The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-02

treat, and It Is probable that neither
army was well supplied with cartridges
at the close of this protracted though
desultory struggle. He adds that "Gen.
Curtis was forced to fall back into Mis-
souri," and that the "total abandon
ment of their enterprise of subjugation
in Arkansas is the most conclusive evil
dence in the world that the Federals
were worsted by Gen. Van DORM" but
fails to mention the fact that the Con-
federate army was also compelled to fall
back to a region less wasted and ex-
hausted than that which for many miles
surrounded the well-fought field of Pea
Ridge.
THE REBEL INDIANS.
AS this was the only important battle
in which Indians in considerable
numbers took part, and as they were all
found fighting-or, more strictly. yell
ing-on the side Of the Confederacy, a
few words of explanation may be per-
tinent.
We have seen that the important
aboriginal tribes known to us as Creeks
and Cherokees, holding from time i'm
memorial extensive and desirable terri
tories, mainly within the States of North
Carolina and Georgia, but extending
also into Tennessee and Alabama, were
constrained to surrender those lands to
the lust of the neighboring whites, and
migrate across the Mississippi.
Their Chiefs had been early corrupted
in their old homes by the example and
practice among their white neighbors of
slaveholding-a practice novel indeed,
but eminently congenial to the natural
Incidence and pride of the savage
character. They, consequently, adhered
to it in their new location; and, since
to hold slaves was a proof of wealth
and Importance, nearly every one who
by any means obtained property ex-
changed part of it for one or more
negroes; who, if they did not by labor
increase his wealth, were certain, by
flattery and servility, to magnify his
conscious Importance. Thus thoroughly
saturated with
THE VIRUS OF sLAyEHOLDING,
the most civilized Indian tribes fell an
easy prey to the arts of the Confederate
emissaries. The agents through whom
they received their annuities and trans
acted most Of their business with the
Federal Government, had nearly always
been Democratic politicians-of course,
Proslavery, and generally Southern
and for the last eight years emphatically
so.
These agents had little difficulty, at
the outset of the rebellion, in persuad-
ing their Chiefs that the old Union wa.
irrecoverably destroyed; that it was
scarcely probable that an effort would
be made to restore it; and that, at all
events, their interests and their safety
dictated an alliance with that Con
federacy which was their immediate
neighbor, and of which the conservation
and perpetuity Of slaveholding was the
most cherished idea
Some of those Chiefs have since in.
sisted that they were deceived by the
Confederate emissaries, and especially
by Gen. Albert Pike, Chief Commits
sioner for Indian Affairs of the Con
federacy, who had led them to confound
that concern with the Union. What il
certain is, that, directly after tiding:
reached them of the battles of Bull
Run and Wilson's Creek-the latter re
ported to them from that side as com
pIete discontinue Of the North, which
view the undoubted death of Lyon and
abandonment of Springfield tended
strongly to corroborate-the Chiefs Of
most of the tribes very generally entered
into close offensive and defensive ALI
ance with the Confederacy; even so eau
tious and polite a diplomatist as John
Ross throwing his weight into that
scale.
1t is said that, after the death o.
Lyon, Ben McCulloch's brigade Of
Texans was marched back to the In.
dian border, and that the Creeks and
Cherokees were impressively required tc
decide quickly between the North and
the South; else. betwixt Texas on the
one side and Arkansas on the other, a
force of 10000 Confederates would
speedily ravage and lay waste their
country. They decided accordingly.
Yet very large minority of both
Creeks and Cherokees rallied around the
Chief Opothleyolo. made head against
the current, and
STOOD FIRM FOR THE UNION
Assembling near the Creek Agency,
they tore down the rebel flag there fly
ing and replanted the Stars and Stripes !;
and letter from Col. Mcintosh to the
True Democrat called loudly for rein.