign against the
hostile tribes. The idea of successful cam
paign against the Indians of the Great Plains
In mid-winter, was something entirely novel,
and had its origin in the wonderful percep-
tive faculties and power to overcome difficult
ties Inherent in General Sheridan. "a, eaf
Heretofore it had been considered almost
beyond the limit of possibilities, on account of
the apparently insuperable obstacles that in
terposed themselves, and the undertaking
was regarded as purely visionary by many
Old officers who had been stationed for years
on the frontier, and by plains men as expert
mental at least, with the probabilities Of its
accomplishment strongly on the side of the
negative. tn s-prEgess
In almost every instance where expeditions
had been sent against the Indians in the
spring or summer. the only time of the year
which they themselves select for the opera
tiol of their implacable hatred of the Whites,
the result had been invariably disastrous to
the army, or the effect upon the Indians nm
substantial %.
General Sheridan, profiting by the exam
pie Of General Hancock's expensive and fu-
tile campaign of the summer before, per-
ceived at once that termination of the war;
fare raging along the border every summer,
could effectualy be reached only by a severe
and decisive blow'to the savages in their win
ter quarters.
To that end he commanded the expedition
in person, and the country knows how COM
pletely he succeeded in preventing any fur
ther trouble with the Indians mentioned, and
brought peace to the region described, that
will never again be broken by their sanguina-
ry incursions. -
In the organization of that expedition, all
the available troops, friendly Indians of other
tribes, and the services Of celebrated frontier
men were brought into requisition.
Desperate duties were otter required of these
latter, who under the general name of
scouts" were employed with the army 10
carry dispatches, hang on the trail of the In
dians, and as carriers keep open communica-
ton between Fort Dodge and the troops oper-
ating in that memorable winter compaign of
1863. +-J - ta@ III
These "Scouts" were almost invariably
picked men. They were carefully selected
with special reference to their knowledge of
the Indian character, and perfect familiarity
with the locality of the proposed field of oper-
ations, and in the last named capacity guided
the troops through the unbroken wilderness
of the central plains. 5r. r,,,...--,
Many of these men had passed eventful
lives from boyhood among the Arrapahoes,
Rivers and Cheyennes, had married in those
tribes, and not only understood their language
perfectly, but possessed all the original as
tuteness, and strategy of the Indians them
selves.
Nearly all of them were identified with the
early struggles of the border, and their names
belong to that roll ofheroes in the unwritten
record OF those troablous times who may
some day yet, grace the fair pages of our pop
ular magazines, or figure conspicuously in the
annals of that country where all the facts in
its history are coated by an unpreiudiced
generation.
But they have another history too, which
belongs to the tribes among whom they lived
SO long, that will never die while the Indian
remains, even though its narration is given
only in rude legends to the dusky listeners,
wrapped in their buffalo robes, sitting around
the magic circle of the medicine lodges.
Some of these men still live, and some are
quietly resting under the silvery cottonwoods,
anu pillows of their favorite streams. The
mafch OF civilization over the territory in
Wnicn their remarkable lives were passed, is
rapidly obiterating all trace of their simple
sepulchres, and absorbing their memory in
Inc e. uncertain light of tradition.
Inc dutles demanded of these "Scouts"
during tne campa:gn,were fraught with dam
ger, desperate venture, and terrible chances
for life ottentimes,yet no greater nav was given
to them than to other civilians endowed.
How nobly these men fulfilled tbair dnties
the fight Of General Forsyth on the Arricke,
see Fork Of the Republican, the most desne-
rate chapter in Indian warfare in the history
of this continent taken altogether where sev,
ty-five of these men commanded by the @al-
liant General Geo. A. Forgyth of Sherman's
staff. fought for days successfully, force of |
twelve or fifteen hundred Indians, losing only |
i've or six men and successfully keeping the |
Indians off until the little party was relieved
by regiment, General Clusters battle of the
Washita, and the grassy mounds in the little
graveyard at Fort Dodge on the treeess banks
ol tne Arkansas-where lie those who went
out IearleSsly to their leath--alI testify