News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-03-02
OF TIE CROWS.
A Notable Tribe--What Gen. Brisbin
says of Them

The Mountain UfoWB, as their name
indicates, says Gen. Brisbin, are noun
taineers, and hunt the mountain sheep
and wild goats along the crags of the
Big Horn. They are Almost as fleet as
the wild deer, and, like most people
raised among the mountains, are enter
prising in war to a degree that makes
them most terrible enemies to contend
with. They number 2,l5O souls, and
have associated With them 900 River
Grows and about $50 BaSneck and Nez
Perce Indians, who heve intermarried
and assimilated until tleig interests are
identical with thos--r esr Erows AMI
would naturally make HEM allies in
war. I know the Grow Indians well,
and have deep sympathy for them, and
L should regret exceedingly the neces-
sity of fighting them. No such neces-
sity can exist unless We make it, but
that we will make was necessary there
is no doubt, for the Crows have rich
lands and mines, which have excited the
cupidity of the white man, and when
the white mans curidity is once aroused
he will murder, rob or do anything to
crafty his appetite foi gain, and then
excuse his acts under the name of war.
Six years ago, in my headquarters at
Fort Ellis, Iron Bull. the venerable
chief of the Grows, asked me If there
was no way by which he could keep his
lands for his people frankly told him
knew of no way so likely to prevail as
| to fight for them. A lot of white men
had gotten up a scheme to give the
| Crows new reservation in the Judith
Basin, and the Governor had been in
duced to recommend their removal to
it. The Grows were greatly distressed,
and Iron Bull came to see me about it.
He said number of white men had
gone upon his reservation, built cabins
and taken up land. told him to go
down and put them off his land, pull
down their cabins and notify them if
they came back he would kill them. He
did so, and there the matter ended for
the time being. In 1876 in the midst
of a most terrible winter, on February
| % I was ordered down the Yellowstone
River from Fort Ellis, with instructions
to go to the mouth of the Big Horn and
relieve band of adEenturers who had
gone upon Sitting Bulls lands and were
surrounded and shut up in their fort.
The case was urgent, as the adventurers
had been fighting almost every day for
a month. Six had been killed outright,
nine wounded, and the remainder, some
seventeen, were reported out of provi-
sions and OH the eve of starvation. I
had but 400 men, while Sitting Bull,
knew, had 1, 800 warriors. The odds
were too great to think CT risking bat
tie, and applied to thyGovernor for
assistance. He had no lilitia, but au-
thorized me to call for volunteers. Three
small companies of about forty men
each were raised, but still felt 1 was
too weak to contend with Sitting Bull
should he desire to fight. In my ex-
tremity I called on Iron Bull to Come
to my aid, and, he at once offered me
fine body of $50 warriors. He also said
he would come to the mouth of Still
water, at the foot of the mountains, and
place his whole village within one hun
dred miles OF my distressed people and
be ready to support me with every man
he had. On our arrival at Saltwater
we found the Grows i'll camp, and Good
heart, with his warriors, waiting to join
us. The agency employees, about forty
in number, with Captain Clapp, broth
er of the agent, came also and brought
with them one piece of artillery. We
felt now quite strong and moved down
the beautiful valley tf the Yellowstone,
the Grows keeping Che advance the
whole way. The Sioux fell back and
uncovered Fort Pease, where our white
men were, and on the 9Th day of March,
1876, we relieved them. There were
seventeen white men and negro in the
fort, and they had but three days pro-
visions remaining when we reached
them.
Once, while serving at Ellis, heard
one of my companies of cavalry had
been cut off in the mountains and sur
rounded by Sioux. Knowing l could
not reach them in TINA to save them if
the report was true sent swift run
ner to Iron Bull, who was in that part
of the country with his village, and
asked him to send quickly a picked
body of warriors to the assistance of my
men. The old chiefs reply was as brief
as it was satisfactory. 81 had already
heard your young men were in trouble
before your runner came and sent to see
about it, 1t is not true. Your soldiers
have not seen the Sioux and are WELL"
On another occasion lieutenant, while
pursuing stolen stock with only seven
teen men, suddenly fOltae> --snself out
numbered by the Sioux. He fell back
fighting, and sent word to the Grows,
who promptly came to his assistance
and drove off the Sioux. ] might add A
hundred instances to their friendship
for the whites, but these will suffice.
The Grow Indians say they never killed
a white man except in self-defense, and
make this their boast. This is the tribe
the white men are now seeking to make
a war with and despoil them of their
lands. They may succeed, but they
will find that the Grows have many
warm friends, and that the soldiers of
the Second United States Cavalry (the
only cavalry in the Grow country will
not fight them if they San possibly
avoid it. For ten years the officers and
soldiers of this regiment made common
cause against the Sioux, and they would
not now willingly turn their arms upon
their old friends end allies in so many
campaigns.
The Crows from long association with
thr whites have learned perfectly their
methods of warfare and would prove
ugly customers to hanGle. They ride
in column, wheel by fours and under
stand the force of the concentrated
charge, massing and pressing, but their
great forte is individual warfare, steal
idg unawares upon their enemies and
making sudden attacks. Their great
war chief, Long Horse, was killed nine
years ago by the Sioux near Bakers
battle field, bnt they have many able
chiefs left who are capable of leading
the young men to war, Iron Bull is
now very old and utterly opposed to