The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-11-13
Army Report-Review Of Indian Al!
fairs
KlsHtHGfeins, Noaemher6

"ASnkNoIONS ASOvOAuUOE -
General Sherman's annual fHpHtt To
/, 0C"ol". oo 11r, rI3
tne secretary OF war was cOh'pieteo
to-day. It Is prefaced with the usual
snou.". SVaecions: any ao'"A 10 So
piled by the Adjutaht-5enerAl, com.
mentinr on which General Sherman
says:
"Thc eleven Generals. 1850 officers, aO,5ee
men and 2s3 Indian scouts, together with such
Department 10 duty with the troops, Constitute
the army DrOpeT: br the srOfplhltfte force
All other parts of the mmititHrf establishment
or less CONNECTED with the army or militia, biit
are not available for frontier defenscs.
Thus, for instance. the 3N enlisted men
arsenals: the IgS men of the Engineer Corps
are at Wilief's Point ,,rdcrvnimy instruction
in tOrpedo nracfica' and ara not s,,hiect ro the
hivisipn Cmr., anu nv .Es "a, M" ~ Tho S;r-
hal Corts are nts,uio,.5 H. oh.crvi,,ar the we.tS
ef or III wtjrkinv felti~r.t,hs Trhe iii I1rfinuncc
Scrkeants have charyn III old forts or
fixed maSaz}nos nc IA, fjnumiss.rv
Sereeauts arc ri cb.r1e IT storss: III met,
Sre Stewards If h9spitaYs: The West
Point detachment. 1ss m nfiinher r. localized
at the Military Acafitfitv: ThA trisoTf guard
and recruiting detachmcnts absorb i.iH men
at Davis Island. Columbus o.. and jeffersOf
Barracks, Mo, These various detachments.
aggrcgatinr 3 4fSS enlisted men of The highest
grades compose about onc-siyth mart ~ the
enlisted men provided nv law for the whole
army, leaving but 20. 80 for actual service
~ mention these figures in some detail. be-
cause l know that it is the popular belief
shared by many members of Congress- that
we have rs 600 men on duty. I have done Mi
in my power to reduce these detachments to
the lowest number possible so as to afford
more men to our skeleton companies, but
have found it impossible, and l notice that
similar detachments are reported on ali army
returns for fifty wears back. There are
IN ho
$1,000 men would give tifty-eight to each,
which is as small rs any company should
be, and earnestly recommend that you ask
Congress to so legislate that the $500 men
provided by law may be allowed exclusively
for regiments of the line, and that special pro-
vision he made for these several detaeh meutS,
as has already been done for the Signal Serv=
Ice. inc army eahnot, Win 9nstGe' ne nero "a
iarr" frnct;nm ;s nccessari,v div rtea re- other
,,sas. nerhans of cnunl National imnortance.'
The fables ohove r,.fcrrcd tn show that the
grand aggregate of the army roll is a,ls7 Of
ficers and 2l2G2 men in service, and 3SS officers
General Sherman dcvotes Il large portion of
his report to the Ute troubles. He Introduces
the subject with history of the tribe These
Indians, he says, are of the worst class, and oc-
ing, grazing, or military operations. Their man
agemcnt Is complicated by the fact that their
country is known to possess mineral deposits,
which attracts bold and adventurous class of
white men. They are very warlke, and have
no ditlicuity in procuring in exchange for their
decr-skins, horses and sheep any amount Of
the game lasts they will not work or attempt
farming. except in the smallest and most
ridiculous way, and that only by co1npulsion
The report details ut some length the history
of the wcl-knOwn events leading up to the
and continues:
with IL knowledge of the result. and to
throw as mucn lisns on inc lt!ineais.e cause
n "a - n = 81
which passed between Major Thornburgh and
Mr.. Mcekcr, ana Will here record my Juu9'
mcnt that MAJOR Inornnlrgh was an oIhccr
ana gentleman 81 whom the army mas reason
10 DC proud. ne was young, arnent, anpi-
lous, OF good Judgment, anu no man couiu
nave done better Ill lie nor met death with
more heroism.
rHORNnURGu TO MEEKER.
~.HEADo'R RS WHITE RIVER ExpEpIrION.
