tested, stating that within sixty days more I would be able to kill or capture all the Indians that were hostile, as they were nearly worn out and in front of me. I had then followed them steadily for six months or more, and they were becoming used up daily. Grant answered that he understood, but that it was President Johnson's order, that the policy of the Government had changed, and there was no remedy but to promptly do the best that I could to gather the hostiles in at once. This order I promptly complied with;

but my leaving the chase so abruptly and returning to Laramie, etc., the Indians did not understand, and I was unable to make a peace treaty that I would recommend.

My troops in passing over and around FATE OF THE MICHIGAN SOLDIERS. the Black Hills, north of the North Platte. panned out considerable gold. There were several Californians and other miners in those regiments, and I knew any treaty that did not give us the country south of the Belle Fourche fork of the Cheyenne would not be of any use to us, as the troops, as soon as I disbanded them, would pour over into that portion of the Black Hills regardless of any treaty.

I, therefore, endeavored to so make the line that the Indians should stay north of the Belle Fourche fork of the Cheyenne River. But the Indians insisted upon the North Platte as the line. They finally proposed to accept the South fork of the Cheyenne, but I would not accept this, so I declared a truce with them, simply agreeing for the winter that they should remain north of the Platte, and if they behaved themselves they would not be molested and if they did not, I would make a winter campaign again. They promised to comply with my demands, and I reported the facts and my reasons to my superiors. Finally the Sherman-Harney Peace Commission was formed, who made the treaty that allowed them to come to the South fork

of the Cheyenne. But as soon as my soldiers were disbanded they carried home the news of their discov

eries in the Black Hills, and especially to California, and prospectors from that country and from Colorado and other points went to all the streams north of the Platte and violated the treaty. Our Government seemed unable to induce them to comply with the terms of the treaty. This brought first complaints, then protests, and finally the Sitting Bull war, and we who were building the U. P. Railway suffered from their depredations, stealing, killing, etc., from 1866 on.

I wrote General Sherman strongly both before and after I left the service, as to the result of a treaty giving this line which the Indians demanded, and as I knew the country bet

ter than any one else, and the determination of the Indians, I would not agree to it. General Pope and others did not agree with me. They believed they could conquer the Indian by kindness and that the line the Indians demanded could be protected against white people crossing it, although I had opened right through that territory a military wagon road, a short and excellent route from the Missouri to all points in Montana, and my troops were loaded with stories of mines of silver, gold and coal existing all over that country.

In one snowstorm on the Powder River we lost nearly or quite one thousand head of cavalry horses which had been weakened by long marches and poor feed. We also abandoned on Powder River about one hundred empty army wagons, remounting the cavalry on mules and on the 800 ponies Connor had captured; thus putting the cavalry

in the fall of 1865 right on the Yellowstone, finely mounted and really fresh; and between the Yellowstone and Missouri, if the balance of the Indians had crossed the Yellowstone, we would have caught the last band that stuck together.

After the battle of Tongue River the Arapahoes that were not captured, scattered and made their way home; so did many of the Sioux, but the Cheyennes and part of the Sioux stuck together and came in at Fort Laramie.

In this campaign I selected the general positions for the following military posts, not the exact sites: Near the Big Horn River at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains, afterwards called McKinstry; at the crossing of the Powder River; the location at Fort Sanders on the Laramie Plains; also at the U. P. crossing of the North Platte, afterwards called Fort Steele; Fort Dodge on the Arkansas; also a post on the Smoky Hill fork of the Republican; I think it was afterwards called Sheridan, and others. I sent troops to occupy them in the spring of 1866.

I write you thus fully, in general, so as to enable you, if you are following these matters up, to form a thorough idea of the campaign and the general details as I understand them. Of course I have written this without going into the records fully, but you will find that they carry out these views pretty generally. I am, very truly yours,

G. M. DODGE. P. S.- General Grant intended to send me 12,000 men, but so many were mustered out that I had all told about 5,000. As fast as they arrived the governors of States would get orders for their muster out."

