1866
After the Civil War, shipping on the Missouri resumes. Few ships have had Fort Berton as their final destination in recent years. But this year in spring 31 dock near the Fort. One of those ships is the Ontario with which De Smet departed from St. Louis on April 9 accompanying his annual delivery. The journey from St. Louis to Fort Benton takes about 2 months, but De Smet has company. One of the traveling companions is Charles Chouteau, who is gradually withdrawing from the American Fur Company. He no longer travels as the owner of the Ontario, but as a wealthy passenger. The Ontario is a new design with a shallow draft (only 76 cm). At low water levels, that limited draft comes in handy, but the river is swollen this year. Large blocks of ice, uprooted trees and all sorts of flotsam float in the river and the shallow ship struggles to fight against the strong current. In a number of places, the Ontario must therefore be pulled through the strong current with a cable. At one point, a hawser breaks and the ship slams into the rocky shore. There is a hole in the keel, but luckily the pumps can keep the Ontario afloat until the crew can plug the leak. The flow weakens, but caution is needed to avoid sand and mud banks plus all visible and invisible floating or fixed obstacles. When they approach the territory of the Sioux Indians tension rises. The wheelhouse is reinforced against arrows, bullets and other unwanted projectiles. A cannon is placed on the bow, firearms are kept within reach and guards are posted during the night. Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa Indians block Fort Rice!
On May 8, the Ontario arrives at Fort Sully. Hundreds of peace-loving Sioux Indians live in the vicinity of the fort, albeit in appalling conditions. There is famine. The Indians have already eaten their dogs and horses and they survive on whatever wild roots they can dig up here and there. De Smet can do little more than comfort the unfortunate and condemn the white civilization that has allowed it to come to this. Two days later the Ontario sails to Fort Berthold where the Arikara, the Mandan and the Gros Ventre survive in even worse conditions. During the past winter, no fewer than 50 of these unfortunate Natives died of starvation. The soldiers who have to protect them laugh at the starving Indian women and children who try to get some food from the garbage near the fort. Imagine mothers searching the horse manure for undigested grains to save their little ones from starvation! Defeated, De Smet travels on to Fort Union where they moor without incident on the 25th of May.
After unloading and loading, the Ontario is ready for the return trip to St. Louis. On the return journey, De Smet wants to allocate more time for the Indians along the upper Missouri. At Fort Berthold he leaves the Ontario. With the help of the interpreter, Pierre Garreau, De Smet consoles the Arikara, the Mandan and the Gros Ventre Indians. He baptizes their children (150). At the end of June he will leave aboard the Minor. He disembarks at the Yankton's agency, at the mouth of the James River. He baptizes an old acquaintance: chief Pananniapapi (The man that Strikes the Ree). He promises him to do everything possible to establish a mission. De Smet then takes the next paddle steamer to St. Louis, where he arrives at the beginning of August.
It is very hot (40 degrees in the shade) and a cholera epidemic is once again claiming many victims. De Smet's health is deteriorating again. He even loses part of his hearing during a painful tooth extraction.
Meanwhile, Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa turn up the heat. They attack the new military complex Fort Buford. The fort is located three kilometers from Fort Union. On August 1, the US government decides to build 3 new forts along a new road from Fort Laramie to the gold fields in Montana. The combative Ogallala Sioux do not accept this provocation. Red Cloud and warriors open a second front and in no time they have killed 154 unwanted travelers along the new Bozeman Trail in 51 skirmishes.
The politician O. H. Browning asks De Smet to help the American government. In return, the government promises to help De Smet set up mission posts near the Yankton. Once more De Smet wants to try, but he refuses any payment.
In the northwest, Father Congiato reopens the old St. Mary's mission on the Bitter Root River near the Flathead. Father Ravalli, who 16 years earlier witnessed the dismantling of St. Mary will run the new mission until his death.
1867
General Sherman asks De Smet to become the godfather of his youngest son: Philemon Tecumseh Sherman. De Smet baptizes the child on January 9 in the St. Briget church.
In February, a delegation of 28 peace-loving Yankton, led by Man Struck by the Ree (Pananniapapi) travels with De Smet to Washington D.C. They insist, among other things, to create a permanent mission post. L. V. Bogy interrogates De Smet about the deeper cause of the conflict with the Ogallala (Red Cloud's war) and proposes to De Smet to act as a special envoy in the peace negotiations.
