 My Life on the Plains or Personal Experiences with Indians by George A. Custer. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. As a fitting introduction to some of the personal incidents and sketches, which I shall hereafter present to the readers of the galaxy, a brief description of the country in which these events transpired may not be deemed inappropriate. It is but a few years ago that every schoolboy, supposed to possess the rudiments of a knowledge of the geography of the United States, could give the boundaries and the general description of the Great American Desert. As to the boundaries, the knowledge seemed to be quite explicit. On the north bounded by the upper Missouri, on the east by the lower Missouri and Mississippi, on the south by Texas and on the west by the Rocky Mountains. The boundaries on the northwest and south remained undisturbed, while on the east civilization propelled and directed by Yankee Enterprise adopted the motto, westward the star of the empire takes its way. Countless throngs of immigrants crossed the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers, selecting homes in the rich and fertile territories lying beyond. Each year this tide of immigration strengthened and increased by the flow from foreign shores, advanced towards the setting sun, slowly but surely narrowing the preconceived limits of the Great American Desert, and correspondingly enlarging the limits of civilization. At last the geographical myth was dispelled. It was gradually discerned that the Great American Desert did not exist, that it had no abiding place but that within its supposed limits, and instead of what had been regarded as a sterile and unfruitful tract of land incapable of sustaining either man or beast, there existed the fairest and richest portion of the national domain, blessed with a climate pure, bracing and helpful, while its undeveloped soil rivaled if it did not surpass the most productive portions of the eastern, middle or southern states. Discarding the name Great American Desert, this immense tract of country, with its eastern boundary moved back by civilization to a distance of nearly 300 miles west of the Missouri River, is now known as the Plains. And by this more appropriate title it shall be called when reference to it is necessary. The Indian tribes which have caused the government most anxiety and whose depredations have been most serious against our frontier settlements and prominent lines of travel across the plains, infest that portion of the plains bounded on the north by the valley of the Platte River, and its tributaries on the east by a line running north and south between the 97th and 98th Meridians, on the south by the valley of the Arkansas River, and west by the Rocky Mountains. Although by treaty stipulations almost every tribe with which the government has recently been at war is particularly debarred from entering or occupying any portion of this tract of country. Of the many persons who I have met on the plains as transient visitors from the states or from Europe, there are few who have not expressed surprise that their original ideas concerning the appearance and characteristics of the country were so far from correct, or that the plains in imagination as described in books, terse letters, or reports of isolated scientific parties differed so wildly from the plains as they actually exist and appear to the eye. Travelers, writers of fiction and journalists have spoken and written a great deal concerning this immense territory, so unlike in all its quantities and characteristics to the settled and cultivated portion of the United States, but to a person familiar with the country, the conclusion is forced upon reading these published descriptions either that the writers never visited but a limited portion of the country they aim to describe, or, as is most commonly the case at the present day, that the journey was made in a stagecoach, or Pullman car, half of the distance traveled in the nighttime, and but occasional glimpses taken during the day. A journey by rail across the plains is at best but ill adapted to a thorough or satisfactory examination of the general character of the country, for the reason that in selecting the route for railroads the valley of some stream is, if practicable, usually chosen to contain the roadbed. The valley being considerably lower than the adjacent country, the view of the tourist is correspondingly limited. Moreover, the vastness of the varied character of this immense track could not fairly be determined or judged by a flying trip across one portion of it. One would scarcely expect an accurate opinion to be formed of the swamps of Florida from a railroad journey from New York to Niagara. After indulging in criticisms on the written descriptions of the plains, I might reasonably be expected to enter into what I conceive a correct description, but I forbear. Upon the general outline embracing some of the peculiarities of this slightly known portion of our country, the limits and character of these sketches of western life will not permit me to go. The idea entertained by the greater number of people regarding the appearance of the plains, while it is very incorrect so far as the latter are concerned, is quite accurate and truthful if applied to the prairies of the western states. It is probable too that the romance writers and even tourists at an earlier day mistook the prairies for the plains, and in describing one, imagined they were describing the other, whereas the two have little in common to the eye of the beholder, save the general absence of trees. In proceeding from the Missouri River to the base of the Rocky Mountains, the ascent, although gradual, is quite rapid. For example, at Fort Riley, Kansas, the bed of the Kansas River is upward of a thousand feet above the level of the sea, while at Fort Hayes, at a distance of nearly 150 miles further west, is about 1,500 feet above the level of the sea. Starting from almost any point near the central portion of the plains and moving in any direction, one seems to encounter a series of undulations at a more or less remote distance from each other, but consistently in view. Comparing the surface of the country to that of the ocean, a comparison often indulged in by those who have seen both, it does not require a very great stretch of the imagination. When viewing this boundless ocean of beautiful living verger, to picture these successive undulations as gigantic waves not wildly chasing each other to or from the shore, but standing silent and immovable, and by their silent immobility adding to the impressive grandeur of the scene, these undulations varying in height from 50 to 500 feet and sometimes forming a light sandy soil, but often of different varieties of rock, producing at a distance the most picturesque effect. The constant reoccurrence of these waves, if they may be so termed, is quite puzzling to the inexperienced plainsmen. He imagines, and very naturally too, judging from appearances, that when he ascends to the crest he can overlook all the surrounding country. After a weary walk or ride of perhaps several miles, which appeared at starting not more than one or two, he finds himself at the desired point, but discovers that directly beyond, in the direction he desires to go, rises a second wave, but slightly higher than the first and from the crest which he must certainly be able to scan the country as far as the eye can reach. Tither he pursues his course, and after a ride of from five to ten miles, although the distance did not seem half so great before starting, he finds himself on the crest, or as it is invariably termed, the divide, but again only to discover that another and apparently a higher divide rises in his front and at about the same distance. Hundreds, yes, thousands of miles may be journeyed over and the same effect witnessed every few hours. As you proceed toward the west from the Missouri, the size of the trees diminishes as well as the number of kinds. As you penetrate the borders of Indian country leaving civilization behind you, the sight of the forest is no longer enjoyed. The only trees to be seen being scattered along the banks of the streams, these becoming smaller and more rare, finally disappearing altogether and giving place to a few scattering willows and osears. The greater portion of the plains may be said to be without timber of any kind and to the cause of this absent scientific men disagree, some claiming that the high winds which prevailed in the unobstructed force prevent the growth and existence of not only trees but even the taller grasses. This theory is well supported by facts as unlike the western prairies where the grass often attains a height sufficient to conceal a man on horseback, the plains are covered by a grass which rarely and only under favorable circumstances exceeds three inches in height. Another theory also somewhat plausible is that the entire plains were at one time covered with timber, more or less dense, but this timber owning to the various causes was destroyed and has since been prevented from growing or spreading over the plains by the annual fires which the Indians regularly create and which swept over the entire country. These fires are built by the Indians in the fall to burn the dried grass and hasten the growth of the pastureage in the early spring. Favoring the theory that the plains were at one time covered with forest is the fact that the entire trunks of large trees have been found in a state of petrification or elevated portions of the country and far removed from the streams of water. While dwarf specimens of almost all varieties of trees are found fringing the banks of some of the streams, the prevailing species are cottonwood and poplar trees, populous monolifera and populous angolosa. Intermingled with these are found clumps of osers, salix, londifolia. In almost any other portion of the country the cottonwood would be the least desirable of trees, but to the Indian and in many instances which have fallen under my observation to our troops, the cottonwood has reformed a service which no other tree has been found its equal and that is its forage for horses and mules during the winter season when the snow prevents even dried grass from being obtainable. During the winter campaign of 1868 to 69 against the hostile tribes south of the Arkansas it not infrequently happened that my command while in pursuit of Indians exhausted its supply of forage and the horses and mules were subsisted upon the young bark of the cottonwood tree. In routing the Indians from their winter villages we invariably discovered them locked up at that point of the stream promising the greatest supply of cottonwood bark while the stream in the vicinity of the village was completely shorn of its supply of timber and the village itself was strewn with the white branches of the cottonwood entirely stripped of their bark. It was somewhat amusing to observe an Indian pony feeding on a cottonwood bark the limb being usually cut into pieces about four feet in length and thrown upon the ground, the pony accustomed to this kind of long forage would place one four foot on the limb in the same manner as a dog secures a bone and gnaw the bark from it. Although not affording anything like the amount of nutriment that either hay or grain does yet our horses invariably preferred the bark to either probably on account of its freshness. The herbage to be found