400 



INDIAN WAR. 



to increase their irritation and prepare them 

 for the display of open violence in case of 

 strong provocation or temptation. 



A rapid glance along the leading events in 

 their history for a few years past will assist in 

 obtaining a clear view of the more immediate 

 causes of the hostile outbreaks of the past 

 year. Up to the year 1851, the vast uninhab- 

 ited plains eastward of the Rocky Mountains 

 were admitted to be Indian territories, and 

 numerous tribes roamed at will from Texas and 

 Mexico to the northern boundary of the terri- 

 tory of the United States. At that time the 

 discovery of gold in California drew a tide of 

 immigration across this wide reservation ; and it 

 was found necessary to make a treaty with 

 several tribes, according to the provisions of 

 which a broad highway was opened to Califor- 

 nia, and the tribes restricted within certain 

 limits, but with the privilege of ranging over 

 the belt reserved as a route of travel, in their 

 hunting-excursions. The Government, more- 

 over, agreed to pay the Indians $50,000 a year 

 for fifteen years, in consideration of the privi- 

 lege granted to immigrants to cross the plains 

 without molestation. 



The boundaries assigned by this treaty to the 

 Cheyennes and Arrapahoes included the larger 

 part of the present Territory of Colorado, while 

 the Crows and Sioux were to occupy the tract 

 of land now traversed by the Powder River 

 route to Montana. Some years after the treaty 

 above mentioned was made, gold and silver were 

 discovered in Colorado upon the Indian reser- 

 vations, and settlers poured in regardless of the 

 rights of these tribes; and when the lands 

 were in great part taken up by the intruders, 

 another treaty was made to secure them in 

 their possessions. This took place on the 18th 

 of February, 1861. By this new treaty these 

 Indians gave up a large extent of territory, and 

 agreed to confine themselves to a small district, 

 situated upon both sides of the Arkansas River, 

 and along the northern boundery of New Mexi- 

 co ; and the United States was to protect them in 

 these possessions, and pay an annuity of $30,000 

 to each tribe for fifteen years, and to furnish them 

 with stock and agricultural implements. From 

 this time to April, 1864, no difficulties occurred 

 between these tribes and the white inhabitants 

 of Colorado. 



During the summer of 1864 complaints were 

 made of Indian depredations and robberies 

 upon the property of settlers. Colonel Chiv- 

 ington, who had command of the troops sta- 

 tioned at Denver, permitted a subordinate of- 

 ficer to set out with a detachment of men to 

 punish the Indians for this offence. The 

 Cheyenne village of Cedar Bluffs was attacked, 

 and 26 Indians killed, 30 wounded, and their 

 property distributed as plunder among the 

 soldiers. After this petty hostilities were kept 

 up during the summer and fall, but the Indians 

 professed a desire for peace, and applied to the 

 commander of Fort Lyon, Major Wyiikoop, . to 

 negotiate a treaty to secure it. The Indians 



were commanded by that officer to collect their 

 people abont the fort, and were assured of safe- 

 ty. They gathered about 500 men, women 

 and children to this place, and while there, 

 nnder promise of protection, these defenceless 

 people were attacked by Colonel Chivington 

 and slaughtered without mercy. This atrocious 

 affair, known as the Sand Creek massacre, was 

 perpetrated on the 29th of November, 1864. A 

 war with these tribes immediately ensued, which 

 drew 8,000 men from the forces then engaged 

 in suppressing the insurrection in the South, 

 and absorbed $30,000,000 of the treasure 

 of the country. No more than fifteen or 

 twenty Indians were killed during the entire 

 campaign of 18G5, and the attempt to obtain 

 peace by means of war proved utterly futile. 

 Commissioners were accordingly appointed in 

 the autumn of that year (1865), to procure a 

 council with the hostile tribes, and, if possible, 

 settle upon the terms of a treaty. The com- 

 missioners met the chiet's of the Cheyennes 

 and Arrapahoes, and other tribes of that region, 

 at the mouth of the Little Arkansas, in October, 

 1865, and induced them to give up their reser- 

 vation upon the Arkansas and accept another 

 in the State of Kansas, with the privilege of 

 ranging over the uninhabited plains which had 

 formerly been their own. When this treaty 

 came before the Senate for ratification, it was 

 so amended as to exclude these tribes entirely 

 from the State of Kansas, and they were left 

 with nothing but their hunting privileges on the 

 unsettled lands of the plains. Notwithstand- 

 ing this material defect in the ratified treaty, 

 the peace was strictly preserved by these 

 southern tribes through the year 1866. 



During the fifteen years for which annuities 

 had been promised by the treaty of 1851, the 

 Sioux and Crows to the north of the great line 

 of overland travel remained unmolested by the 

 whites. The Crows had been driven into Mon- 

 tana by the Sioux, and the latter tribe now oc- 

 cupied the wide range of territory originally as- 

 signed to both. Territories to the south had 

 become populous with immigrants, and civiliza- 

 tion was crowding toward them from the East, 

 when wild rumors of rich mines in Montana, 

 beyond them to the northwest, attracted the 

 fatal stream of immigration across their lands. 

 Their rich hunting-grounds were now narrowed 

 down to the valley from the north of which 

 flowed the Powder River. Their annuity from 

 the Government of the United States had ceased, 

 and it was more than ever important that the 

 remnant of their hunting-ranges should remain 

 undisturbed, for they would be dependent on 

 them altogether for subsistence. 



At this juncture of their affairs, orders were 

 issued by the commanding officers of the Mili- 

 tary Departments of the Missouri and of the 

 Platte, to establish several military posts along 

 he new route of travel to the Territory of 

 Montana. On the 15th of June, 1866. the ne- 

 cessary orders were given to garrison Forts 

 Reno, Phil Kearney, and C. F. Smith. Fort 



