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As a happy finale to the series of sanguinary chapters and exciting incidents of savage warfare in the Northwest, the author is pleased to append a brief resume of the career of Sitting Bull, the monarch of the hostiles, and leader of their lawless bands through nearly twenty years of continuous warfare with the whites; a career distinguished above that of his fellow-hostiles for murder and rapine, yet which terminated unexpectedly in his bloodless surrender to Major Brotherton, of the regular army, July 19th, 1881.
Of the early life of Sitting Bull, little is known; yet there is no question of his having been at war with the whites since 1862, and during all the period intervening between that date and his recent surrender, he has been a steady annoyance in the field to the army, and constant source of terror and anxiety to the isolated settlers on the remote frontier. All the way from Yankton to the headquarters of the Missouri, he left traces of his presence in bloodshed and burnings. In the year 1865, a passenger on the steamer " Effie Deans," en route to Fort Benton, relates that when at Bound Butte, Montana, about six hundred miles by river below Benton, the steamer was fired upon from a hunting camp, comprising about three thousand souls, of whom eight hundred were warriors, of Sitting Bull's tribe. Four days previously the steamer " General Grant" had passed up › several shots were fired into the boat, and four men were killed Sitting Bull is supposed to have been encamped at this place some two months, this being a favorite place of resort for buffalo, elk and other wild game, and here for
years the Sioux, under Sitting Bull and his associate chiefs, had repaired in the hunting season to seek the spoils of the chase.
Sitting Bull's record, from the earliest date of which mention is made of him, is that of a vindictive and determined enemy of the white man, yet, previously to the year 1866, he had not attained distinction above his fellow chiefs, or gained a tithe of the overshadowing fame that has placed his name on the highest pinnacle of savage greatness.
In the year 1866, Sitting Bull, a warrior of the Uncapapa Sioux, attained wide-spread notoriety throughout the frontier posts and settlements, by means of his murderous raids and savage cruelties. From that time he has held high rank as a leader of the hostile Sioux-revered by his own people as a skillful general, wise in council and powerful in war, and dreaded by the whites as a cruel and relentless enemy. Of late years, a series of uninterrupted successes in the field, culminating in the Custer massacre of 1876, gave him a prominence not hitherto enjoyed by any hostile chief, and rendered his name a familiar but dreaded household word in every hamlet in America. Sitting Bull was thought to be invincible, hence his recent surrender, brought about though it was by the subtle agencies of want and hunger, aided as it was by the firm attitude of the Canadian authorities, who refused longer to permit his followers to come and go at pleasure upon British soil, was a surprise as unexpected as it was agreeable to the country at large.
The bulk of our present adult aboriginal population were born in savagery, and have lived in savagery. Try as they will, they cannot entirely subdue the savage instincts to roam at will, to defy restraint, and to inAulge their lawless appetites for blood and plunder. Sitting Bull's influence for evil among all the aboriginal tribes had been unbounded. He had ever made it his boast that he would never go upon a reservation or make peace with the whites.-a resolution to which he tenaciously adhered. His nomadic and unrestrained life of freedom on the plains was a constant lure to those Indians who, though settled upon agencies, and ostensibly engaged in cultivating the arts of peace, yet could
not wholly conquer the natural savage longing for a life of unrestrained and careless liberty. His camp-fires in the wild fastnesses of the far Northwest were alluring lights to the wild and restless spirits, whose untamed natures chafed and fretted under the unwonted restraint of agency rule. His bold example inspired the pining warriors on the reservations to break away from the civilizing influences there brought to bear upon him, and to seek by his council-fires in the wilderness pursuits moje congenial.
With the freshening of the grass in the spring, large numbers of the young and able-bodied warriors of the tribes confined at the various Indian agencies on the Missouri, would set forth to join his lawless hordes on their annual round of plunder, and under cover of his name to prey upon the exposed settlements, and destroy the lives of any luckless whites who, by chance, came within the scope of their operations.
It had long been a recognized fact, both in the Military and Interior Departments, that an Indian absent without leave from his proper reservation, was necessarily an Indian hostile, defacto and de jure ; and since it was manifestly impossible to prevent the agency Sioux from slipping away during the season of buffalo hunting, and attaching themselves to the hostile forces, the capture of Sitting Bull, or the breaking up of his hostile rendezvous in the Northwest, became a strategic measure of overshadowing importance in all plans devised by the military authorities for subjugating, or by the officials of the Interior Department for benefiting and civilizing the Indians.
