History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 151

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198

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If you will give publicity in your columns to the statements herein contained, I do not doubt it will be the means of saving many worthy people from incurring useless expense. I am sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. S. HANCOCK, Major-General U. S. A., Commanding.

And about the same time the executive of Dakota Territory put forth a warn- ing proclamation, in words following :

By the Governor of Dakota Territory-A Proclamation.

Information having reached the office of the executive of said territory, through various sources, to the effect that combinations of men have been and are now being made with a view of entering and occupying the region of country known as the "Black Hills of Dakota," which is within the reservation belonging to the Sioux Indians, under the plea that the said Black Hills country has valuable mineral deposits, as well as quantities of timber fit for lumber;

Now, therefore, I, Edwin S. MeCook, secretary and acting governor of the Territory of Dakota, by the direction of the President of the United States, through the Hon. Colum- bus Delano, secretary of the interior, do hereby warn all such unlawful combinations of men, of whatever locality or under whatever plea or excuse operating, that any such attempt to violate our treaty stipulations with these Indians, or disturb the peace of the territory by an effort to invade, occupy, or settle upon said reservation. will not only be illegal and liable to disturb the peace between the United States and said Indians; but will be disap- proved by the Government. And if such efforts are persisted in, the Government will use so much of its civil and military force as may be necessary to remove from this Indian territory all persons who go there in violation of law.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the territory. Given at my office in the City of Yankton, this 6th day of April, 1872.

EDWIN S. McCook (Seal),

Secretary and Acting Governor of Dakota Territory.

It was the impression in official circles that a few arrests of these invading parties, showing that the Government was in earnest in its efforts to protect the Black Hills from white invasion, would be all that was necessary to be done to put a quietus on the encroachments upon the forbidden soil. Theretofore the simple edict of the captain in command of the Dakota district had been suffi- cient to effect the disbandment of well organized expeditions, having the Black Hills as their goal, at Yankton and probably at other points, before any attempt was made to enter upon the forbidden ground, and why would not the same authority be respected at this time? The answer must be found in the invincible determination of that portion of the American people who had set their hearts on going to the Black Hills, and would not be deterred by official proclamations. or the danger, always imminent, of being waylaid and massacred by the hostile Indians, though in the beginning of the invasion, and for several months follow- ing. the Indian element of hostility was not apparent, but rather from motives of savage policy, one of encouragement to the invaders.

The soldiers at the frontier military posts knew of the existence of gold in the Black Hills before the Custer expedition. In the year 18;2 a band of eighteen enlisted men deserted in a body from Fort Randall, and forming an expedition started for the Black Hills. They were followed and captured, and returned to the post.

There was no sentiment apparent at this period among the supporters, in Dakota, for exploring the hills, in favor of any movement that would bring about a serious conflict with the Government anthorities, who, particularly the military, were generally credited with a friendly personal feeling for the move- ment for opening the gold country; but at the same time this friendly sentiment would not deter them from performing the duty imposed upon them. It was conceded that the Government could not do less than it was doing to protect the integrity of its treaties, and maintain its honor and authority The annual report of Lieutenant General Sheridan, commanding at the time the Dakota militar district which was included in his department, which report is given in the diaper relating to the inauguration of the Indian peace policy, is satisfactory de late

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that the sentiment and influence of the army favored the early opening of the coveted country.

Dakotans can justly claim a preponderant share of whatever credit is due for the final opening of the Eldorado to white settlement. Though all efforts to explore the country were in violation of treaties, yet there will be a common pride felt in the fact that to the enterprising and adventurous spirit of Dakotans is due the earnest agitation of the subject for more than ten years before the country was reclaimed ; and this agitation was based on actual knowledge of the natural riches of the country. Expeditions were formed by the early settlers for the purpose of exploring the hills only to be prohibited from their purpose by the authority which all law-abiding American citizens are in duty bound to respect and obey ; and finally the people of the territory concluded to change their tactics, and instead of efforts at exploration, which availed nothing, public meetings were held at various points which memorialized Congress and the President, urging the speedy acquisition of the country by treaty. Memorials, which appropriately supplemented the petitions, passed for the same purpose by the Territorial Legis- latures, were prepared and adopted by public assemblies, and forwarded to the territorial delegate in Congress. These memorials contained the most reliable information regarding the auriferous deposits of the country, its forestry re- sources, and its natural wealth generally. This movement by the people was not without its beneficial results, and doubtless hastened the favorable action subse- quently taken.

