The New York herald., 1876-07-07
THE RED MANS TREACHERY.

lt1E REL MAN . lhEACdEhI 1.
The history of Indian wars shows that in nearly
every instance where the savages have gained advan
tages white troops tho have been due
70 either overwhelming superiority OF numbers, to
treschery, to ambush, or 70 surprise The Indians
have failed in such to manifest their blood
thirsty by the Of the scalping knife the
tomahawk all who fell into their hands The de-
struction OF Custer's Is by without
parallel In poin. of magnitude probable results.
In fact the United States had hardly achieved its inde
pendence when its army suffered greater reverses
in combating the aborignes, and will be seen that
such disasters have not been uncommon down to late
period.
oAAPAIoS.
Although peace had been effected between Great
Britain and America In 1884, yet the savages who had
becn persuaded to take part with the latter, were un'
willing to bury the bloody hatchet without any pre-
text whatever they continued to exercise toward
Americans the most wanton acts Of barbarity. From
1888 until l7o0 the time the United States commenced
offensive operations against the Indians latter had
the Ohio and the frontiers the south side killed.
wounded and taken prisoners 1900 mon, women and
children besides carrying OF thousands Of horses and
other property. They also made repeated attacks
dotachmsnts OF troops In April $780, Major Doughty
ordered the friendly Chickasaws
public business lie performed his duty in
boat, having with him = party OF fifteen
men While descending the Tennessee River
he was met by party Of Indians In four canoea
They approached under white flag, the we'll known
emblem OF peace. They board the Majors
boat received his presents, continued with him nearly
hour and then separated in the most friendly man.
But they had scarcely cleared his oars before
they poured in FIRE upon bis crew, killing and wound
ing eleven out Of the fifteen sodiera In September,
Hap vas 4 chodu uit fade
troops and 100 militia to the principal villages of the
Indians the Miami. On their arrival there they
found deserted The first opposition was met by
detachme OF over 200 men near the Great Miami
village They came up with and were attacked on sur
prise by large body Of Indians who were concealed
in tho thickes every side Of large plain. The
confic: short and bloody. The troops
overpowered by numbers, and all fell except two
three officers and two three privates. The
battle which occurred atcr the army left Miami village
DISASTROUS
At ten miles distance from the Harmer ordered
halt and detached four or FIVE hundred militia and
about sixty regular soldiers, who ordered 10
march back An their nrst entrance in the there
appeared small body OF Indians, who Immediately
fed the nrst onset and by that decoyed the
whole body Of the militia by making their flight in diff
feent directions and encouraging the militia pursue
BY this strategen the few regular troops left
alone and the Indians had effected their design They
succeeded In routing and destroying the reguara The
defeat OF the troops complete The dead and
wounded were left the field Of In possession
of the savagea The whole of number soldiers killed
was lS3 wounded shirty-one.
ST. cLAR's MANI KxPEDITrox
When General St. C11r, who Governor of the
Territory west Of the Ohio sent against the Indians
in l7s1 Washington took leave or his old military CON-
IA Mt weP NOT mo tn hir
than they should have been to soldier well read
General Custer.
sYou have your instructions from the Secretary OF
War said the President al had eye to them and
will add but word-beware Of surprise. You
know how the Indians fight, repeat it-beware Of a
surprise"
The troops for the expedition gathered early In
September At Fort Washington, now Cincinnati
There wore about 1000 regulars and 1000
militia, most OF them being begEary
and disorderly lot The regulars deserted one
by one and the militia th hreatened to go in body
Discomfort ruled throughout the march, which began
on the 7th Of September and continued through dense
woods and unexplored country for nearly months
On the soth Of October sixty Of the militia deserted,
expecting to plumber the supply rear and
regiment detached to bring them back or least,
to Illustrate their designs Thus reduced 10 400 enec
tive ST. Clair continued bis march until November
g. whom he sncampcd on rising ground with . stream
forty feet wide in 'front.' The encampment WAS sur.
rounded by woods dense thickets trunks
of fallen trees with here and there q ravine or swamp
the best kind Of for Indian warriors II was ST
Clair's intention TO throw up slight defensive work
on the following day to make the camp more
secure, but before the next day arrived he met the
enemy and was defeated
ho India ouOhi
under cover From the beginning the troops met
murdsrous fire. and although some brave and effective
charges were made the day doomed to be one OF
direfui defeat and disaster. The retreat q dis
orderly one, not only the dead bat many of she
wounded being lsn the nsld The whole loss was
$50 killed and 200 wounded, and out of IS commis
stoned officers who on the held 81 killed and
"a wounded. Washington, when he heard the news,
broke into ungovsrnabIe burst Of passion and re-
calling his warning to ST. Clair said
ITO suffer that army be to pieces, sacked
butchered, tomshawked by surprise the very thing
guarded him against"
When all the facts came to be known Congress ex.
culpated ST. Clair from tae blame OF the disaster and
washington again extended him his confidence and
friendship; but public sentiment not so easily ap
peased and u was long time before the brave soldier
regained the place he oacs held In popular esteem
MASSACRE OF DADEs COMMAND
In 1886 the population Of Florida consisted OF IS 600
whites 900 slaves and about 900 hostile semnoles
The latter had committed many depreda,ions on the
settlers considerable body of troops was concen.
trated the Territory under General Ciuch IN order
TO punish them ON Christmas eve, 1885, two compa.
MES OF infantry numbering los officers and men were
despatched from Tampa Bay, and a ded piece, under
MAJOR Dade, for Fort King, and, alter pursuing their
march until the 18th Of December, they found them
seyes at about eight O'Clock In tho morning Of that
day suddenly surrounded by about /, ,Oo0 Indians
Tney caught in ambush and so little were
those troops OF their danger that they not
see a Seminole until alter many shots were fired.
The FIRST volley OF the enemy was very de-
s,ructive. Every man OF the advance guard fell
dead, and among them Dade, who dropped from his
horse a corpse The command now devoIved upon Cap