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THBJanuary 1876 Letter from US Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Q. Smith to Standing Rock Indian Agent John Burke Requesting Stoppage of Sales of Arms
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About Auction
LiveNov 19, 2020
Cowan’s Auctions, a Hindman Company, is pleased to present the November 19 Fall Auction, featuring over 400 lots of historically significant photography, manuscript material, artwork, and other ephemera dating from the 18th through the early 20th century, including the Civil War. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
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- Lot Description
Smith, John Quincy (1824-1901). Ohio politician appointed by President Grant to serve as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. LS as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, "J.Q. Smith," 3pp, 7.75 x 10 in. Written on Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs letterhead. Washington, DC, January 14, 1876. Addressed to John Burke, US Indian Agent, Standing Rock, Dakota Territory.Born on a farm near Waynesville, Ohio, John Q. Smith would rise to hold elected office in the Ohio statehouse and to serve as a US Congressional representative from Ohio. On December 11, 1875, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Smith to serve as Commissioner of Indian Affairs at a time of increasing tensions with the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne. The US government's desire to secure ownership of the Black Hills from the Native Americans as well as white settlement, military attacks, and railroads encroaching upon native lands all combined to push the two parties closer to all-out war. Written less than six months before the Battle of Little Bighorn and at the onset of the Great Sioux War, Smith's letter reflects these escalating hostilities and a growing anxiety on the part of the US government. Smith writes to Standing Rock Agency Indian Agent John Burke referring first to a telegraphic dispatch that was sent the day prior with the order to “stop sales of arms and ammunition to your Indians” (telegram included as part of Lot 330). Smith then provides additional context pertaining to the issuance of the directive: "Quite a large number of Indians at your agency are, it is said, closely connected with Sitting Bull’s band. It is not deemed prudent in view of that chief’s hostile disposition and course, to allow his people to be supplied with the means of making further trouble. The Department is advised, through the War Department, that the Indians at your agency are selling all their hides for ammunition, and that Capt. Poland Has been directed to stop such sales. It may be suspected that mischief is intended by the Indians, and, as a precautionary measure the order of the military is doubtless a proper one."
The remainder of the letter discusses the fact that traders may only sell arms and ammunition to the Indians if they are in possession of a permit from the Indian Affairs office, and notes that the one licensed trader at Standing Rock, J.R. Casselberry, has an expired license. "If Mr. Casselberry proposes to continue trading with your Indians, he should at once apply to you for a new license, or a renewal of the old one, and if the application be granted by you, the papers necessary in the case should be immediately forwarded to this office for proper action thereon." Beyond providing a glimpse into the US government's handling of the deteriorating relationship with the Plains Indians, this letter is also significant for its associations with three key players in Indian affairs at Standing Rock - Captain J.S. Poland, 6th Infantry, Commanding Officer of the US Military Station at Standing Rock, Indian Agent John Burke, and trader J.R. Casselberry. This superb and arguably prophetic letter descends directly through family of consignor. Consignor relates that this letter was found in an envelope marked "letters concerning military activities at Fort Yates in the early 70s" written in the hand of Leo C. Harmon (1871-1952). Leo Harmon was born at Grand River Agency but raised at Fort Abraham Lincoln where his father, Captain William Harmon (1835-1903), was appointed Post Trader on May 8, 1876.
Provenance: Descended Directly in the Family of Eagle Woman Who All Look At; The Estate of Leo and Margaret HarmonDouble hole punch along left edge line, all pages. Small loss on right side all pages, not affecting text. With expected toning and wear given age.Condition
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