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up at my request, and given to me for public use. And I will now use one of these statements, drawn up by Mr. J. W. H. Patton, of Independence, Missouri a gentleman to me well known, and for whose veracity I vouch. (This statement was not read in the delivery of the speech, for want of time, its contents only given; but is now inserted in full as the testimony of an eye-witness, competent and credible, and whose statement will be corroborated by the general voice of the country, and by the special statement of numerous persons equally cognizant of the facts, and whose names Mr. Patton gives.)

"About the 8th or 10th of August, 1849, I arrived at Las Vegas, New Mexico, on my way from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fé, in company with Benjamin F. Thomson and bis train of merchant wagons. Having learned from some travelers whom we met on the road, that a battle had been fought at Las Vegas, between the United States troops stationed there and a band of the Jicarilla tribe of Apache Indians, we made inquiries concerning the difficulty, and were informed by some of the citizens and soldiers of the place-both classes agreeing in their statements -that, about ten days previous to our arrival, viz: about the 1st of August, 1849, a party of the Jicarilla Indians, numbering about forty, a large proportion of the number being women, youths, and children, came into the town, under a sub-chief, with the avowed purpose of making a treaty of friendship with the military commander at that post. The commander informed them that he would make no treaty except with the head chiefs of the tribe; and believing, as he said, that the true object of this visit of the Indians was to inform themselves as to the Firength of the garrison, and other defenses of the place, with a view to an attack upon it at some future time, (upon what he predicated bis suspicion I do not now remember,) he ordered them off from the town. Instead of obeying this order, they dispersed in various directions through the village, trying to make purchases of powder and lead. The commander being informed of their efforts to procure ammunition, immediately dispatched a sergeant with a detachment of fifteen soldiers, with orders to bring the Indians before him for the purpose of being further examined as to their intentions. The Indians, seeing the armed soldiery approaching them, precipitately fled from the town; whereupon the commander ordered his whole company of dragoons to mount and pursue them, which they did, engaging with them a short distance from the town, and keeping up a running fight for the distance of eight miles. In the engagement twenty-three Indians were killed, including many women and children, and seven prisoners were taken, consisting of one full grown Indian, who subsequently made his escape, three squaws, and three youths, all of whom, I believe, were wounded. Of the United States troops, three or four were wounded with arrows.

"Captain Judd was military commander at Las Vegas at the time of the occurrence above mentioned. The garrison consisted of one company of Flying Artillery, but the company was mainly used as dragoous. Burnside was first lieutenant of the company. The names of the other officers of the company I do not now remember.

"In company with B. F. Thomson and Lieutenant Burnside, I visited the guard-house in which the Indian prisoners above mentioned were confined. On entering, we found the surgeon dressing a wound upon the shoulder of the youngest of the squaws, (who appeared to be eighteen or twenty years of age,) and at the same time, she was drawing the milk from her breast. Mr. Thomson asked where her child was. Lieutenant Burnside remarked in reply: 'I was taught by my mother that nits breed lice.' Her child had been killed in battle. Among the other prisoners was a woman apparently about forty years of age, and her two sons, respectively about nine and twelve years of age. The woman last spoken of will again be mentioned of in the course of my narrative.

"Returning from Santa F6 to Missouri in company with a party of ten besides myself, consisting of Hugh N. Smith, who was on his way to Washington city as Delegate to Congress from New Mexico, B. F. Thomson, John Corbet, Squire Asbury, Captain Papan, Mr. Miller, Grace Dale, two Mexican servants, and another person whose name has escaped my memory, we arrived at Las Vegas about the 6th of October, following the date of the occurrences above spoken of, and started across the plains from that place about the 14th. When about three days travel out from the eastern border settlements of New Mexico, and at a place on the road known as the Point of Rocks, we met a party of thirty or forty Mexicans returning from buffalo hunting, who informed us that, about twelve miles back, on the road they came, they saw the bodies of five or six Americans who had been murdered by the Jicarilla Indians; and that a large party of the same tribe had attacked them (the hunters) the evening previous, killing three of their number and wounding several others. They showed us their wounded companions, and Mr. Thomson, of our party, extracted some arrow points from their wounds. The hunters, pointing back in the direction from whence they came, called our attention to the smoke arising from the camp fires of the Indians, who, they said, were encamped in a strong body upon the road. Thereupon we made an effort to induce them to return with us, and assist in routing the Indians, promising that we would afterwards escort them back to the place where we then were stopped; but they refused, and proceeded on their way to Don Fernandez de Taos, where they told us they belonged. We then counseled among ourselves whether we should proceed on our journey, and brave the danger, or return to Las Vegas and report what we had heard relative to the hostility of the Indians and the murder of American citizens by them, and ask of commander Judd an escort of troops to accompany us through the country of the Jicarillas. The question being put to vote, it was decided that we should return. We

Increase of the Army-Mr. Benton.

reached Las Vegas again about the 20th. I neglected to state in the proper place, that having before heard that James M. White, his lady, child, two servants, a negro man and woman, and three others-eight in all-were on the road, traveling in carriages in advance of their train; and from the description given us by the Mexicans, of the persons murdered and their traveling equipage, we were convinced that it was Mr. White and party who had fallen into the hands of the Indians.

