hich the council was held, arrayed in his
new uniform.

In the spring of 1878, the Indians commenced a series of depredations
along the Santa Fe Trail and against the scattered settlers of the
frontier, that were unparalleled in their barbarity. General Alfred
Sully, a noted Indian fighter, who commanded the district of the Upper
Arkansas, early concentrated a portion of the Seventh and Tenth Cavalry
and Third Infantry along the line of the Old Santa Fe Trail, and kept
out small expeditions of scouting parties to protect the overland
coaches and freight caravans; but the troops effected very little in
stopping the devilish acts of the Indians, who were now fully determined
to carry out their threats of a general war, which culminated in the
winter expedition of General Sheridan, who completely subdued them, and
forced all the tribes on reservations; since which time there has never
been any trouble with the plains Indians worthy of mention.[69]

General Sully, about the 1st of September, with eight companies of the
Seventh Cavalry and five companies of infantry, left Fort Dodge, on the
Arkansas, on a hurried expedition against the Kiowas, Arapahoes, and
Cheyennes. The command marched in a general southeasterly direction, and
reached the sand hills of the Beaver and Wolf rivers, by a circuitous
route, on the fifth day. When nearly through that barren region, they
were attacked by a force of eight hundred of the allied tribes under the
leadership of the famous Kiowa chief, Satanta. A running fight was kept
up with the savages on the first day, in which two of the cavalry were
killed and one wounded.

That night the savages came close enough to camp to fire into it (an
unusual proceeding in Indian warfare, as they rarely molest troops
during the night), I now quote from Custer again:

The next day General Sully directed his march down the
valley of the Beaver; but just as his troops were breaking
camp, the long wagon-train having already "pulled out," and
the rear guard of the command having barely got into their
saddles, a party of between two and three hundred warriors,
who had evidently in some inexplicable manner contrived to
conceal themselves until the proper moment, dashed into the
deserted camp within a few yards of the rear of the troops,
and succeeded in cutting off a few led horses and two of
the cav