E 'I BOUGHT WITH THE INCOAIE OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF SHenrg m. Bage 1S91 %5S s > S g 5 o CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SIOUX month, I sent three of the number with my inter- preter, Brughier, to the hostile camp, with a message demanding its surrender. The Indians were sur- prised to see their relatives alive and to learn that they had been kindly treated. After the engage- ment of January 8th the Indians had retreated west to the base of the Big Horn Mountains, camped in the deep snow, and were suffering from intense cold, while their horses were dying from exposure, and the demand for their surrender came at an op- portune time. The result was that a strong delega- tion of nineteen chiefs and warriors came down to the cantonment to learn fully what terms of surren- der would be granted them. They were told they must surrender their arms and war ponies. The latter would be sold and the proceeds returned to them in domestic stock; that so long as they remained at peace and complied with the directions of the govern- ment they would be justly treated. The meeting of the captives and their relatives who came in with this delegation was one that fully illus- trates the Indian character. The women were hys- terical with emotion; they bewailed the misfortunes and woes of their race, and at the same time they shed tears of joy at seeing again those nearest and dearest to them. The Indian warriors scorned to show any emotion of grief, joy, or fear. One was observed to take up a little child in his arms with the utmost tenderness, yet his face was as motionless as a bronze statue. One beautiful Indian girl looked in vain among the warriors for the face of her lover, and although she inquired anxiously for him she was 157 SERVING THE REPUBLIC turned away by them with some thoughtless remark or jest, they little realizing the depth of the heart-wound they were inflicting. We were unaware of this ro- mance until it resulted in a sad tragedy. One morning, at daybreak, after the chiefs and warriors had de- parted, a sharp report was heard coming from one of the tents occupied by the Indians, and it was found that the young Indian maiden had committed suicide with a small pistol which she had concealed all the time during her captivity. Her companions then re- ported that she was overcome with grief because her lover did not come to see her; but it was afterward learned that he knew nothing of their leaving camp; that he was away hunting at the time and did not return until several days after their departure — too late to join them. The delegation, upon returning to camp with the conditions before mentioned, found their people will- ing to accept our terms, and the whole camp, more than three thousand, moved over the divide and down the valley of the Tongue River en route to the canton- ment. At the mouth of Otter Creek they were met by a runner from the Spotted Tail Agency, urging them to come in there and surrender, saying they would be granted better terms and be with many of their friends. The camp halted and a delegation of over one hundred of their principal chiefs and warriors came down to see if more liberal terms would be granted. They were told that they must surrender at the agencies or to the military in the field; that the country must be cleared of hostile Indians. With all the power I possessed, I urged them to discontinue 158 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SIOUX their hostilities and accept the best terms they could obtain from the government, assuring them that if they did so I would cease to be their enemy and be- come their friend. At the close of my remarks absolute silence prevailed for at least five minutes. Those were five anxious moments of my life. Peace or war was then to be determined. It is a rule of the Indians to remain silent when one is speaking and to remain in thoughtful silence for a few moments at the close, giving the speaker time to add anything to what he has already said, a code of civility not prac- tised in the British House of Lords, the Reichstag, or our Congress. Little Chief, a noted warrior and their principal orator, came forward with great dignity and deliberation, threw back the rich buffalo robe from his shoulders, like the toga of a Roman senator, letting it drop until it remained suspended from his belt. The Indian orator finally threw off everything above his waist, displaying the scars of the sun-dance on his upper arms and breast. His manner, movements, and gestures were the perfection of dignity and grace. With eloquence and deep feeling he recited the history and misfortunes of his race, their devotion to their country and their efforts to defend and retain it. Finally he said, "Your terms are cruel and harsh, but we are going to accept them . " I have never heard more welcome words. They meant peace instead of war; friendship instead of hostility; prosperity in- stead of desolation, and safety and security in place of terror. To make their assurance doubly sure White Bull, the head warrior of the Cheyennes, said that he would remain as a hostage for the good faith of the IS9 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Cheyennes. Hump, the leading warrior and most popular man of his tribe, said he would remain for the good faith of the Ogalallas, and others did the same, until I checked them, saying it was enough. They had manifested their willingness to pledge their lives for their tribe and race. Little Hawk, the uncle of Crazy Horse, a prominent chief, promised that within a certain number of days he would bring in Crazy Horse or have him surrender at the lower agencies, and this promise he complied with. Within the given time more than three hundred came in and sur- rendered. The remainder continued their journey south and surrendered at the Indian agencies, with the exception of Lame Deer's camp of about sixty lodges. These declared they would never surrender. Those that came in surrendered their arms and ponies, and ever afterward remained at peace. Sitting Bull, who had been concealing his small following, retreated farther north and took refuge in Canada. When the relatives of the poor girl who had com- mitted suicide came in they gathered around her lonely grave, and such demonstrations of grief I have never witnessed. The depths of sorrow were manifested in their wailing cries and lamentations. With knives they slashed their faces, arms, and breasts until they were covered with gore. Brighter days followed those of strife and woe. The Indians were given employment as soon as the spring opened. They were encouraged to cultivate the ground and were rewarded by an abundant harvest for their industry. Their war ponies had been sold and domestic stock bought and given to them. 1 60 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SIOUX When the Indians had become settled and confi- dence restored I organized a command to go after Lame Deer's band, then on the upper Rosebud. We moved up the Tongue River, passing over the trail of the Indians when they moved from that valley to the Rosebud, and, making a day's march beyond, went into camp for the night, believing that the Indians would be watching us from the hills. After dark I took a battalion of mounted troops and made a night march directly across the country for about thirty miles, and before daylight concealed the command in a pocket of hills and bluffs, sending out three Indian scouts in different directions to look for signs of In- dians. They found that Lame Deer had been camped near there only three days before, and soon discovered smoke rising above his camp, about fifteen miles distant. I crawled up behind a bluff, and, looking through my field glasses, could discern only what appeared to be mist or a light cloud against the foot- hill. So keen-eyed were the Indians that they said it was the smoke of a village and that they could see ponies grazing. To approach it without being dis- covered was an art. Our Indian guides took us up one ravine and down another in a winding course, always keeping some objects — rocks, trees, or higher ground — between the command and the hostile camp. We finally rested and waited for night. After midnight we started again, and just at the dawn of a beautiful spring morning we passed up a small tributary of the Rosebud, upon which the camp was located. The birds were singing, the wild flowers fragrant, the tall grass waving in peaceful silence. It seemed more like i6i SERVING THE REPUBLIC going to a festival than to a tragedy of death. I de- tached one company of mounted men under Lieu- tenants Casey and Jerome, with orders to charge up the valley and stampede the herd, while with a battal- ion of the Second Cavalry we attacked the camp. This was successful, and four hundred and fifty horses, mules, and ponies were captured. As we dashed up to the village I had told our friendly Indians to call out to the hostiles that we would spare their lives if they surrendered. The retreat of several of the Indian warriors was cut off, and they laid down their arms. I rode up to the principal chief. Lame Deer, extending my hand, and said, "How, how, kola," meaning friend. He took my hand, and in the intense excitement, as I was trying to assure him of safety, a white scout rode up behind me, and before I could check him covered the Indian with his rifle. The Indian evidently suspected treachery. Being a power- ful man and on foot, he jerked his hand from mine, grasped his rifle, stepped back a few paces, and fired. As he did this I whirled my horse to the right, and his bullet, passing my breast, killed a brave soldier near by. The chiefwas instantly killed by Captain Wheelan, and the fight continued until fourteen warriors were killed and many wounded. The Indians who escaped were driven into the rough mountainous country and fol- lowed until they finally surrendered at the southern agencies. Their rich camp fell into the hands of the troops. As the infantry support came up, two hun- dred of the war ponies were selected, and the infantry mounted, but not without a circus that would excel anything given in the "Wild West." On a grass- 162 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SIOUX covered plain two hundred infantry soldiers were try- ing to saddle, mount, and ride that number of war ponies. It was an exhibition of vicious beasts and courageous and persevering soldiers. Thus ended Indian hostilities in that vast country. A very important commission sent to treat with those Indians a few years before had reported that it would take fifteen thousand soldiers and fifteen million dollars to subdue them. It took much less, but the method of warfare was somewhat changed. The Indian is a most dangerous warrior within two hundred yards, the range within which he is accus- tomed to kill game. Beyond that, when he has to estimate distance, arrange the sights of his rifle, make allowances for the effect of the wind on the flight of the projectile, etc., he is vastly inferior to our trained, intelligent riflemen. The Indian is also very brave — when he is successful. War is entirely voluntary with him. If he thinks it is a good day for scalps and plunder he is very daring, but if he thinks the signs are not favorable and he and his companions are receiving serious injury he can withdraw, with no loss of caste or reputation with his fellows. There is no such thing as order, positive authority, or discipline among them. Knowing this, I found it to our advan- tage to hold them at a safe distance, to keep them losing and never gaining anything, and by constantly acting on the offensive I found that they could be discouraged and dispersed. It was amusement for them to raid and make war during the summer, but when constant relentless war was made upon them in 163 SERVING THE REPUBLIC the severest of winter campaigns it became serious and most destructive. Eight months of this aggressive, incessant warfare caused upward of seven thousand Indians to surren- der to the military in the field, at the agencies in North and South Dakota and Montana, or abandon the country and take refuge in Canada. On two occasions Sitting Bull and his followers came south over the Canadian border and were whipped back and held there until they finally surrended. That great area of territory is now occupied by prosperous and rich settlements that have enjoyed the blessings of peace and security for more than thirty years, and it was gratifying to have the facts recognized at the time by the highest military authorities. Generals Sheridan and Sherman, after passing through the country, and from personal observation, made the following reports. In the annual report of Lieutenant-General P. H. Sheridan, he stated as follows: Headquarters Military Division of the Missouri, Chicago, III., October 25, 1877. General, — I have the honor to submit, for the information of the General of the army, the following brief report of the events occurring within the Military Division of the Missouri since the 2Sth of November, 1876, the date of my last annual report. During the months of December and January the hostile Indians were constantly harassed by the troops under Col. Nelson A. Miles, Fifth Infantry, whose headquarters were at the mouth of the Tongue River, and who had two sharp en- gagements with them, one at Red Water and the other near Hanging Woman's Fork, inflicting heavy losses in men, sup- plies, and animals. 164 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SIOUX This constant pounding and ceaseless activity upon the part of otir troops (Colonel Miles in partictilar) in midwinter began to tell, and early in February, 1877, information was communicated which led me to believe that the Indians in general were tired of the war, and that the large bodies heretofore in the field were beginning to break up. On the 25th of that month 229 lodges of Minneconjoux and Sans Arcs came and surrendered to the troops at Cheyenne Agency, Dakota. They were completely disarmed, their horses taken from them and they were put under guard. This system was also carried out with all who came in afterward to surrender within the departments of Dakota and the Platte. From the ist of March to the 21st of the same month over 2,200 Indians, in detachments of from 30 to 900, came in and surrendered at camps Sheridan and Robinson, in the department of the Platte, and on the 2 2d of April 303 Cheyennes came in and surrendered to Colonel Miles at the cantonment on Tongue River, in the department of the Dakota, and more were reported on the way to give them- selves up. Finally, on the 6th of May, Crazy Horse, with 889 of his people and 2,000 ponies, came into Camp Robinson and surrendered to General Crook in person. In the mean time Colonel Miles, having had information of the whereabouts of Lame Deer's band of hostile Sioux, sur- prised his camp, killing 14 warriors, including Lame Deer and Iron Star, the two principal chiefs, capturing 450 ponies, and destroying 5 1 lodges and their contents. I may mention here that this band commenced to surrender, in small squads of from two to twenty, immediately thereafter, until at length, on the loth of September, the last of the band, num- bering 224, constantly followed and pressed by troops from the command of Colonel Miles, surrendered at Camp Sheridan. The Sioux war was now over. (Signed) P. H. Sheridan, Lieutenant-General, Commanding. General W. T. Sherman, commanding the United States Army, July 17, 1877, reported to Hon. George W. McCrary, Secretary of War, at Washington, D. C, as follows : 12 165 SERVING THE REPUBLIC I now regard the Sioux Indian problem, as a war question, as solved by the operations of General Miles last winter and by the establishment of the two new posts on the Yellow- stone, now assured this summer. Boats come and go now, where a year ago none would venture except with strong guards. Wood - yards are being established to facilitate navigation, and the great mass of the hostiles have been forced to go to the agencies for food and protection, or have fled across the border to the British territory. When peace and security had been fully established one of the first steamboats to come up the river in June, 1877, brought my wife and little daughter, Cecilia, from whom I had been separated for nearly a year. With them came a sister of Mrs. Miles, Miss Elizabeth Sherman. In this wildest of our Western country these were the first white women to visit that remote region and call a soldier's camp their army home. These were followed by the families and relatives of other officers and soldiers. The novelty of that frontier life was in such marked contrast to the civilization in which they had been reared that it was most enjoyable and fascinating to them. Boating on the Yellowstone, driving or riding horseback over the wild fields or through the Indian camps, always with a good escort, was a novelty and a romance. The Indians were intensely interested in seeing the families of the officers and soldiers. They paid them great respect and even brought them presents and treated them with civility and politeness. This was reciprocated by their giving the Indians presents of food, clothing, medicines, useful utensils, and even toys, the latter greatly interesting the Indian children. Kindness to the native Indian was long remembered 166 CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SIOUX with sincere gratitude. The freedom of this outdoor frontier Hfe was a charm to those who were enjoying it for the first time. The dark clouds of war are not without occasional rays of sunshine. When the surrendered Indians were peacefully camped along the valley of the Yellow- stone there occurred one morning a great commotion in the camp of the Ogalallas. The Indians were running in every direction anxiously looking for their most popular man, the head warrior, "Hump," who could not be found. He was the finest type of the Indian that I have ever seen — fully six feet two inches in height, straight as an arrow, strong and supple as a panther, sharp-featured, an abundance of long hair, black and glossy as the raven's wing, and the sharpest and most brilliant eyes that I have ever seen in mortal face. They were as clear and piercing as the eagle's. He was only twenty-six years of age, but his great activity and superior courage had made him a most noted leader. The Indians were wild with excitement. They feared that some harm had befallen their hero, and came up to my headquarters to learn if I could give them any information or assistance. Finally, after fruitless search, it was reported that the belle of the neighboring Cheyenne camp was also missing. The relatives and friends therefore concluded that these children of nature had resolved to become companions for life and had quietly withdrawn from all their people and disappeared most mysteriously amid the placid scenes of nature when it was adorned in its most beautiful garb of springtinie. No formal an- 167 SERVING THE REPUBLIC nouncement or license was required ; no ceremony or music; no tears or cheers; the only bridal decora- tions were the wild flowers and foliage, the only music that of the songs of birds. Beside the crystal waters of the Yellowstone, through the forests and fields they wandered in blissful companionship alone. After it was fully decided that it was a romance that had taken them away, their relatives immediately began to make or gather beauti- ful presents for them when they should return; and after some weeks they reappeared one morning before sunrise as mysteriously as they had departed. For several days they were welcome guests wherever they went ; they were feasted and loaded with presents, and their lives, I believe, were happy ever afterward. IX THE CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH AS a result of the military occupation of the Indian . country came the first dawn of peace and a change from primitive, barbaric life to civilization and peaceful communities. A race controlled only by tradition and inherited customs was to be replaced by a people governed by a written constitution, laws, and a code of morals founded on the best experience of the ages. I found no duty more agreeable than giving a condition of peace and protection to the scattered population as it came to settle in that wild country of the great Northwest, giving security where terror and danger had prevailed. That region, embracing more than two hundred thousand square miles of territory, over which the Indians had roamed, was made safe for the pioneers, miners, prospectors, mail-carriers, survey- ors, and home-builders, and they came from all direc- tions — first, the hunter with his rifle and blanket ; then the wood-choppers along the great rivers to prepare fuel for the river steamers ; then the miners, prospect- ors, and ranchmen, and finally the settler, with perhaps a small family and his little herd of domestic animals. These located in the most favored places along the rich valleys and near the beautiful rivers that traverse 169 SERVING THE REPUBLIC that region. The country gave promise of a great future. The climate was well adapted to encourage the settlers; the fertility of the soil was so great that the troopers could cross the tall native grass over their saddles as they rode through some of the valleys. We could picture in our mind's eye the future of the communities and States that would soon be created and established over that great district of country. At the same time I found the duty of conciliating the Indians, impressing them with our good will, in- spiring in them a feeling of security, if not of friendship, not an easy task, but certainly a most agreeable one. They soon manifested their appreciation of kindness. Although they were under positive military control, they soon realized that such control was one of jus- tice and humanity. They desired to make their al- legiance to the government enduring. They said they had made treaties before, but those treaties had all been disregarded, and their most earnest desire then was to make terms that would be an assurance of peace for themselves and their children for all time. I placed the Indians in charge of a most excellent officer, Capt., afterward Gen., E. P. Ewers, who en- couraged them in habits of industry and the better modes of life. They, in turn, were willing to give all they possessed as an assurance of their good faith and desire for peace. They gave their best warriors to the military service. These made most excellent scouts and guides in the campaigns against Lame Deer's band, the Nez Perces, and the Bannocks. They fought bravely side by side with the soldiers. 170 CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH The period of tranquillity was not long to continue. Over the Western mountains came the rumbling of a coming storm. Another Indian war, or, more strictly speaking, another cruel injustice, was to be enacted. It would require a volume to record the history of the Nez Perces Indians ; their loyalty to the government ; their hospitality and kindness to the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804; the excellent care they took of the property and animals of the expedition while the explorers went down the Columbia to the Pacific coast; their truthful boast that in nearly a hundred years of intercourse with a superior race no white man had ever been killed by a Nez Perce. Long before 1877 the government had made a solemn treaty with the Nez Perces by which, for certain considerations, it granted them a reservation in Idaho. They prized that little section of their native land above all other earthly possessions. The dying injunction of Chief Joseph's father to him was never to give up the Wallowa Valley, where his ashes were to rest. Yet the greed and pressure of the white race were all-powerful. A number of sharp engagements occurred between the troops under General Howard and the Indians under their principal chief. Looking Glass. The Indians retreated up Clark's Fork of the Columbia; thence through the Big Hole Basin, where they were attacked by General Gibbon's command. In the severe engagement that distinguished general was wounded, and his small but gallant force suffered such loss as to check its farther advance. General Howard's command subsequently followed ,171 SERVING THE REPUBLIC the trail. The Indians retreated over the Rocky Mountains, through the Yellowstone Park, and down the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone, thence north toward Canada. While these events were occurring I received many unofficial reports and newspaper accounts of the approach of the Indians toward my district. On August 3, 1877, I sent Lieutenant Doane, with a troop of cavalry and a large force of Crow Indian allies, to the Judith Basin, near the Missouri River, a district of country through which the Indians were accustomed to pass. Later, on August loth, I ordered Colonel and Brevet Major-General Sturgis, with six troops of his cavalry regiment, to move to the Judith Gap, where the Indians subsequently passed, and to scout the upper valley of the Yellowstone in order to inter- cept the Indians when they came out of the Yellow- stone Park. For weeks I anxiously watched for in- formation from the West. During the afternoon of September 17th I observed a dark object appear over the high bluff to the west and move down the trail to the bank of the Yellowstone. I then noticed his cavalry uniform. He was soon ferried across, and, riding up, dismounted and saluted. Without waiting for him to report, I asked him if they had had a fight. He replied, "No, but we have had a good chance." General Sturgis reported that by a ruse the Indians had evaded his command and turned his flank, leaving his troops hopelessly behind. General Howard reported the same. He had, with his command, joined that of General Sturgis and assumed command of the whole. Later they fol- 172 CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH lowed the trail until it scattered and was lost in the Judith Basin. This information when received by me had been five days in transmission. From the moment I re- ceived it until the following day there was no time lost. Orders were given for the immediate equipment of six troops of cavalry, six companies of mounted infantry, two pieces of artillery, and a small body of Indian scouts. These were supplied with rations, forage, medical supplies, transportation, tentage, and ammuni- tion, and as rapidly as possible ferried over the Yellow- stone River and started on a forced march of nearly two hundred miles to the northwest to intercept the hostile Nez Perces. Couriers were despatched to Fort Peck and Fort Buford, on the Missouri, nearly one hundred miles distant, to send a steamer-load of supplies up the Missouri for my command and for those of General Sturgis and General Howard, as I knew they would require them. All night long we worked to get the command fully equipped for a serious Indian campaign across the river. Moving over the high, rolling prairie with a well- equipped command to intercept the most adroit and skilful tribe that had made the longest and most successful march ever made by hostile Indians was an intensely interesting and at the same time difficult enterprise. I kept a small corps of brave, intelligent scouts long distances in advance. On the evening of September 23d we reached a point six miles from the Missouri, after a forced march of fifty-two miles in twenty-four hours. Being desirous of taking every chance of success, I called upon Captain Hale, com- 173 SERVING THE REPUBLIC manding one of the battalions, to send me a young officer who would ride forward and stop any steamer passing on the river before our arrival. Lieutenant Biddle quickly responded, and in a few moments he had his horse resaddled and was galloping down the valley. He reached the bank of the Missouri just in time to hail the last steamer going down the river. Through the zeal and dash of Hale and Biddle, I found the steamer moored to the bank next morning. I little realized the unfortunate fate and sacrifice that awaited these two valuable officers in the campaign in which we were engaged. I crossed one battalion of my command over to the north side of the Missouri to scout that part of the country and prevent the Indians from crossing. From all information obtain- able from the steamer and other sources, I at that time supposed the hostile Indians to be still in the Judith Basin some fifty miles south of the Missouri. This being accomplished, I allowed the steamer to resume her voyage down the river and started to move to the west with the remainder of my command. Just then three men came down the river in a row- boat, reporting that the Nez Perces had crossed the Missouri at a point known as Cow Island, forty miles to the west. I immediately remembered that that splendid soldier. Captain, afterward General, Frank D. Baldwin, was invalided from hard service and was on board the steamer going down the river. I knew that if he was within sound of cannon-shot he would return, and that this was the only means of recalling the steamer. Quickly one of the guns was wheeled into position and commenced firing shell down the 174 CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH valley of the Missouri. The sound of the guns and bursting shell re-echoing between the high bluffs could be heard many miles away. Our great anxiety was soon over when we saw the black volume of smoke rising above the steamer as she rounded the bend of the river far below, and forced her way up against the strong current. The true and loyal instincts of the soldier had brought back the best means for our crossing the tur- bulent waters of the great Missouri. With the least possible delay the troops, artillery, and trains were transferred to the north side of the river, and then commenced anew the march to intercept and encoun- ter the Indians. The range of the Little Rockies extended from the Missouri northwest about forty-five miles. This range was connected by a low ridge with the Bear Paw Mountains, still farther to the west. Our march was concealed by the command moving along the base and on the east side of the Little Rockies, our scouts being on the crest and on the west side. Knowing that the Indians would have scouts and lookouts on the watch for any military forces or for any disturb- ance of the wild game, we passed thousands of ante- lope, deer, elk, and buffalo without disturbing them. Even a huge bear that rose up within easy range of Lieutenant, afterward General, Marion P. Maus, a famous hunter and splendid soldier, did not draw the fire of his rifle, for we all knew that the crack of a rifle or the starting of wild game would attract the attention of the hostile Indians. On the evening of September 29th I received word 17s SERVING THE REPUBLIC from General Howard that the trail he was following had scattered, that he had given up the pursuit, turned back his cavalry, and was going to return his infantry to Idaho, leaving Colonel Sturgis's troops, as before, a part of my command. We were early on the march, September 30th, and soon one of our Indians came dashing back, reporting the discovery of the Indian camp. Without a halt our troops formed line of battle, each trooper secured his cartridge belt, and, with car- bine or rifle in hand, galloped forward prepared for action. A more spirited, resolute body of men I have never seen go into battle . Every nerve and fiber seemed to be animated, and every eye sparkled with fire. The transformation of our Indian allies was spectacular and almost instantaneous. The old horses and mules they were riding were rushed into a ravine ; their old hats, clothing and useless paraphernalia were cached; their strong, fresh war ponies, with a rawhide lariat around the necks and under jaws, but without saddles or bridles, were quickly mounted. In full war paint, with gorgeously feathered and beaded war bonnets, buckskin girdles about the loins, moccasins, and rifles and cartridge belts, the warriors were fully equipped for the fray, as gamy a looking body of savages as could be imagined. As we galloped over the rolling prairies some men were joking, and one even singing, "What Shall the Harvest Be ?" the melody of the tune timed to the foot- falls of his charger. Captain Hale was the picture of a dashing cavalier on his white steed as he led his cavalrymen into action. Soon the slumbering camp of Indians was discovered, with their great herd of mules, 176 CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH horses, and ponies grazing along the valley. Captain Tyler's battalion of cavalry was ordered to the left to sweep down the valley and stampede the herd, or "set the Indians afoot." Captain Hale's and Captain Snyder's battalions charged the camp, and after some desperate fighting drove the Indians into a narrow ravine and held them there. In the charges the cavalry led, and at first were checked by the sharp fire of the Indians. The infantry, mounted on cap- tured Indian ponies, having galloped up close to the Indian camp, threw themselves on the ground and opened a sharp fire, their ponies standing quietly behind the line, some of them nibbling grass, undis- turbed by the noise and tumult of the battle or their close presence to an Indian camp, which often terrified our Eastern horses. Several were shot in this posi- tion, to the great grief of the soldiers, who had become very fond of them. The battalion of Captain Tyler returned with eight hundred of the captured horses, ponies, and mules, and Captain Bretherton came up with the wagon train, two companies of infantry, and a piece of artillery. These took position on the line and strengthened the cordon of troops surrounding the Indians. The siege was kept up for five days. At one time Chief Joseph came up to surrender, but Lieutenant Jerome, who had been directed to ascertain, if possible, the condition of the camp, was seized by the In- dians, and Chief Joseph had to be exchanged for him. I despatched couriers to General Terry, commanding the department ; also to General Howard and Brevet Major-General Sturgis, apprising them of our engage- 177 SERVING THE REPUBLIC ment, as I was not sure but that the besiegers might soon be besieged. Unless other tribes came to their assistance, I felt confident of holding the Nez Perces until we could force their surrender without further sacrifice of life, but I was greatly exercised as to what action Sitting Bull and a large body of hostile Sioux Indians would take when the few Nez Perces who had escaped should reach their camp across the Canadian border. One morning, as the snow was falling and the coun- try was covered with a white mantle, one of the vi- dettes reported the approach of a body of Indians, and a great mass of dark objects could be seen on the hills in the midst of the storm, evidently moving in our direction. This was most alarming, and I had quickly to consider what I could do to shelter our wounded, what I would do with the captured herd, and how best I could dispose my troops to meet this new and threat- ening danger; but fortunately the cry soon came from the outposts, "Buffalo!" — and it was discovered to be a great herd moving toward us over the rolling prairie, driven south by the intense cold and severe storm from the north. Instead of coming to the assistance of the Nez Perces, I afterward learned that the Sioux had broken camp and retreated forty miles farther north. On the evening of October 4th General Howard came up with a small escort of twelve men, but as- simied no control, as it was no part of his command. On the morning of October 5th Chief Joseph agreed to surrender, and with much dignity, formality, and solemnity he raised his hand and eyes toward heaven 178 CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH and said, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more against the white man." With him surrendered four hundred of his people. Our success was not without serious loss. Captain Hale and Lieutenant Biddle, with twenty soldiers, were killed ; Captains Moylan and Godfrey, Lieutenant Romeyn, and Assistant Adjutant-General Baird and twenty-eight soldiers were wounded. In the charge Captain Carter had thirty-five per cent, of his com- pany placed hors de combat. The Indians lost their veteran and principal chief, Looking Glass, and four other chiefs and twenty-six warriors were killed, while forty-six warriors were wounded in the combat. Our band of thirty Indian allies, Sioux and Chey- ennes, had rendered valuable service and fought brave- ly. " Hump ' ' dashed into the Nez Perces line and killed two with his own hands, and was severely wounded. After the surrender I allowed each to select five captured ponies, and gave them permission to recurn to the cantonment on the Yellowstone. They made the journey of nearly two hundred miles, swimming the Missouri and the Yellowstone, with their wounded. We made travois for our wounded, buried the dead, and the second day following the surrender the difficult march back was begun. Our wounded suffered greatly, owing to the rough broken country passed over, and some died en route. On reaching the Mis- souri, I found two steamers that had come up from Fort Buford in response to my despatch of September 17th, and these furnished supplies and food, and upon them I placed all of the severely wounded soldiers and Indians, sent them down to the nearest hospital, 179 SERVING THE REPUBLIC and with the remainder we moved across the country to the Yellowstone. The command looked like a great caravan moving over the prairie — the troops, a large herd of captured stock, prisoners, ambulances, and pack and wagon trains, all covered by an advance- guard, flankers, and rear-guard. Our Indian allies had arrived at the cantonment four days in advance of the command and several hours in advance of the interpreter. They created consternation among the garrison and the families that were left there by shouting their victory, chant- ing their war songs, fully painted and bedecked in In- dian costume. Their rejoicing and the captured herd gave evidence that the command had had a successful engagement with the Nez Perces, but they made signs that two officers (shoulder straps) were killed and several wounded. This greatly alarmed the officers' families. They were able to make it known that the Big Chief (Bear Coat), as they called me, was all right. This was a great relief to my family. It was not until the arrival of John Brughier, the interpreter, that they were able to tell the story of the engagement and give the names of the two bachelor officers who were killed. Four days later the command appeared, slowly winding its way down from the high mesa to the Yellowstone. The garrison, with the military band, the families of the officers and soldiers, civilians and Indians, were gathered on the right bank of the river to greet us with their welcome. As we were ferried over the band played, "Hail to the Chief," when suddenly they stopped and played a bar of that then 1 80 CAPTURE OF CHIEF JOSEPH familiar air, "Not for Joe, oh no, no, not for Joseph!" etc., and then resumed the former air. All were placed in comfortable camps, and it was my desire to send the Indians back to Idaho, but orders were re- ceived sending them to Fort Leavenworth and finally to the Indian Territory, where fifty per cent, of them died from low malarial fevers. They were naturally a strong, intelligent, mountain race, and peaceably disposed. Although I constantly urged it, I was unable to get them returned to their native land until 1884. Chief Joseph was the highest type of the Indian I have ever known, very handsome, kind, and brave. He was quite an orator and the idol of his tribe. 