Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1881 — Sitting Bull. [ARTICLE]

Sitting Bull.

With the surrender of Sitting Bull ends one of the most remarkable careers in Indian history. As a fighter his reputation stands higher than that of the Seminole chief, Billy Bowlegs, who gave Gen. Scott so much trouble in Florida. As a diplomatist he headed the list; as a strategist and commander he has been styled the Sioux Napoleon. His history begins about 1869. Before that he was a mere “blanket Indian” on the plains. In that year his hatred of the Americans began to be shown, and under the regime of Gen. Morrow, at Fort Buford, on the Missouri River, he was charged with, but denied, a series of depredations on the troopsand the settlers in the neighborhood. The settlers retaliated and one of Sitting Bull's warriors was killed, as General Morrow admitted,(unjustly. The slaying was apparently atoned for by presents to the relatives of the dead warrior. But Bitting Bull was not really propitiated. He became a dangerous enemy, the center of a large body of Indians, who developed Into one o the most dangerous bands upon the plains. Tbe Bioux chief now refused to U<re upon a reservation, and went into camp in a wild country on the Yellowstone River, and its tributaries. In 1873 Bitting Bull ordered away some Montana settlers who had built a fort on this ground. As they refused he blockaded thenu One of his band being killed by the besieged, he retaliated by killing two of the Montana men, thus beginning a war which lasted till the- beginning of 1876. Fort Pease, which contained only forty-seven whites, was blockaded for three months during W’hich 500 Indians were kept at bay, with a loes of six killed and nine wounded on the side of the defenders of the fort. As starvation threatened them; they sfent two men under cover of darkness to Fort Ellis, whence Geo. Terry sent four companies of cavalry, militia, audlfifi jrfendly Crow Indians. Bitting Bull to rid the country of the white man.

These having been removed, the Sioux destroyed Fort Pease and retired to their camp, when war was at once declared against them, and Sitting Bull was ordered to surrender within ten days. This he failed to do, and Gens. Crook, Terry, and Gibbon were sent to operate against him from three different directions. Gen. Gibbon .found him pn the Rosebud, but as he had only 600 men to oppose to his enemie’s 3,000 he kept on the other side of the Yellowstone awaiting reinforcements. Meanwhile Sitting Bull gave battle to Gen. Crook and stopped his advance. Hearing next that Gen. Custer was on the wav to attack him, he crossed over to the Little Big Horn, and encamped in a strong position. Custer gave him battle on June 26,1876, but having been drawn into an ambush, was cut off with his entire command, after the bloody struggle, Sitting Bull earning for himself the double reputation of a great commander and a merciless savage. From that day to the present he has been a fugitive. He escaped to Canada and secured protection and food for a while, occasionally crossing over the lines as necessity forced him. In the end, however, desertion from bis bdnd, poverty, and scarcity of food reduced him to such straits that he has been obliged to surrender himself unconditionally to the United States Gov ernment, in whose custody be and his men remain. Sitting Bull is said even yet to show a most sullen, and, as the officials style it, a most insolent spirit. To the last the chief and his braves rode their own ponies, and would neither dismount" nor shake hands until they had arrived at the place fixed on for their camp.