The New York herald., 1877-12-26
Chsyennes, Sioux and Me- Perces
on the Warpath.
SITTING BULL COMING 70 THE FRONT.
Present Inefficient Condition
Of Our Army.
DETAILS OF HOSTILE OPERATIONS

BozENAv. D. T., Dec. IL, 1877
There is great excitement present in army cIrclos
throughout the West over tho prospect Of winicr
campaign. The conquest OF The hostile tribes OF
Indians the Plains does not sccm TO DO by any
means complete and tho hopes OF pcaco freely in
dulgcd in q fcw wocks ago have completely vanished
Tho Cheyennes sioux aud Nez Perces again tho
warpaih and from all directions wo hear Of tribes
preparing for war. Sitting Bull will, undoubtedly,
try his luck again, and, IL is feared by many, viii
DO far moro successful than heretofore Whilc
the army has been wearing itself out IN frnit-
loss pursuits OF small bodies, sitting Bul,
with the main OF Indians, has boon quietly rest
iAg forming alliances with dsanected tribes ana pre-
paring for With the carly spring will come the
great chief at The head or thousand Uncpapa war
rors and during his raids he Will probably Joined
by two thousand moro hostios from various
tribes. Tho army officers admit they have not the
forco 10 rcsist this overwhelming body Of savagcs
For two years they havo been constantly lighting and
marching and both men and ANIMALS out.
Il Is not generally known but is nevertheless inct
That Indian army has lost moro officers and men,
in proportion 10 thcnumbers ensaged than any army
In modern times excepting the present
bloody conflicts between the Turks and Russians
CONDITION OF THE ARMY
Our officers say they are in condition to make
winter campaign should tho Indians be troublesome.
Ocen
brokon down. For want OF money to carry the
army there equipments on hand, no new army
mules or wagons be bought aud the old mules
worn out and the wagons broken up. An officer OF
experience said day, ''W9 very likely
The eve Of great Indian and entirely unpre-
pared for II. The cavalry is broken down by two
years. campaigning, and wo have neither men, ami
mails nor material to begin now war. Infantry CON-
panics can not muster twenty-five for field
md ihe caya
Gtty soldiers each. Do lis BEST the government could
not place OH the frontier army Of 5000 nghting
men, while the Indians muster O. 900 warriors, and
II Rod Cloud and Spotted Tas bands join the hostes
10000. Tho dissatisfaction existing In many friendly
tribes will lead them to JOIN tho hoscs should any
chief even for a time, appear be successful. The
condition OF affairs is such that the whole West may
mt any moment bc prccipitatcd into general Indian
war, and settlements and civilization checked Tor
three years !"
When asked what could be done 10 avert these dis
astcrs tho officer replied
''rurn over at once TO the War Department the In
dian Bureau recruit all the cavalry companies 10 100
men each, buy mules. horses, wagons, ana put tho
whole army In complete order Tor war. Lot the Gov
ernors Of Wyoming, Utah, Montana. luaho and Da-
kota each organize 500 good rangers, to be ready
Whenever called upon TO support tho regulars and
hurry forward food TO the Indian camps with regular
officers TO distribute II and assure the Indians in
tut ure they will be we'll taken oi IL they behave
and shot down ike dogs whenever caught II they so
OPERATIONS OF THE HosrrLEs.
Campbell, q Yellowstone scout has arrived at this
place with dispatches from CoIone. Buc, and brings
intelligence Of the continued dcpredatlons OF the
hostiles. Commun cat!on between Deadwood ana the
had been cut on and large bodies Of Indians were
seen all directions. A report current and bc
cved that the bands OF Red Cloud had disarmed and
on foot thu csvary cscorting them to their new
agcncy oh the Missouri River. small mining camp
the Belle Fourche forty miles from Deadwood, had
bcen suddenly surrounded and all the miners shut
Two hundred warriors attacked the miners and battle
lasting all day ensued In the night the miners re-
treated leaving their horses mules and camp IN the
hands OF the Indians. six mon from this camp, all sri-
icng from exposure and want OF food had arrived at
Crook City. A runner said Madden IS ranch, at the
crossing OF the Cheyenne River on The Fort Pierre
route, had been attacked and all tho stock taken.
The trail previously reported crossing the Bismarck
road was followed for some distance and found to be
very heavy Al one place tho lndiuns had set up u
sketch of an Indian ana O white man shaking hands,
with three them, but ono could road the
rign or tell what It meant. Tho Sidney route ranch
entirely destroyed and tho property carried away,
the inmates escaping TO the hills
RoBBxG CROWS
Mr.. Campbell says u band OF Grow Indians under
Chiefs Goodheart and Prcttylodge encamped at the.
mouth OF Big Horn were attack cd ana all their ponies
captured, leaving the Crows completely on loot. A
night or two before the Grow horses were taken all
the Grow scouts at Fort Custer had their ponies
In the hills for several days past are blamed with
stealing the Crow horses. All the Cheyennes have
disappeared from the neighborhood
The hostiies reported on Porcupne Creek, near the
Yellowstone, beley ed to be the ant OF the
band Of Nez Peces that escaped from General Miles
at the Bear Paw hight Colonel Eugene Baker,
Second cavalry with thrce companies OF his regl-
mont, had marched from Tongue River for Porcupine,
intending II he came up with Tho hosties TO engage
them Colonel Baker Is the officer who a few years
ago completely squechcd the Piegans
HILLS.
Major Burchardt writes here his mercantile friends
that heavy is gong the Black Hills between
the whites and the Indians and that the Sioux have
the IL all the time "A herd OF hundred head
OF beef cattle had Just been stolen from Fort Custer
Tho following is n copy OF despatch received by
the independent newspaper published at Heicna:-
The reported capture and disarming Of company OF
United States troops in the Black Hills by Indians con.
hmed IL credited ut the time, bu. the soldiers
have arrived at standing Rock The lieusenAn command
soldiers they scouting In the bills and
n
armed them. Soon aterward they came upon the main
Indian captured and dsarmed. The
Indians them harm further than taking their
and telling them to home as quickly possible.
The Bozenun Courier has the following
The driver Just in from Fort Custer brought tho
that Indians be the OF the Nez Perces
with Sioux curralled Tngeys outfit at Liste
Porcupin-. One OF bis the gantlct and got
Fort Keogh. The mn rider around them in tho
night
SITTING BULL Is DOING.
A letter from Cow Island says
Sitting Bull Is undoubtedly preparing TOR his
ous have already crossed tho Missouri lie will probably
with his main until spring, but small stealing
parties will be kept out 10 stir up other Indians II be-
eved nearly all the robberie committed
i the interest of the uncpapa chief and that