The
[Note: The Bozeman Trail (Road) starts at Fort Kearney, NE, and goes to Virginia City.]
Revised 30 March 2003
After establishing the initial trail from
The following telegrams and letters are extracted in part from the correspondence recorded in “The War of the Rebellion” compilation of official records, published 1896. Many more volumes of dispatches were prepared, but these are somewhat relative to the Bozeman Trail.
The safest way to
He reviewed the plan created by General Connor to
protect the territory and requested that he be placed in charge of all the
western area. He cited the need for the military to protect the wagon trains
passing through the Indian lands, and that the troops stationed in
You are authorized to use my troops in
There are two separate routes to
Mail will be tonight for the first time. Is General Connor coming here to take command?
Go to
Will leave
“Whereas reliable information has been received that hostile Indians within the limits of the United States have been furnished with arms and munitions of war by persons dwelling in foreign territory, and are thereby enabled to prosecute their savage warfare upon the exposed and sparse settlements of the frontier:
Now, therefore, be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim and declare that all persons engaged in that nefarious traffic shall be arrested and tried by court martial at the nearest military post, and if convicted shall receive punishment due their deserts.
In witness
whereof I hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the
Done at the city of
I arrived last night. Your orders have not reached here yet.
Troops enroute to
The District of the Plains was formed so as to put
under your control the entire northern
I am in command of District of the Plains, composed
of Districts of Utah,
Indians have concentrated at or near Bear Butte, on
the north side of Black Hills, nearly upon the route, which General Sully will
take from the
Where are the 1,200 men of Michigan Brigade? There
are now 900 horses on the river going to
Bear in mind about the post on
I am doing everything possible to hurry up the
expedition. There is not a horse in
We are doing everything in our power to forward the
expedition. General Connor was instructed to strip his line of cavalry, which
he is doing. I am shipping column to
All the supplies for
I shall start from here by boats two regiments
(Twelfth Missouri & Second Missouri) to
In the location of the post on Powder River have in
view the holding in check of the Indians, the possibility of obtaining forage,
hay, wood, etc., and its position with reference to a route of travel to
Montana, either from Fort Laramie or some point east, as well as the roads
coming west from Missouri River. You are aware that
such a road is being surveyed up the Niobrara; and also that an appropriation
exists for such a road from
Soon as the 900 horses from St Louis arrive, you will move your brigade to Julesburg, reporting there to General Connor, commanding District of the Plains.
Listing of commissary stores for Fort Laramie, rations for 2,000 men for one year; Fort Kearny rations for 2,500 men for one year, Powder River rations for 900 men for one year. 500,000 bushels of corn for you command has been made and will be distributed as you commanded.
It is the desire of the Government to settle the Indian difficulties this season. You will therefore push your troops into their country and fight them wherever and whenever they can be found. You will allow no outrages of any kind to be committed on our part.
General Connor has thus far exhibited marked ability, and has assisted in bringing about these results, although in some of his subordinates he has not been very ably assisted, and has had many difficulties to contend with. The friendly Indians at Fort Laramie, in an attempt to move them to Fort Kearny to get them away from the scenes of Indian troubles, revolted, turned upon their guard, killed a captain and four men, and then escaped. Colonel moonlight, who was sent after them, allowed his camp to be surprised and his stock captured. I have ordered him mustered out of the service. Everything, I think, now argues a settlement of these Indian difficulties this summer.
In another spring fifty miles of the Union Pacific Railroad west of Omaha will have been completed, leaving only 130 miles of land travel to Fort Kearny, whereas we now have about 300 from Fort Leavenworth and 180 from Omaha.
One thousand Indians attacked Platte Station on Tuesday: been fighting two days. Lt Collins, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, and 25 men, Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, killed; 9 wounded. Bodies scalped and horribly mutilated. Note on field, …. States that the Indians say they do not want peace and expect an increase of 1,000 more to their force. They are now three miles west destroying telegraph line. The left column is now enroute there; the balance will leave in two days. I start for Platte Bridge myself Saturday. I respectfully ask that something be done to hurry contractors. Ammunition transferred to contractors months since and of which I am short, has not arrived. I start on my expedition with scant supplies of stores and many barefoot horses.
If possible to make reliable treaty of peace with Comanches, Kiowas, etc., do so. Sanborn has best see for himself what truth there is in Leavenworth’s story. A permanent settlement of Indian difficulties is what we want.
Do you think I should recall General Sanborn? It takes ten days to reach him. I put no faith in any treaty made with any of those Indians until they are whipped and made to give up stolen stock. It appears to me a treaty now is a bid for them to commence again as soon as we take our troops off.
You will see from General Pope’s dispatch that Government thinks we are making too much cost. Your estimates are very large. You ask for supplies for 17,000 men. We will not be able to keep over half that number on the plains this winter. All supplies have gone forward, except for Utah. Supplies for 2,500 men are waiting to go there.
Upon receipt of this order suspend movements against Comanches, Kiowas, etc..
I hear from several sources unpleasant news about General Connor’s doings. Look into this matter carefully. I am loath to believe anything to his discredit.
Enclosed letter dated 31 July 1865 from Connor to Pope. “I fear they do not understand in Washington what the necessities of the service are here. I require a great many more supplies than I have troops, as the nature of service keeps troops moving from posts far distant from each other, and it is difficult to move stores in the winter. Unless I can end this war this fall the present force will have to be kept up or the white people leave the country.”
I have just received copies of instructions from General Connor to the commanders of his expedition, in which the following words: “You will not receive overtures of peace or submission from Indians, but will attack and kill every male Indian over twelve years of age.” These instructions are atrocious and are in direct violation of my repeated orders. You will please take immediate steps to countermand such orders. If any such orders as General Connor’s are carried out it will cost him his commission if not worse.
