Red Cloud, Chief of the Oglala Sioux, j
Was a Warrior, Patriot and Diplomat
Both on the War Trail and in the Council Lodge He Proved That He Could Hold
His Own With His "White Brothers"
ELMO SCOTT WATSON
ONE night in the winter of
1821-22 a meteorite went
hurtling across the sky over
North America. That night
an Indian mother named
Walks-As-She-Thinks sat in
her lodge which was pitched
somewhere on the grassy
plains of South Dakota be
tween the Black Hills and the
Missouri river. She was
cradling in her arm her new
born son and, as the huge ball
of fire blazed overhead, she
looked up through the open
ing at the top of the lodge.
High above her she saw a
fleecy cloud turn a brilliant
red in the glaze of the blaz
ing star. For a moment she
clasped her little son fearful
ly to her breast. Then she
laughed and, turning to her
husband, Chief Lone Man,
exclaimed: "It is a sign! His
name shall be Makhpiya
Luta, the Red Cloud!"
Walks-As-She-Thinks little real
ized how great that name, thus
lightly given, would become; how
during the next 50 years it would
be a name of terror to the white
men who were then just begin
ning to crowd in upon the lands
of her people, the Teton Sioux.
George E. Hyde, in his recently
published "Red Cloud's Folk,"
calls the westward drive of the
Sioux from their ancestral homes
in Minnesota to Montana "one of
the epic migrations of history"
and says:
"The Oglalas were the spear
head of the Teton Sioux advance,
and from 1840 onwards they
stood squarely in the path of that
new immigration of pioneer
trains, traders and the protective
military, which threatened their
newly-won hunting range on the
northern prairies. In the his
toric struggle which ensued,
white reverses revealed the real
might of the Sioux . . . and dur
ing these years of heavy conflict,
between 18G5 and 1877, Red Cloud
stood out as one of the greatest
of the Sioux leaders."
Red Cloud had good reason to
dislike the white invaders and to
"stf.nd in their path." He was
left an orphan at the age of three,
his father, Chief Lone Man of the
Brules, dying from the effects of
drinking too much firewater sup
plied by white traders. When he
lost his mother soon afterwards,
his sisters, who were bringing
him up, took him with them to
the camp of Old Smoke, a Saone
Teton chief, near Fort Laramie
and there Red Cloud grew into
young manhood.
In 1855 Red Cloud learned his
first lesson in "the white man's
justice." It was when Gen. W. S.
Harney won his famous "victory"
" at Ash Hollow, where he attacked
the camp of Little Thunder, a
friendly Brule chief, and killed
86 men, women and children.
It was such incidents as these,
plus the grafting propensities of
their agents, which made the
Oglalas and Brules distrustful of
the white men and as traffic over
the Oregon Trail increased, cer
tain bands of both tribes retired to
the Powder river. Among them
was the Iteshica or "Bad Faces,"
with which young Red Cloud was
associated. He won renown as a
warrior in more thah one battle
with the Crows and by 1865 he
was rated as a "shirt-wearer" or
head soldier. But he had yet to
lift a hostile hand against the
white man, although that was
coming soon enough.
Avoiding Trouble.
Mainly due to the efforts of
Man - Afraid - of - His - Horses, the
principal chief of the Oglalas,
these Powder river Sioux had
avoided collision with the whites.
They did this even though some
of their tribesmen had joined the
Cheyennes and Arapahoes in the
war which had been raging south
of the Platte.
In March, 1865, a great group
of hostiles from the south joined
the Powder river tribes. "The
story these southern Indians told
of the outrages the white soldiers
had committed against them
while they were still friendly and
of the retribution they had ex
acted from the whites, the sight
of the great numbers of captured
horses these hostiles had in their
possession and the plunder that
filled their camps greatly excited
the Powder river bands. It must
have been at this moment tha^
Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses, who
had stood firmly for peace with
the whites, began to lose his hold
over his people. Indeed, there is
every reason to suppose that the
hostiles now offered a pipe to the
Powder river Indians and that in
a council the friendly chiefs were
overruled and the pipe was ac
cepted."
