It was like old times, and I felt a thrill of happiness to be
back among my friends, and bound for one of the regular old-time
campaigns. The following morning the command pulled out for Fort
Laramie. We found General Sheridan there ahead of us, and mighty glad
was I to see that brave and able commander once more. Sheridan was
accompanied by General Frye and General Forsythe, and all were en route
for the Red Cloud Agency, near the center of the Sioux trouble, which
was then reaching really alarming proportions. The command was to
remain at Laramie for a few days; so, at General Sheridan's request, I
accompanied him on his journey. We were able to accomplish little in
the way of peace overtures.
The Indians had lately committed many serious depredations along the
Black Hills trail. Gold had been discovered there in many new places,
and the miners, many of them tenderfoots, and unused to the ways of the
red man, had come into frequent conflict with their new neighbors.
Massacres, some of them very flagrant, had resulted and most of the
treaties our Government had made with the Indians had been ruthlessly
broken.
On my return from the agency, the Fifth Cavalry was sent out to scout
the country between there and the Black Hills. We operated along the
south fork of the Cheyenne and about the foot of the Black Hills for
two weeks, and had several small engagements with roving bands of
Indians during that time.
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