Thus, on April 12, Major Peter De Smet of the U.S. Army departs from St. Louis through Iowa to Omaha to embark on the Bighorn on April 22. In this way, De Smet hopes to avoid the spring problems with the high water level of the Missouri. He has a cart, two mules, a horse, a few suitcases plus camping gear. On the route from St. Louis to Chicago, the train makes 53 stops, and the journey from Chicago to Omaha is, if anything, even more of an ordeal. Heavy rains have washed away bridges and tracks, and it sometimes takes a full week to repair the damage. De Smet travels the last 43 kilometers by carriage and arrives in Sioux City on April 22. Fortunately, Man Struck by the Ree and the other members of the Yankton delegation are also delayed. The Bighorn is late, so that the party has to leave on April 30 with another ship, the Guidon. The ship is loaded with cargo and passengers for Idaho and Montana. It is the fifteenth ship on its way to Fort Benton that year! The 250 kilometers from Sioux City to Yankton is covered by the Guidon in 6 days. After 3 months of absence, the chiefs at the agency are enthusiastically received. De Smet has to wait for the cargo that was shipped with the Bighorn. In the meantime, De Smet can stay in the house of Alex Gion, the agency's interpreter. De Smet preaches near Yankton. When the cargo arrives, De Smet is ready to head inland. Man Struck by the Ree provides him with a small escort. Completed with Zephyr Rencontre (interpreter), Joseph Picotte (guide) and Pratt, a half-blood, the peace caravan can finally leave on May 21. The nights are still very cold. They reached Fort Thompson on May 26. Near the fort, about a thousand Sioux Indians live in a village of 100 teepees. They are Brulé, Two Kettle and Yankton Indians. Through them, De Smet hopes to find the Ogallala who are making the Bozeman Trail and the construction of the Union Pacific railroad unsafe. Two days later they leave for the old Fort Pierre. On May 30, the caravan arrives at the former fort and there they also visit an Indian village with about two hundred peace-loving Indian families. On June 7, Generals Alfred Sully and Ely Parker arrive. Sully has 5 companies of soldiers with him. The Indians' demands are simple: all soldiers must leave and all traffic by land and along the Missouri must stop. For Sully, these requirements are non-negotiable. The soldiers will not go away before the Indians have buried the hatchet for good. After leaving another call for the warlike tribes, De Smet travels to the new fort Sully on June 9, which is 40 kilometers away. There they board the Graham. De Smet leaves his luggage and transport in the fort. On June 16 they reach the next stop: Fort Rice. A few thousand Sioux stay in 500 tipis nearby. Reportedly, representatives of the hostile Hunkpapa are also among them. Sully, Parker and De Smet listen to the grievances of the Indians. The consultation lasts two days and the atmosphere is positive. On June 19, the soldiers and De Smet sail to Fort Berthold. Four days later, on June 23, they arrive. The fort is not far from the mouth of the Little Missouri. 3,000 Indians live near the fort in appalling conditions. These are the last remaining Arikara, Mandan, Hidatsa (Gros Ventre) and Minitaree Indians. They live together in primitive earthen houses. They are also consulted. On June 24 they embark for the last stretch to the mouth of the Yellowstone and on June 28 they dock at a new fort. After the takeover by the U.S. Fort Union is no longer an ordinary trading post. The strategic location at the mouth of the Yellowstone is now called Fort Buford and is being expanded into a full-fledged military complex. De Smet sends a scout with an invitation to the Crow and the Assiniboin Indians. On July 7, Assiniboin spokesmen arrive, but the Crow remain absent. The delegation decides to wait a week for the Crow. However, the Crow Indians say that it is impossible for them to interrupt their vital buffalo hunt. Sully, Parker and De Smet then decide to sail back east with the Lady Grace. When they reach Fort Rice on July 21, two unpleasant messages await them. Shortly after their departure, a number of Crow showed up at Fort Buford and just before their arrival at Fort Rice, 100 Hunkpapa from the interior, who had accepted De Smet's invitation, left again. In Fort Sully it turns out that the animals and the wagon that De Smet had left behind are in a terrible condition. De Smet boards the Lady Grace again. He will accompany Sully and Parker to Sioux City. At Fort Leavenworth they learn that the Ogallala attacked Fort C. F. Smith and that Red Cloud dealt a heavy blow to the U.S. Army near Fort Phil Kearny (the Fetterman Disaster). President Andrew Johnson still wants a new peace initiative. De Smet wants to help, but he first has to go to St. Louis to pick up material.
It is August and very hot. De Smet is feeling weak. He has lost a lot of weight: from 105 to 84 kilos. In St. Louis, doctors diagnose him with Bright's disease (a chronic condition of the kidneys). He has to rest for the rest of the year to regain his strength.
In October, the treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek is agreed with the Indians living south of the Platte River, but in the north the war with the Sioux Indians under the leadership of Red Cloud rages on in full force.
Imagine, De Smet has to confirm to the German Jesuits that he did indeed write all those letters and books himself!
1868
Generals Sully and Parker are impressed by the positive influence De Smet has on the Indians.
The past Civil War was a financial drain and in Washington people are not very keen to put a lot of money into a war with the Prairie Indians. It is cheaper to try to get the Indians around the negotiating table, so the American government asks De Smet once again to help them. They pledge $3,000 a year to fund a Catholic Yankton mission. Despite his weak health, De Smet accepts the proposal. He writes to Charles Galpin, a trader at Fort Rice, to arrange for an interpreter, a wagon, mules, and a wagoner for his arrival. A new peace commission is formed consisting of Generals Sherman, Harney, Sanborn, Terry and Sheridan. De Smet questions Sherman about the success of the negotiations conducted so far. Sherman thinks he was on the right track with the Ogallala and the Brulé along the North Platte in September. But in November, only one chief came to the second round of talks. And at Fort Laramie, no one showed up. In any case, the generals are happy with De Smet's support.