13 X INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS THE troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured south of the Canadian border, and important expedi- tions were sent against them. The troops made several captures of Indians, and by kind and just treatment succeeded in gaining their good- will. Some of these Indians we're sent back to the hostile camps with a demand for their surrender. In small and large bodies they came in and surrendered, until our camp numbered over two thousand, including many of the most noted warriors — Rain-in-the-Face, Spotted Eagle, Broad Trail, Kicking Bear, and others. Finally Sitting Bull, Gall, and the remnant of the hostile camp surrendered at Forts Peck and Buford. These wild Indians took the greatest interest in watching the industry, customs, and mode of life of the white race ; seeing the soldiers at long-range rifle prac- tice, watching them construct roads and telegraph lines, build bridges and buildings. The telegraph and telephone astonished them more than anything else. To illustrate to the Indians the advantages the white race had in the telephone I divided a body of warriors 182 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS from Sitting Bull's camp into two parties and had them talk to each other over the telephone line. When they recognized the voices of their comrades a long distance away, speaking the Dakota language, they were overwhelmed with awe and astonishment. Notwithstanding the fact that an Indian scorns to show any emotion, huge drops of perspiration coursed down their bronze faces and with trembling hands they laid the instrument down and asked to go away from what they evidently regarded as an unknown power. They gave it an appropriate name when they called it "the whispering spirit." Thus the autumn, winter, and spring wore away, with a season of absolute tranquillity and security prevailing both with the white settlers and with the Indians. Fort Keogh was under construction. In June, 1878, I decided to make a march up the valley of the Yellowstone to examine a route for a telegraph line and visit the camp of the Crow Indians and the Custer battle-ground on the Little Big Horn. With a few staff officers and one troop of cavalry as escort, we moved up the valley of the Yellowstone. It was an interesting march. At the mouth of the Big Horn I found the large camp of Crows, some fifteen hundred in number. They had always been on friendly terms with the government and were rich in Indian prop- erty. They had splendid lodges made of buffalo and elk hides, with an abundance of Indian paraphernalia. It was estimated that the tribe had at the time twelve thousand horses or Indian ponies. The Crows were ever friends of the white race and bitter enemies of the Sioux, and knowing that the country had been cleared 183 SERVING THE REPUBLIC of hostile Sioux, they rejoiced with exceeding joy and hailed us as conquerors of their lifelong enemies. It took them three days to "paint up"; they adorned themselves and their horses in most gorgeous array. It was a scene for an artist that can never be re- produced. I have often regretted that Frederic Rem- ington was not with me. Their steeds were painted in most fantastic colors and decorated with spangles, colored horsehair, and hawks' feathers. They seemed as wild as their riders, racing, rearing, and plunging, yet controlled by the most expert horsemanship in the world. The warriors were painted and bedecked in every conceivable way, no two alike. Their war jackets were adorned with elk teeth, silver, mother-of- pearl, beads, and porcupine quills of the richest design and rarest workmanship. Some wore bear-claw neck- laces, and human scalplocks dangled from their spears'. Their eagle-feathered war bonnets waved in the air, to obtain each one of which required the choice feath- ers of eight eagles and years of patient and skilled hunting. They passed in review, performed several manoeuvers, and finally divided into two bodies and fought the most spirited sham battle I have ever witnessed. The most interesting feature of the whole display was the mimicry of nature by the Indians in war and hunting. Some of the Indians and their ponies were painted so perfectly that it was impossible to distinguish them against a background of green grass, foliage, or sage-brush. This art of making themselves indistinguishable was highly developed among the Indians. From the Crow encampment we journeyed up the 184 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS Little Big Horn to the Custer battle-field. On this visit, just two years after the battle occurred, I was accompanied by a body of twenty-five of the principal chiefs and head warriors of the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes, who had all been prominently engaged in the battle, and later had surrendered to me. During the time they were under my control they had become reconciled and reliable. They had proved their loyalty by valuable military service in the campaigns against hostile Indians. What the Indians did at the Little Big Horn, or the Custer Massacre, as it was called, and how the battle was fought on their side, was perfectly familiar to them. What our government and people knew con- cerning the battle was very vague, for of the two hun- dred and sixty-two officers and soldiers who fought under Custer not one lived to tell the story. All that was known to the other troops in the field was the orders given and the actions of Custer and his men while they were with them, and the impressions and surmises made from the evidences of the field, as well as the position of the dead bodies after the battle. Unfortunately, in that campaign the government authorities greatly underestimated the strength of the hostile Indians. They had little knowledge of the character of the country, and sent weak exterior columns, five hundred miles apart, into the field with- out concert of action against a superior body. The commands from the East and West united on the Yel- lowstone at the mouth of the Rosebud, under General Terry. He even then divided his force, sending General Custer with the Seventh Cavalry south and i8s SERVING THE REPUBLIC west, while with the remainder he moved on the north side of the Yellowstone west and then south. Evi- dently his object was to inclose the Indians, but he placed at least fifty miles of rough country and an impassable river between the two columns, necessi- tating the giving of discretionary authority to the commander of the column thus isolated and moving into a country known to be occupied by a powerful body of Indians. General Custer has often been unjustly accused of disobedience of orders. The order referred to is in the nature of a letter of instruction, and not a positive order. In a general way it outlined what General Terry desired accomplished, and is as follows : Camp at Mouth of Rosebud River, Montana Territory, June 22, 1876. Lieutenant-Colonel Custer, Seventh Cavalry. Colonel, — The Brigadier-General commanding directs that as soon as your regiment can be made ready for the march you will proceed up the Rosebud in pursuit of the Indians whose trail was discovered by Major Reno a few days since. It is of course impossible to give you any definite instructions in regard to this movement, and were it not impossible to do so, the department commander places too much confidence in your zeal, energy, and ability to wish to impose upon you precise orders, which might hamper your action when nearly in contact with the Indians. He would, however, indicate to you his views of what your action should be, and he desires that you should conform to them unless you shall see suf- ficient reason for departing from them. He thinks that you should proceed up the Rosebud until you ascertain definitely the direction in which the trail above spoken of leads. Should it be found (as it appears almost certain that it will be found) to turn toward the Little Horn, he thinks that you should proceed southward perhaps as far as the headwaters of the 186 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS Tongue, and then turn toward the Little Horn, feeling con- stantly, however, to your left, so as to preclude the possi- bility of the escape of the Indians to the south and south- east by passing around your left flank. The column of Colonel Gibbon is now in motion toward the mouth of the Big Horn. As soon as it reaches that point it will cross the Yellowstone and move up at least as far as the forks of the Big and Little Horns. Of course its future movements must be controlled by circumstances as they arrive, but it is hoped that the Indians, if upon the Little Horn, may be so nearly in- closed by the two columns that their escape will be impossible. The department commander desires that on your way up the Rosebud you should thoroughly examine the upper part of Tulloch's Creek, and that you should endeavor to send a scout through to Colonel Gibbon's column with information of the result of your examination. The lower part of this creek will be examined by a detachment from Colonel Gibbon's command. The supply steamer will be pushed up the Big Horn as far as the forks, if the river is found to be navigable for that distance, and the department commander, who will accompany the column of Colonel Gibbon, desires you to report to him there not later than the expiration of the time for which your troops are rationed, unless in the mean time you receive further orders. Very respectftdly. Your obedient servant, E. W. Smith, Captain Eighteenth Infantry, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. It is unnecessary to emphasize the discretionary authority contained in this communication, as it shows that he (Custer) was expected to pursue the Indians and to come in contact with them, and then it reposes absolute confidence in General Custer's judg- ment, "zeal," "energy," and "ability." Moreover, General Terry, after giving General Custer this written letter of instruction, came to his tent and said, in the 187 SERVING THE REPUBLIC presence of General Custer's servant, "General Cus- ter, I do not know what to say for the last." General Custer replied, "Say what you want to say." Terry then said, "Use your own judgment and do what you think best if you strike the trail, and whatever you do, Custer, hold on to your wounded," evidencing his anxiety as well as his anticipation that there would be a serious engagement. It will be remembered that not long before that time it was charged that a com- mand had left its wounded to the mercy of the Indians. This conversation between two distinguished military commanders was perfectly natural under the circum- stances. The first day General Custer marched twelve miles, and in four days he moved one hundred and eight miles, ten of which were to conceal his command. He frequently called his ofBcers together and urged them to act in harmony and not become separated. He said he did not expect to fight until the 26th. He scouted the country, saw Indians in the distance, and , knowing his command would be discovered and fear- ing the Indians would escape, he decided to attack on the 25th. He formed his command for action in three parallel columns, v/ithin deploying and supporting distance; moving with the right column himself. Major Reno, commanding the center, following the Indian trail, and Captain Benteen on the left. He rode forward to a high bluff. Discovering the location of the camp just before going into action, he sent an order to Benteen, directing the left column, to alter its course, which would have changed the formation and brought this command into the center instead of 18S INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS on the left. The order was, "Come on. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs. P. S. Bring packs." (The packs contained the reserve ammunition.) The courier who carried this order was the best guide as to where the command should have gone. Custer waved his hat to Reno's troops as they were going into action and were the first to become engaged. With trifling loss Reno abandoned a very strong position and retreated in a demoralized condition. Benteen, moving slowly in the direction of Custer, stopped to rally Reno's troops, and the two com- mands remained there, out of action, although for hours they heard the firing, and at one time vol- ley-firing, a signal for help. The Indians left them to go down and fight Custer. After repeated ap- peals to Reno, two loyal and gallant officers, Weir and Edgerly, did move out far enough to discover a great commotion, dust, and smoke in the valley below, where the fight was going on. A reconnoi- tering force is not expected, after having discovered or developed the enemy, to attack, but reports facts to the main force. At one time a brave scout, Heren- deen, with thirteen soldiers, marched out from the timber in the strong position first occupied by Reno's troops, walked across the plains, forded the river and rejoined Reno's command on the hill. These two movements proved positively that there were no Indians around Reno and Benteen, while Custer was being overwhelmed. After he, with five troops, had been defeated and annihilated, the In- dians, with their captured arms and ammunition, went to fight the seven troops under Reno and Benteen, 189 SERVING THE REPUBLIC and were repulsed. It is not necessary to describe the battle, but it may be well to record the information gained at that early date from the prominent Indians who were conspicuous in the battle and knew perfectly well how it was fought. They said they were celebrat- ing their victory over General Crook and sleeping very late that morning. When Reno's troops fired into their village the Uncapapas and Ogalallas rushed for their arms and war ponies, fought Reno, and chased his command "like buffalo" across the plains, over the river and up the bluff. Just at that time the alarm passed among the Indians that another command (Custer's) was attacking their village. The two tribes then withdrew, and, without recrossing the river, passed down along the right bank of the Little Big Horn and massed opposite to the left of Custer's troops. The Minneconjoux and Sans Arcs had crossed the river and were fighting Custer's troops back and forth. They said it was a drawn battle up to that time. The Cheyennes had moved up the valley against Reno's attack without becoming engaged, but when the alarm of Custer's attack was given they re- traced their steps, moving down the left bank of the Little Big Horn, and, fording the river, took position behind a ridge near the right flank of Custer's line. The Uncapapas and Ogalallas then charged his left flank, rolling up his line from left to right. When that point was reached the soldiers killed some of their horses for defense and let loose the remainder. The Cheyennes said they secured most of these. The fight continued, and when the Indians had killed all except forty those who remained rushed in a forlorn 190 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS hope for the timber along the Little Big Horn. All were killed before they reached the river. This accounts for the line of dead bodies on that part of the field on which no dead horses were found. The Indians said that they would have-fled if Reno's troops had not retreated, for the troops could not have been dis- lodged. They also said that, when they left to attack Custer, had the seven companies under Reno and Benteen followed them down and fired into their backs they would have been between two fires and would have had to retreat. Thus the battle was twice lost. We walked our horses over the ground from Reno's last position to the extreme right of Custer's line, and were fifty-six minutes by the watch. Had Reno's command walked half that distance it would have been in action. Moving at a smart trot or gallop, as cavalry go into action, it could have attacked the Indians in the rear easily in fifteen or twenty minutes. Custer had commanded large bodies of troops success- fully in many desperate battles. How his strong heart must have felt when he saw from the ridge a part of his own regiment running from the field and when the major part of his command failed to come into action! His flag went down in disaster, but with honor. The greatest military genius could not win vic- tories with five-twelfths of his command, when seven- twelfths remained away. Had Grouchy marched to the sound of the guns instead of Blucher the story of Waterloo would have been written differently. Custer had devoted friends and bitter enemies. His brothers and strongest friends died with him, while his enemies lived to criticize and cast odium upon his 191 SERVING THE REPUBLIC name and fame ; but it is easy to kick a dead lion. It would be simple charity to throw the mantle of silence over the words and actions of those who have been his severest assailants. The nation lost many heroic men and an able, fear- less commander. Fortunately, Custer left one earnest, noble champion, who, with gentle voice and graphic pen, has "for more than thirty years been his constant defender ; and his monuments in imperishable bronze evidence her sacred devotion. In the autumn of 1878 I took occasion to explore the country of the upper Yellowstone and visit the Yellow- stone National Park, combining military duty with pleasure. I selected ten officers and one hundred of the most experienced soldiers. With these and four civilians, five ladies and three children, including my family, we leisurely journeyed west through that beautiful and picturesque country. The command was abundantly supplied with camp equipage, wagon and pack trains, and saddle horses. We scarcely were ever out of sight of wild game, and the streams were alive with beautiful speckled trout. On nearing the mountains I was informed that the Bannock Indians had broken out in Idaho, committed many depredations, stolen a great many horses from the ranches, and were moving through the Yellowstone Park toward the district of the Yellowstone. As this was my command, it became incumbent upon me to defend it if possible. I therefore sent the non-com- batants, with a small escort, to the nearest military post. Fort Ellis, Montana. As there were two passes by which the Bannock Indians were liable to come out .192 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS of the park, I was obliged to divide my limited force in order to intercept them at either point. I sent forty- men under Lieutenant Bailey to the Boulder Pass, and with the remainder, thirty-five men, I moved toward Clark's Fork Pass a distance of one hundred and fif- teen miles. In going I had to pass the agency of the friendly Crow Indians, and sent one of my scouts for- ward to inform them of the Bannock outbreak and depredations; that I was moving against them and that I wanted some Crow warriors to go with my command. They assured him' they would join us there. When the small company of soldiers marched through the agency they asked how soon the com- mand would arrive. They were told that that was all ; that those soldiers were "medicine men," great rifle- men, and enough to whip the Bannocks. They said they would not go to war with such a squad. Every inducement was offered them — food, ammunition, and all the horses they could capture from the Bannocks, who had great numbers of them. All of this was apparently of no avail. The troops passed on. I was disappointed, but not discouraged. After march- ing several miles we were joined by two of the most powerful, ugly-looking savages I have ever seen, evi- dently desperate characters, who said they were the bravest warriors in the Crow tribe and not afraid to go to war at any time or any way ; and their looks did not belie their boast. Soon others joined them by twos and in groups, the bravest first, followed by the more prudent, until we had a strong body of seventy-five well - equipped warriors riding in advance, on the 193 SERVING THE REPUBLIC flanks, and in the rear of the soldiers. It looked more like a large Indian war party than a military expedi- tion. We made a forced march and arrived near the Clark's Fork Pass a day in advance of the hostile Bannocks. The command was concealed in a pocket of the mountain, and only one or two officers, scouts or Indians were on the lookout behind a crag of the mountain, their heads concealed under small pines or cedars. In that way we remained until near noon of the next day, when, with a powerful field glass, the Bannocks were discovered coming over the mountain crest and winding their way down. They then moved from Clark's Fork Pass and went into camp on the opposite side of the valley from where we were concealed, about five miles distant. They unsaddled their horses and placed videttes on the lookout. Had we marched across the valley we would have been discovered, and the Indians would have escaped. We remained concealed all that day and part of the night, and then moved down to near the Indian camp. I sent forward the two Crows who had joined us first to try and get into the camp and learn the condition of the ground, as well as the position of the Indians. The night was dark and cold, and the troops suffered from a drenching rain. These Indians crawled into camp with their blankets wrapped around them, pretending they were Bannocks looking after their horses. They came back a little after midnight, saying that the Bannocks were in a strong position and that we would get whipped if we went in there among the tall sage- brush. However, we groped our way along, not knowing exactly the direction of the camp, frequently 194 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS halting and making long waits to discover any indica- tion that would guide us. Just before daylight some Indian in the camp struck a light, and then we knew the right direction. Changing our line of march and form- ing a line of skirmishers, we slowly passed through their large herd of horses, which was quietly grazing in the valley, and succeeded in getting immediately on the camp before we were discovered. The first sound was the blast of a bugle and the rapid fire of the riflemen. A short, sharp fight ensued, in which some fourteen of the Bannocks were killed and the re- mainder captured. Captain Bennett, a veteran of the Civil War and Indian campaigns, was shot through the heart. While the troops were fighting the Ban- nocks the Crow warriors were rounding up the Ban- nock horses and running a "pony express" back to the Crow Agency. A half -hour after the firing com- menced there was not a Crow Indian nor a Bannock horse to be seen in the valley. They had cleared out two hundred and fifty horses, and did not stop until they reached their own camp, back at the agency, seventy-five miles away. The prisoners were sent to Fort Custer. Despatches were sent to the rest of our party at Fort Ellis to join us at the Mammoth Hot Springs, in the Yellowstone National Park. We then commenced our journey over the mountains, taking the trail that the Bannocks had passed over, and going over what I think is the most beautiful and picturesque route into the great national park. It skirts along the base of the Index and Pilot Peak Mountains and traverses a higher altitude than any of the other routes. It is prac- 195 SERVING THE REPUBLIC ticable only for pack trains. Our reunited party then journeyed on, visiting Mount Washburn, the upper and lower Yellowstone Falls, the lake, the great geyser basin, the Mammoth Hot Springs, and other natural wonders, surrounded by a range of snow-capped moun- tains two hundred miles in extent, all in their sublime grandeur and beauty, just as nature's architect had left them. We traveled twelve days with pack trains, following game trails, and had an opportunity of see- ing the national park in its primitive condition. About this time I was requested by Mr. Allen Thorn- dyke Rice, managing editor of the North American Review, to write an article on the Indian problem, which was published March, 1879. The subject was then attracting national attention, and the article gave my views at that time, and I am glad that many of the suggestions contained therein have since been adopted. THE INDIAN PROBLEM Strange as it may appear, it is nevertheless a fact that after nearly four hundred years of conflict between the European and American races for supremacy on this con- tinent, a conflict in which war and peace have alternated almost as frequently as the seasons, we still have presented the question, "What shall be done with the Indian?" Wise men differ in opinion, journalists speculate, divines preach, and statesmen pronounce it still a vexed question. If the graves of the thousands of victims who have fallen in the terrible wars of the two races had been placed in line the philanthropist might travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Lakes to the Giilf, and be constantly in sight of green mounds. And yet we marvel at the problem as if some new question of politics or morals had been presented. The most amusing part of the quandary, however, is that it should be regarded as something new and original. After 196 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS every generation had, in its time, contended on deadly fields with the hope of settling the question, after the home govern- ments had enacted laws, and the colonies had framed rules, every succeeding administration of our government has been forced to meet the difficulty, every Congress has discussed the " Indian Question," and we are still face to face with the perplexing problem. The real issue in the question which is now before the American people is whether we shall ever begin again the vacillating and expensive policy that has marred our fair name as a nation and a Christian people, or devise some way of still improving the practical and judicious system by which we can govern a quarter of a million of our population, secure and maintain their loyalty, raise them from the darkness of barbarism to the light of civilization, and put an end forever to these interminable and expensive Indian wars. In considering the subject it might be well to first examine the causes which governed so long the condition of affairs, and if in doing so the writer shall allude to some of the sins of his own race it will be only in order that an unbiased judgment may be formed on both sides of the question. It will be remembered that one class or race is without representation and has not the advantages of the press or telegraph to bring it into communication with the intelligence of the world, and that it has seldom been heard except in the cry of alarm and conflict along the Western frontier. If we dismiss from our minds the prejudice we may have against the Indians we shall be able to more clearly understand the impulses that govern both races. Sitting Bull, the war chief of the Dakota Nation, uttered one truth when he said that " there was not one white man who loved an Indian and not an Indian but who hated a white man." Could we but perceive the true character of the Indians, and learn what their dispositions are when not covered by the cloak of necessity, policy, and interest, we shotdd find that they have always regarded us as a body of false and cruel invaders of their country, while we in turn are too apt to consider them as a treacherous and bloodthirsty race, who should be destroyed by any and all means. If we now fairly consider the cause of this feeling we may more readily understand its results. 14 ^97 SERVING THE REPUBLIC The more we study the Indian's character the more we appreciate the marked distinction between the civilized being and the real savage. Yet we shall find that the latter is, after all, governed by the impulses and motives that govern all other men. The want of confidence and the bitter hatred existing between the two races have been engendered by the warfare that has lasted for centuries, and by the stories of bad faith, cruelty, and wrong handed down by tradition from father to son until they have become second nature in both. It is unfair to suppose that one party has invariably acted rightly, and that the other is responsible for every wrong that has been committed. We might recount the treachery of the red man, the atrocities of his criraes, the cruelties of his tortures, and the hideous- ness of many of his savage customs. We might undertake to estimate the number of his victims; and to picture the numberless valleys which he has illumined by the burning homes of hardy frontiersmen, yet at the same time the other side of the picture might appear equally black with in- justice. One hundred years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, the Spanish government issued a decree authorizing the en- slavement of the American Indian as in accord with the law of God and man. Later they were transported to Prance, to San Domingo, and other Spanish colonies, were sold into slavery in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Louisiana, and were hunted with dogs in Connecticut and Florida. Practically disfranchised by our original Constitution, and deprived either by war or treaty of nearly every tract of land which to them was desirable and to the white man valuable, they were the prey to the grasping avarice of both Jew and Gen- tile. Step by step a powerful and enterprising race has driven them back from the Atlantic to the West until at last there is scarcely a spot of ground upon which the Indians have ariy certainty of maintaining a permanent abode. It may be well in this connection to remember the fact that in the main the Europeans were kindly treated by the natives when the former first landed on American shores, and when they came to make a permanent settlement wefe stip- plied with food, particularly the Plymouth and Portsmouth 198 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS colonists, which enabled them to endure the severity of the long and cheerless winters. For a time during the early settlement of this country peace and good-will prevailed, only to be followed later by violent and relentless warfare. Our relations with the Indians have been governed chiefly by treaties and trade, or war and subjugation. By the first we have invariably overreached the Indians, and we find the record of broken promises all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific, while many of the fortunes of New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco can be traced directly to Indian tradership. By war the natives have been steadily driven toward the setting sun — a subjugated, a doomed race. In council the race has produced men of character and intel- lect, and orators and diplomats of decided ability, while in war they have displayed courage and sagacity of a high order. Education, science, and the resources of the world have enabled us to overcome the savages, and they are now at the mercy of their conquerors. In our treaty relations most extravagant and yet sacred promises have been given by the highest authorities, and these have been frequently disregarded. The intrusions of the white race and the non- compliance with treaty obligations have been followed by atrocities that cotdd alone satisfy a savage and revengeful spirit. Facts that have been already referred to make it almost impossible for the two conflicting elements to har- monize. No administration could stop the tidal wave of immigration that swept over the land; no political party could restrain or control the enterprise of our people, and no reasonable man could desire to check the march of civilization. Our progress knew no bounds. The thirst for gold and the restless desire to push beyond the western horizon have carried our people over every obstacle. We have reclaimed the wilder- ness and made the barren desert glisten with golden harvest ; settlements now cover the hunting-ground of the savages; their country has been cut and divided in every conceivable form by the railroads and telegraph lines and routes of com- munication and commerce, and the Indians, standing in the pathway of progress and the development of the wonderful resources of this country, have become the common enemy and have been driven to the remote places of our territory. 