“Wm. Andy Stinger.
“P. S. Address
“Wm. A. Stinger,
“Knob View, Crawford Co. Mo.
“Farewell Dear Captain. May God bless you all with health and strength.”
[59] There are numerous authorities upon the affair of the Tobacco Garden. The reports of both the agents Latta and Reed describe it. Henry A. Boller, in his “Among the Indians,” describes it at length, as does Larpenteur in his “Forty Years a Fur Trader.” The testimony of Captain La Barge and Andy Stinger, who in each other’s presence related the matter to the author, is here produced for the first time.
In his edition of “Larpenteur’s Journal,” referred to [above], p. 352, Dr. Elliott Coues makes the following statement: “I have offered in writing to Captain Joseph La Barge to print in this connection any statement concerning the affair that he might wish to make and would be willing to sign; but up to date of going to press have not heard from him.”
The inference from this is that Captain La Barge could not controvert Larpenteur’s statements, or he would have done so when the opportunity was given. This offer was sent to Captain La Barge through the author of the present work. The old gentleman retained in his old age the same spirit of haughty disdain for willful attempts to injure the reputation of others that characterized his whole life, and he indignantly refused to notice the matter. “Time will set this right,” he said. The truth is that Charles Larpenteur, although very long in the Indian country, was never a man of high standing there, and proved a failure in whatever he undertook. Like all such men, he nursed the delusion that the world was in league against him, and he took advantage of the opportunity offered by the preparation of his memoirs to even matters up. Nearly everyone with whom he deals comes in for a round measure of abuse, until one is led to believe that Larpenteur was a saint, solitary and forlorn, wandering disconsolate among the children of Beelzebub. Larpenteur was probably an honest man in his business relations, but never an able man, and his attempts to account for the consequences of his own deficiencies by attributing them to the rascality of others, does not add to the value of his memoirs as historical material. Bad as the early population of that country was, it was not entirely composed of scoundrels.
[60] This was the same man who served as clerk to Captain Bonneville in the latter’s celebrated expeditions. He died March 15, 1864.
[61] Following are the official reports of Agents Latta and Reed upon this event:
Report of Judge Latta, p. 164, Report Com. Ind. Aff., 1863. “The Crow goods, as I have informed you [Commissioner Dole], were stored at Fort Union by the steamer Shreveport. When the Robert Campbell reached the mouth of the Yellowstone, she could get no further, there being only two feet of water in the channel above, it requiring five trips of the steamer Shreveport to convey the Campbell’s freight to Fort Union some six miles above. We found it utterly impossible to proceed any further. The Shreveport, though a light-draught boat, could not have passed up empty.”
Report of Dr. Reed, p. 172, Report Com. Ind. Aff., 1863. “We got to the mouth of the Yellowstone River after the most untiring efforts, especially on the part of Captain La Barge, who seemed to know the only channel in the Missouri, about the 7th of July. After passing the mouth of the Yellowstone, it was found that the Missouri River was extremely low; indeed lower than ever known at this season of the year. It was found that even the Shreveport, a light-draught and small boat, could scarcely get up to Fort Union with any load at all, and as the river has been constantly falling, it was ascertained that there was no hope at all of getting to Milk River, the next fort above. Chouteau, with a light-draught boat and not a large load, had just left his goods on the bank, not being able to get up to Milk River fort. Under these circumstances, especially as there were no teams at Fort Union and the Indians (Sioux) were all through the country, so that no company could go either with a mackinaw boat or by land, with any safety, except under escort, it was thought not only advisable but the only course, to stow away the goods, and leave them until next spring at Fort Union. The man in charge of the fort said there was an abundance of room, and there would be no danger unless the Indians should attack the fort; then the goods would have to share the lot of all the other goods and the people of the fort. The goods are all safely stored and every prospect of everything being right. Of course Captain La Barge is responsible, as the Blackfeet goods are not to their destination nor the bills of lading receipted; though I must say I never saw men more anxious to get up, nor do more night and day, to get along; and could the goods have been at St. Louis by the 10th or 12th of April, they no doubt would have all been distributed by this time.”