Among the Sioux chiefs of the “transition period” only one was shrewd
enough to read coming events in their true light. It is said of Spotted
Tail that he was rather a slow-moving boy, preferring in their various
games and mimic battles to play the role of councilor, to plan and
assign to the others their parts in the fray. This he did so cleverly
that he soon became a leader among his youthful contemporaries; and
withal he was apt at mimicry and impersonation, so that the other boys
were accustomed to say of him, “He has his grandfather’s wit and the
wisdom of his grandmother!”
Spotted Tail was an orphan, reared by his grandparents, and at an
early age compelled to shift for himself. Thus he was somewhat at a
disadvantage among the other boys; yet even this fact may have helped
to develop in him courage and ingenuity. One little incident of his boy
life, occurring at about his tenth year, is characteristic of the man.
In the midst of a game, two boys became involved in a dispute which
promised to be a serious one, as both drew knives. The young Spotted
Tail instantly began to cry, “The Shoshones are upon us! To arms! to
arms!” and the other boys joined in the war whoop. This distracted the
attention of the combatants and ended the affair.
Upon the whole, his boyhood is not so well remembered as is that of most
of his leading contemporaries, probably because he had no parents to
bring him frequently before the people, as was the custom with the
wellborn, whose every step in their progress toward manhood was publicly
announced at a feast given in their honor. It is known, however, that
he began at an early age to carve out a position for himself. It is
personal qualities alone that tell among our people, and the youthful
Spotted Tail gained at every turn. At the age of seventeen, he had
become a sure shot and a clever hunter; but, above all, he had already
shown that he possessed a superior mind. He had come into contact with
white people at the various trading posts, and according to his own
story had made a careful study of the white man’s habits and modes of
thought, especially of his peculiar trait of economy and intense desire
to accumulate property. He was accustomed to watch closely and listen
attentively whenever any of this strange race had dealings with his
people. When a council was held, and the other young men stood at a
distance with their robes over their faces so as to avoid recognition,
Spotted Tail always put himself in a position to hear all that was said
on either side, and weighed all the arguments in his mind.
When he first went upon the warpath, it appears that he was, if
anything, overzealous to establish himself in the eye of his people; and
as a matter of fact, it was especially hard for him to gain an assured
position among the Brules, with whom he lived, both because he was an
orphan, and because his father had been of another band. Yet it was not
long before he had achieved his ambition, though in doing so he received
several ugly wounds. It was in a battle with the Utes that he first
notably served his people and their cause.
The Utes were the attacking party and far outnumbered the Sioux on this
occasion. Many of their bravest young men had fallen, and the Brules
were face to face with utter annihilation, when Spotted Tail, with a
handful of daring horsemen, dodged around the enemy’s flank and fell
upon them from the rear with so much spirit that they supposed that
strong reinforcements had arrived, and retreated in confusion. The Sioux
pursued on horseback; and it was in this pursuit that the noted chief
Two Strike gained his historical name. But the chief honors of the fight
belonged to Spotted Tail. The old chiefs, Conquering Bear and the rest,
thanked him and at once made him a war chief.
It had been the firm belief of Spotted Tail that it was unwise to allow
the white man so much freedom in our country, long before the older
chiefs saw any harm in it. After the opening of the Oregon Trail he,
above all the others, was watchful of the conduct of the Americans as
they journeyed toward the setting sun, and more than once he remarked in
council that these white men were not like the French and the Spanish,
with whom our old chiefs had been used to deal. He was not fully
satisfied with the agreement with General Harney; but as a young warrior
who had only just gained his position in the council, he could not force
his views upon the older men.
No sooner had the Oregon Trail been secured from the Sioux than Fort
Laramie and other frontier posts were strengthened, and the soldiers
became more insolent and overbearing than ever. It was soon discovered
that the whites were prepared to violate most of the articles of their
treaty as the Indians understood it. At this time, the presence of many
Mormon emigrants on their way to the settlements in Utah and Wyoming
added to the perils of the situation, as they constantly maneuvered for
purposes of their own to bring about a clash between the soldiers and
the Indians. Every summer there were storm-clouds blowing between these
two--clouds usually taking their rise in some affair of the travelers
along the trail.
In 1854 an event occurred which has already been described and which
snapped the last link of friendship between the races.
By this time Spotted Tail had proved his courage both abroad and at
home. He had fought a duel with one of the lesser chiefs, by whom he
was attacked. He killed his opponent with an arrow, but himself received
upon his head a blow from a battle-axe which brought him senseless to
the ground. He was left for dead, but fortunately revived just as the
men were preparing his body for burial.