on the principal portion of the plains is usually sparse and stunted in its growth. Along the banks of the streams and in the bottom lands there grows generally in rich abundance a species of grass often found in the states east of the Mississippi but on the uplands is produced what is there known as the buffalo grass indigenous and peculiar in its character differing in form and substance from all other grasses. The blade under favorable circumstances reaches a growth usually of from three to five inches but instead of being straight or approximately so it assumes a curled or waving shape the grass itself becoming densely matted and giving to foot when walking upon it a sensation similar to that produced by stepping upon moss or the most costly of velvet carpets. Nearly all of the graminovarius animals inhabiting the plains except the elk and some species of the deer prefer the buffalo grass to that of the lowland and it is probable that even these exceptions would not prove good if it were not for the timber on the bottom land which affords good cover to both the elk and the deer. Both are often found in large herds grazing upon the uplands although the grass is far more luxurant and plentiful on the lowlands. Our domestic animals invariably choose the buffalo grass and experience demonstrates beyond question that it is the most nutritious of all varieties of wild grasses. The favorite range of the buffalo is contained in a belt of country running north and south about 200 miles wide and extending from the Platte River on the north to the valley of the upper Canadian on the south. In migrating, if not grazing or alarmed, the buffalo invariably move in single file the column generally being headed by a patriarch of the herd who is not only familiar with the topography of the country but whose prowess in the field entitles him to become the leader of his herd. He maintains this leadership only so long as his strength and courage enable him to remain the successful champion in the innumerable contests which he has called upon to maintain. Buffalo trails are always objects of interest and inquiry to the sight seer on the plains. These trails made by the herds in their migrating moments are so regular in their construction and course as to well excite curiosity. They vary but little from 8 to 10 inches in width and are usually from 2 to 4 inches in depth. Their course is almost as unvarying as that of the needle running north and south. Of the thousands of buffalo trails which I have seen I recollect none of which the general direction was not north and south. This may seem somewhat surprising at first though but it admits of a simple and satisfactory explanation. The general direction of all streams, large and small on the plains, is from the west to the east seeking as they do an entrance to the Mississippi. The habits of the buffalo inclined him to graze and migrate from one stream to another moving northward and crossing each in succession as he follows the young grass in the spring and moving southward seeking the milder climate and open grazing in the fall and winter. Throughout the buffalo country are to be seen what are termed buffalo wallows. The number of these is so great as to excite surprise. A moderate estimate would give from 1 to 3 to each acre of ground throughout this vast tract of country. These wallows are about 8 feet in diameter and from 6 to 18 inches in depth and are made by the buffalo bulls in the spring when challenging a rival to combat for the favor of the opposite sex. The ground is broken by pawing if an animal with a hoof can be said to paw and if the challenge is accepted as it usually is the combat takes place after which the one who comes off victorious remains in possession of the battlefield and occupying the wallow of fresh unturned earth finds it produces a cooling sensation to his hot and gory sides. Sometimes the victory which gives possession of the battlefield and drives the hated antagonist away is purchased at a dear price. The carcass of the victor is often found in the wallow where his brief triumph has soon terminated from the effects of his wounds. In the early spring during the shedding season the buffalo resorts to his wallow to aid in removing the old coat. These wallows have proven of no little benefit to man as well as to animals other than the buffalo. After a heavy rain they become filled with water the soil being of such a compact character as to retain it. It is not infrequently been the case when making long marches that the streams would be found dry while water and abundance could be obtained from the wallows. True it was not of the best quality particularly if it had been standing long and the buffalo had patronized the wallows as a summer resorts but on the plains a thirsty man or beast far from any streams or water does not parlay long with these considerations. Whatever water is found on the plains particularly if it is standing innumerable gadflies and mosquitoes generally abound. To such an extent do these pests to the animal kingdom exist to our thinly coated animals such as the horse and the mule grazing is almost an impossibility while the buffalo with his huge shaggy coat can browse undisturbed. The most sanguinary and determined of these troublesome insects are the buffalo flies. They move in mirids and so violent and painful as their assaults upon the horses that a herd of the latter has been known to stampede as a result of an attack from a swarm of these flies. But here again is furnished what some reasoners would affirm is evidence of the eternal fitness of things. In most localities where these flies are found in troublesome numbers there are also found flocks of starlings a species of blackbird these more I presume to obtain a livelihood than to become the defender of the helpless perched themselves upon the backs of the animals when woe betide the hapless gadfly who ventures near only to become a choice morsel for the starling. In this way I have seen our herds of cavalry horses grazing undisturbed each horse of the many hundreds having perched upon his back from one to dozens of starlings standing guard over him while he grazed. One of the first subjects which addresses itself to the mind of the stranger on the plains particularly if he be a philosophical or scientific turn of mind is the mirage which is here observed in all its perfection. Many a weary mile of the traveler has been world away in endeavors to account for the fitful and beautiful changing visions presented by the mirage. Sometimes the distortions are wonderful and so natural as to deceive the most experienced eye. Upon one occasion I met a young officer who had spent several years on the plains and in the Indian country. He was on the occasion alluded to in command of a detachment of cavalry in pursuit of a party of Indians who had been committing depredations on a frontier. While riding at the head of his command he suddenly discovered as he thought a party of Indians not more than a mile distant. The latter seemed to be galloping towards him. The attention of his men was called to them and they pronounced them Indians on horseback. The trot was sounded and the column moved forward to the attack. The distance between the attacking party and the supposed foe was rapidly diminishing. The Indians appearing plainer to view each moment. The charge was about to be sounded when it was discovered that the supposed party of Indians consisted of decayed carcasses of a half a dozen slain buffaloes which number had been magnified by the mirage while the peculiar motion imparted by the latter had given the appearance of Indians on horseback. In a train of government wagons with white canvas covers moving through a mirage which by elevating the wagons to treble their height and magnifying the size of the covers presented the appearance of a line of large sailing vessels under full sail while the unusual appearance of the mirage gave the correct likeness of an immense lake or sea. Sometimes the mirage has been the cause of frightful suffering and death by its deceptive appearance. Trains of immigrants making their way to California and Oregon have while seeking water to quench their thirst and that of their animals been induced to depart from their course in the endeavor to reach the inviting lake of water which the mirage displayed before their longing eyes. It is usually represented at a distance of from five to ten miles. Sometimes if the nature of the ground is favorable it is dispelled by advancing toward it. At others it is like an ignis fatus hovering in sight but keeping beyond reach. Here and there throughout this region are pointed out the graves of those who are said to have been led astray by the mirage until their bodies were famished and they succumbed to thirst. The routes usually chosen for travel across the plains may be said to furnish upon an average water every fifteen miles. In some instances however and during the hot season of the year it is necessary in places to go into what is termed a dry camp that is to encamp where there is no water. In such emergencies with a previous knowledge of the route it is practicable to transport from the last camp a sufficient quantity to satisfy the demands of the people composing the train. But the dumb brutes must trust to the little moisture obtained at night grazing to quench their thirst. The animals inhibiting the plains resemble in some respects the fashionable society of some of our larger cities. During the extreme heat of the summer they forsake their accustomed haunts and seek a more delightful retreat. For although the plains are drained by streams of all sizes from the navigable river to the humblest of brooks yet at certain seasons a supply of water to many of them is of the most uncertain character. The pastureage from the excessive heat the lack of sufficient moisture and the withering hot winds which sweep across from the south become dried, withered and burnt and is rendered incapable of sustaining life. Then it is that the animals usually found on the plains disappear for a short time and await the return of a milder season. I briefly grouped the prominent features of the central plains and as some of the incidents connected with my service among the Indian tribes occurred far to the south of the localities already referred to a hurried reference to the country north of Texas and in which the Wichita Mountains are located a favorite resort of some of the tribes is here made. To describe as one would view in the journeying upon horseback the beautiful and romantic country to picture with the pen those boundless solitude so silent that their silence alone increases their grandeur to gather inspiration from nature and to attempt to paint the scene as my eye beheld it is a task before which a much reddier pen than mine might well hesitate. It was a beautiful and ever-changing panorama which at one moment excited the beholder's highest admiration at the next impressed him with speechless veneration. Approaching the Wichita Mountains from the north and after the eyes perhaps been wearied by the tameness and monotony of the unbroken plains one is gladdened by the relief which the sight of these picturesque and peculiarly beautiful mountains affords. Here are to be seen all the varied colors which Byerstad and Church endeavor to represent in their mountain scenery a journey across and round them on foot and upon horseback will well repay either the