RED CLOUD ON THE WAR PATH
The statement that a satisfactory treaty had been concluded with the
Indians was communicated to the various parties of travelers who were
camped near the post. There being a sufficient number of armed men and
wagons to conform to the rules of the War Department, ready to proceed
westward, we were ordered to move on.
But where was the great chief, Red Cloud, and his savage warriors who,
enraged because of the precipitate advance of the U. S. troops into the
very territory that was under consideration at the council, had struck
out westward with the avowed purpose of defending it against all comers?
What were the experiences of the hundreds of men, women, and soldiers
who in that fateful season were traversing those Wyoming trails?
A recital of incidents that occurred during the treaty, if not followed
by some reference to succeeding events would, figuratively speaking,
leave the reader high in the air. On examining the letters and messages
of the Presidents, I find revealed therein the astonishing fact that
even our chief executive was long in ignorance of the true situation of
Indian affairs in Wyoming. It would, therefore, not be strange if
readers generally were also uninformed upon the subject. In his Annual
Message, dated December 3, 1866, President Johnson, referring to this
Laramie treaty, informs Congress that a treaty had been concluded with
the Indians, "who," (as the message states) "enticed into armed
opposition to our Government at the outbreak of the Rebellion, have
_unconditionally submitted_ to our authority, and manifested an earnest
desire for a renewal of friendly relations." For the whole period of
nearly five months prior to the date of the message above cited the
Indian war was going on; and within three days of the date of the
message there occurred in Wyoming, under Red Cloud, one of the most
appalling Indian massacres that has darkened the history of our country.
In his message of the following year, the President was sufficiently
advised to report "barbarous violence which, instigated by real or
imaginary grievance, the Indians have committed upon emigrants and
frontier settlements," but he makes no allusion to an entire detachment
of our brave soldiers, every one of whom was slaughtered in one day. He
urges that "the moral and intellectual improvement of the Indians can be
most effectually secured by concentrating them upon portions of the
country set apart for their exclusive use, and located at points remote
from our highways and encroaching white settlements."
Could any proposition be made better calculated to fire the blood of a
savage Chief, whose people had been driven year by year until they had
reached the last fastness? How large would be the "point" recommended in
the message, upon which these migratory tribes should be settled? Where
was there remaining an unoccupied portion of our country that might not
become a highway as quickly as has the remote territory then in
controversy? Experience had taught the Red Men that none of their
grounds, wherever they might be, were secure to them. Many of the Sioux,
who had been slowly driven back upon other tribes with whom they had
often been at war, appear to have shared a joint possession of the
Powder River country, where game was abundant. The "moral and
intellectual advancement" recommended in the President's message
probably did not concern them so much as did the question of food in the
long winters.
While it is recognized that barbarism must give way to the march of
civilization, it is humiliating to review the heartless disregard of the
principles of equity and square dealing, of which some of the
representatives of our nation have been guilty in our relations with
these great tribes. The general situation as it existed during the few
weeks following this treaty is tersely described in the report of a
special commission chosen by the United States Senate to investigate the
Fetterman massacre already referred to. The commission convened at Fort
McPherson in April, 1867, and after thirty days' investigation made its
report, which concluded with the following summary:
"We, therefore, report that all the Sioux Indians occupying the country
about Fort Phil Kearney have been in a state of war against the whites
since the 20th day of June, 1866, and that they have waged and carried
on this war for the purpose of defending their ancient possessions from
invasion and occupation by the whites.
"The war has been carried on by the Indians with most extraordinary
vigor and unwonted success.
"During the time from July 26th, the day on which Lieutenant Wand's
train was attacked, to the 21st of December, on which Lieutenant Colonel
Fetterman with his command of eighty officers and men were overpowered
and massacred, they (the Indians) killed ninety-one enlisted men and
five officers of our army, and killed fifty-eight citizens, and wounded
twenty more, and captured and drove away three hundred and six oxen and
cows, three hundred and four mules, and one hundred and sixty-one
horses. During this time they appeared in front of Fort Phil Kearney
making hostile demonstrations and committing hostile acts fifty-one
different times, and attacked nearly every train and person that
attempted to pass over the Montana road." The figures in the foregoing
report do not include the great loss of human life and of live stock and
other property that occurred in connection with the massacre in
December.
