ertures to them, as well as those of the agents sent
out by General Carleton, were treated with disdain. From Fort Laramie
I sent word to the Sioux, Cheyennes, etc., that if they wanted peace
to come in and stop their hostilities. A few of each tribe responded
by coming in; the rest refused, and indicated their purposes and
feelings by attacking the posts west of Fort Laramie, and on Laramie
Plains, murdering, stealing, etc. I undertook to remove the friendly
Indians from Fort Laramie to Fort Kearney, in order to get them away
from the troubles. When about sixty miles south of Fort Laramie they
attacked their guard, killed a captain and four privates, turned upon
five of their chiefs who were disposed to be friendly, killed them,
and then escaped, leaving their camps, etc., in our hands; so that now
we have every Indian tribe capable of mischief from the British
Possessions on the north to the Red River on the south, at war with
us, while the whites are backing them up. These facts, it appears to
me, are a sufficient answer to the letters of Senator Doolittle and
Commissioner Dole. That these Indians have been greatly wronged I have
no doubt, and I am certain that the agents who have been connected
with them are as much to blame as any one else. So far as the
Chivington fight was concerned, it occurred before I assumed command.
I condemned it, and I have issued orders that no such acts will be
tolerated or allowed; that the Indians on the warpath must be fought
wherever and whenever found, but no outrages or barbarities must be
committed. I am convinced that the only way to effectually settle
these troubles is for us to move our columns directly into their
country, punish them when we find them, show them our power, and at
the same time give them to know that: we are ready to make peace with
them--not, however, by paying them for murdering our people and
plundering our trains and posts, but by informing them that if they
will refrain from further hostilities they shall not be molested; that
neither agents nor citizens shall be allowed to go among them to
swindle them; that we will protect them in their rights; that we will
enforce compliance with our part of the treaty, and will require them
to do the same on their part. Let them ask for peace. We should keep
citizens out of their country.