The age-herald., 1898-08-17
WARS WITH
 THE INDIANS

There was some fear that the withdrawal of garrisons from the frontiers would be followed by outbreaks of the redskins out fortunately nothing of the kind has occur red. It may be that the Indians lacked any provocation for revolt, and without proyocation from the whites the redskins have seldom gone on the warpath.
 Indian wars have been frequent in the United States. During the early days Of the settlement of America there were con stant struggles with the aborignes. When the settlers were unable to buy land for wampum, beads or rum they would seize it, and the objections by the primitive races would be followed by bloodshed. Wendell Phillips said that from Massa- chusetts Bay back to their own hunting grounds nearly every few miles tis written down in imperishable record as a spot where the scanty, scattered tribes made A stand for justice and their own rights.
 It is not alone during these early days
 that wars have been waged with the h.
 dians They have lasted almost down to today. Since 1880 there have been twen- ty-one of these wars and the last genera
 tion of the two covered by that period
 
 These are not such trivial wars as one would think. They have failed to attract attention because, being fought always on the frontier and not being felt by the people of the east nor in any sense his tory-making, they have been almost ig- nored, even at the times when they were fought. Yet these wars have cost the Unit ed States s100,0OO0OO for the fighting of them alone, and have sacrificed the lives of thousands of American soldiers and settlers. The war with the Cheyennes in 1864, for instance, caused about 5000 troops to be taken from the armies engaged in suppressing the rebellion to fight the In- dians. The result of the years campaign was the killing of fifteen or twenty of the barbarians at cost of $1. 900 apiece, while hundreds of soldiers lost their lives and many more border settlers were butch cred. Taking all the wars together, Loss ing estimates that for every Indian war rior killed fifteen soldiers have lost their lives
 Glancing back over the period since 1880, the first war was with Black Hawk. It was an outbreak of the Sacs and Foxes under the leadership of one of their chiefs in 1881. because of the violation of treaty
 made by the federal government. The whites encroached on territory that had been allotted to the Indians Black Hawk resisted the survey of land at Rock Island and crossed the Mississippi. General Att kinson was sent against him, but cholera breaking out among the troops destroyed whole companies, in one case only nine surviving out of POS. Atkinson was re-en- forced, and with a force vastly superior to Black Hawks after several skirmishes met the chief August i. 1892, on the Bad Axe River Black Hawk being defeated, retreated, ard after other skirmishes was captured by friendly Indians. He died in 1S3S The war cost $2,000,00O
 
 The second Seminole war, fought in 1885, 42 cost the United States $40.000,000 Gen. eral Wiley Thomson was sent by Jackson to remove the Seminoles from Florida to beyond the Mississippi by. force if neces- sary. During a barley with Osceola the general became incensed and imprisoned the chiefjn irons for a day. Oseeola vow ed revenge, and began a war that lasted seven years. By bravery, skill, strategy and treachery, he overmatched the United States troops sent against him and com manded by some of the best officers in the service but he was secured and sub dued finally by an act of seeming neces- sary perfidy on the part of the United States officers. Osceoa began by ambush ing Major Dade December 2S. 1885, and killing all but four of his hundred men, He surprised General Thomson and a party of five friends who were dining and killed them scalpne the general with his own hands. Then followed other raids extended into Georgia and Alabama at- tacks on stage coaches and steamboats. and finally raids on villages that compelled thousands of settlers to desert the settle ments. Osceola made his headuuarters in the Everglades, where the troops could not follow him, and from that safe retreat
 made his sorties. Osceola was captured by General Jessup, then in charge of the American forces. The chief came to see Jessup under a flag of truce, but Jessup disregarded the truce, and, causing him to be bound, sent the chief as prisoner to Charleston, where he died of fever Osce- ola's followers continued to seek revenge for four years more. when this long and costly war was ended by treaty of peace. -
 The Oregon war began in 1851, when the Indians resisted the settlement of the coun- | try by the whites. There was a fight at the Rogue River on June 23, which was won by Major Kearney. Two years later war broke out again. and treaty of peace was signed but in 1855 volunteer company made an attack on an Indian camp at the mouth of | Battle Creek killing twenty-three and wounding hundreds during the night When | daylight came it was found that the dead 1 were mostly old men, women and children | and the Indians began a bitter struggle. | which cost hundreds of lives on either side. l The cost of the war was placed at $ ,SS9,- 1 996.
 1 The California Indian war of 1S54-59 cost | half million dollars, and was due to the | resistance of the Indians to the sttlement of their lands. similar war was that of | 1861 in New Mexico.
 | More serious was the bloody struggle with | the CheyennaE and Arapahoes in 1S61-65 | these tribes had been peaceful, but many
 treaties made by them had been broken, and in 1S61 losing confidence in the honor | of the white race, they began hostilities. | While negotiations for a peace were pend- l ing Colonel Chivington destroyed a Chey- l enne village, killing 100 men, women and l children. A war more fierce than ever fol- | lowed, in which the United States lost | several hundred soldiers and was put to 1 an expense of $40 100000.
 The Minnesota Indian war. of 1862 was | waged by Sioux, who, under the leadership | of Little Crow. attacked Forts Ridgely and