The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-10-15
Indian Scouts.

Inc use OF lnuian scouts IN the
Apache country by General Carr is
being unlavorably commented on by
many news aper writers in California
and the Eastern States Some 90 so
far as to assert that the use OF Indians
to fight against Indians has never been
successful Such assertions are grossly
incorrect, as events which have trans
PRED during the past twenty years I'M
mistakably prove. Since General AL
bert Pike and Ben Mccullough raised
their Indian legion in the Indian Terri
tory in 1912, Indians have been sue
cessfully employed to fight each other.
and have, with two exceptions, proved
themselves not only faithful to the Gov
eminent, but made the very best of
soldiers. A large number of Cherokees
were enlisted in the Union service, and
did effective work in Western Arkansas
and Texas in opposition TO Choctaws
and SeminOles under Albert Pike. At
the same time battalion of Wyan-
dOttes, Shawnees and Delaware Indians
was raised by Major Ransom in Kan
sas, and proved themselves excellent
cavalrymen when kept under proper
discipline and restraint. The only in
stances known in which Indians have
proved treacherous to their white COM
paniOns in arms was when they have
been used to fight against their own
tribe and blood relations. In both
cases they turned upon their white
officers, and, after shooting them down,
drove of the herds of horses and
went of on the war-path. The late
attack upon General Carr had its
counterpart in the attack upon the
Seventh Iowa Cavalry in Western Ne
braska in 1866. Two companies of
Sioux scouts enlisted, armed and
equipped to fight the Cheyennes, were
sent out with a company of white sol
diers to fight against hostile persons
of their own tribe. When brought
within sight of the hostiles, these scouts
turned upon the soldiers, shot Captain
touts, the commanding officer, and
most of his white cavalry men, and
went forth on the war-path. The
Apache outbreak occurred under al
most similar circumstances The
Apaches cannot be depended upon to
fight against Apaches. No further at
tempt was made to use the Sioux as
Government cavalry. The Ute tribe
was used in Colorado to drive out the
Cheyennes in 1866 to 1868, and General
Pat Connor of California, used several
companies of Omahas, Winnebagos and
Pawnecs with good effect in his great
campaign against their hereditary enc
mies-the SiouX--in 1866 in the Bio
Horn, Yellowstone and Wind River
country. The Pawnees became the
terror of the hostile redskins They
were always permitted to ride in the
advance, and were the first to overtake
and strike the enemy, and never were
defeated or allowed Conner to lose his
horses. They would sometimes strip
themselves down to their breech-
clouts, throw off saddle and bri-
die, and, revolver in hand and
knife in teeth, gallop right into the
midst of the Sioux and Cheyennes
The Omahas and Winnebagos, under
Major Booth, proved themselves
equally effective as irregular cavalry.
In later Indian campaigns General
Crook and General Custer used the
Grows and Shoshone Indians against
the Sioux and Cheyennes, and while
the Crows were rather unreliable and
difficult to keep within proper control,
and the Shoshones were sometimes
panicky and cowar1ly, still they were
faithful to the Government. There are
now about 800 Indians armed, equipped,
drilled and in the pay of the United
States and designated as "scouts.n OF
these less than 100 are in Arizona,
while the balance are scattered through
New Mexico and the Department of the
Platte. They have proved themselves
to be superior as scouts, couriers and
messengers to the ordinary lazy white
lOafer to be found about all frontier
posts, drinking and Boosting and self
styling themselves Government
scouts The only. objection to the
use of Indians in warfare on the frontier
is their natural objection to serving
aga nst their own tribe. The Apache
scouts could be used to good advantage
in the Department of the Platte among
the Sioux and Cheyennes, or even the
Uncompagre and White River Utes, but
it would be folly to attempt to use them
against their own tribe and relations. -
San Francisco Examiner.