Connecticut western news., 1876-09-01
The Indian War.

Medicine Cloud and his party, be. longing to the Fort Peck agency, whom Major Mitchell, Indian agent at Fort Peck, sent to Sitting Bull with a mes sage on the twenty-seventh of May last, has returned to the agency. The mes sage was to the effect that Major Mitch ell desired Sitting Bull to visit Fort Peck, hoping that such step would re- tlon and ceasing hostilities against the whites.
 Sitting Bull replied, July 27: "Tell nm l am coming before long to his post to trade. Tell him I did not com mence the war. am getting old, and I did not want to fight, but the whites rush on me, and am compelled to de- fend myself. But for the soldiers sta toned on the Rosebud, I with my peo- pie would have been there before that If was assured of the protection of the | Great Father l would go to Fort Peck for the purpose of making peace. I and other chiefs want the Black Hills I abandoned, and we will make peace." Medicine Cloud numbers the hostiles as consisting of Brules, Uncpapas, San tos, Minneconjous, Sarasacs, Ogallallas, Cheyennes and Blackfeet. Of the latter there are but thirty lodges. He says he does not remember the names of many of the leading chiefs. Four Horns and Black Moon are Uncpapas. Each na- tion has two or three chiefs present, and they all insist that they did not intend to fight the whites, but the Santos be- gan the trouble. Some years ago the whites crowded them back and they took up arms. He also says that there arc no Yanktonites with them. He es inmates the hostiles as consisting of from 5000 to 10000 fighting men.
 The Saranacs and Cheyennes are most numerous, and they all have women and children with them. There were several chiefs at Standing Rock, but they did not engage in the fight. One of these chiefs started to go to the whites with paper, but was shot. There are no white men cooperating with them. He does not know how much ammunition they have, but they have plenty of guns and pistols He thinks they get their ammunition from 8 place called the Burning Grounds, beyond the Black Hills. They captured many horses dur ing the fight, but only few mules. The Blackfeet Indians made many pres ents of horses, etc., to warriors in order to induce them to retire from the con- fict, but after accepting the offer the request was not allowed. Trey watch continually for whites, but do not intend to attack; they will, however, fight hard ln their own defense. They are living entirely on meat, which they find very hard to procure, owing to the close proximity of the whites. The hostile camp is now on Tongue river, one and half days ride south of the Yellowstone. The Indians are in con- stant alarm, and there is no sleep in their camp.
 In answer to inquiries concerning the fight on the Little Big Horn, he says that the total number of Indians killed was thirty-one, and his estimate of our loss corresponds with what has been heretofore published. He saw five dead Indians Tn camp dressed in citizens clothes. The son of the Big Chief of the Cheyennes was killed, and was one of the nine warriors found in the tent. These nine were brave young men, but none were chiefs.
 The horses sacrificed around the tent were the property of dead men, and were killed in accordance with their religious belief, that they may have horses upon which to ride to the " Happy Hunting Ground"