C.Mp ON EoRTIric.TI CnErK
Scntcmher y. iS1g
!, MI. Meeker' i''''" A9eh'' "n''c n''cF
nSvnesi ~,
III th r,rx ms, s ,,,,ss rom ~ n,,r
Agency. and expec; to arrive on the 18th inst,
ance in nv powcr. and To- make arrests Mt
vOur suvTcstion and tO hold rs prisoners
such Of vo,ir Indians as Won dos ire until
inTnst ir,f inns a,n n,ain nv, ym,r ncnartmrnt
h Mons are ,,h;ue y Hoic Sr rnr
Agency for ten DAYS. and d, not knrw what
state OF affairs exists, whether The Indians will
leave at nv approach or show hos.ii,ics
send this letter hy Mr. Lowry, one Of my
r,,,ics. and desire. youi to communicate with
,nr ne soon ne nnsshIn ,riyjnU M, All ;h,. iur,,.
mnti,.r i'm yOlr power. In order that ] uay
cable, meet me on the road at the earliest mo
mcnt
..Vcry rcspcctfullv. yo,,r oicdicnt servant
s.T r. TIIOUNuuKGu.'
---.
AM AEEkEK TO IHORNbuhGH.
10 tnls Aeent Meeker rcphes, unoer oate
oesptSemoer -. as .oil9Ms: .
.... sir: Unders!andng YOU are on !ne way
hlther with United States troops, send mes
seneer, M. hskrlqge, ana Two lnoians, Henry
!interpreterl ana John ayersiy, 70 INFORM YOU
to nj are ana
aliu nen th! you anu i've soiuie,s vi Nour coni
mand come INTO the Agency when ! talk and
peer ar nt can DC e. h ",r ms ,,,
Ia'J;e,, eut seems ~, hor me nes'. tht
t !n.li'ns seein ~ co!siucI Tue auvahce VI .nt
troops as declaration of real war In this
same timc e conXince them that thew cannon
a.. h,t..o tho,, ,,I,,.o IT, 80 ~'h;nn,
40 Wnatever tney piease; Inc nrst onJnc'
NV" 10 ~ ''. I'm Wrrxrw Ind;an Sent
" "' 1.'"i NAs0''
IHoRNBuRGH REPLY. 80 u..o.
,, Under date of September q, Majol
Ihornburgh writes to Agent Meeker as fot
lows:
Slh: snal move Win III! entlrc cont i
mand 10 some convcnient camp near, ano
Mitnui striklig u!stInce y! !on .,, Agency
reaching such point during the 18th. sinai
tnen matt ana encanp the troops, ana proceed
tothe Agency with my guide ana nVe Soidiers
as communicated IN your letter OF tue 21tn
INST. Incn anu tncre VIII PC ready &c
nave conference Win you anu the inuialls
SO that an Understanding may DC arrived AT
ana my course OF action determined:
nave carefully consldered <Shetncr or not y
would DC adVlSaDie 70 nave my commano
AT i point as dlstan! as tnat deslIeu py
amC i . VIZ tho -. ,i tthat d
',,, ".l ,hioh ,"1;r, nc ~ march thi.
nnymm,"nd r. thn 4 ronrv am not at Ehertx
70 leave II NJ y nnint where II wouid not h!
o,n;i'hn -, cas p' ,f +ro,hlo yo, aro anthor
;.nI =" sn,, fr mo TO tho InI;ans that m,
course IF cnndnct il entirely ticnentient ~
them Onr desire ;s to avoid tronhin and w.
havn not coc fnr wa =, pco,csted vo,, in w,
inttnr of the a;th to ,nnet r,e on tho road ht.
fnro roanh"d Tho AG.ncx, renev nv RI
n,'nst +h"+ ,nu d. On and f,,,thcr desire tho,
No., I,r;m :nnh Th;"f. &c NOV. wish IN occorn
You "r ns SUCH o'eiS "s may WIS" ~ '''o
p"ns !'"' ,,rrvrp M r,opxprpcu
MhhNN ~ c,o 49,.
~ nder date one p. M, SeptemDerS ~, Agen'
Meeker rcplicd:
"'DEAR SIR: l expect 10 leave IN the morn
ing with Douglass and Serrlck TO meet you
InnSs gre peaeespie: a" i,E T., ny
United States nag. II you nave trouoie IN get
ting through the canyon to-day lct me kMo "
We have been on guard three nights and sinai
Ger pc . bnt because there may be. / like YOU,