A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II, Part 82

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1006

USA > Indiana > A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II > Part 82

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sentations and the depredations of designing white men, have inspired the Indians with full and unreserved con- fidence in him. General Shanks is peculiarly fitted for this missionary work. From his inherited hatred of op- pression, and his sympathetic kindness for the wronged, he is deeply interested in the welfare of the Indian, and, as chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs in the House, during the Forty-first and Forty-second Con- gresses, and as a member of that committee in the For- tieth and Forty-third Congresses, as special commis- sioner by appointment of the Interior Department, and as chairman of an investigating committee of the House on Indian frauds, he has traveled among these people, mingling freely with them at their camps, on the plains, and in their mountain fastnesses; and, by his associa- tion in a friendly manner with them, he has seen and learned every phase of Indian life-their wants, necessi- ties, wrongs, grievances, and sorrows-and gives his best ability to better their condition, and as far as possible to save them from outrage, robbery, and annihilation. The abolition of the treaty system, the law to protect them against private fraudulent contracts, the law for the bet- ter administration of their affairs, the comprehensive report of the committee on Indian frauds, the guards thrown around the purchase and distribution of their annuity goods, the appointment of inspectors, the safer and more prompt payment of moneys due them, and the successful efforts at inducing the wilder tribes to abandon their roving habits and devote themselves to agriculture, were all in a large degree due to the perse- vering labors of General Shanks. In a speech delivered in the House, April 13, 1872, in advocacy of protecting the Indians against the design of seizing their lands, under the the false pretense of organizing a territorial government for the Indian Territory, among the points urged, he said :

"No day is to a nation so bright as that which re- flects the splendor of its moral triumph in the faithful discharge of every duty of protection and obligation to its people-in the scrupulous fulfillment of all its con- tracts and agreements with all its people, and with the world ; and no night is so dark to a nation as that which closes upon its moral default, shrouding it in degradation and shame. Let no American forget the quick and ter- rible lessons taught us in this country, when the highest judicial tribunal known to our laws, the court of last earthly appeal for our people short of the people them- selves, decided, in the face of day and our Christian civilization, that there was a race of people within our government who had no rights that white men were bound to respect. These words, so unjustly and reck- lessly uttered, had scarcely gone forth until the contest between the truth which condemned such a decision and the folly that sustained it lashed into fury the peo- ple who were wronged and misled, which was followed by a rebellion and contest of arms that maddened and murdered a million of men, disrupted the moral and political, and wasted the social, financial, and commer- I cial, interests of a nation of forty millions of people,

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resulting in the liberation of over four millions of slaves, and their citizenation and equalization before the law, thus burying that ill-advised decision beneath the con- tempt of the people and the ruins of a war, and cleans- ing the nation's responsibility from it in the blood of a revolution. The oppressed may be weak, but God is their friend. The oppressor may be strong, but God is never with him in his oppressions."

The speech was a lengthy one and closed as follows, and the bill was defeated :

" The condition of the Indian tribes in this country is faithfully presented in the spirit and intention of the Chickasaws in the second article of the treaty of June 22, 1852, made at Washington City, and which, after arranging the transfers to the United States of all the lands owned and held by them east of the Mississippi River, provides ' That a tract of land, including the grave-yard near the town of Pontotoc, where many of the Chickasaws and their white friends are buried, and not exceeding four acres in quantity, shall be, and is hereby, set apart and conveyed to the said town of Pon- totoc, to be held sacred for the purposes of a public burial-ground forever.' Here was a people once numer- ous and powerful, and the possessors of a vast domain, now so reduced and pressed upon by the surrounding white settlements that they sold all their lands and homes and agreed to move West, to a place new and strange to them; but with kind hearts, and love for the memory of their fathers and their friends, stopping in the consideration of the sale of all their national do- main, in order to secure this one spot, sacred to their dead and the dead of those who had driven them to this extremity, but without malice, solemnly dedicating their grave-yard to the use of their white oppressors for a public burial-ground forever. How soon this people will again be compelled to the sore trial of preserving and dedicating a grave-yard to their fathers and their white friends forever, remains to be seen through the legislation of this House. I trust in the strength of the cause of these Indians because it is just, and submit it to the House in full faith that they will be protected in their treaty rights to their lands. I close in the language of Marshall, in the case of Fletcher vs. Peck: 'For a party to pronounce its own deed invalid, whatever cause may be assigned for its invalidity, must be considered as a mere act of power, which must find its vindication in a train of reasoning not often heard in courts of justice.'"

