r of the Indians, and the pursuits of
the half-breeds.

Major Woods urged the American Indians and half-breeds to prevent by
force the invasions, promising that the United States would support
them. But it would be useless, he reported, to build a fort at Pembina
unless at least two hundred fifty men were stationed there. It would be
better to concentrate a large force at Fort Snelling, from whence
expeditions could be made into the Indian country in all directions as
necessity might arise. The return to the fort occupied twenty-three and
a half days, and on September 18th the total journey of almost a
thousand miles was completed with the loss of only one horse and one
mule.[108]

During the next few years conditions remained unchanged, and as the
settlement of the Minnesota and Mississippi valleys was pushing the
Indian tribes farther to the westward, more and bitter conflicts
with the half-breeds would be liable to occur. In order to give a final
warning to the foreign hunters and to select a site for a post which
could serve the double purpose of protecting the frontier settlements
from the Indians and the Indians from the foreigners, Lieutenant Colonel
C. F. Smith of the Tenth Infantry was ordered on June 9, 1856, to tour
the region with Companies B and F. As far as the Goose River, in the
North Dakota country, the route followed from Fort Snelling was
practically the same as that of Major Woods; but instead of proceeding
by the usual route northward to Pembina, a detour was made to Lake
Mini-Waken (Devil's Lake). On the return the less travelled and more
difficult road on the east side of the Red River was followed.

On August 19th the trail of the annual hunting party was crossed; but
the nine hundred men, women, and children who had made the trip had
returned to their homes three weeks before, and kept away from the
military party. Since no warning could be given to them in person, a
notice written in both English and French was circulated in Pembina and
in the British settlements to the north. But the natives obtained sweet
revenge when Colonel Smith attempted to buy from the farmers in the
vicinity of the principal trading post--Fort Garry--a sufficient supply
of oats for his troops. The half-breeds declined to bring the grain,
giving as their excuse that they did not desire to trespass on American
soil when warned to keep off.[109]

Not only to the north did the troops from Fort Snelling make
expeditions