tourist or artist. The air is pure and fragrant and as exhilarating as the purest of wine the climate entrancingly mild the sky clear and blue is the most beautiful sapphire with here and there clouds of rarest loveliness presenting to the eye the richest commingling of bright and varied colors the beautiful odors are constantly being warped by while the forest filled with the mockingbird the calibre, the hummingbird and the thrush consistently put forth a joyful chorus and all combined to fill the soul with visions of delight and enhance the perfection and glory of the creation. Strong indeed must be that unbelief which can hear contemplate nature in all her purity and glory and unawed by the sublimity of this closely connected testimony question either the divine origin or purpose of the beautiful fulfillment. Unlike most mountains the Wichita can not properly be termed a range or chain but more correctly a collection or group as many of the highest and most beautiful are detached and stand on a level plane solitary and alone. They are mainly composed of granite large blocks of which exhibit numerous shades of beautiful colors crimson, purple, yellow and green predominating they are conical in shape and seem to have but little resemblance to the soil upon which they are founded their eyes abruptly from a level surface so level and unobstructed that it would be an easy matter to drive a carriage to any point of the circumference at the base and yet so steep and broken are the sides that it is only here and there that it is possible to ascend them from the foot of almost every mountain pours a stream of limpid water of almost icy coldness. If the character given to the Indian by Cooper and other novelists as well as by well-meaning but mistaken philanthropists of a later day were the true one if the Indian were the innocent simple-minded being he is represented more the creature of romance than reality imbred only with a deep veneration for the works of nature freed from the passions and vices which must accompany a savage nature if in other words he possessed all the virtues which his admirers and works of fiction ascribe to him and were freed from all the vices which those best qualified to judge assign to him he would be just the character to complete the picture which is presented by the country embracing the Wichita mountains Cooper to whose writings more than to those of any other author are the people speaking the English language indebted for a false and ill-judged estimate of the Indian character might well have laid the scenes of his fictitious stories in this beautiful and romantic country it is to be regretted that the character of the Indian as described in Cooper's interesting novels is not the true one but as emerging from childhood into the years of a mature age we are often compelled to cast aside many of our earlier illusions and replace them by beliefs less inviting but more real so we as a people with opportunities enlarged and facilities for obtaining knowledge increased have been forced by a multiplicity of causes to study and endeavor to comprehend thoroughly the character of the red man so intimately has he become associated with the government as ward of the nation and so prominent a place among the questions of national policy does the much-mooted Indian question occupy that it behooves us no longer to study this problem from works of fiction but to deal with it as it exists in reality stripped of the beautiful romance with which we have been so long willing to envelop him transferred from the inviting pages of the novelist to the localities where we are compelled to meet with him in his native village on the warpath and when raiding upon our frontier settlements and lines of travel the Indian forfeits his claim to the appellation of the noble red man we see him as he is and so far as all knowledge goes as he ever has been a savage in every sense of the word not worse perhaps than his white brother would be similarly born and bred but one whose cruel and ferocious nature far exceeds that of any wild beast of the desert that this is true no one who has been brought into intimate contact with the wild tribes will deny perhaps there are some who as members of peace commissions or as wandering agents of some benevolent society may have visited these tribes or attended with them at councils held for some pacific purpose and who by passing through the villages of the Indian while at peace may imagine their opportunities for judging of the Indian's nature all that could be described but the Indian while he can seldom be accused of indulging in a great variety of wardrobe can be said to have a character capable of adapting itself to almost every occasion he has one character perhaps his most serviceable one which he preserves carefully and only heirs it when making his appeal to the government or its agents for arms, ammunition and license to employ them this character is invariably paraded and often with telling effect when the motive is a peaceful one prominent chiefs invited to visit Washington invariably down this character and in their talks with the great father and other less prominent personages they successfully contrived to exhibit but this one phrase seeing them under these or similar circumstances only is not surprising that by many the Indian is looked upon as a simple minded son of nature desiring nothing beyond the privilege of roaming and hunting over the vast unsettled wilds of the west inheriting and asserting but few native rights and never trespassing upon the rights of others this view is equally erroneous with that which regards the Indian as a creature possessing the human form but divested of all other attributes of humanity and whose traits of character, habits, modes of life disposition and savage customs disqualify him from the exercise of all rights and privileges even those pertaining to life itself taking him as we find him at peace or at war, at home or abroad waving all prejudices and laying aside all partiality we will discover in the Indian a subject for thoughtful study and investigation in him we will find the representative of a race whose origin is and promises to be a subject forever wrapped in mystery a race incapable of being judged by the rules or laws applicable to any other known race of men one between which and civilization there seems to have existed from time immemorial a determined and unceasing warfare a hostility so deep seated and inbred with the Indian character that in the exceptional instances where the modes and habits of civilization have been reluctantly adopted it has ban at the sacrifice of power and influence as a tribe and the more serious loss of health, vigor and courage as individuals End of Chapter 1 Chapter 2 of My Life on the Plains This LibriVox recording is in the public domain If the character of the Indian is enveloped in mystery how much more so is his origin? From the earliest history to the present time learned men have striven to unravel this mystery and to trace the genealogy of the red man to its original source but in spite of all study and the deepest research capable of being brought to bear on this subject it is today surrounded by a darkness almost as deep and impenetrable as that which enfolded it centuries ago Various writers of ability have attempted to prove that the Indians came from eastern Asia others trace them to Africa others to Phoenicia while other class believes them to be Atukthuns In favor of each of these beliefs strong circumstantial evidence can be produced By closely studying the customs, costumes faith and religious traditions of the various tribes a striking homogeneity is seen to exist At the same time and from the same sources we are able to discover satisfactory resemblance between certain superstitions and religious rites practice among the Indian tribes and those which prevailed at one time among the ancient Persians the Hebrews and the Chaldeans They who adhere to the belief of disparity of origin may readily adduce arguments in refugiation of an opposite theory The apparent similarity found to exist in the customs dress and religious rites of different tribes may be partially accounted for by their long intercourse under like circumstances the effect of which would necessarily be an assimilation in beliefs and usage to a greater or less degree The preponderance of acts inclined strongly in favor of that theory which does not ascribe unity of origin to the Indian tribes Passing down the Mississippi to Mexico and from Mexico to Peru there once existed an unbroken chain of tribes which either in a peaceful or war like manner maintained a connection and kept up an intercourse with each other In various ways proofs have been discovered that at one time the most northern tribes must have held intercourse with the civilized nations of Peru and Mexico These evidences have been seized upon by certain chevons to support the theory that the Indian tribes of North America are descendants of the Aztecs and other kindred nations of the south arriving at this conclusion from the fact that an apparently similarity in history psychology, traditions and customs But by studying the migration and tendencies of ancient nations and making allowances for such modifications as climate influences intermarriage, contact with civilization and an altered mode of living would necessarily produce upon any branch of the human race remembering too that in the vast majority of cases relating to our subject we must be guided by tradition rather than history It is not difficult to establish a strong typical likeness between the tribes of American Indians and some of the nations of most remote antiquity When or in what exact manner they first reach this continent is a problem difficult of solution This theory necessarily involves the admission of immigration to this continent centuries before the landing of Columbus Upon this point there is much that may be inferred and not a little susceptible of strong proof When civilization made its first inroads within the borders of this continent numerous tribes, each powerful in numbers were found inhabiting it Each tribe had its peculiar customs whether of war, the chase or religion They exhibited some close resemblances as well as widely different traits of character that they sprang from different nations rather than from a single source seems highly probable It is said that when the Spaniards conquered Yucatan a number of intelligent Indians declared that by traditions from their ancestors they had learned that their country had been people by nations coming from the east whom God had delivered from their enemies by opening a road for them across the sea Few persons will deny that the existence of America was believed in if not positively known centuries before its discovery by Columbus Even so far back as the time of Alexander the Great a historian named Theopompus in giving a dialogue that took place between Midas and Salinas credits the latter with saying that Europe, Asia and Africa were only islands but that a vast fertile continent existed beyond the sea This continent was peopled by a race of powerful men and gold and silver were abundant on its surface Hanno, 800 years before Christ made a voyage along the coast of Africa and sailed due west for 30 days From the account which he afterward wrote of his voyage it is probable that he saw portions of America or some of the West India islands References also