The Brules sustained him in this quarrel, as he had acted in
self-defense; and for a few years he led them in bloody raids against
the whites along the historic trail. He ambushed many stagecoaches and
emigrant trains, and was responsible for waylaying the Kincaid coach
with twenty thousand dollars. This relentless harrying of travelers soon
brought General Harney to the Brule Sioux to demand explanations and
reparation.
The old chiefs of the Brules now appealed to Spotted Tail and his
young warriors not to bring any general calamity upon the tribe. To the
surprise of all, Spotted Tail declared that he would give himself up.
He said that he had defended the rights of his people to the best of his
ability, that he had avenged the blood of their chief, Conquering Bear,
and that he was not afraid to accept the consequences. He therefore
voluntarily surrendered to General Harney, and two of his lieutenants,
Red Leaf and Old Woman, followed his example.
Thus Spotted Tail played an important part at the very outset of those
events which were soon to overthrow the free life of his people. I do
not know how far he foresaw what was to follow; but whether so conceived
or not, his surrender was a master stroke, winning for him not only
the admiration of his own people but the confidence and respect of the
military.
Thus suddenly he found himself in prison, a hostage for the good
behavior of his followers. There were many rumors as to the punishment
reserved for him; but luckily for Spotted Tail, the promises of General
Harney to the Brule chiefs in respect to him were faithfully kept.
One of his fellow-prisoners committed suicide, but the other held out
bravely for the two-year term of his imprisonment. During the second
year, it was well understood that neither of the men sought to escape,
and they were given much freedom. It was fine schooling for Spotted
Tail, that tireless observer of the ways of the white man! It is a fact
that his engaging personal qualities won for him kindness and sympathy
at the fort before the time came for his release.
One day some Indian horse thieves of another tribe stampeded the horses
and mules belonging to the garrison. Spotted Tail asked permission of
the commanding officer to accompany the pursuers. That officer, trusting
in the honor of a Sioux brave, gave him a fast horse and a good carbine,
and said to him: “I depend upon you to guide my soldiers so that they
may overtake the thieves and recapture the horses!”
The soldiers recaptured the horses without any loss, but Spotted Tail
still followed the Indians. When they returned to the fort without him,
everybody agreed that he would never turn up. However, next day he did
“turn up”, with the scalp of one of the marauders!
Soon after this he was returned to his own people, who honored him by
making him the successor of the old chief, Conquering Bear, whose
blood he had avenged, for which act he had taken upon himself the full
responsibility. He had made good use of his two years at the fort, and
completed his studies of civilization to his own satisfaction. From this
time on he was desirous of reconciling the Indian and the white
man, thoroughly understanding the uselessness of opposition. He was
accordingly in constant communication with the military; but the other
chiefs did not understand his views and seem to have been suspicious of
his motives.
In 1860-1864 the Southern Cheyennes and Comanches were at war with the
whites, and some of the Brules and Ogallalas, who were their neighbors
and intimates, were suspected of complicity with the hostiles. Doubtless
a few of their young men may have been involved; at any rate, Thunder
Bear and Two Face, together with a few others who were roving with the
warring tribes, purchased two captive white women and brought them to
Fort Laramie. It was, however, reported at the post that these two men
had maltreated the women while under their care.
Of course, the commander demanded of Spotted Tail, then head chief, that
he give up the guilty ones, and accordingly he had the two men arrested
and delivered at the fort. At this there was an outcry among his own
people; but he argued that if the charges were true, the men deserved
punishment, and if false, they should be tried and cleared by process
of law. The Indians never quite knew what evidence was produced at the
court-martial, but at all events the two men were hanged, and as they
had many influential connections, their relatives lost no time in
fomenting trouble. The Sioux were then camping close by the fort and it
was midwinter, which facts held them in check for a month or two; but as
soon as spring came, they removed their camp across the river and rose
in rebellion. A pitched battle was fought, in which the soldiers got the
worst of it. Even the associate chief, Big Mouth, was against Spotted
Tail, who was practically forced against his will and judgment to take
up arms once more.
At this juncture came the sudden and bloody uprising in the east among
the Minnesota Sioux, and Sitting Bull’s campaign in the north had begun
in earnest; while to the south the Southern Cheyennes, Comanches, and
Kiowas were all upon the warpath. Spotted Tail at about this time seems
to have conceived the idea of uniting all the Rocky Mountain Indians in
a great confederacy. He once said: “Our cause is as a child’s cause,
in comparison with the power of the white man, unless we can stop
quarreling among ourselves and unite our energies for the common good.”
But old-time antagonisms were too strong; and he was probably held back
also by his consciousness of the fact that the Indians called him “the
white man’s friend”, while the military still had some faith in him
which he did not care to lose. He was undoubtedly one of the brainiest
and most brilliant Sioux who ever lived; and while he could not help
being to a large extent in sympathy with the feeling of his race against
the invader, yet he alone foresaw the inevitable outcome, and the
problem as it presented itself to him was simply this: “What is the best
policy to pursue in the existing situation?”
