History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 15

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998

USA > South Dakota > History of South Dakota, Vol. I > Part 15

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For all of the official correspondence relating to the expedition of Colonel Leavenworth into South Dakota in 1823 for the conquest of the Ree Indians, together with notes illuminating the same, the reader is referred to the first volume of the Collections of the South Dakota Historical Society.

CHAPTER XII

THE STORY OF HUGH GLASS AND OF THE TREATY EXPEDITION OF 1825.

Immediately after the fighting at Arickara was over, in August, 1823, Maj. Andrew Henry made up a party of eighty men, being the rem- nant of Ashley's force and some additions which he had brought down from the Yellowstone, in response to Ashley's message of June 2d, which had been carried to him by Jedediah Smith. Ashley and Henry had a few men and a large quantity of merchandise and property on the Yellowstone and it was important that they establish communication with the upper river at once. Old Hugh Glass, one of the men wounded at Arickara on June 2d, had by this time so far recovered from his wounds as to be able to hunt again. The route was up the valley of the Grand river and as it was necessary to subsist the men off the country Glass and one other expert hunter were sent ahead of the main party to beat up the valley for game. The Grand river flows through a deep broad valley and has a fair growth of timber along the stream. It was the third day out from the Missouri, when Glass forced his way through a thicket to find himself close on to a grizzly bear which had stretched itself in a plot of sand. Before he could "set his triggers," or even turn to fly, the bear caught him by the throat, lifted him in the air and threw him to the earth and, tearing off a mouthful of flesh, gave it to her cubs. When she turned to the cubs the old man tried to sneak away, but she was in- stantly upon him again, followed by the cubs. She seized him by the shoulder and inflicted dangerous wounds upon his shoulder, arm and

hand. His hunting mate now came onto the scene and attacked the cubs, which gave battle. Man and cubs rolled into the river, but the little fellows were killed. By this time the main party came up and the old bear was speedily dis- patched. Glass was found to be in a horrible, and presumably hopeless, condition. His body was mangled and covered with wounds and he was suffering tormenting pain. The urgency of the business would not permit the party to camp with him, and they could not leave him alone. A purse of eighty dollars was therefore made up among the men and paid to two volunteers, said by one writer to have been Fitzgerald and Bridger. both later famous frontiersmen, who agreed to stay with him until his death occurred, for no one dreamed of his recovery. They re- mained with him five days, when, seeing no hope of his immediate death, they took his gun and everything he possessed except a razor, and abandoned him to his fate and set out to over- take Henry, to whom they reported that Glass died and that they had decently buried him.

When the old man discovered the treachery of these fellows he resolved to recover and call the cravens to account, and though he had no means of subsistence except a few buffalo berries and wild cherries which grew within his reach, he carefully nursed back his strength until able to travel, when he left his dreary surroundings and started for Fort Kiowa, near Chamberlain, one hundred and twenty miles distant. He was still unable to stand and with scarcely strength

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to drag his body. He was without provisions or means of obtaining any and the country was in the heart of the hunting ground of the Rees, who were his mortal enemies, who had already come near to taking his life but two months before and whom he had fought in battle only at the be- ginning of the present journey. He persevered, however, and the deep purpose of revenge held him up and a stroke of fortune came to his rescue and supplied him with food. He dragged him- self along until he discovered a pack of wolves harrying a buffalo calf and he managed to frighten them away and so secured a supply of meat. With terrible hardship and distress he succeeded in reaching Fort Kiowa.

Very soon a party of trappers appeared with a boat bound for the Yellowstone and Glass, though still weak, his wounds unhealed, shipped with them, determined that no delay should inter- vene until he had settled with the men who de- serted him. When they got to the Mandans they ran upon the Rees, who killed all of the others, but Glass was providentially saved and, proceeding, reached Henry on the Yellowstone only to find that his men had gone to Fort Atkinson. Thinking to avoid the Rees, he at once started for Council Bluffs by way of the Powder and Platte rivers. He was accompanied by four men. He reached the latter river in safety when they run upon a portion of Grey Eyes' band of the Rees, which since the Leaven- worth fight of the previous summer had been wandering on the prairies. The new chief of this band was named Elk Tongue. Glass knew him well and they had been fast friends, having spent an entire winter hunting together, and they met and embraced like long separated brothers. The white men accepted an invitation to the chief's lodge and as they sat smoking the screaming of a child attracted their attention, and, looking out, discovered the squaws making away with their effects. Realizing that they were trapped, they used every effort to effect their escape, but Glass alone, who was thior- oughly versed in the arts of wild life, was able to get away, his companions being scalped within his sight. He found himself stripped of every-