made by Homer and Horace to the existence of islands at a long distance west of Europe and Africa Deodorus speaks of an immense island many days sailed to the west of Africa immense rivers flowed from its shores its inhabitants resided in beautiful mansions its soil was fruitful and highly cultivated The description corresponds with that given of Mexico by the Spaniards who first discovered it Aristotle makes mention of it in the following terms It is said that the Carthinogens have discovered beyond the pillars of Hercules a very fertile island but which is without inhabitants yet full of forests of navigable rivers and abounding in fruit It is situated many days journey from the mainland After the discovery of America Europeans were surprised to find in villages in Guatemala inhabitants wearing the Arabian masculine costume and the Jewish feminine costume Travelers in South America have discovered Israelites among the Indians This discovery strengthens a theory given by Garcia, a Spanish writer that the Indians are descendants of the tribes of Israel that were led captive into Assyria Many of the Indian customs and religious rights closely resemble those of the Israelites In many tribes the Indians offer the first fruits of the earth and of the chase to the Great Spirit They have also certain ceremonies at stated periods Their division of the year corresponds with the Jewish festivals In some tribes the brother of the deceased husband receives the widow into his lodge as his legitimate wife Some travelers claim to have seen circumcism practice among certain tribes Another analogy between the Jews and the Indian is seen in their purification Baths, anointing, fasts, manner of praying and abstaining from certain quadrupeds birds and reptiles considered impure In general Indians are only permitted to marry in their own tribe Some tribes are said to carry with them an ark similar to the one mentioned in the Holy Writ I know that all tribes with which I have been brought in contact carry with them a mysterious something which is regarded with the utmost sacredness and veneration and upon which the eye of no white man at least is ever permitted to rest Then again the medicine man of the tribe who is not, as his name implies, the physician but stands in the character of high priest assumes a dress and manner corresponding to those of the Jewish high priest Mr. Adair who spent forty years among the various northern tribes and who holds to the idea that the Indian is descended from the Hebrew asserts that he discovered an unmistakable resemblance between various Indian words and the Hebrew intended to express the same ideas He further asserts that he once heard in Indian apply the following expression to a culprit Thou art like a Canaanite sinner Numerous evidences and various authorities go to prove that prior to the discovery of America by Columbus a series of voyages had been made from the old to the new continent The historical records of the Scandinavians describing their migratory expeditions fixed not only the dates of such excursions but also the exact points on the American coast at which landings were made and colonies established In 10-2, Thorward Erickson following the example of his countrymen began a voyage during which he landed near Cape Cod He was afterwards slain in an encounter with the natives Other expeditions were undertaken by the Scandinavians at subsequent periods down to the early part of the 15th century when owing to various causes of decline including savage wars and disease these early explorers lost their foothold on the American continent and disappeared from its limits But from the 9th to 15th century it was easily proved by their historical records and traditions that the American continent had been visited and occupied by pioneers from the Scandinavians from the great number of inscriptions antique utensils, arms, bones and monuments discovered in New England states it is fair to presume that these adventures had occupied a larger portion of the new continent than their manuscripts would lead us to suppose at the same time the discoveries in the western states and territories of mounds containing human bones earthen vessels and weapons whose form and structure proved that their original owners belonged to a different people from any of which were acquainted at the present day should be received as evidence strongly confirmatory of the early migrations claimed to have been made by the Scandinavians and other nations admitting that there are certain physiological attributes common to nearly all the Indian tribes sufficiently decided and clear to enable them to be classed together as one branch of the human family yet an intimate study of all the tribes of North America will develop physical diversities sufficiently ample to justify the belief that the various tribes may have sprung from different nationalities we find them altogether generally of a copper color presenting all shades of complexion from a deep black to a shade of white some tribes are of powerful statue others are dwarfed so marked are these differences that a person accustomed to meeting the various tribes can at a glance distinguish the individuals of one from the other almost every tribe possesses a language peculiarly its own and what seems remarkable is the fact that no matter how long or how intimately two tribes may be associated with each other they each preserve and employ their own language and individuals of the one tribe rarely become versed in the spoken language of the other all intercommunications being carried on either by interpreters or in the universal sign language this is noticeably true of Cheyenne and Arapahos two tribes which for years have lived in close proximity to each other and who are so strongly bound together offensively and defensively as to make common cause against the enemies of either particularly against the white man these tribes encamp together hunt together and make war together yet but a comparatively small number of either can speak fluently the language of the other I remember to have had an interview at one time with a number of prominent chiefs belonging to five different tribes the Cheyenne, Kiowas, Osages, Cause and Depaches in communicating with them it was necessary for my language to be interpreted into each of the five Indian tongues no representatives of any two of the tribes being able to understand the language of each other yet all of these tribes were accustomed to more or less intimate association between the tribes which inhabited the eastern states and those originally found on the plains a marked difference is seen to exist they have but little in common while a difference equally marked is discovered between the Indians of the plains and those of the mountain regions further west as well as the tribes of both old and New Mexico inseparable from the Indian character whenever he is to be met with is his remarkable tessiturnity his deep dissimilation the perseverance with which he follows his plans of revenge or conquest his concealment and apparent lack of curiosity his historical courage when in the power of his enemies his cunning, his caution and last but not least the wonderful power and sublity of his senses of this last I have had most interesting proof one instance of which will be noted when describing the Washita campaign in studying the Indian character while shocked and disgusted by many of his traits and customs I find much to be admired and feel more of deep and unvarying interest to me Indian life with its attendant ceremonies mysteries and forms is a book of uneasy interest grant that some of its pages are frightful and if possible to be avoided yet the attraction is none the weaker study him, fight him, civilize him if you can he remains still the object of your curiosity a type of man peculiar and undefined subjecting himself to no known law of civilization contending determinately against all efforts to win him from his chosen mode of life he stands in a group of nations solitary and reserved seeking alliance with none mistrusting and opposing the advances of all civilization may and should do much for him but it can never civilize him a few instances to the contrary may be quoted but these are susceptible of explanation no tribe enjoying its accustomed freedom has ever been induced to adopt a civilized mode of life or as they express it to follow the white man's road at various times certain tribes have forsaken the pleasures of the chase and the excitement of the war path for the more quiet life to be found on the reservation was this course adopted voluntarily and from preference was it because the Indian chose the ways of his white brother rather than those in which he had been born and bred in no single instance has this been true what then it may be asked have been the reasons which influence certain tribes to abandon their predatory nomadic life and today to influence others to pursue a similar course the answer is clear and as undeniable as it is clear the gradual and steady decrease in numbers strength and influence occasioned by wars both with other tribes and with the white man as well as losses brought about by diseases partly attributable to contact with civilization have so lowered the standing and diminished the available fighting force of the tribe as to render it unable to cope with more powerful neighboring tribes with any prospect of success the stronger tribes always assume an overbearing and dominant matter toward their weaker neighbors forcing them to join in costly and bloody wars or themselves to be considered enemies when a tribe falls from the position of a leading one it is at the mercy of every tribe that chooses to make war being forced to take sides and at the termination of the war is generally sacrificed to the interest of the more powerful to avoid these sacrifices to avail itself of the protection of civilization and its armed forces to escape from the running influences of its more war like and powerful neighbors it reluctantly accepts the situation gives up its accustomed haunts its wild motor life and nestles down under the protecting arm of its former enemy the white man and tries however feebly to adopt his manner of life in making this change the Indian has to sacrifice all that is dear to his heart he abandons the only mode of life in which he can be a warrior and win triumphs and honors worthy to be sought after and in taking up the pursuits of the white man he does that which he has always been taught from his earliest infancy to regard as degrading to his manhood to labor to work for his daily bread and avocation suitable only for squaws to those who advocate the application of laws of civilization to the Indian it might be a profitable study to investigate the effect which such application produces upon the strength of the tribe as expressed in numbers looking at him as the fearless hunter the matchless horsemen and warrior of the plains where nature placed him and contrasting him with the reservation Indian who is supposed to be reveling in the delightful comforts and luxuries of an enlightened condition but who in reality is groveling and beggary bereft of many of the qualities which in his wild state tended to render him noble and heir to a combination of vices partly his own partly bequeathed to him from the pale face one is forced even against desire to conclude that there is unending antagonism between the Indian nature and