Evening star., 1900-10-10
CAMPAIGNING WITH MILES.
Theme of q Lecture by Col. G. w
Baird.

The monthly meeting Of the Mems Club
at the Assembly Presbyterian Church, cor
ner of 9Th and streets northwest, which
was held last evening, was very largely
attended An address on Indian Campaign
ing With General Miles" was delivered by
Col. G. W. Baird. deputy paymaster gener-
al, U. S. A, who, during the campaigns to
which he referred, was chief of staff to
General Miles.
Col. Baird began his remarks by relating
some of the incidents of the Indian war
fare which began just after the close of
the civil war. at which time General Sher-
man was assigned to the command OF the
trans Miss iSsippi territory, with headquar-
ters at st. Louis He pointed out how the
effort was made by the government to open
a route along The north and east bases of
the Big Horn mountains, and established
Forts Reno, Phil Kearny and c. F. Smith.
The Indians resisted and. December Il, 1866
near Fort Phil Gearny they overwhelmed
and killed three officers and seventy-siX
men, who were commanded by Capt. Fetter-
man. This is known assthe Fort Phil kear-
ny massacre.
A treaty, the speaker said, was made in
1SjS whereby the government gave up that
lire and abandoned that country to the In
dians. The projection and survey of the
Northern Pacific railway, in the execution
OF which large forces were sent into the
Indian country. kept up a state or aglta-
when General Crook marched up from the
south and fought a battle with them on
Rosebud creek, and General Terry marched
in from the east The latter assigned
portion of his command to General Custer.
which. as is well known, was annihilated in
the battle of the Little Big Horn, June %
OF that year.
The main portion of the command was
Withdrawn IN the autumn of 1876. leaving
General Miles with his regiment, the 9th
Infantry and Lieut.. Col Otis, now General
Otis with six companies of the I'D 1nfan-
try. The intention was that General Miles
should hold the country during the winter
and make preparations for Il campaign the
ensuing summer of 1877.
Instead Of this he conducted an active
campaign during the late autumn and Win
ter and defeated Sitting Bull on Cedar
creek an aft1uent of Yellowstone river. in
October. A detachment of his command,
under Lieutenant (now colonel f. ID. bald
win, again attacked and routed Sitting Bull
in December and captured his camp. Cen
eral Miles, with his command. marched up
Tongue river during the latter part of De-
cember, and January <. 1877, in the Wolf
mountains, attacked and defeated the lead
e. of the remaining h0StileS. In cOnse-
quence of this defeat, ana under the threat
from General Miles that he would attack
him again if he did not surrender. Crazy
Horse led the bulk OF The hostiles-more
than 2.otJ-to the Red Cloud and SpottedTail
agencies. That was the last active hostility
oe Crazy Horse. who was killed in making
n desperate attempt to escape in Septem-
ber, 1877.
Col Baird further discussed the campaign
on the plains and INDUCED in "reminiscences
of the times when Hale. Biddie. Chanee
and other commanders were in the saddle
at the head of the superb cavalry then on
dutv there. speaking in terms of high praise
of their heroic services end splendid victo-
res.