depredations in Minnesota, but
after reaching the lake he failed to find any Indians, they having fled to
the British Possessions. He returned to the Missouri River and endeavored
to make terms with the tribes concentrated on it, but only partially
succeeded. We knew that there were from two to three thousand of the
Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapahoes concentrated at or near Bear Butte, near
the north end of the Black Hills, and it was the intention of General
Sully with his force to go after this band, but, being turned to the east,
I organized a force about 1,000 strong under Colonel Nelson Cole, who went
up the Missouri River in boats to Omaha and whose orders were to move from
Omaha to Columbus up the Loup Fork to its head and thence across the
Niobrara to the White Earth River and then to Bear Butte. Failing to find
the Indians there, he was to push on to Powder and Tongue Rivers, where he
was to join Brigadier-General P. E. Connor, who was in command of this
district. Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Walker's column of about 500 men of
the Sixteenth Kansas Cavalry was to go north from Fort Laramie along the
west base of the Black Hills and join Colonel Cole, and later join General
Connor on the Tongue River; while General Connor, with a small command of
about 500 men, was moving north along the Platte to the head of Salt
Creek down the Salt to Powder River, where he was to establish a fort and
supply station; from thence he was to move along the east base of the Big
Horn Mountains until he struck the hostile Indians in that vicinity. These
columns should have moved in May or June, but it was July and August
before they got started, on account of the failure of the contractors to
deliver the supplies to them on the plains at the different supply-depots;
but when they started they moved with alacrity, and would, no doubt, have
accomplished the purpose of the campaign had it not been for the fact that
they were stopped by an order from Washington to return to Fort Laramie by
October 15th.

During May, June, and July the Indians were very aggressive all along the
South Platte and North Platte routes. Every Government train had to go
guarded; every emigrant train had to be organized into trains of 50 or 100
wagons, with the teamsters armed and placed under an officer, and even
then a great many of their people were killed and a great deal of stock
run off. The commanding officer at Fort Laramie, during June, had
concentrated at hi