"Immediately upon our arrival at Las Vegas, we informed the commander of all these facts, and requested him to send an escort with us to the scene of disaster, and further, if, upon our arrival there, the information obtained from the hunters should be confirmed by ocular proof. Captain Judd excused himself by saying that he was not authorized by his instructions from the commander at Santa Fé to furnish escorts to citizens returning to the States; and that to grant our request would interfere with a plan that he had in view of making an incursion into the Euta country. Upon this we dispatched one of our party, H. N. Smith, to Santa Fé, for the purpose of asking Colonel Washington, who was at that time commander-in-chief of that department, to furnish us an escort. Colonel Washington declined, but sent Captain Judd discretionary authority to act in the matter as be might think best. In the mean time, the regular monthly mail from Santa Fé for Fort Leavenworth, Missouri, arrived at Las Vegas, and the carriers refused to go further without more men. Mr. Smith returned, and presented Colonel Washington's letter to Captain Judd, who still hesitated to send his men upon the plains, until F. X. Aubrey reached Las Vegas from the States, bringing information that, on account of losing a part of his teams, he was obliged to cache two loads of his goods on the Cimerone river, when Captain Judd concluded to send an escort with us, and wagons and teams to bring in Mr. Aubrey's goods. The merchandise consisted of groceries and liquors. Mr. Aubrey also confirmed the previous information of the murder of Mr. White and all his party, excepting his wife and child, who, it was concluded, had been made prisoners by the Indians.

"In order to try and recover Mrs. White and child, the Indian woman, who, with her two sons, mentioned before, was prisoner in Las Vegas, was to be placed in charge of the escort, to accompany them as far out as they were going, and returning with them again as far as the place where the murder was committed, was to he placed upon a horse, and let go to her tribe, with a message from Captain Judd to her tribe, to the effect, that if the Indians would send Mrs. White and child to him, he would release all the Indian prisoners confined at Las Vegas, and give them five good horses to take to their chiefs.

"Accordingly we again left Las Vegas about the 1st of November, accompanied by an escort of twenty-five dragoons, under the command of the second sergeant of the company, whose name I do not remember, (it begins, I think, with 'Van,') the Indian woman and the party carrying the mail.

"When we arrived at the Point of Rocks, the woman indicated to the sergeant in command that, according to her understanding of the captain's orders, (and the orders had been given in her presence, and interpreted to her,) she was then to be let go free. She was evidently sincere in her interpretation of the orders, but was mistaken; and upon the sergeant's telling her that it was the place, but not the time, and explaining to her, as well as he could, that it was his duty to retain her in his custody until his return to that place, and then release her, she, after weeping bitterly for awhile, became apparently reconciled. This occurred in the evening after we had encamped for the night. Next morning, when all things were ready for a start, the woman was, as usual, ordered by the man who drove the wagon in which she rode, to get into the wagon, whereupon she drew a butcher knife, which she had managed to procure and conceal about her person during the night, and sprang at the driver, aiming a blow at his breast, which he barely escaped. She then plunged the knife into the bowels of two or three of the mules attached to one of the wagons, when she was felled to the ground by one of the soldiers, with the butt of his gun. She soon recovered from the blow, and springing to her feet, rushed towards the men, scattering them in every direction, but injuring no one. The soldiers recovered themselves, and made ready their fire-arms, and one of them, as the woman still approached, leveled a holster pistol at her head, and fired. The ball struck its mark, and felled its victim-but having glanced, it only stunned her. She recovered before the men, who were slow in approaching her, could secure and bind her. She sprang again to her feet, and with knite uplifted in her hand, bounded towards her enemies with the ferocity of a wounded tigress, when the word 'fire' was given, and she fell, pierced through the heart by a ball from a carbine. I think she might have been easily secured each time when she was felled to the ground previous to being killed; but the most intense excitement prevailed throughout the camp. We left her unburied, after her deer skin shirt had been removed from her body by one of the teamsters, to be applied to making whip lashes. After traveling about twelve miles from the place of this horrible scene, we came to the place where Mr. White and party had been killed; and collecting their remains, as well as we could, buried them, and proceeded on our way, meeting with no other incident worthy of note."

HO. OF REPS.

The superior officer in command in that quarter very laudably determined to make an expedition for the recovery of Mrs. White, and if he had only left himself, his dragoons, and his artillery behind it would have been successful. He made up an hundred men-forty dragoons, sixty Mexicans, and one twelve pounder, with Carson and Leroux for guides. Knowing the haunts of the Indians, the guides went straight to them, and came on them in fourteen days. The camp was in a deep hollow on a head water of the Red river. Carson and Leroux were ahead with the Mexicans, on a sharp look-out, the signs being fresh, and the pursuit close: an Indian rose up just before them. Leroux accosted him in Spanish, calling him amigo, (friend.) The Indian stood and looked as if bewildered and in doubt. At the same moment a chief, well known to Leroux-his name Chacone-appeared off on the right. To run down upon the camp with the Mexicans and rescue the captive before she could be killed, was the instant resolve of Carson and Leroux-a resolve balked and frustrated by the conduct of the dragoons and the commanding officer. Two of the dragoons fired, and alarmed the camp. The commander ordered the Mexicans to halt for the "artillery" to come up, and even to give back to make room for it to fire. It was got up; it was fired; every Indian at that time having left the camp and gone out of sight. Then the party charged-found the camp empty-went through it-and, at a short distance, found the warm, dead body of the unfortunate woman they had come to save, and whose death they had precipitated. She was shot through from side to side with an arrow, and the blood, hot and smoking, (for it was cold weather,) flowed from her wounds. She was dressed as a traveling lady-bonnet, gloves, and cloak, shoes and stockings-and all the usual garments. It was evident that she had been respected and well treated during life, and even her clothes untouched after her fall. Rolled in blankets, and remaining in her bloody dress, she was carried off by the men to receive the most secure and Christian burial which their care and pity could give her.

