| Among the Sioux chiefs of the “transition period” only one was
shrewd enough to read coming events in their true light. It is said
of Spotted Tail that he was rather a slow-moving boy, preferring in
their various games and mimic battles to play the role of councilor,
to plan and assign to the others their parts in the fray. This he
did so cleverly that he soon became a leader among his youthful
contemporaries; and withal he was apt at mimicry and impersonation,
so that the other boys were accustomed to say of him, “He has his
grandfather’s wit and the wisdom of his grandmother!” Spotted Tail was an orphan, reared by his grandparents, and at an early age compelled to shift for himself. Thus he was somewhat at a disadvantage among the other boys; yet even this fact may have helped to develop in him courage and ingenuity. One little incident of his boy life, occurring at about his tenth year, is characteristic of the man. In the midst of a game, two boys became involved in a dispute which promised to be a serious one, as both drew knives. The young Spotted Tail instantly began to cry, “The Shoshones are upon us! To arms! to arms!” and the other boys joined in the war whoop. This distracted the attention of the combatants and ended the affair. Upon the whole, his boyhood is not so well remembered as is that of most of his leading contemporaries, probably because he had no parents to bring him frequently before the people, as was the custom with the wellborn, whose every step in their progress toward manhood was publicly announced at a feast given in their honor. It is known, however, that he began at an early age to carve out a position for himself. It is personal qualities alone that tell among our people, and the youthful Spotted Tail gained at every turn. At the age of seventeen, he had become a sure shot and a clever hunter; but, above all, he had already shown that he possessed a superior mind. He had come into contact with white people at the various trading posts, and according to his own story had made a careful study of the white man’s habits and modes of thought, especially of his peculiar trait of economy and intense desire to accumulate property. He was accustomed to watch closely and listen attentively whenever any of this strange race had dealings with his people. When a council was held, and the other young men stood at a distance with their robes over their faces so as to avoid recognition, Spotted Tail always put himself in a position to hear all that was said on either side, and weighed all the arguments in his mind. |
| When he first went upon the warpath, it
appears that he was, if anything, overzealous to establish
himself in the eye of his people; and as a matter of fact,
it was especially hard for him to gain an assured position
among the Brules, with whom he lived, both because he was an
orphan, and because his father had been of another band. Yet
it was not long before he had achieved his ambition, though
in doing so he received several ugly wounds. It was in a
battle with the Utes that he first notably served his people
and their cause. The Utes were the attacking party and far outnumbered the Sioux on this occasion. Many of their bravest young men had fallen, and the Brules were face to face with utter annihilation, when Spotted Tail, with a handful of daring horsemen, dodged around the enemy’s flank and fell upon them from the rear with so much spirit that they supposed that strong reinforcements had arrived, and retreated in confusion. The Sioux pursued on horseback; and it was in this pursuit that the noted chief Two Strike gained his historical name. But the chief honors of the fight belonged to Spotted Tail. The old chiefs, Conquering Bear and the rest, thanked him and at once made him a war chief. It had been the firm belief of Spotted Tail that it was unwise to allow the white man so much freedom in our country, long before the older chiefs saw any harm in it. After the opening of the Oregon Trail he, above all the others, was watchful of the conduct of the Americans as they journeyed toward the setting sun, and more than once he remarked in council that these white men were not like the French and the Spanish, with whom our old chiefs had been used to deal. He was not fully satisfied with the agreement with General Harney; but as a young warrior who had only just gained his position in the council, he could not force his views upon the older men. No sooner had the Oregon Trail been secured from the Sioux than Fort Laramie and other frontier posts were strengthened, and the soldiers became more insolent and overbearing than ever. It was soon discovered that the whites were prepared to violate most of the articles of their treaty as the Indians understood it. At this time, the presence of many Mormon emigrants on their way to the settlements in Utah and Wyoming added to the perils of the situation, as they constantly maneuvered for purposes of their own to bring about a clash between the soldiers and the Indians. Every summer there were storm-clouds blowing between these two – clouds usually taking their rise in some affair of the travelers along the trail. |
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| In 1854 an event occurred which has already
been described and which snapped the last link of friendship
