The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-08-11
SHERIDAN TO JAKE THE FIELD.
Heroic Plan of the Cam PaiEH- q de 20 be
Given to the SaVagcs-FOur Col
umns OF Attack.
Washington Dispatch TO \. Y. Tribune.

/
Washington Dispatch TO n. Y. Tribune
The last of the new detachments K
reinforce eur troops engaged in fighting
| Sioux Indians. arc now on their way
westward. Gen. Sherman, by the iu
| dicious distribution of the troops which
were stationed on the 4 atlantic seaboard
has been able, notwithstanding the pres
ent numerical weakness of our army, tC
respond promptly to the calls of Gen.
| Sheridan for reinfOrcPments, and no vol
unteers will be needed to push the Indian
war to successful conclusion.
General Sheridan reports from Chicago
that everything is making satisfactory
progress, and that active operations will
be resumed within a few weeks. 1t is
officially reported here that as soon as
the necessary preparations are made and
the spplies forwarded acknowledgement
Sheridan will take the field and person
ally superintend the movements of troops,
as he did in his successful campaign of
1868 and 1869 against the Cheyennes,
Kiowas, Arrapahoes and Comanches, be-
tween the Platte and the Red River of
the South. Gen. Sherman will remain in
Washington directing the general move
ments and providing the necessary
means to insure the success of the expe-
dition.
The plan of campaign which has been
determined upon is to make a combined
movement of three columns, with fort
Ellis as the base. Two of the col
umns will move directly against
the Indians, and one against their
villages. General Sheridan will, ac-
cording to the present plan, establish
his headquarters in the field at some
advantageous point on Goose creek,
about forty miles northwest of fort Phil
Kearney and near the scene of general
Crooks battle on the Rosebud on the
18th of June. The force of these three
columns will amount in the aggregate to
between three thousand and four thou
sand men.
In speaking of the war Gen. Sherman
says that it VIII be stubborn and bloody;
that the Indian chieftains will naturally
have the choice of positions, and that in
order to find them it will be necessary to
meet them whenever they offer battle, or
wherever they can be caught. Judging
from what is known of Indian character,
he does not think they will fight unless
they have the advantage, bOthin position
and numbers, and as a consequence it
must be expected that the United states
troops will suffer losses. He SAYS that
Gen. Crook and Gen. Terry have no su-
periors as Indian fighters, and that if
they get anything like a fair chance,
they will make it very warm for the
warriors on the Big Horn. Gen. Sher
man estimates the fighting strength of
the Sioux now in arms at twenty-five
hundred, and it is the settled purpose of
the administration to make the punish
ment of the Sionx for their present hos
tility one never to be forgotten by that
yet powerful nation.
Dispatches received at army headquar-
ters this evening contain theintelligence
that colonel Merritt will not be likely to !
reach Gen. Crook until about August |
first. after which Gen. Crook and Gen. |
Terry will form junction. 1t is also |
learned that the Yellowstone river is now
very low and that this may interfere |
with the prompt forwarding of sup
plies.