The New York herald., 1878-11-01
lNADEQUACY OF THE MILITARY FORCE
Severe Reflections on Trad
erS and Contractors.
A GENERAL UPRISING PREDICTED
How to Stop Depredations on
the Rio Grande.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALp.l

CHICAGO, Oct 81, 1878.
In his annual report 10 the General Of tho Army,
Lieutenant GensralP. H Sheridan taxes occasion TO
forth considerable length that the mill
tary force Of his division entirely inadequate 70
perform the duties Il has hand. He says:-
No other army In tho world has such . difficult
line 10 keep In order, and no army IN modern times
has had such an amount ot work put upon the
is the system to establish sarrisons OF
not less than regiment or brigade,
only one or two companies. With US regiments are
rarely, II ever, together. The posts are generally
are expected 10 hold snd guard assinst on. ., ,So
most acute ana wary foes in the world space oil
land that in any other country would be held Dy
brigade. TO do this requires sleeplessness watch
uiness great activity and energy. and am Erainsd
TO kow tnat AZ general thing, our officers possess
these soldisrly qualities
THE INDIAN QUESTION
The General sets apart large portion Of his report
10 the discussion Of the Indian question. He says
The situation in this respect s wholly unsatisfac-
tory. The Indian Department, owing TO want OF sum.
olent appropriauons, or from wrosened mismanaee.
year, places loss OF fo and loss OF prop.
erty. attended with dreadful crimes and crusitiest
There has been insufacieacy OF food a. the
agencies, and, as tho game I. gone. hunger
perase, and almost any race Of men viii
fight rather than starve. II seems TO ma. with wise
gress ought 10 be sutic,sn,. II practically spptsd 10
the exact purposes specified. and If .hs sup.
pliss are regularly delivered. But tho re-
ports vi the regiment commanders, forwarded
herewith, would indicate different result except In
the OF the Rcd Cloud Spotted Tail bands OF
have been the best supplied and have been humorcd
uni their increasing insolencc constantly threatens
70 bripg about breach OF the peace.
RED CLOUD AND SPOTTED TAIL
had hoped that the agencies Of these Indians
would nave soss Sssn on on sSs Missouri Rive.
comparatively small sxponse bat this would NOS have
suited the traders and contractors, who,
and iall TO work up Inc result which
has been obtained, and now those Indians aro on
psints beyond the rivor lines Of anspor-
taton--for instance, Red Clouds band, whore the
expense Of feeding wil % probably nvs times
those indiana located the line Of travel
TO tho BiaoE Hills. and are on the extreme western
the whitcs is liable 70 frequently occur, and
l doubt II In the present frame OF mind OF
CLOSELY together without fighting. There does not
TO be now, and thero. never has been, much
s':adness 10 me mar aSsmsn. OF .hs Indians and Il
the military this would be none Of my business and
would not bo mentioned herc.
BAD OUTLOOK HoR THE sAvAGss
Tho General reviews the condition OF the Indians
years ago and the sadOg 70 their present
unhappy state He says:-
the outbreaks among the savage tribes viii
certainly 60 on unioss wise measures are
adopted to prsvsot them Already there have
Cheyennes, Nsz Porces, Bannocks and Shoshones. :.
The Crows Will come tn next; the AssInaboines and
S1N' s " "nd oo. nsI o. the
Rod Clouds people win be driven 70 the
same conditions eventually, and SO on down
the lnd,an Tsrrisory To prevent or even svsrs the
calamity which may occur We entirely unpre-
We can collect together but a few hundred men. For
instance, At Fort Sill and vicinity 70 meet
ioca,sd in tho Indian Territory, numbering 5000
or 200. We have not moro than 300 effective men.
Ing 200 ELECTIVE mon. A. Ret Cloud Agency,
whore there At least 6oOo Ipdiars, We
hava only Two companies and could net In ten Gays
coect over nve or hunorsd men. Al Spotted
Tail We have only two companies, numbering l19
tho troops We could muster and they would
not number mpch more than 500 800 effective
men. while the indians number not less .nan
1000 and SO on. Al points wncre there Indians
and agencies and At other stratcgical points the
number Of troops 10 Insignificant, and n outbreaks
appalling, anu wish to warn the General OF the
Army that have half tho troops required to
meet these anticipated troubles.
THE REMEDY PROPOSED.
The General is OF the opinion that kind treatment
administered with steaoiness and justice. would re-
move our Western frontier OF all its appalling hor-
rors arising from Indian outbreaks. With treatment
OF this kind tho Indians be made self-supporunG
and In an incredibly short time, too.
THE TEXAS FRONTIER.
Az compared with the opinions usually sntersained
BY the public regarding dopredasions on the Texan
frontier, General Sheridan says:-
think tho Mexican government is making more
exertion suppress awcssness than heretofore. II
II DOCS not succeed would recommend tnas Congross
pass act shat from and alter certain nxed time, u
depredstions IN Texas are not discontinued
fOrce Of be sent ~ certain points and
kept there until depredations snlirsly cease. The
mora, effect OF such Congressional action would, IN
my opinion, prevent all future trouble.