The results of the recall of General Dodge from the Powder River were a series of disasters of which the greatest was the Fetterman massacre of December 21, 1866, near Fort Phil Kearney, in which eighty-two officers and soldiers lost their lives, none of the command being left alive to tell the story.

The troops having been recalled and scattered in posts, the Indians, some of them, were enticed to Laramie to make a treaty, while others continued on the war path, cutting off detachments and emigrant trains, just as if peace had not been declared.

CHAPTER X.

SOME HISTORIC CAMPAIGNS.

GENERAL HANCOCK'S EXPEDITION-GENERAL CARR'S CAMPAIGNS

COLONEL FORSYTH'S DESPERATE

FIGHT ON THE ARICKAREE ROMAN NOSE DARING DEEDS OF STILWELL AND
TRUDEAU-CUSTER STRIKES BLACK KETTLE'S VILLAGE DEATH OF MAJOR

ELLIOTT THE PLAINS FORT HAYS - HUNTING FORT

HARKER FORT LEAVENWORTH THE MODOC

WAR-DEATH OF GENERAL CANBY

GENERAL SHERMAN'S TRIB

UTE TO CANBY.

HE situation in respect to Indian affairs grew steadily worse until another formidable expedition, commanded by General Hancock, was in 1868 sent against the Indians. This expedition traversed the plains country of Kansas and the northern part of the Indian Territory, without, however, being able to bring the savages to a general engagement.

The campaign of General Carr in the same year, 1868-9, resulted in his bringing his command into contact with the hostile Indians in no less than nine different affairs. His most brilliant achievement was a forced march across the plains against a combination of hostiles known as the "Dog Soldiers," made up of different tribes, principally Sioux and Cheyennes, who were devastating the settlements along the western frontier. He surprised their Camp at Summit Springs, Colorado, on the south fork of the Platte, on Sunday, July 12, 1869, killing sixty-eight warriors, taking seventeen prisoners, and recapturing a white woman, Mrs. Weigel, whose husband had been killed a few weeks before at the time she was carried into captivity.

During this year occurred one of the most remarkable affairs with Indians in American history. Its scene was a small stream, the Arickaree, in northern Kansas. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel George A. Forsyth was in command of a small body of fifty citizens enlisted as scouts, and had camped beside the stream, which contained very little water, on September 17. There was a small island in the middle of the stream, and on this Forsyth took position when he was attacked. The men were placed

in a circle and lying down, and each instantly began digging a riflepit for himself. About nine o'clock a charge was made on the little band by about three hundred warriors. They were repulsed, and retreated. Roman Nose, the leader of the hostiles, was killed in this charge, and the plain was strewn with dead Indians. About two o'clock another charge was made, and was again repulsed. A feebler, and final one was made about four o'clock. Then it began to rain. Every horse and mule was killed by the enemy's fire, Lieutenant Beecher, second in command, and five tally wounded, and sevencluding Colonel Forsyth. military post, was a hunand his men were withby about nine hundred Northern Cheyennes, queer conglomeration of as Dog Soldiers. A well were cut into strips for was strengthened dead animals. On meat could

men were killed or morteen were wounded, inFort Wallace, the nearest dred miles away. Forsyth out food, and surrounded Indians, including Ogalalla Sioux, and that many tribes then known was dug, and dead horses food. The breastwork

with saddles and the fifth day the no longer be the sufferintense.

day by noon began to and by the the siege

all gone.

tiersmen by

were too

move, and

weak to were thus found when succor came. Why so small a body of civilians should have been permitted to go into a country known to be occupied by a large body of hostile Indians, instead of sending out a large body of regular troops to engage them, is not clear. In fact, Colonel Forsyth, in his very interesting and graphic account of that engagement, recently published, in summing up the results of the first day's fiercely-contested fight, and the serious loss to his command in officers and men, and also referring to the terrible wounds from which he was himself suffering,