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Show TELEGRAPHIC tii i: ru.ii 1 1 niul.v. Hi-port Kruui lite Secretary ol War. Tl 1 K SIOUX liESKKVATIONS, AND Till: I S I ) I A N $ WHO Altli ON 1 II K WAK I'ATU. Wjirili'parlinoiil, Wnsliinyloii, July 8 To the president; To euiililo you lo niiBWt'r the enelom-d rcKolutioii of tho btirnie of July 7lh, I huve the honor to &uhmil the followinR hrict stntuitiL'iil of fiicld as exhibiteJ by tho n.'corvia n( ihid department. Tho imix or Dakota muion of Jiidinna, luliriu'ini; the various tribes of Y.mkloiis, Brulod, Outlining Niino-conjaiis Niino-conjaiis Sous Aries. Two Kettlm, etc., havo lung heuu known na tlm moat bruvu mid war-like H.tvica o! Him eontiocnt. They have lor cento cen-to Hen hy tlic nilvincing tide of civilization till in 1So7 un itrinnemenl or treaty wan nmdo with them by a ipeeiui commission earned by conrcw, whereby (or certain payninla or atipulationti they agreed to surrender tbeir claims to all that :a'. region whir-li lays west of the Missouri river uml iiortli ol tbo l'iatle, to live ivt pea. e with their neighbors and to restrict themselvea to a territory boundetl east by the Missouri rivr, souin by Nebraska, west by the 10-ltli mendan, imk! north by tho 4iiL parallel of latitude a territory ns larfcie ns Michigan. Tho terms of thin treaty have been liberally performed on the part of the United Staled and nave- aleo been complied with by the ' great muss of tho Sioux Indiana. Some ol these Indians, however, have never recognized the binding force of 1 thin treaty, but havo always treated U ' with couforupt and have continued to I rove at pleasure, attacking scattered 1 aetllcrs in Nebraska, Wyoming, Mou-tanii Mou-tanii and Dakota, stealing norsea, and cattle and MURDERING PEACEFUL IS HABITANTS and travellers. On the 9th of November Novem-ber 1675, United States Indian In- I epeelorE. C. Watktns made au elaborate elab-orate report to the commissioner of Indian ufUirs, in which be usee this language: "I havo the bouor lo address you in relation to the attitude and condition condi-tion of certain wild and hostile bands of Sioux Indians, in Dakota and Mi-ntana, that came under my observation obser-vation during" my recent trip through thrir country, and what I think ' should be the policy of the government towards them. 1 refer to Sitting Bull's band and other bands of the Sioux nation under the chiefs or berd-nien berd-nien of less note, but no less untam- 1 able au i hostile. These Indians 1 occupy the centre, so to speak, and roam, over western Dakota and east-ern east-ern Montana, including the rich 1 valleys of the Yellowstone and Powder Pow-der rivers, and make war on the Ariekaves, Mondams, Uravrentres, Assiimboiues, BUckfeet, Piegans, t-irowa, aud other friendly tribes uu the circumference from tbeir central position, they strike east, north and 1 west, steal horses and plunder from ' all the surrounding tribes, as well as L from the frontier settlers and luckless t white buntura or emigrants who are 1 not in Bii Lb cent force to resist them. c Afier describing at length tbeir character and supposed numbers, given at a few hundred, he saya the 1 true policy in my judgment is to send 1 troops 1 AGAINST THEM IN WINTER, the sooner the better, and whip them into subjugation. They richly merit ! punishment for tbeir incessant war- ' tare aud numerous murders of while ( settlers and their families, or white j men, whenever found unarmed. The force estimated as necessary to whip 1 them was stated at 1,000 men." This cmmunication was submitted by the commissioner f Indian affairs, i Htfn, Ed. P. Smith, to the Hon. Secre- taryof ilia Interior, Z. Chandler, who in turn submitted it to the secretary i of war, General Belknap, for his consid - i cratio'i and action. In a subsequent i communication of the secretary of i the interior ol Dec. 3, 1S75, to tlie I secretary of war, occurs this language: i "I have the honor to inform you I that I have this daj directed the i commissioner of Indian allaira to j notify said Indian j SITTING DULL AND OTHERS i outside their reservation that they ' must remove to the reservation before 1 the 31st of January, 1S76; that if they neglected or refused to do so, they ' will be reported to the war depart- i ment as hostile Indians, and that a . military force will be sent to compel i them to obey the order of the Indian i officer." 