The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-04-14
TAI WITH
What the Hero of Big Hole Pass says about
Indian Affairs.

view IN tnlS Wise:
81 hope you don't suffer from your
wound at Big Hole pass, g~eneral?"
"No not much-nearly all right.
Twas only a hesh-wound above the
knee, but 1 aggravated the injury by
premature exertion, which 1 couldn't
well avoid at the time"
''That was a quick and bloody affair. "
ga very sharp affair, indeed, for an
Indian fight" answered the general,
with that partial contempt for affairs"
begotten of witnessing war on a ire
mendous scale.
"The Nez Percez fought you well?"
VERY well, very well. Why shouldn't
they? All Indians are better shots than
nine-tenths of our troops. as for horse
manship, wearenowhere beside them"
do you consider the Nez Perces
drawer than the Sioux?"
sob, no." said Gen. Gibbon; ''they
all fight about alike"
''But they appeared to stand up at
close quarters, general"
"They had to, but don't love it more
than anybody else" replied the matter
of-fact soldier. "Indians will fight like
whites when cornered, or, in fact at
any time, especially where they have a
majority or the advantage"
what do you think of the prospect
of a Sioux war this summer?''
at is hard to tell. There were no
indications when I left Fort Shaw.
But it is not at all improbable that
there may be war. The Indians will
act on impulse in a matter of that
kind
SIN case there should be u war, how
is Montana off for military protection,
general?"
''She has my regiment 1.-THE eth in
%fantry,) which is nominally less than
three hundred strong. l could not
place more than M hundred and fifty
of these men in the field. There are a
few companies of the Sd infantry, most
ly unavailable, and Il few companies of
cavalry"
And no hope of getting any more?"
"And no chance of getting any more,
1 should say" said Gen. Gibbon.
!'Have you applied for reinforce
ments?"
81 have not. Gen. Sherman, as well
as Gen. Sheridan and Gen. Terry, know
the situation as well as l do. My regi-
ment has been eight years in Montana
and that country, and there is talk of
relieving us. l had hoped the Govern
ment would build a post on Milk river.
1t ought to. Down there Sitting Bull
will come direct from the north, if he
comes at all. The thin settlements will
have little or no protection if he does
take it into his head to come"
"How is Milk river situated as re-
CARDS the British frontier?n
at runs almost east and west, par
allel with the boundary line," respond
ed Gen. Gibbon. at has an average
distance of from twenty to thirty miles
from the line. Montana is an immense
country, about four times as large as
New York and New England, and the
Indians can strike where they please"
GLOW about Gen. Miles commando"
"They are cautioned on the Yellow
stone, eight hundred miles from us.
They would have enough to do, doubt
less in their own district"
"And we have twenty-five regiments
of Infantry, and yet you have only a
small battalion to defend M~ontana?"
Precisely. How can it be other
wise? Our regiments are very weak;
mere skeletons, and there appears to be
a disposition to cut the army down
some more. What can the Government
do with only twenty-five skeleton regi-
ments and a monstrous large country
to look after?"
''Do you prefer infantry to cavalry
in an Indian fight, General?"
eyes, if you can get them in. L only
wish L had had one company of cavalry
(Which came up next day. when we
cornered Joseph at the Big Hole. After
we got him to the bluffs, we'd have
kept him going
What do you think of the Crow
Indians?"
THE Crows are decent Indians and
true to u.s., said Gen. Gibbon. "And
they always will be loyal if the Govern
ment agents or traders don't drive
them into rebellion" he added.
"What would be the Crows lighting
force?n
Perhaps four hundred warriors,
counting the youths, who could do
some fighting"
$50, General, you think that if Sit
ting Bull does invade us, the frontier
is poorly guarded"
There are certainly not enough
soldiers there, and l have no hopes of
getting more" answered the General,
emphatically.
After n few remarks of a general ma
ture, the journalist took leave of the
General.
Coax"
FIT. LARAMIE, April II, 1873.
TO The Editor of The Louder:
Please publish the following as a good
sIoo,1- =, lfounlaJ n Il, f,ofl ohn,,t opa of