The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke Volume 1: November 20, 1872--July 28, 1876

Chapter 15 • The Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition

284 May 16th Left Red Cloud Agency in company with Col. Stanton, Colonel Ludington, Lieut. Griffith, 9th Infantry and a few citizens, guides, discharged soldiers &c. Our united escorts numbered about 65 men, too many for any small party of Indians to think of attacking . As we left the Post, a few curling wreaths of smoke showed the signals were being made, but for what purpose we could not conjecture . As we approached the head of White Earth river the mail driver, going to Red Cloud Agency, passed us. We camped by the springs on White Earth shortly after passing the mail wagon and remained long enough to partake of a cold lunch; had our sense of hearing been a little more acute, we might have heard the death cry of the poor mail driver. That night we reached the ranch on the Niobrara. It surprises me to think that the Agent would suffer these ranches to be constructed on the Niobrara and the Raw Hide, as those places lie within the limits of the Sioux Reservation. About midnight, a courier reached us from Major Jordan, 9th Inf., Comdg Camp Robinson with a dispatch reading as follows: Chapter 15 ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ The Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition THE BIG HORN AND YELLOWSTONE EXPEDITION 285 HdQrs. Camp Robinson, Neb., May 16th, 1876 2 Lieut. John G. Bourke, 3d Cavalry, Aide de Camp, Lieutenant. I have the honor to report for the information of the Commanding General of the Department that about 2 P.M to-day a white man, named Joe Roots, reported to me that the mail carrier (a man named Clark) while en route from Fort Laramie to the Agency was killed by a small party of Indians about noon to-day in the White (Earth.) River cañon at a point about ten miles from here. Mr. Roots was with two other men who were taking oxen to the ranches on Running Water (Niobrara,) when they heard several shots fired, saw the mail carrier lying dead in the wagon immediately afterwards and saw the Indians—four in number—drive off the two horses that were attached to the wagon. About 2.45 P.M., the two Mr. Dears started with a party of about twenty friendly Indians to try and capture the Indians that committed the outrage. Soon after the report reached me, I sent Lieut. McCaleb, 9th Infantry, with two enlisted men in an army wagon to bring in the body of the murdered man, the mail (which was not molested) and the mail wagon. I am Lieutenant, Very Resp. &c. (Sig.) Wm. H. Jordan Captain, 9th Inf. Comd Post I have inserted the above that it may speak for itself: it proves that while the Agent has been busy representing the peaceable attitude of his Indians, they have murdered men almost under his nose. And additional cause for the opposition of Mr. Hastings to the enlistment of a contingent of auxiliaries from among the Red Cloud Indians lies in the fact that if by any means the hostile Indians of the North shall be subdued, there will be no difficulty in transferring the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Bands to the Missouri where, being congregated in one large Reservation, the Sioux Indians can do without the present force of Agents and interpreters and be made 286 THE GREAT SIOUX WAR: 1876–1877 to work for their own support. It appears to be the settled purpose of these Agents to keep the savages in a condition of vagabondage, because, if they should once be placed on the highway to improvement , agents would simply be an impediment in their path. Reached Fort Fetterman on the [1]7th and remained there overnight . Munson’s, Burt’s and Burrough’s companies of the 9th Infantry were preparing to start with the expedition. Genl. Crook received a telegram from General Sheridan saying General Terry’s column had left Fort Abraham Lincoln,1 on the 16th. Also one saying General Sherman had decided upon the detail for the Court to try General Reynolds, and that it would convene July 15th. Moved out, May 18th, with Colonel Stanton, toward Fort Fetterman. Road passes along Right bank of the North Platte for the first 13 miles within sight of the river, road very sandy to Warm Springs, up grade: road then becomes fairly good to Cottonwood Creek 22 miles: then it winds over the Bull Bend Mountains...