that with which his well-meaning white brother would endow him nature intended him for a savage state every instinct every impulse of the soul inclines him to it the white race might fall into a barbarous state and afterwards subjected to the influence of civilization be reclaimed and prosper not so the Indian he cannot be himself and be civilized he fades away and dies cultivation such as the white man would give him deprives him of his identity education strange as it may appear seems to weaken rather than strengthen his intellect where do we find any specimens of educated Indian eloquence comparing with that of such native and tutored orders as to come see Asiola red jacket and Logan or to select from those of more recent fame Red Cloud of the Sioux or Santata of the Kayawas unfortunately for the last name chief whose name has been such a terror to our frontier settlements he will have to be judged for other qualities than that of eloquence attention has more recently been directed to him by his arrest by the military authorities near Fort Sill Indian territory and his transportation to Texas for trial by civil court for various murders and depredations alleged to have been committed by him near the Texas frontier he has since had his trial and if public rumor is to be credited has been sentenced to death reference will be made to this noted chief and succeeding pages his eloquence and able arguments upon the Indian question in various councils to which he was called one for him the deserved title of order of the planes in his bolstering harangue before the general of the army which furnished the evidence of his connection with the murders for which he has been tried and sentenced he stated as a justification for such outrageous or rather as the occasion of them that they were in retaliation for his arrest and imprisonment by me some three years ago as there are two sides to most questions even if one be wrong when the proper time arrives a brief account of Santata's arrest and imprisonment with the causes leading there too will be given in these sketches one of the favorite remarks of Santata in his orations and one to which other chiefs often indulge in being thrown out as a glittering generality meaning much or little as they may desire but most often the latter was that he was tried of making war and desired now to follow the white man's road it is scarcely to be presumed that he found the gratifications of this oft-expressed desire in recently following the white man's road to Texas under strong guard and heavily manacled with hanging to the Indian the most dreaded of all deaths plainly in the perspective aside however from his character for restless barbarity and actively in conducting merciless forays against our exposed frontiers Santata is a remarkable man remarkable for his powers of oratory and determined warfare against the advances of civilization and his opposition to the abandonment of his accustomed mode of life and its exchange for the quiet, unexciting, uneventful life of a reservation Indian if I were an Indian I often think that I would greatly prefer to cast my lot to those of my people who adhered to the free open plains rather than to submit to the confined limits of a reservation there to be the recipient of the blessed benefits of civilization with its vices thrown in without stint or measure the Indian can never be permitted to view the question in this deliberate way he is neither a luxury nor necessary of life he can hunt, roam and camp when and where so ever he pleases provided always that in so doing he does not run contrary to the requirements of civilization in its advancing trend when the soil which he has claimed and hunted over for so long a time is demanded by this to him insatiable monster there is no appeal he must yield or like the car of juggernaut it will roll merrily over him destroying as it advances destiny seems to have so willed it and the world looks on and nods its approval at best the history of our Indian tribes no matter from what the standpoint is regarded affords a melancholy picture of loss of life two hundred years ago it required millions to express in numbers the Indian population while at the present time less than half the number of thousands will suffice for the purpose where and why have they gone? ask a Saxon race since whose introduction into an occupation of the country these vast changes have been affected but little idea can be formed of the terrible inroads which disease before unknown to them have made upon their numbers war has contributed its share it is true but disease alone has done much to depopulate many of the Indian tribes it is stated that the smallpox was first introduced among them by the white man in 1837 and that in the short space of one month six tribes lost by this disease alone twelve thousand persons confusion sometimes arises from the division of the Indians into nations tribes and bands a nation is generally a confederation of tribes which have sprung from a common stock or origin the tribe is intended to embrace all bands and villages claiming a common name and is presided over by a head chief while each band or village is presided over by one or more subordinate chiefs but all acknowledging a certain allegiance to the head or main village this division cannot always be accounted for it arises sometimes from necessity where the entire tribe is a large one and it is difficult to produce game and grazing in one locality sufficient for all in such cases the various bands are not usually separated by any great distance but regulate their movements so as to be able to act in each other's behalf sometimes a chief more war-like than the others who favors war and conquest at all times and refuses to make peace even when his tribe a sense to it will separate himself with those who choose to unite their fortunes with his from the remainder of the tribe and act for the time independently such character produces endless trouble his village becomes a shelter and rendezvous for all the restless spirits of the tribe while the latter is or pretends to be at peace this band continues to make war yet when pressed or pursued avails itself of the protection of those who are supposed to be peaceable having hurriedly sketched the country in which we shall find it necessary to go and glanced at certain theories calculated to shed some light on the origin and destiny of the Indian tribes the succeeding pages will be devoted to my personal experience on the plains commencing with the expedition of Major General Hancock in the spring of 1867 End of Chapter 2 Chapter 3 of My Life on the Plains This LibriVox recording is in the Public Domain There are two classes of people who are always eager to get up in Indian war the army and our frontiersmen I quote from an editorial on the Indian question which not long since appeared in the columns of one of the leading New York Daily newspapers that this statement was honestly made I do not doubt but that instead of being true it could not have been further from the truth I will attempt to show an assert and all candid persons familiar with the subject will sustain the assertion that of all classes of population the army and the people living on the frontier entertain the greatest dread of an Indian war and are willing to make the greatest sacrifices to avoid its horrors this is a proposition the assertion of which almost carries its proof with it under the most auspicious circumstances and in time of peace with the Indians the life of an army officer on the plains or along the frontier is at best one involving no little personal discomfort and demanding the sacrifices of many of the luxuries and benefits which he could obtain were he located within the limits of civilization to many officers servicing the west amounts almost to social exile some can have their families with or near them there is a limited opportunity for social intercourse travel from states to across the plains either for business or pleasure is uninterrupted and male facilities with friends and relations in the states are maintained an Indian war changes all this the troops must prepare to take the field provided with but few comforts necessarily limited in this respect by the amount of transportation which on the plains is narrowed down to the smallest practicable the soldier bids adieu often a final one to the dear ones of home of with his comrades and arms set out no matter how inclement the season to seek what fame and glory how many military men have reaped laurels from their Indian campaigns does he strive to win with the approving smile of his countrymen that is indeed in this particular instance a difficult task for let him act as he may in conducting or assisting in a campaign against the Indians if he survives a campaign he can feel assured of this fact that one half of his fellow citizens at home will revile him for a zeal and pronounce his success if he achieves any a massacre of poor defenseless harmless Indians while the other half if his efforts to chastise the common enemy or not crowned with satisfactory results will cry down with him down with the regular army and give us brave volunteers who can serve the government in other ways besides eating rations and drawing pay an unsuccessful campaign under which head 19 out of 20 may reasonably be classed satisfies no portion of the public and greatly dissatisfies that portion of the western population whose knowledge of the murders and depredations committed by the Indians is unlikely that of the people of the states for the rest of two recent origin to be swept away by false notions of clemency during the continuance of the campaign both officers and soldiers are generally cut off from all communications with friends left behind courier centers bearers of a few dispatches and letters are sometimes under cover of the night and enabled to make their way back to the forts but even these fail sometimes and I'll recollect the circumstance of two trusty scouts being sent with dispatches and a small mail to make their way from the southern portion of Kansas to Fort Dodge on the Arkansas when we saw them again we beheld their lifeless mangled remains their bodies pierced with numerous arrows and mutilated almost beyond recognition our letters scattered here and there by the savages who had torn open the little canvas mail bag in search of plunder the Indians had surrounded these faithful fellows when within about 10 miles of the end of their perilous journey the numerous empty cartridge shells which lay around and near the bodies of the two men proved how persistently and bravely they had struggled for their lives the opening of an Indian campaign is also the signal for the withdrawal of all privileges and enjoyment such as leaves of absence visits from eastern friends hunting and pleasure parties of all kinds the reception from the east of all luxuries and delicacies for the table and of all the current literature such as the numerous railroads being constructed in the West particularly the two Pacific's render easy a procurement ceases and not only the private soldier but the officer is limited in his mess fair to an indifferent portion of the ordinary ration it is probable or reasonable that these objects and results the principles of one generally so far as the army as individuals is concerned would be considered sufficient to render either officer or soldiers eager to get up an Indian war I've yet to make the