Years afterwards one of the chiefs told Leroux all the circumstances of this lamentable death. He said they never meant to hurt the woman, and had treated her kindly, giving her a lodge of her own, and saving her own provisions-those taken from the traveling carriage-her tea, sugar, biscuit-all for herself; and were about to send to a settlement for more, as they knew she could not eat their victuals; that she could have been rescued easily if the pursuers had ran into the camp instead of stopping and firing a cannon, as they did; that there were but thirty-five Indians, and they were surprised, and would have run right off, leaving all behind; but when they found they had time, they gathered up their plunder, taking the lady with them; that after starting, she heard the voices of her countrymen, stopped, and turned round, and was shot by a bad Indian before any one saw him. The unfortunate woman was then only two hundred yards from her intended deliverers, and fell a victim to the folly of pot-house soldiers and schoolhouse officers, whose previous folly and criminality had been the cause of her first misfortune. If Carson had been in command she would have been saved; but when he was nominated a lieutenant by President Polk, the Senate rejected him, because he had not approached the army through the West Point gate.

33D CONG....2D SESS.

not Lieutenant Davidson-to make known his approach and his wishes, and to bring him back an answer for the government of his conduct. The commander of the fort had them all three arrested and put in the guard house. The two young men escaped, and a sergeant's command was sent in pursuit of them, with orders to bring them back. At the same time the head chief, with his band, continued approaching, and at twenty miles distance, not seeing his three messengers return, but confident of a peaceable reception, dispatched a second embassy, more impressively composed than the first. It consisted of an aged man, and an aged woman, the latter a Christian convert, and bearing the crucifix before her as the symbol of peace and good will. These two aged messengers had got within five miles of Taos, when they were met by the sergeant and his party who had gone out to recapture the two young men. The two old messengers were fired upon, and both killed-the aged squaw holding up the sacred emblem of our religion, which she thought would protect her. That done, Lieutenant Davidson, a clever young man, who deserved a better mission, was dispatched with sixty dragoons to whip the advancing party. Enraged at the treatment their messengers of peace had received, the Indians fought with savage fury, making no difference between men and horses, and killing all they could catch. It was a butchery from which a few escaped by flight.

I have these particulars, not like those of the origin of the war, from eye and ear witnesses, but from people of the country who heard, both from citizens and military, all that I relate, and believed it, and referred me for inquiry (if I chose to make it) to an officer of the medical staff, present at the massacre, and wounded in it; and now in the neighborhood of this city: it was the Army surgeon, Dr. Magruder, long stationed in New Mexico, and now on a visit to his friends in Maryland. I have made no inquiries of him, but refer to him, that others may, if they please I would do nothing to compromise him; on the contrary would give it as my opinion that if he wants smiles at the other end of the avenue, he had better be cautious how he states anything to impinge upon the infallibility of a West Point graduate.

Enough for the Jicarilla Apache war: let us come to the second great war, and the one which principally makes this call upon us for this large increase of the regular army-though I believe Cuba and promotion are the real objects. I speak of the Sioux, the numerous bands of which have been so friendly to us for fifty years-just fifty-from the time that Lewis and Clark first met them in 1804, on their way to the Pacific ocean, down to the year 1854. Here we are not quite so deficient of knowledge upon the origin of this Sioux war as upon that of the Jicarilla Apaches. There is one upon this floor who happens to know all about it, and has been striving to get a chance to tell what he knows. I speak of the Delegate from Kansas, [Mr. WHITFIELD,] late Indian agent in that quarter; and as good as present at the origin of this war.

We

have besides the cotemporaneous accounts of many eye witnesses, written at the moment without knowledge of each other's report, and published in numerous and various newspapers; and still further, we have the official reports of many army officers, some laboring hard to throw the blame upon the Indians, others frankly falling in with the current of the citizens' reports, which throw the whole censure upon our own officers. Let facts decide the case.

Some thousands of Sioux Indians are at Fort Laramie, assembled by the United States agents to receive the periodical annuity secured to them by treaty. They are waiting for the last of the agents to arrive, and to make the distribution. The United States have a garrison at the fort, and two officers in command. In the meanwhile an emigrant Mormon family pass along. There is a lame cow belonging to their herd which falls behind, and a Morman remains in the rear to bring her up. After passing all the Indian camps the cow turns back; her driver keeps on, and an Indian kills the cow, and she is eaten. The Mormon goes to the fort and complains; the commanding officer takes cognizance of the matter, and orders the cow-killer to be brought before him. He refuses to come, and says he will be killed first. The chief, Martoh-i-owa, the Logan of the NEW SERIES—No. 22.

Increase of the Army-Mr. Benton.

West, runs backwards and forwards to compose the matter; sometimes exhorting the Indian to surrender; sometimes offering double, treble, quadruple compensation-all to no purpose. Lieutenant Grattan, under discretionary orders from his superior, proceeds to the Indian camps to take the man, dead or alive; and prepared for a fight with the whole camp. He advances into their midst, loads in the face of the Indians, and gives the order to kill all that were not white, when he should give the word to fire; and to make sure of obedience to that word he stood to the twelve pounder himself. The word was given; the friendly chief Martoh-i-owa was killed with three bullets, his brother wounded—no other Indian hurt-and the whole military party instantly massacred. These are the facts of the case, and the concurrent circumstances show the catastrophe to have been the exclusive result of folly and wantonness on the part of the Government officer filled with military ideas got from books, and wholly ignorant of the duties of his position.