199 SERVING THE REPUBLIC During the time that this wonderful change was being wrought it may be asked if ihe Indians as a body have made any progress toward civilization, and in the light of past history we wotdd be prompted to reply, " Why should they have abandoned the modes of life which nature had given them to adopt the customs of their enemies?" In seeking the evidences of enlightenment the results are not satisfactory. It is presumed that there is not a race of wild men on the face of the globe which worships the Great Spirit more in accordance with that religion taught in the days of the patriarchs than the natives of this country, and yet after many years of contact with the civilized people the footprints of evil were as plentiful and as common as the evidences of Christianity. Again, in early days the Indians were, to a considerable extent, tillers of the soU, but by constant warfare, in which their fields were devastated and their crops destroyed, they have become a mere remnant of their former strength, or were pushed out on the vast plains of the West, where they subsisted upon wild fruits and the flesh of animals. Could we obtain acciu-ate statistics we would undoubtedly find that there were more acres of ground cultivated by the Indians one hundred years ago than at the present time. The white race had finally obtained such complete control of every quarter of the country, and the means of communication with every section became so am- ple, that the problem resolved itself into one or the other of two modes of solution — viz., to entirely destroy the race by banishment and extermination, or to adopt some hvunane and practicable method of improving the condition of the Indians, and in the end make them part and parcel of our great population. The first proposition, though it was found to have thousands of advocates in different sections of the country, was and is too abhorrent to every sense of humanity to be considered. The other method was regarded as prac- ticable, but its adoption was considered doubtful. Looking at the purpose of our government toward the Indians, we find that after subjugating them it has been our policy to collect the different tribes on reservations and sup- port them at the expense of our people. The Indians have, in the main, abandoned the hope of driving back the invaders of their territory, yet there are still some who cherish the 200 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS thought, and, strange as it may seem, it is a fact that the most noted leader among the Indians advanced such a proposition t'o the writer within the last few years. They had long stood, and mostly still stand, in the position of unruly children to indiilgent parents for whom they have little respect, at times wrongly indulged and again unmerci- fully punished. Coming down to our direct or immediate relations with them, we find that our policy has been to make them wards of the nation, to be held under close military surveillance, or else to make them pensioners under no other restraint than the influence of one or two individuals. Living under the government, yet without any legitimate government, without any law and without any physical power to control them, what better subjects or more propitious fields could be found for vice and crime ? We have committed our Indian matters to the custody of an Indian bureau which for many years was a part of the military establishment of the government/ but for political reasons and to promote party interests, this bureau was transferred to the Department of the Interior. Whether or not our system of Indian management has been a success during the past ten, fifty, or hundred years is almost an- swered in the asking. The Indians, the frontiersmen, the army stationed in the West, and the readers of the daily news in all parts of our country can answer that question. There is another question that is frequently asked: Why has our management of Indian affairs been less successful than that of our neighbors across the northern boundary ? — and it can be answered in a few words. Their system is permanent, de- cided, and just. The tide of immigration in Canada has not been as great as along our frontier. They have been able to allow the Indians to live as Indians, which we have not, and do not attempt to force upon them the customs which are distasteful to them. In our own management it has all the time been the opinion of a very large number of our people that a change for the better would be desirable. We have the singular and remarkable phenomenon presented of the traders, the contractors, the interested officials of the West, and many of the best people of the East, advocating one scheme, while a great majority of frontier settlers, the 201 SERVING THE REPUBLIC officers of the army of long experience on the plains, and many competent judges in the East, advocate another. The question has at the same time been one of too great importance to admit interests of a personal or partisan nature. It is one of credit or discredit to our government, and of vital importance to our people. In order that peace may be permanently secured, the Indians benefited, and protection assured to the extensive settlements scattered over a greater area than the whole of the Atlantic States, it is believed that a plan could be devised which would enlist the hearty approval and support of men of all parties. The object is surely worthy of the effort. No body of people whose language, religion, and customs are so entirely dif- ferent from ours can be expected to cheerfully and suddenly adopt our own. The change must be gradual, continuous, and in accordance with nature's laws. The history of nearly every race that has advanced from barbarism to civilization has been through the stages of the hunter, the herdsman, the agriculturist — and has finally reached those of commerce, mechanics, and the higher arts. It is held, first, that we, as a generous people and liberal government, are bound to give to the Indians the same rights that all other men enjoy, and if we deprive them of their ancient privileges we must then give them the best government possible. Without atiy legitimate government and in a section of country where the lawless are under very little restraint, it is useless to suppose that thousands of wild savages, thoroughly armed and mounted, can be con- trolled by moral suasion. Even if they were in the midst of comfortable and agreeable surroundings, yet when dis- satisfaction is increased by partial imprisonment and quick- ened by the pangs of hunger — a feeling that is not realized by one man in a thousand in civilized life — it requires more patience and forbearance than savage natures are likely to possess to prevent serious outbreaks. The experiment of making a police force composed entirely of Indians is a dangerous one unless they are under the shadow and control of a superior body of white troops, and, if carried to any great extent, will result in re-arming the Indians and work disastrously to the frontier settlements. There would be something absiird in a government out on 202 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS the remote frontier composed of a strictly non-combatant as chief, with a posse comitatus of red warriors, undertaking to control several thousand wild savagps. The advantage of placing the Indians under some govern- ment strong enough to control them and just enough to com- mand their respect is too apparent to admit of argument. The results to be obtained would be : First — They would be beyond the possibility of doing harm and the frontier settlements would be freed from their terrifying and devastating presence. Second — They would be under officials having a knowledge of the Indian country and the Indian character. Third — Their supplies and annuities would be disbursed through an efficient system of regulations. Fourth — Besides being amenable to the civil laws, these officers would be under strict military law, subject to trial and punishment for an act that would be "unbecoming a, gentleman or prejudicial to good order." It is therefore suggested and earnestly recommended that a system which has heretofore proved to be emi- nently practicable should receive at least a fair trial. As the government has in its employ men who by long and faithful service have established reputations for integrity, character, and ability which cannot be disputed; men who have commanded armies, reconstructed States, controlled hundreds of millions of public property, and who during years of experience on the frontier have opened the way for civilization and Christianity, it is believed that the services of these officials, in efforts to prevent war and elevate the Indian race, would be quite as judicious as their employment when inexperience and mismanagement have culminated in hostilities. Allowing the civilized and semi-civilized Indians to remain under the same supervision as at present, the President of the United States should have power to place at any time the wild and nomadic tribes under the control of the War Department. Officers of known character, integ- rity, and experience who would govern them and be inter- ested in improving their condition should be placed in charge of the different tribes. One difficulty has been that they have been managed by officials too far away and who knew nothing of the men they were dealing with. The Indians, 203 SERVING THE REPUBLIC as far as possible, should be, as they now mostly are, localized on the public domain, in sections of our country to which they are by nature adapted. The forcing of strong, hardy mountain Indians from the extreme North to the warmer malarial districts of the South was cruel, and the experiment should never be repeated. Every effort should be made to locate the Indians by families, for the ties of relationship among them are much stronger than is generally supposed. By this means the Indians will become independent of their tribal relations, and will not be found congregated in the large and unsightly camps that are now usually met with about their agencies. All supplies, annuities, and disbursements of money should be made under the same system of accountability that now regulates army disbursements. The officers in charge should have sufficient force to preserve order, patrol reservations, prevent intrusions, recover stolen property, arrest the law- less and those who take refuge in Indian camps to shield themselves from punishment for crime or with the object of enabling them to live without labor, and to keep the Indians upon their reservations and within the limits of their treaties. The officer in charge would be enabled to control or prevent the sale of ammunition as well as to suppress the sale of in- toxicating liquors among the Indians. Many thousands of the Indian ponies, useful only for war or the chase, should be sold and the proceeds used in the purchase of domestic stock. A large percentage of the annual appro- priations shptdd be employed ip the purchase of cattle and other domestic animals; the Indians desire them, and even now their reservations support many thousands of them. They have already replaced the buffalo, and must finally re- place the elk, the deer, and the antelope. Prom a nomadic pastoral people the Indians should be induced to become agriculturists and taught the use of machinery as a means of obtaining food. The step from the first grade to the second grade wovild be easily accomplished, provided the Indians were directed by a firm hand. As they accumulate property and learn industry there have already been shown strong incentives to their remaining at peace — namely, occupation, the fear of confiscation of property, and the loss of the comforts of life. 204 INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS Two more important measiires of improvement are also needed and should be authorized by Congress. In all communities there will be found disturbing ele- ments, and to meet this difHciolty courts of justice should be instituted. Frequently outbreaks and depredations are prompted by a few mischievous characters, which could easily be checked by a proper government. This is one secret of success with the Canadian system; where dis- turbances occur, the guilty suffer and not the whole tribe, in- cluding innocent women and children. As a remark from Sitting Bull has been quoted, we will now repeat the words of Chief Joseph, who said that " the greatest want of the Indian is a system of law by which controversies between Indians and white men can be settled without appealing to physical force." He says, also, that "the want of law is the great source of disorder among Indians. They understand the operation of laws, and if there were any statutes the Indians would be perfectly content to place themselves in the hands of a proper tribunal and would not take the righting of their wrongs in their own hands, or retaliate, as they do now, without the law." Do we need a savage to inform us of the necessity that has existed for a century? As these people become a part of our population they should have some tribunal where they cotJd obtain protection in their rights of person and property. A dispute as to the rights of property between an Indian and a white man before a white jury might not be decided in exact accordance with justice in some localities. For- tunately our Constitution provides that the "judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as Congress may from time to time ordain and establish"; and it is believed that Congress has power, at least in the territories, to give such jurisdiction either to the military courts or the territorial courts, or both, as will secure justice to the Indians in all disputes arising between the Indians and the white men. That warriors may be made to care for their flocks and herds has been demonstrated, and the industry of the Indians that is now wasted may be still further diverted to peaceful and useful pursuits ; yet the great work of reforma- tion must be mainly through the youth of the different 205 SERVING THE REPUBLIC tribes. The hope of every race is in the rising generation. This important work seems now to have enlisted the sym- pathy and support of all philanthropic and Christian people. As we are under obligation to support the tribes until they become self-sustaining, it is undoubtedly advisable to sup- port as many as possible of the children of the Indians at places where they would be the least expensive to the govern- ment, and where they would be under the best influence. The children must not be exposed to the degrading influence of camp life, and the constant moving of the tribes destroys the best efforts of instructors. The children that are taught the English language, habits of industry, the benefits of civilization, the power of the white race, after a few years return to their people with some education, with more intel- ligence, and with their ideas of life entirely changed for the better. They naturally in turn become the educators of their own people, and their influence for good cannot be estirnated. Finally, the Indians, as they become civilized and educated, and as they acquire property and pay taxes toward the support of the government, should have the same rights of citizenship that all other men enjoy. The President of the United States should have power to trarisfer from the War Department to the Interior Depart- ment any tribe that shall become so far civilized and peace- able in its disposition as to render it unnecessary to keep its members longer under the control of the military power. Whenever an emergency arises which has not been foreseen and provided for by Congress, such as failure or destruction of their crops, the President should have power, on the recom- mendation of the officer in charge or the Governors of the different territories in which the Indians are living, to order the necessary supplies, as has been done in several in- stances to white people, in order to prevent great suffering or a serious disturbance of the peace, such supplies to be limited to the smallest necessity and only until such time as Congress should take action on the matter. A race of savages cannot by any human ingenuity be civilized and Christianized within a few years of time; neither will two hundred and fifty thousand people with their descendants be entirely exterminated in the next fifty years. The white man and the Indian should be taught to INDIAN LIFE AND PROBLEMS live side by side, each respecting the rights of the other, and both living under wholesonie laws, ehfotbed by ample au- thority and with exact justice. Such a government would be most gratifying and beneficial to the Indians, while those men who have invested their capital and with wonderful enterprise are developing the unparalleled and inexhaustible wealth that for ages has lain dormant in the Western moun- tains ; those people who have left the overcrowded centers of the East and whose humble homes are now dotting the plains and valleys of the far West, as well as those men who are annually called on to endure greater exposure and suffering than is required by the troops of any other nation on the globe, would hail with great satisfaction any system that would secure a substantial and lasting peace. In November, 1880, I was ordered to Washington, D. C, to receive my promotion to the rank of brigadier- general, of the United States Army. I had been colonel fourteen years, eleven of which I was in com- mand of the Fifth United States Infantry, one of the oldest and best regiments in the army. I parted with them with great regret, and issued the following order: Fort Keogh, Montana, November 20, 1880. General Orders. In relinquishing command of the Fifth United States In- fantry the regimental commander desires to ' manifest his gratitude to the officers and soldiers for the zeal and loyalty with which every duty has been performed, however dif- ficult and hazardous. He desires, also, to express his ap- preciation and acknowledgments of the most valuable services of this command and the gallantry displayed in moments of great danger. For twenty-five years the Fifth Infantry has served con- tinually west of the Mississippi River and rendered most im- portant sei^ice in the campaigns against the Utes and Apaches of Utah and Wyoming, the Navajos of New Mexico, the Comanches, Kiowas, and Cheyennes of Texas, Indian 207 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Territory, Colorado, and Kansas, and the Sioux, Nez Perces, and Bannocks of the Northwest. During the past eleven years the undersigned has been in command of this regiment, and in that time, by long and intimate association, there has been engendered a feeling of the strongest attachment and highest regard. For the success that has attended our efforts, the com- manding officer desires to render to the officers and soldiers their full share of credit. In taking leave of a command in which he has always felt a just pride it occasions deep regret that, in the exigencies of the service and the. various changes incident thereto, we are separated in distant fields of duty. (Signed) Nelson A. Miles, Colonel and Brevet Major-General. XI PROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA MY promotion in 1880 to the grade of brigadier- general in the army necessitated my going to new and distant fields of duty. It took me away from my regiment and from comrades and associates I held in the highest esteem. It also took me away from the plains country, or the great Middle West, with which I had been identified for eleven years, and where for most of the last six I had been engaged in active cam- paigns against hostile Indians, chiefly Comanches, Kiowas, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Sioux, Nez Perces, and Bannocks. In 1874 'that vast country stretching from the Canadian boundary to the Mexican border, and averaging more than four hundred miles in width from east to west, was roamed over and occupied by powerful tribes of Indians. Within six years the Indians had been brought under control and the country was rendered safe for white settlers. The Indian race as a people, with all their intense devotion to their country, have disappeared forever, and the wild, adventurous life that followed them has been replaced by a more refined civilization. Some idea may be formed of the extent of that country v/hen we realize that its area was equal to a zone 209 SERVING THE REPUBLIC embracing New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, or all of the Atlantic Coast and Gulf States, with the one exception of Texas. The transformation was from insecurity and terrorism to tranquillity and prosperity. Between the home-builders and the home-destroyers our little army had been placed, and by its constant watchful- ness and splendid services peace and security had been established. This had not been accomplished without serious loss to our army. In the various campaigns such noble men as Bennett, Hale, Biddle, Lewis, the Custers, Keogh, Yates, Calhoun, Critten- den, McKenney, Thornburgh, Casey, Wallace, and hundreds of other officers and soldiers had gone to their untimely graves. Together with their com- panions, they had faced the wily savages in the canons, on the plains and mountains, during the in- tense parching heat of summer and the frigid blasts and blizzards of the northern winters. I trust that the millions of people who will occupy communities and States there established may, in gratitude and happiness, give a passing thought to the heroic army which opened the way for civilization to that vast region of country. I was assigned to command the Department of the Columbia, embracing the military forces in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska. In going there with my family and staff officers I passed over the only transcontinental railway built at that time. At San Francisco we took an ocean steamer and passed out of the Golden Gate and up the Pacific coast to the Columbia River, the Hudson of the West, coursing 210 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA its way through the most picturesque region of our country. I shall never forget my first impression as we entered the mouth of the Columbia. From the deck of the steamer we had our first view of Mount Hood, as majestic and symmetrical, and nearly the same in height, as the sacred mountain of Japan, Fujiyama. Its snow-capped peak appeared more like the point of a white cloud in the skies above us than the crest of a mountain. As we ascended the Columbia, Mounts Adams, Jef- ferson, St. Helens, and Rainier, of the Cascade Range, soon came into view, forming a picture of nature superior to anything in this country or Europe, and, as we viewed them from the sea-level, they appeared to better advantage than do the Alps. To the south is Mount Shasta, rising to a height of 14,440 feet. The scenery in that department excels that of any other part of our country, when we include the great canon of the Yukon, the glaciers df Alaska, and Mounts St. EliaS, 19,000 feet, and McKinley, 21,000 feet, with those of the Cascades; yet the most interesting of all is the Crater Lake. This, ages ago, must have beeii the giant mountain of that range; once an active volcano, it is now an exploded mountain. It is located in southeast Oregon, some ninety miles from the Oregon and California Railroad, in a country dif- ficult of access. As you approach it you pass over the great lava beds of Oregon. You ascend the base of the mountain to a height of 8,000 feet, when you suddenly come to the brink of a precipice, or the crater, which is five miles broad and six miles long, 211 SERVING THE REPUBLIC with perpendicular walls 2,000 feet above the lake. The water therein is 2,000 feet deep. There are but few places where it is possible to descend tothe surface of the lake. The scene is appalling, and the evidences of some great convulsion in nature are apparent. The sides of the mountain must have been blown out, carrying with them the great volume of lava that has covered that country for hundreds of miles ; while the cone evidently settled, and is now near the center of the lake, forming an island partially covered with large trees, the whole forming the most interesting and wonderful feature of nature I have ever seen. My experience in command of the Department of the Columbia was most interesting. The territory was sparsely settled by a very intelligent and enter- prising class of people. They were developing the great natural resources of that country — agriculture, mining, stock-raising, lumber, and fisheries. Out of these communities have appeared many eminent patriots, jurists, arid statesmen, who have rendered great service to the nation — such men as Whitman, Lovejoy, Baker, Nesmeth, Williams, Corbett, Dolph, Deady, and many others. The Indians were peace- ably disposed for a time, but the different tribes became disaffected, owing to the encroachment of the white race, and at one time a general Indian war was threatened. I was, however, able to avoid war by considering the complaints and appeals of the Indians for justice, and the recognition of their rights. I sent for the principal chiefs of the disaffected tribes. Chief Moses, Tonasket, Sarsopkin, and others, and after investigating their woes placed them under 212 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA a most judicious officer, Major Frank D. Baldwin, and sent them to Washington, with a strong recommen- dation that they be given a good reservation and certain annuities, with buildings, mills, schools, domes- tic stock, and the necessary appliances to make them self-supporting, in return for the valuable lands they were giving up for white settlers. This permanent treaty of peace has resulted to the advantage of the white people. It has also contributed largely to the comfort and happiness of the Indians, for under it they have been prosperous and made marked prog- ress toward civilization. While in command of that department I took much interest in the exploration of what was at that time the unknown regions of Alaska. Lieut. Frederick Schwatka, the arctic explorer, was serving on my staff as aide-de-camp. He was a very accomplished and enterprising officer. I sent him with a small party of five to explore the eastern part of Alaska and the valley of the Yukon. They left Portland, Oregon, May 22, 1883, arriving at Pyramid Harbor, in Chilcat Inlet, early in June; thence by way of the Chilcat trail across the mountains to the upper waters of the Yukon, in British Coltimbia. There they constructed a strong raft and floated down the Yukon for more than 2,000 miles to its mouth, making the perilous journey through the great canon en route. Later I sent Lieut. W. F. Abercrombie to explore the valley of the Copper River. That region had never been penetrated by civilized men. Many years before, the Russians had attempted an exploration of that region ; two boat-loads of their men were killed by the natives 15 213 SERVING THE REPUBLIC and they abandoned the enterprise. Lieutenant Abercrombie, however, succeeded in establishing amicable relations with the natives, and they allowed him to proceed up the river with his exploring party. Lieutenant Abercrombie succeeded in making a very important exploration of that interesting and, up to that time, unknown region. In fact, it was this expedition and those that have followed it that have unfolded the great mineral wealth of that district of the country. During the following winter Lieut. Henry T. Allen continued the exploration by employing the natives to drag his sledges over the snow and ice to the source of the Copper River, and during the following spring crossed the Alaskan mountains. Building a raft at the headwaters of the Tanana, one of the great tributaries of the Yukon, they floated down it fifteen hundred miles, to its junction with the Yukon. They then explored the Koyukuk, another tributary of the Yukon, for some distance, after which they made their way down to St. Michael's, reaching that point August 29, 1885. Many privations and hardships were encountered in these expeditions. They met many Indians who had never seen the face of a white man before, and obtained very valuable information concerning that remote and unknown district of our country, a region that is now known to possess rich mineral resources that will not be exhausted in a thousand years. At that time the military also rendered assistance to the surveying and constructing forces that were en- gaged in establishing various lines of railway through the Northwest country, principally the Northern 214 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA Pacific, the Oregon and California Coast Line, and the Oregon Short Line from Puget Sound to its junction with the Union Pacific in Utah. Thus the few years from 1880 to 1884 were most agreeably occupied. During that time I had a good opportunity of seeing and contributing to the change in the condition of the soldier's life in the army. Before that time the post sutler's store and saloon had been the bane of the army after every pg.y-day. It was the source of the principal demoralization and breaches of discipline in the ser^ vice. There was a vacancy of post- trader at the large military garrison of Vancouver Barracks, Washington Territory, and Colonel Morrow, of the Twenty-first United States Infantry, and the officers and ladies of that garrison, resolved to find a healthful substitute for the drinking establishment. They then started what is known as the soldiers' canteen. It included library, recreation, ajid amusement rooms, and fur- nished refreshments, reading material, games, music, and gymnasium, but no liquors. Soon it became popular and contributed largely to the soldiers' com- fort and contentment. It was a decided step forward in the improvement of the military service, and has since, I am glad to say, been established at all of the military posts in the United States. In July, 1885, I was assigned by the President to the command of the Department of the Missouri, with headquarters at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; but before reaching that point I was directed to report to Lieutenant-General Sheridan, commanding the mili- tary division at Chicago, Illinois, and accompanied him to the Indian Territory, where a serious Indian 21S SERVING THE REPUBLIC war was threatened. The Indian lands in that terri- tory, which had been granted to and were occupied by several tribes there located, had been leased to white men owning large herds of cattle, presumably for the benefit of the Indians. The system afforded the Indians a very small revenue, but the disadvantage to them was far in excess of any benefit they derived. Large herds of cattle, with the usual number of herds- men and attendants, were scattered over almost their entire country. These were constantly moving back and forth over the ranges. The system also afforded an opportunity for lawless white men to roam at will over the Indian lands, and the Indian camps were fast becoming a refuge and asylum for outlaws from the different States and territories. While Lieutenant-General Sheridan investigated the complaints of the Indians, the causes of the disturb- ances and the reasons that had aroused the Indians to the very verge of hostility, I devoted my attention to the military forces which had been concentrated in that department with which to commence a campaign should it be found necessary. One-fourth of the army had been gathered and placed at my command for that purpose. Fortunately, General Sheridan knew many of the principal Indians, from his experience with them in the campaign of 1869, chiefly of the Kiowa, Arapahoe, Comanche, and Cheyenne tribes; and nearly all were well known to me, as I had met them during and subsequent to the campaign of 1874-75. Quite a number had siurendered to me after the In- dian war in the Northwest, and had been moved down to the Indian Territory. 216 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA After days of earnest effort we succeeded in avoid- ing an Indian war. The Indians were pacified by our assurance that their rights would be respected, their property protected, and their country would not be ruthlessly overrun. General Sheridan recommended that the cattle leases be discontinued and the vast herds removed from the territory. This was approved and so ordered by President Cleveland. The Indians were placed under the control of Captain, afterward General, Jesse M. Lee, one of the ablest and best officers that ever served in our army. He soon restored con- fidence among the Indians and won their gratitude and respect by the integrity and wisdom of his ad- ministration. The troops which had been gathered for an Indian campaign were retvirned to their former stations. The original plan of setting apart the Indian Terri- tory and congregating therein Indians from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, and other States, was wise and judicious at the time our government inaugurated such a policy. At that time the Indian Territory was supposed to be so^ remote that the Indians there located would never be molested or disturbed by the white race, and to be so far removed that they would not be a disturbing element. Yet statesmen like Webster, Calhoun, and Clay could not anticipate the tide of western emigra- tion or the effect of railway transportation. In 1885 the Indian Territory had become surrounded by States and settled communities, and was in the very heart of the American continent, without civil government. A change was imperatively demanded, for the good of 217 SERVING THE REPUBLIC the Indians as well as for the people of our country. I therefore in my annual report of 1885 as depart- ment commander recommended the following : "That Congress should authorize the President to appoint a commission of three experienced, corripetent men, empowered to treat with the different tribes ; to consider all legal or just claims to titles ; to grant to the Indian occupants of the Territory such tracts of land in severalty as might be required for their sup- port, but not transferable for twenty years ; that their title to the remainder be so faf extinguished as that it might be held in trust or sold by the government, and that a sufficient amount of the proceeds should be granted them to indemnify them for any interest they might possess in the lands; that eilough of said pro- ceeds be provided to enable the Indians in the Terri- tory to become self-sustaining ; the land not required for Indian occupation to be thrown open for settle- ment Under the same laws and rules as had been applied to the public domain." This was the same course that I had recommended before in the North- west, and while in command of the Department of the Colltmbia. Its successhadbeendemonstrated by actual experience, and I knew that the plan was practicable, just, arid humane. I also favored the employment of a number of Indians in the army as scouts, guides, and trailers, knowing from personal observation that they were endowed with many of the qualities which would make them useful. I had commanded Indians for years, and, besides having found them of great value in numetous ways, I never knew one to be unfaithful to a trust. 218 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA It is gratifying to know that the recommendations made at that time have since been carried into execu- tion. A commission to treat with the Indians was authorized by Congress, and provisions made for opening the remainder of the Territory not allotted to Indians to white settlements. Public notice was given that the Territory would be opened at a certain time, and more than two hundred thousand people rushed over the line in a single day, illustrating their great desire for the beautiful rolling prairie and rich valleys of that territory. It is now the prosperous State of Oklahoma, with a population of i, 600,000. I did not long remain in that most agreeable department. The Indian wars in Arizona and New Mexico had been for years attracting public attention. The history of the conflict between the Indians and the white race in that remote country would carry us back through the centuries to the first occupation of that region by the Spaniards, fifty years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The Apaches believed themselves to be the first and superior race. In some respects they were superior. They excelled in activity, cunning, endurance, and cruelty. The stories of the feats of men running a hundred miles in a day come down to us from the days of Coro- nado and from the old officers of the army who were formerly stationed in that country. Their lung power enabled them to start at the base of a mountain and run to the siimmit without stopping. An account of their atrocities and raids would fill a volume. Once numerous and powerful, by almost constant warfare they have become greatly reduced in numbers. 219 SERVING THE REPUBLIC They had an abundance of arms and ammunition, for they not only raided and plundered stores, ranches, and freight trains, but they could completely conceal themselves with grass, brush, and feathers, and lie in ambush in ravines near the trail, so that the prospector, miner, ranchman, or traveler would never observe them until he felt the deadly bullet from their rifles. In this way they kept themselves well supplied with whatever they required. Their endurance was most extraordinary. When hard pushed and driven to the higher peaks of the mountains they could subsist on field-mice and the juice of the giant cactus. They would go to their reservations and agencies for a time to replenish their wants and recruit their members; then return to the warpath. Their docility and meek- ness while peaceable was only excelled by their feroc- ity and cruelty when at war. For a few weeks or months they would be "homy- handed sons of toil," and then for an equal time they would be red-handed assassins and marauders. They were at times composed of the Yumas, Mojaves, White Mountains, and Chiricahuas, the last named being the dominant and most warlike tribe. They inhabited the most rugged and inaccessible regions of the Rocky and Sierra Madre mountains. When pur- sued they would steal horses in one valley, ride until they exhausted them, and then destroy or abandon them, travel on foot over the mountains, descend and raid another valley, and continue this course until they felt themselves free from their pursuers. They recognized no authority or force superior to their own will. 220 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA Led by Mangus-Colorado, Cochise, Victorio, and later by Geronimo, Natchez, Chatto, and Mangus, they kept the whole country in a state of terror. Gen. George Crook for years had been trying to subjugate them and bring them under control, and finally, on April I, 1886, he asked to be relieved from command of that department. On April 2d I was assigned by President Cleveland to the command. It seemed a very undesirable duty and a most difficult under- taking. Under a military rule that at that time had just been adopted, I was deprived of my personal staff officers and was obliged to proceed to Arizona alone. I took with me, at my own expense, Mr. J. Frank Brown, who was afterward employed as clerk and secretary. I knew but few of the officers or troops serving in that department, and less of the topography of the country. I had, however, followed the history of those Indian hostilities, and traced the movements of thejndians on the military maps. On arriving at Fort Bowie, Arizona, I assumed com- mand of the department and immediately went on a tour of inspection to the different military garrisons and camps in the field. I divided the country up into districts of observation, and made the post comman- ders responsible for keeping their districts clear of hostile Indians, and issued the following general order : Headquarters, Department of Arizona, In the field. Fort Bowie, A. T., Apra 20, 1886. General Field Orders, No. 7. The following instructions are issued for the information and guidance of troops serving in the southern portions of Arizona and New Mexico. 