The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-11-17
General Sheridan Annual Report,

General Sheridan's Annual Report.
IN bis recent annual report to the General
of the Army Lieutenant. General Sheridan
speaks At length concerning military affairs
In bis command. After reospjtulsting the
composition OF his command and stating its
disposition, the Lieutenant. General says:
Although the Department Of Dakota has
by far the largest number of Indians from
whom hostile acts might be expected, these
have been At peace, during the past year,
and seem to have made some advancement
In labor and In the cultivation Of the soil.
ut the different agencies. The exceedingly
annoying condition OF having q small body
Of our hostile Indians, with Sitting Bull,
just across the boundary line, In British
Columbia, has been removed by the sur.
render OF this head man. Nearly all OF the
Indians who clustered around him have
come over, either with him or In advance of
the Government. So long Is this body OF
Indians remained across the line. they
formed . nucleus with whom all dissatisfied
or disaffected ones, ut the agencies, could
take refuge. For this reason l supported
General Terry in his efforts to get Sitting
Bull back, and think the results will be
satisfactory. Although Sitting Bull was not
much Of q warrior, and had no prestige
among Indians on that account, still he was
stubborn In his resistance to the Govern.
mcnt reservation system, and naturally had
many adhcrents among the disaffected. His
original offense was his refusal to 20 to the
roeorvafinn NJ his friho-fho TYnna --0t
Standing Rock; he wanted to live wild. He
was not q chief Ia that tribe, but was the
leader Of small band Of about sixty lodges,
who held with him the same feelings of bit.
ter opposition toward being civilized. lie
was In the outskirts Of the fight with Gus.
ter, but not conspicuous, and shortly after.
ward struck out with his small band for
British Columbia, being subsequently fol.
lowed, from necessity, by other hands of
Sioux. have seen In newspapers long ac-
counts and narratives purporting to be de.
scriptions Of thu Custer battle, as related BY
Sitting Bull, which have, In nv opinion,
but little truth in them, and historians are
cautioned against receiving them as correct.
The Northern Cheyennes and the Ogaliala
Si0ux-the former under two or three Of
their principal chiefs, and the latter, under
Crazy Horse, as their lealers--did the fight.
ing at the battle Of the Little Horn, when
Custer feii.''
Referring to the Departments Of the
Platte and the Missouri, he says that - al.
though they have had plenty of time, tho
UncOmpahgru Utes, who were to move to
this vicinity from the Department of the
Missouri, have not yet arrived at the new
agency appointed for them, on the east side
Of Green River, not far distant from tho
new post above mentioned; nor have the
White River Utes yet reached the Uintah
reservation-the place the Commissioners
have selected for them as their future home.
Hopes are, however, entertained that, be-
fore the first of the new year, both the Tn.
compahgre and the White River Utes will
reach their respective destinations with.
out serious trouble. Still, some fears
are entertained that they may not
60 there, and this impression has so firmly
settled itself In the MUD of the Commission
that, at the request Of Commissioner Rus.
sci, the General of the army has directed
that the White River Utes be driven to the
Uintah agency. am afraid, however, that
little can be done toward CARRYING out this
order before spring and will hope that bet
ter results will have obtained before that
time. No one can form any idea. excepting
by personal examination, of the rough and
broken country of the GunnisOn and White
rivers--the old home of the White River
Utes-and shall hope for peaceful solu.
ton and settlement of this complication
v.,;s fo, .
sin the Department OF the Missouri, small
raiding parties of Apache Indians-the rem.
nant Of victoria's band. joined by few
young men from the M.scalero reservation,
in all not to exceed sixty in number-caused
widespread alarm aud serious loss of hui
man life in Southern New Mexico last win.
ter. The band came in from Mexico, south
of Fort Cummings, and, after making q raid
Of extraordinary boldness, recrossed into
Mexico near their point Of entrance. They
killed number Of people, and, l am
sorry to say, received but little pun
tshment In return. This same band
re-entered Southern New Mexico in july
and raided the same region of country, kill
ing Lieutenant G. W. Smith, 9th cavalry,
and several people. and again escaping into
Mexico without serious loss so far rs have
been able to learn from any official data re-
ceived at these headquarters. l would nd.
wise that, If possible, the consent of the
Mexican Government be obtained for our
troops to cross and catch this small band of
free-b0oters, OF at least to break down the
confidence, With which the boundary line In.
spires them, in their ability to escape pun.
ishment.'
In regard to the Indian Territory General
Sheridan says: 81 earnestly recommend
Congressional action to keep out in.
truders from Indian Territory. Had
1t not been for the military, the
territory of Oklahoma would have now
been covered with settlements. The in.
truders have been kept out by companies Of
troops marching from east to west and back
again, on the south side of the line between
Indian Territory and this State Of Kansas,
while the intruders marched to and fro, in
Kansas, on the north side of the same line.
The question, as l understand it, is this:
Congress bought certain lands from
Indians belonging to Indian Nation. for
the purpose OF colonizing other band )
of Indians upon these lands. After
some hostile Indians had been settled ON
portions Of these lands, some Of the mem.
bers of Congress aud Senators Of adjacent
States; becoming alarmed ut the assembling
of these Indians Ia Indian Territory, secured
tine passage of an act prohibiting the re-.
moval of certain outside Indians to Indian
Territory. Then the people, styled the
"intruders," set up the claim that what
was left of this purchase. which is now
named Oklahoma. was subject to the same
conditions Of settlement rs any other public
domain, and they still persist in their pur.
pose Of obtaining possession OF 1t. there.
fore earnestly recommend some Com
grcssional action which will settle this
question and release the military from the
complications involved by this Oklahoma
trouble"
Large numbers of honey-bees were
seen. last summer, t1ving around the
Adams House. at Norwalk, Conn.
They were SO numerous a. to excite
comment. and they kept so close to the
hotel that it was thought thew must
have hive either in the house or close
by. The guests of the hotel were re-