In the first place, a criminal offence is made of an act which is no crime by Indian law, or the law of common sense. If a lost animal is found in Indian country, by white man or Indian, he takes it and uses it-making compensation to the owner of the animal if he ever appears. Horses are kept and used; cattle are killed and eaten; and this is the uniform law, and here is an evidence of it in Lieutenant Abert's expedition on the Upper Arkansas, in 1845, Major Fitzpatrick, who recognized it, being one of the safest agents of the West, and a cherished comrade of Frémont. The journal of Lieutenant Abert says:

"We met a party of Apache Indians at this place. The women and children were in the train with the mules and dogs; some were riding in their fashionable gigs, which are formed of the lodge-poles, the largest extremities of which are allowed to trail on the ground; the other ends, crossed on the mules' or dogs' back, form shafts, upon which a basket is affixed to contain the women, children, and chattels. The men, on their prancing steeds, were dashing about in search of fruit and game. One of them stopped to make a confession, which certainly does credit to Indian honesty. He said, 'that for the last few days they had been searching for game, but could not find any; that his squaws and children were crying for meat, and he had not a niorsel to give them; the extremity of their sufferings had that morning urged him to kill an ox which he met on the road; and he wished us to intercede with the people at the fort. Urgent necessity had obliged him to do wrong; but he intended to pay for it, and should retain the tail, which he showed us, as a remembrance of his indebtedness.' Mr. Fitzpatrick told him he had done perfectly right; that the white people would not be angry if, when forced by hunger, they should commit such an act, provided they came boldly forth and acknowledged it, and offered remuneration."

This is the law of the whole Indian country, where lost animals go to the wolves, if not saved by some human finder. No crime at all to take such an animal, only a case for compensation; and this is what every Indian knew, and what, in this case, was offered to be done. But, no! West Point discipline must make it a criminal offence, to be militarily punished inside of a garrison; and that was an outrage, and a disgrace to which the

Ho. OF REPS.

tenant Colonel Hoffman, that Lieutenant Grattan left his post with a desire to have a fight with the Indians."" This is a mistake of the Adjutant General. Every circumstance of the case, and positive testimony besides, proves that the lieutenant went to fight the Indians, and did commence the fight upon them, not attempting to take the cow-killer, who was in his lodge alone, sixty yards distant, in full view of the soldiery, and waiting for them to come on. All the reports agree that the lieutenant's orders to his men were to kill everything that was not white when he gave the orders to fire. Why this firing at the lump if a general fight was not intended? Why fire with grape-shot and musketry upon an innocent and unsuspecting multitude, and that, too, on an annuity ground, but little less sacred than a treaty ground? Why not stop his interpreter if he did not wish him to bring on a fight? The fellow was drunk, and inflaming the Indians with taunts and insults. Part of his talk was, that "the lieutenant was coming with thirty men, and cannon, and that this time he would eat their hearts raw." The interpreter was his mouth piece-spoke in the name of the lieutenant, and threatened death and destruction. Bordeau begged the lieutenant to put the fellow in his house, promising to settle the difficulty in thirty minutes if he was put away. No attention was paid to this request. Everybody cried out against the interpreter, and that he would bring on a fight. The only effect on the lieutenant was to make him take away the remainder of the fellow's whisky-which was an absurd remedy, he being as drunk already as liquor could make him. Why let this fellow go on thus, unless he was promoting the lieutenant's design? which, in fact, he was. Those who would excuse Lieutenant Grattan throw the blame on the interpreter; but that is nonsense; for the interpreter was his own mouth-piece, spoke for him, in his name, and he refused to stop him by putting him into Bordeau's house. But there is positive proof. Mr. Olbridge Allen, a traveler just arrived from California, says:

"I arrived at this post the day before the massacre of Lieutenant Grattan and his command. On the day of the massacre I accompanied the party to Mr. Bordeau's tradinghouse. We stopped a few minutes at Mr. Gratiot's, eight or nine miles below this post, where, fearing there might be some trouble with the Indians, I left my overcoat. While here, Lieutenant Grattan ordered his men to load, and just below the house he gave them his orders, telling them to obey only his orders, or those of the sergeant; said he, "When I give the order, you may fire as much as you d-d please.' He told them he didn't believe a gun would be fired, but he hoped to God they would have a fight.'”

Yes! "hoped to God they would have a fight;" and he took care to make one, in the full confidence that he was to have an easy victory. A few days before he said, in the presence of white people, that he wanted a "muss" with the Indians. They were perfectly quiet until the soldiers and cannon appeared. Then uneasiness began among them, some running backwards and forwards to make peace; but the greater part getting ready for action. The whole affair was unexpected by the Indians, as shown by their conduct; and so attests many witnesses. Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman, says:

"It does not seem that the affair was anticipated by the Indians, but they evidently prepared themselves for it as soon as they knew what the troops came for."

Mr. Bordeau says:

"There is no doubt that Lieutenant Grattan left this post with a desire to have a fight with the Indians, and that he had determined to take the man at all hazards. On reachSing Mr. Bordeau's trading-house, which was just within the camp, he had an interview with The Bear; and finding that he could not, or would not, give up the man, he moved his command into the camp, and placed his cannon and his infantry in line fronting the lodge occupied by the offender. Here he held a council with the chiefs, which, resulting unsatisfactorily, he appears to have ordered his men to fire. After the first discharge of their muskets, the soldiers were quite at the mercy of the Indians, and they were all massacred."