Send forward following dispatches to General Connor; and be governed by them:
To Brig, General Connor, In the Field:
Be governed by the following dispatches: “Major General Dodge:, General Connor is ignoring the quartermaster and commissaries, and violating law and regulations in making contracts himself and forcing officers to pay public money on them. Stop all this business at once, and order all officers to conform to law and regulations: Pope
General Connor will carry out the instructions of General Pope and my orders heretofore sent him. Dodge
Powder River I consider of great importance, and you better take the infantry you want for that post out of the Sixth U. S. Volunteers. That portion of the Fifth U. S. Volunteers with Colonel Sawyer’s wagon party is ordered to report to you when he discharges them. They must be in that country some place.
I have received dispatches from General Connor, who arrived on Powder River, 160 miles north of Fort Laramie, on the 11th. Says it’s an important place and the winter quarters of the Indians. He mad an excellent road to it. Has established post. Has met no Indians, but saw plenty of heavy trails about one week old making toward line of march of center column. At Powder River he leaves his base – trains to take stores to last until October – and pushes right north to Panther Mountain, following trail of Indians. His entire command is in excellent condition.
Where are the stores General Connor asks for? Have they not arrived at Fort Laramie? Where is the sawmill? Ask if he knows where the escort to Colonel Sawyer’s Wagon road party is he might get those troops when Colonel Sawyer is through with them, and it will save long marches.
Stores are arriving. Do not know where sawmill is. One sawmill was retained at Kearny by direction of the general. There is no infantry with Connor, neither with any of his columns. Colonel Sawyer’s escort consists of Companies C and D, Fifth US Volunteers, and a detachment fo 25 Dakota men, under command of Captain Williford, Fifth US Volunteers. The route taken by the party will intersect the road from this place to Virginia City at or near Powder River. The escort will not be required by Colonel Sawyer after arriving at Big Horn River. Have telegraphed these facts to General Connor.
.. in pursuance of telegraphic order from Major General pope dated August 4, 1865, and received at Fort Larned at 11 pm, on the 7th, I addressed a communication to the chiefs of hostile tribes and forwarded same to the mouth of the Little Arkansas, at which place the chiefs and headmen of these tribes were assembled. I arrived tere on the 15th. I was cordially received by the chiefs of the respective tribes, who manifested the strongest desire for peace. An agreement for the cessation of hostilities was entered into between them and myself.
The agreement was signed by Little Mountain, Poor Bear, Over the Buttes, Big Mouth and General Sanborn.
Have received two telegrams of the 11th from General Pope in reference to instructions to column commanders and contracts in Utah. The general’s and your own instructions will be implicitly obeyed. I hope on my return to give such explanations as will be deemed satisfactory.
My scouts have just returned from Powder River, and report having seena a large number of horses shot and ordnance property destroyed at a camp of one or both of your columns on Powder River, sixty miles east of here. I send you three scouts to tell you of my whereabouts and guide you by the best route to me or Fort Connor, on Powder River.
Letter Endorsement – The scouts first sent
with this were driven back by Indians and returned last evening. You should
come over this river immediately. Send word to me, at all hazards, of your
condition on receipt of this. I will keep moving up this river at the rate of
fifteen miles a day.
Arrived here today on my return from Powder River. The post is well located: right in the heart of Indian country. From Laramie to Powder River, then to Virginia City, is an excellent wagon road; good grass, water, and wood all way, and most direct road that can be got. The travel over it in another season will be immense; it saves at least 450 miles in distance. After the Indians attacked Sawyer’s wagon-road party and failed in their attempt, they held a parley. Colonel Bent’s sons, George and Joe Bent gave them a wagonload of goods to let him go undisturbed. Captain Williford, commanding escort, not agreeing to it. The Indians accepted proposition and agreed to it, but after receiving goods, they attacked party; killed three men.
Expressed great fear about Connor, and said they
were concentrating everything to meet him, which is true. Since he left no
Indians have troubled the mail or telegraph line, but are all moving north,
stragglers and all. At Fort Connor they kill a few of them as they pass every
few days. The Bent boys were educated in Saint Louis.
One has been with Price in Rebel army; was captured. His father got him
released and took him to his ranch on Arkansas River where he joined the
Cheyenne’s, of which he is a half-breed. He was dressed in one of our
staff officer’s uniforms.
I will send to your Big Ribs and some of his head Sioux. Consult with General Connor. Send them out to the Cheyennes and Sioux, inviting them into Fort Connor of Laramie, as you deem best, for a talk on cessation of hostilities and final peace. You and Connor can fix this. What I want is to settle with them before they discover our force on the plains. You can also say that all Indians south have made peace.
Colonel Sawyer’s wagon party endeavored this season to find a road on this route through directly to Montana, via Powder River and north of Little Horn River, but the obstacles met with determined them to abandon it, and they struck south and took the road made and explored by General Connor from Fort Laramie to base of Big Horn Mountains; thence to Three Forks of the Missouri and thence to Virginia City. The new road, on which Fort Connor is situated, saves in distance some 350 miles, making the distance about 450 miles from Fort Laramie to Three Forks of the Missouri. The military operations this summer have opened this road, and as soon as out Indian troubles in that region are over it will be the great overland route from the States to Montana. All travel concentrating from the different routes east of Fort Laramie will take that road from this converging point. This road, I believe, has an appropriation from Congress, when expended upon it, will make it equal to any route over the plains and across the mountains.