thing but a knife and flint, but, he said, "I felt quite rich when I found my knife and steel in my shot pouch. These little fixins make a man feel quite pert when he is three or four hundred miles away from anybody or anywhere -all alone among the painters and the var- mints." Undaunted, he struck out to the north- east and again reached Fort Kiowa in safety after a fifteen days' tramp, during which he sub- sisted on the flesh of buffalo calves which he was able to catch. He immediately set out down river and reached Fort Atkinson in June, 1824. He was by this time convinced that the entire blame for his desertion on Grand river in his extremity was due to the elder man, Fitzgerald. while Bridger, then but a boy, was not re- sponsible and he therefore held resentment only against the former, but upon his arrival at Fort Atkinson he found Fitzgerald had enlisted in the army and was therefore under protection of Uncle Sam, for whom the old hunter had the highest respect, and he therefore gave up his determination to resort to extreme measures. Glass continued to be heard from in South Dakota affairs for eight or nine years longer. when he was killed by the Rees, while crossing the Yellowstone river on the ice in the winter of 1832-3.

There was no noteworthy incident of 1824 which has come down to us, the trade along the river being kept actively up. In 1825. however. an event of great interest happened, this being the treaty-making expedition of General Atkin- son and Benjamin O'Fallon through South Dakota to the Yellowstone, in which the first formal, written treaties between the United States and the South Dakota Indians were entered into.

The commissioners left St. Louis on March 20, 1825, and arrived at Council Bluffs on April 29th, where they remained until the 14th of May. There it was outfitted with eight keel boats which, in addition to the usual sails, oars and cordelles, had each a set of paddle wheels, operated by hand. The boats were named after the game animals most common on the Mis- souri, being the "Beaver." "Buffalo," "Elk."

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"Mink," "Muskrat," "Otter," "Raccoon" and "White Bear." The journal of this expedition has not been printed, but is in the possession of the Missouri Historical Society.

The following narrative of what transpired upon this trip is mainly taken from Captain Chittenden's account. Among the officers of the expedition. in addition to Messrs. Atkinson and O'Fallon, the commissioners, were A. L. Lang- ham, secretary to the commission, Col. Henry Leavenworth, Majors S. W. Kearney and Daniel Ketchem, Captains William Armstrong, Ben Riley. John Gantt, G. C. Spencer, R. B. Mason ; Lieutenants William S. Harney, S. MacRee, R. Holmes, R. H. Stuart, James W. Kingsbury, Levi Nute. Thomas Noel, J. Rodgers, M. W. Batman, Thomas P. Gwynne, George C. Huwer and W. Harris, Dr. John Gale ; Adjts. S. Wragg and R. M. Coleman, William Day, A. S. Miller and G. H. Kennerly and P. Wilson, sub-agents ; and Antoine, Joseph and Pierre Garreau, inter- preters. Edward Rose was guide and interpreter to the Rees and the Crows; Colin Campbell to the Rees and Mandans, and Touissant Chab- oneau to the Mandans. Of these, at least Major Ketchem, Captains Armstrong and Riley, Dr. Gale and Lieutenant Noel had accompanied Leavenworth upon the Ree expedition of 1823. Edward Rose, Colin Campbell and Touissant Chaboneau also in one capacity or another took part in the Ree conquest, Rose as the fearless interpreter who first went into the beleaguered towns, Campbell as the bellicose interpreter to the recreant Pilcher and Chaboneau as inter- preter to Major Henry and he it was who was sent after the escaping Rees with conciliatory messages. Lieutenant Harney too, later became identified with Dakota as commandant at Fort Pierre in 1865-6 and as builder of Fort Randall in 1857.