Adjutant General Cooper, remarking upon this report, says, "there is nothing in the accompanyling papers to corroborate the statement of Lieu

"There was no excitement before the soldiers arrived, and when they came in sight the Indians expressed their surprise and wondered who they were. No one at my

ing of the soldiers coming."

It was a military movement, secretly planned, quietly executed to the decisive moment, and evidently intended to be accomplished by surprise.

The plainest, simplest, most brief, and evidently faithful account of the affair was given responsibly by Mr. Bordeau, the trader, and a man of the greatest respectability, to Major Winship; and by him communicated to the War Department, and found at page twelve in the document from which we have quoted. It is dated at Fort Laramie, September 2, and says:

"SIR: I have not the honor of your acquaintance; but, from the situation of the country at the present time, Í take the liberty of writing to you to inform you of facts as near as possible concerning the fight between the United States troops and the Sioux Indians on the 19th of last month; I having been an eye-witness to the battle, and having heard the true causes, I think, of its having

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occurred. On the 17th of last month there was a train of Mormon emigrants passed the village of the Brulés, Wazzazies, and Ogalalla bands of Sioux Indians, which were camped on the Platte river, six miles, more or less, below Fort Laramie; and after the train had got pretty well past the village, there was a man behind the train driving a lame cow, and by some means or other the cow got frightened, and ran towards the village. The man, in turn, having some fears, and not knowing that the Indians would not harm him, left the cow, and an Indian, a stranger, from another band of the Sioux, called the Minne-Cousha, killed the cow, and they ate it; and accordingly the emigrants, as they passed the fort, reported the affair, and on the 19th, Lieutenant Grattan, with a command of twenty-nine soldiers, with the interpreter, came to the village to make the arrest of the Indian who killed the cow. The Lieutenant came to me to learn the best way to get the offender, and I told him that it was better to get the chief to try to get the offender to give himself up by his own good will; but he was not willing. The offender requested of the Indians to let him do as he pleased, for he wanted to die, and that the balance of the Indians would not have anything to do with the affair; and then the lieutenant asked of me to go in the village with him, and I started to go, when another express came and said that the offender would not give himself up; and then the lieutenant asked me to show him the lodge that the offender was in, and I did so. He then marched with his men into the village, within about sixty yards of said lodge, and then fired upon the Indians. The first fire was made by the soldiers, and there was one Indian wounded; and then the chiefs harangued to the young men not to charge on the soldiers; that, being that they, the soldiers, had wounded one Indian, they possibly would be satisfied; but the lieutenant ordered his men to fire their cannon and muskets, and accordingly the chiefs that had went with the soldiers to help to make the arrest, ran, and in the fire they wounded the Bear, chief of the Wazzazies; and as soon as the soldiers' fire was over, the Indians, in turn, rushed and killed the lieutenant and five men by their cannon, and the balance of the men took to flight, and were all killed in one mile or so from the cannon."

This account bears internal evidence of truth, and is, besides, corroborated by the uniform current of the whole disinterested testimony. How impressive this simple narrative, and fatal to the lieutenant's defence, that killing conclusionmarched with his men into the village, within about sixty yards of said lodge, and then fired upon the Indians!-not upon the cow killer, in his lodge, (and that would have been unjustifiable,) but on the innocent crowd; and that was murder.

I deny the right to have killed the Mini-Cousha. Where did this new doctrine come from, and when did it arise, that United States officers may order Indians off, and shoot them if they don't go? Or order them into forts, and shoot them if they don't go in? When, and whence the origin of these crimes and follies, so dreadfully acted upon at the Moro and at Fort Laramie, with such bloody consequences to the people and the country? Whence these novelties? They come from military fledg lings, puffed up with consequence, stuffed with book learning, ignorant of everything they ought to know-acting the great Mogul upon a small scale-sending out sergeants to give absurd orders to those over whom they have no authority, and to kill if they are not obeyed. The killing of the Mini-Coujah, under such circumstances, would have been the murder of one man: firing on the innocent crowd, many of whom were laboring for peace, was wholesale and foul murder.

The official reports of some of the officers of this criminal business are severely reprehensible, being erroneous in facts and revolting in principle. Of both these delinquencies Lieutenant Fleming's report presents eminent instances. Of the cow killing, he gives this account:

"On the 18th of August one of the Sioux went to an emigrant train passing along the road, and tried to kill one of them, but, failing in this, shot down one of the cattle in the train, which left the poor emigrant in a very destitute condition."

This sentence is contradicted by the entire body of evidence. It contains nearly as many errors of fact as there are words, and all intended to make out a black case against the cow-killer. It represents him as trying to kill a Mormon, and failing in that, killed an ox in his place, to the great destitution of the poor Mormon. The murder of the peace-maker chief, Martoh-i-owa, he considers a warlike exploit, and enumerates among the honors of the day, thus:

"I have no reliable information as to the number of Indians killed and wounded: 'The Bear,' (Martoh-i-owa,) head chief, is reported among the killed."

