The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-31
Sitting Bnll.


With the surrender of Sitting Bull
ends one of the most remarkable careers
in Indian history. As a fighter his
reputation stands higher than that of
the Seminole chief, Billy Bowlegs. who
gave Gen. Scott so much trouble in
Florida. As a diplomatist he headed
the list; as a strategist and commander
he has been styled the Sioux Napoleon.
His history begins about 1869. Before
that he was a mere sfblanket Indian
on the plains. In that year his hatred
of the Americans began to be shown,
and under the regime of Gen. Morrow,
at Fort Buford, on the Missouri River,
he was charged with, but denied, a
series of depredations on the troops
and the settlers IN the neighborhood.
The settlers retaliated and one of Sit
ting Bulls warriors was killed, as Gen.
Morrow admitted, unjustly. The slay-
ing was apparently atoned for by pre-
sents TO the relatives of the dead war
rior. But Sitting Bull was not really
propitiated. He became dangerous
enemy, the center of a large body of
Indians, who developed into one of the
most dangerous bands upon the plains.
The Sioux chief now refused to live
upon a reservation, and went into camp
in wild country on the Yellowstone
River, and its tributaries. In 1873
Sitting Bull ordered away some Mon
tana settlers who had built fort on
this ground. As they refused he block
AIDED them. One of his band being
killed by the besieged, he retaliated by
killing two of the Montana men, thus
beginning a war which lasted till the
beginning of 1876. Fort Pease. which
contained only forty-seven whites, was
blockaded for three months, during
which 500 Indians were kept at bay,
with a loss of six killed and nine
wounded on the side of the defenders
of the fort. As starvation threatened
them, they sent two men under cover
of darkness to Fort Ellis, whence Gen.
Terry sent four companies of cavalry,
three of Montana militia, and 100
friendly Grow Indians. Sitting Bull
evacuated the position without firing
a shot, declaring that his only desire
was to rid the country of the white
man. These having been removed,
the Sioux destroyed Fort Pease and re-
tired to their camp, when war was at
once declared against them, and Sitting
Bull was ordered to surrender within
ten days. This he failed to do, and
Gems. Crook, Terry, and Gibbon were
sent to operate against him from three
different directions. Gen. Gibbon found
him on the Rosebud, but as he had only
600 men to oppose to his enemies 5000
he kept on the other side of the Yellow
stone awaiting reinforcements. Mean
while Sitting Bull gave battle to Gen.
Crook and stopped his advance. Hear
ing next that Gen. Custer was on the
way to attack him, he crossed over to
the Little Big Horn, and encamped in
a strong position. Custer gave him
battle on June &c, 1876, but, having
been drawn into an ambush, was cut
off with his entire command, after a
bloody struggle, Sitting Bull earning
for himself the double reputation of a
great commander and a merciless saw
age. From that day to the present he
has been fugitive. He escaped to
Canada and secured protection and
food for a while, occasionally crossing
over the lines as necessity forced him.
In the end, however, desertion from his
band, poverty, and scarcity of food re-
duced him to such straits that he has
been obliged to surrender himself I'M
conditionally to the United States Gov
eminent, in whose custody he and his
men remain. SittingBull is said even yet
to show most sullen, and, as the Off
cials style it, most insolent spirit. To
the last the chief and his braves rode
their own ponies, and would neither
dismount nor shake hands until they
had arrived at the place fixed on for
their camp.