However, the claim was made by the representatives of the Government hav- ing charge of such affairs, that the Indians would not listen to any proposition whatever looking to the ceding of country ; and adding, in the face of the evidence furnished in the memorials prepared under authority of our popular meetings, that too little was actually known of the resources of the region to justify any haste on the part of the Government. Notwithstanding this negative attitude assurances from high authority were given Dakota's representatives, that as soon as the disposition of troops would permit, a military expedition, under an experi- enced officer, would be sent to the Black Hills for the purpose of exploring the country. These assurances later found expression in the famous Custer expedition of 1874.

Custer's Seventh Regiment of Cavalry was withdrawn from the De- partment of Texas in the latter part of the winter of 1872-73, and assigned to duty at Fort Abraham Lincoln, opposite the new Town of Bismarck, on the Missouri River in Dakota. In the spring following (1874), a military expedi- tion was organized composed of the Seventh Cavalry under command of Custer, for the purpose of exploring the Black Hills country.

While the northern Sioux contended that the expedition was in violation of the Sherman treaty, it was unofficially reported that the southern tribes, par- ticularly the Red Cloud people, though their chief had been consulted and had assented to it, and the fact that not the least opposition was manifested by any tribe would support this statement. The treaty of 1868 provided in effect for the exploration of the reservation domain if undertaken by the Government.

CHAPTER LAVINI GENERAL CUSTER'S EXPEDITION TO THE HILLS

1874

REMARKABLE ENVIRONMENT OF THE BLACK HILLS-GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER A1 YANKTON-THE SEVENTH CAVALRY IN AN APRIL SNOWSTORM-OVERLAND TO FORT RICE-INDIAN TROUBLES ON THE NORTHERN PACIFIC-FORSYTHIE'S TRIP UP THE YELLOWSTONE-CAMPAIGN OF 1873-SHERIDAN RECOMMENDS A BLACK IIILLS EXPEDITION-CUSTER TO COMMAND IT IN 1874-EXPEDITION ORGANIZED AT FORT ABRAHAM LINCOLN-CUSTER'S REPORTS IN FULL.

BLACK HILLS SURROUNDED BY CIVILIZED COMMUNITIES

The locality occupied by the Black Hills was a magnetic factor in drawing the intrepid and wealth-seeking Anglo-Saxon to explore it. Never before in the history of our country had a rich gold field covering such an ample area been discovered in the midst of civilized settlements. It had happened that the Black Hills had become surrounded, practically, by an enterprising, aggressive and industrious population before it was generally known that it contained valuable mineral deposits. Custer's expedition in 1874 had been the means of publishing to the world what had before been only an open secret in the settlements border- ing it and among the Indians, and many thousand people were simultaneously moved by a kindred impulse to visit them. The auriferous hills were not remote from civilization, but practically surrounded by it. The distance to Harney's Peak from the settlements on the Missouri River was in the neighborhood of two hundred and two hundred and fifty miles. It was no hardship even to those known as "tenderfeet" to make the trip. It was a matter of a week's journey. and but for the Indians and military police, would have been regarded by many who undertook it as a pleasure excursion.

CUSTER AT YANKTON

The Seventh Regiment of United States Cavalry, commanded by Gen. Gco. A. Custer, came into Dakota Territory on the Dakota Southern Railroad from Sioux City to Yankton, and camped at the capital city a number of weeks, pre- paring for their long march to Fort Rice. The regiment reached the railroad terminus in Dakota on Wednesday, April 9. 1873. all save two companies that had been detached and sent by way of Minnesota around to Fort lincoln. The camping ground selected was just east of the Rhine Creek fronting the Missouri River, not a mile from the city, and behind it, stretching away for a mile to the highlands, there was a verdant carpet as level as a floor affording a perfect ol ample plat for the daily exercises of the troops.

