The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-11-25

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cred with adyersity,
With great respect, yours truly,
w. L. SHERMAN, Lieutenant-General.
WASHINGTON, D. c., !
2 p. m., Feb. 10, 1868.
Lieut. Gen. W. T. SHERMAN,
St Louis Mo:
| have Just received, with Gen. Grants in
dorsement of reference, your letter to me o.
the fourteenth Oath inst.
The order 10 which you refer was made in
good faith, and with view to the best inter
ests of the country and the service: as, how
ever, your assignment to new military
| divis on seems so Objectionable, you will re-
tain your present command.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
On that same 18th of February he
appointed Adj't-Gen. Lorenzo Thomas
to be Secretary of War ad interim,
which finally resulted In the articles of
impeachment and trial of President
johnson before the Senate. / was a
witness ON that trial, but of course the
lawyers would not allow me to express
any opinion of the Presidents motives
or intentions, and restricted me to the
| facts set forth in the articles of impeach-
ment, Of which l was glad to know
nothing.
The final test vote revealed less than
two-thirds, and the President was con-
sequently acquitted. Mr.. Stanton re-
signed. Gen. Schofeld, previously NOM
mated, was confirmed as Secretary of
War, thus putting an end to what ought
never to have happened at all.
INDIAN PEACE COMMISSION.
On the Goth of July, 1867, President
johnson approved an act TO establish
peace with certain hostile Indian tribes,
the first section of which reads as fol-
lows:
"Be 1t enacted, etc, That the Presi-
dent of the United States be and is
hereby authorized to appoint a commits
sion to consist of three C3) officers of
the Army not below the rank of Briga-
dier-General, who, together with n. G..
Taylor, Commissioner of Indian Affairs /;
John B. Henderson, Chairman of the
Committee of Indian Affairs of the
Senate; S. f. Tappan, and John B.
Sanborn, shall have power and authority
to call together the chiefs and head men
Of such bands or tribes of Indians as are
now waging war against the United
States, or committing depredations on the
people thereof, to ascertain the alleged
reasons for their acts Of hostility, and
in their discretion, under the direction of
the President, to make and conclude
with said bands or tribes such treaty
stipulations, subject to the action Of the
Senate, as may remove all just causes of
complaint on their part, and at the same
time establish security for person and
property along the lines of railroad now
being constructed to the Pacific and
other thoroughfares of travel to the
Western Territories, and such as will most
likely insure civilization for the Indians,
and peace and safety for the whites"
The President named as the military
members Lieut.-Gen. Sherman, Brig
Gems. A. II. Terry and w. S. Harvey.
Subsequently, to insure a full attendance,
Brighten. G. c. Augur was added to
the Commission, and bis name will be
found on most of the treaties.
The Commissioners met at St. Louis,
and elected n. g. Taylor. the Com
missioner of Indian Affairs, President :;
j. b. Sanborn, Treasurer, and A. s. II.
White, esq, of Washington, d. c., Sec
retary.
The year 1867 was too far advanced
to complete the task assigned during that
season, and it was agreed that steam
boat (St. Johns should be chartered to
convey the Commission up the Missouri
River, and we adjourned to meet at
Omaha. In the St. Johns the Com
mission proceeded up the Missouri
River, holding informal talks" with
the Santees at their agency near the
Niobrara, the Yanktonnais at Fort
Thompson, and the Ogallsllas, Mime
conjous. Sans Arcs, etc, at Fort Sully.
From this point runners were sent
out to the Sioux occupying the country
west of the Missouri River, to meet us in
council at the Forks of the Platte that
Fall, and to Sitting Bulls band of out
law Sioux and the Crows on the upper
Yellowstone, to meet US in May, 1868,
at Fort Laramie.
We proceeded up the river to the
mouth of the Cheyenne and turned back
to Omaha, having ample time on this
steamboat to discuss and deliberate on
the problems submitted to our charge.
We all agreed that the nomad In
dians should be removed from the
vicinity of the two great railroads then
in rapid construction, and be localized
on one or other OF the two great reserva-
tions south Of Kansas and north of Ne
braska; that agreements, not treaties,
should be made for their liberal main
tenance as TO food, clothing, schools, and
farming implements Tor 10 years, DUR
ing which time we believed that these
Indians should become selfsupporting.