Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-11-07

of the late massacre. some thirty M ies
north. remeIb sring, probably, how ef-
fective these inS itutious were as defense
against Indians during his experience in
Oregon before The rebellion when only a
young L eutenant. and where he had made
record in The fight against the savages
at the Cascades. on the Columbia river.
These block houses Were hurriediy but
securely built, after. plans, carefully con-
structed under the Generals personal di-
rection; they did effective service in the
era of their usefulne ess, AMI one may be
yet seen in the midst of ma gnifcent
agricultural picture. not far from the his
toric Spillman creek in Lincoln County.
They were garrisoued in those dark and
troublous days of the border by COM
panies of the States militia, ordered there
by the Governor at the request and sug-
gestion of General Sheridan.
Such troops of the famous Seventh reg
ular cavalry and those of the Tenth (com-
manded by the epid1Srierson, of South
ern raid notoriety as could be spared from
their respective stations were kept scout
ing in .he valleys of the Saline, Elkhorn,
Beaver, Sappa and other streams. while
preparations were actively pushed for the
march of the great winter campaign, in
which movement General Sheridan was
to take. the field in person.
The officers who commanded 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 dropped un-
til annihilation was its fate. 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; O. her 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 sentence of suspen-
sion from rank and duty for period of one
year. By the kindly Interference of Cen
eral Sheridan, who needed him at this
particular juncture for the prestige of his
presence in the field, the unexpired portion
of the sbeau sabreur's" penance was re-
mitted and be joined his regiment at Fort
Harker before all the details for the pro-
posed expedition had been perfected.
The idea of a successful campaign
against the Indians in the dead of winter,
when the ground was coy cred with snow,
the streams frozen and the unceasing de-
mand to be made upon the cavalry horses,
with the grass ali withered and nutrition
less, was considered as only fraught with
disaster as to probable results; at least, so
thought old army officers, veteran plains
men and others of experience on the bor-
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
tilery (Gatling batteries); 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 ana tfalsprs fc, ifs lsstst eer s4y
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 US
who were called into the Generals coun-
sci from early lamp-light until the next
mornings sun shone into the windows 1t
was serious outlook; the whole frontier
had been assailed. Through the Repub-
Iican and Smoky Hill valleys and in Mar
IOu, 6Ieeuh OOl COunLl0S 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 diabolical character-in
fact. the whole frontier was assailed.
Simultaneous attacks were made by the
Kiowas, Cheyennes and Arapahoes upon
the engineering parties and tracklayers
of the Kansas Pacific railroad, which was
then pushing westward across the State
L 4 .Iz--&
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 81, 1867,
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 1853 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 and cap
turing large amount of stock. In Au-
gust, at the very moment a portion of
the tribes were receiving their arms and
ammunlIlOn at FOrt Ldrned, according to
the stipul ations, of the treaty of the pre7i-
Gus October, 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 adj
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, have
stated, and inaugurated his cee-
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 be-
levers in the Peace Commission and the
ridiculous protestations of the East against
any war with the 'tNation's wards" as the
Indians, in an over-zealous, humane feel
ing, were termed.
Many skirmishes IS wit b detached bands of
the savages occurred during the summer
previous to the Inauguration of the winter
campaign. the principal among which
were: Captain Arms encounter on Aug
fI, h<,-. =o7f hum Tod