Mutual plans were devised by both Departments to remedy the grave evil# arising from Agency Indians rallying to the medicine banner of Sitting Bull, and sharing with his restless followers the spoils and plunder of the war-path; but all to no avail. The evil increased alarmingly. The Missouri River Agencies became but bases of supplies for Sitting Bull's insolent army, from whence were drawn, by the hands of professedly peaceful Indians, arms and munitions of war, clothing, and provisions. The ranks of the hostiles were increased to an unusual extent during the hunting sea-
son, by the accession of large numbers of able-bodied warriors, whose winter subsistence was derived from the bounty of the government. Those who remained upon the reservations evinced a* uneasy and discontented spirit, until, at length, the signs of disaffection at the larger Agencies, such as Standing Rock, Spotted Tail, Red Cloud, etc., containing then some 40,000 Indians, became so marked that a general outbreak was feared, unless steps were promptly taken to subdue the outlaws under Sitting Bull, and compel them to settle down upon some designated spot, to be selected by the government. Accordingly, in December, 1875, the Secretary of the Interior notified the hostiles that they must, before the close of the following January, come into the reservations, " or a military force would be sent out to compel them to come in." This peremptory order was met with the scorn and defiance that had characterized the demeanor of the hostiles in all their communications with the white man's government. As a last recourse, therefore, on the expiration of the stated time, the Secretary of War was formally notified that these Indians were turned over to* the military authorities, for such action as might be deemed proper for their subjugation and chastisement.
The campaign of 1876 was then organized by General Sheridan, on the plan already described at some length in this volume, by which, in the simultaneous movement of three distinct columns from Montana, Dakota, and the Platte, toward a common centre, where was supposed to be located the camp of the hostiles, a crushing blow could be administered to the forlorn hope of savage obduracy, seeking to escape the fate that had been decreed to the red man in the remnants of his once wide domain, the alternative of either civilization or extermination. The movements of these columns, the repulse of General Crook, and the tragic death of General Custer and his men, which formed the bitter fruits of this unfortunate expedition, have been already described in detail in these pages. Suffice it, then, to say, that, after the battle, the victorious savages proceeded northward, and crossed the boundary line into the Dominion of Canada, and quartered themselves upon the bounty of her
Majesty the Queen of England. Here Sitting Bull and his followers remained in peace through the following year, refusing the overtures of Chief Joseph to take part in the Nez Perces campaign of 1877. In the stirring events of that campaign, the opening fight at Big Hole, Howard's long and arduous pursuit, and final success, with Miles' aid, in capturing Joseph and his band, together with the later fight at Bear-Paw Mountain, between Lame Deer, a Sioux, and the troops under General Miles, engrossed, for a time, public attention, and the conqueror of Custer was left to his repose. But not long did quiet reign.
The followers of the stoic chieftain began to cross the lines, commit depredations on the people of Montana, and elude capture and punishment by escaping to their leader's camp at Wood Mountain. . Grave questions of international law now puzzled the authorities at Washington, and to avoid complications with a border territory, as well as to insure protection to the helpless settlers south of the Canadian boundary line, it was decided to make an effort to effect by diplomacy what force of arms had failed to bring about, and to send, to treat with Sitting Bull, a commission of such dignity and character, that he would necessarily be convinced of the truth and reliability of its promises and presentations.
Leave was accordingly obtained from the British authorities for the entrance of the commission into the Canadian territory. The followers of Sitting Bull at this time comprised but a moiety of those who had participated in the Custer massacre, many of the warriors who had there glutted their fiendish thirst for blood and torture having returned to the agencies to which they belonged, and wwe there re-enacting the role of good Indians, by submissively devouring the rations issued by a magnanimous government to its " wayward children."
The Peace Commission to Sitting Bull was composed of General A. H. Terry, the commander of the defeated Dakota column in the campaign of the previous year, and Hon. A. G. Lawrence, of Massachusetts. The embassy proceeded with an escort to the British line, and were there met by a battalion of the Northwestern mounted police, who guided them to Fort Walsh-and here was presented the extraordinary spectacle of a powerful government sending overtures of peace and reconciliation to the leading outlaw and freebooter of the country, by the hand of the military commander whose troops he had defeated by force of arms. Much trouble was experienced in obtaining the consent of Sitting Bull and his leading chiefs to an interview; but this was finally gained through the intercession of the British officers at the fort, and on the 17th of October an interview was held within the limits of the fort.
