New-York tribune., 1876-08-05
THE NDIAN C1NPAIGN
SITTING RI-II'S WAR CAMP.


TOO EARLY TO BREAK UP-THE CAMP PROBABLY
MOVING 10 THE FOOT OF THH BfG HORS NOUN
TAINs-A REGION OF DARK HISTORIC INTEREST.
rypov An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
WssuJyGroS, Aug. 4.-Gentlcmen who have
closely watched the movements Of the troops IN the
Sioux country calculate that Col Merritt with the 9TH
Cavalry ought 70 have made Junction with Gen. Crook
YESTERDAY and that we may expect movement on
GEN Crooks par: after the hostile Indians. The posi-
ton OF the latter IS not clear. Accounts are e"hHic'hS
as 10 their Whereabouts II the dispatches watch repre-
sent Crazy Horse de-Irnus TO return Ia mo agency
may he relied upon the hostile Indians dSeniesia
ting aud their forces largely reduced but The best oPn
ions are It IS yet too cay in thc season Tor the In
dians 10 break up They undoubtedly have large guam
II les OF dried buffalo meat and occupy one of the best
game countries remaining on the continent 80 t"at
the commssaIy question, tcult as II is {" ltSe az
creation Of Indiana. may not greatly trouble tht up 10
this time One OF the reports rcgard to the Indians Is
that they moving southeast, in the drecuo oi inc
pac m II this be So their probable destination is the
bad Lands OF the upper portion OF TIE Little Missouri
and the wooded raynes about the head ol That stream
There they took refuge after the Snly EXPEDITION oi
1863 They may 20 there with the idea also Of doubling
down Powder River crossing the Yellowstone near ihe
mouth and making FOR tie fayoutc retreat Of Sitting
EuI the rugged divide at the head oi the Dy FORK
which cmptes into Missouri Fort Peck Though
An old den OF Sitting Bull himself it would hc new
ground to hs ChcTcnnc aud Arrpahoe allies, and u Is
possible they might Ike 10 90 into that strange c"un
try Sitting Bull himself would prefer IT, - he knows
that m case ~ disaster ne could make again. as he oit'n
has made retreat the line into the British North
West Territory Tertys steamers should prevent them
from crossing the Yellowstone.
The chances are that the Indians are not breaking
up that they feel quite competent To give the troops
another feht; and that they have gone souh-"oai and
taken position at the foot Of the Big Horn Mountains
Her, they viii make ngnt and II defeated VIII iau
back Into the Businesses Of that rugged range here they
can make desperate work, !or thr dccs lFc rugged ana
ile range almost impossible Behind them thry would
have the whole Big Horn basin, above tie cai. n
Glra with game, from which they could derive
supplies almost unlimited I'm quantity while defending
the eastern face of the range. They could even range
into the pastures Mout1ua and down herds OF eat
tie Thi. basin f. the dark and bloody ground o. The
porly Mountain region Here is the scene %; the adyen
lures OF Bonneville described by The graphic per ~
irving the ground over witch was fought The terrific
and dperate battle. between the and tr sho
ahone ana the Crows and Ihrad for al thai dat tue
sioux possession, did reach far west he Black
Hills. The deadly fcuds between t:.se tribes
which were kept at wh te heat by the In
trirues and the clou,irs Of 'hc Hulson'- Bay
and American fur companies, mndc tins ne sc'Er o
some Of the boodc-t battles between th'-e trb,s and
irving graphically describes misSacr,s almost @, fearful
n that Of Custer Iere too he painted te free ir1ppri
aud his In Iu bride From the days Of L-", aud Clarke
down il has been a battle ground and no whites have
ever made lojsmcut there. re''nt party found j.
sk,eions iu rtyiHe beside II roitns sldce box ANA
mining fools and the story oi Dca mans Caleb is the
.tcr o the whole basin Dangerous 10 man, u has lie
c,r,o tr rflsc for vast herds oi game. Buffalo. elk.
autcloe and deer IN abundance In TIE plains and
plenty bear IN the mpunthus 80 ~ VIII be SooI sup
pIy depot for the Sioux Napoleon
Tai, Is, however the hereditary country OF the Crows
and nj Wa,hakie the clief Of Gen. Crooks shcshone
scouts They defended II for generations against the
Blockfer' and IL only lately that the Sioux have driven
Them ont Of the valley and ato the Wind lyer range
These Indians will light with ardor for their old pos
sessions and the Sioux splen nd horsemcn and plains
men "a they are will not take kindly to the mountains
and woods ~ that IL is not likely they viii main
tain such warfare these mountains the Modocs did
In the lava beds, though many wellnformed people
claim Tint they will doubt it Will take hard and
bloody work to dislodcc them. II they take this posi-
finn Gen Crook and Gen. Terry viii he able to unite
their forces which they cannot do without n;ht II the
Indians continue occupy the country between them
In case the Indians should move toward the head "
the Little Missouri the occupation OF the Black His
would prove Of great help 20 the troops All the Sioux
Nation cannot drive the miners that are In there
now in pitched battle however much they may harss
them y occasional murders I'm this event the Indians
would break up and fud their way the Missouri River
and other agencies. But all the probabilities point 10 a
stand on their part until they have lost decisive battle
Ths battle must take place IN few days. aud we VIII
shortly have news either Of decisive victory OF the
most disastrous defeat In the history OF our Indian wars
For defeat in battle with indians means a massacre