Then comes a sage recommendation as to the means of the military protecting themselves" the only effectual means of protecting ourselves!"and the recommendation runs thus:

"I have recommended that all traders in the country be prohibited from trading guus or ammunition on any pretense

Increase of the Army-Mr. Benton.

whatever, and the Indian agent, General Whitfield, has accordingly prohibited this kind of trade with the Indians till further orders. This I consider, with all who have any knowledge of the dangerous state of the country, as a commendable stroke of policy in General Whitfield. In fact, I might add, at present this is the only effectual means we have of protecting ourselves."

Two follies shine preeminent in this recommendation; first, depriving the Indians of the means of subsistence, and breaking up all our trade with them; second, throwing them into the hands of the British traders to purchase guns and ammunition, and to carry on trade-the first folly being inhuman, the second silly; and yet this is the "only effectual way of protecting ourselves." No way to save our soldiers but to deprive the Indians of guns and ammunition! After this, I think it is full time to send back these graduates to West Point, to become schoolmasters themselves.

Captain brevet lieutenant colonel Steptoe is not much better. He volunteers a report from Great Salt Lake City, not dated in the Government house, in which, the cow-killer is made to fire "first."

He says:

"The chief of the Brulés, among whom the offender was staying, went with Mr. Grattan to the man, and he refused to go, saying he had two guns and plenty of arrows, and could fight. About the time that Grattan regained his command this ludian fired. G. then ordered his musketry to fire."

The untruth of this needs no contradiction. But, not satisfied with making the man fire "first" who never fired at all-who was waiting calmly in his solitary lodge for the lieutenant, his twentynine men and two cannon, to come and kill him, nobly determining to be killed sooner than led prisoner into a garrison, and generously keeping off others that none should share his fate; not satisfied with making this victim an aggressor, he makes the whole affair, in his opinion, a deliberate plan of attack by the Indians upon the garri

son. Thus:

"This statement shows that Lieutenant Grattan did not take the initiative, and it goes to confirm my opinion that the attack upon the troops was part of a deliberate plan. Why the attack was not followed by one upon the fort I do not know."

"I do not know," says this Governor in abeyance: nor does any one know-no such attack on the fort being dreamed of. Fortunately, the Lord does not seem to have yet told Brigham to give up the governorship: and Brigham won't till he does, and that will probably be some time first: so this defender of the Fort Laramie murders may have, for a while, a smaller theater for the exercise of the talent which would defend such crime -and defend it with untruth.

The call for more troops and more provisions was earnest and lamentable, and would indicate a most unnecessary degree of alarm. Thus, Lieutenant Fleming to his superiors the day after the massacre, says:

"The Indians are hostile, menacing the fort; but all my session of it. men are on duty, and I think we shall be able to keep pos

"We stand much in need of more troops, and hope they will be sent as soon as possible. I have sent this by express to the commanding officer of Fort Leavenworth, and requested him to telegraph the same to you without delay. "Provision must accompany the troops, as we have only sufficient for those now at the post."

The fact is, the Indians were astonished and bewildered. Some joined in the massacre: others tried to prevent it; and after it was over endeavored to save some wounded. Mr. Allen, certified by Colonel Hoffman to have given the most reliable and consistent account of the massacre, the whole of which he watched, and looked for from the conduct and language of Lieutenant Grattan, and his mouth-piece, the drunk interpreter, gives a touching account of one instance of this which he saw at Bordeau's house. He says:

"An Indian then came into the house with a wounded soldier, about twenty other Indians being present; some friendly and some not. This Indian told those around him, 'If you kill this soldier, you kill me, for I shall die with him.' The hostiles then warned Bordeau, that he had better not keep the soldier in the house, else they would wipe out the whites,' and they further told him to advise the soldier to conceal himself in the bushes. Then Bordeau asked the soldier if he was able to walk to the fort; and being told by him that he thought he was, Mr. B. directed the Indian who had brought him in, to take him to the road and start him off in the direction of the fort. The Indian took him on the road about a mile and a half towards the garri

son."

At the same time that our officers were in this trepidation, fearing for their fort, dreading a uni

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versal Indian war, believing in ambuscades, and calling for more troops and provisions, there were two French gentlemen at the fort, offering to go alone, with a servant, and ascertain the true state of things among the Sioux, and report the result -one, Mr. Paul Carrey, a French traveler, to me well known, and deserving the commendation bestowed upon him; the other, a French gentleman, of St. Louis, Mr. Sarpy. Their offer is thus officially reported by the commanding general of the Department, Brevet Brigadier General Clark:

"In addition to the major's report and the accompanying statements, I forward an extract of a journal kept by Mr. Carrey, a respectable French gentleman, kindly offered by him. Mr. Carrey is intelligent and adventurous, fond of and addicted to expeditions upon the plains. He would, I have reason to believe, return to the region of the Sioux, if furnished, at the expense of the Government, with a guide, animals, and servant, offering to collect there information as to the numbers, condition, locale, and haunts of the Sioux, and the features of the country. He would go if it be thought proper to send him under the auspices of a Mr. Sarpy, a St. Louis creole, having trading establishments in the region of country the usual roam of that people. I believe the gentleman can be relied upon, and would procure useful information."

