n-Afraid-of-His-Horses, Big Ribs, and the Bent boys on
behalf of the Cheyennes. He declared that they would never give up their
country north of the Platte. "You may take my country," said Red Cloud,
"but I will mark every mile of that Bozeman trail from the North Platte to
Yellowstone with the bodies of your soldiers;" and this he pretty nearly
accomplished. This agreement, made at Fort Laramie, accomplished nothing.
During the years 1866, 1867 and 1868 the Indians swarmed across the lines
agreed upon and occupied the country, especially along the Union Pacific,
which was then being constructed through that country. The Government had
to send in additional troops, and all the military posts over the country
had to be re-occupied the same as they had been before. The Government
endeavored to again reach these Indians through a peace commission in
1868. General W. T. Sherman was at the head of it, and it was composed of
General Harney and others. They visited me at Fort Sanders, Wyo., before
they went to make a treaty with the Indians, and wished to know my reasons
for the position I took in the consultation of 1866. I then told General
Sherman that my soldiers had found gold in all the streams heading in the
Black Hills north of the North Platte, and that as soon as he allowed
those Indians to come to the North Platte under a treaty of peace, he
would not be across the Missouri River on his return before that country
would be covered by prospectors from California and Colorado. General
Sherman answered that their instructions were to make such a peace and
they were sent there to do it, and, sure enough, they did; and as soon as
the treaty was made the miners poured into the country. One of the first
mines that was discovered was the Homestake or Homestead. Sitting Bull,
who had taken part in this treaty and whose country was the Black Hills,
sent in protest after protest, demanding that the Government live up to
the terms of the treaty and drive the miners out, but no attention was
paid to them. The miners and settlers poured into the Black Hills country
and drove the Indians out, and Sitting Bull said in a conference he had
with some of the Army officers in the 70's that if the Government did not
protect their territory as provided in the treaty, they would themselves;
and they started to do it. The massacres of that year came from his band,
the troubles finally ending with the sacrifice of the Custer Regiment in
1876. Wh