Washington sentinel., 1901-02-02
rN, 49,, SENTINEL
A faction
CRAZY SNAKE s ofthe Creek
OUTBREAK. -. T. 80

under the
leadership ofCbiet"Crazy Snake
bitterly opposes the changes IN
land allotment and administration
which the Government has deter
mined to put into effect among the
"civilized tribes" OF the Indian
Territory. Crazy Snakes" band
OF disaffected warriors, 500 strong
and well armed and mounted, de-
cided TO make last fight for the
maints nance of tribal conditions,
regardless OF legislation enacted
by Congress two years ago. The
majority OF the Indians OF the hve
tribes, it is stated, accepted the
new arrangement OF the Govern
ment, but the governors OF the
tribes and the native police were
unable to enforce obedience to the
law by the disaffected Creeks, and
United States troops were ordered
TO their assistance.
In the event OF a conflict, condi-
tions are not as favorable now Tor
the Indians as they were 80 or 40
wears ago, when they were a lie to
infilcE heavy losses upon the
whites. The western country IS
more thickly settled, the means OF
defence are abundant and effective
and troops can be sent against
Indian raiders more quickly now
than even IS years ago. While
the Indian is possibly quite as
oloodthirsty as OF YOre, he has
been punished so severely in the
past that he does not lightly make
war now. He has learned his les.
son, although the most warlike
tribes were not sub,lped without
terrible cost to the whites. Thou
sands OF white settlers were VIC
TINS OF their savage ferocity. and
many soldiers perished before the
Indian raiders were crushed. Gen.
G.. A. Forsyth, a gallant Indian
fighter, states in a recent work OF
which he is the author that during
the years 1869 to 1875 the official
records OF the War Department,
show that IN the military Depart.
ment OF the Missouri no less than
7o3 actions were fought between
United States soldiers and Indians.
The Department OF the Missouri
Included all OF the North, the
West and the Southwest east OF
the Rocky mountains"
During the Civil War the Gov
ernment was compelled to with
draw the regular army from the
West and abandon some OF the
frontier posts. The Indians re-
garded this as an evidence OF weak
ness. In 1862 scores OF settlers
were massacred by Sioux in Upper
Minnesota and Dakota, their
daughters either killed or carried
into a captivity worse than death
Atthe close ofthe Civil War, wher
the army was sent 70 reoccupy thc
old frontier line. he Indians were
Infuriated and most Of the wilc
tribes allied themselves against thc
whites. In 1865 nearly all OF The
Northwest beyond Kansas on tn,
south and Minnesota on the nortl
was occupied by rowing bands o
Indi ms as tar west as the Paciht
Slope. OF these tribes the Sioux
ssynihoinss
were the fiercest and most warlike
They entered into an alliance
under the leadership OF "ReC
Cloud" a very able and astutt
chief, refused to sign a treaty Civ
ing the Government the right o
way for railroad through wha
thev claimed as their country anC
made a raid upon the settlers or
the exposed frontier Two year
later, after a series Of bloody en-
counters, Congress entered into /;
treaty with these Gribes conveying
to the Indians nearly all the terri
tory in dispute. The military post!
of Forts Reno, Fort Phil Kearuy
and Fort 6. +. Smith were dis
mantled and abandoned.
These forts had been built bv tht
troops themselves after many hard
ships and dangers. Fort Phi
Kearny was 500 miles from Jules
berg. the terminus Of the Unior
Pacific railroad. and 900 miles iron
the nearest mining camp. Tht
Sioux made every effort to preVen
the construction OF the barrack.
and stockade. In December, 800
1900 Indians, led by "Red Cloud,
surrounded a detachment Of sol.
dIers and killed 5 officers and 81
men, annihilating the command
In the summer OF 1867 Capt James
Powell MarylaudPr command
ing a company Of the Twenty
seventh Infantry, repulse d an at
tack by several thousand Indians
led by "Red Cloud" The army
wagons from which Captain Pow
ellis men fought were lined with
boiler iron and were bullet proof
In 1868 the Cheyeunes and Sioux
began 70 murder settlers and mill
taTY operations against them were
undertaken by the Government
and continued through a part o0
the following year. ''Black Ket-
tie, who led a band Of Cheyennes
which had massacTed many set
tiers in Kansas, was killed by Gen,
Clusters command and his band
nearly destroyed. In Montana
bands Of Blackfeet Indians, knows
as Piegans and Bloods, were ex-
terminated, being surprised in
their village near the British bor-
der in JanuarY, 1870. The Apaches
Of Arizona gave the GoVernmen,
great deal Of trouble from 1865
TO 1871, In one county "a white