He is a Republican in politics. Having aided in the organization of the Republican party in 1856, he has assisted in maintaining it since, and believes its continued existence and success essential to the perpe- tuity of free institutions, so long, at least, as it is op- posed by the men who used their best endeavors to destroy the Union. He does not claim infallibility for his party, admitting freely its mistakes, which are mostly of omission. His democracy does not limit the full enjoyment of human rights, and the full and free possession of all the agencies necessary for their main- tenance, to persons of a particular color, race, or sex, or to individuals blessed with education and the smiles of fortune. He believes, and the logic of events. abun- dantly proves the correctness of his faith, that with rare

exceptions the late leading rebels are not Union-loving, in so far, at least, as they fail to accept in good faith and in their entirety the Constitutional amendments rendered absolutely necessary by the legitimate results of the Rebellion; and if any evidence were wanting of the insincerity and unrepentance of the late rebels, it is supplied by the exhibition made from time to time of a purpose to repeal laws necessitated by the changed order of things effected by the Rebellion. He voted against all bills for the removal of political disabilities, demanding that pardons should be asked before being granted, and that fruits meet for repentance should be shown as a condition precedent to being reinvested with the power to repeat treasonable acts. The General was married, October 31, 1852, to his present wife, whose maiden name was Huldah Hearn, daughter of John Hearn, a farmer residing near Portland, Jay County. She is the mother of five sons, three of whom died in infancy. She is remarkable for clearness of judgment and firmness of purpose. Her home is the home of all. She spent much of her time with her husband during the sessions of Congress of which he was a member, and traveled extensively with him among the Indian tribes in the Western states and territories, as well as among the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas; . and, whether at the house of the President of the United States or in the tent of the wild Indian, she is the same cheerful, calm, resolute, kind, and dignified woman. Her devotion to her children has caused her to brave dangers and bear up under trials before which stout men would hesitate. In 1874 their eldest son, John C. M., then in his seventeenth year, joined the expedition of Doctor Hayden, United States geologist and surveyor, then entering on duty in the Rocky and Elk Mountains, in Western and South-western Colorado, in the capacity of assistant topographer. July 14, 1874, the General, his wife, and younger son parted company with his elder son at Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, who then entered upon active duty with Professor Hay- den and party ; the General and remaining family, after visiting Indian tribes in California, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, returned to Denver August 13th of the same year. Professor Hayden and party were then supposed to be at Granite, a small mining town on the Upper Arkansas River, nearly two hundred miles south-west of Denver. While at Denver, Mrs. Shanks became so impressed that her absent son was sick in the mount- ains that she insisted on going to see him; but the General, attributing her fears to her anxiety for her son, induced her to return with him to their home in Indiana, where they had been about a week, when a telegram from Doctor Hayden-sent by way of Denver from a point three hundred miles from that place-in- formed them of the dangerous sickness of young Mr. Shanks, in a camp ninety miles from any dwelling-the

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last one being at Twin Lakes, east of the main range | of the Rocky Mountains; their son being on the bank of Capital Creek, west of the main and Elk ranges, on the head waters of the Colorado River, beyond road or track to reach him, except over the most rugged and broken part of these wild and almost impassable mount- ain gorges that concentrated into the celebrated cañon of the Colorado, the deepest and grandest gorges in the world, and which have been so well described by that intrepid explorer, Major Powell. The General and his wife, after a continuous railroad journey of about four- teen hundred miles to Denver, left that place in the stage, on the morning of the roth of September, 1874, by way of Fairplay and Granite, to Twin Lakes, at the eastern base of the main range of the Rocky Mount- ains, being the last habitation for several hundred miles, when they met Major Stevenson, of Doctor Hayden's party, who had returned from the invalid to meet his father-not supposing that Mrs. Shanks would under- take such a trip-and conduct him to his side. Doctor Hayden and his party, except four men, had gone on with their work, leaving the detail to attend to their prostrate companion. Major Stevenson, Mrs. Shanks, and her husband left Twin Lakes, passing up the Lake Creek to the pass at its source, and then crossed the main range, climbing over bold, steep rocks, Mrs. Shanks's pony occasionally going upon its knees to keep itself from falling down the steep cliffs, and Mrs. Shanks being obliged to throw her arms around her pony's neck to save herself from falling off. The first night out from Twin Lakes they camped between the main range and Elk Mountain, on Taylor River, a branch of the Colo- rado, where they overtook Hovey, one of the detail, on his way back with supplies for his companions and the sick. Here they also met some Ute Indian trappers, who expressed surprise at seeing a woman in that local- ity, they not taking their own women there; and by signs they inquired how the woman was brought to the place, and appeared astonished when informed that she had come over the mountain range, the tops of which were entirely hidden in the clouds. Here they also left a letter in a notch of a tree, informing Doctor Hayden that the party, with Mrs. Shanks, were on their way to her sick son. When, on his return, the Doctor read the letter, he could not believe the intelligence till assured of its truth when he reached Twin Lakes. The party halted during the night, without shelter, in a cold rain and severe wind; but Mrs. Shanks assured the company that she felt perfectly well, though, in fact, she suffered very severely. The second day out the party crossed the Elk Mountains, at an altitude of fourteen thousand and twenty - five feet, the wind blowing heavily, and snow falling on the mountain. This passage was over bleak rocks, far above the growth of trees, the timber line in these mountains being about eleven thousand

