Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-07-03
river for Sitting Bulls party. Tn
June Of that year Lieut.. Col. Forsyth,
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June Of that year Lieut.. Col. Forsyth,
Gen. Sheridans military secretary,
with Lieut.. L. d. Grant, A. d. g., Z
officers and 100 men, asccnded the
Yellowstone by steamboat 43O miles
and returned without cncountering
any hostilcs. The Sitting Bull fac
tion, however, continued to be disaf-
fccted, and rumors were dispatched
to notify them to give themselves up
ut the agencies by the 31st Of the fol-
lowing January, or war would be de-
clared.
TIE SITTING BULL WAR.
The savnges chose the latter alter
native, and it was determined to sub
due them with II strong torcc. On
March LIST, 1876, Gen. Cock, with SS3
men, set out from Fort Fetterman
on the North Platte. rive, and after
scouting along tho Tongue and Rose
bud. struck across, through deep snow
and bitter cold, to the Powder rivcr,
where, OH March, 18th, he attacked
and defcnted Crazy Horse, returning
to Fort Reno on the Dist. This ex-
pedition was not satisfactory in its
results, and larger onc was at once
ordered into the field. On May 18th,
Gen. Cook again left Fort Fcttcrman
with about 1000 men, and reaching
tho Rosebud, had IN indecisiyc fight
with tho Sioux on the 18th Of June.
Meanwhile, Oh May 18th, Gen. Terry,
with 400 Infantry and 600 Of the 7th
Cavalry under Lieut.. Col Custer, left
Fort Abraham Lincoln opposite Bis
mark, and reached the mouth of Pow
der river June 9th, and the mouth Of
the Juno Dist. Simultaneous with
these movements Col. John Gibbon,
7th Infantry, with his regiment and
$50 men of the 7th Cavalry, marched
from Fort Ellis down the Yellowstone
to point opposite the Rosebud.
After the combination was effected ut
the lattcr point. Terry, Gibbon and
Custer concerted plan for debating
Il o Indians on the Little Bghorn.
and Rosebud. Gibbon went BY boat
up the Little Bighorn, and Custer,
who marched with the 7th Ca,alry:up
the Rosebud, .unhappily anticipated,
in his zeal, the arrival OF Gibbon, and
attacked the Sioux, who overwhelmed
and mcrcelessly siaughteredeyery Of
ficcr and soldier engaged i'll tho fight.
Rcinforcemcnts wore promptly sent
into tho Territory until Cooks force
numbcd LTD, and Terry's 1878. Tho
Indians retreated, however, toward
Tongue river, and could not be entic-
cd again into fight, and the military
forces were eventually withdrawn in
the fall from Montana, excepting the
9Th Infantry, under Col. Miles, who
had come up from Kansas to take
part in suppressing tho savagcs, and
who was left behind to construct Il
cantonment Oh the Yellowstone ut the
mouth of Tongue river. by tho BRAY
cry and energy Of this command the
valley was almost immediately open
ed for settlement. The summers
demonstration had proven worse than
fruitlcss, the hostiles remaining mas
tors OF the situation, with the added
prestige Of wholesale victory, such
as they had never before achieved
The turning point, however, had beer
reached. Leaving about $50 to build
tho cantonment, the remains which
arc still visible near Fort kcogh, Col
Miles with 42O Of the 9Th Infantry
pursued and overlook Sitting Bull ut
Cedar Crock, Oh Oct. Dist, and chas.
cd him over tho Yellowstone, after
separating the Indians into two bod.
les, one of which, under Crazy Horse
escaped up the Powder river; the
other under Sitting Bull, moving
northward. The latter were vigorous.
ly followed early in November, and
the country between the M,lsclcshel
river and the Dry Fork Of tho Mis-
souri, was thoroughly secured by tho
troops, marching on foot through the
rough, bad-lands in deep snow and
bitter cold The brilliant pursni,
was repeated by the same command
ut the end OF December, and again il
May, 1877, the hostiles being thorough.
ly whipped successiycly on the Red
water, among tho Wolf Mountains
and in the Rosebud valley, until q
large portion surrendered at the agen
cies and the remainder sought refuge
across tho British border. The sol
diers had marched over 1000 miles
and, by their persistcncy, opened 4O(
miles Of river land to settlement. II
September, 1877, Col. Miles, by arap
id flank movement, overlook, ut til,
Bear Paw mountains, n largo party o.
Ncz Pcrces under Chief Joseph, OF
their way from Idaho to join Sitting
Bull in Canada, and compelled thcil
surrender, with some losses on botl
sides. The year 1878 was occupied
in completing Fort Keogh, and il
opening roads and building telegraph
lines, until September 4th when Col
Miles defeated a force OF Bannocks
who were seeking to force their wa,
from Idaho to tho buffalo grounds in
Montana In 1870 Col. Miles made 4
10 ;onnoissance in force north Of til,
Missouri, and broke up for the time
the illict traffic in arms and ammuni
ton by which the northern hostiles
ure kept supplied through the agencJ
of large party OF Red River half
breeds.
Circus Men Arrested.
The Intw-Mountain says: Unde,
Sheriff Bodley returned from Helena
bringing with him W. ". Cole, own
| or and ,nnnnt,or. NTuvyn1l prncu u,ropt