The renegade chieftain received his distinguished visitors with every mark of savage discourtesy. He haughtily refused their proffered hands, demanded that they should not sit behind the table, at which they had seated themselves, and sneeringly told them to speak the truth to the assembled chiefs. The ambassadors, on* behalf of their government, then presented the reasons why the hostiles should ‹5ease their hostile acts, return to the United States, and join the agencies.
The honorable treatment meted out to the tribes who had surrendered, the ever-recurring bounty of the government, the daily rations and frequent gifts, were painted in glowing colors.
It was promised to the Canadian refugees, on behalf of the United States Government, that no harm should befall Any of their number who would consent to cross the line, and peacefully take up their abode at any of the agencies. Not only would they be protected from harm, but many favors and privileges would be granted them; while the proceeds from the sale of their ponies and arms, which they would be required to surrender, would be applied to their benefit. These proposals were rejected emphatically and insolently, and the commission was, so far as any good results were attained, a complete failure.
During the remainder of that, and of the following year {1878), Sitting Bull and his band remained quietly on the northern side of the boundary line, only a few of his warriors occasionally crossing to American soil in pursuit of
buffalo, and their stay was never prolonged. Reports of his. coming in force were, however, frequently rife among the frontiersmen, and in the summer a reconnoissance of troops in force was made north of the Missouri, without result, however, and as the hostiles seemed inclined to keep the peace, and remain permanently north of the line, operations against them were, for the time, suspended, by order of General Sherman. Trouble with the Bannock Indians having then arisen, and the hostile remnant of the Nez Perces making demonstrations of hostilities, Sitting Bull once more dropped out of public notice.
For the protection of the settlers in northern Montana, a cordon of forts had been commenced in 1877, which were now nearly completed, and there was every reason to believe that the former scene of the Sioux troubles-the valley of the Yellowstone and its tributaries-would not be again entered by them. But north of their former field of operations they could roam unrestrainedly, while the stores of government supplies at Poplar River and other outlying posts were never safe from their raids.
In the opening of the year 1879 a panic prevailed among the white settlers near the border, in consequence of large bands of Sitting Bull's Indians crossing the line and committing depredations, killing the cattle of the settlers, stealing horses, etc. General Miles was accordingly sent to take the field, with troops sufficient to repel and overcome any body of Indians, however large ; and on the 12th of July he crossed to the northern bank of the Missouri with his command, in the vicinity of Old Fort Reck, and five days later the advance detachment, under Lieutenant Clark, struck a, large body of Indians between Beaver Creek and Milk River, and a spirited skirmish ensued. Sitting Bull was in command in person, and the battle would have ended disastrously for the whites, as they were largely outnumbered- but on the near approach of the main body of the troops he prudently withdrew to the north bank of Milk River, thence retreating to the British possessions. Many Indians were captured in the retreat, and the operations of that summer were attended with gratifying results. The bands of half-
"breeds, who had by their nefarious traffic with the hostiles kept them well supplied with arms and ammunition, were either captured or dispersed, and their traffic broken up. On the 28th of July, Long Dog, an emissary from Sitting Bull's camp, reported that the hostiles had elected to remain permanently north of the line, and General Miles was assured by the commandant of the mounted police that no further apprehension need be entertained of hostile raids- assurances which the facts in the end fully justified.
During the summer of 1880, there were a few isolated cases of murder and theft, in which the hand of the Sioux was apparent; but the surrender to General Miles, in the autumn, of the notorious Rain-in-the-Face, with many other chiefs and thousands of their followers, virtually settled the Indian problem in the Northwest.
When Rain-in-the-Face crossed the line and surrendered, Gaul and his followers crossed also, but the latter went to Poplar Creek instead of Fort Keogh, and though at first expressing a willingness to surrender, he delayed from time to time, until January 2d, 1881, he yielded to the persuasions o? Colonel Ilges and his frost-bitten soldiers, and a few shots from his Gatling guns, and gave himself up. Crow King had previously surrendered, and Sitting Bull was left alone in his glory, and with a handful of dispirited followers, in his old retreat at Wood Mountain. He, too, now submits to the inevitable, recognizing in the rapid development of the Northwest country, the signs of the inevitable fate that thrusts upon the red man the alternative of civilization or extermination. With «his handful of half-starved followers, he reluctantly accepts the bounty of the government he has so long defied, yet remjains sullen and defiant to the last.
