the passing of the frontier-第18章

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ainful　horn　of　the　dilemma。　As　a　first　step　toward　an　understanding　of　his　character　we　must　get　at　his　standpoint　of　morality。　As　a　child　he　is　not　brought　up。。。。From　the　dawn　of　intelligence　his　own　will　is　his　law。　There　is　no　right　and　no　wrong　to　him。。。。　No　dread　of　punishment　restrains　him　from　any　act　that　boyish　fun　or　fury　may　prompt。　No　lessons　inculcating　the　beauty　and　sure　reward　of　goodness　or　the　hideousness　and　certain　punishment　of　vice　are　ever　wasted　on　him。　The　men　by　whom　he　is　surrounded；　and　to　whom　he　looks　as　models　for　his　future　life；　are　great　and　renowned　just　in　proportion　to　their　ferocity；　to　the　scalps　they　have　taken；　or　the　thefts　they　have　committed。　His　earliest　boyish　memory　is　probably　a　dance　of　rejoicing　over　the　scalps　of　strangers；　all　of　whom　he　is　taught　to　regard　as　enemies。　The　lessons　of　his　mother　awaken　only　a　desire　to　take　his　place　as　soon　as　possible　in　fight　and　foray。　The　instruction　of　his　father　is　only　such　as　is　calculated　to　fit　him　best　to　act　a　prominent　part　in　the　chase；　in　theft；　and　in　murder。。。。　Virtue；　morality；　generosity；　honor；　are　words　not　only　absolutely　without　significance　to　him；　but　are　not　accurately　translatable；　into　any　Indian　language　on　the　Plains。〃

These　are　sterner；　less　kindly；　less　philosophic　words　than　Marcy's；　but　they　keenly　outline　the　duty　of　the　Army　on　the　frontier。　We　made　treaties　with　the　Indians　and　broke　them。　In　turn　men　such　as　these　ignorant　savages　might　well　be　expected　to　break　their　treaties　also；　and　they　did。　Unhappily　our　Indian　policy　at　that　time　was　one　of　mingled　ferocity　and　wheedling。　The　Indians　did　not　understand　us　any　more　than　we　did　them。　When　we　withdrew　some　of　the　old　frontier　posts　from　the　old　hunting…range；　the　action　was　construed　by　the　tribesmen　as　an　admission　that　we　feared　them；　and　they　acted　upon　that　idea。　In　one　point　of　view　they　had　right　with　them；　for　now　we　were　moving　out　into　the　last　of　the　great　buffalo　country。　Their　war　was　one　of　desperation；　whereas　ours　was　one　of　conquest；　no　better　and　no　worse　than　all　the　wars　of　conquest　by　which　the　strong　have　taken　the　possessions　of　the　weak。

Our　Army　at　the　close　of　the　Civil　War　and　at　the　beginning　of　the　wars　with　the　Plains　tribes　was　in　better　condition　than　it　has　ever　been　since　that　day。　It　was　made　up　of　the　soundest　and　best…seasoned　soldiers　that　ever　fought　under　our　flag；　and　at　that　time　it　represented　a　greater　proportion　of　our　fighting　strength　than　it　ever　has　before　or　since。　In　1860　the　Regular　Army；　not　counting　the　volunteer　forces；　was　16；000。　In　1870　it　was　37；000one　soldier　to　each　one　thousand　of　our　population。

Against　this　force；　pioneers　of　the　vaster　advancing　army　of　peaceful　settlers　now　surging　West；　there　was　arrayed　practically　all　the　population　of　fighting　tribes　such　as　the　Sioux；　the　two　bands　of　the　Cheyennes；　the　Piegans；　the　Assiniboines；　the　Arapahoes；　the　Kiowas；　the　Comanches；　and　the　Apaches。　These　were　the　leaders　of　many　other　tribes　in　savage　campaigns　which　set　the　land　aflame　from　the　Rio　Grande　to　our　northern　line。　The　Sioux　and　Cheyennes　were　more　especially　the　leaders；　and　they　always　did　what　they　could　to　enlist　the　aid　of　the　less　warlike　tribes　such　as　the　Crows；　the　Snakes；　the　Bannacks；　the　Utesindeed　all　of　the　savage　or　semi…civilized　tribes　which　had　hung　on　the　flanks　of　the　traffic　of　the　westbound　trail。

The　Sioux；　then　at　the　height　of　their　power；　were　distinguished　by　many　warlike　qualities。　They　fought　hard　and　were　quick　to　seize　upon　any　signs　of　weakness　in　their　enemies。　When　we；　in　the　course　of　our　Civil　War；　had　withdrawn　some　of　the　upper　posts；　the　Sioux　edged　in　at　once　and　pressed　back　the　whites　quite　to　the　eastern　confines　of　the　Plains。　When　we　were　locked　in　the　death　grip　of　internecine　war　in　1862；　they　rose　in　one　savage　wave　of　rebellion　of　their　own　and　massacred　with　the　most　horrible　ferocity　not　less　than　six　hundred　and　forty…four　whites　in　Minnesota　and　South　Dakota。　When　General　Sibley　went　out　among　them　on　his　later　punitive　campaign　he　had　his　hands　full　for　many　a　long　and　weary　day。