between the races. By this time Spotted Tail had proved his courage both abroad and at home. He had fought a duel with one of the lesser chiefs, by whom he was attacked. He killed his opponent with an arrow, but himself received upon his head a blow from a battle-axe which brought him senseless to the ground. He was left for dead, but fortunately revived just as the men were preparing his body for burial. The Brules sustained him in this quarrel, as he had acted in self-defense; and for a few years he led them in bloody raids against the whites along the historic trail. He ambushed many stagecoaches and emigrant trains, and was responsible for waylaying the Kincaid coach with twenty thousand dollars. This relentless harrying of travelers soon brought General Harney to the Brule Sioux to demand explanations and reparation. The old chiefs of the Brules now appealed to Spotted Tail and his young warriors not to bring any general calamity upon the tribe. To the surprise of all, Spotted Tail declared that he would give himself up. He said that he had defended the rights of his people to the best of his ability, that he had avenged the blood of their chief, Conquering Bear, and that he was not afraid to accept the consequences. He therefore voluntarily surrendered to General Harney, and two of his lieutenants, Red Leaf and Old Woman, followed his example. Thus Spotted Tail played an important part at the very outset of those events which were soon to overthrow the free life of his people. I do not know how far he foresaw what was to follow; but whether so conceived or not, his surrender was a master stroke, winning for him not only the admiration of his own people but the confidence and respect of the military. Thus suddenly he found himself in prison, a hostage for the good behavior of his followers. There were many rumors as to the punishment reserved for him; but luckily for Spotted Tail, the promises of General Harney to the Brule chiefs in respect to him were faithfully kept. One of his fellow-prisoners committed suicide, but the other held out bravely for the two-year term of his imprisonment. During the second year, it was well understood that neither of the men sought to escape, and they were given much freedom. It was fine schooling for Spotted Tail, that tireless observer of the ways of the white man! It is a fact that his engaging personal qualities won for him kindness and sympathy at the fort before the time came for his release. |
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| One day some Indian horse thieves of
another tribe stampeded the horses and mules belonging to
the garrison. Spotted Tail asked permission of the
commanding officer to accompany the pursuers. That officer,
trusting in the honor of a Sioux brave, gave him a fast
horse and a good carbine, and said to him: “I depend upon
you to guide my soldiers so that they may overtake the
thieves and recapture the horses!” The soldiers recaptured the horses without any loss, but Spotted Tail still followed the Indians. When they returned to the fort without him, everybody agreed that he would never turn up. However, next day he did “turn up”, with the scalp of one of the marauders! Soon after this he was returned to his own people, who honored him by making him the successor of the old chief, Conquering Bear, whose blood he had avenged, for which act he had taken upon himself the full responsibility. He had made good use of his two years at the fort, and completed his studies of civilization to his own satisfaction. From this time on he was desirous of reconciling the Indian and the white man, thoroughly understanding the uselessness of opposition. He was accordingly in constant communication with the military; but the other chiefs did not understand his views and seem to have been suspicious of his motives.
In 1860-1864 the Southern Cheyennes and Comanches were at
war with the whites, and some of the Brules and Ogallalas,
who were their neighbors and intimates, were suspected of
complicity with the hostiles. Doubtless a few of their young
men may have been involved; at any rate, Thunder Bear and
Two Face, together with a few others who were roving with
the warring tribes, purchased two captive white women and
brought them to Fort Laramie. It was, however, reported at
the post that these two men had maltreated the women while
under their care. |
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At this juncture came the
sudden and bloody uprising in the east among the
Minnesota Sioux, and Sitting Bull’s campaign in the
north had begun in earnest; while to the south the
Southern Cheyennes, Comanches, and Kiowas were all upon
the warpath. Spotted Tail at about this time seems to
have conceived the idea of uniting all the Rocky
Mountain Indians in a great confederacy. He once said:
“Our cause is as a child’s cause, in comparison with the
power of the white man, unless we can stop quarreling
among ourselves and unite our energies for the common
good.” But old- time antagonisms were too strong; and he
was probably held back also by his consciousness of the
fact that the Indians called him "the white man’s
friend”, while the military still had some faith in him
which he did not care to lose. He was undoubtedly one of
the brainiest and most brilliant Sioux who ever lived;
and while he could not help being to a large extent in
sympathy with the feeling of his race against the
invader, yet he alone foresaw the inevitable outcome,
and the problem as it presented itself to him was simply
this: “What is the best policy to pursue in the existing
situation?” |