The Indians saw this sudden and appalling shrinkage of their means of livelihood.
It meant death to them.

To their minds, especially when they thought we feared them, there was but one answer to all this--the whites must all be killed.
Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Roman Nose, American Horse, Black Kettle--these were names of great Indian generals who proved their ability to fight.
At times they brought into the open country, which as yet remained unoccupied by the great pastoral movement from the south, as many as five thousand mounted warriors in one body, and they were well armed and well supplied with ammunition.

Those were the days when the Indian agents were carrying on their lists twice as many Indians as actually existed--and receiving twice as many supplies as really were issued to the tribes.

The curse of politics was ours even at that time, and it cost us then, as now, unestimated millions of our nation's dearest treasures.

As to the reservations which the Indians were urged to occupy, they left them when they Iced.