It was early in this period that the scoundrels at Fort Laramie, who
should have known better, assured us and other travelers less fortunate
than we were, that it would be quite safe for emigrants to proceed. It
may be asked what motive could inspire these roseate but unreliable
reports. The answer is simple when one becomes somewhat familiar with
the type of many of the men who on the part of the Government conducted
these highly important negotiations; and when one realizes the
additional fact that the opportunity for personal profit overshadowed
everything, while the dignity of the Government and the principles of
equity were disregarded.
In the second volume of his _Forty Years a Fur Trader_, Larpenteur
devotes an entire chapter to a sketch of the many Indian agents with
whom he was familiar who served the Government as "the fathers of the
Indians" during those many years. The majority of those whose names he
gives are stated by him to be "drunken gamblers." "Some were interested
in the fur trade" and therefore were using the great authority of the
United States Government to further their personal ends. "Some were
ignorant beaver trappers," but not one of them, according to
Larpenteur's reports, seems to have possessed those qualifications which
would make for "the moral and intellectual advancement" of the wards of
the nation so prominently urged in the President's message. In fact, the
Indian agent should be a man of probity instead of a man whom the
Indians openly declared to be a liar, and certainly he should not
influence an agreement for the profit of the post sutler, who has the
exclusive trading privilege at the post.
We were in the atmosphere of events and at every available opportunity
conferred with officers, soldiers, and non-combatants, gleaning all
possible information concerning passing incidents, and followed those
observations with later investigations, so that we could not but believe
that we became fairly well informed concerning the Indian history of the
few weeks following Red Cloud's withdrawal from Laramie. For much
valuable information I am under obligations to General Carrington, who
was then in command in Wyoming, and who has given me data not easily
obtained from any other original and trustworthy source. A record of the
many thrilling events that rapidly followed each other would fill a
volume and is for the historian to compile. Coutant has well described
them, but the final dramatic conflict that crushed the Indian uprising
and opened the path for emigration demands a passing glance.
As we were leaving Laramie, Lieutenant Daniels was riding a short
distance in advance of a small body of soldiers who were escorting the
wife of Lieutenant Wand from Fort Laramie westward, when a band of the
Sioux, in full view of the soldier escort, made a raid upon the
Lieutenant, capturing and horribly torturing him until he died. Then,
putting on the clothing of the dead man, the savages danced and yelled
while out of range on the prairie, for the evident purpose of being seen
by the members of the escorting party: and thus the war began.
After other similar attacks there followed the massacre of Colonel
Fetterman and his men, in which not a white soldier was left to tell the
tale; it is known as the "tragedy of Fort Phil Kearney," the full
official report of which is written in Absaraka.
And now Red Cloud had certainly become a great chief. He had gathered in
additional bands, and it is claimed that one-half of the 3000 warriors
under his command were soon armed with rifles, many of them being
Spencer carbines that would carry seven cartridges. A few of them were
the new Henry rifles, some of which had been captured in the recent
massacre; but many of their rifles of the pattern used by our soldiers
in the war just ended and up to that time by most of the soldiers of the
frontier, were said to have been obtained from sutlers and traders. In
the meantime the thrilling tidings of the Fetterman massacre, and of
other serious reverses reached Washington. New, improved, breech-loading
rifles, and ammunition, were forwarded and received none too soon.
Captain James Powell, with a company of infantry, was finally detailed
to guard the contractors in the transportation of wood to Fort Phil
Kearney. Powell had been brevetted for gallantry in the Civil War and
had been engaged in a number of recent encounters with Indians. The same
day on which an attack was made on Fort C. F. Smith, an attempt was made
by the Indians under Red Cloud to wipe out the detail that was guarding
the wood train. This detail consisted of twelve men who were to guard
the camp where the timber was being cut, and thirteen men who were to
accompany the men to and from the fort. The wagons on which the timber
was being transported consisted simply of the running gear of the
wagons, the big boxes of the Government pattern having been removed; and
to make them a means of defense they had been arranged as a corral, with
entrances at both ends of a diameter of the circle. In front of each
opening a complete wagon was placed. These Government wagon boxes were
deep, and within them on the exposed side were piled their supplies,
consisting of sacks of grain and anything else that would help to stop a
bullet. This corral was the base of defense when they were away from the
Fort.
The camp was at once burned by the Indians, and the wood train was
attacked. The savages then immediately turned upon the little band now
concentrated in the corral. The report shows that there were there 32
men, including four civilians, to defend themselves and the wagon boxes;
and surrounding them were 3,000 warriors.
