The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-11-19
General Sheridans Annual Report.


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,
at the different agencies. The exceedingly
annoying condition Of having a 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
him, and have submitted to the authority of
the Government. So long as this body of
Indians remained across the line, they
formed a nucleus with whom all dissatisfied
or disaffected ones, at 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 a warrior, and had no prestige
among Indians on that account, still he was
stubborn in his resistance to the Govern
ment reservations system, and naturally had
many adherentS among the disaffected. His
original Offense was his refusal to go to the
reservation of his tribe-the Uncapapas-at
Standing Rock; he wanted to live wild. He
was not chief in that tribe, but was the
leader of a small band OF about sixty lodges,
who held with him the same feelings of Bit
ter opposition toward being civilized. He
was in the outskirts Of the fight with cas-
Toy. Int I5,, Oft
ward struck out with his small band for
British Columbia, being subsequently fol-
lowed, from necessity, by other bands of
Sioux. L have seen in newspapers long ac-
counts and narratives purporting to be de-
scriptions of the Custer battle, as related by
Sitting Bull, which have, in my opinion,
but little truth in them, and historians are
cautioned against receiving them as correct.
The Northern Cheyennes and the Ogallala
SiouX-the former under two or three Of
their principal chiefs, and the latter, under
Crazy Horse, as their leaders--did the fight
Ing at the battle Of the Little Horn, when
Custer fell.o
Referring to the Departments Of the
Platte and the Missouri, he says that "al-
| though they have had plenty Of time, the
Uncompahgre 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 the
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-
] R...N - . L. L Al II
compahgre and the White River Utes will
reach their respective destinations with
out serious trouble. Still, some fears
are entertained that they may not
go there, and this impression has so firmly
! settled itself in the mind 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. l am afraid, however, that
little can be done toward carving 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 a peaceful solu-
ton and settlement OF this complication
without necessity for military operations. 4"
"In the Department of the Missouri, small
raiding parties Of Apache Indans-the rem
nant OF Victoria's band, joined by few
young men from the Mescalero reservation,
in all not to exceed sixty in number-caused
widespread alarm and serious loss OF hui
man life in Southern New Mexico last win
ter. The band came in from Mexico, south
/ 81 4 off a
of extraordinary bOldness, recrossed into
Mexico near their point OF entrance. They
killed a number of people, and, am
sorry to say, received but little pun
ishment in return. This same band
re -entered Southern New Mexico in July
and raided the same region of country, kill :
ing Lieutenant e. w. Smith, 9th cavalry,
and several people, and again escaping into
Mexico without serious loss so far as have
been able to learn from any official data re-
ceived at these headquarters. l would adj
wise that, if possible, the consent Of the
Mexican Government be obtained for our
troops to cross and catch this small band OF
free-booters, or at feast 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
it 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 bacR
again, on the south side OF the line between
Indian Territory and the State OF Kansas,
while the intruders marched to and fro, IL
Kansas, on the north side Of the same line
The question, as | understand it,, is this
Congress bought certain lands from
Ind halo IN 20,