Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-07-19
MISCELIANY.
THE SIOUX WAR.

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THE SIOUX WAR.
It's Cause. History, Present status,
Etc.,-lndlan Expectations.
Washington Correspondence Chicago Tribune
What is the cause of this war? The
cause of this war, or rather, these ex-
petitions of this war, has been going
on for the last fifteen or more years,
may be summed up in the words,
Sitting Bull and the outlaw Sioux
We have never had peace or treaty
relations with these bands. After the
Spirit Lake massacre in Iowa, and
the great massacre in Minnesota, all
the more turbulent spirits banded to-
gether. After Gen. Sibley's expcdi-
ton in 1868, they crossed the Missouri,
and endeavored to concentrate for
another invasion of Minnesota, but
the next year Sully followed them
across the Missouri, and after several
running fights they retreated across
the Bad Lands into the Big Horn
country, and he followed to the Vel
lowstone and established Fort Bu-
ford. Upon this post, and upon the
steamboats,, and on emigrants to
Montana, they kept up an unceasing
war, often keeping the garrison at
Buford in state of siege for weeks at
a time, and numbering every stray
gler that went outside the post. An
attempt was made to treat with them
in 1866, but after accepting the pres
ents and securing the ammunition, Sit
ting Bull broke UP the council, and
the commissioners escaped to the fort
across the river. When Red Cloud
and Spotted Tail made peace at Lar
annie, Sitting Bull stubbornly refused
to come in. All that year he made
war on the steamboats, and commerce
Of the Missouri, massacreing several
small boat loads of returning miners
and capturing large quantities of gold
dust, which he traded for arms to the
northern half-breeds. In 1867 he
threatened the Gallatin Valley, in
Montana, when the Montana volun-
teers were raised to meet him. In
1868 he attacked the settlement of
Muscle Shell and suffered defeat, los
ing thirty-six warriors. The settlers
having notice of his coming, ambus-
caded him in ravine outside of the
town. Although the attack. was made
by the Sioux on the village, this bat
tic was denounced as massacre by a
portion Of the Eastern press. After
this he lost prestige. During 1869 and
1870 he devoted himself principally
to the slaughter of the Crows, the
Mandans, the Rces, the Shoshones,
and all other tribes friendly to the
whites, varying it by an occasional
attack on the Missouri river forts. In
1870 Gen. Hancock, then commanding
that Department, thought of organic
ing an expedition to bring him to
terms, but as there was prospect for
the extension of the Northern Pacific
Railroad, which would simplify oper-
atoms, he recommended another at
tempt to buy a peace with him until
that road should be pushed into the
Big Horn country. On this recon-
mendation, backed by the assurance
of the peace commissioners and the
Interior Department, Congress voted
half million of dollars to make peace
and subsist him. This was the famous
Teton-Sioux appropriation. Sitting
Bull himself claiming to be a Teton,
| though his followers are outlaws and
hard customers from all the bands of
the Sioux Nation. Considerable crit
icism has been made OIL the expcndi-
turc of this appropriation. 1t resulted
in bringing to the Fort Peck Agency
a part of his followers, but he refused
to treat himself. The next year Gus
ter went out with the Northern Pacific
surveying party, and twice defeated
Sitting Bull, and at last repulsed his
attacks. One of his bands invaded
the Gallatin Valley in 1872, and car
ried off 500 head Of horses, after
numbering a numbes of farmers. In
1873 he made a night attack on Col.
Baker, but was repulsed and pursued.
In 1874 he drove the Crows off their
reservation agency, and made war on
all peaceable Indians. The peace
commission finding him intractable,
now began to demand that the army
should take the offensive and subdue
him, and this request has frequently
been repeated by the peace commits
sion and the Indian Department, until
the war Department has acted upon
1t. Last year some of his followers
went down to meet the commission
in conference with the Red Cloud
Sioux, and came near precipitating q
massacre of the Commission. Sitting
Bull refused to go in, and spent
the summer in attacks on the Grow
Agency and on the frontier settlers.
He captured a government wagon
train on the Carroll Road, murdered
a number of troops going to the Mon.
tana posts. and captured the stock OF
tho Carroll Stage Company.
! Such have been his exploits up to
the bloody history of the present year.
lie dcties the government and hopes
he can get the Sioux Nation to join
him. If they will only do this, he
promises to drive the whites back into
the sea, out of which they came, and
utterly disbelieves the reports of Red
Cloud and others who have visited
the coast, as to the number Of whites
they saw. He says their eyes were
dazzled by bad medicine, "magic."
How many followers has he ordinar-
lily? Not more than two or three
hundred lodges, but his numbers are
now swelled by recruits from the
Agencies. The Northern Cheyennes
are with him. and large portion of
the Ogallallas, and probably he had
1000 or more we'll armed and well
mounted warriors in these late fights
There We're times last winter when
he could not have gathered 800 men,
but the young men have slyly slip
ped away from the agency, where
they had wintered, and where the
old people, and women and children
are being fed by the government, and
they will remain with him during the
summer.
This war, then has no connection
with the Black Hills troubles: none
whatever. 1t has been waged defens-
lively on our part for many years be-
fore the Hill were entered by any
body. The Black Hills troubles may
be used for. a pretext to induce the
treaty Sioux to join him. OF course
he is anxious to confederate all the
Sioux tribes and bands in general
war. He has been trying to do this
for years, and has made repeated ad-
vanccs TO the Crows and Blackfeet.
This Is one reason why the Peace
Commissioners urged that he must be
subdned, lest he should demoraiize
all the treaty Indians, and bring ON q
general war. OF course the Govern
ment has no alternative except to
bring him to terms. Any other course
would be a cowardly and wicked
surrender of our frontier. Settlers
and our friendly Indian allies would
be subject to abarbarous and determ-
ined enemy.
Gold In the Black Hills.
Bozeman Courier, June co.
j. A. Castor, veteran Montana
miner, who has worked in all the
leading camps on the Pacific slope,