? y^*rrr? ? $*MA >J
Red Cloud and the Sioux and Arapahoe chiefs who visited Washington in 1S11. They are (stand
ing, left to right) : Little Big Man, Little Wound, Three Bears and He Dog; (sitting, left to right):
Red Cloud, Big Road, Yellow Bear, Young-Man-Afraid- of -His-Horses and Iron Crow. (From a pho
tograph by Brady, printed in Harper's Weekly for October 20, 1877.)
Then followed the historic
Powder River expedition, led by
General Connor and Colonels Cole
and Walker. This campaign cost
the government$2,000,000 a month
and ended in disappointment for
everyone except the hostiles
whose "camps were full of caval
ry horses and mules branded US
and many good carbines which
they had taken from the sol
diers."
Having failed to whip the
Sioux into submission the govern
ment next tried diplomacy. It
sent out a peace commission to
persuade the Sioux to be good
and especially to allow a road to
be built through their hunting
grounds to the Montana gold
fields. A number of friendly
chiefs ? "trader's chiefs," the
hostiles scornfully called them ?
signed the treaty, but such real
leaders as Man - Afraid - of - His -
Horses and Red Cloud, who by
this time was the principal leader
of the all-important warrior class
RED CLOUD
in the Powder river camps, re
fused to have anything to do with
such a document.
Red Cloud Stands in the Road.
Despite this (act, the peace
commissioners reported that their
mission had been a success and
an expedition, commanded by
Col. Henry B. Carrington, set out
to build a chain of forts along the
Bozeman trail to Montana. No
sooner had he completed Fort
Phil Kearney, his headquarters,
than his troubles began. For Red
Cloud, who had by now sup-*
planted Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses
as the big man among the Sioux,
immediately began making good
his threat to "stand in the white
man's road."
All during the summer of 1866
not a wagon train went over the
trail without the men in it having
to fight their way through a
swarm of hostiles. Moreover the
Indians boldly pushed in close to
the forts, running off stock and
attacking every detachment of
troops that ventured out. The cli
max came in December with the
destruction of Fetterman's com
mand. By this time the govern
ment was thoroughly convinced
that the peace commissioners'
mission had not been a success.
Despite his warnings and appeals
for reinforcements, Carrington
was ''made the goat" and re
lieved' of his command. His suc
cessor was ordered to make a
winter campaign against the hos
tiles but with the inadequate
number of troops supplied him he
dared) not move.
The next spring another peace
commission was sent out to Fort
Laramie, but Red Cloud sent
word that he was too busy to
come in now, although he might
come in and talk with them next
year. Then a third commission
was sent out and after a long de
lay it finally induced Red Cloud
to sign a treaty of peace. But he
held Out until he had obtained the
thing he most wanted ? not only
the promise to abandon the forts
along the Bozeman trail but the
actual abandonment. Then he
signed the treaty on November 6,
1868.
A Diplomatic Victory.
Great as had been his victories
on the battlefield, this one in the
field of diplomacy was even
greater. He had defied the power
of the United States and made a
peace on his own terms. It is said
that this is the only case in
American history when this na
tion signed a treaty which gave
everything that the other party to
the document asked for without
getting anything in return. True,
the federal government did get
peace for its citizens ? so far as
Red Cloud personally was con
cerned. But that did not mean
that the troubles with the Sioux
were over. Some of their leaders
who signed the treaty led their
people B&tk to the Powder river
country and remained there as
hostiles until they were finally
conquered and put on reserva
tions at the close of the Sioux
war of 1876-77.
Although Red Cloud later dis
tinguished himself as a war
leader against other tribes, nota
bly the Shoshones, he kept his
promise of refraining from war
against the whites. But he con
tinued to distinguish himself as a
diplomat, as an ambassador for
his people to the "Great White
Father" in Washington. He was
invited to come there in 1870 to
confer with President Grant and
the Secretary of the Interior when
another war with the Sioux
seemed imminent. A council was
held at the Indian office and there
Red Cloud was told that his people
must go on a reservation.
