The Iola register., 1889-11-08
by the Governor at the request and ssg.
9estion Of General Sheridan.

/
| gestion Of General Sheridan.
Such troops of the famous Seventh reg
| ular cavalry and those Of the Tenth (com-
manded by the intrepid Grierson, of South
| ern raid notorety) as could be spared from
their respective stations were kept scout
| ing in the valleys of tho Saline, Elkhorn.
Beaver, Sappa and otLer streams. while
| preparations were actively pushed for tho
march of the great winter campaign, in
| which movement General Sheridan was
| to take the field in person.
The officers who comm anded their COM
panies of the hen invincible Seventh on
these scouting expeditions were Keogh,
Yates, Custer and others, all Of whom
went to their death. but with flashing
sabers, in the bloody valley Of the Rose.
bud ten years afterwards. This famous
regiment, whose colors never drooped un-
til humiliation was its fat,, was scattered
over distance OF more than three hundred
miles; some companies at Fort Harker
(where were its headquarters), General
A. j. Smith, now auditor of st. Louis in
command; other troops at Forts Hays,
Wallace and Leavenworth; but the
gallant Custer-"the fair one with the
golden locks" the pride Of his reg.
iment, the fearless, dashing leader-was
absent, undergoing a sentence Of suspsn.
sion from rank and duty for a period Of one
year. By the kindly interference Of Gen.
eral Sheridan, who needed him at this
particular juncture for the prestige Of his
presence in the field, the unexpired portion
Of the ''beau sabreur's" penance was re.
mitted and he Joined his regiment at Fort
Harker before all the details for the pro.
posed expedition had been perfected.
The idea Of q successful campaign
against the Indians in the dead of winter,
when the ground was CO, cred with snow,
the streams frozen and the unceasing dc.
mand to be made upon the cavalry horses,
with the grass all withered and nutrition.
qess, was considered as only fraught with
disaster as to probable results; at least, 50
thought old army officers veteran plains.
men and others Of experience on tho Dor.
der. But with the military genius of
Sheridan as leader and almost plenary
power as to resources at his command, the
element of possible failure never entered
the great problem as a factor. The plan
for every contemplated movement, and its
contingent of probable changes, to their
most minute detail; the exact locality Of
each necessary depot Of supplies for the
troops and forage for the animals the dis.
position of the several arms of the service,
cavalry, infantry, sharpshooters, and ar.
tillery Coating battsries); the formation
of civilian scouts; the enlistment, or rather
employment, of friendly Indians as allies;
the amount of grain, number of men (non.
combatants) and animals required to
handle and transport it; in fact every
little detail upon which success might
depend. was carefully matured and
carefully calculated in the little
sitting room of my own quarters at Fort
Harker, requiring the presence Of all Of rs
who were called into the Generals coun-
sci from early lamp-light until the next
mornings sun shone into the windows. It
was . serious outlook; the whole frontier
had been assailed. Through the Repub.
lican and Smoky Hill valleys and in Mar
ion, Butler and Greenwood Counties on
the east and over all the central and
western portions of the State, the pioneer
settlers were constantly exposed to Indian
raids Of the most diaboIical character-in
fact the whole frontier was assailed.
Simultaneous attacks were made BY the
Kiowas, Cheyennes and Arapahoes upon
the engineering parties and tracklaysrs
of the Kansas Pacific railroad, which was
then pushing westward across the State
from Fort Harker, and it was evident that
all improvements must be abandoned un-
less prompt action was taken both by the
State and the General Government
The hostile demonstration, however, on
the part of the allied tribes really COM
menced the year before, almost imme-
diately after the farcical treaty made
at Medicine Lodge, on October q, 1857,
by the so-called Peace Commission, and
the Indians were by its provisions sup.
piled with arms ammunition and rations
necessary for the renewal Of hostilities;
for as soon as the spring Of 1868 fairly
opened, war party of about four hundred
Cheyennes and Arapahoes attacked the
settlements, raiding the State as far east
as Council Grove, numbering and
robbing the inhabitants aud cap
turing large amount Of stock. In Au.
gust at the very moment portion of
the tribes were receiving their arms and
ammunition at Fort Larned, according 10
the stipulations, of the treaty Of the previ.
Gus October, q party of Cheyennes were
engaged in one of their most cruel raids
in the northern part Of the State. Mitch.
ell Ottawa and Republic Counties were
attacked, the savages sweeping down the
beautifully timbered valleys, numbering
men, women and children as they ad.
vanced on their line of death and devasta-
tion.
The General, who was then at Fort
Leavenworth in command of the depart.
ment becoming convinced that An
extensive war was inevitable, moved
his headquarters to Fort Harker
on the Smoky Hill, as have
stated, and inaugurated his cele.
brated winter campaign. But he was ter.
ribly handicapped at first by the false
sympathy OF the Quaker policy at
Washington, the absurd ideas Of the bs.
lievers in ths Peace Commission and the
ridiculous protestations Of the East against
any war with the Nations wards" as the
Indians, in an over-sealous, humane feel.
ing. were termed.
CONTINUED neIt treel0
WHAT'S The MATTER WITH KANSAS!
A. c. Scott in Oklahoma journal.
JOURNAL:
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