ile this was a horrible event, the Indians, under the treaty, were
fully justified in it. During this same time Red Cloud occupied the
Bozeman trail. He killed emigrants, besides murdering Captain Fetterman
and his company at Fort Phil Kearney, and other troops located at the
posts that we established along there in 1866, such as Forts Reno,
McKinney, Phil Kearney, and C. F. Smith. It was not until after the Custer
massacre that these Indians were brought to time and put on reservations;
since then peace has prevailed.

The Government had the same difficulty on the Arkansas River route that we
had on the Platte routes in the summer of 1866, 1867, and 1868. The
Indians that had made the agreement with Colonel Leavenworth were all
committing depredations until finally the Government sent General Sheridan
there with instructions to punish them. They tried to play the same game
with Sheridan that they had played with us, but he would have none of it.
There was no one in Washington who would force him to listen to the
appeals of the peace commission. His troops, under Colonels Custer, Evans,
and others, fought three battles south of the Arkansas, noticeably wiping
out some bands, and making them give up their prisoners, stop their
murders, and go on reservations in the Indians' territory. From that time
on they have been peaceable.

We were much better prepared, in the fall of 1865, both on the Arkansas
and on the Yellowstone, to conquer these Indians. We had got up to their
villages and had plenty of troops, plenty of provisions, and plenty of
clothing, and could carry on the campaign through the winter, if
necessary; and so, if we had allowed General Ford or General Sanborn to
have gone forward with the columns and punish those southern Indians, they
would have made a permanent peace. But the fact is the Indians did not
give up until they were thoroughly thrashed and made to recognize the
power and authority of the Government.

The policy of the United States in dealing with the Indian problem is
beyond the comprehension of any sensible man. They were treated the same
as foreign nations; and while they made treaties they never carried out
their part of them, breaking them whenever the trend of civilization
westward interfered with them in any way. The Government attempted to deal
with and govern the Indians with civil agents and at the same time tried
to enforce peace through the military authorities. This caused friction