The escort comprised four hundred seventy- six men, a formidable army compared with Leavenworth's little band of 1823. Forty of these men were mounted and traveled by land, but always kept in touch with the boats. Captain Armstrong and Edward Rose had been sent in advance to assemble the

Poncas and had arrived at the Ponca village thirteen days in advance of the expedition. The first stop for a council was at the Ponca village near the Niobrara and was on the Nebraska side. The first stop on Dakota soil was at Fort Kiowa near old Fort Lookout. They were de- layed here for some days waiting for the Yank- tons and Yanktonais to come in and on the 20th a council was held and a treaty made. Except the peace treaty which Leavenworth made with the Rees two years earlier and which was lost in transmission to Washington, this is the first written and signed treaty ever entered into be- tween any of the Indians of the Dakota country and the government. For the reason stated, and as it is almost identical with all of the other treaties made by this commission in 1825, it may be profitable to reproduce it here :

TREATY WITH THE TETON, YANKTON AND YANKTONIES BANDS OF THE SIOUX INDIANS.

No. 1. For the purposes of perpetuating the friendship which has hitherto existed, as well also as to remove all future cause of discussion or dis- sension as it respects trade and friendship between the United States and their citizens and the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands of the Sioux tribe of Indians, the President of the United States of Amer- ica by Brigadier General Atkinson, of the United States army, and Major Benjamin O'Fallon, Indian agent, with full powers and authority, especially ap- pointed and commissioned for that purpose, of the one part, and the undersigned chiefs, headmen and warriors of the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands of the Sioux tribe of Indians, on behalf of the said bands or tribe, of the other part, have made and entered into the following articles and conditions, which when ratified by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the sen- ate, shall be binding on both parties, towit:

Article 1. It is admitted by the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands of Sioux Indians, that they re- side within the territorial limits of the United States, acknowledge their supremacy and claim their protec- tion. The said bands also admit the right of the United States to regulate all intercourse and trade with them.

Art. 2. The United States agree to receive the said Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands of Sioux Indians into their friendship and under their protec- tion and to extend to them from time to time such benefits and acts of kindness as may be convenient,

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and seem just and proper to the President of the United States.

Art. 3. All trade and intercourse with the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands of Sioux Indians shall be transacted at such place or places as shall be des- ignated and pointed out by the President of the United States through his agents; and none but American citizens, duly authorized by the United States, shall be admitted to trade or hold intercourse with said bands of Indians.

Art. 4. That the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands may be accommodated with such articles of merchandise, etc., as their necessities may demand, the United States agree to admit and license traders to hold intercourse with said tribes or bands under mild and equitable regulations: in consideration of which the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands bind themselves to extend protection to the persons and the property of the traders and of the persons legally employed under them, whilst they remain within the limits of their particular district of country. And the said Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands fur- ther agree that if any foreigner, or other person not legally authorized by the United States, shall come into their district of country for the purpose of trade or other views, they will apprehend such person or persons and deliver him or them to some United States superintendent or agent of Indian affairs or to the nearest military post, to be dealt with accord- ing to law. And they further agree to give safe con- duct to all persons who may be legally authorized by the United States to pass through their country; and to protect in their persons and property all agents or other persons sent to reside temporarily among them by the United States.

Art. 5. That the friendship which is now estab- lished between the United States and the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands should not be inter- rupted by the misconduct of individuals, it is hereby agreed that for injuries done by individuals, no pri- vate revenge or retaliation shall take place, but in place thereof complaint shall be made by the party injured to the superintendent or agent of Indian af- fairs, or other person appointed by the President; and it shall be the duty of the said chiefs, upon com- plaint heing made as aforesaid, to deliver up the person or persons against whom the complaint is made to the end that he or they may be punished agreeably to the laws of the United States. And in like manner, if any robbery, violence or murder shall be committed on any Indian or Indians belong- ing to said bands, the person or persons so offending shall be tried and if found guilty shall be punished in like manner as if the injury had been done to a white man. And it is agreed that the chiefs of the said Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands shall, to

the utmost of their power, exert themselves to re- cover horses or other property which shall be stolen or taken from any citizen or citizens of the United States by any individual or individuals of said bands; and the property so recovered shall be forthwith de- livered to the agents or other person authorized to receive it, that it may be restored to its proper owner. And the United States hereby guarantee to any In- dian or Indians of said bands a full indemnification for any horses or other property which may be stolen from them by any of their citizens; provided that the property so stolen cannot be recovered, and that sufficient proof is produced that it was actually stolen by a citizen of the United States. And the said Te- ton, Yankton and Yanktonies bands engage, on the requisition or demand of the United States, or of the agents, to deliver up any white man resident among them.