Events　following　the　close　of　the　Civil　War　did　not　mend　matters　in　the　Indian　situation。　The　railroads　had　large　land　grants　given　to　them　along　their　lines；　and　they　began　to　offer　these　lands　for　sale　to　settlers。　Soldier　scrip　entitling　the　holder　to　locate　on　public　lands　now　began　to　float　about。　Some　of　the　engineers；　even　some　of　the　laborers；　upon　the　railroads；　seeing　how　really　feasible　was　the　settlement　of　these　Plains；　began　to　edge　out　and　to　set　up　their　homes；　usually　not　far　from　the　railway　lines。　All　this　increase　in　the　numbers　of　the　white　population　not　only　infuriated　the　Indians　the　more；　but　gave　them　the　better　chance　to　inflict　damage　upon　our　people。　Our　Army　therefore　became　very　little　more　than　a　vast　body　of　police；　and　it　was　always　afoot　with　the　purpose　of　punishing　these　offending　tribesmen；　who　knew　nothing　of　the　higher　laws　of　war　and　who　committed　atrocities　that　have　never　been　equalled　in　history；　unless　it　be　by　one　of　the　belligerents　of　the　Great　War　in　Europe；　with　whom　we　are　at　this　writing　engagedonce　more　in　the　interest　of　a　sane　and　human　civilization。　The　last　great　struggle　for　the　occupation　of　the　frontier　was　on。　It　involved　the　ownership　of　the　last　of　our　open　lands；　and　hence　may　be　called　the　war　of　our　last　frontier。

The　settler　who　pushed　West　continued　to　be　the　man　who　shared　his　time　between　his　rifle　and　his　plough。　The　numerous　buffalo　were　butchered　with　an　endless　avidity　by　the　men　who　now　appeared　upon　the　range。　As　the　great　herds　regularly　migrated　southward　with　each　winter's　snows；　they　were　met　by　the　settlers　along　the　lower　railway　lines　and　in　a　brutal　commerce　were　killed　in　thousands　and　in　millions。　The　Indians　saw　this　sudden　and　appalling　shrinkage　of　their　means　of　livelihood。　It　meant　death　to　them。　To　their　minds；　especially　when　they　thought　we　feared　them；　there　was　but　one　answer　to　all　thisthe　whites　must　all　be　killed。

Red　Cloud；　Crazy　Horse；　Roman　Nose；　American　Horse；　Black　Kettlethese　were　names　of　great　Indian　generals　who　proved　their　ability　to　fight。　At　times　they　brought　into　the　open　country；　which　as　yet　remained　unoccupied　by　the　great　pastoral　movement　from　the　south；　as　many　as　five　thousand　mounted　warriors　in　one　body；　and　they　were　well　armed　and　well　supplied　with　ammunition。　Those　were　the　days　when　the　Indian　agents　were　carrying　on　their　lists　twice　as　many　Indians　as　actually　existedand　receiving　twice　as　many　supplies　as　really　were　issued　to　the　tribes。　The　curse　of　politics　was　ours　even　at　that　time；　and　it　cost　us　then；　as　now；　unestimated　millions　of　our　nation's　dearest　treasures。　As　to　the　reservations　which　the　Indians　were　urged　to　occupy；　they　left　them　when　they　Iced。　In　the　end；　when　they　were　beaten；　all　they　were　asked　to　do　was　to　return　to　these　reservations　and　be　fed。

There　were　fought　in　the　West　from　1869　to　1875　more　than　two　hundred　pitched　actions　between　the　Army　and　the　Indians。　In　most　cases　the　white　men　were　heavily　outnumbered。　The　account　which　the　Army　gave　of　itself　on　scores　of　unremembered　minor　fieldswhich　meant　life　or　death　to　all　engagedwould　make　one　of　the　best　pages　of　our　history；　could　it　be　written　today。　The　enlisted　men　of　the　frontier　Army　were　riding　and　shooting　men；　able　to　live　as　the　Indians　did　and　able　to　beat　them　at　their　own　game。　They　were　led　by　Army　officers　whose　type　has　never　been　improved　upon　in　any　later　stage　of　our　Army　itself；　or　of　any　army　in　the　world。

There　are　certain　great　battles　which　may　at　least　receive　notice；　although　it　would　be　impossible　to　mention　more　than　a　few　of　the　encounters　of　the　great　Indian　wars　on　the　buffalo…range　at　about　the　time　of　the　buffalo's　disappearance。　The　Fetterman　Massacre　in　1866；　near　Fort　Phil　Kearney；　a　post　located　at　the　edge　of　the　Big　Horn　Mountains；　was　a　blow　which　the　Army　never　has　forgotten。　〃In　a　place　of　fifty　feet　square　lay　the　bodies　of　Colonel　Fetterman；　Captain　Brown；　and　sixty…five　enlisted　men。　Each　man　was　stripped　naked　and　hacked　and　scalped；　the　skulls　beaten　in　with　war　clubs　and　the　b