We have had on duty in the Northwest a greater portion of the time since 1873, between thirty and forty field officers and over two hundred officers of the line, with about three thousand men in the ranks, to confront the hostiles of the Sioux nation. In addition to the above, we must add the list of army surgeons, artificers, mechanics, teamsters and laborers at the various military posts; also Indian scouts and interpreters; all of which will number not less than three hundred, and at times would swell the number to over seven hundred.
We will now call the attention of our readers to the fact that the officers of the line in all of the regiments above mentioned, and others that have been on duty in the Northwest during our Indian troubles, have shared no less of the hardships and dangers than their superiors mentioned in this volume. En regie ; selon les regies, de jure. In speaking generally, we must say that their heroic conduct on the field and their industry and faithful services entitles them to volumes of credit and a general vote of thanks from their countrymen, many of whom are sure to follow in the west-ern path that is now in a great measure paved for civilization.
In making special mention of officers, the writer does not consider it his proper mission, strictly speaking, to give the record of army officers, as this work is not intended for an army register, but we think it not out of place to make mention of some of the material facts connected with the history of the officers who have takfcn an active part in this long and vexatious Indian war that is now terminated, in order to more fully illustrate to our readers that our Indian difficulties have been managed by officers not only of long and varied experience in both civil and Indian warfare, and as their records show, they have proved themselves industrious, zealous and faithful to the various trusts imposed upon them, as well as proving themselves equal to the emergencies that have suddenly arisen before them from time to time during the several years just past, and some of whom have been constantly engaged against the hostile savages since the close of the civil war.
The successful management of the various campaigns since the battle of the ' Little Big Horn,' in 1876, and the well-trained discipline throughout the rank and file of the troops in this department, reflects great credit upon the sagacious and conscientious Department Commander, Brig.-General Alfred H. Terry, and his staff of skilled and gentlemanly officers. It must not be inferred that we hold General Terry responsible for the result of the Little Big Horn battle. Far from it. Certain high officials at Washington, in order to give vent to their personal spite, detained the column nearly or quite a month, thereby giving Sitting Bull an opportunity of enormous magnitude to recruit his forces from the various tribes throughout the West and Northwest, all of which swelled his hostile army that awaited in the valley of the Little Big Horn only to meet the gallant Custer, who was known among the Indians all the way from the 'Brazos to the Yellowstone,' as the 'Long-Haired Chief,' thus enabling him to mow down the brave troopers of the 7th Cavalry, with Custer at the head, by platoons and companies, as they were found on the field lying in regular winrows, sleeping the sleep that none but dauntless soldiers, do.
Our countrymen throughout the land ought to speak in loud tones and say to the veterans, officers and brave men of their respective commands, that have stood the brunt of a score or more of hard-fought Indian battles and skirmishes on the plains all along the frontier, from tho Gulf of Mexico to the British Possessions, and who have with stout hearts buried hundreds of their heroic brothers that were mowed down, not only man by man, but by companies and battalions, whose bones now lie mouldering under the sod of the green earth, some in the valley of the Washita, and others in the lonely valley of the Little Big Horn, with scarce a rude head-board that well might read, Here lies a jnan that nobly lived and bravely died in honor, glory and fame, that his white brothers might follow in the peaceful paths of civilization. Yes. Well might the country at large, in one loud voice say to those brave officers and men, Well done, good and faithful servants, you have opened the way for Christian civilization that is sure to follow in your footsteps. Tour tents, camp equipage and other paraphernalia used in wars, also the tepees of the savage warrior must now make room for the onward march of civilization, with its churches, school-houses and teachers.