Art. 6. And the chiefs and warriors as aforesaid promise and engage their bands or tribe will never by trade, exchange, or as presents, supply any na- tion or tribe of Indians not in amity with the United States with guns, ammunition or other implements of war.

Done at Fort Lookout, near the three rivers of the Sioux pass, this 22d day of June, A. D. 1825, and of the independence of the United States the forty- ninth.

In testimony whereof, the said commissioners, Henry Atkinson and Benjamin O'Fallon, and the chiefs, headmen and warriors of the Teton, Yankton and Yanktonies band of Sioux tribe, have hereunto set their hands and affixed their seals.

H. Atkinson, Br. Gen. U. S. Army, Benj. O'Fallon, U. S. Agt. Ind. Aff.

YANKTONS.

Mawtoosabekia, the black bear. .

Wacanohignan (Wakan), the flying medi- cine.

Wah-hah-ginga, the little dish.

Chaponka, the mosquito.

Etakenuskean, the mad face.

Tokaoo, the one that kills.

Ogatee, the fork.

Youiasan, the warrior.

Wahtakendo, the one who comes from wal.

Toqui-intoo, the little soldier.

Hasashah, the Ioway.

TETONS.

Tatankaguenishquignan, the mad buffalo. Matokendohacha, the hollow bear.

Eguemonwaconta, the one that shoots at the tiger.

Jaikankane, the child chief.

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Shawanon, Oetakah, the hrave. Mantodanza (Mato), the running bear. Wacanguela sassa, the black lightning. Wabelawacan, the medicine war eagle. Campescahoranco, the swift shell. Ehrakachekala, the little elk.

Napeemuska, the mad hand. Japee, the soldier. Hoowagahhak, the broken leg. Cechahe, the burnt thigh. Ocawseenongea, or the spy. Tatungaseehahueka, the buffalo with the long foot.

Ahkeechehachegala, the little soldier.

The document was witnessed by the most of the officers above mentioned and in addition by our old friend, William Gordon, whom Leaven- worth accused of burning the towns of Arickara, and Jean Baptiste Dorion, a son of the old Lewis and Clarke guide and brother of that Pierre Dorion who corrected his wife on the Astoria trip. Matosabekia, who was the head man or chief of the Yanktons, is misinterpreted "the black bear;" that would be "Matosapa." Mato- sabekia, or as it was later spelled "Matosabeche," was literally Smutty Bear, and the man who bore this suggestive cognomen was for very many years chief of the Yanktons, and to this day his name is applied to the beautiful, wooded bottom land of the Missouri, under the chalkstone cliffs above Yankton. Although chief in 1825, we shall find him a power among the Yanktons a third of a century later. His is the only name on this treaty which appears on the treaty of 1858 by which the Yanktons relinquished their title to their vast territory in South Dakota.

Fort Kiowa at this time was in charge of Philip Wilson, of the American Fur Company, who was also a sub-agent to the Indians, as the post managers and traders generally were. While waiting for the assembling of the Tetons and Yanktons, Edward Rose was sent to the western country near the Black Hills to call in the Cheyennes. It was the intention to have the Cheyennes go to Arickara, but they came to Fort Pierre instead. On June 20th, at Kiowa, the Indians having arrived, a military demonstration was made. The brigade was reviewed by Gen-

eral Atkinson on horseback. "The display was very fine, the troops being in fine order," and the impression on the Indians was excellent. It was after this that the council was held and the treaty above given entered into. Another interesting event took place also. The commission had found a young Yankton girl a prisoner among the Otoes and had rescued her and brought her to her own people. At this council she was formally turned over to her tribe and this cir- cumstance won much good will for the Ameri- cans. That night the Indians were treated to a display of fireworks and rockets, which greatly impressed them. Many presents were distributed to the Indians, including one gun to each chief. The commissioners were highly gratified with the appearance and conduct of these Indians, whom, they say, "deport themselves with gravity and dignity, while they displayed a quality of taste in their dress which did great credit to the untutored view of things."