0.1 the 1st day of February the i secretary of the interior further noticed noti-ced the secretary of war that the lime given Sitting Bull in which to return to the agency had expired i and that the advices received at tho i Indian oftice being to the effect that Sitting Dull refuses to comply with the direction of the oommiusioner. the said Indians are hereby turned over to the wr department for such action on the part of the army as you may deem proper under the circumstances. circum-stances. Durine: all stages of this correspondence cor-respondence the general of the army and bis subordinate commanders were duly notified and were making preparations lor striking a blow AT THESE HOSTILE SAVAGISJ an enterprise of almost insurmountable insurmounta-ble difficulty, in a pountry where in the winter the thermometer often tails to 40 below zero, and where it is impossible to procure food lor man or beast. An eipeditiou was fitted out under the personal command of Brigadier General George Crook, an officer of groat merit and experience, which in March last marched from Forts Fettermau and Laramie to Powder river aud Yellowstone valley and struck and destroyed the village of Crazy Horse, one of the hostile bands referred to by Indian Inspector In-spector Walkins, but the weather was found bo bitierly cold, and other difficulties eo great arose, that General Gen-eral Croi'k returned to Fort Laramie, umucesiful so far as h'.s main purpose was concerned. These-Indians occupy paiLs of tbo department of Dakota and the Plstte commanded by Brigadier Genenil Terry and Crook respectively, while the mi.itary division is enmmandid by Lieutenant General Sheridan, who has given this matter his special attention. at-tention. Preparations were then made on a larger scale and the columns Wfrn put in motion as early in May ns possible pos-sible from Fort Abraham Lincoln on tho Missouri river under General Terrv, from Fort Ellis in Montana und-r General Gibbon, and from l-'url Fetterman under General Crook. These columns wore as strong ae could be maintained in that inhospitable inhos-pitable region, or ns could be Bparcd Irom other preying necessities, null these operations aro not yet con eluded. Nor is a mrro detailed report deemed necessary to explain tho subject matter of this inquiry. Tho present military operations ARE NOT AO A INST THE fitOUX nation at all; but against certain hostile hos-tile parts of it, which defy ihegov. rn-ment, rn-ment, and arw undertaken at th" upecul request of thit bureau ol tlx government charged with their super vision, and wholly to make tne civilization civili-zation of the remainder possible. No part of these operations are in or near tho Sioux reservation. Tho accidental discovery of gold on the west border of liie Indian reservation und the intrusion of our people thereon IIAVB NOT CAUSED TillS WAli, The young warriors love war, and frequently oicapo from their agents to go on a hunt or iln war path, their only idea of the object of life. The object of these military expeditions was in tho interest of tho peaceful peace-ful part. The task committed to tbo military authorities is one of unusual difficulty, has been anticipated antici-pated for years, and must be met and accomplished. It can no longer lie delayed, and every thing will be, don e by the department to iuBure the success which is necessary Lo give the assurance of safety to tbo IMPORTANT BUT SCATTERED INTERESTS which have grown up in this remote and almost inaceesable part of our ualionai;doniain. It is again earnestly recommended that the appropriation linked for repeatedly by General Sheridan of $2u0,000 be made to build two prists, on Yellowstone-, at or near the moulb of Big Horn, and on I'ongue river. Enclosed herewith please find copies of General Terry's report, received by telegraph since :ho preparation of thii letter. Your abe-lieut servant, (Signed) J. D. Cameron, secretary of war. |