The subordinate officers with the regiment were: Colonel Sturgr . O Joseph G. Tilford, Col. V. K. Hart, Col. Wm Thomson. Maj F. W. B . Capt. Geo. W. Yates, Capt. Thomas IF French, Capl. Owen Hale, Co MU Moylan, But. Lt. Col. T. W. Custer, Capt. Thos. M. MeDougall, Fapt Ler

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HISTORY OF DAKOTA TERRITORY

J. Nowlan, Lieut. Edward S. Godfrey, Lieut. Algernon E. Smith, Lieut. Donald McIntosh, Lieut. Edward G. Mathey, Lieut. James Calhoun, Lieut. Frank M. Gibson, Lieut. William T. Craycroft, Lieut. Charles Braden, Lieut. C. DeRudio, Lieut. Benj. H. Hodgson, Lieut. W. Larned, Lieut. Geo. D. Wallace, Lieut. Charles A. Varnum, Lieut. H. M. Harrington, Captain Nowlan, regimental Q. M., and Lieutenant Calhoun, acting adjutant. The ten companies numbered about eight hundred men with forty laundresses. There were about seven hundred horses and two hundred mules. The regiment had been somewhat scattered through the South, with headquarters at Louisville, Ky., previous to coming to Dakota.

A DAKOTA BLIZZARD

Gen. George Forsythe, of Sheridan's staff was in Yankton at this time await- ing the arrival of the steamer Far West which was to take him on an observation trip up the Yellowstone River for the purpose of selecting sites for military posts. He was not connected with the Seventh Cavalry in any capacity.

Custer's regiment had been in camp for nearly a week or until the notorious April blizzard swept down upon the southern half of Dakota. It had been un- pleasant and snowing moderately for nearly two days, Sunday and Monday, but changed on Tuesday, the 15th, to a storm of intense blizzardy proportions and continued to rage for about forty hours. It was not dangerously cold, but the wind was terrific and the snow filled the air threatening suffocation and death to any living being exposed to it. Custer's people, including the women, were all at the camp, which had only tents for shelter, except one small log cabin near by. Within three hours after the blizzard began on the 15th the snow had piled up to a depth of two feet and drifts had formed of prodigious size blocking up the roads. It was the heaviest snowfall as well as the latest snowstorm ever known in the territory, and is to this day referred to as the Custer storin. The people in town felt that there must be great suffering in the camp, particularly among the women and children, but the problem was how to relieve them. No animal would face the storm for one minute, there was no track or trail to follow, and the blinding snow made it very difficult to see any object two rods away. But it would never do to let those people suffer and make no effort to rescue them. A rescue party was organized by Hon. Judson LaMoure. The rescuers started out holding a long rope to which was attached a light stage coach on runners and they succeeded in reaching the camp after a two hours struggle, though the dis- tance was not over a mile. But they lost their way a dozen times, and finally found what they were blindly groping for. And just in the nick of time; for many of the women were in a perishable condition, nearly covered with the snow, and hysterically bemoaning their sad fate. Sleighs of some sort were extemporized, the women and children bundled into them, and with the aid of the soldier boys the most remarkable cavalcade that ever entered a Dakota town moved toward Yankton. As soon as the residences were reached in the lower town the suffering people found the "latchstring out," they were taken into a half hundred homes and kindly cared for. Mrs. Custer, and the wives of other officers, were among the rescued, but waited until all the others had been taken, when they were given a sleigh ride such as they had never before "enjoyed," and landed safely at the hotel. Fortunately the temperature had not been severe, and there were no serious frostbites; but the fright and apprehension of perish- ing, so long entertained, had affected the minds of some of the rescued, who, if the rescue had been much longer delayed, might have lost their reason.

All over the northern states severe storms prevailed, and unseasonably late ones, during this spring of 1873.

The Seventh remained in camp at Yankton until the 12th of May, and afforded new and grand entertainment for the people of the city.

Yankton tendered the grandest reception to the regiment it had exer extended, which was truly appreciated; and the general extended an invitation to the terri-

HISTORY OF DAKOTA TERRITORY

torial officials and the citizens to visit and inspect his camp and witness a review of the troops. The governor and his staff and the other officials went down to the grounds horseback, in uniform; it was said that these garments had taxed the wardrobes of many of Custer's officers, which was apparent where a lean man had secured a fat man's coat, and vice versa. This occasion was highly enjoyed-for a long time after.