On the 22d the expedition proceeded up stream and the next day reached the big bend. Here a portion of the passengers, as usually happens in navigating the river, crossed the neck of land, while the boats went around. They left the flotilla on the 24th and were again taken up on the 26th. At Elk island the party had their first exciting buffalo hunt. Majors O'Fallon and Ketchum, while walking on the shore, dis- covered three buffaloes on the island. Major Ketchum took a small party to the island to bag the game. The journal says : "The party landed and went in pursuit, but their design was frus- trated by the impudence of Lieutenant Wragg, who crossed over to the island shortly after and ran forward and fired upon the buffaloes." This frightened them and they leaped into the river. One was shot, but it sank and did not rise again : the others came back to the island and one was killed, but the other escaped. The troops being greatly in need of fresh meat, Lieutenant Wragg did not make a great growth in popularity by reason of his performance on this occasion.

On the 30th of June they arrived at the mouth of the Teton, near which Fort Tecumseh stood at that time. They waited several days for the

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arrival of the Indians and on July Ist a party under Lieutenant Waters secured six buffaloes ; it does not appear, however, that Lieutenant Waters and his military friends were entitled to much credit, for it appears that Edward Rose, who had returned from his jaunt to the Chey- ennes, covered himself with bushes and crawled into a gang of eleven bulls and succeeded in shooting down the six "on the same ground before the others ran off."

On July 4th the officers decided to give the Indians an object lesson in genuine American patriotism and they arranged a typical Fourth of July programme. The exercises began with firing rockets at midnight to usher in the day. At sunrise an artillery salute was fired and later in the morning there was a military display and a procession, in which the Indians took part, Colonel Leavenworth acting as marshal of the day. Gen. William S. Harney, then a lieutenant in the First Infantry, read the Declaration of Independence and orations were delivered by General Atkinson and Major O'Fallon and by Wahneta, the chief of the Sounes, and Standing Buffalo, chief of the Oglalas. After the exer- cises the Indians entertained the officers at a dog feast. "It consisted of the flesh of thirteen dogs boiled in plain water, in seven kettles, much done. Our drink was water from the Missouri, brought up in the paunches of buffaloes, which gave it a disagreeable taste. * %

* We were occupied about an hour and a half at the feast, when ourselves and the officers returned to camp and sat down and partook of wine and fruit at a table provided by the camp." The remainder of the day was spent with sports and races, with a display of fireworks in the evening.

On the 5th business was resumed and the treaty entered into. It was identical with the Yankton treaty, copied in this chapter, in all essential features and was signed on the part of the Indians as follows :

Siounes-Chiefs, Waheneta, the rushing man : Cahrewecaca, the crow feather ; Marasea, the white swan; Chandee, the tobacco; Okema, the chief; Towcowsanopa, the two lance, and by the following warriors: Chantawaneecha ;

Hehumpee, the one that has a voice in his neck ; Numcahpah, the one that knocks down two.

Oglalas-Chiefs, Tatunkanashsha, the stand- ing buffalo; Healongga, the shoulder ; Mato- weetco, the full white bear, and Wanarewag- shego, the ghost boy, and by the following war- riors : Ekhahkasappa, the black elk; Tatongish- nanna, the one buffalo: Mahtotatongca, the buf- falo white bear ; Nahgenishgeah, the mad soul.

GALL, UMPAPA CHIEF. 1475,

Waheneta, the rushing man, above mentioned, is that same "Waneton" whom Major Long found at Lake Traverse in 1820 and who served as an English captain in the war of 1812.

Later, when they arrived at the Little Chey- cnne ( Hidden Creek they call it), on July 12th, they ran upon a band of Sioux which they cal! the Fire Hearts and secured the same treaty to be signed by the following distinguished gentle- men: Chiefs, Chantapata, the fire heart : Wali- contamonee, the one that shoots as he walks ;

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Keahashshapa, the one that makes a noise as he flies, and by the following warriors of the Fire Heart band: Matocokeepa, the one that is afraid of the white bear; Hotoncokeepa, the one that is afraid of his voice ; Womdishkiata, the spotted war eagle; Chalonwechacata, the one that kills the buffalo ; Carenopa, the two crows ; Caretunca, the crow that sits down; Tokeawechacata, the one that kills first.

It will be observed that great and inexcusable carelessness has prevailed in the spelling of the same word in many different ways in these sig- natures, which of course is attributed to the of- ficer who signed the names. The effort appar- ently has been to phonetically spell the word, as this was long before the Riggs-Williamson orthography was adopted for the Sioux language.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 15

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 998

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998