While the Indians had taken time to destroy the camp and run off the
stock, Powell had distributed his few men among the wagons. Openings had
already been cut in the boxes for their rifles, and fortunately they had
guns in abundance. Some of the men who were not good shots loaded the
rifles for those who were more expert. It is interesting at this point
to see brought into action one of the type of men such as we
occasionally met in the West. He was an old mountaineer who had
fortunately joined the defending party. He had been in many Indian
fights, and was known to be a crack shot and dead sure of his mark.
Eight rifles were placed at his side, and a less skilled man was
assigned to keep them loaded. These hastily executed arrangements were
perfected before the multitude of Indians had completed their work of
destruction at the camp, and had secured the stock. The wagon box corral
was apparently a simple proposition for the Indians, and its capture was
evidently to be made the event of the day, to conclude with the usual
massacre. This contemplated exploit appeared to be so simple that they
brought with them their women and children to witness from a favorable
view-point the extermination of the little band, and to assist in
carrying away the booty.
Powell had given his final instructions to the men in the wagon boxes
when a detachment of mounted warriors, armed with rifles and carbines,
made the first charge. As prearranged, not a shot was fired from the
corral until the savages were about fifty yards distant. At that point
Powell spoke the word "Fire" and in an instant there came a volley from
the enclosure which was continued with repeating rifles without
cessation, and in a manner which evidently astonished the savages.
Although the Indians poured into the wagons a shower of bullets, their
rush was checked. With savage determination they circled the enclosure
to seek some unguarded spot for attack, but finally withdrew. It was
then found that one lieutenant and a private soldier had been killed,
and two men were seriously wounded, but hundreds of dead Indians and
horses surrounded the corral. The Indian tactics were then changed.
Red Cloud in his next attack sent about 700 warriors armed with rifles,
backed up by others with bows and arrows. This great skirmishing party,
unmounted, were stripped of every article of clothing; upon their hands
and knees they approached the corral from every direction. This
detachment was supported by 2,000 warriors. The description of this
charge, as given to General Carrington, indicates that it was made with
intense desperation. Again, as before, the corral was silent until the
appointed moment, when a sheet of flame opened from the little band of
defenders and the well-directed fire did not cease until the baffled
savages withdrew, leaving hundreds of dead upon the field. Most of the
fighting was at close range. During these attacks the old frontiersman
sat apparently unconcerned, discharging one after another the loaded
repeating rifles which were always ready, and with unerring aim; each
bullet meant one more dead or wounded Indian. The savages did not
realize that one old man was pumping lead with such rapidity and
unfailing accuracy, but they did discover that something had "broke
loose."
I have heard the story of an interesting conversation between this old
frontiersman and the Department commander. It is now told by Cyrus
Townsend Brady, as follows:
"'How many Indians were in the attack?' asked the General of the old
man. 'Wall, Gen'rill, I can't say for sartin, but I think thar war nigh
3000 or more.' 'How many were killed and wounded?' 'Wall, Gen'rill, I
can't say for sartin, but I think thar war nigh onto a thousand of 'em
hit.' 'How many did you kill?' 'Wall, Gen'rill, I can't say, but gi'e me
a dead rest and I kin hit a dollar at 50 yards every time, and I fired
with a dead rest at more'n fifty of those varmints inside of 50 yards.'
'For Heaven's sake, how many times did you fire?' exclaimed the
astonished General. 'Wall, Gen'rill, I can't say exactly, but I kept
eight guns pretty well het up for more'n three hours.'"
The official report gave the loss in killed and wounded by the Indians
as 1137, or 36 Indians to each defender. In July, 1908, the old chief,
Red Cloud, at the age of ninety years, met with General Carrington, and
a few other survivors of the Wyoming command of 1866, upon those bloody
Wyoming battlefields to review the scene of those conflicts.
As stated in the _St. Louis Globe Democrat_, and also by General
Carrington, who again met Red Cloud on the battlefield in 1909, the old
chief then admitted a loss of 1500 braves--and that was the result of
the wagon box fight, possibly the most thrilling and disastrous Indian
defeat of which we have any record. All this closely followed the
Laramie treaty of July, 1866, to which reference has been made so
repeatedly.
Thus the war ended. The pathway was opened for emigration to what was
then more attractive territory further west, and there was removed one
obstacle to the final development of Wyoming, which was still a part of
the Great American Desert. These events are mentioned also to show the
general condition of affairs in Wyoming while we and hundreds of other
travelers were following its trails.