General Sully, an officer of considerable reputation as an Indian fighter, was placed in command of the district of the Upper Arkansas, which embraced the Kansas frontier and those military posts on the central plains most intimately connected with the hostile tribes. General Sully concentrated a portion of the troops of his command, consisting of detachments of the Seventh and Tenth Cavalry and Third Infantry, at points on the Arkansas river, and set on foot various scouting expeditions, but all to no purpose. The Indians continued as usual not only to elude the military forces directed against them, but to keep up their depredations upon the settlers of the frontier.

Great excitement existed along the border settlements of Kansas and Colorado. The frequent massacres of the frontiersmen and utter destruction of their homes created a very bitter feeling on the part of the citizens of Kansas toward the savages, and from the Governor of the State down to its humblest citizen appeals were made to the authorities of the general government to give protection against the Indians, or else allow the people to take the matter into their own hands and pursue retaliatory measures against their hereditary enemies. General Sheridan, then in command of that military department, with headquarters at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was fully alive to the responsibilities of his position, and in his usual effective manner set about organizing victory.

As pretended but not disinterested friends of the Indians frequently acquit the latter of committing unprovoked attacks on helpless settlers and others, who have never in the slightest degree injured them, and often deny even that the Indians have been guilty of any hostile acts which justify the adoption of military measures to insure the protection and safety of our frontier settlements, the following tabular statement is here given. This statement is taken from official records on file at the headquarters Military Division of the Missouri, and, as it states, gives only those murders and other depredations which were officially reported, and the white people mentioned as killed are exclusive of those slain in warfare. I am particular in giving time, place, etc., of each occurrence, so that those who hitherto have believed the Indian to be a creature who could do no wrong may have ample opportunity to judge of the correctness of my statements. Many other murders by the Indians during this period no doubt occurred, but, occurring as they did over a wide and sparsely settled tract of country, were never reported to the military authorities.

TABULAR STATEMENT OF MURDERS, OUTRAGES, ROBBERIES, AND DEPREDATIONS COMMITTED BY INDIANS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI AND NORTHERN TEXAS, IN 1868 (EXCLUSIVE OF MILITARY ENGAGEMENTS), AND OFFICIALLY REPORTED TO HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI.

Key to Column Headings:

DATE. PLACE. WHITE PEOPLE. LIVE
STOCK
STOLEN.		 K L M N
A B C D E CAPTURED.
F G H I J K. W.
1868.
August 10. Saline Valley 4 6
August 12. Settlements on Solomon River 15 2 5 10 5
August 12. On Republican River 2
August 12. Wright’s Camp, near Dodge 2
August 12. Pawnee Forks 132
August 14. Granny Creek, on Republican 1 1 1 1 1
August 22. Sheridan City 12
August 23. Northern Texas 8 300
August 23. Cheyenne Wells 1
August 23. Two Butte Creek 3 25
August 23. Pond Creek and Lake Station 2 1 1
August 23. Bent’s Fort 15 4
August 24. Bent’s Fort 3 1
August 27. Fort Lyon 1
August 27. Cheyenne Wells 1
August 27. Big Spring Station 1[a]
August 28. Kiowa Station 3 50 1
August 31. Kiowa Creek (near) 200 40 2
September 1. West of Lake Station 2 2 30
September 1. Reed’s Springs 3 3
September 1. Spanish Fort, Texas 4 8 3[b] 15
September 2. Little Coon Creek 3
September 3. Colorado City 4
September 5. Hugo’s Springs 5 1
Sept. 6 and 7. Colorado Territory 25 20
September 8. Turkey Creek, near Sheridan 2 2 76
September 8. Cimmaron Crossing 17[c] 12 75 1
September 9. Between Sheridan and Wallace 6 1
September 10. Near Fort Wallace 1
September 11. Lake Creek 81
September 12. Bent’s Old Fort 85 1
September 17. Ella Station 1 1
September 17. Fort Bascom 1 1 30
September 19. Big Timber’s Station 1
September 29. Sharp’s Creek 1 1 1[d] 1[d] 1[d] 1
October 2. Fort Zarah 1 160 1
October 2. Between Larned and Dodge 3 3 50
October 4. Near Fort Dodge 2 1 68
October 4. Asher Creek Settlement 7
October 7. Purgatory Creek 1 38
October 10. Fort Zarah 8
October 13. Brown’s Creek 1
October 6. Sand Creek 1[e] 1[e] 1
October 14. Prairie Dog Creek 1 1 26
October 15. Fisher and Yocucy Creeks 4 1 1 1
October 23. Fort Zarah 2 2
October 30. Grinnell Station 1
November 7. Coon Creek 1 1
November 19. Little Coon Creek 1 5
November 19. Fort Dodge 1 2
November 20. Mulberry Creek 2[f]
November 25. Indian Territory 20 2
January[A] Northern Texas[C] 25 9 14[g]
February[A] Northern Texas[C] 7 5[h] 50
May[B] Northern Texas[C] 3
June[B] Northern Texas[C] 1 3[i]
July[B] Brazos River, Texas[C] 4
Total 154 16 41 3 14 1 4 24 669 958 24 11 4 11 1

[a] This scout was William Comstock.

[b] One of these three women was outraged by thirteen Indians, who afterward killed and scalped her, leaving a hatchet stuck in her head. They then killed her four little children.

[c] Fifteen of these persons were burned to death by the Indians, who attacked the train to which they belonged.