New-York tribune., 1881-09-11
INDIAN WARFARE.


Ii by no means argues any lack of public con-
fidcnce III the skill of General Carr or the steady
courage of his command that the first rumors
of massacre in the Apache country were so
readily accepted as true. Nobody ever doubted
the caution OF Candy or the galantry of Custer
and his officers and men, for their sodicrshD
had been proved in the war of the Rebellion
But these recent slaughters, compassed by
| treachery or surprise, were 10y no means UNIQUE
experiences of our troops in Indian wars Mas
sacres OF this sort began rs soon as our army
was fairly organized after the adoption of the
Constitution. Some OF our most experienced
officers in the Revolutionary War fell in Wash
lngtons Administration precisely as Custer fell
five years ago. These repeated disasters have
been such striking events in our history that
in every trouble with the Indians the constant
dread of some crushing and cruel defeat by
overwhelming numbers is not at all unnatural.
The Apaches are as willy and as warlke as the
Sioux or the Seminoles or the Miamis They
have the same advantage of thorough knowl-
edge OF their fighting ground and superiority
of numbers, and the same utter faithlcssness
which, as it would seem, civilized soldiers can
never be educated to guard against WHY.
then, should the country be surprised to hear
that the tragedy of the Little Big Horn had
been once more enactedG Indeed, it appears
that General Carr was actually BETRAYED by
Indians whom he had trusted. How many more
"triendlies" of this sort in his camp would
have been needed to make this highly Sue
cessful massacre of the regulation pattern
1T is worth noting that the very first regiment
OF United States regular troops attached to
Iarmar's expedition before it had been fairly
Organized was practically surprised and cut to
pieces in 1870, and its commander, the brilliant
Major WHY'S who had distinguished himself
at Yorktown, and in fact all through the war.
met an untimcly fate. 1t was to avenge this
defeat that st. Clair's expedition was sent out
the next year, and that officer was specially en-
joined by Washington to guard against sur
PRISE There were now two regular regiments
III the tield-the LIST and 2d Infantrv-apd
once more before sudden onset of superior
numbers General Butler, one of the best of Rcvo-
lItionary soldiers, with Majors Ferguson. Heart
and Kirkwood, and the very flower of our ex
perienced officers and men were put to death.
That this disastrous experience of our infant
army has been SO often repeated under like cir
cumstances argues some fundamental defect in
our method OF Indian warfare. Perhaps the
fault lies with the sentiment behind the army.
There is a strong and praseworthy public
opinion in favor of dealing with warlike In
dians as If they were enlightened Christian
Toes but as soon rs they commit any act of
savagery the same gentle sentiment impels lis
to overlook the crime as excusable, because its
perpetrators are not enlightened Christians, but
chlldlike and irresponsible heather.
1t certainly is as illogical and absurd to treat
an uncivilized foe as if he were civilized asst
would be to deal with an enliphtened enemy AS