The Taming of the Sioux

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1917. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... THE PASSING OF CUSTER The Government wanted the Sioux Indians to cease their roaming and come in and settle down upon the reservations that had lately been set aside for them. But this the most of them refused to do. They were having a perfectly good time hunting and moving about from place to place in the land which they considered theirs by right of conquest with the neighboring tribes,1 such as the Crows, Mandans and Arickarees. They were living their lives as their fathers had taught them to, and they could not see the proposition in the same light as the Government did at all. So early in December of 1875, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs issued an order, or an ultimatum to all these roving tribes of the Big Horn River country to come in to the reservations at once or he would turn the entire United States army upon them. When this order reached the Sioux Indian country it was in the throes of an exceptionally hard winter. Snow covered the ground to a depth which precluded all travel, especially by the women and children, and even the scouts who carried this decree to the camps of the chiefs, could not return to the agencies. Even if the Indians had been inclined to obey the order, it would have been foolhardy for them to attempt the long trip, and when they failed to respond, the Commissioner became very impatient and called upon the army to forcibly bring them in. This brings us up to 1876, that memorable year when the Centennial Celebration was held in Philadelphia, or was it Pittsburgh? One hundred years before that, certain wise men drew up the Declaration of Independence; and on June 25th, a century later, almost to the day, what remained of the fighting manhood of the North American Indians demonstrated their love of their country and libe...