page_title: Indian Peace Commission
section_title: Treaty of Fort Laramie
hierarchical_section_title: Indian Peace Commission / Work / Treaty of Fort Laramie
caption_attribution_description: Scope and content: This item shows the signing of a peace treaty by William T. Sherman and the Sioux at Fort Laramie, Wyoming.
context_page_description: The Indian Peace Commission was a group formed by an act of Congress on July 20, 1867, in order "to establish peace with certain hostile Indian tribes." It was composed of four civilians and initially three—later four—military leaders. Throughout 1867 and 1868, they negotiated with a number of tribes, including the Comanche, Kiowa, Arapaho, Kiowa-Apache, Cheyenne, Lakota, Navajo, Snake, Sioux, and Bannock. The treaties that resulted were designed to move the tribes to reservations, to "civilize" and assimilate these native peoples, and transition their societies from a nomadic to an agricultural existence.
  As language and cultural barriers affected the negotiations, it remains doubtful whether the tribes were fully informed of the provisions they agreed to. The Commission approached the tribes as a representative democracy, while the tribes made decisions via consensus: Indian chiefs functioned as mediators and councilors, without the authority to compel obedience from others.
context_section_description: In the new year the commission sent out "chief-catchers" to gather Lakota leaders at Laramie. Ulysses S. Grant wrote to Sherman to prepare to abandon military posts on Sioux land, and acquiesce, for the first time in history, to Red Cloud's demands as a hostile native leader in the field. The commission arrived in Omaha, Nebraska in April, and Sherman was again recalled to Washington D.C. to attend to the ongoing impeachment of Andrew Johnson.
  At Laramie, Red Cloud proved absent, and negotiations began with the Brulé Lakota on April 13.  The commission agreed the government would abandon their military outposts, build additional Indian agencies in the area, and set aside land as "unceded Indian territory". The tribes agreed to a number of stipulations similar to those laid out at Medicine Lodge, including confinement to reservation, and incentives for the transition to farming. Throughout the summer a procession of leaders signed the treaty, including those of the Crow, Northern Cheyennes, and Northern Arapaho. Red Cloud himself did not, and sent word that when the forts were abandoned, he would only then come down from the mountains. After this was accomplished, Red Cloud and his troops rode down to the vacant forts, burned them to the ground. He too then arrived at Fort Laramie in October, negotiated for over a month, and finally signed on November 6, 1868.
  The commission however, would not be there to meet Red Cloud. In May they departed Fort Laramie, leaving the finalization of the treaty under the care of the post commander there. Terry left for forts Randall and Sully. Augur left for Fort Bridger to treat with the Snake, Bannock and others. Sherman, now returned, along with Tappan left for Bosque Redondo and the Navajos. Only Harney and Sanborn remained initially before leaving to join Terry at Fort Sully, and then Fort Rice.
caption: The commissioners in council with the chiefs at Fort Laramie, 1868
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