"If Red Cloud had been im
pressed with the power of the
United States by being taken
about Washington, he did not
show it at this council. He had
come east to prevent a new war
and to procure for his people the
right to trade on the Platte. What
was this talk about going on the
reservation ? to the Missouri? 'I
have said three times that I
would not go to the Missouri, and
now I say it here for the fourth
time.' . . . This was not the talk
of a man who feared the power
of the United States and the glum
officials began to realize that dic
tating to Red Cloud was not go
*
Editor'* Note: The fourth Fri
day in September I* celebrated
In many states a* American In
dian Day "in recognition of the
contribution of the red man to our
national tradition." In fhia article,
appropriate to the celebration of
that day, la told the itory of one
of the outstanding Indian charac
ters in American hiatory. It is
based upon the book, "Bed Cloud's
Folk? A Hiatory of the Oglala
Sioox Indians," written by George
E. Hyde and pabliahed by the
University of Oklahoma Preaa in
Ha "The Civilization of the Amer
ican Indian" series. Mr. Hyde's
book is the first comprehensive
history of one of the tribes that
made ip the grat Slomt or Da
kota nation. It throws mmch new
light on our government's relations
with that prowl people, especially
in regard to the treaties with them
which were qnite as important aa
oar wars with them, which have
been the theme ?f most writers
abort the Sioox.
ing to be the easy task they had
anticipated."
Nor did he go to the Missouri.
The upshot of the matter was
that the government gave in, the
Oglalas were to have a reserva
tion near Fort Laramie and Red
Cloud was to be permitted to
name his own agent and. his own
trader. (Incidentally, the govern
ment failed to keep its promise
in regard to the latter.)
For the next five or six years
Red Cloud, although settled on a
reservation, still remained a
power among the Sioux. His un
ruly Oglalas made life miserable
for the men who were appointed
to be their agents and he contrib
uted to their unhappiness by his
repeated complaints that they
were grafting and cheating his
people. Some of these complaints
were only too true but others
were inspired by scheming trad
ers who had Red Cloud's ear and
used him as a tool in their efforts
to get their share of the graft.
The Oglala Disarmed.
The Oglala chieftain took no
active part in the Sioux war of
1876-77. But charges that he was
giving aid to the hostiles in the
camps of Sitting Bull and Crazy
Horse were used by the military
to justify the disarming of his
people and the seizure of all their
horses by Col. Ranald S. Macken
zie in the fall of 1877. From that
time on, the power and influence
of Red Cloud waned.
After he signed the treaty of
1868 Red Cloud's policy, accord
ing to Hyde, was "to remain on
good terms with the whites as far
as possible, to obtain help from
them, but above all to hold stub
bornly to the old roving and hunt
ing life and never to give it up.
For an Indian, Red Cloud was an
able man, but it is to be doubted
if he ever had the breadth of
vision that Spotted Tail some
times exhibited. This Brule chief
realized after 1865 that the old
wild life was doomed and tried
to lead his people to accept the
inevitable changes in their way
SPOTTED TAIL
- ?*
of living. Red Cloud could not
see this, and he remained 'non
progressive,' as the exasperated
Indian office officials put it, until
the day of his death."
That day came in 1909 when
Red Cloud, blind and bowed with
the weight of his 87 years, died at
his home on the Pine Ridge res
ervation in South Dakota. The
newspaper dispatches which car
ried the news of his death told of
his great deeds on the war trail.
They gave no mention of the fact
that he was great in other ways,
too? as a patriot, fighting a los
ing battle against the power of a
more numerous race, and as a
diplomat who more than once
had defeated the men of that race
in the council as well as on the
battlefield.
ft W*rtcrn Nmptptt Unko.
