ton is wonderful, since their return, the power, wealth, and
numbers of the American people have been their constant themes, many of
their stories approach so near the marvellous as to be discredited, such
for example is the account of casting a cannon which they
witnessed, and the magnitude of our ships. Old _black dog_ shakes his
head & says 'all travellers are liars'."[310] The memory of these trips
lingered long. Little Crow came to call upon the agent in 1831. "The old
chief left much delighted with his reception and my Talk--he departed
singing the song which was often repeated when on his trip to Washington
City in 1824."[311]

The Indians touched by these relations with the fort were not only its
immediate neighbors. The surrender of murderers from the tribes on the
Missouri has been noted. On March 11, 1831, Taliaferro wrote that "I
observe Indians from the Missouri & various sections of the Sioux
country."[312] During the entire winter of 1831, a party of Missouri
River Indians encamped about Fort Snelling.[313] The Indians on the
prairies were wide travellers. "There are a good many Indians about
here", says a letter from Lac qui Parle. "There have arrived 120 lodges
of Missouri at Lake Traverse and 200 lodges at James River."[314] By
this continual movement, the influence of Fort Snelling was enlarged.

How great was this influence? No one has contradicted the statement of
Mr. Taliaferro that "it is due the Sioux of your territory to record one
fact as to them, and that is, from the commencement of our agency to its
close, our frontier pioneers were never even molested in their homes,
nor did they shed one drop of American blood".[315] It was when this
frontier encroached on their lands that hostility broke out. If
the Indians had been left in peace by covetous land-seekers, their
civilization might in time have been accomplished.

There was practically no hostility manifested against the garrison by
the surrounding Indians. In January, 1822, Colonel McNeil, who was in
command at Fort Dearborn, received word from John Kinzie, the pioneer
Chicago trader, that the Sioux and Fox Indians were planning an attack
on Fort Snelling. Lieutenant James Webb immediately volunteered to bring
the news to Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, from whence it could be sent
to the upper post. After a journey rendered terrible by the extreme cold
and the danger from hostile Indians, he was successful in reaching Fort
Armstrong.[316