acquaintance of that officer of the army who in time of undisturbed peace desired a war with the Indians on the contrary the army is the Indians best friend so long as the latter desires to maintain friendship it is pleasant at all times and always interesting to have a village of peaceful Indians locate their lodges near our frontier posts or camps the daily visits of the Indians from the most venerable chief to the strap papooses their rude interchange of civilities their barterings races dances legends strange customs and fantastic ceremonies all combined to render them far more agreeable as friendly neighbors than his crafty blood thirsty enemies as to the frontiersmen he has everything to lose even to life and nothing to gain by an Indian war his object is to procure a fat contract for a market for his produce adds a journal from which the opening lines of this chapter are quoted this seems plausible and likely enough but does add journal and do the people who believe on this question as it does know that there are two reasons more are not required why its statement is a very great error first our frontier farmers busily employed as they are and opening up their farms never have any produce to dispose of but consider themselves fortunate if they have sufficient for their personal wants they are never brought in contact with the Indian except when the ladder makes a raid or incursion of at least hundreds of miles and attacks the settlements it is another case of Mohammed in the mountain the frontiersmen never goes beyond the settlements the Indian for sakes is a custom hunting grounds when ambitions of obtaining scalps or plunder and visits the settlements the only ground upon which the frontiersmen can be accused of inspiring or inciting an Indian war with the Indian is that one supplied to buy the ladder to surrender his life family and property scalp thrown in he stoutly refuses and sometimes employees forced to maintain this refusal I have shown that this absurd class of the pioneers of civilization have no hand in the fat contracts who are the fortunate parties with but rare exceptions are most expensive expeditions against the Indians on the planes have been supplied by contracts made with parties far inside the limits of civilization who probably never saw hostile Indian and who never even visited the Indian country the supplies are purchased far from the frontiers in the rich and thickly settled portions of the states then shipped by rail and boat to the most available military post from which point they are generally drawn by huge trains of army wagons or carried on back animals of the many important expeditions organized operate in the Indian country none perhaps of late years as excited more general and unfriendly comment considering the slight loss of life inflicted upon the Indians then the expedition organized and led in person by major general Hancock in the spring of 1867 the cliche generally known as the Indian ring were particularly male violent and better in their denunciations of general Hancock for precipitating as they expressed it and Indian war this expedition was quite formidable in appearance being made up of eight troops of Calvary seven companies of infantry and one battery of light artillery numbering together about one thousand four hundred men as general Hancock at the time and since has been so often accused of carelessly bringing on an Indian war a word an explanation may not be amiss being in command of the Calvary connected with the expedition I had ample and frequent opportunities for learning the true purposes and objects of the march into the heart of the Indian country I know no better mode of explaining these and by quoting the following extract from letters written by general Hancock to the agents of the various tribes with which we expected to be brought in contact I have the honor to state for your information that I am at present preparing an expedition to the plains which will soon be ready to move my object in doing so at this time is to convince the Indians within the limits of this department that we are able to punish any of them who may molest travelers across the plains or who may commit other hostilities against the whites we desire to avoid if possible any troubles with the Indians and to treat them with justice and according to the requirements of our treaties with them and I wish especially in my dealings with them to act through the agents of the Indian department as far as it is possible so to do if you as their agent can arrange these matters satisfactorily with them we will be pleased to defer the whole subject to you in case of your inability to do so I would be pleased to have you accompany me when I visit the country of your tribes to show that the officers of the government are acting in harmony I will be pleased to talk with any of the chiefs whom we may meet surely there was no hostile intent here expressed in another communication to the agents of different tribes general Hancock in referring to certain murders which have been recently committed and which have been traced to the tribes in question said these cases will now be left entirely in the hands of the Indian department and I do not expect to make war against any of the Indians of your agency unless they commence war against us it may be asked what had the Indians done to make this incursion necessary they had been guilty of numerous thefts and murders during the preceding summer and fall but none of which had they been called to account they had attacked the stations of the overland mail route killed the employees burn the station and captured the stock citizens have been murdered in their homes on the frontier of Kansas murders have been committed on the Arkansas route the principal perpetrators of these acts were the Cheyennes and Sue the agent of the former if not a party to the murder at the Arkansas knew who the guilty persons were yet took no steps to bring the murderers to punishment such a course would have had interfered with his trade and profits it was not to punish for these sins of the past that the expedition was set on foot but rather by its imposing appearance and its early presence in the Indian country to check or intimidate the Indians from a repetition of their late conduct this was deemed particularly necessary from the fact that the various tribes from which they had the greatest cause to anticipate trouble had during the winter through their leading chiefs and warriors threatened that as soon as the grass was up in the spring and combined outbreak would take place along the entire frontier and especially against the main routes of travel to assemble the tribes for the desired council word was sent early in March to the agents of those tribes who it was desirable to meet the agents sent runners to the villages inviting them to meet us at some point near the Arkansas River. General Hancock with the artillery and six company of infantry reached Fort Riley Kansas from Fort Leavenworth by rail the last week in March. Here he was joined by four companies of the Seventh Cavalry and an additional company of the Thirty-Seventh Infantry. It was at this point that I joined the expedition and as a very fair sample of the laurels which military men may win in an Indian campaign by a zealous discharge of what they deemed their duty I will hear state in parentheses that after engaging in the expedition some of the events of which I am about to relate an undergoing fatigue, privations and dangers equal to those of a campaign during the rebellion I found myself at the termination of the campaign again at Fort Riley in arrest. This is not mentioned in a fault finding spirit. I have no fault to find. It is said that blessings sometimes come in disguise. Such proved to be true in this instance. Although I must say the disguise for some little time was most perfect. From Fort Riley we marched to Fort Harker, a distance of ninety miles, where our force was strengthened by the addition of two more troops of cavalry. Alting only long enough to replenish our supplies we next directed our march towards Fort Larned, near the Arkansas, about seventy miles to the southeast. A march from the third to the seventh of April brought us to Fort Larned. The agent for the Comanches and the Kayoas accompanied us. At Fort Larn we fought against the agents of the Cheyennes, Arapahos and Apaches. From the latter we learned that he had, as requested, sent runners to the chiefs of his agency, inviting them to the council, and that they had agreed to assemble near Fort Larned on the tenth of the month, requesting that the expedition would remain there until that date. To this request General Hancock acceded. On the ninth of April while in camp awaiting the council, which was to be held the following day, a terrible snowstorm occurred, lasting all day until late in the evening. It was our good fortune to be in camp rather than on the march, had it been otherwise we could not well have escaped without loss of life from the severe cold and blinding snow. The cavalry horses suffered seriously, and were only preserved by doubling the rations of oats, while to prevent their being frozen during the intensely cold night which followed. The guards were instructed to keep passing along the picket lines with a whip and to keep the horses moving constantly. The snow was about eight inches in depth. The council, which was to take place the next day, had to be postponed until the return of good weather. Now began the display of a kind of diplomacy for which the Indian is peculiar. The Cheyennes and a band of the Sioux were encamped on the Pawnee Fork about thirty miles above Fort Larned. They neither desired to move nearer to us nor have us approached nearer to them. On the morning of the eleventh they sent us word that they had started to visit us, but discovering a large herd of buffalo near their camp they had stopped to procure a supply of meat. This message was not received with much confidence nor was a buffalo hunt deemed of sufficient importance to justify the Indians in breaking their engagement. General Hancock decided, however, to delay another day, when if the Indians still failed to come in he would move his command to the vicinity of their village and hold the conference there. Orders were issued on the evening of the twelfth for the march to be resumed on the following day. Later in the evening two chiefs of the dog soldiers, a band comprised of the most warlike and troublesome Indians on the plains, chiefly made up of Cheyennes visited our camp. They were accompanied by a dozen warriors and expressed a desire to hold a conference with General Hancock to which he assented. A large council fire was built in front of the General Hancock's tent and all the officers of his command assembled there. A tent had been erected for the accommodation of the chiefs, a short distance from the generals. Before they could feel equal to the occasion, and in order to obtain time to collect their thoughts, they desired that supper might be prepared for them, which was done. When finally ready they advanced from their tent to the council fire in single file, accompanied by their agent and an interpreter. Arrived at the fire another brief delay ensued. No matter how pressing or momentous the occasion, an Indian invariably declines to engage in a council until he has filled his pipe and gone through with the important ceremony of a smoke. This attended to the