[1867 Indian Hostilities on the Frontier:] Letter of the Secretary of the Interior, communicating, In compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 8th instant, information touching the origin and progress of Indian hostilities on the frontier.

Important 1867 Senate report on the Indian War’s political origins

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Report on the Origin and Progress of Indian Hostilities, 1867

This Congressional investigation into the outbreak of Indian hostilities during 1866–67 provides firsthand accounts from Indian agents, military officers, and commissioners regarding the causes of war in the northern and southern Plains.

The report includes the full text of Commissioner N.G. Taylor’s report and 45 appended letters and field dispatches. It also identifies and attributes hostilities to specific tribal groups: Northern Cheyenne (initial aggressors), Northern and Southern Arapaho, Southern Cheyenne (retaliated after Hancock’s burning of their village), and allied bands of the Teton Sioux, including the Minneconjou, Ogallala, Brulé, Two Kettles, Uncpapas, Blackfeet, and Sans Arc. The Crow, Comanche, Kiowa, and Apaches also appear in the narrative, either as hostile actors or supporters.

Major conflicts cited include the Fort Phil Kearney (Fetterman) Massacre (Dec. 1866), Sand Creek Massacre (1864), and Hancock’s campaign of 1867. Strategic areas of conflict include the Montana road, Forts Reno, Phil Kearney, and C.F. Smith, with key sites like Tongue River Valley and Fort Laramie detailed. The report distinguishes between hostile and friendly tribal leaders—Red Cloud and Red Leaf among the former; Spotted Tail, Swift Bear, Big Mouth, and Iron Shell among the latter.

The document critiques military provocations and calls for treaty renewal, reparations, and centralized reservations. Sherman’s letters challenge settler-driven war motives. A primary source in the evolution of Indian policy.

Titled as issued: Letter of the Secretary of the Interior, communicating, In compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 8th instant, information touching the origin and progress of Indian hostilities on the frontier.

Price: $250.00