New-York tribune., 1890-03-22
GENERAL CROOK.

GENERAL tHDOh.
After nearly forty years in the service OF MS
country General Crook has followed Grant ana
sheridan and other heroes of our Civil War.
In the history of that war his name VIII al
ways hold a most honorable place Few Ancn-
cans of mature years are ignorant oi MS E'i-
liant campaigns in the Nifgina>, his heroi>In
ON ihe bloody fields Of Antciam and 'hicka-
mauga. and his brilliant leadership OF the cav
airy Of the Army Of the Potomac, whicn con
tinued until he saw Lee lay down his sword al
AppomattoX. For General Crook the war was
a time of constant and pcrilou> activity. f"f
him there was neither lettering in garr>onN
nor delaying at Washington. but his place was
alwavS in the field. and his work a~ a cavalry
commander is glorious page IN our military
records.
Less glorious yet hardly less dangerous. was
the part which this re,oufc soldier was called
upon 10 play when the war was done NJ
ready. on his graduation from West Point, he
had been ordered 10 Suhduc hostile Indians. ana
after the war his country needed his services
again in the wild campaigns OF the Far West
/, would be misleading to say that General
Crook first earned his reputation aS mn Indian
fighter i'm the course of his command in ldAho.
but il is certain that his splendid record caused
his ASSIGNMENT 70 the disturbed and difficult
Dj>tlic, Of Arizona. No post could h1N" been
moro uninli'Ing For years southwestern
warfare had been conducted on the simple piin-
cjllc of killing Indians. good or bad. wherever
found In ISG9 General ord reported that th"
maintenance of troops ON that frontier was
costing the Government $4,000. 600 year
He himself said that he hunted the Apachcs
- though they were wild animals. and tine
Apachcs. seeing themselves hunted doNH.
robbed BY agent, and traders. and oven mas
sacred when a. peace. a, happened near l"i'
Grant in ISL fought with all the desperation
of animals al bay such were tho conditions
which confronted General Ciool, when. he On
tered Arizona in 1872. His ii~' stop WIS T."
teach the hostile Apache. the necessity 81 oh"di-
cncc. and they learned il after an oNof"hcim.
ing defeat in ihoir stronghold IN the Ionio
Basin Then tine ApachcS learned that TN,
great warrior the invncihlc "Gmy Eagle -
they termed him always kept his word. II
was cardinal principle with General Crook
that the truth wa, the sa.u' '0r the red man
and for the white II De- Iiad succeeded IN
carrying ont his own plans for the 'hnirahua~
who were placed upon srp1rat" reservation
conveniently near the Mexican frontier wc
should have heard les, Of Southwestern Indian
troubles in subsequent years. The same prn-
ciplos guided his Northwestern campaigns
against the powerful Sioux and the Chcycnnc'
from 1873 TO 1877. The activity, energy AMI
brilliant gcncmlship of the campaigns which
subducd the Northwestern tribes have made
them memorable in the history OF our Indian
wars.
General Crook s second command in Arizona
will be recognized by history aS illustrating not
only heroic bravery, but also sWut OF JUS
ticc. and worthy purpose to make these In
dians sclf-suppoiting and scf-rcspocuns beings
When he returned to Arizona in So he found
the lands of the Apachcs oycrrln with squat
tcrs and the Indians themselves living IN air
cct idlenc,s, and harlsscd by trcachcry de
ccit and abuse. He secured for them their
rights. When. in lSS3. the Chiricahua, broke
out from the reservation unwscly chosen for
them near the frontier. General Crook followed
! them into the Businesses of the sierra Madl",
and secured the surrender of the band. This
campaign Will remain one of the most brilliant
exploits in the records Of our Indian wars.
When these Indians had been taught that they
must Weld General Crook proved 10 them that
| his word was GOOu. anu lidl lh'lI N'Ildi' WAS
his concern. They were encouraged in piac-
tica way to occupy themselves with agriculture,
and in the two years of General Crook com
pIctc control his constructive policy proved aS
! successful aS his policy of swift and certain
punishment of wrongdoing. We need not dwell
upon the causes Of the outbreak Of 1880. II
is enough to say that most Of the hostile In
dians were rccaptured by General Crook in the
early spring Of 1856. Considering the pc
cuar difficulties which he encountered in his
Southwestern experiences and the injustice of
criticisms, often interested, which we're made
upon his work, il is not strange that he should
have desired change 10 less eXacting and less
ngraciouS duty.
But his record cannot be dimmed. II is
the record of one who soldier was al
ways ready to punish hostile Indians, while
as Il citizen he always just. truthful
and anxious TO build mp rather than TO de
stroy. To General Crook the Indian
not reptile to be crushed, but "A human being
capable, with the exercise of patience, justice