five hundred feet. The descent was tortuous and dan- gerous, through dense forests of firs, which in many places were almost impassable, owing to the presence of rocks and fallen timber. After a severe and extremely dangerous ride the party camped on Castle Fork, near its confluence with Roaring Fork, a considerable stream, so rapid and rough that the noise of its running can be heard echoing through the gorges for a long distance. On the third day of the journey the passage was along this stream, which was difficult, and extremely danger- ous, winding over narrow cliffs which overhung the boiling stream below. They reached the camp at four o'clock P. M. of this day, and found their son, for the first time in nineteen days, rational, but emaciated and weak. He recognized his mother, and again relapsed. His grave had been dug and he had been prepared for burial, and even the appropriate passage of Scripture had been selected to be read over his remains, when he showed signs of life. The men and the skillful physician, in whose care he had been left by Doctor Hayden, had watched over him with brotherly kindness; but yet, in a few minutes after his mother reached him, he was placed on a bed of dried grass, and in the tenderness of the attendants' hearts they exclaimed, " We thought we were doing the best we knew, but it now appears we might have done better." The fond mother replied, " Before my God I thank you for what you have done, and I only wonder that men could in this place do so well for my boy; but you need not be surprised that a mother thinks of all things." Doctor Hayden has named the mountain at the foot of which the grave was dug after Mr. Shanks, as a testimonial of his worth and of his misfortunes there. There were no roads leading from that lonely place. Westward it was over five hundred miles to any settlement, and they had only four days' provision, their gun broken, and medical supplies nearly exhausted. Their only alternative was to prepare for leaving; and for that purpose they con- structed a travia, of two long fir poles kept in place by two cross-bars of wood the length of the young man apart, and secured in position by straps of raw-hide, and for bedcords lariats were passed from pole to pole and strongly tied to them. On these was placed a deerskin, and over that a blanket, the whole constituting a bed for the invalid, who was partially protected from storms of rain and snow by a wicket of willows covered with blankets. Around the sick one heated stones were placed, and he was as securely fastened to the rudely improvised transport as his condition would admit, to prevent his falling off in the rough passage; and between the front ends of these poles a mule was placed, and fastened to them by ropes, with a breast-collar made of gunny cloth. The poles or shafts were further secured by saddle-straps passing around the mule, one or two men holding or carrying the rear ends of the poles, and

