The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-11-14
CONGRESSIONAL GAINS.
DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI.
Gen. sheridan,s Annual Report.

The report of Gen. Sheridan concerning the
operations in the Military Division of Mis-
souri, during the past years. of considerable
length and mainly devoted to the Indian
question,
To garrison the 81 permanent posts and
camps in this division, embracing the coun-
try from British America to the Rio Grande,
there are four companies OF artillery, averag-
ing SO men each, eight regiments of cavalry,
averaging 165 men each, and IS regiments
of infantry. averaging ASP men each, which
is figured out as being one man to l2O square
miles in the Department of Texas, and one
to every IS square miles in the Department
of Dakota, and about the same ratio in.
the Departments of the Platte and TIN
Missouri. "When it is borne in mind tina.
this immense section OF country has to D"
constantly under. surveillance against Indi-
M sPs anq sid hog tRe reT Rio IRON Grande
by that portion of our army located within
this military division will be appreciated by
all military men and by those who have ever
lived upon our frontier. No other army lii
the world has such difficult fine to keep in
order, and no army in modern times has had
such an amount of work put upon the same
number of men. In all other countries 1t Is
the custom to establish gar11sOns OF not less
than regiment or a brigade, while we have
for the performance of similar duties only
one or two companies. With rs, regiments
are rarely If ever, together; the posts are
generally garrisoned by one, two or TOUR
Companies, who are expected to hold and
guard against one of the most acute and
wary foes in the world space of land that
in any other country would be held by n brig
ade. To do this requires sleepless watchful-
ness, great activity and tireless energy, and
am gratitied to know that, as a general
thing, our officers possess those soldierly
Gen. sheridan regards the Indian situation
as being very unsatisfactory at the present
time. He says: 1.-THE Indian Department,
owing to want of sufficient appropriation, or
from Wrptclpn. miSmnnapempnt. has given
to the settlements in the Western country
constant anxiety during the last year, and in
some places loss of life and property attend
ed with dreadful crimes and crueltleS. Ihere
has been an insufilcienoy of food at the Agen-
cies. and, as the game is gone hunger has
made the Indians in some cases desperate.
and almost any race of men will fight rather
than starve. 1t seems to me, with wise man
agement, that the amounts appropriated by
Congress ought to be sufficient, if practically
applied to the exact purposes specified, and
ii the supplies are regularly delivered,
but the reports of the Department Com
manders forwarded herewith would indicate
different result, except in the case OF the
Red Cloud and Spotted Tail bands of Sioux,
who although threatening in their conduct,
have been the best supplied, and have been
humored until their increasing insolence
constantly threatens to bring about breach
of the peace. had hoped that the agencies
of these Indians would have been retained
on the Missouri River, where they could have
been fed and looked after at comparatively
SIildll eADtnSts OuI UlllS WOulu nOl nave Sult-
ed the traders and contractors, who, fear,
labored Systematically last summer and fall
to work up the result which has been obtain
ed, and now these Indians are on worse
ground than the Missouri bottom, and
located at points beyond the riv-
er lines of transportation; for in
stance, Red Clouds band, where the expense
of feeding will be probably five times as great
as on the Missouri River. In addition, these
Indians are now located near the line of
travel to the Black Hills, and are on the ex
treme western limit of their reservation, and
where contact with the whites is liable to |
occur, and doubt ii, in the pres
ent frame of mind of the Red Clond Indians, |
the two races can live so closely together
without fighting. There does not seem to be |
now, and there never has been, much steadi- |
ness in the management of the Indians, and |
If it were not for the results which so severe |
" involve the military, this would be none |
Of my business, and would not be mentioned |
here"
Gen. Sheridan gives Mt length his opinion |
OF the causes of our Indian wars. The first |
cause was the inevitable crOwding out of the |
Indians by the Westward tide of white emf |
grafton, and this, while unavoidable, would |
have been accomplished with much less |
ed in protecting the settlements and subdu-
ing the savages been insufficient to intimi- |
late or even punish tkem for their acts of
"The second outbreak of Indian hostilities
5 caused in this way: After he has lost his
he finds himself compelled to re-
main on reservations, his limits circum
scribed, his opportunities of hunting abridg-
lodge from change OF life and food, and in
of the latter, and this
rregulariy supplied, and the reflection
What he now is, and pinehed by hunger, ere
ties a feeling of dissatisfaction, which, in the
lbsence of good strong force of soldiers,
tarts him out on the war-path again, and
people are killed, settlements bro
zen up, farms are abandoned, and general
onfusion exists. This condition of affairs is
yell illustrated by the recent outbreak of the
'orthern CheyenneS, who lately abandoned
heir reservation at Fort Reno, and the same
night be said of the outbreak of the Nez
'erceS last year, and certainly of that OF
he Bannocks- and Shoshones in this year,
1.-THE Cheyennes, kiowas and Comanches, and
Mess wiser measures prevail hereafter it
ill go on. The Grows will come in next, the
ssinaboines and Gros-Ventres and wild
ribes north of the Missouri will be obliged to
pillow. Spotted Tails and Red Clouds peo-
lie will be driven to the same conditions
ventuaily, and 50 on down to the tribes in
he Western part OF the Indian Territory. To
revent or even meet the calamity which
lay occur, we are entirely unprepared, for,
'ithout exposing other important points, ;
e can collect together only few hundred I
"On the Rio Grande border troubles until
ute lately have continued about the same !
; they have been for years past and are in ,
dent to the character of the population on
nat border. The Rio Grande is about ], 900 !
tiles in length from FL Paso to its mouth,
nd tordable at almost any place, and Next
ans and Indians committing depredations {
Texas have every facility for escap- I
* to the Mexican side. think
ow that the Mexican Government
making more eXertion TO suppress Y
wlesSness than heretofore. If il does not I
icceed, would recommend that Congress
ass an act that, from and after a certain * d
l time, if depredations in Texas are NOT - 4
a force OF troops be sent across n =
.rtain points, and kept there until depFe1.- I
ons entirely cease Tie moral effect OF :
lch CongrcssJo action would. in ulyopia (,
n. prevent all future trouble ~