Instead of hearing the oft-heard war-whoop and murderous yells of the hideous savages on the battle-field and the retort by our Gatling guns and musketry, and the loud cheering of our brave boys in blue, you will hear the persuasive eloquence of the kind-hearted theologian and the knightly young schoolmaster, pleading the cause of Christianity and education; and where Sitting Bull ofttimes held his medicine lodges and war dances on the banks of the Little Missouri and Little Big Horn Rivers, for no other purpose only to strengthen and bolster up the hearts of hundreds of Gall-hearted warriors, and urge them on to cold-blooded, heartrending and blood-thirsty murders, you will see stately court-houses, with their benches occupied by the ablest
jurists in the land to mete out justice, and members of the bar ably advocating and defending the cause of peace and good order.
The energetic, sturdy, powerful and unconquerable Saxon race have decided that this country cannot afford to set aside an area of territory large enough to make three States the size of New York for the sustenance of a single chief and his hostile bands of warriors. The fate of the ' king warrior' is decreed. The final unconditional surrender of Sitting Bull is an event in American history, and more especially so for the reason of it being the summary turning point of transformation of the native aborigines of the once powerful Sioux nation. Our military will no longer be waging costly and bloody wars against his hostile and powerful hordes to subdue their rebellious and murderous onslaughts .against the onward march of our Saxon civilization that manifest destiny has decreed shall dominate on this continent.
He, with his tribes and marauding bands of demoralized and half-starved followers, will be watched with vigilant eyes, but kindly cared for by the munificent agents of the Interior Department, assisted by a corps of large and open-hearted philanthropists, whose duties will not only in a measure be encouraged, but rigidly enforced by the authority of our powerful but ever humane and magnanimous government. There is no longer a formidable tribe, or an association of tribes, of hostile Indians within the territory of the United States.
It is fair to presume that Sitting Bull will be kept under military surveillance upon some one of the military posts for awhile and then put upon an agency. His followers will be divided among the various Indian agencies, and the old chief will have to resign himself into insignificance and rest contented in thinking that he once was the supreme and powerful ruler over the once powerful tribes of the Sioux nation.
At the same time it is just as fair to presume that many a young and discontented warrior that once raided and fought under the plumed Sitting Bull may think agency rations -somewhat stale, and the quiet and monotonous life about Uncle Sam's agencies quite too common for a young and dashing warrior, and after seeing an opportunity to mount themselves and secure a belt full of long range ammunition, start off on a raid, perhaps to join other bands, for no other purpose only to roam from one section of the country to another, save to kill a few buffalo and run off small herds of stock. Vigilant eyes will have to be kept upon them until they become more contented and better familiarized with the ways of white people. There is, however, a decided improvement in the advancement of the Indian from one year to another. The young and yet warlike braves will have to be gradually tamed, now that they have surrendered, and it will take no little amount of moral persuasion to keep them within the bounds of peace and good behavior. We may look for the best, and at the same time place confidence in the ability of our trustworthy officers who have them in ¦charge.
SECTION' V. 'CUSTER'S LAST RALLY.'
The Painting in the Studio. – Walt Whitman's Account. – Me* moriam by Judge J. S. Carvett. – Rain-in-the- Face.
That our readers may be able to appreciate the interest, that has been taken over this ever-memorable battle, we make note of some facts connected with it, in order to show that some of the ablest authors in prose and poetry, also artists of great repute, have bent their energies, ability and skill in securing the real facts as they were connected with ' Custer's last battle.'
A description of this battle has been heralded throughout the land in nearly or quite all of the journals, and read by every fireside, and almost numberless paintings, chromos, engravings and various other life-like illustrations adorn the walls to-day of almost untold numbers of art galleries, drawing rooms, studios, and public places; but never has there been produced a painting, chromo or engraving that will compare with the one now nearly finished and owned by Mr. John Mulvany, recently from Kansas City, Mo. The writer remembers that during the summer of 1880 Mr. Mulvany was making his tour throughout the Northwest, visiting the Custer battle-field, the different military posts and Indian agencies, in order to get views and facts connected with the battle, such as would enable him to paint upon canvas a real life-like picture of the several survivors, who, up to this time, were withstanding the