221 SERVING THE REPUBLIC The chief object of the troops will be to capture or destroy any band of hostile Apache Indians found in this section of country; and to this end the most vigorous and persistent efforts will be required of all officers and soldiers until the object is accomplished. To better facilitate this duty and afford as far as practicable protection to the scattered settlements, the territory is sub- divided into districts of observation as shown upon maps furnished by the department engineer officer, and these will be placed under commanding officers to be hereafter design nated. Each command will have a sufficient number of troops and the necessary transportation to thoroughly examine the district of country to which it is assigned, and will be ex- pected to keep such section clear of hostile Indians. The signal detachments will be placed upon the highest peaks and prominent lookouts to discover any movements of Indians and to transmit messages between the different camps. The infantry will be used in hunting through the groups and ranges of mountains the resorts of the Indians, occupy- ing the important passes in the mountains, guarding sup- plies, etc. A sufficient number of reliable Indians will be used as auxiliaries to discover any signs of hostile Indians, and as trailers. The cavalry will be used in light scouting parties, with a sufficient force held in readiness at all times to make the most persistent and effective pursuit. To avoid any advantage the Indians may have by a relay of horses, where a troop or squadron commander is near the hostile Indians he will be justified in dismounting one-half of his command and selecting the lightest and best riders to make pursuit by the most vigorous forced marches until the strength of all the animals of his command shall have been exhausted. In this way a command should, under a judicious leader, capture a band of Indians or drive them from one hundred and fifty to two hundred miles in forty -eight hours through a country favorable for cavalry movements; and the horses of the troops will be trained for this purpose 822 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA All the commanding officers will make themselves thor- oughly familiar with the sections of country under their charge and will use every means to give timely information regarding the movements of hostile Indians to their superiors or others acting in concert with them, in order that fresh troops may intercept the hostiles or take up the pursuit. Commanding officers are expected to continue a pursuit until capture or until they are ass\u-ed a fresh command is on the trail. All camps and movements of troops will be concealed as far as possible, and every effort will be made at all times by the troops to discover hostile Indians before being seen by them. To avoid ammunition getting into the hands of hostile Indians every cartridge will be rigidly accounted for, and when they are used in the field the empty shells will be effectually destroyed. Friendly relations will be encouraged between the troops and citizens of the country, and all facilities rendered for the prompt interchange of reliable information regarding the movements of hostile Indians. Field reports will be made on the tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth of each month, giving the exact location of troops and the strength and condition of commands. By conimand of Brigadier-General Miles. William A. Thompson, Captain Fourth Cavalry, A.A.A.G. I detailed Capt. W. A. Thompson, Lieutenants Dapray, Stanton, Gatewood, and Clay, who rendered most excellent service as staff officers. The field of operation of the hostile Indians was very extensive. They roamed over the country from the northern part of Arizona for two hundred miles south of the Mexican border, and east and west from the border of Texas to near the border of California. I established a system of heliostatic communication by intrenching small detachments of troops upon mountain peaks and high points of observation, overlooking the valleys. By the 223. SERVING THE REPUBLIC use of the heliostat they could communicate rapidly over a good part of Arizona and New Mexico. The system was of great importance to the military forces. Having completed these arrangements, I looked for a suitable command to take up the pursuit of the Indians south of the Mexican border. At Fort Huachuca I found the commander for such a force, Capt. H. W. Lawton, of the Fourth Cavalry, who, as a young officer, had rendered distinguished services in the Civil War and most excellent services in Indian campaigns on the frontier in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico — a resolute, brave officer, active and ambitious. He was a giant in stature, and a man of great energy and endurance. He was afterwards most distinguished in Cuba and the Philippines, where he was killed, as a major-general. At that time he was the ideal leader of a body of active, brave men. I detailed Lieutenants Johnston, Finley, Benson, Brown, Walsh, and Smith, all young, efficient officers, to report to Lawton. I also selected for his command one hundred of the strongest and best soldiers that could be found, all excellent riflemen, and a small number of scouts, guides, and friendly Indian trailers. I also detailed for this force Assistant Sur- geon Leonard Wood, a young athlete fresh from Harvard Medical College, and directed him to accom- pany the troop and in addition to his professional duties ascertain if the best athletes in our service could not equal in activity and endurance the Apache warriors. The commands so organized and equipped awaited 224 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA the developments of the Indians, as it was not known at that time in what district they were located. I did not expect to overcome or capture them in a single encounter, but adopted the same methods used to capture bands of wild horses years ago on the plains of Texas — by constantly pursuing, putting in fresh relays and finally wearing them down. This method, though it took five months to accomplish, proved suc- cessful. The Indians soon disclosed their position by making a raid from Mexico into the southwest corner of Arizona. They were then pursued by troops under Captain Lebo, Lieuts. Powhatan H. Clarke, H. C. Benson, Capt. C. A. P. Hatfield, and Lieutenants Brown, Walsh, and Brett; the latter made one march of twenty-four hours without camping and eighteen hours without water. In the encounters with the troops the Indians were always defeated, but made good their escape. They could not, however, throw the commands off their trail, but were constantly pursued in New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Captain Lawton's command finally took up the trail and followed them down into Old Mexico, to the Yaqui River country, some two htmdred miles south of the boundary. By perseverance and tenacity Lawton's command followed the Apaches for three months over the roughest moun- tain country on the continent, the Indians trying by every possible device to throw the command off their trail. They frequently abandoned their horses, crossed the rugged mountains, jumping from rock to rock ; yet the sharp-eyed Indian scouts with Lawton would pick up their trail where it was impossible for 225 SERVING THE REPUBLIC the white men to discover any trace of their move- ments. Being constantly pursued by the different detach- ments and commands for five months, they were worn down and in condition to surrender. After the fight with the troops under Captain Hatfield I found one of their wounded warriors who had made his way back to the Apache Agency. He reported the hostiles in an exhausted condition. When he was sufficiently re- covered, I sent him, under charge of Lieutenant Gate- wood, to the hostile camp with a demand for its surrender. In the mean time Captain Lawton had also opened communication with them through the efforts of Lieutenants Wilder and Finley. Geronimo sent word to Lawton that he would surrender to the highest authority. This was communicated to me, and I answered that if he sent an assurance that he was acting in good faith I would go down to meet him near the Mexican border. He sent his brother to Fort Bowie, Arizona, as an earnest of his honest intentions, and for eleven days his camp marched north near the troops of Captain Lawton. I went down to Skeleton Canon, near the Mexican line, and there met Lawton's command, with the Indians camped a short distance away. Geronimo came to me to ask what disposition would be made of him in case he surrendered. He said that if they were all to be killed he might as well die fighting at once. He prayed only that we would spare his life and those of his people. He was told that he must surrender as a prisoner of war and accept whatever disposition the government deemed best to make of him and his followers; that 226 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA the United States military authorities were not accus- tomed to kill their prisoners, and that their future would depend upon the orders and decision of the President at Washington. He was informed that I had directed General Wade to move all the Indians at the Apache Agency in northern Arizona out of the Territory, and that he and his people would be re- moved ; that Indian depredations and atrocities had been endured long enough and must end forever in that country. He was in no position to dictate terms. I explained to him the folly of contending against the military, with all its advantages of communication and transportation. While watching a corporal use the heliostat and flash a message in a few seconds by the sun's rays a day's journey for his horse, he was struck with awe and amazement. He sent an Indian runner to Natchez, who remained out in the mountains, to tell him that he was in the presence of a power he could not understand, and told Natchez to come in and come quick. He afterward stated that he had seen these flashes high up on the mountain peaks, but thought they were spirits and not men. They then formally surrendered, and placed them- selves entirely under our control. Soon after the council a violent thunderstorm swept over the coun- try. As friend and foe were crowded under the very sparse shelter, I explained to Geronimo and Natchez that I hoped it was a good omen, that there was evidently a silver lining to that war cloud, and that the sunshine of peace would bless that land after the tur- moil of relentless war. The day following I took Geronimo and Natchez, 227 SERVING THE REPUBLIC and four other of the principal men, with the escort of a troop of cavalry, and made a march of sixty-five miles to Fort Bowie; Captain Lawton following three days later with the balance of the Indians. There was quite a demand at the time for the imme- diate trial and execution of the principal Indians, but it would have been impossible to have obtained an un- prejudiced jury and difficult to obtain the evidence of actual participation of individual Indians in the atrocities. So intense was the feeling against the Indians in that Territory that it was even suggested that the braces of the railroad bridges be destroyed in order to wreck the train conveying them to Florida. Under all the circumstances, I deemed it best to have all of the Apaches removed to a distant part of the country, not only those who had actually been in the field, but those at the agency, who had given aid and support and furnished supplies, ammunition, and recruits with which to continue hostilities. As they moved out under the escort of the Fourth Cavalry from Fort Bowie the military band played "Auld Lang Syne," an appropriate finale to their departure from the country they had terrified for years. A small band, under Mangus, that remained out, was pursued for weeks by Lieut. C. E. Johnston and finally captured by troops under Capt. Chas. L. Cooper. Thus the country was cleared of the devas- tating and terrifying presence of the Apaches. There has seldom appeared a more ruthless marau- der than Geronimo. He had the most determined face and sharp, piercing eye that I have ever seen. Natchez was the hereditary chief of the Apaches, a tall, slender 228 GERONIMO, CHIEF OF THE APACHES FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA young warrior, whose dignity and grace of movement would become any prince. The capture and removal of all the Apaches from that country, and the establishment of permanent peace occasioned universal rejoicing with the people of those Territories. Mines that had been closed and practically abandoned were then reopened, and the owners, who had not dared to travel except by night or with a strong escort, were free to go anywhere un- molested. The value of horse and cattle ranches in- creased fifty per cent. I received very cordial and valuable assistance from Governor Ross, of New Mexico, formerly United States Senator from Kansas, and Governors Zulick and HUghes, of Arizona; also most courteous assistance and friendly co-operation from Gov. Louis E. Torres, of Sonora, Mexico. The people of Arizona and New Mexico, with marked kindness and generosity, presented me with a very handsome sword made by Tiffany. The Damascus blade, grip, and large India star sapphire are the only parts of the sword and scabbard not solid gold. Its beauty of design and most artistic workmanship render it a treasure as well as a valuable work of art. The presentation ceremony was the occasion of a celebration, reception, and banquet at Tucson, Ari- zona, in 1887. In addressing the Society of Pioneers at the ban- quet I took occasion to call attention to the all-impor- tant subject of irrigation. This was two years before our government took its first action toward promot- ing that important measure. Very soon afterward I 16 229 SERVING THE REPUBLIC wrote an article for the North American Review, which was pubhshed in March, 1890, under the title "Our Unwatered Empire." This was embodied in the arguments advocating our national system of irriga- tion. Hon. Francis G. Newlands, now Senator from Nevada, chairman of a committee of Congress, while urging the enactment of his bill to establish the system, made use of the article in the following lan- guage. May 14, 1902: I shall also add as an appendix to my remarks an article ' written by General Miles over twelve years ago and published in the North American Review of March, 1890, upon the sub- ject of " Our Unwatered Empire." This article, broad, com- prehensive, and statesmanlike, covers all the phases of the irrigation question and presents every consideration that should appeal to enlightened legislation. No speech in the Senate or in the House could present the question in a more intelligent, thorough, and attractive way, and I shall re- publish this, not only because it presents the views of a man of distinction, who, not content with prominence in the art of war, has also trained himself in the arts of peace and in those great constructive policies which mean the upbuilding of a nation, but also because this article, printed in 1890, in- dicates that the question was thoroughly understood twelve years ago ; that as nothing can now be added to the argument then presented, so nothing can be added twelve or twenty years hence. . . . While the eastern journals made light of and in some cases scoffed the idea, the press of the western country universally indorsed the article. The Arizona Star of September 26, 1902, said: General Miles, in a speech before the Arizona pioneers in Tucson, gave the substance of this able article, which made a strong impression upon our people. . . . The declamation ' See Appendix A. 230 FROM ALASKA TO ARIZONA of General Miles now seems prophetic when we contemplate what has come to pass. . . . The first contribution to the magazines of the country on the question of irrigation and the reclamation of arid America was from the pen of General Miles. . . . The message was the birth of the irrigation movement that found its fruitage in the National Irrigation Law, which is now on our statute books. Since that time our government has appropriated more than $60,000,000 for water storage and the improvement of our arid lands. The government is now receiving a revenue of from 7 to 10 per cent, interest, and the benefit to the citizens and the country is inestimable. Arizona and New Mexico had many features of in- terest for me — healthful climate, productive soil, and rich mineral deposits. It has three attractions worth a journey from the Atlantic to see. The petrified for- ests, the Grand Cafion of Colorado, and the beauty and grandeur of the sunrise and sunset in that clear, rare- fied atmosphere are something unequaled elsewhere. In changing my military headquarters, in 1887, to southern California I enjoyed a tour of duty in that veritable "garden of America." Its scenery and climate are unequaled in Florida, Europe, or Japan. In the ordinary promotion of the army, I was as- signed, in 1888, to the command of the military di- vision of the Pacific, with headquarters at San Fran- cisco, and completed my ten years of service on the Pacific coast amid most enjoyable surroundings. The people of that part of our country are very little under- stood. There we find the true American enterprise and independence. The pioneers who first went to that remote region were a most resolute and strong 231 SERVING THE REPUBLIC body of men and noble women, and the succeeding generation has grown up there well educated, intelli- gent, and patriotic. They will compare favorably with the citizens of any part of our country, and have the advantage of being more familiar with the entire country than those reared in eastern communities. XII THE LAST INDIAN WAR MY transfer from the Division of the Pacific, with headquarters at San Francisco, to the Division of the Missouri, with headquarters at Chicago, in the autumn of 1889, was, in many respects, agreeable, but made with some regrets. I was intensely interested in the Pacific coast country. I loved the freedom, enter- prise, and manly qualities of the splendid type of American citizenship found there. It is the same ad- venturous, resolute fortitude that settled our eastern country, and the spirit has moved westward with the course of civilization, until it has embraced a vast continent and transformed it into the most productive and prosperous region of the globe. I was glad to mingle again with the people of the middle and eastern sections of our country; to see the changes that had been wrought in a few decades, the evidences of great prosperity and accumulated wealth. I found my station at Chicago most agreeable. Of all our great commercial centers, there is not one that surpasses it in business enterprise, in public spirit, or in universal interest in everything that pertains to the welfare of that great metropolis, and whose people have more confidence in the future of their city. Water communications have built up great marts of com- 233 SERVING THE REPUBLIC merce in other parts of the world, but Chicago has the advantage of the Great Lakes and a system of railways that have become the great avenues of commerce, reaching to every section of our country. The hospitality of its people is in marked contrast to the rigor and severity of its climate. In my assignment to that division I had hoped that I had heard the last of Indian depredations and war, yet I had scarcely assumed command when I began to hear rumors of disaffection and unrest and a threatened uprising of the different tribes scattered over the western half of our country. The Indian orators were haranguing large groups wherever they could be assembled in the camps. The exhorters, the so-called prophets, as well as the in- triguing leaders, were influencing the Indians in a religious belief and inspiring a hope in the hearts of a doomed race that some divine interposition was about to rescue them from their impending fate. They were being taught certain ceremonies, to chant improvised sacred songs, and the ghost-dance was introduced as a sacred observance. They indulged in this mysterious worship, chanting, crying, or sing- ing weird and solemn music, using various incanta- tions expressing joy or supplication, until they were wrought up, in many cases, to a wild frenzy. Indian hostilities have originated from a great variety of causes — from gross frauds, injustice, and a total disregard of obligations of treaties on the part of our people ; from the aggressive tide of immigration ; from acts of violence, and from vague theories of their prophets and dreamers, "medicine men," who under- 234 THE LAST INDIAN WAR took to fathom the mystery of the future by their limited knowledge of the past. This last hope and belief of an unfortunate race was founded on the philosophy of the Christian religion. They had been told of the second coming of Christ, that the Messiah would return to his own people — the meek and lowly, the down-trodden and oppressed race, and not to the haughty and cruel. They had also been taught that the generations that had gone before would be re- stored to life; and, strange as it might seem, an unknown and insignificant man living in the far dis- tant country of Nevada assumed the character of the Redeemer, first proclaiming secretly to a few that he was the Messiah returned to earth to bless his chosen people. The impostor sent one or two trusted emissaries to the far-distant tribes east of the Rocky Mountains to tell some of the disaffected Indians in each tribe of the presence of the Messiah near Walker Lake, in the sparsely settled State of Nevada. One remarkable Indian characteristic is their capacity for keeping their secrets, concealing their woes and the spirit of revenge until a time when they plan to sur- prise their enemies and break forth into open hostili- ties. This secret was kept for more than two years. The year before there was any open manifestation of an Indian war three men left the large tribes located in northern and southern Dakota, and so secretly did they leave and move that their absence was not known to the agent or any of the government em- ployees for one year. These men were named Kick- ing Bear, Short Bull, and Porcupine. The first was a tall, stalwart savage, a fierce fighting man, a 235 SERVING THE REPUBLIC natural leader and ideal warrior; the second, a small, sharp-featured dreamer, who, if he had been a white man, would have been an agitator and exhorter rather than a leader. The third was a keen, wiry, active Indian, hostile to the white race and devotedly interested in the welfare of the Indians. These men, who could neither read nor speak the English lan- guage, journeyed three hundred miles to the Crow camp in the Northwest, thence west to the Shoshones, and still farther west to the tribes living in Utah and Nevada. They traveled on horseback, on foot, and by rail, finally reaching the camp of the so-called Messiah, who received them with cordiality, but with severe formality. He proclaimed to them that the prophecy made nearly two thousand years ago had been fulfilled; that their own land was to be trans- formed into the Happy Hunting Ground, and that all the departed Indians were to be restored to life. He told them that he was about to move eastward, when there would be driven before him vast herds of wild horses, buffalo, elk, deer, antelope — every- thing the Indians prized most, and, as he moved east, the dead Indians would rise from the dust and join the innumerable throng. It was an ideal Indian heaven, such as had been the hope and prayer of those living as well as of the generations that had gone before. He taught them this religious theory as well as mystic ceremonies and modes of worship before un- known to them. They, in turn, were to go on before and proclaim this dispensation to the various tribes who were ready to receive it from the Messiah. The 236 THE LAST INDIAN WAR missionaries returned as they went, visiting the vari- ous tribes and telling them secretly of this new revela- tion. Retracing the original journey back to their own camps, some twelve hundred miles distant, it was several months after their return before it was even known to the government officials that they had been absent. This new dispensation was received with warm hearts, especially as it came at a time when the Indians were depressed by the mal-adminis- tration of their affairs. Their treaties had not been fulfilled, their supplies were overdue, and they were suffering for food. The hostile element received the information with great joy, and when it was com- municated to Sitting Bull it aroused the turbulent nature of that great war chief, and awakened his ambition and hope to free his country from the pres- ence of the white race, whom he had long hated with all the ferocity of his savage nature. He said that they should not await the coming of the Messiah, but should arise in one great body and go forth to meet and greet him. He immediately sent runners to every tribe of which he had any knowledge in the great Northwest — the Minneconjoux, Sans Arcs, Oga- lallas, Cheyennes, Brules, Gros Ventres, Yanktonais, and even the friendly Fiegans, Mandans, and others. He also sent runners into Canada to Inkpaduta's band and other tribes which had been on friendly terms with the white race, appealing to them to rise and leave their reservations in a body, congregate near the base of the Rocky Mountains, and journey west- ward until they should meet the Messiah, welcome and escort him in his triumphant march toward the 237 SERVING THE REPUBLIC rising sun. They knew that in their various cam- paigns against the white race they had made long expeditions south, even to the territory of Old Mexico and north to the Dominion of Canada, living upon wild game then in great abundance. Now, the buffalo having disappeared, the plains and valleys were dotted with domestic animals, which would fur- nish an ample supply of food and horses for remounts. Nothing could be more fascinating to the savage nature than such a dream or superstition. It con- sumed the heart and soul of the entire Indian race. With the more hostile savages, it rekindled the flames of hostility and revenge which had been smoldering for years. They believed their prayers would be answered, their woes righted, and their wrongs atoned for. They believed that their sub- jugation would be followed by liberty, and that the limited power of their race was to be increased by the unnumbered host that was to appear. It was a threatened uprising of colossal proportions, extend- ing over a far greater territory than did the con- federation inaugurated by the Prophet and led by Tecumseh, or the conspiracy of Pontiac, and only the prompt action of the military prevented its exe- cution. I concluded that if the so-called Messiah was to appear in that country, Sitting Bull had better be out of it, and I considered it of the first impor- tance to secure his arrest and removal from that country. My first effort in that direction proved a failure, owing to adverse influence that was used to defeat my purpose. However, I sent a positive order, 238 THE LAST INDIAN WAR directed to the commanding officer of the nearest mihtary station, to secure the person of Sitting Bull without delay. This order was sent to the com- manding officer at Fort Yates, North Dakota, who detailed a troop of cavalry and a few trusted friendly Indian police, under the command of Maj. E. G. Fechet, an experienced, judicious officer, who exe- cuted the order with great celerity; but even his prompt action came very near being too late. A few hours' delay would have been fatal, as Sitting Bull, with some two hundred trusted warriors, had made preparation to leave that morning and join the great hostile camp which was then assembled in the Bad Lands of South Dakota, preparatory to their move- ment west. Major Fechet moved his command at night some thirty miles to the close proximity of Sitting Bull's camp, and sent his Indian police for- ward to arrest the great war chief. They proceeded to Sitting Bull's lodge and, entering it, informed him that he was a prisoner, and that he must go with them. He protested, but to no avail. They had proceeded but a few steps when he raised the war-cry which aroused his followers, who rushed to his rescue. Then occurred a short, desperate Indian combat, in which Sitting Bull and quite a number of his im- mediate followers were killed, as well as five of the principal friendly Indian police who had made the arrest. The remainder, however, held their position until the prompt arrival of the troops, who dispersed the hostile Indians in every direction. It is a little singular that the last real encounter of this greatest of Indian chieftains should have been a tragedy in 239 SERVING THE REPUBLIC which he was to fall by the hands of men of his own race. He was the strongest type of the hostile Indian that this country has produced. His reputation had been made by courage, energy, and intense hostility to the white race in his early days. He had gradually risen to leadership until he became the great or- ganizing or controlling spirit of the hostile element. None of the other Indians possessed such power to draw and mold the hearts of his people to one purpose, and his fall appeared to be the death-knell of the Indian supremacy in that western country. While this was going on great numbers of the Indians left their agencies; abandoning their little homes and unharvested fields, and, in some cases, destroying their property as they left, they had moved to the very broken country known as the Bad Lands of South Dakota. It would be impos- sible to describe that country. It appears to have been the result of volcanic action. It was a mass of barren hills, narrow valleys, ravines, canons, mounds, and buttes, almost devoid of trees and with very little verdure. By following circuitous trails one could ride on horseback over portions of it, but it was wholly impracticable for wagons, and so extensive that it afforded an excellent rendezvous or refuge for hostile Indians. As the Indian supplies were exhausted they could send out in almost any direction and find some game — deer, elk, or domestic cattle — to supply them with food. They were abundantly supplied with horses and well equipped with arms and ammunition. Here the doctrine of the impostor was openly and earnestly proclaimed, leaders haranguing the camps 240 THE LAST INDIAN WAR night and day, rehearsing the woes of the Indians and the promise of the Messiah. Everything was done to arouse the dormant animosity and spirit of revenge. Runners were sent to the different agencies, calHng upon them to join this great gathering. When the Indians assumed this threatening attitude the mili- tary authorities of the government were obliged to take prompt and decided action. A large part of the available troops of the army was assembled in that Division, prepared for a campaign. Troops were sent from as far west as the Pacific coast. Fortu- nately a branch of the Burlington Railroad, which penetrated that country, could be utilized in the dis- position of the troops. The principal Indian camp was located near the center of the angle formed by the main line and the branch of the Burlington road ; and by distributing troops at available points on the two lines, we were enabled to partly envelop them, and at the same time place a barrier to the west of them, thereby preventing their contemplated move- ment in that direction. As soon as a sufficient force was assembled and placed the troops were gradually moved toward the Indian position, pressing them back toward their agency. In the mean time the camp under Big Foot, a noted Indian chief, left its agency on the Missouri River with the intention of joining the hostile camp assembled in the Bad Lands. A strong force of. cavalry was sent to intercept them, and so far suc- ceeded as to come in close proximity with them, causing them to halt. A parley occurred, but the commanding officer, instead of insisting upon their 241 SERVING THE REPUBLIC disarmament and return to their agency, took a promise that they would do so and returned the troops to camp, whereupon the Indians, as soon as night came on, escaped and continued their journey toward the Bad Lands. Another force was ordered to intercept them, which was done before they reached the main camp of the hostiles, and a demand made for their surrender. This they agreed to do, and camped near the troops that night. The next morning a formal demand was made for their arms, whereupon the Indian warriors came out into the open field and laid their arms on the ground. While they were being searched, and a party that had been sent into camp was searching for arms, a controversy or misunderstanding of some kind occurred, and the Indians getting the impression that they were going to be killed, commenced what was known as a ghost -dance, one of its ceremonies being to take up dust and throw it over the warriors, under the superstitious belief that they could be made in- vulnerable to the bullets of the troops. This was continued for a brief time when hostilities com- menced, the Indians making a rush for their camps, the troops being unfortunately so placed that some of them were in the line of fire. Many of the shots directed at the warriors went straight into the camp of women and children. A general m^l6e and mas- sacre occurred, in which a large number of men, women, and children were killed and wounded; so much so that the commanding officer reported that the camp or village had been destroyed. The Indians fled in all directions, pursued by the 242 THE LAST INDIAN WAR troops, and the bodies of the dead and wounded were found on the prairies, some of them at quite long distances from the place where the disturbance oc- curred. I have never felt that the action was judi- cious or justifiable, and have always believed that it could have been avoided. It was a fatality, how- ever, that Indian hostilities, uprisings, and wars should finally close in a deplorable tragedy. Regrettable as it was, there is one satisfaction in the fact that for twenty years it has not been repeated, and I hope and trust never will occur again. This tragedy, but a short distance from the great hostile camp, caused additional excitement, and for a time it was feared that nothing could prevent a serious outbreak and devastating war. Yet the troops continued their slow pressure, mov- ing more and more closely to the main Indian camp, so as to overawe it by force, and at the same time every measure was taken to draw them back to a peaceful condition by sending messages to the prin- cipal chiefs. Fortunately I had met many of the leaders on former occasions. Many of them had surrendered to me before — in the campaigns of the Northwest — Broad Trail, Spotted Eagle, and others — and I was enabled to appeal to their sense of reason and better judgment, and to convince them of the impossibility of the theories upon which they were acting. I also assured them, in case they should re- turn to their camp, of strict compliance with the terms of their treaty ; that a representation of their condition would be made at Washington, and that I would be their friend if they would surrender and follow my advice. 243 SERVING THE REPUBLIC This, although it required many days and a great effort, finally prevailed, and I succeeded in drawing that large camp, back to their agency, where they agreed to abandon their hostile measures and follow my directions. This was one of the most gratifying events of my life, as it saved the country from a devastating war and possibly saved the lives of thousands. It was effected without the Indians breaking into the settlements, and without the loss of a single life outside of those engaged in the military service and the Indians above mentioned. The bringing about of this desirable result con- sumed many anxious weeks occasioned by the neces- sary delay in getting the troops into position and moving them judiciously to where their presence would have the best effect; and, at the same time, long delays had to be made before the Indians would accept the terms of the government rather than risk the hazard of war. The delays incident thereto, not being understood by those distant from the scene of action, excited adverse criticism, unfavorable comments charging inefficiency, etc. I received many insulting communications denouncing what the writers sup- posed to be procrastination or timidity on the part of the military, and from others anxious to have hostilities precipitated in order that the vultures might prey upon the spoils of war. These last active operations occurred during the severity of the winter. The ground was covered at times with sleet, and frequently with deep snows; but the troops were well equipped for winter cam- paigning and very little suffering occurred among them. 244 THE LAST INDIAN WAR When the Indians moved back to their agencies they were advised to give a guarantee of their good faith that such threatening of hostilities or actual war would not occur again in the near future; and, as an earnest of this, they were told that they should send a body of representative men to the East as hostages and as a pledge that in the future they would keep the peace. This they consented to do, and a party of some thirty of the principal warriors was gathered together and sent to the nearest railway station, and thence by rail to the headquarters of the Division at Chicago. This body included two of the Messiah missionaries. Kicking Bear and Short Bull, who had made the journey across the mountains the year before to meet the Messiah in Nevada. I placed Captain, afterward General, Jesse M. Lee in charge of the agency, who, by his rigid integrity and able administration, soon won the confidence and gratitude of the Indians. A small delegation composed of the representative men of the two tribes was also selected and sent to Washington with a few judicious officers to represent the condition of their people, the non-fulfilment of the treaty stipulations, and the want of provisions and their suflfering in consequence. This body in- cluded such prominent chiefs as American Horse, Red Cloud, Broad Trail, and others. After peace was fully restored the troops were re- viewed preparatory to their being returned to their former military stations; and this review was one of the most interesting in my experience, as it occurred in midwinter and during a gentle snow- 17 245 SERVING THE REPUBLIC storm. The vast prairie, with its foiling undulations, was covered with thfe white mantle of Winter. That dheerless, frigid atmosphere, With its sleet, ice, and snoW, covered all the apparent life of nature. That scene was jpossibly the Glosing one that was to bury in oblividn, decay, ahd death that dhce powerful, strong, defiant, and tesolute race. It was doomed to dis- appear, leaving behind it ho evidence of its former life and power; and as th6 warm breezes of spring should femove the robe of winter a new life, verdure, and duty Wdllld appear. "Those prairies Would see a neW civilization, happy homes, prbspefbus com- munities, and great States; and the sound of the merry bells bf industrial activity and the mUsic of progress were to take the place of the War-cry arid the echoes of alarm and danger. The scene Was weird and in some respects desolate, yet it was fasfeihatirig to me — possibly oh account bf the jubilant spirit occasioned by the reflection ihat one mbfe Indian war had been blbsed, and closed in the most satisfafetbry way, without the desolation and devastation in the settlements) as bthers had closed in former times. I did ttbt even then realise that we had probably feached the close of Indian wars in bur country. The mafteh df trobps, fully equipped in their Winter apparel, the long Wagbn and pack trainsj the am- bulance cbfps, were a novel and a most fitting spec- table for the Clbsing sCerie of the drama. As this formidable force moved to stirring mUsib and With Sharp cadence Over the sHbw-blad fields, it cbuld not but have made a strong impression upon the thousands 246 THE LAST INDIAN WAR of Indians who witnessed it. They had a fair op- portunity of appreciating the terrible power which they had fortunately avoided, as well as an indication to them of the advisability of remaining at peace in the future. At its close the troops moved to their various destinations, not to be reassembled again against the Indians for at least a score of years, and possibly never. It has been rno^'e than twenty years since that time, and not g- single hostile §hot Jias been fired between the goyernnient forces and the Indian^. Nearly all the great warriors have passed on to the H^ppj Htinting Ground, and the young men of to-day hi^ve ceased to know even the skill and experience of the hunter. They are not familiar with the u^e of fife- arms, Their attention has been called to the peace- fvil pursuits. They have bpen taught a better W9,y of life than that of the hunter and warrior. They haye come up through the schools iriste^d of the war- path. They have hp,d the benefits of 9, life of civili^a- tipri rg.ther than the carop of Indian hostilities. XIII COMMANDING MIDDLE DIVISION IN 1892, with my family, I visited Mexico. It was interesting to note the great contrast between two adjacent countries, occupied by people of different races. During the last thirty years they have made great progress in all ways that concern a people. The country has experienced violent political changes. According to Prescott the native population were a peaceful race, governed by a strange superstition, yet in other respects they possessed qualities of a com- mendable order. They received the foreigner with cordial hospitality and were requited with spoliation and cruelty. The oppression of their conquerors and destruction of the records and works of art that would have given us a better knowledge of the history of that ancient semi-civilization, were alike despicable. Passing over that arid, sparsely settled country, we could appreciate the magnitude of the undertaking of Gen. Zachary Taylor's with his small army penetrat- ing a difficult foreign country, and winning victories against vastly superior numbers. It illustrates the sturdy qualities of that General and the fortitude of his troops, who remembered San Jacinto and the Alamo, as well as the confidence of the American people behind them. The conquest of the country by 248 COMMANDING MIDDLE DIVISION the Americans under Scott from Vera Cruz to the capital City of Mexico was one of the most brilliant of our history. In 1847 the American flag was for the first time raised in triumph over a foreign capital and lowered with