Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-11-12
DEPARTMENT OF DAKOTA.
Extract from Gen.. Gibbons Report SHOW
ing tho Number aud Distribution or
Troops.


y s The
question as bow 10 hes. provide f>r the
red man, now surely and rapidly being
pressed oft this continent by advancing
civilization, still remains unsalvet. Tie
reservation system, us heretofore followed,
does not work toward the protection of the
Indian, for the reason that the moment The
white man wants the lands assigned to tue
Indian, be goes and takes il, aud the laws
Of the county, and the force ct its disposal,
are entirely inadequate 10 protect the 1ndi-
ans against encroachmcnt and imposition (;
more especially is this the case whenever
gold is discovered, whether in paying
quantities or not, to exist OF the reservation.
A recent and prominent example OF this is
the case Of the Black Hills.
There are now in this department seven
regiments of infantry and two Of cavalry,
besides four additional companies of cavai,
~ temporarily on duty at the Req Cloud
aud Spotted Tail agencies from the depart
ment of the Platte. These ninety.s'ght
companies are located at twenty two differ
ent posts, scattered over an immense ex-
panse Of country extending over a length
of more than twe2ty-,hree degrees of Ion
gitude, and varying iu width from four to
over six degrees Of latitude. Something
more Than 375,0O0 square miles of territory
is to be defended BY troops which, in the
aggregate, amount to 5000 men, or one
soldier TO seveniy-tive square miles.
Surely no othef country on the face OF
the earth expects SO great a service from so
small! a number Of men, and yet this is
about one fifth the total strength of the
army allowed by act af congress.
The smallest of these twenty-five posts are
occupied by single companies, the largest
one by fourteen companies. Many of these
posts were originally established for the pro.
lection Of some particular locality, as the
necessity forsuch protection developed itself.
Some kind ola temporary shelter had to be
put up at once for the protection, in a rigor.
Gus climate, Of the troops and s,orep, and in
numerous instances these buildings have
been but little if any improved upon, and
many Of the officers and men are to-day &C.
cupying buildings but little better than those
with which the nardy pioneer Of the will
dcrness shelters his head for a single winter.
OF course such a system is expensive in
the extreme, both in material and blood,
and congress apparently can never be made
to open its eyes to facts. When it does, af.
ter repeated and urgent solicitations, make
appropriations for posts deemed Of
vital Importance for the protection of our
rapidly growing settlements, they are usual.
ly so small az 10 compel the military author.
tiles to keep the particular sum appropriated
for the posts for the purchase of the neces.
sary materials, and to exc out the scarty
sum by drawing upon the transportation fund
to transport the material out to the place
where it is required, and this is one reason
which makes the annual appropriation fol
transportation in the army SO large. No on,
can form the slightest conception Of the vas
extent of the country which our small fore,
is called upon to occupy and expected to de
fend. until he comes to travel over it; anC
still less can anyone form an estimate of thu
cost Of building material, labor and The com,
mon necessities Of life, until he is called up
on, as our officers and soldiers have been 70,
years, to live in that region, much Of it Gu
off from all the ordinary facilities surround
ing civilized life.
The vast region Of Which this depart.
ment forms only a part, and which a fen
years ago was designated on all biographies
as "unexplored," has, since the advat &c o.
the Pacific railroads, been rapidly filling ul
with an enterprising population, apparently
searching out that Great American DESERT
which then was supposed to occupy so large
a part Of this continent. Up to this Time
the explorers have failed 10 find it, but in
its place have discovered vast grazing fields,
upon which dauntless herds OF vii buffalo
and other game have been subsistinc for
ages, aud which are found just as suitable
for the use Of domestic cattle. Much OF
the ground, too, is found adapted to agri-
cultural purposes, and yields especially in
small grains enormous crops, which it re.
qnires at first irrigation 10 produce. But
the necessity for irrigation lessons wear by
year, as civiliz uion advances, and man, by
his labors, produces those climatic charges
which are known to follow his footsteps.
Besides these pastoral and agricultural in
%terests, there are vast mineral deposits,
which necessarily are much more gradually
developed.