And I have no doubt but that if these two gentlemen, or many other two out of thousands in the West, were sent among all the hostile tribes without a soldier, and with authority to hear their real complaints and do justice, peace would be restored. But these regulars-such as we have in these times-can do no good, but harm. They bring on wars; they cause cruel retaliations on travelers and settlers, themselves safe in garrisons. Their posts are no protection; they are the most dangerous places to pass, the Indians lying about them to catch the soldiers when they come out. The mail party from the Great Salt Lake was massacred last November in sight of Fort Laramie, and in further revenge for the attack of the 19th of August. Dragoons, such as we now have, are a burlesque on the name, and the sport of Indians. The man cannot ride. The horse, bred to corn, cannot go out without a bag full on his back; and when it gives out, has to turn back because he has none in his belly. The keep of a horse at some of these posts is about equal to the board of a mem ber of Congress-leaving out the wine-at a firstclass hotel in this city. He is stabled and groomed as at West Point, fed on provender brought from afar, and costing heavily by the time it is delivered. At the same time the country abounds with grass; and grass-fed horses, which the Indians use, costing nothing for their keep, and able to go half speed down precipices where one of our stablebred dragoon animals could hardly be led down, or his rider either. Frémont said-and put it in his journal-that the abundance of grass in the far West was to change the mode of carrying on war there to make it like Cossack or Tartar-every soldier on a horse, which would feed himself, and rapidly carry his rider to the place of action. But Frémont was not educated at West Point, and his opinions are despised by a West Point Administration. General Dodge marched his mounted rangers sixteen hundred miles at one time, without public provender; Colonel Doniphan marched his mounted regiment six thousand miles, by New Mexico and Chihuahua, in the same way; while the horses of the regular Army, in old Mexico, were fed upon corn from Kentucky, oats from Pennsylvania, and hay from Massachusetts-all measured and weighed to them with military precision, and according to the rules; and to the depletion of our Treasury in proportion to the repletion of their stomachs. God defend the West from these four new regular regiments! If we must have them, rather let them follow their true destìnation-furnish promotions, and wait for the chance to go to Cuba.

The exploits of the day-black day, 19th of August, 1854-may be summed up thus:

On the part of the Indians, one man killed, and one wounded-Martoh-i-owa, the slain, his brother the wounded. Of this slain chief, the Logan of the West, a writer in a St. Louis paper, who knew him well, thus speaks:

"We knew him well, and a better friend the white man never had. He was brave, and gentle, and kind—a wise ruler, a skillful warrior, and respected chieftain. Evenin accepting his position, assigned to him some four years ago at the treaty of Laramie, he only consented after much per suasion; and then remarked when he did so, that he gave his life to the Great Spirit.' So far from any charge of

33D CONG....2D SESS.

treachery attaching to his conduct, his own fate is a sufficient proof of his fidelity; in recording it, we feel like inscribing a worthy nemorial of one of the most high-toned and chivalric of all the Indians whom we have known."

He was killed in the first discharge of musketry, almost in company with the soldiers-struck with three balls, one breaking an arm, one shattering a knee, one going through the body. Dying, he begged his people not to avenge his death upon the innocent emigrants, but only on the soldiers; which they promised to do, if they could catch them out of their garrison. His brother, wounded, was standing by him, also struck by musketry. The formidable cannon did no other damage than to make a hole in the top of a lodge, at double the height of a man. These were all the trophies on the part of the United States. On the part of the Indians their trophies are: one officer, twenty-nine men, and one interpreter, killed; none wounded; two cannon and their equipments captured; twelve mules and harness; the lieutenant's horse; ordnance stores; one wagon; $50,000 worth of goods taken the public farm ravaged-and the cattle killed-Bordeau's trading house plundered-for which he is entitled to compensation from the United States: other traders plundered. These were the immediate trophies to the Indians, together with the honor of keeping the field. The consequential were, the breaking up the settlements about Fort Laramie, the breaking up of travel and immigration on that route; the murder of the mail party within seven miles of the fort, with pillage of the mail and robbery of $10,000; the doubling of the compensation for carrying the mail, by act of this session; this demand for four more new regiments, of the same kind which have done all the mischief, $2,500,000 to raise them; and the promise of a universal Indian war. These are the fruits of that day's work! The balance tremendously against us in the materiel, lost and gained; and equally against us on the score of honor lost or gained. A heavy penalty for a nation to pay for a lame runaway Mormon cow, and for the folly and juvenile ambition of a West Point fledgling. I object to any more regular troops. Our regiments now lack three thousand five hundred men to fill their ranks. We can officer the four new regiments, but we cannot fill the ranks of those we have; but perhaps it will answer all the purposes if we create one hundred and fifty new officers, although we have about that number (naval included,) now employed in civil duties; and are pushing the old ones off to make room for the young ones. Oh! that reserved list! An inquisitorial board to sit, and bow-string old fogies. All that are unfit for service-morally, mentally, or bodily to be put on a "reserved "list-to become a reserve to be called out when the genius of the Secretary at War shall direct! Like those superb corps which at Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, stood back till the decisive moment came, then charged, and decided the fate of battles and empires. All that will be wanting to complete the similitude will be for our Secretary to charge himself at the head of this redoubtable reserve when he calls them into action to turn the tide of battles, "big with the fate of Cæsar and of Rome." In the mean time we have gained a great legislative victory: we have established those civil pensions under the name of a "reserved," which could not be got under the name of a "retired " list: and we have found a new method of gaining places for our annual brood of officers by reversing the rule of fishes, and make the young ones devour the old ones. It was necessary. The supply was too great for the demand. Two hundred and fifty young officers continually on the stocks, and coming off by annual deliveries, were more than could find commissions in the present army, even with the (almost) one hundred and fifty engaged in civil duties. This "reserved" list, and these four regiments, are necessary to provide for this annual and perennial manufacture of officers. The same of the Navy. There, also, two hundred and fifty baby officers constantly on the stocks, and no way to provide for them except in building new ships, to rot like the old ones; and "reserving "the old officers to make room for the young ones. Five hundred officers on the stocks at a time! army and navy. Truly, we shall soon be able to rival those army and navy and pension lists of Great Britain, which have loaded England

Increase of the Army-Mr. Benton.

with debt, buried her in taxes, filled her with paupers, and sent the laborer supperless to bed. Five hundred baby officers constantly on the stocks, and all to be provided for as soon as on their legs -and pensioned when not salaried. What is to become of our poor United States? What would become of any good man who should have a dozen babies on the stocks at a time-and all the time? The poor fellow would be bankrupt buying baby clothes and cradles-paying for nursing and washing. And so it will be with these poor United States, and their five hundred embryo officers constantly coming forth for ships and troops, salaries and pensions, and leaving widows and children to be provided for.

