Ben Clark; General Creel; Some Observation in Conclusion.

In concluding the little work, I deem it impossible to close without paying tribute to two men who have done so much in the way of settling the difficulties of the west, and making it possible for the white settlers to live in peace and prosperity, freed entirely from the haunting spectre of an Indian raid. Many have contributed their share to the important work, and credit must be given them, nevertheless in any undertaking, there are men who seem by nature to be better adapted to the work than others; so it was in the closing days of the Indian troubles of the West, when the Indian had good cause for looking on the white man with suspicion, and the result as shown in those numerous raids upon the white settlements during the decade of 1870 and 1880.

In the long array of men who endeavored to bring the difficulties that disturbed the West to a satisfactory close, we find two who played an important part within the scope of their opportunities, and the results of their work are manifest at this date.

Ben Clark was a scout. The term to the ordinary man of affairs does not mean much, but if one could ask General Sheridan’s opinion of the man and scout, he would place him in the very first rank of all scouts of the West. He was a man particularly gifted by nature with the endowments requisite to achieve success in his calling. He seemed to have an uncanny knowledge of the plains. Like an open book he read her every mood. On his knowledge of that vast trackless plain depended the success of many an expedition, and there yet remains no failure to mar the brilliant record of his achievements. Not only soldiers, but generals placed themselves unreservedly in his hands and felt safe. He was not a soldier, but no soldier ever showed greater qualities of generalship than he. Generals commanded the armies, he commanded the generals and they gladly obeyed him. Amid all the trials and vicissitudes of his life of hardship, he ever maintained an evenness of temperament that carried him down to the present day, to a ripe old age, after more than fifty years of service in the Army, not a soldier, but as a scout, respected and retaining the confidence of the men with whom he spent days and years of hardship on the plains.

Associated with Ben Clark in the later days was one who has risen by dint of devotion to duty to a very high position in the sphere of military affairs. I refer to General Creel, as he is now called. Among the many positions that General Creel has held was that of adjutant general of his state, North Dakota, where he raised the national guard of his state from chaos to such a degree of efficiency that the war department after full inspection and field maneuver of the guard with regulars declared ninety per cent fit for duty in the field on a par with the regular army. General Creel on his own request was highly complimented by the governor for his distinguished services, and retired with the rank of major general as provided by law. Of his soldierly qualities there is not much need of making the record here, as it is open to all who wish to consult the archives of the army. Fighting qualities are expected in a soldier, otherwise he would be out of place in the ranks, but there are other qualities that set a man apart from his fellows. Some men have administrative ability, some diplomacy, others skill in various lines, but a man must have a special adaptation by nature who can take the rough, untamed spirits of the plains away from their native heaths, from all that is dear to them, and at the same time make them love him. Some could do it by force, but the result would not be lasting, as is instanced in the case of Dull Knife; others could do it by love of justice and fair play and convert the savage into a high-class citizen of the state. The latter was the method used by General Creel, and to show that they have not forgotten the spirit of fairness that characterized the man, one would but have to visit the Darlington Agency, Oklahoma, when the general makes a trip to the scene of his early efforts as an Indian pacifier, and see how they gather around him and show marks not merely of respect, but of real affection. To the work of his office he added occupations of his own choice. He devoted himself to a thorough study of the Cheyenne tongue, and his efforts resulted in a grammar and dictionary of that language. Not only is the general an authority on the Cheyenne dialect, but his work on the sign language is masterly. He is not only a man well versed in Indian affairs, though that itself would be sufficient for most men, but is one of the directors of the 1914 Chatauqua institute. One would be inclined to think that with all the successes that attend his efforts, and the title of general that he bears, that he would be inclined to be swelled with the sense of his own importance, but not so. You will not find a more modest man in the whole range of activity than the general. He is the last man that you would take to be one of the great geniuses of the West if you were to estimate him by his general behavior.

In conclusion, much might be written about the complex nature of the Indian and the trouble he created for the white man during the last half century. But if the white man were to put himself in the place of the Indian I doubt if he would act differently. One cannot see an intruder come into one’s domain and lay waste the very foundation of one’s existance without finding that trouble has originated that is likely to be far reaching. That was the situation. The Indian had been master of the plains from time immemorial, and like every possessor of territory; he had no idea of yielding up his home, his life, without a struggle. He had not admitted the sovereignty of the government when the white man came among the tribes. Any territorial extension that had been made on the part of the government was made by treaty, and any one conversant with history well knows how faithlessly the truces and pacts with the Indians have been kept. In fact, it is one of the standing disgraces to our country that so many of the agreements with the original holders of the land have been broken. It looks as if the principle that “might makes right” were the only one in vogue when dealing with the Indian. He has not only been deceived frequently in the past, and treaties with him violated, but he has also been plundered in ruthless fashion by those whom the government sent to look after his affairs. Scandal upon scandal has occured among the agents in charge of the different reservations, with the result that the Indians not only became disgusted with the treatment they received, but broke away from their locations and went on the warpath. If the different tribes that surrendered had been treated with the proper amount of justice, half or more of the blood-curdling atrocities of the latter part of the decade of 1870 would not have occured. What was wanted was more men like General Sheridan, and General Creel, and less of the grafters and boodlers who looked upon the Indian as lawful prey to be robbed and pillaged with ruthless abandon.

The government, I have no doubt was willing to do the right thing, but was frequently unfortunate in the choice of the means adopted. The Quakers who came upon the scene early in the management of Indian affairs, meant well, but their peaceful measures were not adapted to the nature and character of the tribes of the plains. They did not understand the nature of the Indians who were wont to travel with unrestrained freedom over the vast plains, living their lives according to their lights and traditions. The Quaker method of curbing their dauntless spirit was about as effective as trying to tame a wildcat by saying, “pussy.” As I said, they meant well, did their best, but their efforts caused the Indian to smile on more than one occasion.

The methods frequently used by the war office to bring the Indians into subjection did not always meet with the success that the efforts exerted would warrant. True, it was a novel kind of warfare for civilized men to undertake, but I do not think that the utmost care was always exercised in carrying out the different campaigns. There is much to show that there must have been considerable laxity in different places, as is shown in the ease with which Dull Knife marched, by, past, and around, different forts in his way north, and with a mere handful of men set at naught the efforts of several regiments. There is no question about the willingness of the private soldier to do his duty, for he was usually found at his post and fighting to the last ditch, but there were men wearing the garb of officers who did not exercise the judgment of skilled fighters in handling a difficult situation, or in following an efficient plan of campaign. All this naturally tended to give the Indian an opportunity he was looking for, and the blows he dealt in return were of considerable heft.

The day is coming slowly but surely when the last red man will have disappeared from the domain wherein he roamed a monarch. He does not seem to be able to thrive on the white man’s mode of life. It may be that the veneer of civilization that he had acquired in recent years is more of a restraint than a benefit to him. The vices of the white man have had their effect upon him also. Whatever the causes, the race seems to be doomed to extinction, the buffalo and the Indian seemed to be an essential part of the plains. The buffalo is practically only a memory, and the red man is following his trail toward the setting sun, soon to disappear over the horizon of time.