honor. There is no dishonor in lowering the stars and stripes over that which does not rightfully belong to us. Mexico, besides being thrice invaded by foreign armies, has had a series of political convulsions, but out of all turmoil and tribu- lation it has risen, Phoenix-like, from its ashes to re- newed life and prosperity. The blood of the native race — the Aztec and the Indian — finally asserted it- self in such men as Hidalgo, the Washington of Mexico ; Juarez, Diaz, Romero, and others. The native Amer- ican had great disadvantages, yet he possessed qual- ities both strong and great. The Western Hemisphere has produced numbers of men who have exhibited great abilities, yet if it had produced but one such man as Juarez, it would have demonstrated to the world that the native American had elements of intellectual strength, deep thought, broad comprehension, and large-hearted, noble impulses. Juarez was an edu- cated Indian, a soldier, an orator, a man learned in the philosophy of jurisprudence and civil govern- ment, a wise and able president of the republic dur- ing a great crisis. His mausoleum is the Mecca of the Mexican people once a year, and his memory is held in sacred regard by the people of that country. I was received with great cordiality by President Diaz and the officials of the Mexican government; was given a review of all the troops stationed in and about the City of Mexico, and found their army in 249 SERVING THE REPUBLIC exdellent cotiditioh, well equipped and supplied) and comtnanded by educated officers. We found their National Museum a place of great interest, riot only showing the products and resources of a very rich country; but also fevidences of an ancient civilization. The Mexicans are a polite people, extremely fond of good music, &.nd theii- works of art Are of much in- terest. Thfe Grand Boulevard leading from the city of Mexico to the castle of Chapultepec^ where is located their thilitary academy, is lined with Statues by noted sclilptorSj at the head of which is the Statue of Charles IV., the largest single molding on the continfeht. That tod the Azted god are notable; and its brbnze bas-reliefs depict the heroism of the Aztecs during the tortures of the ruthless invaders. My visit to that country will long be remembered with great pleasure. Returning to Chicago, I found active preparations being made for the exposition to be held in that city, which was to be a revelation to the people of the world and a matter of pride and pleasure to the American people. Up to that time the West was little known to the people living east of the Alle- ghanies. The exposition was well planned and liberally endowed by the government; It was laid out with great ingenuity on the broadest and most artistic scale: There have been many expositions in our country, but rlone could compare with the great exposition at Chicago. It gave our own people and visitors from every other part of the world an idea of the great resources and possibilities of our country; the industriesi ingenuity^ and enterprise of our peo- 250 COMMANDING MIPDLE DIVISION pie, the q,rts, sciencep, an4 educational institutions and methods — in f^gt, they found herp 9, demon^traT tion and illustration of progressive America. The buildings wprp of polp^sal proportions; the &rti|ipi^l lakes and lagoons were decorated in the mpst artistic manner and supplied with beautiful boats an4 launches. At flight electricity Tpade its greatest dernonstration, and the wholp scene ■yvas enlivene4 with excellent musip. A distinguished orator, in describing his irnpregsion^ vhile floating through the Court of Honor, decla,rpd it w^s hard to reg,lize "where earth ends and heaven begins." Chicago is a, place of extremes, 3, pl3.ce of great prog- ress and eolightennient. It includes many of the broadest mind? in our country in business, art, scieiice, and literature. At the same tifne it has a population composed of all nationalities. Jt is essentially a cos- mopolitan city, where at Ipast fifty different languages are spoken ; a law-abiding comniunity, yet containing many violent elements. For some years there had been disturbing influences between the two strata of society, a friction between those possessing wealth and those engaged in labor. The labor question has probably been more discussed there than in any other part of our country. At times it has excited intense feeling and been the one absorbing subject that interested all the people. "We probably have not yet reached the true solution of that problem. In a small fiommunity in the suburbs of Chicago there was an industrial plant, QPe of the largest and most prosperous in the country. Its principal in- dustry was the manufacture of railroad material, es- 251 SERVING THE REPUBLIC pecially Pullman cars. The village was known as Pullman, now a part of the great metropolis. The enterprise employed thousands of skilled mechanics at high wages. Its promoters had accumulated great wealth and national prominence; its skilled work- men were so prosperous that many had purchased their homes, and for years it was regarded as an ideal, harmonious, co-operative community. Yet this peace- ful and prosperous place became the very storm- center of an industrial convulsion which nearly in- volved the whole country in chaotic disturbances. Some unimportant question arose, a strike was or- dered in the Pullman works, with the result that several thousand men left their occupations. At the same time the great company refused to yield to the demands of their workmen. This situation pre- vailed for several weeks without any settlement, and in the course of time the railroad employees, chiefly engineers and firemen, were called upon to stop work in sympathy with the Pullman strikers, and their organization was under such discipline that their leaders could control members of the union in other parts of the country. This resulted in almost the entire paralysis of the freight and passenger trains in the western half of our country. Passenger trains were sidetracked and remained so for days in distant parts of the country, regardless of the condition of the passengers. The entire business of the country was paralyzed in con- sequence. It was estimated that over two billion dollars' worth of transportation property was thus forced to remain idle. In a few cases where the 252 COMMANDING MIDDLE DIVISION trains were run regardless of the orders of the leaders and in defiance of the threats of the mob, they did so at imminent peril. The last few trains that en- tered Chicago in this way were stoned by an angry populace. What few passengers were in them sought shelter as best they could, and in one instance the engineer was taken from the locomotive and stoned to death in the presence of a crowd of people. I happened to be in the East at the time on im- portant duty, and when the excitement was at its worst I was telegraphed to repair immediately to Washington. En route I received several despatches saying that on arrival at Washington I would report immediately to the Secretary of War. On my arrival I reported to Secretary Lament, and accompanied him at once to the White House, where a consulta- tion was called, including the President, Secretary of State Gresham, Attorney-General Olney, Secretary of War Lamont, General Schofield, and myself. Dur- ing the day despatches had been received by the gov- ernment in Washington from prominent men in the East, urging that some measure be taken to check the threatened revolution in Chicago and the West, otherwise it was liable to spread in a few days over the Eastern States. At this council there was a difference of opinion as to the magnitude of the impending danger; some were of the opinion that if two hundred regular soldiers were to march down Michigan Avenue the disturbance would be over and the trouble ended. I took quite a different view and expressed the opinion that the trouble was very much more deeply rooted, more 253 SERVING THE REPUBLIC threatening and far reaching than anything that had occurred before; that it was not generally under- stood, and that there was danger of the overthrow, or at least the paralysis, of the civil government and authority. I explained that the United States Court had jurisdiction in Chicago and was entitled to pro- tection; that in the same building was located the Sub-Treasury, with over twenty millions of govern- ment money which belonged to the people of the United States; that Chicago was a great distributing center for the Northwest, and through its Post-Office Department was moving the mails of the people of the country, containing the most important and valuable documents and communications, which could not be disturbed without direct violation of the laws of Congress. It was then that President Cleveland demonstrated to me his great ability as a strong, judicious executive. He took the ground that the government had strong constitutional rights which must be maintained, and authority that could not be ignored. When the President understood that it was the purpose of the agitators to do as they pleased regardless of all principles of law and order, he stated in the most positive terms that this would not be permitted so long as he exercised executive authority ; and he directed me to return immediately to Chicago and take such measures as would insure the mainte- nance of law and order, and especially the authority of the United States, and gave me the assurance that whatever assistance and force I might require would be furnished. It then took twenty-four hours to go from Washing- 254 COMMANDING MIDDLE DIVISION ttitl to Chicago, atld while I was on my way troops were being assembled from military stations near the Lakes as far east As Buffalo, alid from the West as fat as Kansas and Nebraska. Forty-eight hours later there were ileatly three thousand troops — in- fantry, artillery, arid cavalry — ^assembled in Chicago, aiid placed in the most strategic positions in anticipa- tion of any serious disturbahce. Fortunately timely actibii was taken irl moving the troops to Chicago, but even then in some eases the troops themselves were obliged to take possession of the trains and run them in order to reach the city. Then commenced the process of opening the mail communications; first, by putting gtlards on the roads to protect the ttiail routes, theii in dispersing the iriobs which had gathered to itiolest them. An effort was made at that tithe to start a sympathetic strike, embracing all the tneti employed in the vari- ous industries in that great city. A meeting was held on the evening of July 8th, which was attended by some two httridred arid forty rhembers of the different OrganizationSj rcpresentitlg more than a huhdred thousand men, and efforts were rnade to induce them to order a strike of all the different organizations. On that occasion their principal leader addressed the meeting twice, and in the course Of his remarks proclaittied that this Was no longer a strike but a rebellion. Then he qualified it by saying an "in- dustrial rebellion." But it Itiade very little differ- ence what adjective he used in describitig a re- volt agairtst the civil government as a "rebellion." He and his associates were assuming to disregard 2SS SERVING THE REPUBLIC and overawe the civil government of the coun- try. They did not succeed in caUing out from their various occupations the men engaged in all the in- dustries of that city, but the strikers and rioters did have the full sympathy of many of the people. A mob assembled near the slaughter-houses com- posed of nearly ten thousand men. It moved along the line of the Rock Island Railroad, overturning and looting cars, burning a station, and committing vari- ous acts of violence. The cry was raised "to with the government." They were dragging a rope and shouting the names of the prominent men they were going to hang when they reached the center of the city, and discussing the banks and Sub-Treasury vaults they were going to loot when they should get to that part of the city where these moneyed institu- tions were located. The police stood idly by and witnessed the unlawful acts, making no effective efforts to check them, and if it had not been for the prompt movement of a body of troops to 12th Street, taking position across the line of march, most serious disturbances would have occurred on that day. It was learned that all of the gun-stores, including the great wholesale and retail establishments of the city, had been sold out. In an interview with the Mayor of the city he stated to me that the leaders, who had given him a very large vote in the former election, had informed him that they might have to have a civil war in order to obtain their rights. He was asked what rights they claimed that were not protected by the general 256 COMMANDING MIDDLE DIVISION government, the State of Illinois, and the govern- ment of that municipality. At the same time he was informed that the government authorities were not there to interfere with the administration of his office, but that it was the duty of the United States govern- ment to protect the Sub-Treasury, the United States Court, the United States mail routes, and that if the people desired a revolution or rebellion they could make the city a Sumpter whenever they liked, and we would produce another Appomattox within a week; that if there were not sufficient troops in that vicinity to assert the authority of the United States, fifty thousand men, if that number were necessary, would be immediately assembled from different parts of the country, and especially from the South, where they had excellent militia and were not troubled with disturbances of that kind. I knew this from the con- versation with President Cleveland. I, in fact, sug- gested it, if such a measure became necessary to maintain law and order. The Mayor said the police could not control the mobs. Then he was informed that there would be no mobs if the police were ordered to prevent their assembling; that every street and alley was under police control ; and under the laws of Illinois he had authority to call upon the State troops in the city and in the State for sufficient force to maintain law and order; and he was also informed that if the police again permitted another mob to as- semble and move in a menacing attitude toward the Sub-Treasury, where millions of money belonging to the people of the United States was held, it would be the duty of the military to protect the government 257 SERVING THE REPUBLIC treasure, even if it had to use infantry, artillery, and cavalry jji the most effective manner. That night orders were given to the police to pre^ vent the assembling of lawless mobs, and none have sii^ce appPaned in the streets of Chicago. Whatever changes are made in the statu? of labor or of the different strata of society, as between those of wealth, those in moderate circumstances, and those in the humblest condition, these must be brought about by moral influence, by fair and honorable disr cussion, by civiq reformation and by the modification of laws governing society, rather than by acts of vior lence and lawlessness. A CQpdition of quiet was maintained for several weeks, which resulted in the restoration of harmony, and the retupi of men to their various occupatipns. The trpops were then moved to a good encampment some tew or fifteen miles from the city, on the lake shore, where autumn manoeuvers were held, which were very beneficial to, and much enjoyed by the large nimaber pf troops brought together on that occasion, after which they were returned to their stations in different parts of the country. XIV COMitANDIiSTG TitE ARMY IN October, 1894, I was transferred from the De- partment of the Lakes to the Department of the East, with headquarters at Governors Island, New York. Irhis is the most deHghtftil station iii the United States, and is located at what was formerly the seat of government of Colonial Manhattan. It has athdiig its many advantages that of being in close proximity to all that is most desirable in a great metropolis, and yet, by reason of its position in the harbor, capable of preserving an isolation like that belonging to a country estate. The command embraced all the troops iii the Atlantic Stateis as well as some stationed dii the Gulf Coast. The year in New York was one of the pleasantest in my military life. One advantage of that command was that it brought me iiito cbntact or communica- tion with many of the leading men of our country at New York; the Mecca of our lahdj where all ouir people go for businesis, pleasurcj or for political in- terests; It is also the great gateway of our country through which our people go and return front all parts of the world. I met many interesting foreigners. It was also tny duty to call officially upon all the 259 SERVING THE REPUBLIC prominent officials of the armies and navies of the world who visited the port in an official capacity. It possessed a healthful climate at all seasons of the year, and I presume one thing that made that station enjoj'^able was the prospect of going from there, after a year's service, to the command of the United States army, to which I was assigned by the President in the following order : General Orders, War Department, No. S3. Washington, D.C, October 2, 1895. By direction of the President, Major-General Nelson A. Miles is assigned to the command of the Army of the United States. Daniel S. Lamont, Secretary of War. On going to Washington I issued the following order : General Orders, Headquarters of the Army, No. 54. Washington, October 5, 1895. By direction of the President, the undersigned hereby assumes command of the Army of the United States. (Signed) Nelson A. Miles, Major-General. The army then numbered 25,000 men. That num- ber had become crystallized to such an extent that the politicians and people thought there must be some significance in it, and that the army of the United States should not be more nor less than 25,000. Years before it had varied in the scale of numbers from 1,000 to nearly 60,000 ; but for almost a quarter of a century it had remained as I found it. It was 260 COMMANDING THE ARMY defectively organized, and the system of promotion most discouraging, so much so that many good officers left the service. At one time I had on my staff an excellent officer, Lieutenant Davis, who had been a lieutenant thirty years. My efforts to improve the conditions of the army will be found in official reports and recommendations. At the time of my being assigned to the command of the army the entire forti- fication system was passing through a transition period. The armament of our coast defenses, which had been effective during the great Civil War against wooden ships, had in 1895 become obsolete. Even the great stone and brick fortifications that had cost many millions of dollars were worthless against mod- ern guns and projectiles. A fort that could stand the fire of guns used in i860 would be more dangerous to the men inside than to those outside, because the power of the modern gun is such that it is capable of throwing a projectile weighing more than a thou- sand pounds entirely through the walls of such a fort and then have force enough left to pass through an- other of the same dimensions. It was difficult to make Congress understand the great change that had been wrought in ordnance during the last few decades. Still it is gratifying to know that our coast defenses for all the ports of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts are now in a practically strong and safe condi- tion, although the cost of putting them in that con- dition has been near two hundred million dollars, and more will be required to fully supply them with suit- able ammunition. This change of defenses neces- sitated an increase in the personnel, especially of the 18 261 SERVING THE REPUBLIC artillery, and gave an opportunity for its better or- ganization. During the spring of 1897 a war occurred between Turkey and Greece, and I was ordered to Europe to observe the military operations of that war. I ac- cordingly left Washington May 4th. This duty, to- gether with the duty enjoined by an order to repre- sent the War Department at the Queen's Jubilee on the sixtieth anniversary of the accession of Victoria, and an additional order to attend the autumn manoeuvers of the Russian, German, and French armies, gave me an opportunity of seeing all the principal armies of Europe. The Turkish army, which we hear less about than any other, is a well-organised, disciplined army, num- bering at that time seven hundred thousand effective men. It is trained to look upon the Sultan as the spiritual head of their religion on earth. This has the effect on the mind of the Turk of inspiring the belief that in serving his Sultan he is serving his God. There is certainly one advantage in their religion, in that it maintains absolute sobriety. The use of liquor is ab- horrent to the Mohammedan, and results in their artay being an absolutely temperate organization. The personnel of their army is made Up of strong men, and their military establishment is conducted with great economy. They take pride in having maintained their position against the European governments who moved against them either jointly or Separately. I had an audience with the Sultan, and was cordially received by the high officials of the Turkish army. The manner of his assuming sovereign power, the fact 262 COMMANDING THE ARMY of his keeping his elder brother g, prisoner in a palace just above Constantinople on the Bosphorus for over twenty years, had prejudiced me somewhat before meeting him. On seeing him I found a man of small stature, keen, sharp face, cold, black, cruel eyes, black hair, and full beard. In conversation I found him thoroughly famihar with military affairs and deeply interested in the condition of his army. Great reverses occur in political as well as in all other walks of life, and it is somewhat remarkable that, after thirty years, the man then occupying such an autocratic position is now a prisoner practically in the same condition as his brother was at the time, and his brother enjoys the liberty and authority which he had been deprived of for so many years. On leaving Constantinople the journey down the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmora, and the Hellespont was most agreeable, and gave me an opportunity of seeing the heavy fortifications guarding the Dar- danelles. On arriving at Athens I reported to the Secretary of War, who gave me every facility for visiting the army then occupied against the Turks in the north of Greece. I found it bivouacked very near the Pass of Thermopylae. This gave me an op- portunity of not only seeing the two armies in battle arrayed, but also of riding over the historic ground where the Spartans fought and fell twenty-four hun- dred years before in their battle with the Persians. Greece was to me the most interesting country I vis- ited in Europe. The ruins of its colossal monuments and temples are still an evidence of that marvelous, intellectual, ancient civilization that existed when a 263 SERVING THE REPUBLIC good part of the rest of the world was in the gloom of barbarism. I had a very good opportunity of seeing the Italian and Austrian armies, which were in splendid condition, and fortunately for those countries have not been required to engage in serious campaigning for many years. The French soldier, individually, in uniform and equipment, appears the least attractive; yet when seen in large bodies the army appears to be thoroughly organized and well disciplined, their field manoeuvers quite as good as anything I saw in Eu- rope. Germany is one vast military camp, where all the male population is required to be thoroughly drilled and disciplined. The German armament, equipment, and uniforms are most effective and attractive. Still the expense of maintaining such a strong military force is a heavy burden to the country. One evidence of this is seen in the fact that a large part of the labor of the country is per- formed by the women. Second after Greece, Russia was the most interest- ing country to me, as it was so unlike our own country or any other part of Europe. Quite different in race, language, and religion, it has grown during a thou- sand years from a wild tribe to a mighty empire, extending its power over the continents of both Europe and Asia. There are not more than five per cent, of its people able to read, yet it is making prog- ress toward enlightened civilization. The people are a strong, hardy race, and the army well officered and disciplined. I was granted an audience by the Emperor, whom 264 COMMANDING THE ARMY I found a most courtly, dignified gentleman. Not only was he well informed on all military matters, but he seemed to be interested chiefly in the develop- ment of his country, especially that vast wilderness of Siberia, whose condition is very much like that of our western country a few years ago. He had been over the zone of the Trans-Siberian Railway before he became Emperor, and was at the time president of the company. I found him quite familiar with the history of the development of our western country and the advantage derived from railway communica- tions, and that he hoped to follow our example by di- viding the unoccupied land into small sections to be given to actual settlers, and thereby producing a nation of patriotic home-builders similar to our own. The celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the accession of Victoria was to me the most interesting event of my visit to Europe. The reign of Victoria, Queen of England and Em- press of India, was in many respects the most re- markable in history. Ascending the throne at the age of eighteen, a devoted wife and mother, a kind- hearted, noble woman, she blessed those nearest and dearest to her. She possessed a heart of such be- nevolence that she could forgive those who, on five different occasions, sought to take her life. Her mind was richly stored with valuable information; she was governed by generous impulses, strong convic- tions, and noble purpose. During the long vista of years of her sovereignty other nations had gone into decay; but Great Britain steadily developed into a mighty empire, embracing more than one-quarter of 26s SERVING THE REPUBLIC the human race and extending over more than eleven million square miles of territory. In celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the acces- sion of this gracious sovereign there was manifested a love and devotion such as had never before been witnessed. It frequently brought tears of joy to her eyes. She WaS regarded by her people from every quarter of the globe as the most womanly queen and the most queenly woman that ever graced a home and a throne. It was a manifestation of gratitude to the wise and benevolent sovereign who had done so much to promote the strength, progress, and wel- fare of that mighty empire. The representatives of the civil government were a body of strong, intellec- tual men, and the military and naval power was of the highest order. The army, commanded by Lord Wolseley, was in excellent condition. Its appearance in uniform, equipment, and efficiency was equal to that of any of the armies of Europe. The British navy, consisting of 467 war vessels, was manned by 100,000 men. Out of this were gathered, under Admiral Sir Nowell Salmon, at Portsmouth, England, a fleet of 168 battleships and cruisers, manned by 38,000 men. Such a display of sea power had never before been witnessed. My observation of the affairs of Europe was made under the most favorable circumstances. How long war will continue to excite the ambition, the passions, avarice, and applause of the human race it is impos- sible to determine. How long great armies and navies have been gathered for the gratification of rulers to acquire, protect, or desolate countries, re- 266 COMMANDING THE ARMY sent petty insults between sovereigns, or decide great international controversies, no one can tell. The present standing armies of Europe approximate in strength four million men, imposing a colossal burden upon the people. I could not but rejoice that our Republic is located between two great oceans, with no menacing and threatening neighbors, requiring the maintenance of a great standing army similar to those maintained by other countries. Still, I realized the danger of going to the other extreme, and by over- confidence, apathy, or indifference reach a degree of weakness that would tempt the ambitions or avarice of foreign powers. I therefore resolved that as far as possible, during the time that I should hold the important position I then occupied, I would use all the influence I could control to have adopted a system which I had recommended for years, this system hav- ing a "fixed standard for the physical force of the nation that would be commensurate with our neces- sities and development. I have therefore urged that the government decide upon what percentage of the physical strength of the nation should be instructed, trained, and prepared for war purposes; and if our government could be persuaded to adopt such a standard, the numbers to be increased every decade in accordance with the growth of the nation, it would be the safest and wisest policy, and in time we could com- mend it to thefavorable consideration of other nations. It is gratifying to know that our government did shortly afterward adopt, and has since maintained, such a policy, and I consider the system advisable and judicious. 267 XV THE WAR WITH SPAIN A FTER the great war, when the nation disbanded the r\ best fire-tried army on earth, many of our ablest statesmen and soldiers believed the Republic should maintain a well-equipped army of 100,000. Con- gress authorized 54,000, then cut it down to 25,000, where it remained for twenty-four years. To inspire the army with new life after years of discouragement was most difl&cult. The threatened war with Spain turned the atten- tion of our people to our military necessities and the need of a stronger physical force for the nation. As to the necessity of the war with Spain, it is believed that arbitration could have settled the international controversy. We know from the statement of our own Minister at Madrid, General Stewart L. Wood- ford, that the Spanish Ministry and the Queen Regent tried loyally and in good faith to grant and enforce such autonomy as they thought would secure peace and order in Cuba. I had a good opportunity of knowing the disposition of many of the prominent men of our country, especially President McKinley and his Cabi- net, and I know that only one of the latter was in favor of war. I know that the Secretary of State, John Sherman, one of the few pre-eminent statesmen 268 THE WAR WITH SPAIN of our country, was decidedly opposed to it, and deemed it absolutely unnecessary; whereas, on the other hand, I heard a conversation between one member of the Cabinet and an assistant secretary, which was as follows : The assistant secretary said to the member of the Cabinet, ' ' What are you doing to- ward getting up a war with Spain ?" The member of the Cabinet replied, "I am practically alone in the administration, but I am doing all I can to bring it about." The assistant secretary, with great gusto, replied, "Thank God! thank God!" Such was the sentiment of the administration and many of those who were best informed as to the condition of affairs, but the advocacy of certain of the press journals as well as the clamor of a portion of our people con- tinued imtil the war frenzy predominated. The send- ing of the battleship Maine to Spanish waters was most unfortunate at that time. Her destruction in the harbor of Havana prgcipiiated the war with Spain. I have never believed that the disaster was caused by the Spanish government nor its officials or agents. They certainly had no motive for such a crime, and every reason to avoid it. Terrible ex- plosions have occurred since at the Naval Proving Grounds, at Indian Head, Maryland; at the Dupont Powder Works, Delaware; at the California Powder Works, and at the Mare Island Powder Arsenal, Cali- fornia, as well as in other places. I believe that the disaster resulted from internal rather than external causes. The unanimity of the war spirit at that time was more general than in any of our previous wars. Con- 269 SERVING THE REPUBLIC gress appropriated $50,000,000 for war purposes, to be disbursed at the discretion of the President. This was used in equipping our coast defenses and the purchase of ships, arms, and munitions of war of every description. The regular army, though small, was the best con- ditioned of any military body in the world. In the Civil War and Indian wars our officers had had more experience in desperate battles and severe campaigns than the officers of any other army. The men were a body of trained athletes, well disciplined and ex- cellent marksmen. When the call for volunteers was made the en- thusiasm was intense, and recruiting stations were crowded; applications by thousands were made to the President and the Governors of States to raise companies, battalions and regiments, and all kinds of political pressure was used to obtain commissions. As commanding general of the Army it was my duty to recommend what force I deemed requisite, and yet upward of 100,000 more men were accepted than could possibly be required or equipped. Our condition was similar to that of Wellington in Spain, when he wrote, "An army well equipped, disci- plined, officered, and instructed is far more effective than a larger one without these essential condi- tions." When orders were received to mobilize the troops of the regular army, they were not only ready and prepared, but actually moved as soon as the railroads could furnish transportation, some within twenty- four hours, and all within five days. As soon as Con- 270 THE WAR WITH SPAIN gress authorized a declaration of war, a proclamation was issued by the President April 25, 1898, and our available military fotces mobilized at New Orleans, Mobile, and Tafflpa, with a large reserve force at Chickamauga. Our Asiatic fleet, which had been disciplined and thoroughly drilled to the highest degree of efficiency by Admiral McNair, was taken from Hong-Kong, China, to Manila Bay by Admiral Dewey, and on May 1st sunk or captured the Spanish fleet. This splendid victory destroyed the Spanish sea-power on the Pacific. On May 3d, before we had received official information of the naval engagement, I recommended that troops be sent there under General Anderson, and designated the regiments and batteries, together with high-power guns, mortars, and ammunition, to fortify and hold certain strategic positions in the archipelago, believing that our government Would always hold strong naval stations in the Orient; but I did not suppose we would ever assume to acquire territory against the will of the people thereof- The troops were sent under Generals Anderson and Merritt, but the fortifications are still in process of construction. A strong corps of 15,000 tnen were sent to the Philippine Islands and landed near Manila on June 30th. They found the Filipino troops with a line of battle fourteen miles long, numbering more than 12,000 men, occupying strong positions encir- cling the Spanish tfoops holding the city of Manila. The Filipino troops had been actively engaged against the Spanish forces in the archipelago, had captured the garrisons outside the city of Manila, and made 271 SERVING THE REPUBLIC prisoners of 4,000 officers and soldiers. As a result of the combined action of the United States naval and military forces, together with those of the Filipino troops under Aguinaldo, the city of Manila formally surrendered on August 14, 1898, thus closing hostili- ties between American and Spanish forces in the Orient. It is sometimes easy for the thoughtless and in- experienced to involve a country in war, but dis- astrous when they attempt to direct its military forces. In the East the cry was "On to Havana!" as it had been "On to Berlin!" and "On to Rich- mond!" This became so intense that even the con- servative administration was over-persuaded. On May 8th I was directed to take an army of 70,000 men and capture Havana, and in compliance therewith immediately sent orders in detail directing the movement. I appreciated in the highest degree the command of an army to invade a foreign country in a just cause, yet, my sense of duty, not only to my country, but to the brave men who composed that army, prompted me to sacrifice every personal consideration and ex- plain to the President the real military conditions, as he had evidently been misinformed. I told him that there were within a short distance of Havana 125,000 Spanish troops with over 100 field guns, besides the 125 heavy guns in strong, fortified positions; that the Spanish troops had approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition per man ; that while I was very anxious to go, and while the morale of the army was most excellent, the most serious difficulty was that there 272 THE WAR WITH SPAIN was not enough ammunition in the country, outside of the amount then being sent to the PhiUppine Islands, and a small amount required for coast de- fense, available for an army of 70,000 men to fight one battle, and that our cartridge factories could not mantifacture an adequate amount in eight weeks' time; that placing an army in such condition on a foreign island in midsummer, with the possibility of the enemy controlling the seas behind it, would be extremely hazardous; that the policy of storming heavily fortified positions had long since become obsolete, and that strategy was far more advisable than the useless sacrifice of life. Upon this informa- tion the President suspended the order, and thereby saved many thousands of lives, and possibly a national disaster, by adopting more judicious measures. The war was strictly a naval problem at first. Should the Spanish navy prove superior to ours it would sweep the seas, thus rendering it impossible for us to move either to the islands in the Orient or the Caribbean Sea. On the other hand, should our navy prove superior the withdrawal of the Spanish forces from those islands would have been impossible. The island of Cuba, from 30 to 120 miles wide, and nearly 800 miles long, was occupied by Spanish troops, variously reported from 80,000 to 200,000 strong, contending against Cuban forces under Gomez and Garcia. Porto Rico is an island 3,606 square miles in area, having a population of nearly 1,000,000 people, and was occupied by 17,000 troops, regulars and volunteers, under the Spanish flag. Under these conditions the best policy was following the well- 273 SERVING THE REPUBLIC known principle of cutting the enemy's force in two and overpowering the weaker wing first. Porto Rico and the eastern half of the island of Cuba were the objective points, in my judgment, for the active opera- tions of our army. While I was advocating this I received a cablegram from Europe, signed by Mr. Andrew Carnegie, saying that the Spanish officials were anxious that we should attack Havana, knowing it to be heavily fortified and defensible. In the same despatch that patriotic philanthropist advised the taking of Porto Rico first, for its effect in Europe. I laid this before President McKinley and his Cabinet. Until the supremacy of the naval forces on the Atlantic was determined, and while our great force of volunteers was being organized and equipped, it was deemed advisable to reinforce the Cuban revolu- tionists in every way possible, and thousands of rifles and great quantities of ammunition, with military stores, were sent to them by different expeditions, commanded by Lieutenant Crofton, Captain O'Con- nell, and Lieutenant-Colonel Dorst. In order to pro- mote the esprit de corps of the army, I issued the following order May 30, 1898: Headquarters op the Army, Washington, D.C, May 30, 1898. After a prolonged period of peace our army is once more called upon to engage in war in the cause of justice and humanity. To bring the military forces to the highest state of efficiency and most speedily accomplish what is expected should be the earnest effort and call forth the best energy of all its members of whatsoever station. The laws and regulations which govern military bodies in civilized countries have been developed to their present perfection through the experience of hundreds of years, and 274 THE WAR WITH SPAIN the faithful observance of those laws and regulations is essential to the honor and efficiency of the army. All authority should be exercised with firmness, equity, and decorum on the part of superiors, and should be respected by implicit obedience and loyal support from subordinates. Every officer of whatever grade will, so far as may be in his power, guard and preserve the health and welfare of those under his charge. He must labor diligently and zealously to perfect himself and his subordinates in military drill, in- struction, and discipline; and above all he must constantly endeavor by precept and example to maintain the highest character, to foster and stimidate that true soldierly spirit and patriotic devotion to duty which must characterize an effective army. The Majof^Cjeneral Commanding confi- dently trusts that eVery officer and soldier in the service of the Republic, each in his proper sphere, will contribute his most zealous efforts to the end that the honor and char- acter of the army may be preserved untarnished and its best efforts Crowned with success. This order is given upon a day sacred to the memory of the heroic dead whose services and sacrifices afford us exatnple and inspiration, and it is expected that all will be fully impressed with the sacred duty imposed upon the army by the government of our beloved country. (Signed) Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding. The reports of conditions of affairs at Tampa, Florida, became such that 1 determined to take the field in person. On arriving at Tampa, I found great confusion and the place crowded with an indiscriminate accumula- tion of supplies and war materials. The confusion was occasioned partly by the want of rail facilities and partly by the system of loading and invoicing war material. The sidetracks of the railroads from the port of Tampa to Columbia, South Carolina, were 275 SERVING THE REPUBLIC blocked with cars and trains, and this caused great difficulty in properly equipping an expedition for effective war service. Definite information having been received that Cervera's fleet had been inclosed in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba by our navy, and an appeal made by the Navy Department for assistance from the military, the importance of sending an expedition to assist in the capture of Cervera's fleet was appre- ciated, and every effort made to expedite its embarka- tion, though the transportation furnished was limited and totally inadequate. Finding that General Shafter was seriously affected by the intense heat, and know- ing the importance of the enterprise, I telegraphed for authority to go with the expedition, but the re- quest was unanswered, and the corps under General Shafter was embarked and sailed June 14th. The next day I received the following order, dated, "Washington, D.C., June 15, 1898": Major-General Miles, Tampa, Fla. Important business requires your presence here. Return at once. Answer. (Signed) R. A. Alger, Secretary of War. A few weeks before two brave young officers, Lieut. A. S. Rowan and Lieut. H. H. Whitney, left Washington to learn the condition of the Spanish military forces in Cuba and Porto Rico. They returned to the army headquarters the last of June, bringing important information. Lieutenant Rowan had reached General Garcia in the eastern 276 THE WAR WITH SPAIN part of Cuba, and on his return was accompanied by two officers of General Garcia's staff, Brig.