When King George Received
the Big News from America
Samuel Morse, inventor of the
electric telegraph, had only one
ambition as a young -man and that
was to become an artist. ' He stud
ied under Washington Allston,
then the greatest painter in the
United States, and with Allston
went to London in 1811. There he
met Benjamin West who, although
an American, was president of the
Royal academy^ and a great fa
vorite with the kihg~ who later
made him Sir Benjamin West.
West was actually at work on a
portrait of the king when the lat
ter was handed the Declaration of
Independence. Morse heard the
piquant story from West himself,
says Ernest Greenwood in "From
Amber to Amperes." Here it is
?as related by Mqrse :
Turning to the picture of the
king, Sir Benjamin West said:
"Do you see that picture, Mr.
Morse? Well, sir, the king
was sitting for me when the box
containing the American Declara
tion of Independence was handed
to him."
"Indeed!" I answered, "and
A Worthy Object
\\/ ILL power is the mental
* ? experience exercised in
bringing about a desired end.
Therefore, I say that a man
must necessarily have a
worthy object in view to bring
out the best in him? that a man
must see more than a salary to
be more than a salaried man.
A man must see the position of
ownership, partnership, man
agement, or increased award,
in order to awaken his will
power.
The man who does good to
another does even more good
to himself.
what appeared to be the emotion
of the king? What did he uyT"
"Well, sir," said West, "he
made a reply characteristic of the
goodness of his heart," or words
to that effect. " 'Well,' he said,
'if they can be happier under the
government they have chosen,
then under mine, I shall be hap
py!' "
Morse stayed four years in Eng
land where he achieved consider
able success as a portrait painter.
Then returning to his native coun
try, be afterwards became presi
dent of the national academy and
an eminently successful painter,
his sitters becoming so numerous
that he was unable to meet and
fill all of his orders. It was dur
ing his return voyage to America
in 1832, following a second visit to
Europe, that Morse got his con
ception of the telegraph. Twelve
years later ? May 24, 1844 ? he
gave a public demonstration of
his invention, sending a message
from Washington to Baltimore.
The rest is well known history.
?Kansas City Star.
Funster Ought to Have
Recognized His Fellow
Jones de Vere Jones decided it
would be fun to spend a day in
the country. Back to Nature, and
all that.
Meeting a farmer in a field he
thought to have some fun with
him.
"Good-morning," he started. "X
must say I admire your part of
the country."
Then he noticed a scarecrow in
the middle of the field.
"And is that one of the oldest
inhabitants?" he went on, point
ing to the scarecrow.
"Naw, zur," came the slow re
ply. "That be no oldest "habi
tant. Just a visitor like yourself."
(
The Scales
\X7 HAT goes up must coma
" down. Or if you wish to put
it in more scientific language: Ac
tion is equal to .reaction and in the
contrary direction.
This is the law of compensation.
It is the one fixed, immutable law
of life and it applies to every
thing, everywhere. It cannot be
evaded or avoided. The working
of it may be immediate or it
may be a matter of centuriea,
but if we keep ourselves aware
of it we may be saved disappoint
ment and disillusion.
The extent to which we try to
restrict that law is absurd. We
speak of balanced budgets, bal
anced rations, and the balance at
trade; but we Quite ignore bal
anced lives and balanced sociolo
gy; so, in the end. Nature take*
the job off our hands, with the
consequent upheavals and disturb
ances.
We work or play to excess, we
indulge our appetites and oar
senses to repletion, perhaps to
gluttony, and when we suffer dur
ing Nature's work of restoring
balance, we rail at fate.
In monarchy and republic we
allow our thirst for power and
for money to overbalance our
lives, both individually and so
cially, then blame God and man
for the chaos which attends the
restoration of balance.
In all the affairs of life we may
evolve philosophies and deviae
systems ; but just so long as they
are out of balance, individually,
socially, industrially or govern
mentally, just so long win the
scale teeter up and down to am
discomfort.
If as individuals our lives an
out of balance, the structure as a
whole must also be out at bal
ance; and in time that
must be restored ? by us or by
THOSE WHO FOLLOW.? Ray S
Ayers in Detroit News.
?????*
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