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one man clearing the way in front by removing stones and bushes. Mrs. Shanks rode her pony, and had charge of the pack-mules and horses of the men engaged in caring for her son. And in this way the party com- menced a race for life, in which they had to contend with sage- brush, rocks, gulches, fallen timber, along cliffs and steep hill-sides, across rapid mountain streams, through driving snow-storms and pelting rains, for more than ninety miles, often passing through snow - drifts over fourteen thousand feet above the sea- level, and sometimes more than three thousand feet above timber or living shrubs. When the bleak winds swept the ice- covered rocks, her son still delirious, and showing signs of life only by his sufferings from exposure, Mrs. Shanks never wearied or hesitated in her efforts to save him, though she expected his death almost at every moment. On their first night out on return trip, having camped on the bank of Roaring River, after fording the maroon, their mules stampeded, thus causing them a whole day's delay; and on the morning of the fourth day Doctor Dobins and Major Stevenson left the party, to procure medicine and supplies at Granite, eighty miles in ad- vance. There remained but three men as an escort, of whom Mr. Seaman led the mule in the travia, as in fact he did during the entire journey, it being necessary at times to assist the mule down or up among the rocks, and to pass along steep crags and the banks overhang- ing the waters of Roaring River and its tributaries, and on the sides of the canons leading to the streams. They camped one night on the banks of Torrent Creek, and the following evening at the foot of the Elk divide; and on the next day they reached timber, and camped in the snow on the steep side of that mountain. Heated stones were placed near the sick man, and removed every thirty minutes during the night, and the same process was observed during the day. At this time Mrs. Shanks informed the men that the supplies were nearly exhausted, enough only remaining for one short meal, excepting what little was needed for the sick. From this camp they began the ascent of that desolate snow - capped mountain, fourteen thousand feet above sea-level, work- ing their way patiently over rocks three thousand feet above the timber line. They seemed to be in another world, in which their lonely party were the only occu- pants, weary and without food, and the prospect was any thing but inviting. They had several days' travel before them, including the main range of mountains, with snow threatening to block their way-the season for storms having arrived-with no roads, or even beaten tracks, to guide them safely, or to admit of easy approach of persons in aid of them. The sick one was growing worse, from the severe exposure to the climate, and by reason of the rough mode of travel. They knew not even whether those who had gone for supplies could repass to them. Though not in vigorous health, having

accompanied her husband in his mission among the In- dians with the hope of deriving benefit from travel and change of climate, Mrs. Shanks was calm, speaking words of cheer to all. The descent was as serious and perilous as had been the ascent. Mrs. Shanks's pony fell, throwing her among the rocks, and breaking one of the bottles of venison tea which she had prepared and kept by her, having, however, in her thoughtful- ness, provided herself with two, for fear of accidents. While making the descent they nearly missed meeting Major Stevenson and the doctor, who were returning with supplies, and were making their way back over the mountain, further south, when, to the joyful surprise of all, the mules set up the wildest braying, in recognition of their mute companions in toil; and these discordant sounds, for once at least, were welcome music, as they were the means of notifying the two parties of their close proximity to each other. They again camped on Taylor River, but the Ute trappers whom they met on their trip out were gone. In crossing the main range it was thought safest to press into service a second mule, and thus have a genuine tandem to their travia; and in nine days out from Capital Creek, making in all eighteen days out from Twin Lakes, Mrs. Shanks had the satis- faction of placing upon a comfortable bed her emaci- ated, almost lifeless, son, a mere skeleton, and manifest- ing but feeble signs of animation-having been sick forty-seven days, and lain delirious on the ground and on the travia transport thirty-seven days. After some days' rest he was again moved down the mountain, but along a road, one hundred and sixty miles, to Colorado Springs, and thence by rail to Denver, where he again had a relapse, and suffered much. Finally, early in December, Mrs. Shanks, with her invalid, reached her home, after three months of almost superhuman endur- ance and effort to save the life of her son. He has at length, after some years, fully recovered his health, and is now a stout, active man, industrious, and devoted to his mother. The following, from the Denver Tribune, is from information furnished by Major Stevenson, who had spent twenty-one years in explorations among the Rocky Mountains :

" Transportation was very limited, but Mrs. Shanks, with heroic determination, decided to visit her son with the party. Although warned of the dangers and difficulties attending such a journey she still persisted in going. She was furnished with a small Indian pony, which she rode astride. Having no stirrups, rude straps were improvised in which she placed her feet. In this manner Mrs. Shanks accompanied the party, telling them to take their own gait and she would surely follow, and she actually accomplished the feat. The road was over two ranges of mountains, and through a country regarded by Professor Hayden as inaccessible to all except mountaineers and the most intrepid explorers. Deep gorges were crossed, high, rough, rocky ridges climbed, immense tracts of fallen timber traversed; and besides all this, frequent and severe snow-storms were

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encountered. Yet the party in three days from their departure from Granite, arrived at their camp. Here, in an alkaline locality, in a rude hut, which had been hastily built by the division, young Shanks was found, just barely alive. His condition was somewhat im- proved from the day before, but still he was far from being out of danger. The members of the Hayden party have become much attached to the young man, on account of his industry, energy, and amiable character, and it is with great pleasure to them, as well as to the anxious parents, that he was safely brought from the wilderness."