Through the efforts of the scout, Louis Legare, mainly, the once powerful chieftain of the Sioux was induced to come into the lines and surrender to the military, kind treatment and immunity from punishment for his past misdeeds having been previously guaranteed him. With the last remnant of his people, some two hundred souls, old men, women and children, the old war-chief arrived at Fori Buford, Dakota, at noon, on July 19th, 1881. At the head of the mournful cortege rode Sitting Bull, Four Horns, Red Thunder and other sub-chiefs, on their war ponies, and following came six army wagons loaded with the squaws and children, and behind them came some twenty-five of Louis Xiegare's Red River carts, containing their baggage.
They presented a forlorn and pitiful appearance-the great Sitting Bull himself being very dirty and very hungry, his face wearing a sullen, bull-dog expression, his dress and appearance bearing marks of the hardships and destitution he has recently experienced. Yet, until called upon to surrender his arms, he preserved under this, the most trying ordeal to a savage, a dignified and unbroken silence. Thus •ended the war in the Northwest The closing of the five years' campaign against the most remarkable leader of modern times is tersely chronicled in the following official dispatches :
Fort Buford, D. T., July 14, 1881.-Gen. A. H. Terry, •Commanding Department Dakota, Fort Snelling: Just received a dispatch from Legare, dated 12th inst.; says he is en route with Sitting Bull, Four Horns and Red Thunder; in all, 6 chiefs, 40 families-about 200 in all, men, women and children. He says they came from Lake Qu'Appelle, starving. Will send in this morning to meet them with rations. Messenger says they are about sixty miles out. (Signed) D. H. Brotherton, Maj. 7th Infantry, Com.
Fort Buford, D. T., July 19.-Gen. A. H. Terry, Commanding Department of Dakota, Fort Snelling : Sitting Bull and his followers surrendered to me at noon to-day.
(Signed) D. H. Brotherton, Maj. 7th Infantry, Com.
While the last act of the drama, the final scene in Sitting Bull's career as a warrior, was enacted at noon on July 20th, when, by the hand of his little son, he delivered to Major Brotherton the rifle he had carried throughout so many bloody fields. This being done, the great chieftain spoke as follows:
"I surrender this rifle to you through my young son, whom I now desire to teach in this manner that he has become a friend of the Americans. I wish him to learn the habits of
the whites and to be educated as their sons are educated. I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle. This boy has given it to you, and he now wants to know how he is going to make a living. Whatever you have to give-or whatever you have to say, I would like to receive or hear now, for I don't wish to be kept in darkness longer. I have sent several messengers in here from time to time, but none of them have returned with news. The other chiefs, Crow King and Gaul, have not wanted me to come, and I have never received good news from here. I now wish to be allowed to live this side of the line or the other, as I see fit. I wish to continue my old life of lunting, but would like to be allowed to trade on both sides of the line. This is my country, and I don't wish to be compelled to give it up. My heart was very sad at having to leave the great mother's country. She has been a friend to me, but I want my children to grow up in our native country, and I also wish to feel that I can visit two of my friends on the other side of the line, viz.: Major Walsh and Captain McDonald, whenever I wish, and would like to trade with Louis Legare, as he has always been a friend to me. I wish to have all my people live together upon one reservation of our own on the Little Missouri. I left several families at Wood Mountain and between there and Qu'Appelle. I have many people among the Yanktonais at Poplar Creek, and I wish all them and those who have gone to Standing Rock to be collected together upon one reservation. My people liave many of them been bad. All are good now that their arms and ponies have been taken from them. (Speaking to Major Brotherton):
" You own this ground with me, and we must try and help ^ach other. I do not wish to leave here until I get all the people I left behind and the Uncapapas now at Poplar Creek. I would like to have my daughter, who is now at Fort Yates, sent up here to visit me, as also eight men now there (mentioning their names), and I would like to know that Louis Legare is to be rewarded for his services in bringing me and my people in here."
Sitting Bull and his people have been sent to the Indian
Agency of Standing Rock, Dakota, on the Missouri River, where Rain-in-the-Face, Gaul, Long-Dog and other chiefs of his tribe, with their followers, have preceded him.
At this agency there are now fully 7,000 Indians, and though "finis " may now be appended to the last chapter of the history of the Indian wars in the Northwest, yet, in dealing with these pent-up savages, soothing the malcontents, and restraining the unruly spirits there confined from deeds of violence, in helping and instructing those susceptible of civilizing influences, and benefiting and christianizing all, the Interior Department has a task as weighty, a labor as arduous, and a problem more puzzling, than that just worked out by the military, in their subjugation and capture.