-Gen. En- rique CoUaza and Lieut. -Col. Carlos Hernandez. From them I obtained information concerning the active measures of that very able Cuban general, and after remaining for a short time they were sent back with the following letter, containing five re- quests that became important orders: Headquarters of the Army, In the Field, Tampa, Fla., June 2, 1898. Dear General: — I am very glad to have received your officers, Brig.-Gen. Enrique CoUaza and Lieut.-Col. Carlos Hernandez, the latter of whom returns to-night with our best wishes for your success. It would be a very great assistance if you could have as large a force as possible in the vicinity of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba and com- municate any information by signals which Colonel Hernan- dez will explain to you, either to our navy or to ovir army on its arrival, which we hope will be before many days. It would also assist us very much if you could drive in and harass any Spanish troops near or in Santiago de Cuba, threatening or attacking them at all points and preventing by every possible means any reinforcements coming to that garrison. While this is being done, and before the arrival of our army, if you can seize and hold any commanding position to the east or west of Santiago de Cuba, or both, that would be advantageous for the use of our artillery, it will be exceedingly gratifying to us. With great respect and best wishes, I remain. Very respectfully, (Signed) Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding United States Army. Lieutenant-General Garcia, Cuban Army. This letter was sent in anticipation of the move- ment of the command under General Shafter, which 19 277 SERVING THE REPUBLIC sailed twelve days later. Colonel Hernandez left Key West with it June 2d; General Garcia received it June 6th, and I received his reply by cable June 9th, of which the following is a copy: Mole St. Nicholas (via Washington), June 9, 1898. General Miles, Commanding United States Army: Garcia's reply on June 6th to your letter of June 2d: "Will take measures at once to carry out your recom- mendation, but concentration of force will require some time. Roads bad and Cubans scattered. Will march with- out delay. Santiago de Cuba well fortified with advanced intrenchments, but believe good artillery position can be taken. Spanish force approximates 12,000 between Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, 3,000 militia. Will maint&in a Cuban force near Holguin to prevent sending reinforce- ments to Santiago." The above given to me by Admiral Sampson to forward to you. (Signed) Allen. Also, the following extract from a cablegram from Admiral Sampson to the Secretary of the Navy, which was repeated to me at Tampa June 12 th for my in- formation : Mole St. Nicholas, Haiti. General Miles's letter received through Colonel Hernandez on June 6th. Garcia regards his wishes and suggestions as orders, and immediately will take measures to concentrate forces at the points indicated, but he is unable to do so as early as desired on account of his expedition to Banes Port, Cuba, but he will march without delay. All of his subordi- nates are ordered to assist to disembark the United States troops and to place themselves under orders. Santiago de Cuba well fortified, with advanced intrenchments, but he believes position for artillery can be taken as Miles desires. Approximate twelve thousand (12,000) regular and three thousand (3,000) militia between Santiago and Guantanamo. 278 SERVING THE REPUBLIC He has sent force in order to prevent aid going to Santiago from Holguin. Repeats every assurance of good will and desires to second plans. Sampson. It will be observed that General Garcia regarded my requests as his orders and promptly took steps to execute the plan of operation. He sent 3 ,000 men to check any movement of the 12,000 Spaniards sta- tioned at Holguin. A portion of this latter force started to the relief of the garrison at Santiago, but was successfully checked and turned back by the Cuban forces under General Feria. General Garcia also sent 2,000 men under Perez to oppose the 6,000 Spaniards at Guantanamo, and they were successful in their object. He also sent i ,000 men under General Rios against the 6,000 men at Manzanillo. Of this garrison, 3,500 men started to reinforce the garrison at Santiago, and were engaged in no less than thirty combats with the Cubans on their way before reach- ing Santiago, and would have been stopped had General Garcia's request of June 27th, for permission to attack them, been granted. With an additional force of s,ooo men. General Garcia besieged the garri- son of Santiago, taking up a strong position on the west side and in close proximity to the harbor, and he afterward received General Shafter and Admiral Sampson at his camp near that place. He had troops in the rear as well as on both sides of the garrison at Santiago before the arrival of our troops. It will thus be seen that the Cuban troops took an active and most important part in that campaign, and are entitled to credit accordingly. The expedition against Santiago, commanded by 280 THE WAR WITH SPAIN Major-General Shafter, landed at Daiquiri and Siboney June 22d, 23d, and 24th. The true history of the sub- sequent movements and engagements of the expedition against the garrison of Santiago will be noted in the following communications and reports of command- ing officers there engaged. On July 2d the following despatch was received: Siboney (via Playa del Este), July I, 1898. Adjutant-General's Office, United States Army, Washington, D. C. Had a very heavy engagement to-day, which lasted from 8 A. M. to sundown. We have carried their outer works and are now in possession of them. There is now about three- quarters of a mile of open country between our lines and the city. By morning troops will be intrenched and consider- able augmentation of force will be there. General Lawton's division and General Bates's brigade, which have been en- gaged all day in carrying El Caney, which was accomplished at 4 p. M., will be in line and in front of Santiago during the night. I regret to say that our casualties will be about 400. Of these not many are killed. W. H. Shafter, Major-General. On the next day the following despatch was re< ceived : Playa del Este, July 3, 1898. Secretary op War, Washington, D.C. We have the town well invested on the north and east but with a very thin line. Upon approaching this we find it of such a character and the defenses so strong it will be im- possible to carry it by storm with my present force, and I am seriously considering withdrawing about five miles and taking, up a new position on the high ground between the Santiago River and Siboney, with our left at Sardinero, 281 SERVING THE REPUBLIC so as to get our supplies, to a large extent, by means of the railroad, which we can use, having engines and cars at Sibo- ney. Our losses up to date will aggregate 1,000, but list has not yet been made; but little sickness outside of ex- haustion from intense heat and exertion of the battle of the day before yesterday, and the almost constant fire which is kept up on the trenches. Wagon road to the rear is kept up with some difficulty on account of rains, but I will be able to use it for the present. General Wheeler is seriously ill and will probably have to go to the rear to-day. General Young also very ill, confined to his bed. General Hawkins slightly wounded in foot. During sortie enemy made last night, which was handsomely repulsed, the behavior of the regular troops was magnificent. I am urging Admiral Sam- son to attempt to force the entrance to the harbor and will have a consultation with him this morning. He is coming to the front to see me. I have been unable to be out during the heat of the day for four days, but am retaining the com- mand. General Garcia reported he holds the railroad from Santiago to San Luis and has burned a bridge and removed some rails; also that General Pando has arrived at Palma and that the French Constd, with about 400 French citizens, came into his lines yesterday from Santiago. Have directed him to treat them with every courtesy possible. Shafter, Major-General. On receipt of the above cablegram, President McKinley directed me to go to Santiago and givfe such orders as might be required for the welfare and success of the army. I cabled the following answer to give encouragement and prevent a retrograde movement: HEAbQUARtERS OP THE ArMY, Washington, D.C., July 3, 1898. General Shafter, Playa del Este, Cuba. Accept my hearty congratulations on the record made of magnificent fortitude, gallantry, and sacrifice displayed in the desperate fighting of the troops before Santiago. I real- 282 THE WAR WITH SPAIN ize the hardships, diffictilties, and sufferings, and am proud that amid those terrible scenes the troops illustrated such fearless and patriotic devotion to the welfare of our country and flag. Whatever the results to follow their unsurpassed deeds of valor, the past is already a gratifying chapter of history. I expect to be with you within one week with strong reinforcements. Miles, Major-General, Commanding. The following replies were received : Headquarters Fifth Army Corps, Near Santiago, Playa del Este, July 4, 1898. Major-General Nelson A. Miles, Commanding the Army of the United States, Washington, D.C. I thank you in the name of the gallant men I have the honor to command for splendid tribute of praise which you have accorded them. They bore themselves as American soldiers always have. Your telegram will be published at the head of the regiments in the morning. I feel that I am master of the situation and can hold the enemy for any length of time. I am delighted to know that you are com- ing that you may see for yourself the obstacles which this army had to overcome. My only regret is the great number of gallant souls who have given their lives for our country's cause. Shafter, Major-General. July 4, 1898. Adjutant-General, Washington. If Sampson will force an entrance with all his fleet to the upper Bay of Santiago we can take the place within a few hours. Under these conditions I believe the town will sur- render. If the army is to take the place I want 15,000 troops speedily, and it is not certain that they can be landed, as it is getting stormy. Sure and speedy way is through the bay. Am now in position to do my part. Shafter, Major-General. 283 SERVING THE REPUBLIC The action of the troops and our fleet had rendered the harbor of Santiago untenable for the Spanish fleet. Without adding to the bitter controversy con- cerning that naval engagement, it is but just to say that Admiral Sampson was entitled to credit for the admirable disposition of the warships. He was also responsible for sending the battleship Massachusetts to, and taking his flagship, the New York, away from the fleet, and would have been responsible had the absence of those battleships been disastrous to our fleet when the enemy moved out, 9:35 A. m., July 3d. Unfortunately for him, he was absent at Siboney on official duty, and although he endeavored, could not return in time to take important part in the engage- ment. The remainder of our fleet, however, under the senior officer present. Admiral Schley, with great skill and valor met, fought, pursued, and destroyed the Spanish fleet. XVI CAMPAIGNING IN CUBA BEFORE leaving Washington, it was my purpose to land sufficient force on the west side of the harbor of Santiago and enfilade the enemy's line and take their position in reverse. I left Washington July 7th, reached Columbia, South Carolina, on the 8th, there took a special train to Charleston, arriving in time to board the fast steamer Yale, already loaded with 1,500 troops, and, with the steamer Columbia accom- panying, arrived opposite the entrance of Santiago harbor on the morning of July nth. The fleet, under command of Admiral Sampson, was then bombarding the Spanish position. Before reaching Santiago, I prepared the following note to Admiral Sampson and forwarded it to him by Captain Wise, commander of the Yale, immediately upon our arrival: Headquarters op the Army, On Board the U.S.S. Yale, off Siboney, Cuba, Jvily II, 1898. Admiral Sampson, Commanding United States Fleet. Sir: — I desire to land troops from the Yale, Columbia, and Duchesse to the west of the Bay of Santiago Harbor and follow it up with additional troops, moving east against the Spanish troops defending Santiago on the west. I will be glad if you can designate the most available point for dis- 285 SERVING THE REPUBLIC embarking the troops and render all the assistance practicable to the troops as they move east. Very respectfully, (Signed) Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding. Admiral Sampson immediately came on board the Yale. I explained to him the purpose of my presence and told him that I desired the co-operation of the navy in the plan above stated. He cordially ac- quiesced in the plan and offered every assistance of his fleet to cover the debarkation of the troops, and also to enfilade the Spanish position with the guns of the ships. When this arrangement had been con- cluded I went on shore and opened communication with General Shafter. I asked him if he had suffi- cient troops on the east side of the harbor of Santiago to maintain his position, and he replied that he had. I then gave directions to General Garretson to disem- bark all the troops on the transports whenever he should receive orders. Having made all arrange- ments for assault, I determined to give the Spanish general an opportunity to surrender and avoid, if pos- sible, the useless sacrifice of life. On the following morning I rode from Siboney to the headquarters of General Shafter. After con- sulting with him, he sent, by my direction, a com- munication to General Toral, saying that the com- manding general of the American army had arrived in his carnp with reinforcements, and that we desired to meet him between the lines at any time agreeable to him. He replied that he would see us at twelve o'clock the following day. That evening I became 286 THE MEETING OP THE GENERALS TO ARRANGE THE SURRENDER AT SANTIAGO DE CUBA CAMPAIGNING IN CUBA apprised of the fact that negotiations regarding a surrender had been pending between the command- ing general and the Spanish commander, but no defi- nite conclusions had been reached. Before leaving Washington I was aware of the fact that yellow fever had developed among our troops, and by this time learned that it had spread so rapidly that there were over a hundred cases, and the medical officers were undecided as to the extent to which it might cripple the command. This was the most serious feature of the situation, and impressed me with the importance of prompt action, and I so informed the authorities by cable, suggesting that it was a case where discretion- ary authority should be granted. At the appointed time, accompanied by Brig. -Gen. J. C. Gilmore and Lieut.-Col. Marion P. Maus, of my staff; Maj.-Gen. Shafter, two of his staff officers, and Major-General Wheeler and Lieutenant Wheeler, I met the Spanish General Toral with two of his staff officers and an interpreter. After some conversation between General Toral and General Shafter, I informed General Toral distinctly that I had left Washington six days before; that it was then the determination of our government that this portion of the Spanish army must either be destroyed or captured; that I was there with sufficient force to accomplish that object; and that if this was not the case any number of troops would be brought there as fast as steamers could carry them, if it took 50,000 men. I told him that we offered him liberal terms — namely, to return his troops to Spain. He said that under the Spanish law he was not permitted to surrender as long as he 287 SERVING THE REPUBLIC had ammunition and food, and that he must main- tain the honor of the Spanish arms. My reply was that he had aheady accompHshed that ; that he must now surrender or take the consequences, and that I would give him until daylight the following morning to decide. He appealed for a longer time, saying that it was impossible for him to communicate with his superiors, and upon his request I granted him until twelve o'clock noon. After thoroughly examining the entire position and riding along the trenches from right to left, I returned to General Shafter's headquarters. Before reaching that point I received the following cablegram from Washington in reply to mine of the evening before: Washington, D.C. (Received at 2:45 p. m.), July 13, 1898. Major-General Miles: You may accept surrender by granting parole to officers and men, the officers retaining their side-arms. The officers and men after parole to return to Spain, the United States assisting. If not accepted, then assault, unless in your judgment an assault would fail. Constilt with Sampson and pursue such cotirse as to the assault as you jointly agree upon. Matter should be settled promptly. R. A. Alger, Secretary of War. This left the matter entirely at my discretion — to accept surrender, order an assault, or withhold the same. I sent the following telegram to Admiral Sampson, again requesting him to be ready to cover landing of the troops in accordance with our previous arrange- ment, and fixing the time at twelve o'clock the fol- lowing day: CAMPAIGNING IN CUBA Headquarters Fifth Army Corps, Camp near Santiago de Cuba, July 13, 1898. Admiral W. T. Sampson, Commanding the United States Naval Forces, North Atlantic Squadron. Sir: — Please have General Henry's command now on Yale, Columbia, and Duchesse ready to disembark at noon to-morrow at Cabanas. Telegraph notification will be sent you at flag station; also at Siboney when to commence the debarkation. Very respectfully. Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding the United States Army. I also sent the following cablegram to General Henry, who had reported for duty and was the senior in command of all the infantry and artillery then on board the transports: Headquarters op the Army, Camp near Santiago, July 13, 1898. General Henry, Commanding Division. Have asked Admiral Sampson to be prepared to cover your debarkation at Cabanas to-morrow after twelve noon, in case Spaniards do not surrender. Notification will be sent to him by telegraph and signals when our troops should go ashore. Make the best use of your troops against the Spanish troops. Avoid surprise and exposing your troops to artillery fire. Miles, Commanding. On the morning of July 14th, Admiral Sampson's fleet was in position to cover the landing of the troops from the transports, which were in the rear and in close proximity to the small harbor of Cabanas, about two and a half miles west from the entrance of the 289 SERVING THE REPUBLIC harbor of Santiago. The ground between the harbor of Cabanas and the right flank of General Shafter's command on the north side of the Bay of Santiago, a distance of between six and seven miles, had been occupied by a small force of Cuban troops, and it was my purpose to occupy this ground with a strong' body of infantry and with some twenty-four pieces of artillery, where the latter could easily reach Morro Castle, as well as enfilade the Spanish lines in front of General Lawton's division. The Spanish commander was well aware of our designs, as the posi- tion and movements of the fleet had been in full view of the officers commanding his troops, and they reported to him having seen fifty - seven vessels, some of them loaded with troops, menacing that part of his position. Before the time, 12 o'clock qn July 14th, I re- ceived the following letter from General Toral; Santiago de Cuba, July 14, 1898. Honored Sir: — His Excellency the General-in-Chief of the Army of the Island of Cuba telegraphed from Havana yesterday at 7 p.m. the following: " Believing the business of such importance as the capitula- tion of that place should be known and decided by the gov- ernment of His Majesty, I give you notice that I have sent the conditions of your telegram, asking an immediate an- swer and enabling you also to show this to the General of the American Army to see if he will agree to await the answer of the Government, which cannot be as soon as the time which he has decided, as communications by way of Ber- muda are more slow than by Key West. In the mean time Your Honor and the General of the American Army may agree upon capitulation on the basis of repatriation (return- ing to Spain)." 290 CAMPAIGNING IN CUBA I have the honor to transmit this to you, in case you may consider the foregoing satisfactory, that we may designate persons in representation of yourself, who, with those in my name, agree to clauses of the capitulation upon the basis of the return to Spain, accepted already in the beginning by the General-in-Chief of this army. Awaiting a reply, I am Very respectfully, your servant, Jose Toral, etc. General-in-Chief op the American Forces. On meeting General Toral by appointment at 12 o'clock that day, under a flag of truce at the same place as before, he stated that he was prepared to surrender his command, and that such action was approved by Captain - General Blanco, who had authorized him to appoint commissioners to agree upon the clauses of capitulation, which he was pre- pared to do, but that before final action it was proper that the government at Madrid should know and approve what was done. He said, however, that he was sure that the government would not fail to endorse his action. His manner was so sincere and the language of General Blanco so positive that I felt no hesitation in accepting it in good faith and stated that we would accept the surrender, under the condition that the Spanish troops should be re- patriated by the United States. General Toral stated that he would surrender all the troops in the Depart- ment of Santiago de Cuba, many of them from seventy to one hundred miles distant. This, to me, was a pleasant surprise. I regarded the surrender as an accomplished fact, and sent the following tele- gram: 291 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Headquarters Cavalry Division, Before Santiago de Cuba, Jtily 14, 1898, 12:55 P- M. The Secretary of War, Washington, D.C. General Toral formally surrendered the troops of his army corps and division of Santiago on the terms and understand- ing that his troops would be returned to Spain. General Shafter will appoint commissioners to draw up conditions of arrangement for carrying out the terms of surrender. This is very gratifying, and General Shafter and the officers and men of his command are entitled to great credit for their tenacity, fortitude, and in overcoming almost insurmountable obstacles which they have encountered. A portion of the army has been infected with yellow fever, and efforts will be made to separate those who are infected and those who are free from it, and to keep those which are still on board ship separated from those on shore. Arrangements will be made immediately for carrying out the further instructions of the President and yourself. Miles, Major-General, Commanding the Army. and informed General Shafter that the commissioners could be appointed in his name. I directed him to name Generals Lawton and Wheeler, and informed him that he could also be one of the number, but he appointed his staff officer instead, Lieutenant Miley, a. very able and gallant officer. After learning the real condition of our troops and their urgent necessities, I gave the following in- structions : Headquarters Cavalry Division, Before Santiago, Cuba, July 14, 1898. General Shafter. Sir: — The Spanish army having surrendered, the terms of capitulation will be carried into effect with as little delay as 292 CAMPAIGNING IN CUBA practicable, on the understanding that these troops be re- turned to Spain at the expense of the United States. You will, with as little delay as practicable, place such troops as are not infected with yellow fever in separate camps, and as soon as practicable report the number that will be available for service with another expedition. These organizations which have been infected with yellow fever will have every effort made to improve their sanitary condition and to check the spread of the disease by placing them in as healthy camps as possible. Respectfully, Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding the Arm^y. The actual surrender occurred on the 14th, but the formal and more spectacular surrender did not occur until the 17th. I returned without delay to Siboney. While en route I became fully apprised of the condition of the troops in the fever hospitals, and realized the great importance of immediate action to avoid the danger threatening the whole command. I had already, on the nth of July, directed the destruction of the in- fected habitations at Siboney and other places, and now ordered the Twenty-fourth Regiment of the United States Infantry to the yellow fever hospitals to police the grounds, nurse the sick, and bury the dead, that entire regiment of colored troops hav- ing volunteered to serve in the infected hospitals. I moved all the troops then on board the transports to Guantanamo. There was some delay in the final arrangement for the removal of the Spanish troops, owing to the non- agreement at first between the two commissions as to the disposition of the small arms; but it was finally settled by leaving it to the decision of our govem- 20 293 SERVING THE REPUBLIC ment, upon the recommendation of our commissioners, that they should be sent to Spain with the troops. My chief desire, after being sure of the surrender of the garrison at Santiago, was to reHeve our troops as speedily as possible by getting them away from the trenches and malarial grounds upon which they were encamped, and orders were sent accordingly. In reply to one the following was received: SiBONEY, July 17, 1898, 8:48 p. M. (Received July 18, 1898.) General Miles, On Board Yale: Letters and orders in reference to movement of camp received and will be carried out. None is more anxious than myself to get away from here. It seems, from your orders given me, that you regard my force as a part of your command. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than serving under you, General, and I shall comply with all your requests and directions, but I was told by the Secretary that you were not to supersede me in command here. I will furnish the information called for as to the condition of the command to Gilmore, Adjutant General, Army Headquarters. Shafter, Major-General. No such order about superseding was ever given to me. The following answer was sent: Headquarters of the Army, Playa del Este, July 18, 1898. General Shafter: Telegram received. Have no desire and have carefully avoided any appearance of superseding you. Your com- mand is a part of the United States Army, which I have had the honor to command, having been duly assigned thereto, and directed by the President to go wherever I thought my presence required and give such general directions as I thought best concerning military matters, and especially 294 CAMPAIGNING IN CUBA directed to go to Santiago for a specific purpose. You will also notice that the order of the Secretary of War of July 13th left the matter to my discretion. I should regret that any event wovdd cause either yourself or any of your com- mand to cease to be a part of mine. Very truly yours, Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding the United States Army. XVII THE CAPTURE OF PORTO RICO I WAS anxious to proceed as quickly as possible to the island of Porto Rico, and so cabled the authori- ties at Washington. After some delay authority was granted, and I started from Guantanamo on July 2ist, with 3,415 infantry and artillery, together with two companies of engineers and one company of the Signal Corps, on nine transports, convoyed by Cap- tain Higginson's fleet, consisting of the battleship Massachusetts (flagship) and two smaller vessels. The Yale and Columbia were armed ships, but, being load- ed with troops, they were practically only available as transports. The above number included the men who were sick, of which there were nearly 100, which reduced our effective force to about 3,300 men, and with that number I moved to the island of Porto Rico, at that time occupied by 8,233 Spanish regulars and 9,107 volunteers. I had discretionary authority, and as Point Fa- jardo was suggested by the naval officers as a suitable place for landing, I at first intended to disembark there, and so reported to the government. For several days I had been anxiously looking for the arrival of tugs, launches, and lighters that had been ordered from Santiago, Washington, and Tampa, 296 THE CAPTURE OF PORTO RICO but none arrived prior to our departure, although I still hoped to meet them as we moved east through the Windward Passage, but none appeared. As all cablegrams concerning our landing-place had passed through foreign cables, and as it was important to deceive the enemy (who, I afterward learned, was then marching to and entrenching the ground we had expected to occupy at Point Fajardo), the question of successfully disembarking the command became a serious one. I finally determined to find a safe harbor and capture from the enemy the necessary appliances for disembarking. So much publicity had been given the enterprise that I decided to do what the enemy least expected, and instead of going to or making a demonstration at Point Fajardo, I decided to go direct to Guanica. We arrived off that point near daylight on July 25th, and the harbor was entered without opposition. The guns of the Gloucester, Commander Wainwright commanding, fired several shots at some Spanish troops on shore. The landing of the marines, sailors, and our troops immediately commenced, and after a short skirmish the Spanish troops were driven from the place. The flag of the United States was raised on the island by my staff officers. General Gilmore and Colonels Maus, Gaskill, Black, and Whitney, making a base of cartridge boxes, and while the officers were distributing cartridges to the brave soldiers the Stars and Stripes were waving the sovereignty of our great Republic. In this movement, as in subsequent ones, I was ably and cordially assisted by the Navy, which ren- 297 SERVING THE REPUBLIC dered valuable aid in disembarking the troops and supplies from the transports, using their steam launch- es to tow the captured lighters loaded with men and animals from the transports to the shore. Ten light- ers were captured at Guanica and seventy at Ponce. In the subsequent military operations in the in- terior I found Lieutenant Whitney's knowle(jige of the country and the information gained by him in his perilous journey through Porto Rico to be in every respect accurate and valuable. At daylight on the 26th of July, with six companies of the 6th Massachusetts and one of the 6th Illinois Infantry, under command of Brigadier-General Gar- retson, an attack was made upon a strong force of Spaniards near Yauco, and after a spirited and de- cisive engagement the enemy was defeated and driven back, giving us possession of the railroads and the high- ways to the city of Ponce, and leaving them open for the march of General Henry's command to that place. On the 27th of July Maj.