Spirit Of The Age

The Indians,—General Sherman does not think the need for troops in the West will diminish within the next few years. On the contrary, he believes it will increase, owing to the necessity of guarding the construction and surveying parties on the Northern and Southern Pacific Railroads. The Northern Road, from the point where it crosses the Red River of the North to the settlements in Montana, traverses a region, inhabited, he says, by hostile Indians, chiefly the warlike Sioux, who will have to be fought off the line of the road at almost every mile of its progress. The Southern Road, when it gets into the Apache country, will meet with the same difficulty, the Apaches being the worst Indians to deal with in the country. Both of these roads will eventually be great peace-makers, as the Union Pacific has been; but while they are building, the General believes that a large force of troops will be required to guard the laborers and protect the track and stations.