When white men crossed the boundary of the Missouri River, it upset the balance between the pioneers and the red men. Obviously the red men were not happy and lashed out against their white oppressors. Many just saw savages, but much of the American army saw courage and honor. Was it right for members of the army who had just maintained the union of their own society, to dismember the culture of the Native Americans? I believe it was. First of all, the army did not enjoy having to push the Indians back from the lands that the white people wanted, but then they also had to try and convert them to Christianity. The Indians retaliated against the army, but it was the United States government itself that broke the treaties that promised the Indians land and then expected the army to keep the peace through mutual trust. Military action appeared to be the only way to keep white civilians from complaining about Indian attacks on the white man's newly acquired land. An Army official named Sheridan received reports each week about the horrendous acts of violence caused by the red man. It was then that famous phrase was created "the only good Indians I ever saw were dead." There were many men like Sheridan who hated the Indians and looked down upon their senseless acts of violence. However, men like William Tecumseh Sherman had a deep respect and admiration for the enemy and his fighting skill. In fact, both Sheridan and Sherman confessed to pity and compassion for the Native Americans they had set out to destroy. Even men like General Nelson A. Miles who had personal reasons for revenge against the enemy showed a deep respect, almost reverence, for the red man. Colonel John Gibbon proclaimed that the record of white hostility and treachery would force any man to fight. Gibbon raised more questions about his own culture than he answered about his enemies. To many soldiers who had the same ideals as Gibbon, the courage and bearing ...
