The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-04-07

letter from General Tasth to Senator
Gordon
RIcHsosD, April 8. 1873.

Washington to give yon my reasons for be-:
.lieving thai the. transfer Of the Indian 3D..
reau to the War Department was advisable.
i will begin by informing you that for eight
years prior to the war resided almost uu-
interruptedly amongst the Indians Of the
plsins-thst is, the ComsDches, Arrapahoes,
Z Cbyennes, Kiawas, Apaehes, and Sioux.
wintefed with them. hunted with them,
and not unfrequently fought them, During
this long sotourn amongst these people /
became familiar with Indian character,
their necessities, and the best mode OF deal.
ing with them. In my opinion a separate
bureau, to which should be entrusted the
dealing with and management OF the To-
dian tribes, originated with politicians
In Washington for the purpose Of
creating additional patronage, and urged
By bad men for the purpose Of
making money out of the appropriations
annually made for the several Indian tribes.
AS long as these appropriations were In the
bands OF honest officers of the army (and
before the war dishonesty among this class
was hardly ever known, not tosay that such
Is not now the case) the thieves Jared badly,
and the Indians got as nearly as possible the
money appropriated, or its value In goods,
az they elected, which was distributed to
them under the supervision Of the three
senior officers at the military post where
the Indians were assembled. -.
The head OF the Indian Bureau Is, I be.
leve, the Secretary of the Interior, This
officer is liable to be changed every four
years. If this officer, with the other varied
duties be has to perform, can gain any core
rect knowledge Of the Indians, and the
proper method Of dealing with them during
his term of Office, it goes for naught, as bis
successor will be, tho chances are, in utter
ignorance Of Indian affairs-his policy,
as it often happens, being at entire
variance with that of, his predecesi
sor. The army officers, whose duty 1t
is to be stationed amongst the Indian
tribes. become thoroughly acquainted with
The different tribes, the different bands iHto
which the tribes are divided, and know the
good Indians and the bad Indians in these
bands I will remark here that each Indian
tribe on the plains Is divided into half .
dozen or more separate bands. None of the
'nomadic tribes that / know of acknowledge
common chief. ~ a,,
The knowledge thus gained by the army
officers stationed in the Indian country Is
transmitted in their reports to the War De-
partment, and thus the commaniug General of
the army, whose position is permanent, be-
comes thoroughly acquainted with the tenn.
per, customs, habits, and wants of the seve-
raj tribes. The commanding General, being
the military adviser of the Secretary at Wash.
ingtop, can, from, the knowledge thus gain-
ed, enable that officer to act with intelligence,
and thus do justice both to the Indians and
the Government. - +
: Would it not have appeared paradoxicaf
a. L. of s. I,ft no
nations of the world if the United States
Government had ten days before General
Grant crossed the. Rapidan in 1864 sent sew
eral thousand wagons loaded with ammu
nitioD, food, clothing, &C., 10 General Lees
army TO reward the people of the South for
their good behavior? / assure you that i
thing was done in 1865, on, it is true, not so
grand scale, but proportionateIy so. ~.
The brutal Sioux during the summer Of
1854 massacred Lieutenant. Grastan and
thirty odd United States soldiers just below
Fort Laramie. The War Department deter.
mined to punish these Indians, and accord
fngly fitted out a large expedition under
General Harvey for this pose. The head
of the Indian Bureau and the Secretary of
War did rot agree iu their Indian policy.
The Indian Department fitted out number
of wagons loaded with guns, ammunition,
and various Indian goods, to be sent TO these
very Indians as reward for their good be-
hayior. 70 rs.-- ..-4l..s1
The Indians, individually and collectively,
should be managed precisely as you would
manage child or children. Reward them
when they are good, punish them when they
msbehaye; and if any. fact became more!
fixed upon my mind than another it was
that the power to reward and the power 10
punish the Indians should be in the same de.
partment OF the Government. do not know
how or by what rules the Indian agents are
now governed. In my time the ludian
agent for the Cheyennes, Arrapahoes,
Comanches, Kiowas, aud Sioux resided
habitually in Washington or ST. Louis.
He came to Fort. Atkinson, on the
Arkansas river, about July each year,
distributed his goods, and, then left. All
the information be derived respecting the be-
haVior of the several tribes for the year past
was obtained from the officers of the army
a. the post. BE was frequently informed
that such tribe or such band of q tribe
had been guilty of gross outrages but IL
invariably ended in the Indians being lee
tured, pardoned, and receiving their
annuities. The northern band j OF
Comanches, who received their an
nuties at Fort Atkinson, on the Santa Fe
trail, said openly that they were willing to
sbske bands with the whites and soldiers on
that road, but intended to fght the soldiers
and whites south; and / now call to mind
two occasions when three or four weeks
alter being supplied with guns, powder, and
balls by the agent at Fort Atkinson they re.
turned to that post, having had desperate
fight with our troops in Texas, bringing
with them their. wounded to be treated BY
our postsurgeou. i am satisfied, therefore,
that sound policy demands the transfer Of
of the Indian Bureau to the War; Depart
ment; and l am satisfied that a large amount
OF money would be saved thereby, and that
both the Government and the Indians would
be greatly benefited by this change. The.
opinion that prevails with some that
the army would soon exterminateY the
Indians If the management OF Indian
affairs was entrusted to the War De.
partment is entirely erroneous: There is
but little or no glory or honor to be gained
in Indian fighting, and / assure. you It is
about as rough work, and fraught with IS
much, ii not more, personal danger than any
fighting we ever Saw-generally hand to
band-and it Is either you kill your Indian
or be kills you. ,ss.fas,-
And as che Indian, In the. use of bis bow
aud arrow on horseback Qor he invariably
throws away his gun when IN a tight place.,
10 more expert by far than ninety-nine out OF
i hundred white men ever are With their
pistol, the result is, generally, you 60 under.
Yours truly, .. II. HETH.
ADDRESS OF THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENT