It became apparent to me long ago,that the government in Washington was not for me or my neighbor.In many ways,we who cling to family and honor are the Indians facing the extinction of their way of living life.As always(well that has been my experience)any book where the federal government in Washington becomes involved with the narrative is a chance to gain understanding into their LONG running practices.Does not matter if it is 1855 or 2019,their ways never change.You will read multiple instances of this in the following,particularly in 10 and 11...

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In August 1854, the Lakota returned to the grasslands on the North Platte, again in anticipation of the Army freight wagons hauling the seasonal annuity. This time they staked camp a cautious distance south of Fort Laramie. The post’s duty roster had increased to forty troopers and two officers— the twenty-eight-year-old garrison commander Fleming, since promoted to first lieutenant, and his hard charging subordinate Grattan. The same small band of Miniconjous were again present; they had the foresight to camp close to a large contingent of Brules. One afternoon a Mormon wagon train was passing nearby when a worn-out, footsore cow broke its tether and wandered in among the Miniconjou lodges. A pack of dogs cornered the lame animal in a dry arroyo, from where its terrified owner dared not retrieve it. A Miniconjou man shot the cow, butchered it, and shared the stringy meat with his band.

In the white man’s eyes, Conquering Bear was still the “chief” of all the Lakota, and when word of this seemingly inconsequential event reached him he sensed trouble. He acted immediately to head it off by riding into Fort Laramie and offering payment for the cow. Lieutenant Fleming instead insisted that the offending Miniconjou turn himself in. Conquering Bear was incredulous. Not only was the scrawny animal not worth a fight, Conquering Bear was also acting in accordance with the document he and the Army officials had signed three years earlier. A provision of the Horse Creek Treaty stated that in the case of an Indian offense against a white civilian, the offending tribe, through its chief, should offer satisfaction. Conquering Bear suggested they wait for the arrival of the Indian agent Fitzpatrick, who usually came to the post around this time of the year. The Lakota, he said, would abide by whatever compensation “Broken Hand” deemed fair. Lieutenant Fleming was surely aware that Fitzpatrick had died of pneumonia six months earlier in Washington while on a mission to plead the Indians’ case. Whether or not he informed Conquering Bear of this remains unrecorded. In any case the Head Man’s attempted compromise failed to mollify Fleming and the Mormons, who were obviously itching for a fight.

In a last-ditch effort at reconciliation, Conquering Bear told Fleming that he would try to persuade the offending Miniconjou to turn himself in. This was an extraordinary offer, and Conquering Bear must have known it was useless. No Indian, and especially no Sioux, would willingly allow himself to be taken to the Bluecoat jail. An Indian would rather die fighting. Conquering Bear’s incredible offer indicates that he was aware of what could happen if the soldiers provoked another confrontation. But young Fleming was in a lather. The next morning, egged on by Grattan, Fleming ordered his subordinate to lead a troop to the Brule/Miniconjou village and seize the cow-killer. In hindsight more than 150 years later, what followed is no surprise. But no Army officer serving on the godforsaken western frontier in the 1850s, let alone an officious graduate of the Military Academy, could be faulted for such hubris. In Grattan’s view the white race would always trump the red, no matter the numerical odds. It was his Christian God’s intended order of things.
https://exploringrealhistory.blogspot.com/2019/05/part-5-heart-of-everything-that.html