The officers of the regiment held a meeting at Camp Sturgis (as it had been officially named ), some time after the snowstorm. General Custer occupied the chair, and Lieut. C. W. Larned was secretary. The proceedings that will most interest Dakotans were the adoption of the following resolutions :

Whereas, The exigencies of the service having called the troops of this command from their late field of duty in the southern states, where for more than two years they have encountered the extreme heat peculiar to the "Sunny South," and having assigned them to duty in the Department of Dakota for intended service in the remote Valley of the Yellowstone, and along the line of the Northern Pacific Railroad; and,

Whereas, Immediately following their arrival in the territory, and before timely warn- ing was received, or due preparation could be made, the troops of this command found themselves in the midst of, and exposed to, the rigors of a snow storm, which in terrible severity, extent, and duration was without parallel, even in this latitude, and so pronounced by the oldest residents in this territory, a storm which imperiled the lives of all who found themselves exposed to its full force, and of such blinding effect as rendered it beyond the ability of either man or beast to brave its power except for a few brief moments; and,

Whereas, In this terrible emergency and when in a condition of comparative helpless- ness, and when, without assistance, a large proportion of the lives of this command must have been lost by exposure, the citizens of Yankton, acting in concert and harmony with the territorial officers, hastened to the relief of this command, and by extending the hos- pitality of their homes, the freedom and use of their legislative and other public halls, to the officers and men of the Seventh Cavalry, and by granting the use of their stables, work- shops and other buildings, as shelter for their horses, they undoubtedly preserved the lives of a great number belonging to this command, besides saving to the Government the value of the public animals amounting to many thousands of dollars; therefore, be it,

Resolved, That in acknowledgment of the noble generosity, the unbounded and uni- versal hospitality, the unvarying and constantly repeated kindness with which every member of this command was treated by the territorial officers of Dakota and the citizens of Yank- ton without a single exception: we, the officers of this command, representing not only ourselves, but our wives and sweethearts, and all who are dear to us. and representing also the sentiment which we know is shared by every soldier and member of this command : although feeling that mere words however combined would fall short of expressing the extent of our obligations; yet we desire in this feeble manner to convey to the territorial officers of Dakota, and to the citizens of Yankton, our heartfelt and lifelong gratitude, for extending the helping hand to us in our hour of need, and rescuing us from a position sur rounded with great peril and privation; and should our duty on the frontier of this young and growing territory bring us in armed conflict with the traditional enemy of the fron tiersman-the barbarous red man-our arms will fall with redoubled force when we remember that each blow struck is a blow in defense of the homes and firesides in and around which we have been treated with such generous care. Be it also.

Resolved, That while the territorial officials of Dakota, resident in Yankton, and the citizens of Yankton and vicinity, seemed to vie with each other in their efforts to defend us from the storm and in sharing the comforts of their homes with us; and while the names of a large number who exerted themselves in our behalf are not in our possession. it there was one whose prompt. efficient aid constantly tendered from the commencement to the termination of our embarrassment, and whose personal risk and exposure mcurrent in his manly and determined efforts to save from suffering all who were exposed to th. storm, have indelibly impressed his name upon the memory of every officer and man of this command, and to him, Gen. E. S. MeCook, secretary of Dakota, we tender our hearty and united thanks. To Messrs. Judson LaMoure, Arthur Linn, J. C. Blanding, FL. N Chap man, I .. F. Field. and C. A. Marshall, and to many others whose names have unfortunately escaped us, our grateful acknowledgements are also due, for their personal labors and pr va tions in our behalf.

G A CUSTER,

Brevet Major-General U. S. A., Chairman.

CHAS. W. LARNED. Lieutenant Seventh Cavalry. Secretary.

A number of the officers were accompanied with their wives, including Mrs General Custer, Mrs. Hart, Mrs. Vates, Mrs. Godfrey, Mrs. James Calhoun, Mrs Gibson, all of whom were imprisoned by the storm.