chiefs' announce that they were ready to talk. They were then introduced to the principal officers of the group and seemed much struck with the flashy uniforms of the few artillery officers who were present in all the glory of red horsehair plumes, aglets, etc. The chiefs seemed puzzled to determine whether these insignia designated chieftains or medicine men. General Hancock began the conference by a speech in which he explained to the Indians his purpose in coming to see them, and what he expected of them in the future. He particularly informed them that he was not there to make war, but to promote peace. Then expressing his regret that more of the chiefs had not visited him, he announced his intention of proceeding on the moral with his command to the vicinity of their village, and they're holding a council with all the chiefs. Tall Bull, a fine war-like-looking chieftain, replied to General Hancock, but his speech contained nothing important, being made up of allusions to the great-growing scarcity of the buffalo, his love for the white man and the usual hint that a donation in the way of refreshments would be highly acceptable. He added that he would have nothing new to say at the village. Several years prior to the events referred to, our people had captured from the Indians two children. I believe they were survivors of the Chivington Massacre at Sand Creek, Colorado. These children had been kindly cared for, and were being taught to lead a civilized mode of life. The relatives, however, made demands for them, and we by treaty stipulation agreed to deliver them up. One of them, a little girl, had been cared for kindly, in a family living near Denver, Colorado. The other, a boy, had been carried east to the states, and it was with great difficulty that the government was able to learn his whereabouts and obtain possession of him. He was finally discovered, however, and sent to General Hancock to be by him delivered up to his tribe. He accompanied the expedition and was quite a curiosity for the time being. He was dressed comfortably, in accordance with civilized custom, and having been taken from his people at so early an age, was apparently satisfied with the life he led. The Indians who came to our camp expressed a great desire to see him, and when he was brought into their presence they exhibited no emotion, such as white men under similar circumstances might be expected to show. They evidently were not pleased to see him clothed in the white man's dress. A little fellow, then, some eight or ten years of age, seemed little disposed to go back to his people. I saw him the following year in the village of his tribe. He then had lost all trace of civilization. He had forgotten his knowledge of the English language and was as shy and suspicious of the white men as any of his dusty comrades. From older persons of the tribe we learned that their first act, after obtaining possession of him, was to deprive him of his store-clothes, and in their stead substitute the blanket and leggings. Rightly, concluding that the Indians did not intend to come to our camp as they had first agreed to, it was decided to move nearer their village. On the morning following the conference held with the two chiefs of the dog soldiers, our entire force therefore marched from Fort Larn upon E. Fork in the direction of the main village, encamping the first night about twenty-one miles from the fort. Several parties of the Indians were seen in our advance during the day, evidently watching our movements while a heavy smoke seemed to rise in the direction of the Indian village, indicating that something more than usual was going on. This smoke we afterward learned arose from the burning grass. The Indians, thinking to prevent us from encamping in their vicinity, had set fire and burned all the grass from miles in the direction from which they were expecting us. Before we arrived at our campground, we were met by several chiefs and warriors belonging to the Cheyennes and Sioux. Among the chiefs were Pawnee killer of the Sioux and Whitehorse of the Cheyennes. It was a range that these chiefs should accept our hospitality and remain with us during the night, and in the morning all the chiefs of the two tribes then in the village were to come to General Hancock's headquarters and hold the council. On the morning of the fourteenth Pawnee killer left our camp at an early hour, for the purpose as he said of going to the village to bring in the other chiefs to the council. Nine o'clock had been agreed upon as the hour at which the council should assemble. The hour came, but the chiefs did not. Now an Indian council is only often an important but always an interesting occasion, and somewhat like a famous recipe for making a certain dish, the first thing necessary in holding an Indian council is to get the Indian. Half past nine o'clock came, and still we were lacking this one important part of the council. At this juncture Bull Bear, an influential chief among the Cheyennes came in and reported that the chiefs were on their way to our camp, but would not be able to reach it for some time. This was a mere artifice to secure delay. General Hancock informed Bull Bear that as the chiefs could not arrive for some time, he would move his forces up the stream near to the village, and the council could be held at our camp that night. To this proposition Bull Bear gave his assent. At eleven a.m. we resumed the march and had proceeded but a few miles, when we witnessed one of the finest and most imposing military displays prepared according to the Indian Art of War, which it has ever been my lot to behold. It was nothing more or less than an Indian line of battle drawn directly across our line of march, as if to say, thus far, and no further. Most of the Indians were mounted. All were bedecked in their brightest colors, their heads crowned with the brilliant war bonnet, their lances bearing the crimson pennant, bow-strung, and quivers full of barbed arrows. In addition to these weapons which with the hunting knife and tomahawk are considered as forming the armament of the warrior, each one was supplied with either a breech-loading rifle or revolver, sometimes at both, the latter obtained through the wise foresight and strong love of fair play which prevails in the Indian Department, which seeing that its wards are determined to a fight, is equally determined that there shall be no advantage taken, but that these two sides shall be armed alike. Proving to, in this manner, the wonderful liberality of our government, which not only is able to furnish its soldiers with the latest improved style of breech-loaders to defend it, and themselves, but is equally able and willing to give the same pattern of arms to their common foe. The only difference is, is that the soldier, if he loses his weapon, is charged double price for it, while to avoid making any such charge against the Indian, his weapons are given with him without conditions attached. In the line of battle before us there were several hundred Indians, while further to the rear and at the different distances were other organized bodies acting apparently as reserved. Still further were small detachments who seemed to perform the duty of couriers, and were held in readiness to convey messages to the village. The ground beyond was favorable for an extended view, allowing the eye to sweep the plane for several miles. As far as the eye could reach, small groups of individuals could be seen in the direction of the village. These were evidently parties of observation, whose sole object was to learn the result of our meeting with the main body, and hasten with the news to the village. For a few moments, appearances seemed to foreshadow anything but a peaceful issue. The infantry was in the advance, followed closely by the artillery, while my command the cavalry was marching on the flank. General Hancock, who was riding with his staff at the head of the column, coming suddenly in view of the wild, fantastic battle array, which extended far to our right and left, and not more than a half a mile in our front, hastily sent orders to the infantry, artillery and cavalry to form a line of battle, evidently determined that if war was intended, we should be prepared. The cavalry, being the last to form on the right, came in to line on a gallop, and without waiting to align the ranks carefully, the command was given to draw saber. As the bright blades flashed from their scabbards into the morning sunlight and the infantry brought their muskets to a carry, a most beautiful and wonderfully interesting sight was spread out before and around us, presenting a contrast which, to a military eye, could be but striking. Here, in battle array, facing each other, we were the representatives of the civilized and barbarious warfare. The one with but a few modifications stood clothed in the same rude style of dress, bearing the same pattern shield and weapon, chant his ancestors and born centuries before, the other confronted him in the dress and supplied with the implements of war, which the most advanced stage of civilization had pronounced the most perfect. Was a comparative superiority of these two classes to be subjected to the mere tests of war here? Such seemed the prevailing impressionable sides, all as eager anxiety and expectation. Neither side seemed to comprehend the object or intentions of the other. Each was waiting for the other to deliver the first blow. A more beautiful battleground could not have been chosen. Not a bush or even the slightest irregularity of ground intervened between the two lines, which now stood frowning and facing each other. Chiefs could be seen riding along the line as if directing and exhorting their braves to deeds of heroism. After a few moments of painful suspense, General Hancock, accompanied by General A.J. Smith and other officers, rode forward and, through an interpreter, invited the Chiefs to meet us midway for the purpose of an interview. In response to this invitation, Roman knows bearing a white flag accompanied by Bull Bear, White Horse, Grey Beard and Medicine Wolf on the part of the Cheyenne's and Pawnee Killer, Bad Woon Tall Bear, that walks under the ground, Left Hand, Left Bear and Little Bear on the part of the Sioux, rode forward to the middle of the open space between the two lines. Here we shook hands with all the Chiefs, most of them exhibiting unmistakable signs of gratification at this apparently peaceful termination of our re-encounter. General Hancock very naturally inquired the object of the hostile attitude displayed before us, saying to the Chiefs that if war was their object we were ready then and there to participate. Their immediate answer was that they did not desire war, but were peacefully disposed. They were then told that we would continue our march towards the village and encamp near it, but would establish such regulations that none of the soldiers would be permitted to approach or disturb them. An arrangement was then affected by which the Chiefs were to assemble at General Hancock's headquarters as soon as our camp was pitched. The interview then terminated, and the Indians moved off in the direction of their village, we following leisurely in the rear. A march of a few miles brought us inside the village which was situated in a beautiful grove on the banks of the stream up which we had been marching. The village consisted of upwards of three hundred lodges, a small fraction over half