-Gen. James H. Wilson arrived in the harbor of Guanica with General Ernst's brigade. The same day Commander Davis, of the Dixie, entered the port of Ponce and found that it was neither fortified nor mined. The next morning the fleet and transports with General Wilson's com- mand was moved to the harbor of Ponce a distance of twenty miles, and we took formal possession of the city and adjacent country, the Spanish troops with- drawing on the military road to San Juan, and our troops being pushed well forward in that direction. In the mean time General Henry's command had been directed to move to Ponce, where he arrived shortly 298 THE CAPTURE OF PORTO RICO afterward, joining General Wilson's command. The cable line was soon opened by Colonel Allen and the telegraph system quickly re-established by Maj or Reber . Before landing I was aware of the fact that there existed considerable disaffection among the people in the southern portion of the island, and as our force was so much inferior to the Spanish I deemed it ad- visable, if possible, to encourage this feeling, and also to impress the people of the island with the good intentions of the American forces. The day following the spirited engagements at Guanica and Yauco the villagers who had fled during the affairs came back. Among the number who crowded about our horses as we sat watching the movements of the troops and the return of the ex- cited villagers, was a tall, slender, black-eyed, ven- erable looking Porto Rican, whom I observed coming close up to my horse. Looking me full in the face with the most intense earnestness, he attracted my attention. I spoke to him kindly and asked him what he wanted. He said, in good English, "Is this General Miles?" and he repeated the question after being answered in the affirmative. I reassured him of the fact, when he took, and handed to me, a letter which had been sewed inside of his shirt, written on fine French note-paper in the Spanish language, the translation of which is as follows : To THE Chief of Operations of the Invading Army of THE American Union Citizen: Not knowing exactly how I ought to guide myself in entering into a direct communication with your camp, I direct this to the Chief of Operations to express to you my 299 SERVING THE REPUBLIC duty in these historical moments, and trust in the power of a strong conscience and in the valor of arms as they per- tain to the great issues of liberty and of patriotism in this island. An absolute military censorship shuts out from the city the means of obtaining the news, and I wish that you and your companions may know the true feeling of our municipality. Here we wait with impatience American occupation that comes to break the chain that has been forged constantly during four centuries of infamous spolia- tion, of torpid despotism and shameful moral slavery. When the prows of the American ships entered the. waters of the coast of Guanica to bear to this country political revolution, great confidence was born again; again was awakened the ideal of sleeping patriotism in our consciences, and the lullaby of perfidious promises which have never been ful- filled. An entire city, with the exception of those who live under the shadow of pretense and official immunity, is pre- pared to solemnize the glorious triumph of civilization and offers its blood as a holocaust to such a grand proposition. Let this message bear to you notice that our municipal con- science does not sleep and wait. Here you can count on the great masses who are prepared to second your gigantic strength. All the districts of this jurisdiction are prepared for combat. The districts of the city are also prepared. Men of intrepid heart surround me, ready for the struggle. The only thing that prevents the manifestation of unity is the absolute need of the elements of war. On the other hand, we have already driven from the town the eternal enemies of the rights of Porto Ricans. I do not wish to impose upon my ideas of patriotism the grave responsibility of directing my men upon the enemy without capacity to maintain the struggle. In this moment of activity may this communication serve to dispose you to embrace an oppor- tunity to utilize the services that I offer. Before closing I wish to warn you that at the entrance of this city, on the roads of Adjuntas and Canas, the Spanish government is actively engaged in constructing several trenches to foolish- ly obstruct the march of the army of liberty, and they are concealing themselves in the small neighboring hills and difficult passes in the canons in order to carry out this resistance. 300 THE CAPTURE OF PORTO RICO With many wishes for your health and much appreciation of the great triumph of America, I am Your humble servant, (Signed) Felix Mato Bernier. July 26, 1898. (Ponce, P. R.) The above illustrates the sentiment of the people of Porto Rico, as well as the splendid patriotism and courage that would prompt a man to write such a letter and send it through the Spanish lines, knowing that death, if not torture, awaited him and the mes- senger that conveyed it in case of discovery. In fact, the atrocities that had been perpetrated upon men holding such sentiments would better have be- come the tyrants of the dark ages than of the nine- teenth century. To such a people it was my pleasure to issue the following proclamation: Headquarters op the Army of the United States, Ponce, Porto Rico, July 28, 1898. To THE Inhabitants of Porto Rico: In the prosecution of the war against the Kingdom of Spain by the people of the United States, in the cause of liberty, justice, and humanity, its military forces have come to occupy the Island of Porto Rico. They come bearing the banner of Freedom, inspired by a noble purpose to seek the enemies of our country and yours, and to destroy or capture all who are in armed resistance. They bring you the fostering arm of a nation of free people, whose greatest power is in its justice and humanity to all those living within its folds. Hence the first effect of this occupation will be the immediate release from your former political relations, and it is hoped a cheerful acceptance of the government of the United States. The chief object of the American military forces will be to overthrow the armed authority of Spain and to give to the people of your beautiful island the largest measure of liberty consistent with this military occupation. We have 301 SERVING THE REPUBLIC not come to make war upon the people of a country that for centuries has been oppressed, but, on the contrary, to bring protection, not only to yotirselves but to your property, to promote your prosperity and bestow upon you the im- munities and blessings of the liberal institutions of our government. It is not our purpose to interfere with any existing laws and customs that are wholesome and beneficial to yowc people, so long as they conform to the rules of military administration of law and justice. This is not a war of devastation, but one to give to all within the control of its military and naval forces the ad- vantages and blessings of enlightened civilization. (Signed) Nelson A. Miles, Major-General, Commanding United States Arm-y. Reinforcements arrived under command of Gen- erals Brooke, Haines, and Schwan. The latter with his command made a very spirited and successful campaign against the scattered Spanish forces on the western portion of the island, while the troops under General Wilson captured or routed the Spanish troops in the central portion of the island. In this the Pennsylvania regiment of Colonel Hulings was conspicuous at Coamo, while the troops under Generals Brooke, Ernst, and Haines were actively engaged with or pursuing the enemy at the time the protocol was signed and orders received to suspend military operations. The Spanish troops had been defeated or captured in six different engagements, and driven from every position they had occupied up to that time. Only 6,343 of our troops had been actually engaged, but they had inflicted a loss upon the enemy, in killed, wounded, and captured, of ten times their own losses, and success was the result of the strategy and skil- 302 S t- o o o z M SERVING THE REPUBLIC ful tactics of the generals and the splendid discipline and valor of the troops. At the time the protocol was signed our troops were engaged in actual fighting in Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, 12,500 miles apart, under similar conditions. At the same time preparations were in an advanced stage of progress for a demonstration on the Spanish coast and the islands of Spain in the Mediterranean as well as in the Atlantic, and hostili- ties would have been soon opened there had not the terms of peace been agreed upon. The achievements of our army, notwithstanding the embarrassments of its limited equipment and transportation and the scandal of its corrupt food supply, were successful to a marked and unprece- dented degree. In one hundred days it had added a chapter of glory to our history. The sons of the North, South, East, and West in one common cause for humanity had exhibited patriotism, heroism, and fortitude of the highest degree. The Spanish War was unique in many respects. The campaign had been aggressive from start to finish. Not a single reverse or disaster occurred. Not a single soldier, gun, color, nor an inch of ground was captured by the enemy, which is unusual in the history of wars. Twelve millions of people had been liberated from despotism in the sunlight of liberty and independence. After the capture of Porto Rico I returned to my headquarters at Washington, as important military duties seemed to require my presence there. The government had nearly three hundred thousand men 304 THE CAPTURE OF PORTO RICO in service, and no enemy to oppose. I regarded it as of the first importance that this large force should be disbanded and the great expense to the government discontinued with the least possible delay. I be- lieved that the retention of a large military force was inadvisable, certainly after the protocol was signed and the treaty of peace confiimed between the two countries. I shall always regret that I did not go immediately to the Philippine Islands, as I have al- ways believed that from my experience in other campaigns, and with other people under similar con- ditions I could have prevented any serious con- troversy and certainly hostilities between the military forces of the United States and the millions of people of the archipelago. The people of the Philippine Islands had suffered the oppression of foreign rule for three hundred years, and were entitled to the sympathy of the world. With heroic efforts they had contended against their oppressors; they had produced statesmen and patriots of the highest order. Such men as Jps6 Rizal and Mabine will ever render the history of their race immortal. They had formed a government and framed a constitution copied after our own. They had treated the thousands of prison- ers they had captured so humanely that the Spanish government rewarded Aguinaldo with high honors. XVIII ■ THE CLOSE OF ACTIVE SERVICE IN June, 1900, we were enabled to send a division of troops to Tientsin and Peking, during what was known as the Boxer trouble, in concert with other governments, to re-establish order and to protect our officials and American interests. It is gratifying to know that this division, in point of efficiency and transportation equipment, was far superior to the best European troops engaged in that campaign. In 1902 I visited officially the Pacific Coast, thoroughly examining and inspecting all the coast fortifications, and sailed from the Golden Gate on November ist, arriving at Honolulu, where I in- spected the troops and the military conditions. From there I went to the island of Guam and made an in- spection of that place. There I found Mabine, for- merly Secretary of State of the Philippine Republic, under a double guard of sentinels. He was brought out from his prison room in a man's arms and placed in a chair — emaciated, crippled, paralyzed below the waist, yet mentally a giant. He spoke with great feeling of the misfortune of his country and the op- pression of his race. He said that he "did not know why he was kept a prisoner on a remote island ; that he could do the United States no harm, and that 306 GEN. INIGUEZ CALIXTO GARCIA FELIX MATO BERNIER EMILIO AQUINALDO APOLINARIO MABINI CUBAN, PORTO RICAN, AND PHILIPINO PATRIOTS THE CLOSE OF ACTIVE SERVICE the tomb was not afar." He had a benevolent face and an intellectual head, not unlike Abraham Lin- coln's. I urged his release, but was not able to effect it until my return to Washington. Senator Hoar, in speaking of this man, said that his writings and public documents would compare favorably with those of Thomas Jefferson. In the Philippine Islands I found the condition of the troops excellent, as far as discipline and equip- ment was concerned, but the intense heat was very severe upon aU in the military service. I visited all the military stations of the archipelago. I received a number of complaints of unauthorized and unwar- ranted acts of the military toward prisoners in their hands in order to obtain information concerning arms, numbers, and disposition of the Filipino troops, and I issued rigid orders prohibiting such unjustifiable acts. I would rather that any official act of my life might be erased than to have omitted discharging a duty that was prompted by a sense of justice and humanity, to preserve the good name of our army. The Filipinos are a quiet, industrious, polite people. Many of the better class are college bred; and as for their qualifications for self-government, they have furnished men in great numbers to exercise the duties of civil government in all the variotis positions from Secretary of State, judges, governors of the princi- palities, presidents of the municipal governments, down to the more subordinate positions, both before and since our occupation, and in my judgment the sooner we allow them to establish a government that would be for their benefit as well as ours, both in 307 SERVING THE REPUBLIC close diplomatic and commercial interests, the sooner we will have the glory of having established the first republic in the Orient. From the Philippine Islands I went to Hong-Kong and Canton, China, and thence to Japan. From Nagasaki I went to Port Arthur, where I was re- ceived by Admiral Alexeiefif, commanding the Russian militarj'^ and naval forces. He stated that he had at that time eighty thousand men under his command, and from my conversation with the Russian officers I concluded that they were anticipating war with Japan. From there I went to Tientsin and Peking, where I was granted an audience by the Empress Dowager, whom I found a most interesting character and one of the remarkable sovereigns of the world. During her reign she had brought about many reforms, such as the prohibition of torture, the discouragement of the importation of opium, measures for a constitu- tional government and a parliament, and for the encouragement of education. On leaving Peking I passed over northern China, Manchuria, via the Trans-Siberian Road to Moscow and St. Petersburg. The journey in midwinter was one of the most interesting of my life, as it enabled me to compare that sparsely settled, vast area of country with our Western country. It is much greater in extent, better timbered, well watered, with an abundance of natural resources, very little mountain- ous country, and the zone passed over would compare favorably, as far as climate is concerned, with our own temperate or middle zone. At St. Petersburg, in a con- versation with the War Minister of the Russian Em- 308 THE CLOSE OF ACTIVE SERVICE pire, he informed me that the army was then com- posed of 1,700,000, and with their reserves they could increase their strength to 4,000,000. They were evi- dently anticipating war with Japan, but at no time during that war did they utilize any great portion of their military power. On arriving at Paris, I received an invitation to visit Windsor Castle, England, and was the guest of King Edward, whom I had met before, and whom I regarded as one of the strongest as well as one of the most gracious sovereigns of the world. I returned to Washington on the 1st of February, 1903. Our army being governed not only by statute laws and regulations approved by Congress, but by a code of honor that requires all to maintain it at the highest degree of excellence in action and deport- ment, I issued a general order, defining certain maxims and principles under the captions of Patriotism, Discipline, Physical Development, Self-Respect, Self- Reliance, Resourcefulness, and Professional Knowl- edge. These maxims and principles were subse- quently published and adopted in some of the European armies. Army life had its advantages, amusements, trials, and tragedies, with hopes and ambitions, varied scenes, and, as General Sherman expressed it, "eternal adieus." In retiring from the active duties of the service I published the following order to the army, which I held in the highest regard, and to the service of which I was devoted: 21 309 SERVING THE REPUBLIC General Orders, Headquarters of the Army, No. ii6. Washington, August 5, 1903. In accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress of June 30, 1882, the undersigned will retire from the active service August 8, 1903. In relinquishing the command of the Army of the United States, to which he was assigned by the President October 2, 1895, he hereby acknowledges his appreciation of the fidelity manifested by the officers and soldiers during the past event- ful years. To those who weire his companions and associates during one of the greatest of all wars he takes pleasure in expressing his gratification that they have lived through the trials and dangers of long service to witness the results of their forti- tude, heroism, and unselfish devotion to the welfare of their country. They have also in a most commendable manner exemplified to the younger generation of soldiers those prin- ciples of discipline and patriotism which make the Army the protector and defender, and never the menace, of the nation and its liberties. The time and occasion are considered opportune for ex- pressing to the Army a few thoughts concerning its past and that which may affect its future welfare. It is from the best impressions and influences of the past that the most desir- able results may be realized in the future. Unswerving devotion to our government and the prin- ciples upon which it was established and has been maintained is essential to the efficiency of the national forces, and es- pecially is this so in a democratic government where the individual, in order to be a perfect soldier, must first be a true citizen. The boast that every soldier of a great nation carried a marshal's baton in his knapsack is in a higher sense more than equaled in significance by the fact that every American soldier personifies sovereign citizenship and may by his own conduct exemplify impartial justice to those who have never experienced it, and the results of the highest liberty td those who have been strangers to it, thereby aiding to secure for his country a moral influence not otherwise attainable. During the darkest hour of our history the first commander of the American forces demonstrated the grandeur and no- 310 THE CLOSE OF ACTIVE SERVICE bility of his character by combating the evil influences then pervading the Army and by manifesting the strongest con- fidence and faith in the tdtimate justice and integrity of his government. His words of wisdom uttered at Newburg one hundred and twenty years ago had the effect of inspiring " unexampled patriotism and patient virtue, rising superior to the pressure of the most complicated sufEerings." It is one of the glories of our country that the Army has maintained those principles for more than a century. The commanders of the Army succeeding Washington have by their example, influence, and orders engendered and maintained the highest degree of efficiency, discipline, and patriotism. Since its organization the Army has been charged with a great variety of responsibilities, all subordinate to defending the country and maintaining the rights of its citizens. In the discharge of its manifold duties the Army has con- fronted enemies representing every stage of human develop- ment from the highest civilization yet obtained to savagery and barbarism. It has ever been its duty to observe in war those chivalric and humane principles by which inevitable horrors are so greatly mitigated, while by unyielding prose- cution of warfare against armed forces its valor has been demonstrated. All honorable activity and life for the Army must exist within the well-deflned lines of patriotism, untarnished honor, sterling integrity, impartial justice, obedience to rightful authority, and incessant warfare against armed enemies. Always to maintain truth, honor, and justice requires the highest moral courage, and is equally as important as forti- tude in battle. Drill, discipline, and instruction are but preparatory for the perfection and efficiency of an army. The events of recent years have placed upon the Army a new obligation and an opportunity for a broader exempli- fication of its country's principles. The United States Army is now brought into daily communication with millions of people to whom its individual members of every grade are the exponents of American civilization. A serious duty and a great honor are now presented to every officer and soldier — namely, to exemplify to those with whom he comes in con- tact our country's principles of equal and exact justice, 311 SERVING THE REPUBLIC immunity from violence, equality before the law, and the peaceftd use and possession of his own. Marked changes at different times have occurred in the strength and organization of the Army, resiilting from diverse influences, and various experiments have been tried. Time has rectified errors in the past, and will do so in the future. The Lieutenant-General has faith that under all circum- stances the Army will maintain its high character, and that its future will be as honorable and glorious as has been its history in the past. His earnest solicitude and best wishes will ever follow the fortunes of the Army. Nelson A. Miles, Lieutenant-General, Commanding. To serve such a Republic as ours has been not only a sacred duty but also a most enjoyable life-work. Every patriot should be grateful to have an oppor- tunity to contribute, even in a humble way, some- thing toward the preservation of the government handed down to us by the fathers, and something toward the maintenance of its institutions. To know that we are identified with and belong to the best, the purest, and the mightiest Republic of the world's history, to see it hold its place among the nations of the earth as immovable as a giant mountain defying the storms and tempests that beat upon it from with- out and the turmoil and convulsions from within, is a sublime inspiration. It has been most gratifying to serve that government when it was fighting for its self-preservation, when it was maintaining law and order against violence and barbarism, when it was protecting the defenseless and aiding other races and peoples in their struggles for freedom and indepen- dence. I have seen not only the heroic fortitude and sacrifice of comrades in the military service, but also 312 THE CLOSE OF ACTIVE SERVICE many splendid examples of moral courage and patriot- ism on the part of citizens of our beloved country. While the maintenance of an efficient physical force, adequate in number with the magnitude and develop- ment of our country, is the imperative duty of the nation, I shall rejoice to see the dawning of the day when the war drums shall throb no longer, when use- less wars for the gratification of people's avarice and man's selfish ambition shall be no more. The duty of every patriotic citizen is ever constant and im- perative, and never more urgent than at the present time. To wage relentless war against intrigues and hypocrisies of political dictators and demagogues and to destroy every combination of influence and power at variance with the theory of our Constitution or menacing the welfare of our people is the sovereign duty of all. The responsibilities and duties of every citizen are of the highest importance and must con- tinue until all the evils of the municipality, State, and nation shall have disappeared in order that our in- stitutions may be preserved in all their munificence and purity. APPENDIX A OUR UNWATERED EMPIRE By Brig.-Gen. Nelson A. Miles [From the Nortfi American Review of March, 1890.] THOSE pioneers of American civilization who had the fortitude and enterprise to cross the Atlantic and plant their colonies upon the inhospitable shores of this continent in order that they might be free from the tyranny of mo- narchical governments and better exercise the rights and privileges of independent life; who for generations con- tended against a savage foe, felling the forest, clearing and cultivating the fields to obtain sustenance for themselves and their families, and who early established institutions of learning for the benefit of all classes, and eventually inau- gurated and established a most perfept system of govern- ment, must of necessity have had within themselves the heroic elements of character which have made people great and pre-eminent in all ages of the world. Possibly if there is one moral influence that has contributed more to the success of that people during the past three hun- dred years than any other, or which will warrant their pros- perity and perpetuity in the future, it is the home life of the settlers of this country. Nothing could be more beautiftd and sacred than the traditions, memories, and influences that are embraced in that one word, " home "; and immeasurably is this the fact when it is blessed with the assurance of inde- pendence and competence which characterize the homes of our country. Loyalty to American institutions is assured by the bonds of citizenship, and the actual ownership of that blessed portion of earth, however humble it may be, that can be called an American home. The simplicity and purity of 315 SERVING THE REPUBLIC such a life is one of the glories of our country. The free air of heaven inspires pure thoughts and noble actions, industry without avarice, liixury without intemperance, economy blended with charity and generosity; and it is these asso- ciations and surroundings that have contributed to our physical and moral worth as a people and a nation. In contradistinction is that unfortunate class of people who have sought this country either for a place of refuge or an asylum, crowding our cities and towns, inhabiting the alleys, breathing foul air, and living upon limited and un- wholesome food, their idea of life contaminated even beneath its natural sphere by the associations and influences con- stantly before them and surrounding them. Hence, any measure that our government can adopt that will, in the main, promote the general good of the people, by which the true American character and spirit can be sustained and encouraged, is indeed worthy of careful consideration. As we review the acts of our government for the public good, prominent among which appear the improvements to our great natural water-courses and harbors for the welfare and benefit of commerce, and the interchange of products of our country for those of others, although there may have been unwise discrimination used in such appropriations, yet, in the main, they have undoubtedly been of national benefit. The Homestead Act, by which the vast public domain has been surveyed and subdivided into small tracts and placed within the reach of an industrious people, is, perhaps, the most judicious single act of which our government can boast. Next in importance may be mentioned the Pre-emption Act, similar in effect and with results as far-reaching and bene- ficial. The Timber-Culture Act is another, and one of more benefit than most people realize, for the rapid destruction of our forests must in a few years produce a timber famine if it is not counteracted by the cultivation of forests ; and as these are developed the disastrous effects of drought, tor- nadoes, and cyclones will be diminished. Another commendable act of the government has been the appropriation of vast tracts of our public domain to the establishment in each State and Territory of agricultural colleges, by which most useful knowledge has been dis- seminated to every portion of the United States. Last, but 316 APPENDIX not least, has been the aid given by the government in the way of land subsidies for the construction of the great trans- continental railways, by which the nation's loyalty and unity are bound by iron bands, and the people of one section are enabled to communicate readily with those of another, not to mention the benefits that have been assured to the commercial interests of the country; and while these meth- ods have been criticized, and in some respects condemned as injudicious, it must be remembered that the country at large has been greatly benefited. The price of every alter- nate section of land held by the government was imme- diately doubled, and the government realized $2.50 per acre instead of $1.25 for every acre sold; and the value of such lands was increased fully 100 per cent, over what it would have been had they remained remote from any means of communication. In view of the fact that there are vast areas of public do- main still remaining unoccupied, which seem to require an intelligent and judicious system of improvement by the government in order that the best results may be obtained in their settlement, and in order to prevent a small percent- age of the people from taking possession of the water-courses and holding them exclusively for their own benefit, thereby shutting out all others from the occupation of a much larger portion and practically controlling the use of hundreds of acres of public land where they are entitled to one, it might be well for the government to inaugurate some system by which these lands may be utilized and colonized for the bene- fit of the home builders, who constitute our best population. There is another view of this matter which should not fail to be duly considered. Within the last few years we have witnessed the terrible results occasioned by drought, and half crops have been reported throughout many of the States and Territories. We have also noticed that this has resulted in a very large percentage of land in several of the States and Territories referred to being placed under very heavy mort- gages; and should this impending evil continue for a series of years no one can anticipate what may follow. That good results can be produced by a scientific and judicious control of the water-courses of the Western country is a fact so well established that it does not require argument. We may have 317 SERVING THE REPUBLIC reached that period in which attention should be drawn to this important subject, and it is not surprising that the question of water storage and irrigating works in the arid regions of our Western country has been engrossing the at- tention of the people of the United States, especially the citizens residing west of the one hundredth meridian, more in the past few years than ever before. While the people of nearly every State and Territory west of that meridian have carefully considered the question, and their legislators have enacted laws bearing upon it, the Federal government but recently took up the matter by act of Congress authorizing the investigation of this subject to ascertain to what extent the arid regions of the United States can be benefited by irrigation. It stiptilated that $100,000 be appropriated for topographical surveys for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1889, or any part thereof, to be used by the very able Director of the Geological Survey, Major Powell, with the approval of the Secretary of the In- terior, for the purpose of ascertaining the feasibility of pro- viding reservoirs of water with a view to establishing a system of irrigation of the lands in question, and Major Powell was directed to make his report to Congress at as early a date as was practicable. Upon his report and the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, the $100,000 was supplemented by an additional appropriation of $250,000 during the last session of Congress by the pas- sage of an act for the further investigation of arid regions. A committee of Senators was appointed to visit the arid regions of the different Western States and Territories the past summer. It completed its work of investigation; was on the road some fifty days, traveling in that time about 12,000 miles, and taking the testimony of hundreds of witnesses. These were the first Federal steps toward the utilization of what is commonly called desert land. The bill reserves all lands that may hereafter be designated for reservoirs and ditches, and the lands to be reclaimed by irrigation for such reservoirs, from the date of the passage of the act ; and pro- vides that the President may from time to time remove any of the reservations made by the bill, and, in his discretion, by proclamation, open any portion of all the lands reserved 318 APPENDIX by the provision to settlement under the homestead laws. This, however, should be modified so as to fix the price of such lands, improved by the general government, as will compensate it for the expense of such improvement. The sums appropriated, it is hoped, are but the commencement of necessary appropriations for irrigating purposes, as they will scarcely cover the amount requisite for preliminary in- vestigation, without in the least considering the vastness and extent of the work to follow. The engineers employed in the work are required to measure the various streams and sources of water supply, select sites for reservoirs and other hydraulic works necessary for storage and utilization of water, make maps of arable lands surveyed, and furnish full information for the use of Congress in considering further legislation on the subject. They are at present engaged in their investi- gations and surveys. The Japanese have practised this improved system of agriculture for thousands of years, although their country is blessed with as much rainfall as the fertile valleys of the eastern slope of our continent. They viewed the matter in its most practical light, using reservoirs and catchment basins for the storage of water when it was at flood, thus preventing destruction to growing crops, and diffusing the water so stored to the lowlands by a regular flow in periods of drought. Even the Chinese have been able, by careful, intelligent, and patient husbandry, to retain the fertility of their soil for thousands of years. The natives of India, by their system of wells, tanks, and reservoirs, have contended against the calamities of nature for ages. They store the water brought by the monsoon, and husband it for use throughout the whole year. In some of the districts they have formed large artificial lakes by obstructing the rivers in the valleys at the most available points. The English government has spent millions of pounds sterling in furthering the interests of the cultivators of the soil in India by making permanent channels, which carry off the water, seciu-ed by means of dams, at all seasons of the year, and by obstructing the bases of the valleys so as to form immense reservoirs; conducting the water from them over the fields by means of canals, from which the government derives a valuable revenucj and by which the 319 SERVING THE REPUBLIC droughts, formerly so frequent and fatal, causing famine and disease, have to a great extent been obviated. Not only have these judicious measures benefited the two hundred and fifty millions of people of that country, but their prosperity has seriously affected the market of the American farmer. Although irrigation in India has been maintained for generations, the English government saw the necessity of im- proved works, and right liberally has it appropriated funds for the various improvements. The outcome of it has been the increased number of square miles now under cultivation, in excess of what was cultivated before the improvements were projected, results mainly from the utilization of land formerly devastated by drought and flood. In a great por- tion of India the population depends entirely upon irrigation. The Spaniards and Mexicans in the southwestern Terri- tories and in southern California, many years before that part of the country came into the possession of the United States, brought the much-needed soiu'ce of life to their lands gen- erally from small streams, by their system of acequias and zanjas. There are to this day in the Salt River Valley of Arizona what appear to be the remains of an immense system of canals, which no doubt existed a thousand years before Columbus discovered America, and aided in the production of enough vegetation to sustain a population many times the number at present in that Territory. The engineers of to- day are running the lines of their channels along the water routes of that prehistoric race. This has been a prominent question in the history of all the Western States and Territories, and by being brought to the attention of the general public the necessities and usefulness of irrigation may in time be extended to all needed parts of the country. In some parts of the country the system would prevent the desolating effects of drought, and in others, by the use of reservoirs and dams for storing the waters, the disastrous floods that almost periodically destroy growing crops and injure routes of travel and commerce would be rendered less frequent and destructive. The small amount of work necessary for making lands bordering on a live stream proof against any drought occurring in any part of this country is remarkable; and it is even more remark- able to witness with what passiveness the agriculturist sees 320 APPENDIX his crops withering, blasted for want of water, almost every summer in the different parts of our country, when the remedy is so near at hand. There is not a piece of land sold in the West in regard to which the judicious purchaser does not look well into the question of how many inches of ir- rigable water go with the land, as it is the most important factor to be considered. The water right, the number of miner's inches that can be used, and the cost price per foot per acre are all matters to be considered. History teaches us that irrigation is the oldest and surest method of intelligent agriculture. It was understood in the earliest days of semi-civilized races, and practised in Egypt, Persia, and Assyria ages before the Christian era. The rich- est and most productive regions of the earth have been ciilti- vated for thousands of years in this manner. The valley of the Nile, various parts of Europe, and a great portion of India have always depended upon it for the product of their soil. Some portions of Egypt which the Nile did not irri- gate were watered by canals, filled by taking to them the waters of that great river, and the people were impressed with the necessity of keeping these canals free and unob- structed and always filled with living water. The following resolution was presented in the platform of one of the political parties in a Western State some time ago as an important measure: " Resolved, That the waters of the State belong to the land they irrigate, and we favor and will aid in maintaining a broad and comprehensive system of irrigation that looks to the benefit of the irrigator as primary to the assumed rights of the riparian and appropriator ; a system controlled by the government, free to all, under the control of no class of persons, and established and maintained by a revenue de- rived from those whom the system will benefit. We believe the water is the property of the people, and that it should be so used as to secure the greatest good to the greatest number of people." The government of oiir country has an important mission to perform, now that it has once taken charge of the work, and it is presumed that it will continue until a time when the whole irrigation system will be under its control, with one simple law governing it alike in all States and Territories. 