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The people of Yankton may not have regarded the storm so seriously, but they were not in the same plight as the military people who experienced the terrors and ferocity of the blinding hurricane with its avalanche of snow, almost unprotected; and those who have ever witnessed such a warring of the elements will not be apt to criticize the military people or accuse them of any exaggeration in their formal resolutions. The thought may occur to the reader that this boisterous storm-king, so invincible in its strength and power, foreshadowed the melancholy doom which awaited the gallant, though possibly, imprudent leader. at the Little Big Horn, three years later. Custer had a large part in some of the most important affairs of the Territory of Dakota, and his Black Hills expedition in 1874 opened the way to El Dorado that neither Indian treaties or military proclamations could materially obstruct.

On the 7th of May the Seventh broke camp and started on its journey over- land to Fort Rice. The steamboat Miner accompanied the regiment, carrying the laundresses as passengers, and the camp equipage and supplies for the troops and animals. The Miner kept along with the regiment on the entire trip, laying up at night abreast of the military camp. Mrs. Custer and the wives and fam- ilies of the other officers were passengers on the Miner, and their destination was Fort Rice.

Concerning the purpose of the Government in sending the Seventh Cavalry and a little later ten companies of infantry from the Department of the Platte, six companies of the Eighth Regiment and four of the Ninth to the District of Dakota for service in the field against hostile Indians, the reader should be reminded that in the spring of the year before (1872), the Government organized two expeditions for the protection of the engineers surveying the route for the Northern Pacific Railway west of the Missouri River, against the hostile Indians, who were in large force, and defiant to the extent that they had declared war against the extension of the road west of the Missouri River. The expedition from Dakota was under the command of Gen. D. S. Stanley, of Fort Sully, and colonel of the Twenty-second Infantry, and the expedition from the West under Col. E. M. Baker, major of the Second United States Cavalry, from Fort Ellis, Mont. Baker's command consisted of cavalry, artillery and infantry, and a number of scouts. Stanley started out from Fort Rice with a force of 800 in- fantry and a battery of Gatling guns. The plan was that the two armies should meet at or near the mouth of Powder River. on the Yellowstone, unite, and proceed to chastise the enemy. Colonel Baker was attacked one morning when within a few day's march of the Powder River rendezvous, by an army of five or six hundred Sioux. His advance guard held the Indians in check until the main body came up, after which the Indians were driven into the woods with considerable loss. The civil engineers whom Baker was protecting concluded that under the circumstances it was not advisable to go further with the survey in face of the rapidly increasing number of the Indians, and the colonel then set out upon his return to Fort Ellis, constantly harassed by the enemy.

General Stanley, upon reaching the mouth of Powder River, delayed a few days to await Colonel Baker's arrival, but failing to hear from him, returned to Fort Rice. The savages claimed a victory because they had defeated the object of the expedition by their attack of Baker, thus preventing the uniting of the forces.

It was about this time, 1872, that the notorious Indian, Sitting Bull, came into prominence as a leader of the turbulent and implacable Sioux, and was able to array, on special occasions, several thousand of his race and nation, in war against the Government. Nothing further was done by the military in 1872, but preparations for a much more formidable expedition to take the field in 1873 were completed, and Custer's regiment was ordered from Texas to take part in it.

One of the principal objects of General Forsythe's trip up the Yellowstone in 1873, was to test the navigability of the river as far up as Powder River, a

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distance of 235 miles. The steamboat Key West commanded by Capt. Grant Marsh had been selected for the expedition, which was sent out at the expense of the Government by request of General Sheridan then in command of the Department of the Missouri. The Yellowstone had become the theater of the most important military movements undertaken for a number of years, and it was very essential that it be known whether the Yellowstone channel could be depended upon for the transportation of troops and supplies for the soldiery. The journey was made in May and June. The Key West took on about one hundred soldiers at Fort Buford, in order to be prepared for emergencies. The steamboat was drawing twenty-six inches on leaving Buford. The usual spring rise of the river had not yet occurred which was considered fortunate, the pur- pose being to get the navigable condition during the season of low water. The boat went through to within two and one-half miles of Powder River in six days ; here she encountered Key West Falls and decided not to undertake the ascent over them which might result in serious difficulty. These falls could be largely improved by the removal of some of the rocks in the channel, and would not be a serious obstruction during an ordinary boating stage later in the summer and fall. The return trip was made in five and a half days and the report of the general was so favorable that Sheridan decided that the steamboat should take an important part in the Indian campaigns in the Yellowstone Valley.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 151

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1198

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198