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Letter from Fort Larnard.
KANSAS.
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SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE HERALD.
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Letter from Fort Larnard--Arrival of General Hancock's Expedition--A Talk with the Indian Chiefs--What the Indians Say, &c.
Fort Larnard, Kansas, April 13, 1867.
The troops under General Hancock have been camped at this place for nearly a week, troops and animals needing rest before continuing their march up the Arkansas. Although no invitation was extended to the Indians, members of the minor chiefs have come to the camp to say "Ugh," and get some of the white man's sugar and coffee. The Indians have a decided penchant for the little luxuries of the camp, and seem averse to dog when they can get beef; or it may be, as they say, that the winter has been very severe, that dogs are scarce as well as out of season. Just at nightfall yesterday a number of chiefs of the Cheyenne came to headquarters to have a talk. General Hancock was quite ready to have the confab at once. Not so the Indians. They would not say a word until they could have time to eat, smoke and decorate. A Sibley tent was pitched, in which a fire was built, and food was sent to the Indians, who immediately proceeded to one of those astonishing gastronomical efforts for which they are celebrated, i.e., eat a sufficient quantity in an hour to last a week, if they indulge in no more than their ordinary exercise.
While this performance was going on a huge camp fire was built of cottonwood logs. About this fire officers assembled in a semicircle, seating themselves on logs arranged for the purpose. Groups of officers, standing apart from the others, were discussing the probability of being ordered east, or to the Smoky, or to the new possessions. Others were determined to have a feast of buffalo meat just as soon as they were arrived in a country where the herds were feeding.
Some of the officers were gotten up in uniforms sufficiently gaudy to make it doubtful if the Indians would not find it necessary to retire to their tent for a second attempt at paint. As a general thing the officers were habited in their best garments, wearing also their sabres and revolvers. Two hours passed in waiting, when Colonel Wynkoop arrived. The Colonel is an Indian agent par excellence, of whom a slight description will not suffice to convey any just idea. He is a Plains man, and the best handler of Indians that has ever been on the Arkansas. The Indians have every confidence in his integrity, and respect him for the "heap fight" that he is known to be capable of making.
Entering the Sibley the Colonel found the Indians enjoying a little preliminary smoke. He remarked that the big sword was full of talk. This seems a doubtful compliment to General Hancock, who, though sociable, is not a great conversationist. A grunt and numerous ughs followed the announcement. The pipe took another circuit and was finished. The Indian seems averse to the waste of tobacco in any other way than a puff. Leaving the tent they formed in a single line, walking not in the customary Indian file, but abreast. A few steps in advance walked Colonel Wynkoop, with the two chiefs of the "Dog Soldiers," White Horse and Tall Bull, on either side of him.
As they advanced toward the fire General Hancock suggested to the officers seated at his right hand that they vacate their seats on the logs to the Indians. The leading chiefs were introduced to General Hancock, General A. J. Smith, Generals Custer, Davidson and Gibbs. "Ughs" and shakes of the hand followed, and the Indians seated themselves, wrapped their robes or blankets about them, and proceeded to study the fire with an intentness that would have done credit to the "daughter of the bird of prey," in whom "our mutual friend is interested."
General Hancock rose from his seat, stepped toward the fire, which lit up his figure, now rather more portly than we campaigners with the Army of the Potomac remember him. The General stated to the Indians, by means of an interpreter--Edmund Guerier--that he had come to their country to see them, not to fight, unless they did wrong, when he should be obliged to punish them. He had heard that they had proposed to stop travel on the roads. If they did this they would do wrong, and the Great Father in Washington would be very angry and hit them hard. If they attacked the trains on the Pacific Railroad they would do great injury to themselves. The buffalo were going away very fast; they would all go away eventually, when the Indian must depend on the white man for food. If the white man was angry with the Indian, he would not give him food. If a white man did wrong, he should be punished by the laws of the white man; the Indians must not punish him. If the Indian did wrong, the Indian should be tried in the same way. The General remarked that he had expected to see other Chiefs, but they had not come. "He would start to-morrow morning and go to the villages, where he would have a big talk."
Left to Right, George Armstrong Custer, Winfield Scott Hancock and Tall Bear. From Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper, 11 May, 1867.
While this "talk" was being made the Indians had been passing the pipe, which had been several times emptied, Colonel Wynkoop taking his whiff with great regularity and evident satisfaction. The generals did not indulge in the luxury of the calumet, but confined themselves to cigars. A silence of some minutes duration followed the General's talk, when Tall Bear, a splendid specimen of an Indian chief of the Cheyenne kind, rose, strode up to General Hancock and shook hands; stepping back a pace or two, he wrapped his blanket about his body in such a manner as to permit the folds to be graceful, when he spoke for a moment, slowly and distinctly, though not loud. The gestures were simple and extremely graceful. Ceasing to speak, he gazed steadily into the general's eyes, while the interpreter told the sense of what he said. I say sense, for it was but a skeleton of the words spoken.
He had made his treaties and had kept them. The buffalo were becoming scarce; they had never been so scarce as during the past winter. The white man had made them scarce. When they were hungry he had gone to the fort for food. The officer in command had told him that he would shoot him if he came to the fort. Why was this? They would be glad to see the General. They desired peace. It was evident that the punishment of offences the Indian regarded as a sort of an all buzzard and no turkey arrangement, of which more anon.
The command is moving this morning, and will reach Fort Dodge in two or three days.
Source:
Unknown, [credited to Henry Morton Stanley], "Kansas," New York Herald, Thursday, 22 April 1867, Page 3, Col. ?.
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