BULL. 30] 



RED LEGS BAND RED MEN 



363 



"being," he asserted, "the principal 

 cause of the disasters of his people." In- 

 deed, (hirino; this campaign Red Jacket 

 had sought to inthne tlie young warriors 

 and the less resohite chiefs to agree to 

 submission to the American army. A 

 runner was sent to Sullivan's camp for 

 this purpose, but the astute Brant, hav- 

 ing knowledge of this treason, frustrated 

 the purposes of Red Jacket by having the 

 bearer of the American flag of truce killed 

 and his papers taken. 



Although nominally and officially at 

 peace with the United States after the 

 treaty of Ft Stanwix in 1784, the Six 

 Nations were nevertheless dissatisfied 

 with some of its terms, and for ten years 

 subsequently had to be conciliated with 

 great care and at much expense. During 

 this period, 1786-94, Red Jacket sought 

 to thwart the Indian policy of the United 

 States in regard to the hostile western 

 tribes, but Wayne's victory over the con- 

 federated tribes in 1794" sobered the 

 thoughts of the malcontents among the 

 Indian tribes. 



In pursuance of the invitation to the 

 chiefs of the Six Nations to visit the Pres- 

 ident, given by Col. Pickering at Painted 

 Post in June 1791, two months after the 

 remarka})le council held with these In- 

 dians at Buffalo Creek by Col. Proctor, a 

 friendly delegation, consisting of 50 chiefs 

 of the Six Nations, in the spring of 1792 

 visited Philadelphia, then the seat of 

 government. It was during this confer- 

 ence that President Washington, as a 

 token of friendship and esteem, gave a 

 silver medal, bearing his own likeness, 

 to Red Jacket, who then and in later life 

 showed his appreciation of this gift with 

 the care he bestowed on it and with the 

 pride with which he was accustomed to 

 wear it. This medal is now in the cus- 

 tody of the Buffalo Historical Society. 



Even after the solemn assurances of 

 lasting friendship for the United States by 

 the New York Indians in the War of 1812, 

 the vacillating character and inconstancy 

 of Red Jacket and other prominent chiefs 

 are made plain in a letter addressed to 

 Farmer's Brother and other chiefs by 

 Gen. Porter, dated Chippewa, Canada, 

 July 25, 1814, inviting the Indians to join 

 him at once at that place. Among other 

 things, he wrote: "We shall soon drive 

 the enemy, who dare not show their 

 heads where we go. We want your aid 

 to assist us in the pursuit. You have 

 already lost one glorious opportunity by 

 being absent. We are aware of the con- 

 duct of three of your chiefs— Red Jacket, 

 Cornplanter, anil Blue Sky. If they do 

 not choose to act for themselves, they 

 should not dissuade others." By this it 

 is seen that at least one American othcer 

 openly charged Red Jacket with treason- 



able conduct, notwithstanding Stone's 

 unintentionally ironical statement that 

 Red Jacket "was no more suspected of 

 treachery than he was of courage, by the 

 American officers in the service." 



In 1827 Red Jacket's wife, together 

 with 22 of her Seneca neighbors, joined 

 the church, notwithstanding her hus- 

 band's threat to leave her should she 

 take such a step. He therefore sullenly 

 carried out his threat, and gave himself 

 over to renewed and unbridled dissipa- 

 tion. But after a few months' absence 

 he meekly returned to his wife, who con- 

 descended to receive him on condition 

 that he would not in future interfere with 

 her religious duties. Afterward he faith- 

 fully kept his w'ord, and, indeed, at times 

 he even aided her in these duties. 



In 1828, at the request of Dr J. W. 

 Francis, of New York city, R. W. AVeir 

 painted a likeness of Red Jacket; and in 

 1829 Catlin also painted a full length life- 

 size portrait of him, representing him 

 standing on Table Rock, Niagara Falls, 

 in accordance with Red Jacket's wishes. 



The project of reinterring the remains 

 of Red Jacket and the chiefs contempo- 

 rary wnth him, lying forsaken in graves 

 on the former Buffalo res., had its incep- 

 tion about 1863, but it did not take defi- 

 nite shape until 1876, when W. C. Bry- 

 ant, of the Buffalo Historical Society, 

 obtained the consent of the Seneca coun- 

 cil to the removal of the bodies. On Oct. 

 9, 1884, with appropriate ceremonies, the 

 remains were reinterred in Forest Lawn 

 Cemetery, Buffalo, N. Y., where a hand- 

 some memorial was unveiled June 22, 

 1891. 



Consult Hubbard, Red Jacket and his 

 People, 1886; Ketchum, Buffalo and the 

 Senecas, 1864-65; McKenney and Hall, 

 Indian Tribes, i, 1858; Stone (1) Life of 

 Brant, 1838, (2) Life and Times of Red 

 Jacket, 1841; Trans. Buffalo Hist. Soc, 



III, 1885. (j. N. B. H. ) 



Red Legs' Band. A former band of the 

 Wahpekute Sioux in Minnesota, named 

 from its chief, Hushasha. — Ind. Aff. Rep. 

 1859, 100, 1860; Coll. Minn. Hist. Soc, 

 VI, 394, 1887. 



Red Lodge. A former Oglala Sioux 

 band under Yellow Eagle. — Culbertson 

 in Smithson. Rep. 1850, 142, 1851. 



Red Man; Red Man and Helper. See Car- 

 lisle Sriiool; Periodicals. 



Red Men, Improved Order of. A society 

 of American citizens, originally composed 

 of advocates of individual rights and ad- 

 mirers of Indian character, who adopted 

 as their patron and exemplar the Dela- 

 ware chief Tammany; but, as it is consti- 

 tuted at the present day, its primary 

 objects are the promotion among men of 

 the exercise and practice of the prin- 

 ciples of benevolence and charity, the 



