The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-07-02

In the year 1865 nearly all of that
portion Of the northwest beyond the
states of Kansas on the south and
Minnesota on the north, including
the Rockies and the western slope,
was occupied by score of powerful,
savage Indian tribes, of whom the
widest and most warlike were the
Sioux, Blackfeet, Northern and
Southern Cheyennes, Crows, Chippe-
was, Assiniboines, eros Ventres, Ara
pahoes, Kiowas and Comanches.
Most of these tribes had been inter
mittently at war with one another
for many years, but in that year
formed general alliance to conduct
a war against the advancing line of
settlers which had begun to move
westward in 1849, when gold was
had been given impetus by new
strikes of the yellow metal in Mon
tana and Idaho in the early SOS.
The strongest of the Indian ma
tions were the Sioux and Cheyennes,
who formed an alliance and who, by
force of numbers, able leaders and
set purpose, were able to dominate
and control all the other tribes in
of organizing a confederation of the
plains tribes against the whites.
In the spring of 1865 council
was held at Fort Laramie, Wyoming,
between a party of United States
commissioners and certain represen-
tative chiefs of the plains tribes,
where the Indians were urged to
sign a treaty which gave the United
hn riO
for a railroad through what they
claimed as their country.
The Sioux and Cheyennes before
this treaty became allied under the
leadership of Red Cloud, the most
able and astute of the Sioux chiefs,
who positively refused to sign the
treaty. Some of the minor Indian
chiefs afterward signed this treaty,
but they were not powerful enough to
control even their own tribes, and as
soon as the Indians saw that the gov
eminent intended to protect the
builders of a railroad within the |
limits of the disputed territory, most |
of the tribes in the northwest began |
a series of raids upon the settlers of
the exposed frontier, with the avow-
ed intention of driving them back
and compelling the government to
abandon all the country between the
104th meridian and the Big Horn
mountains and between the North
Platte and Yellowstone rivers. They
hoped to secure this territory for a
hunting ground forever. The area
involved contained between 100000
and 10000 square miles. There were
probably 10000 Indians within that
area.
Accept Sioux Challenge
The Sioux and Cheyennes, headed
by Red Cloud, sent defiant mes
sage to the government, threatening
death to all whites who invaded their
territory. The war department was
quick to accept the challenge, and in !
1866 a battalion of the Eighteenth
infantry, under command of Colonel
Darlington, set out from old Fort
Kearny in Nebraska and marched
500 miles through Sioux country to
Fort Reno, at the crossing of Powder 1
river, without seeing a hostile In
dian. Nevertheless, every step OF {
their way was watched BY Sioux spies l
and scouts; every man in the batta- {
lion was counted, every wagon and c
every mule numbered, and each a
nights camp carefully located and 6
examined a few hours after their de- '
parture from 1t. a
The whole Sioux nation, as well as Z
The Cheyennes, were fully advised OF g
their advance, but decided to allow d
the soldiers to get as far as possible e
into the wilderness and away from I
heir base of supplies before attack t
ing. 9
Early In July Carrington's COM b
nand left Fort Reno and marched 8
northwest, across the Powder river s.
ind Clear creek, to the foot of the 0
Big Horn mountains. On Ptney Il
,reek, beautiful mountain stream g
hat threaded its way through the I'M a