ive them no rest. I posted the district commanders
thoroughly, telling them what we wanted was to settle with the Indians
before they discovered the smallness of our forces on the plains. I told
them they might say, also, that all of the Indians south of the Arkansas
had made peace, and gave instructions that they be told about the battle
with the Arapahoes and Cheyennes on Powder and Tongue Rivers. I sent the
district commanders word to show Big Ribs, one of my messengers, the
forces at their posts, and to impress upon him our power. The effect of
this appeal to the different tribes was that early in the spring of 1866
we got together at Fort Laramie the principal chiefs and the head men of
the North Cheyennes, Arapahoes, and the different tribes of the Sioux,
when a council was held.

I had instructed General Frank Wheaton, who commanded at Fort Laramie,
that we would agree to almost anything to bring a permanent peace except
to allow the Indians to come down to the North Platte and occupy the
country through which the new military road was laid out to Bozeman, Mont.
Our troops, in passing up the east base of the Black Hills, had discovered
gold. There were Colorado and California Regiments in the commands, and I
knew, and so did General Connor, that many were preparing, as soon as a
treaty was made, to go back into that country and prospect it, and I gave
that reason to the Indians for holding them north of the Belle Fourche
Fork of the Cheyenne River; but that country was their best
hunting-ground. They were perfectly willing to give up all the country
south of the Platte River, and not to interfere with the building of the
Union Pacific road or with any of the overland routes up the North or
South Platte; but they would not consent to give up the Black Hills north
of the North Platte. Finally we made an agreement with them that they
should occupy the country north of the North Platte River until such time
as the Government should see proper to send a commission out to negotiate
a permanent peace with them. I gave instructions to tell them that if the
white men went into their territory and we did not keep them out, they
were at liberty to do so. I knew that would deter any white man going in
there, and as long as they kept the peace, we would. Red Cloud, who had
then come to the head of the Ogalalla band of the Sioux Indians, took a
prominent part in this conference, and was backed by such chiefs as
Spotted Tail, Ma