Here is his speech as it has been given to me, delivered at the great
council on the Powder River, just before the attack on Fort Phil
Kearny. We can imagine that he threw all his wonderful tact and personal
magnetism into this last effort at conciliation.
“‘Hay, hay, hay! Alas, alas!’ Thus speaks the old man, when he knows
that his former vigor and freedom is gone from him forever. So we may
exclaim to-day, Alas! There is a time appointed to all things. Think
for a moment how many multitudes of the animal tribes we ourselves
have destroyed! Look upon the snow that appears to-day--to-morrow it
is water! Listen to the dirge of the dry leaves, that were green and
vigorous but a few moons before! We are a part of this life and it seems
that our time is come.
“Yet note how the decay of one nation invigorates another. This strange
white man--consider him, his gifts are manifold! His tireless brain,
his busy hand do wonders for his race. Those things which we despise
he holds as treasures; yet he is so great and so flourishing that there
must be some virtue and truth in his philosophy. I wish to say to you,
my friends: Be not moved alone by heated arguments and thoughts of
revenge! These are for the young. We are young no longer; let us think
well, and give counsel as old men!”
These words were greeted with an ominous silence. Not even the customary
“How!” of assent followed the speech, and Sitting Bull immediately got
up and replied in the celebrated harangue which will be introduced under
his own name in another chapter. The situation was critical for Spotted
Tail--the only man present to advocate submission to the stronger race
whose ultimate supremacy he recognized as certain. The decision to
attack Fort Phil Kearny was unanimous without him, and in order to
hold his position among his tribesmen he joined in the charge. Several
bullets passed through his war bonnet, and he was slightly wounded.
When the commission of 1867-1868 was sent out to negotiate with the
Sioux, Spotted Tail was ready to meet them, and eager to obtain for
his people the very best terms that he could. He often puzzled and
embarrassed them by his remarkable speeches, the pointed questions that
he put, and his telling allusions to former negotiations. Meanwhile Red
Cloud would not come into the council until after several deputations of
Indians had been sent to him, and Sitting Bull did not come at all.
The famous treaty was signed, and from this time on Spotted Tail never
again took up arms against the whites. On the contrary, it was mainly
attributed to his influence that the hostiles were subdued much sooner
than might have been expected. He came into the reservation with his
band, urged his young men to enlist as government scouts, and assisted
materially in all negotiations. The hostile chiefs no longer influenced
his action, and as soon as they had all been brought under military
control, General Crook named Spotted Tail head chief of the Sioux, thus
humiliating Red Cloud and arousing jealousy and ill-feeling among the
Ogallalas. In order to avoid trouble, he prudently separated himself
from the other bands, and moved to the new agency on Beaver Creek (Fort
Sheridan, Nebraska), which was called “Spotted Tail Agency.”
Just before the daring war leader, Crazy Horse, surrendered to the
military, he went down to the agency and roundly rebuked Spotted Tail
for signing away the freedom of his people. From the point of view of
the irreconcilables, the diplomatic chief was a “trimmer” and a traitor;
and many of the Sioux have tried to implicate him in the conspiracy
against Crazy Horse which led to his assassination, but I hold that the
facts do not bear out this charge.
The name of Spotted Tail was prominently before the people during the
rest of his life. An obscure orphan, he had achieved distinction by his
bravery and sagacity; but he copied the white politician too closely
after he entered the reservation. He became a good manipulator, and was
made conceited and overbearing by the attentions of the military and of
the general public. Furthermore, there was an old feud in his immediate
band which affected him closely. Against him for many years were the
followers of Big Mouth, whom he had killed in a duel; and also a party
led by a son and a nephew of the old chief, Conquering Bear, whom
Spotted Tail had succeeded at his death. These two men had hoped that
one or the other of them might obtain the succession.
Crow Dog, the nephew of Conquering Bear, more than once taunted Spotted
Tail with the fact that he was chief not by the will of the tribe, but
by the help of the white soldiers, and told him that he would “keep
a bullet for him” in case he ever disgraced his high position. Thus
retribution lay in wait for him while at the height of his fame. Several
high-handed actions of his at this time, including his elopement with
another man’s wife, increased his unpopularity with a large element of
his own tribe. On the eve of the chief’s departure for Washington, to
negotiate (or so they suspected) for the sale of more of their land,
Crow Dog took up his gun and fulfilled his threat, regarding
himself, and regarded by his supporters, not as a murderer, but as an
executioner.
Such was the end of the man who may justly be called the Pontiac of the
west. He possessed a remarkable mind and extraordinary foresight for
an untutored savage; and yet he is the only one of our great men to be
remembered with more honor by the white man, perhaps, than by his own
people.