belonging to the Cheyennes, and the remainder to the Sioux. Like all Indian encampments, the ground chosen was a most romantic spot, and at the same time fulfilled every aspect the requirements of a good camping ground, wood, water, and grass were abundant. The village was placed on a wide-level plateau, while on the north and west at a short distance off rose high bluffs, which admirably served as a shelter against the cold winds, which at that season of the year prevail from these directions. Our tents were pitched within a half a mile of the village, guards were placed between to prevent intrusion upon our part. A few of the Indian ponies found grazing near our camp were caught and returned to them to show that our intentions were at our neighborly. We had scarcely pitched our tents when Romanos, Bullbear, Greybeard, and Medicine Wolf, all prominent chiefs of the Cheyennes, came into camp with the information that upon our approach their women and children have all fled from the village, alarmed by the presence of so many soldiers, and imagining a second chivalton massacre to be intended. General Hancock insisted they should all return, promising protection and good treatment of all, that if the camp was abandoned he would hold it responsible. The chiefs then stated their belief in their ability to recall the fugitives, could they be furnished with horses to overtake them. This was accordingly done, and two of them set out mounted on two of our horses. An agreement was also entered into at the same time that one of our interpreters, Ed Gurrier, a half-breed Cheyenne who was in the employ of the government, should remain in the village and report every two hours as to whether any Indians were leaving the village. This was about seven o'clock in the evening. At half past nine the half-breed returned to headquarters with the intelligence that all the chiefs and warriors were saddling up to leave, under circumstance showing that they had no intention of returning, such as packing up such articles as could be carried with them and cutting and destroying their lodges, this last being done to obtain small pieces for temporary shelter. I had retired to my tent which was located some few hundred yards from that of General Hancock's when a messenger from the latter awakened me with the information that General Hancock desired my presence at his tent. Imagining a movement on the part of the Indians I made no delay in responding to the summons. General Hancock briefly stated the situation of affairs and directed me to mount my command as quickly and as silently as possible, surround the Indian village, and prevent the departure of its inhabitants. Easily said, but not so easily done. Under ordinary circumstances silence not being necessary I could have returned to my camp and by a few blasts from the trumpet placed every soldier in the saddle almost as quickly as it has taken time to write this sentence. No bugle calls must be sounded. We were to adopt some of the strength of the Indian, how successfully remains to be seen. By this time every soldier, officers as well as men, was in his tent sound asleep. How to awaken them and impart to each the necessary order? First going to the tent of the adjutant and arousing him I procured an experienced assistant in my labors. Next the captains of the companies were awakened and orders imparted to them. They in turn transmitted the order to the first sergeant who similarly aroused the men. It is often surprise me to observe the alacrity with which disciplined soldiers experienced in campaigning will hasten to prepare themselves for the march in an emergency like this. No questions are asked, no time is wasted. A soldier's toilet on an Indian campaign is a simple affair and requires little time for arranging. His clothes are gathered up hurriedly, no matter how, so long as he retains possession of them. The first object is to get his horse saddled and bridled and until this is done his own toilet is a matter of secondary importance, and one button or hook must do the duty of a half a dozen. When his horse is ready for the mount the rider will be seen completing his own equipment. Stray buttons will receive attention, arms to be overhauled, spurs restrapped, then if there still remain a few spare moments a homely black pipe is filled and lighted and the soldier's preparation is completed. The night was all that could be desired for the success of our enterprise. The air was mild and pleasant. The moon, although nearly full, kept almost consistently behind the clouds as if to screen us from our hazardous undertaking. I say hazardous because there were none of us who imagined for one moment that if the Indians discovered us in our attempt to surround them and their village we would escape without a fight. A fight too in which the Indians sheltered behind the trunks of the steady forest trees under which their lodges were pitched would possess all the advantage. General Hancock anticipating that the Indians would discover our approach and that a fight would ensue. Ordered the artillery and the infantry under arms to await the results of our moonlight adventure. My command was soon in the saddle and silently making its way towards the village. Instructions had been given for bidding all conversation except in a whisper. Sabers were so disposed as to prevent clanging. Taking a campfire which we could see in the village as our guiding point, we made a detour so as to place the village between ourselves and the infantry. Occasionally the moon would peep out from behind the clouds and enable us to catch a hasty glance at the village. Here and there under the thick foliage we could see the white conical-shaped lodges. Were there inmates slumbering unaware of our close proximity? Or were their dusky defenders concealed as well they might have been along the banks of the Pawnee quietly awaiting our approach and prepared to greet us with their well-known war-woop? These were questions that were probably suggested to the mind of each individual of my command. If we were discovered approaching in the stealthy suspicious manner which characterized our movements, the hour being midnight it would require a more confiding nature than that of the Indian to assign a friendly or peaceful motive to our conduct. Same flashes of moonlight which gave us hurried glimpses of the village enabled us to see our own column of horsemen stretching its silent length far into the dim darkness and winding its course like some huge anaconda about to envelop its victim. The method by which it was determined to establish a cordon of armed troopers about the faded village was to direct the march in a circle with the village in the center, the commanding officer of each rear troop halting his command at the proper point and deploying his men similarly to a line of skirmishes, the entire circle when thus formed facing towards the village and distant from it perhaps a few hundred yards. No sooner was our line completely formed than the moon as if deemed darkness no longer essential to our success appeared from behind her screen and ended up the entire scene, a beautiful scene it was, the great circle of troops each individual of which sat on his steed silent as a statue, the beautiful and in some places dense foliage of the cotton trees sheltering and shading the bleached skin-clad lodges of the red man, while in the mist of all murmured undisturbedly in its channel the little stream on whose banks the village was located all combined to produce an artistic effect as beautiful as it was interesting. But we were not there to study artistic effects. The next step was to determine whether we had captured an inhabited village involving almost necessarily a fierce conflict with its savage occupants or whether the red man had again proven too highly and crafty for his more civilized brothers. Directing the entire line of troops to remain mounted with carbines held at the advance, I dismounted and taking with me Gurrier the half-breed Dr. Coates, one of our medical staff and Lieutenant Moylan, the adjutant, proceeded on her hands and knees towards the village. The prevailing opinion was that the Indians were still asleep. I desired to approach near enough to the lodges to enable the half-breed to hail the village in the Indian tongue and, if possible, establish friendly relations at once. It became a question of prudence with us, which we discussed in whispers as we proceeded on our tramp, tramp, tramp the boys are creeping. How far from our horses and how near to the village we dared to go. If so few of us were discovered entering the village in this questionable manner, it was more than probable that, like the returners of stolen property, we should be suitably rewarded, and no questions asked. The opinions of Gurrier the half-breed were eagerly sought for and generally deferred to. His wife, a full-blooded Cheyenne, was a resident of the village. This with him was an additional reason for wishing a peaceful termination to our efforts. When we had passed, over two-thirds of the distance between our horses and the village, it was deemed best to make our presence known. Thus far not a sound had been heard to disturb the stillness of the night. Gurrier called out at the top of his voice in the Cheyenne tongue. The only response came from the throats of a score or more of Indian dogs which set up a fierce barking. At the same time one or two of our party asserted that they saw figures moving beneath the trees. Gurrier repeated his summons with no better results than before. A hurried consultation ensued. The presence of so many dogs in the village was regarded by the half-breed as almost positive assurance that the Indians were still there. Yet it was difficult to account for their silence. Gurrier in a loud tone repeated who he was and that our mission was a friendly one. Still, no answer. He then gave it as his opinion that the Indians were on the alert and were probably waiting in the shadow of the trees for us to approach nearer where they would pounce upon us. This comforting opinion induced another conference. We must ascertain the truth of the matter. Our party could do this as well as a larger number and go back and send another party in our stead could not be thought of. Forward was the verdict each one grasped as revolver resolved to do his best, whether it was in running or fighting. I think most of us would have preferred to take our own chances at running. We had approached near enough to see that some of the lodges were catching some distance from the main encampment. Selecting the nearest of these we directed our advance on it while all of us were full of the spirit of adventure and were further encouraged with the idea that we were in the discharge of our duty. There was scarcely one of us who would not have felt more comfortable if we could have got back to our horses without loss of pride. Yet nothing under the circumstances but a positive order would have induced any one to withdraw. The doctor, who was a great wager even in his moments of greatest danger, could not restrain his propensities in this direction. When everything before us was being weighed and discussed in the most serious matter he remarked, General, this recalls to mind those beautiful lines. Backward, turn backward, O time in thy flight, make me a child again just for one night. This night of all others. We shall meet the doctor again before daylight but under different circumstances.