Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1878-11-21
No.. 1
GEN. SHERIDAN'S REPORT.
Inadequacy of the Military Force.
The Indian Situation Reviewed.

In his annual report to the General of the
Army, Lieutenant General P. d. Sheridan
takes occasion to set forth at considerable
length the fact that the military force of his
division is entirely inadequate to perform the
duties it has in hand. He says:
No other army in the world has such
difficult line 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 it is the system to establish
garrisons of not less than regiment or
brigade, while we have, for the performance
of similar duties, only one or two companies.
With US regiments are rarely, If ever, to,
gether. The posts are generally garrlsoned
by one, two or four companies, who are ex-
pected 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 a brigade. To do this requires
sleeplessness, watchfulness, great activity
and energy, and am gratifed to know that,
as general thing, our officers possess these
soldierly qualities.
THE INDIAN QUESTION.
The situation in this respect is wholly un-
satisfactory. The Indian Department, owing
to want OF sufficient appropriations, 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 loss of property. at
tended with dreadful crimes and crueltles.
There has been an insufficiency of food at the
agencies, and, as the game is gone, hunger
has made the Indians in some cases desper-
ate, and almost any race of men will fight
rather than starve. 1t seems to me, with
wise management, that the amounts appro-
priated by Congress ought to be sufficient. it
practically applied to the exact purposes
specified, and if the supplies are regularly
delivered But the reports of the regiment
commanders, 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 in
science constantly threatens to bring about
breach of the peace.
BAD OUTLOOK FOR THE SAVAGES.
The outbreak among the savage tribes will
certainly 20 on unless wise measures are
adopted to prevent them. Already there have
been engagements with the Kiowae, Conan
ches, Cheyennes, Nez Perces, Bannacks and
| Shoshones. The Crows will come IN next;
the Assinaboines and Gros Ventres and wild
| tribes north of the Missouri will be obliged to
follow. Spotted Tails and Red Clouds peo-
pie will be driven to the same conditions
eventually, and so on down to tribes in the
| western part of the Indian Territory. 10
prevent or even avert the calamity which may
occur we are entirely unprepared, tor With
out exposing other important points we can
collect together but few hundred men. For
instance, at Fort Sill and vicinity to meet the
| Kiowas, Comanches, Apaches and others
located in the Indian Territory, numbering
1000 or 1000, we have not more than 3OO
effective men. AT Fort Reno, to guard the
Cheyennes and Arapahoes, numbering 5000
or 5000, we have not exceeding 200 effective
men, At Red Cloud Agency, where there
are at least 5000 Indians, we have only two
companies and could not in ten days collect
over five or six hundred men. At Spotted
Tail we have only two companies, number
ing 119 men, and it would take two weeks to
get all the troops we could muster, and they
would not number much more than 500 or
| 600 effective men. while the Indians number
not less than 1000 and so on. AT points
where there sre Indians and agencies and at
other strategical points the number of troops
is insignificant, and if outbreaks occur, as l
fear they will, the consequences would be
appalling, and wish to warn the General of
the Army that we have not half the troops
required to meet these anticipated troubles.
| THE REMEDY PROPOSED.
The General is of the opinion that kind
treatment, administered with steadiness and
Justice, would remove our Western frontier
of all it's appalling horrors arising from In
dian outbreaks. With treatment of this kind
the Indians can be made self. supporting in
an incredibly short time.
|
| VESTS.