American citizen., 1878-11-16
DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI.


Tho report Of Gen. Sheridan concerning the
operations In the Military Division of Mis-
souri, during the past yearis of considerable
length and mainly devoted to the Indian
TO garrison the So permanent posts and
try from British America to the Rio Grande,
there are four companies of artillery, averag-
ing IS men each, eight regiments of cavalry,
averaging 1856 men each. and 10 regiments
of infantry, averaging 452 men each, which
miles in the department of Texas. and one
to every IS square miles in the Department.
OF Dakota, and about the same ratio In
Missouri "When it is borne in mind that
this immense section OF country has ; to be
Ms.ean AND side tRe Rio Grands
y that poren enas Of oar army ecaed
this military division will be appreciated by
all military men and by those who have ever
the world has such a difficult line to keep in
order, and no army in modern times has had
number of men. In all other countries it ts
the custom to establish garrisons of not less
for the performance of similar duties only
one or two companies. With MS, regiments
are rarely If ever. together; the posts are
generally garrisoned by one, two or four
companies, who are expected to hold and
guard against one of the most acute and
in any otner country would be held by brig
ado. To do this requires sleepless watchful-
b, y.
l am gratified to know that, as general
thing. our officers possess those soidierly
Gen Sheridan regards the Indian situation
as being very unsatisfactory at the present
time. He says: "The Indian Department,
owing to want of sufficient appropriation, or
from wretched mismanagement, 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 cruelties- There
has been an insufficiency of foo at the Agen-
n flkA q Inn var "a
made the Indians in some cases desperate.
and almost any race OF men will fight rather
than starve. 1t seefEs to me, with wise man
agement, that the amounts appropriated by
Congress ought to be sufficient, if practically
applied to the exact purposes speclhcd, and
if 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 i'll 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 ut comparatively
small expense; but this would not have suit
ed the traders and contractors, who, fear.
iabored Systematically last s"rniner and tall
to work up the suit which has been obtain
ed, .nd now these Indi .l's nrc on worse
Ground than the Miss. uri hottcn,. n.d
.aca'eh sr lines of ps psransporsafion; ao for In
stance, Red Clouds band, whore the expense
oi a lns RSep addision
Indians are now located near the line OF
travel to the Black Hills, and are on the .s, ex,
where contact with the whites Is liable to
frequently occur, and doubt II, In the pres
ent frame of mind of the Red Cloud Indians,
the two races can live SO closely toRether
without fighting. There does not seem to be
now, and there never has been, much steadi,
ness in tile management of the Indians, and
If it were not for the results which SO severe
" involve the military, this would be none
Gt pera my business ana wouia not DC "en''o"eo
Gen Sheridan gives at 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:
nave been accomplished with much less
trouble had not the military forces employ
sd in protesting the the ana no itii smGn%
date or even punish them Tor their acts OF
hostility.
"The second outbreak of Indian hostilities
is caused in this way: After he has lost his
country he finds himself compelled to re
scribed, his opportunities of hunting abridg-
ed, lis game disappearing, sickness I'm his
oags eLapge Et ME aer this
irraguiariy supplied, and the reflection
coming to him of what he was. and
what he now is, and pinched by hunger, Gre
ites a feeling of dissatisfaction, which, in the
absence of a good strong force of soldiers,
starts him out on the war path again, ana
unarrned people are killed, settlements bro
ken up, farms are abandoned, and general
confusion exists. This cOnQltlOn OF aH;llfS Is
well illustrated by the recent outbreak of the
Northern Cheyennes, who lately abandoned
their reservation at Fort Reno, and the same
might be said of the outbreak OF the SeZ
Perces last year, and certainly of that OF
the Bannocks and Shoshones in this Year,
of the Chey ennes, kiowas and COmanches,and
unless wiser measures prevail hereafter IL
will 20 on. The Crows Will come in next, the
Assinabofnes and Gros- -VentreS and wild
tribes north of the Missouri will be Obliged to
follow. Spotted Tails and Red Clouds peo-
ple will be driven to the same conditions
eventually and down to the tribes in
the Western part of the Indian Territory. To
prevent or even meet the calamity which
inay occur, we are entirely unprepared, for,
without exposing other important points,
we can collect tos ether only a few hundred
men,"
son the Rio Grandc border, troubles until
quite lately have continued about the same
cident to the character of the population on
that border. The Rio Grande is about l,HO
miles in length from Ell Paso to its mouth,
and fordable at almost any piace. and MeX-
cans and Indians committing depredat1ons
In Texas have every facility for escap-
ing to the Mexican side. think
now that the Mexican Government
is making more eNertion to suppress
lawIessness than heretofore. If 1t does not
succeed would recommend that Congress
pass an act that from and after a certain TX
ed time if depredations in Texas are not sis
continued, Il force of troops be sent across at
certain points, and kept there until depieda
.ions entirely cease. The moral effect OF
such Congressional action would, III my oplh-
ion prevent all future trouble.