321 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Otherwise, there is danger of confusion and clashing of in- terests. As to whether it will be taken charge of by the Federal government remains to be seen. The enormous amount of money required to place the desert lands in a productive state would have to be furnished by the govern- ment, as it would be impossible for the States and Territories to complete such a system as is in contemplation; and the funds expended should, by a well-matured and compre- hensive plan, revert again to the treasury of the general gov- ernment from the sale of its lands thus improved. The people of California interested in irrigation, at the State Irrigation Convention in 1887, presented the following propositions in the form of amendments to the State con- stitution: "First. The declaration that every natural stream and water source is public property. "Second. That the appropriation for beneficial uses of any such stream must be made under legislative enactment. " Third. That all water so appropriated in the State is de- clared to be a public use. " Fourth. Rates and rents for use are to be fixed by public authority, but must not exceed seven per cent, on capital actually expended in constructing irrigating works." The Legislature of Wyoming Territory has adopted the water legislation of the State of Colorado, which is considered the best in use by any of the States and Territories. The subject has been discussed at length in the various reports by the Governors of different Western States and Territories, and all the Western States have fostered and cared for irri- gating enterprises ; and their citizens have invested millions of dollars, the revenue from which makes it a very profitable investment and benefits the people and the country adjacent to the plant. Now let us consider the area of the region wherein the sur- veys are to be made. The area of our country consists, ac- cording to the records of the Agricultural Department and other sources,, of 1,500,000 square miles of arable land, and an equal amount equally divided in pasture land and in mountain and timber, Alaska not being included in the esti- mate. Of the arable land it requires a little over 300,000 square miles to produce all our grain, hay, cotton, sugar, 322 APPENDIX rice, and vegetables. The extent of the territory west of the one hundredth meridian is estimated at 1,300,000 square miles, of which over one-fifth will not admit of cultivation, owing to its rugged, mountainous character, while the re- maining area requires only water to make it serviceable for either agriculture or pastiirage. Of the i ,000,000 square miles that can be made productive, it is estimated that 150,000 can be redeemed, being equal in area to one-half of the land cultivated in the United States. It will be seen at a glance what a vast population the land in question will be able to support, and the immense benefit that will in time accrue to the government and the people. The precipitation of water in the mountainous portions of the arid belt averages about 20 inches yearly, although in parts, in some years, as much as 75 inches have fallen, caus- ing floods in the streams, frequently creating destruction in the arable lowlands, and the most of it disappearing in the sandy wastes, where the average rainfall is scarcely 5 inches. The lesser amount falling on low desert lands and the greater in the mountains, the plan for obstructing the mountain valleys or canons, wherever it can be done to advantage and at small cost, should in all cases be pursued to com- pletion. Where natural catchment basins exist — and there are any number of them in the mountains — the government should reserve them for future irrigation purposes. Private enterprises, mindful of the advantages and large returns for money invested and the indifference shown by the Federal government, have taken up many important sites for reservoirs which drain areas many square miles in extent, and control the water for vast districts. On the sur- face of the arid regions it is estimated that about 15 inches of water falls annually, most of which can be utilized for the 1,000,000 acres estimated to be productive for pasturage and cultivation, by the use of reservoirs, canals, and artesian wells. As over four-fifths of the 1,000,000 square miles can only be used for pasturage for the immense herds that now roam the valleys and mesas, this will require very little water when compared with the land to be cultivated. Nearly all of the arid region embraces arable lands favorable for agri- culture in all its phases, from the cultivation of the products of the north temperate zone to those of the tropics. 323 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Where irrigation is used in the North the season for water- ing is generally not longer than three months, but in the South it embraces at least eight or nine months of the year. As much water is used at a time as would result from a day's severe rain. A practical knowledge is requisite, as too much water is liable to produce more injury than benefit. While the irrigated farms are larger generally in Colorado and Utah, in southern California 20 acres is as much as one family can well care for when devoted to the cultivation of vines, fruits, and alfalfa. That eminent journalist, statesman, and scholar. Sir Ed- win Arnold, recently passing over the continent, made this observation: " Nothing has struck me more in my visit to America than the slope of your Sierras. Your orchards and vineyards were a revelation to me. You will be the wine-growers of the world. Then, in your sage-brush plateaus you only need irrigation to make them fruitful. The land I saw in Nevada is almost exactly like what I saw in India and Arabia, which has been made so productive." Dividing the area to be reported upon by the Geological Survey into three divisions, the first would embrace the land whose eastern limit would be near the one hundredth meri- dian and its western bordering the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, near the one hundred and fifth meridian, while its extent would reach from the Rio Grande in Texas to the Canadian boundary. The second division would have its eastern limit near the one hundred and fifth meridian and its western boundary the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges of mountains. Much of this division is a mountainous country. The streams of the West find their sources near the summits of the mountain peaks covered with eternal snow, and derive their main supply from the rains and snow that fall within the great basin through which they course to the sea; and it is on this vast mountain region that the lowlands and foothills will have to depend for the water to make them beautiful in the garb of nature. Its canons can be formed into great catch basins for retaining the rains in their season, while natural lakes are numerous throughout its length. The State of California, blessed with prosperity derived 324 APPENDIX from its irrigating works, comprises most of the last division, and it is fast being populated with an intelligent class of agriculturists, brought thither mainly through the richness of the soil, the public enterprise and success of irrigating works, and the assured prosperity of the country. The changes wrought in places in California which not long ago were considered valueless have been indeed wonderful. Where once it was thought nothing but sage-brush and cactus would grow the land has been cleared, ditches have been formed, trees planted, crops cultivated, and the land placed in a higher state of cultivation than many favored localities of the Eastern and Southern States. In ten years villages and cities have sprung up where before coyotes starved. In fact it is impossible for one to conceive how much a country supposed to be utterly worthless can be benefited by the use of water, unless he has seen such effects. To pass from the hot, arid regions into the fertile valleys of California is as gladdening to the eyes of the beholder as the sight of an oasis is to the traveler in the desert. To see the countless acres of trees with their ripening fruit (for some kind of fruit is always in season in that region), the unlimited acres of grapes, fields of wheat, barley, and alfalfa, and everything breathing life and health, is to see the blessed use of water, husbanded and cared for and appreciated in all its worth. From land valued at less than one dollar an acre it has in- creased through the medium of improvements of land adjoin- ing, and the benefit of a sure supply of water, until one acre is worth as much as one hundred would have been had not the systems of irrigation been established. No part of this coun- try has attained such success in irrigation as this. The prac- tice of it has spread from this part of the country to all parts of California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and other States and Territories. Without irrigation, except in certain moist lands, these beautiful valleys and lowlands woidd once more revert to desert wastes. It is a well-known fact that after land has become thor- oughly cultivated by irrigation less water is required; and it is safe to assert that thousands of acres of so-called desert land may become adapted for agricultural purposes without the continued help of irrigation. Immediately following the 22 32s SERVING THE REPUBLIC establishment of an irrigation district, after the canals with their lateral ditches have been completed and the cultivation of crops has commenced, the planting of trees should be encouraged. The eucalyptus variety is mostly planted in California, and the Cottonwood in Arizona and New Mexico. The former is of very rapid growth, and as a wind-break and a protection to crops it is used extensively, although it is very exhaust- ing to the soil. Coincident with irrigation should be tree planting, which wotild in a short time not only change the appearance of the country, but supply the wood which is necessary for fuel. It would hardly be possible to estimate the value of trees in their usefulness toward reclaiming arid lands, and too much cannot be said in urging the profuse planting of them. In fact, it would be well for the govern- ment, in selling land reclaimed by it through the irrigation works to be established, to make it compulsory on the pur- chaser to plant a portion of his acreage in forest trees. They would only require thorough irrigation during the first year, less the second, very little the third, and none at all there- after. Tree culture, especially the planting of trees in- digenous to the country, should by all means be encotiraged. As we review the past we notice the action of the unscrupu- lous and the insatiable following in the wake or hanging upon the flanks, and very often seen in a position far in ad- vance of any humane progressive measure which may be adopted for the benefit of mankind or to promote the wel- fare of a worthy people. It is wonderful how difficult it has been to ward off the schemes of these avaricious creatures; and in a measure of this kind, which has in view the welfare of the entire people, safeguards cannot be too strongly ap- plied to protect it from such contaminating influences. It is a fact to be regretted that many of oiir most commendable measures, whether municipal. State, or national, which have given us avenues of commerce, works of art, and many im- provements for the public good, whether patriotic, humane, or beneficent, have been embarrassed and contaminated by the touch of these creatures, and the purpose of the designer has often been marred and debased by contact with those who see nothing in any public or progressive measure other than the opportunity to gratify their craven and selfish desires. 326 APPENDIX Moreover, it should be distinctly understood that there are hundreds of square miles of public domain where it would be utter folly to spend more money than the amount neces- sary to ascertain the fact of their worthlessness. Dangers of this kind should be avoided, and the government should systematically improve what property it possesses worthy of such expenditure and divide it up in such a manner that it can be ctdtivated by an industrious, enterprising, and in- telligent people who build for themselves and their posterity homes that will adorn and beautify any State or Territory, thus encouraging and sustaining the true spirit and char- acter of American citizens, and promoting the general wel- fare of our entire country. As we can point to the past with just feelings of pride, it is hoped that otu: future may be as bright, prosperous, and progressive. APPENDIX B Before leaving Siboney I issued a congratulatory general order to the army: Headquarters op the Army, Siboney, Cuba, July i6, 1898. General Field Orders, No. I. The gratifying success of the American arms at Santiago de Cuba and some features of a professional character, both important and instructive, are hereby announced to the army. The declaration of war found our country with a small army scattered over a vast territory. The troops composing this army were speedily mobilized at Tampa (Fla.). Before it was possible to properly equip a volunteer force, strong appeals for aid came from the Navy, which had inclosed in the Harbor of Santiago de Cuba an important part of the Spanish fleet. At that time the only effective fighting force available was the United States Army, and in order to organize a command of sufficient strength the cavalry had to be sent, dismounted, to Santiago de Cuba, with the in- fantry and artillery. The expedition thus formed was placed under command of Major-General Shafter. Notwith- standing the limited time to equip and organize an expedi- tion of this character, there was never displayed a nobler spirit of patriotism and fortitude on the part of officers and men going forth to maintain the honor of their country. After encountering the vicissitudes of an ocean voyage, they were obliged to disembark on a foreign shore and im- mediately engage in an aggressive campaign. Under drench- ing storms, intense and prostrating heat, within a fever- inflicted district, with little comfort or rest, either by day or night, they pursued their purpose of finding and con- quering the enemy. Many of them, trained to the severe 328 APPENDIX experience of the great war and the frequent campaigns on the Western plains, officers and men alike exhibited great skill, fortitude, and tenacity, with results which have added a new chapter of glory to our country's history. Even when their own Generals in several cases were temporarily dis- abled the troops fought on with the same heroic spirit until success was finally achieved. In many instances the officers placed themselves in front of their commands, and under their direct and skilfid leadership the trained troops of a brave army were driven from the thickets and jungles of an almost inaccessible country. In the open field the troops stormed intrenched infantry, and carried and captured forti- fied works with an unsurpassed daring and disregard of death. By gaining commanding ground they made the Harbor of Santiago untenable for the Spanish fleet, and practically drove it out to a speedy destruction by the American Navy. While enduring the hardships and privations of such a campaign, the troops generously shared their scanty food with the S,ooo Cuban patriots in arms and the suffering people who had fled from the besieged city. With the 24 regiments and 4 batteries, the flower of the American Army, were also three volunteer regiments. These, though un- skilled in warfare, yet inspired with the same spirit, con- tributed to the victory, suffered hardships, and made sacri- fices with the rest. Where all did so well it is impossible by special mention to do justice to those who bore conspicuous part. But of certain unusual features mention cannot be omitted — namely, the cavalry, dismounted, fighting and storming works as infantry, and a regiment of colored troops, who, having shared equally in the heroism as well as the sacrifices, is now voluntarily engaged in nursing yellow-fever patients and burying the dead. The gallantry, patriotism, and sacrifice of the American Army, as illustrated in this brief campaign, will be fully appreciated by a grateful country, and the heroic deeds of those who have fought and fallen in the cause of freedom will be cherished in sacred memory and be an inspiration to the living. By command of Major-General Miles: J. C. GiLMORE, Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers. 329 ■TfilU CRockies , t. L / •'/ /V t, ; HEl Past .Worth / \ 1° iDalla INDEX Abercrombie, Lieutenant W. P., Copper River expedition, 213, 214. Adobe walls, stockade, 121. Aguinaldo, Emilio, and Amer- ican occupation, 272. Alexeieff, Admiral, command, 308. Alger, R. A., Secretary of War, 276, 288. Allen, Colonel, in Porto Rico, 299. Allen, Lieutenant Henry J., Cop- per River expedition, 214. Allen's Farm, battle, 36. American Horse, Chief, 243. Anderson, General, 271. Antietam, battle, 43-47 ; Federal opportunity lost, 47; delay after, 48. Apache Indians, uprising, 132; characteristics, 219, 220; hos- tilities, 221, 223; pursuit, 225-226; surrender, 227; feel- ing against, 228. Appomattox Court-House, Lee's surrender, 90, gi. Army of Potomac, McClellan in command, 30; at Harrison's Landing, 40; Antietam, 45- 47; Burnside commands, 48; at Fredericksburg, 48, 49; Hooker in command, 49; m 1863, 51 ; Meade in command, 56; Gettysburg, 58-61; and Grant, 62; condition in 1864, 63 ; battle of Wilderness, 63-64 ; Spottsylvania, 65-68; Cold Harbor, 69; Petersburg and Richmond, 70-71 ; Five Forks, 82-83; Appomattox, 90-91. Atlanta, capture, 79. Austria, army, 264. Bailey, Lieutenant, and Sioux campaign, 149; and Bannock outbreak, 193. Baird, Assistant Adjutant-Gen- eral, wounded, 179. Baldwin, General Frank D., and Indians, 124, 127, 153, 155, 213; invalided, 174. Bannock Indian outbreak, 192- I9S- Barlow, General Francis C, com- mand, 39; wounded, 45, 47; Brigadier-General, 48; Spott- sylvania, 65-67, 77; Major- General, 67; Cold Harbor, 70; disabled, 76. Bates, General, in Spanish War, 281. Beauregard, General, organized army, 20; commands army in Virginia, 21. Beaver, General James A., men- tioned, 93. Bennett, Captain, death, 195. Benson, Captain H. C, pursuit of Apaches, 224, 225. Benteen, Captain, and Custer massacre, 188-189. Benton, Senator, and transcon- tinental railroad, 108. Bernier, Felix Mato, letter to Miles, 299-300. Biddle, Lieutenant, and In- dians, 174, 179. Biddle, Major, command, 122. Big Crow, Chief, 153, 155. Big Foot, Chief, 241. Black, Colonel, in Porto Rico,297. 55^ SERVING THE REPUBLIC Blanco, Captain - General, in Cuba, 291. Bloody Lane, fight, 45. Breckenridge, John C., candi- date for Presidency (i860), 15. Bretherton, Captain, and In- dians, 177. Brett, Lieutenant, pursuit of Apaches, 225. Bristol, Major, command, 122. Broad Trail, Chief, 182, 245. Broady, Colonel O. K., men- tioned, 93. Brooke, General, in Porto Rico, 302. Brown, J. Frank, accompanies Miles to Arizona, 221. Brown, John, 9. Brown, Lieutenant, pursuit of Apaches, 224, 225. Bull Run, battle, 22. Burnside, General A. E., com- mands Army of Potomac, 48 ; before Fredericksburg, 48; re- moved, 49. Bushnel, Mr. , and the Monitor, 30. Butler, Major, and Sioux In- dians, 155. Canby, General, massacred, ISO- Carlisle, Indian education es- tablished at, 131. Carnegie, Andrew, and Spanish War, 274. Carpenter, Colonel, rescue of Forsyth, 120. Carr, General Eugene A., Indian expedition, 119, 120. Carter, Captain, hors de combat, 179. Cascade Range, 211. Casey, General Silas, in Wash- ington, 28; Fair Oaks, 31. Casey, Major, and Sioux, 155. "Casey's Tactics," 18. Cervera, Admiral Pascual de, at Santiago, 276. Charleston, fall, 79. Charles V., and slaves in Amer- ica, 12, 13. Chatto, Chief, 221. Chicago, population, 107; ex- position, 250, 251. Clarke, Lieutenant Powhatan H., pursuit of Apaches, 225. Clay, Clement C, and assassina- tion of Lincoln, 99, 100. Clay, Lieutenant, staff officer, 223. Cleary, William C, and assassi- nation of Lincoln, 99. Cleveland, President Grover, Pullman strike, 254, 257. Coast defenses, 261. Cochise, Chief, 221. Cody, Colonel William P., scout, 145- Cold Harbor, battle, 69-70. CoUaza, Enrique, 277. Compton, Major, command, 122. Cooper, Captain Charles L., cap- ture of Mangus, 228. Couch, General D. N., organizing militia, 61. Crater Lake, 211, 212. Crazy Horse, Chief, 139, 147, i53> 160. Crofton, Lieutenant, Cuban ex- pedition, 274. Crook, General, Indian cam- paign, 140, 144, 221. Cross, Colonel, killed at Gettys- burg, 62. Crow encampment, 183, 184. Curtin, Governor Andrew G., 11. Curtis, Mary, 7. Curtis, William, 7. Gushing, Caleb, 11. Custer, General George A., cav- alry officer, no; engagement with Indians, in; massacre, 137, 140, 185; letter of instruc- tions, 186, 187; and General Terry, 187, 188; battle, 189- 151; enemies, 191, 192; cham- pion, 192. Custer, Mrs. G. A., no, 192. Dapray, Lieutenant, staii officer, 223. Davidson, Colonel, Indian cam- paign, 122, 126. INDEX Davis, Commander, in Porto Rico, 298. Davis, Jefierson, and assassina- tion of Lincoln, 99; arrest, 100; death, 100. Democratic Convention of i860, IS- Dewey, Admiral George, battle in Manila Bay, 271. Diaz, Porfirio, President of Mexico, 249. Dinwiddle Court-House occu- pied, 83. Doane, Lieutenant, and In- dians, 172. Dodge, Fort, Miles at, 122. Dorst, Lieutenant-Colonel, Cu- ban expedition, 274. Douglas, Stephen A., 11, 15. "Dred Scott Decision," 15. Early, General J. A., in Shen- andoah Valley, 71, 72, 73. Ellsworth, Colonel, Zouaves or- ganized, 18; death, 21. Ericsson, John, and Monitor, 29. 36- Ernst, General, in Porto Rico, 302. Everett, Edward, 11. Ewers, General E. P., and In- dians, 170. Pair Oaks, battle, 33. Farragut, Admiral David Glas- gow, loyalty, 21. Fechet, Captain E. G., and Sit- ting Bull, 239. Feria, General, 280. Finley, Lieutenant, pursuit of Apaches, 224, 226. First Division, Second Army Corps, its record, 76-78. Fisher, fort. Fall, 79. Five Forks, battle, 83. Forsyth, General George A., Indian expedition, 120. Fox, William F., quoted, 76, 77. France, army, 264. Franklin, General W. B., corps commander, 30. Eraser, General John, men- tioned, 93. Gaines's Mill, battle, 36. Gall, Chief, surrender, 182. Gait, John R., educator, 8. Garcia, General, in Spanish War, 276, 277, 280, 282. Garretson, Brigadier-General, in Porto Rico, 298. Garrison, William Lloyd, 11. Gaskill, Colonel, in Porto Rico, 297. Gatewood, Lieutenant, staff of- ficer, 223, 226. Germaine sisters, rescue, 127, ISO- Germany, army, 264. Geronimo, Chief, 221 ; surrender, 226, 227; marauder, 228. Gettysburg campaign, 58-61. Gibbon, General John, Indian campaign, 140, 144, 171, 187. Gilmore, General J. C, in Span- ish War, 287, 297, 329. Glendale, battle, 36. Godfrey, Captain, wounded, 179. Gordon, General J. B., Fort Stedman, 81. Gosson, Captain, 43. Grant, General CJ. S., success at Fort Donelson, 29; Lieuten- ant-General, 62; opening of campaign, 1864, 63; advance, 63; Wilderness, 63; Spottsyl- vania, 65; flanking move- ment, 68; North Anna, 69; Cold Harbor, 70; crosses the James, 71; Petersburg mine, 71; and Early's mission, 72; Sheridan's command, 73 ; plan for Sherman, 74; before Richmond, 79 ; Fort Stedman, 81; fall of Richmond, 86; pursuit of Lee, 87-90; sur- render of Lee, 90-91; after- math of war, 95 ; and Raw- lins, 95- Gray Beard, Chief, 127. Green, Lieutenant, Monitor- Merrimac fight, 30. 333 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Gresham, W. Q., Secretary of State, 253. Griswold, Mr., and Monitor, 30. Haines, General, in Porto, Rico, 302. Hale, Captain, and Indians, 174, 17s. 176, 177. I79- Halleck, General H. W., com- mander-in-chief, 39. Hancock, General W. S., division commander, 46; in Gettys- burg campaign, 58; Fred- ericksburg, 77; quoted, 78. Harper's Ferry, 9. Hartranft, General J. F., Fort Stedman, 81. s Hatfield, Captain C. A. P., pur- suit of Apaches, 225, 226. Hawkins, General, in Spanish War, 282. Hayes, Fort, Miles at, 1 10. Heintzelman, General S. P., corps commander, 30. Henry, General, in Spanish War, 289, 298. Hernandez, Carlos, 277, 278. Hidalgo, 249. Higginson, Captain, and cap- ture of Porto Rico, 296. Hitchcock, Dr. Alfred, saves Miles' s life after Chancellors- ville, 56. Hood, General J. B., supersedes Johnston in command, 74. Hooker, General Joseph, com- mands Army of the Potomac, 49; march to Fredericksburg, 51; retrograde movement, 52; Jackson's manceuver, 52; Jackson's attack, 52; defeat, 54 ; retreat, 56 ; removed, S6. Howard, General O. O., at Blad- ensburg, 28; Fair Oaks, 30; wounded, 33; before Rich- mond, 35, 36; Gettysburg campaign, 58; and Nez Perces Indians, 171, 172, 176, 177, 178. Hughes, Governor, of Arizona, 229. Hulings, General, in Porto Rico, 302. "Hump," Chief, 153, 159, 179. Indians, life, 112-115; religion, 114; ancestors, 116; slavery, 116, 117; customs, 117, 118; beliefs, 119; raiding parties, 119; expeditions against, 120; grand council at Medicine Lodge, 120; attack adobe walls stockade, 121; cam- paign against, in 1874, 122— 131; uprising in New Mex- ico, 132 — 134; Custer mas- sacre, 137, 188- 191; cam- paign against, in 1876, 77, 137-166; cause of war, 138, 139; surrender, 164, 165; loyalty to government, 170, 171; Nez Perces campaign, 171-181; Crow camp, 183, 184; Bannock outbreak, 192- 19s; "problem,'! 196-207; under control, 209 ; and Indian Territory, 216, 217; Apache, 219-229; hostilities, origin, 234; Messiah, 235-237; death of Sitting Bull, 239; and close of wars, 246. Irrigation, government, 229- ^ 231. 315-327- Italy, army, 264. Jackson, General T. J., at Bull Run, 34; character, 34; threatens McClellan, 35; and Northern movement, 40, 41; march around Hooker's flank at Chancellorsville, 52; attack, 52; death, 54; loss to Con- federate cause, 54. Johnson, General Edward, Spottsylvania, 66. Johnson, President Andrew, proclamation, 99 ; adminis- tration, lOI. Johnston, General Joseph E., in Shenandoah Valley, 22; at 334 INDE^ Seven Pines, 30; disabled, 34; succeeded by Lee, 34 ; Western command, 74; removed, 74; reinstated, 80. Johnston, Lieutenant C. P., pursuit of Apaches, 224, 228. Joseph, Chief, exchanged, 177; surrender, 178; character, 181; quoted, 205. Juarez, Benito, President of Mexico, 249. Kansas Border War, 9. Kelly, L. S., scout, 145. Keys, General E. D., corps com- mander, 30. Kicking Bear, Chief, 182, 235, 236, 245. King PhiUp's War (1675), out- break, 6. Lamb Deer, Chief, 161, 162, 170. Lamont, D. S., Secretary of War, 253. Lawton, General H. W., Apache campaign, 224-228; in Span- ish War, 281, 290, 292. Lebo, Captain, pursuit of Apaches, 225. Lee, General Jesse M., charge of Indian agency, 217, 245. Lee, General R.vE., commands Army of Northern Virginia, 34; plan against McClellan, 34, 3S ; seven days' battle, 34, 35 ; northern invasion, 42; An- tietam, 47 ; Chancellorsville, 51-54; wounding of Jackson, 54; over-confidence, 59; Get- tysburg, 59; retreat, 60, 61; Battle of the Wilderness, 63 ; Spottsylvania, 65-67; North Anna, 69; Cold Harbor, 70; Petersburg, 70, 71; sends Early to capture Washington, 71-73; Fort Stedman, 81; fall of Richmond and Peters- burg, 86, 87; retreat, 89; 90; surrender, 90, 91. Lewis and Clark expedition, 141, 171. Lmcoln, President Abraham, elected President, 16; feeling against, 17; inauguration, 18; call for troops, 20, 39; revered by army, 47; on Gettysburg battlefield, 61; in Richmond, 87; at City Point, 95; assas- sinated, 96; mourning for, 97; and Panama Canal, 98; com- mission to Miles, 98, 99; re- ward for murderers, 99, 100. Little Big Man, Chief, 153. Little Chief, 159. Little Hawk, Chief, 160. Llano Estacado, 124, 131. Longstreet, General James, in Gettysburg campaign, 58. Looking Glass, Chief, 171, 179. Lynch, Augustin, mentioned, 93. Lyon, General Nathaniel, death, 29. Mabine, Secretary of State of Philippine Republic, 305, 306. McClellan, General G. B., com- mands Army of Potomac, 30; Fair Oaks, 30-33; delay after Fair Oaks, 34; loss of depot, 34; change of base, 36; Mal- vern Hill, 37; opportunity lost, 38; Antietam, 43-46; in- action after Antietam, 47; removed, 48. McDonald, Captain, and Sioux Indians, 155. McDougall, General, wounded, 85; mentioned, 93. McDowell, General, 22. McKeen, General H. Boyd, men- tioned, 93. McKinley, President William, opposed to Spanish War, 268; proclamation, 271. McLaws, General Lafayette, Fredericksburg, 53. McNair, Admiral, 271. MacKenzie, Colonel, Indian campaign, 122, 126, 153. Macy, General George N., 93. 335 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Madill, General, wounded, 85; mentioned, 93. Mahone, General William, forces repulsed, 64. Maine, destruction, 269. Malvern Hill, battle, 36-39. Manassas, battles, 41. Mangus, Apache chief, 221; captured, 228. Mangus-Colorado, Chief, 221. Massachusetts, early struggle for independence, 3. Maus, Greneral Marion P., 175, 287, 297. Meade, General George G., com- mands Army of Potomac, 56 ; forces under, 57; Gettysburg, 58, 591 and Lee's retreat, 60; before Petersburg and Rich- mond, 84. Meagher, General, at Antietam, 43- Mechanicsville, battle, 36. Merrimac, construction, 29; battle with Monitor, 30. Merritt, General, 271. Mexico, French in, 94; con- quest of, by Scott, 249. Miles, Daniel C., brother, 27. Miles, Daniel, father, 6, 7. Miles, Daniel, great - grand- father, 7, 9. Miles, Joab, grandfather, 7, 9. Miles, N. A., childhood, 4; favorite pastimes, 5; ances- tors, 6, 7 ; education, 8 ; long- ing for military profession, 9; preparation for service, 10; elected captain, 25; returned commission, 26; on staff of General Howard, 28; first experience in war, 31, 32; at Fair Oaks, 33; before Rich- mond, 35; at Allan's Farm, 36; Lieutenant-Colonel, 39, 40; Antietam, 43-45; first experience as field officer, 45; colonel, 48; wounded, 49, 54, 5S, 78; Fredericksburg, 53; Harrisburg, 61 ; rejoined com- mand, 62; battle of the 336 Wilderness, 63; Todd's Tav- ern, 64; Spottsylvania, 65- 67; Brigadier-General, 67; North Anna, 69; Cold Har- bor, 70; Petersburg, 70; com- mands First Division, Second Army Corps, 71, 76, 78; in sight of Richmond, 71; Ream's station, 71; Brevet Major - General, 79; com- mands Second Army Corps, 79; Five Forks, 84; Suther- land Station, 84-85; Sailor's Creek, 88; High Bridge, 89; flag of truce, 90; Lee's sur- render, 91-Q2; assigned to District of Portress Monroe, 96; Major-General of Volun- teers, 96, q8; commands District of North Carolina, 102; report on conditions of colored race, 1867, 104, 105; commands Fifth United States Infantry, 107; mar- riage, 107; first impression of the plains, 109; at Fort Hayes, no; and Custer, no; study of Indian history, 112; at Fort Dodge, 122; rescue of Germaine sisters, 127, 130; New Mexico, 132; urged measures for conduct of In- dian affairs, 134; in Colorado, 135; address at Leavenworth, 1876, 135-136; campaign against Sioux, 137-168; at Fort Buford, 142; winter quarters, 143, 144; interview with Sitting Bull, 148-150; battle, 151; pursuit of Sitting Bull, 152, 153, 238, 239; campaign against the Ogalal- las and Cheyennes, 153-156; Indians surrender, 159-160, 164-166; Lame I)eer, 161; i'oined by wife, 166; Nez 'erces campaign, i6g-i8i; Crow encampment, 184; Ban- nock Indian outbreak, 192- 195; "The Indian Problem," 196-207; Brigadier-General, INDEX United States army, 207, 209; commands Department of the Columbia, 210; and Alaska explorations, 213, 214; com- mands Department of the Missouri, 215; accompanies Sheridan to Indian Territory, 21S, 216; commands Depart- ment of Arizona, 221 ; Apache campaign, 221-229; surren- der of Geronimo, 226, 227; presentation of sword, 229; on irrigation, 229-231; com- mands Division of the Pacific, 231, 233; visits Mexico, 248, 249 ; Pullman strike, 252-258; commands Department of the East, 259; commands United States army, 260; visits Eu- rope, 262—266; war with Spain, 268—305; on Maine disaster, 269; condition of army, 270; and navy, 271; ordered to Havana, 272; Tampa, 275; Santiago, 285; and Sampson, 286; meeting with General Toral, 287, 291; Spanish surrender, 293; Porto Rico, 296-305; in Philippine Islands, 306-307; China and Japan, 308; St. Petersburg, 308; Paris, 309; guest of King Edward, 309; retired, 309; on "Our Unwatered Em- pire, 315-327; congratulatory order to the army, 328-329. Miles, Mrs. N. A., 107, no, 166. Miley, Lieutenant, m Spanish War, 292. Miller, Colonel, death, 33. Mills, General Anson, Indian campaign, 144. "Missouri Compromise," 15. Monitor, construction, 29, 30; battle with Merrimac, 30. Morgan, Governor of New York, 39. 4°- Morrow, Colonel, and soldiers' canteen, 215. Moses, Chief, 212. Mount Hood, 211. Moylan, Captain, wounded, 179. Musset, Lieutenant - Colonel, death, 39. Myles, Rev. John, and King PhiUp's War, 6. Myles, Samuel, 6. Napoleon, Louis, and Mexico, 94. Natchez, Apache chief, 221, 227, 228. Negro, troops, 103; condition, 104. Nez Perces Indians, campaign against, 171-181. North Anna, battle, 69. Nugent, General Robert, men- tioned, 93. O'CoNNELL, Captain, Cuban expedition, 274. Oklahoma opened, 219. Olney, Richard, Attorney-Gen- eral, 253. Ord, General E. O. C, attack on Petersburg, 84 ; pursuit of Lee, 90. Panama Canal and Lincoln, 98. Penn, William, and Indians, 11 7. Petersburg, siege, 7 1 ; mine, 7 1 ; battle, 77, 84; fall, 87. Phillips, Wendell, 11, 12. Political controversies, 11, 12, 14. Pope, Lieutenant, and Indians, 124. Pope, Major-General, commands Army of Virginia, 4 1 . Porcupine, Chief, 235, 236. Porter, General Fitz-John, corps commander, 27, 30; over- whelmed, 36. Porto Rico, capture, 296-305. Powell, Dr., and Germaine sis- ters, 128. Pratt, Captain R. H., establishes Indian education at Carlisle, 131- Pretty Bear, Chief, 152. 337 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Price, Major, Indian campaign, 122, 126. Pullman strike, 252-258. Rain -IN -THE -Face, surrender, 182. Ramsey, General, at Sutherland Station, 85; mentioned, 93. Rawlins, General John A., and Grant, 95. Ream's Station, battle, 71. Reber, Major, in Porto Rico, 299. Reconstruction problems, 100- lOI. Red Cloud, Chief, 139, 445. Reno, Major, and Custer mas- sacre, 188-191. Reynolds, Doctor, steeplechase, 43- Reynolds, General J. F., in Gettysburg Campaign, 58. Richardson, Colonel, and War- ren, 83. Richardson, General, death at Antietam, 46, 76. Richmond, siege, 34-39; battle, 84; fall, 87. Rizel, Jos6, 305. Romero, 240. Romeyn, Lieutenant, wounded, 179. Ross, Governor of New Mexico, 229. Rowan, Lieutenant A. S., visits Cuba, 276. Rue, Allen Thorndyke, 196. Sailor's CiiEEK, battle, 77, 88. Salignac, Colonel, military in- structor, 10. Salmon, Sir Nowell, command, 266. Sampson, Admirdl W. T., battle of Santiago, 284; visits Miles, 285; at Cabanas, 289. Sanders, George N., and assassi- nation of Lincoln, 99. Sarsopkin, Chief, 212. Savage Station, battle, 36. Savannah, captured, 79. Schley, Admiral W. S., battle of Santiago, 284. Schmalsle, W. F., scout, 126. Schofield, General, 253. Schwan, General, in Porto Rico, 302. Schwatka, Lieutenant Frede- rick, Alaska expedition, 213. Scott, General George, men- tioned, 93. Scott, General Winfield, com- mand, 21; loyalty, 22; in Mexico, 249. Sedgwick, General John, Fred- ericksburg, 54. Seven days battle, 34-38. Seven Pines, battle, 30. Seward, William H., candidate for President (i860), 16; at- tempted assassination of, 99- Shatter, General W. R., Santiago campaign, 276-284, 286, 287, 290, 294. Shellabarger, Samuel, and re- construction bill, 10 1. Sheridan, General P. H., in Shen- andoah Valley, 73, 79; joins Grant, 82; Five Porks, 83, 84; in pursuit of Lee, 87-90; re- port on Indian conditions, 164-165; visits Indian Terri- tory, 215-216. Sherman, Elizabeth, 166. Sherman, General W. T., march to the sea, 74; march up the coast, 79; in North Carolina, 80; report on Indian condi- tions, 165, 166. Sherman, Mary H., marriage, 107; and Mrs. Custer, no; joins husband in 1877, 166. Sherman, Senator John, loi, 268. Short Bull, Chief, 235, 236, 245. Sioux Indians, campaign against 137-166. Sitting Bull, Chief, 139, 142, 147, 148, 149, 150, 152, 153, 160, 164, 178; surrender, 182; quoted, 197; and the Mes- siah, 237, 238; death, 239. 338 INDEX Slavery, original charter, 12, 13- Smith, Lieutenant, pursuit of Apaches, 224. Snyder, Captain, and Indians, 3ldi( Soldiers' canteen established, 215. Spain, war with, 268-305; con- dition of army, 270; and. navy, 271; battle in Manila Bay, 271; surrender of Manila, 272; Cuban expedition, 274-284; battle of Santiago, 284; sur- render, 291, 293; capture of Porto Rico, 296-^05. Spotted Eagle, Chief, 182. Spotted Tail, Chief, 139. Spottsylvania, battle, 65-67. Standish, Miles, 3. Stanton, E. M., Secretary of War, 99. Stanton, Lieutenant, staff of- ficer, 223. Stedman, Fort, attack on, 81. Stevens, Thaddeus, reconstruc- tion bill, loi. Stone Calf, Chief, 129. Stuart, General J. E. B., de- stroyed McClellan's base of supplies, 34; Chancellorsville, Sturgis, Major-General, Indian campaign, 172, 176. Sumner, General E. V., corps commander, 30; before Rich- mond, 31; invalid, 46; death, 49. Sumner, Senator Charles, 11. Sumter, Fort, bombardment, 20. Sutherland Station, battle, 77, 84, 8S, 87. Swinton, William, quoted, 83. Tampa, troops at, 275. Taylor, Colonel, and Lee's sur- render, 91. Taylor, General Zachary, in Mexico, 248. Terry, General, Indian cam- paign, 140, 144, 146, 177; and Custer, 185, 186, 187, 188. Texas, chief products, 131; area, 131. Thomas, General George H., loyaltjr, 21, 75; battle of Nashville, 75. Thompson, Captain W. A., staff officer, 223. Thompson, Jacob, and assassi- nation of Lincoln, 99. Tonasket, Chief, 212. Toral, Greneral Jos6, surrenders Santiago, 287, 291, 293. Torres, Louis E., Governor of Sonora, Mexico, 229. Transcontinental railroad, 108, 109, 119. Tucker, Beverly, and assassina- tion of Lincoln, 99. Turkey, army, 262; Sultan, 262, 263. Two Moons, Chief, 153. Tyler, Captain, and Indians, 177. Upton, General Emory, Cold Harbor, 70. Ute Indian uprising, 132. Van Schack, George, men- tioned, 93. Victoria, Queen, sixtieth an- niversary, 265, 266. Victoris, Chief, 221. Wain WRIGHT, Commander Richard, and capture of Porto Rico, 296. Wallace, General Lew, at Mo- nocacy, 72. Walsh, Lieutenant, pursuit of Apaches, 224, 225. Warren, General G. K., Five Forks, 82, 83; relieved from command, 84. "Warren Guards," organized, 2S- Wheelan, Captain, and Lame Deer, 162. 339 SERVING THE REPUBLIC Wheeler, General Joseph, in Spanish War, ^82, 287, 292. Whipple, Bishop, and Indians, 118. White Bull, Chief, 153, 159. White Oak Swamp, battle, 36- Whitney, Lieutenant H. H., visits Cuba, 276; Porto Rico, 297. 298. Wilder, Lieutenant, pursuit of Apaches, 226. Wilderness, battle of the, 63, 64, 67. Williams, Roger, and Indians, 117. Wilson, General James H., in Porto Rico, 298, 299, 302. Wilson, Senator Henry, 11, 24, 28. Wilson's Creek, battle, 29. Winslow, Mr., and the Monitor, 3°- Winthrop, Robert, 11. Wise, Captain, in Spanish War, 285. Wolseley, Lord, command, 266. Wood, Lieutenant Leonard, and Apache campaign, 224. Woodford, Stewart L., Minister to Spain, 268. Woodhall, Sergeant, and In- dians, 126. Worden, Captain J. L., Monitor- Merrimac fight, 30. Yellowstone National Park visited, 19s, 196. Young, General, in Spanish War, 282. ZuLicK,Governor of Arizona, 229. THE END A