Our President recommends an increase of ships: they are certainly not for the prairies of the West! and "Cuba" lies inscribed on all their bottoms. Our Secretaries second the demand, and tell us to take a glance at Europe. So I will, and tell them what I see-tell them that navy which has been building since the time of Peter the Great, was useless the first day it was wanted, and worse! required armies the greatest, and forts the strongest in the world, to protect it. Ninety thousand troops on the Baltic, of which forty thousand are in Cronstadt; some hundred thousand on the Black seathe forts protecting the ships, and the troops protecting the forts. Even in Kamschatka, at the little place of Petropaulowsky, a fort and troops have to save two Russian frigates. What a commentary upon the folly of undertaking to build a navy to contend with the navies of the world. We want cruisers, not ships of the line and fleets; and all we expend in that view, is worse than thrown into the sea; for after being built, it will require ten times as much to keep them afloat until they rot: and that is what I see by taking a glance at Europe."

But to return to the Fort Laramie massacre. It was murder! as much so as if those twenty-nine muskets and two cannon had been fired through this Hall, here among ourselves, sitting in our seats, and killing whom it might. But Lieutenant Grattan is not the only one to blame. Though dreadfully culpable, he is not the only one guilty. His|| immediate commander was the prime cause of his conduct, in giving him "discretionary" orders, knowing his violent intentions; and in making a criminal offence, to be militarily punished, of what was only a debt, to be requited with money or property. He was culpable, again, in justifying the murder, making out a one-sided report, throwing all the blame upon the Indians, and calling upon the Government to pursue them with war and vengeance. All the officers who justified the act (and there are several of them) are severely censurable, and show themselves to be unfit to be trusted with command in an Indian country. The Administration is culpable which has not rebuked this great misdeed; but that is not to be expected from an Administration militarily imbued, and ready to sustain any regular officer in all his acts; and to repulse those who would impugn any part of his conduct.

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of horses, arms, and equipments-in enormous and incredible expense of the army, now averaging above $1,000 a year for every man employed; and increasing continually. Two more regiments of cavalry-having two already to be commanded by officers who learn to ride in a house, and rode by men who never learned to ride either inside or outside of a house-who roll off like pumpkins, if the horse goes a little fast, the man falling one side, and the gun the other; and who are as unfit to take care of a horse as a Comanche Indian would be to run a spinning-jenny. What have our army horses cost us since the war? how much to buy them? how much to feed them? how much for their equipments? and what losses by negligence, ignorance, and mismanagement-by Indian thefts, and by deserting soldiers? Can anybody tell? I presume not. Does any one care? It would seem not; for we vote all that is demanded, without asking a question; and demands are made as if money was water. I see $200,000 for more horses in the army bill-for the old regiments-besides the $2,500,000 for the new ones. It would make an astounding document to see the cost and waste of horses, mules, and oxen, since the war with Mexico, including the Mexican boundary commissions and the scientific explorations, in one of which alone-that of Governor Stevens-I have been informed, four hundred head were employed and destroyed. The War Office gives us no information on these points; and Congress grants what is asked without inquiry. Will the people wake up, and wake up before we arrive at the present debt and tax condition of Great Britain-a condition to which we are now traveling with more headlong haste than ever the British did. It is a long time since I have heard the word "economy." That is an obsolete word in our present democratic vocabulary. No, Mr. Chairman, these regulars are not fit for Indian war; and the more of them we raise the better for the Indians, and the worse for ourselves. The Indians will get more plunder, and we shall pay more money; and at last the Indian wars will have to be ended as others have been, by citizen rangers and volunteers; and as the Florida war was, by the armed occupation policy.

I have limited myself to two cases only of present Indian wars in my own quarter of the Union brought on us by military misconduct. General Houston in the Senate has given in a catalogue of others in his quarter. I could extend my number, but forbear. One case only I will mention, because it is brief, characteristic, little known, and admits of no "proving and 'fending." We call it the war of the Burnt Wagons." The circumstances are these: Twenty-nine wagons, in the fall of 1850, transporting Government stores from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fé, were stopped by a fall of snow on the Arkansas river. While waiting, some of the teamsters, or attendants, went to the military post on that river, some twenty miles lower down. They were met by some Pawnees, who asked for provisions; and not receiving them, helped themselves; and departed without doing further damage. This is considered a slight matter by Indians-an excusable liberty-as hospitality is their first law, and they give of what they have without asking, and without price, to the stranger who enters their tent. Every Indian can make the speech of Logan in that particular. Arriving at the post, the men reported the case to the commandant. He sent out his dragoonswith what orders I know not-but with what effect is well known. They killed three of the Indians, reporting that they fired first-an absurd lie, con