The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-07
The FORSYTH CASE.
The Correspondence Between
SchOfield and Miles.
WHY THE COLONEL WAS RELIEVED
Noble Opposes Placing the Agencies in Charge
OF Military Men-The Situation at
Pine Ridge.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.-The following
correspondence in regard to Colonel For
syths case is made ublic today. Under
date of December 80, General Schofield
telegraphed General Miles expressing the
belief that he would soon be master of the
situation and asked that his thanks be
given to 1.-THE brave Seventh cavalry for
their splendid conduct
Under date of January l, Miles tele-
g~aphed Schofeld as follows: s'Your tele-
gram of congratulations to the Seventh
cavalry is received, but as the action of the
colonel commanding will be a matter of
serious consideration and will undoubtedly
be the subject OF Investigation, | thought
it proper TO advise you. In view of the
above facts do you wish your telegram
transmitted as it was sent? 1t is stated
that the disposition of the 400 soldiers and
four companies of artillery was fatally de-
fective and large number of soldiers
killed and wounded by the fire of their own
ranks and very large number of women
| and children were killed in addition to
the men,
General Schofield telegraphed his reply
aspect of the case presented in your tele-
gram OF yesterday, it will be better not to
deliver my message to the Seventh cavalry
| until L have seen your report after the in
Vesugatlon you propose, Therefore you
will please withhold ituntil further advised
by me-
He also telegraphed General Miles again
on the same day, as follows: Your dis
patch to me yesterday and that to the adju-
| t1nt-pnnpcol n 10 ont
and IN reply the secretary of war directs
me to say, The President has heard with
great regret of the failure of your efforts
to secure settlement with the Sioux with
out bloodshed. He suggests possibly a
Watchful observation of hostile bands that
would prevent their breaking into the set
tlement and give the Indians time to re-
cover from their present excitement, would
be well, but he leaves all this to your bet
ter information and discretion and would
not have you omit anything that is neces
sary to protect settlers. He supposes the
report of the killing of women and children
in the affair at Wounded Knee unfounded,
and directs you to cause an immediate in
qulry to be made and report the result to
the department. If there was any I'M
soldierly conduct you will relieve the re
sponsible officer and so use the troops en-
gagged there as to avoid its repetition
Il wish to add to the Presidents sug-
gestlon the hope, which l still entertain in
spite OF the unfortunate accidents which
have occurred, that you may be able, by
convincing the Indians that the purposes of
the army are not hostile to them, but on
the contrary, friendly, and dictated by a
desire to secure to them future peace and
prosperity, to obtain their surrender with
out further confiict.n
General Miles telegraphed General Soho
held, under date of January 5, as follows
1.-The directions of the President and YOUR
self is just the action l had anticipated and
taken. Nearly all of the Sixth and Ninth
cavalry and Seventh and Seventeenth infan
try, with 100 Indian scouts, are practically on
three sides of them, along Beaver, White
river and Porcupine, with General Brooke
in command This may hold them in
check. l am in close communication with
them and have informed them that the only
safe road is toward the agency and about
half are anxious to come in. The others
are making desperate efforts to keep all al
war. | consider it very important that the
five officers that [ recommended be placed
IN charge of the agencies. Please inform
me if this is approved or disapproved
81 have a very great amount of informa
lion concerning the conspiracy. 1t involved
all the tribes in the northwest and the wilG
tribes in Indian Territory. Sitting Bull
would have been the head and a move was
to strike west to where the ghost delusior
acknowledgements"
General Schofeld received a telegram
from General Miles at Pine Ridge dated
January 5, as follows: ''In accordance
with your telegram and the President:
order have detailed a board of officer:
consisting of Colonel Carr of the Sixth
cavalry; Major Kent, of the Fourth
infantry, and Captain Baldwin of the
Fifth infantry to investigate the affair a
Wounded Knee. Is this in conformity witt
the Presidents directions and does ht
, direct that it constitute court of inquiry
with the power to take testimony under
oath!
Colonel Forsyth's command consisted O.
twenty six officers and 453 men. AM
eightytwo Indians and sixty women ant
children were buried on the ground
A have relieved Colonel Forsyth from hi
, command"
General Schofield telegraphed to Genera
, Miles on the 9th as follows: ''In reply t.
, your telegram of yesterday am directed b,
the secretary of war to inform you that i
was not The intention of the President to ar
point court of inquiry nor to order, at thi
time, in the middle of a campaign, an
further inquiry than you could yoursel
make without the necessity of court. tn
: purpose being simply to determine whethe
5 any officer had been so far derelict in hi
+ duty as to make it necessary to relieve hir
, from command, such result to follow upo
the inquiry which you were expected t
cause to be made. You were expected your
self first to inquire into the facts, and i
the event of its being disclosed there ha
been unsoldierly conduct to relieve the re
sponSiDle officer. The directions of tn
. President were suggested by your tele
, gram of the 1st inst TO me''