Before the party reached Twin Lakes the trusty miners had prepared snow-shoes and closely watched the moun- tain pass on the main range, intending if it (the pass) whitened with snow, to proceed at once to rescue them. Mrs. Major Stevenson, with a guide, had made her way with supplies to the foot of the main range, and met the company there. There are, indeed, but few similar cases on record in which as great sufferings have been endured with the escape of life. The rescue seems more like romance than reality-a miracle, rather than a fact accomplished by human agency. This same son, C. M. C. Shanks, when only eight years of age, was with his father on the march of the latter, east of Memphis, Ten- nessee, and after crossing Wolf River, the advance en- gaged some of Forrest's forces, and a sharp skirmish ensued. The boy was riding with the General at the head of the column at the time, and hearing the firing in the front he dashed off at full speed, refusing to halt, saying he was not in his father's command. He rode into the midst of the firing, cheering and dashing about regardless of danger. There were some of the enemy captured and the boy was allowed the honor of report- ing the prisoners to the General, much to the amuse- ment of the Johnny Rebs, who took quite a fancy to the youthful warrior, and the latter reciprocated the kindly feeling. At the conclusion of this interesting incident in personal history, we desire to make an addition to what we have already stated about his war record. The dates and facts were not at hand when the first pages of this biography were printed. As already stated, in June, 1863, by authority of the Secretary of War, General Shanks, mainly by his own exertions, organized the 7th Indiana Cavalry, consisting of twelve companies, aggre- gating twelve hundred and thirteen men, one hundred and forty of whom were taken from the prisoners in the camp at Indianapolis, having been selected with care by the General in person, and duly mustered into the service. His regiment was well armed and in fine condition. After drilling his command at "Camp Shanks," at Indianap- olis, he moved it on the 6th of December, by way of Cairo, Illinois, to Columbus, Kentucky, and thence to Union City, Tennessee. December 14th he sent Major Beck of his command toward Paris, Tennessee, to dis- lodge the rebel Colonel Faulkner, then holding that town, but learning that the force of the latter was

larger than at first supposed, he moved with three hun- dred additional men to the assistance of Major Beck ; but when beyond Dresden he was, by peremptory order of General A. J. Smith, commanded to return with the whole force to Union City. His regiment was assigned to duty in the Sixteenth Army Corps under General B. H. Grierson. On the 24th of December the reg- iment moved under General A. J. Smith into North Mississippi, with the view of cutting off the rebel forces under N. B. Forrest. This movement was made during the intensely cold weather known in the army and throughout the country as the cold New Year. The services rendered by the regiment during this march were arduous and valuable. To the utter surprise of the command the order to retreat was given on the morning of the 20th of February, 1864, as Forrest was opening fire across the Bigby, on our advance. The danger of a stampede was imminent. General Shanks called his officers together, and directed them to put their men in line and inform them that he had come to that point to hold the rebel forces from General Sherman, and that having accomplished the pur- posed object, they would now return, and that the attack that would be made upon the Union forces was only what he expected, and must not cause alarm. It was not an enforced retreat. This ruse by the General saved the army, pursued by Forrest, for twice afterward dur- ring the retreat the fate of it depended on the cavalry force commanded by General Shanks. At Okolona, Mississippi, on the 22d of February, the hostile forces opposed each other, and the rear brigade gave way, leaving General Shanks's immediate command exposed to the entire force of Forrest. He at once, and with- out special orders from his superiors, safely covered the retreat for over four miles in a continuous fight. When it became absolutely necessary for the safety of our forces to check the rebel pursuit, both General Smith and Gen- cral Grierson asked General Shanks if he would charge, and check the advance of Forrest. He agreed to do so, and with four hundred of his regiment threw him- self against Forrest's advance, with the loss of over one-fifth of his men. The charge was successful in ar- resting the pursuit and thus insuring the safety of our retreating forces. General Grierson complimented Gen- eral Shanks for his bravery, saying : "That was a splendid charge. I did not expect to see you come out of it ; but it was a necessity." General Forrest, on meeting Gen- eral Shanks after the collapse of the Rebellion, said to him: " That was a sad day to me ; my brother Jeffry, my chief of staff, fell there. Your charge was a most daring one. I almost pitied your command as it charged into our fire." In this charge and retreat General Shanks had two horses shot from under him, and had the marks of four bullets in his clothes and on his person. When Gen- eral Sherman moved from Vicksburg to Selma, General

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A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II, Part 82

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1006

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1006