On March 30, De Smet will travel with the peace commission via Chicago to Omaha, which became an important hub for rail traffic. On April 2, De Smet, accompanied by Harney, Terry, Augur (replacing General Sherman), Henderson (senator), Taylor, Sanborn and Tappan (trader), travels with the Union Pacific to Cheyenne. On April 4 they reach the Spotted Tail Agency of the Brulé Sioux on the North Platte River and on April 6 they arrive at Fort Russel, just west of the new town of Cheyenne. There the group splits. One delegation travels south and the rest go to Fort Laramie to talk to the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne. This time De Smet wants to distance himself from the military. He is convinced that traveling alone he can achieve better results. He tracks back to Omaha and on April 21 embarks on the Columbia. It's 33 days to Fort Rice. He is determined to make contact with the rebellious Sioux and convince them to come to the negotiating table with him. He even hopes to meet Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa Indians who roam the Yellowstone valley between the Powder and the Bighorn Rivers. If all goes well, he might be able to arrange a meeting with Harney, Sanborn, and Terry at Fort Rice.
On May 24, De Smet arrives at the Cannonball River. In Fort Rice everyone is aware of his arrival. News of De Smet's bold plans has spread across the prairie like wildfire. De Smet knows he has to find the Hunkpapa about 400 miles west of the fort. The Indians around Fort Rice want to dissuade De Smet from this dangerous plan, but there is no stopping him. The reckless missionary wants and will approach the Hunkpapa. When they realize that their dissuasion effort is in vain, the Indians want to help the missionary. Eight Lakota and Yankton chiefs offer to accompany the missionary. In the end, the escort numbers 80 souls (including The Log, Two Bears, Running Antelope, All-Over-Black, Ghost Spirit, Burning Cloud, and Sitting Crow). The courageous Charles Galpin will also come along. He has 30 years of experience with the Prairie Indians and knows the great danger they are in. To emphasize the peaceful character of the trip, he will take his Indian wife Eagle Woman with him. She is related to both the Hunkpapa and the Two Kettle.
On June 2, the caravan leaves for the Badlands of Dakota. It's very hot and windy. The Indians notice that the journey for the sixty-seven-year-old missionary is very difficult. On June 8, after 6 days of heat and dust, De Smet asks to take a break. In the meantime four scouts can then search for the Hunkpapa villages. After the break, the main group will travel slowly along the agreed route, so that the scouts can catch up with them. The scouts are given some tobacco as a peace signal. 5 days later the heat becomes even more unbearable. On June 15, near Beaver Creek, De Smet asks to halt and wait for the scouts. A day later, De Smet sees the scouts returning through his binoculars. They are accompanied by 18 Hunkpapa warriors!
They smoke the pipe of peace. Four Horns, the leader of the Hunkpapa village wants to receive them. During the night the Indians have a party. De Smet sends a messenger to General Terry to inform him that they have made contact.
On June 19, the delegation arrives in the village of Four Horns. It is located at the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Powder. It is not long before a large group of warriors rides towards them. When the 500 horsemen are only 800 meters away, De Smet unfurls a banner of the Sacred Heart and the Virgin Mary. The Hunkpapa think for a moment it's the Stars and Stripes and fear a trap. They fan out in battle order. Fortunately, there are a few cold-blooded warriors who dare to come a little closer. After some explanation they are reassured. The crisis is over.
The procession reaches a fairly large tent camp (600 teepees for 4,000 Indians). Everyone is drumming to catch a glimpse of the Great Black Robe. For De Smet, these are still the real independent savages. Suddenly, Sitting Bull emerges from his tent to greet the missionary. Sitting Bull is friendly and takes personal care of De Smet and the Galpins in his own tent. Not a superfluous luxury, because the Sioux have a code of honor to kill the first white person they encounter when a family member has been killed by a white person. In Sitting Bull's tent, De Smet falls into a deep sleep.
When he wakes up he finds Sitting Bull, Four Horns, Black Moon and No Neck waiting for him. They want to know what De Smet has to say. The next day they will organize a big meeting. And indeed on June 20, at 01:00 p.m., the Great Powder River Council will start. The Indians listen politely and attentively to what De Smet has to say. Then Black Moon, Sitting Bull, Two Bears (Yankton) and Running Antelope (Brulé) give their take on the matter. After 4 hours of deliberation, the Hunkpapa decide to send a delegation of 160 Indians with him to Fort Rice. The Hunkpapa ask to keep the banner. De Smet pleases them. Sitting Bull receives a crucifix from De Smet. It was a tiring but successful day. De Smet falls into a deep sleep again in Sitting Bull's house.
The next day is Sunday and because he wants to leave early, De Smet celebrates mass at 4:30. Sitting Bull and three other chiefs escort De Smet into the Powder valley. Eight Hunkpapa warriors led by Gall will travel to Fort Rice. In total, the Hunkpapa peace mission consists of 30 families (men, women and children). On June 25, they send All-Over-Black from Box Elder camp as a messenger to Fort Rice. Terry is pleasantly surprised and returns the messenger on June 28 with congratulations and the message that Terry, Harney and Sanborn are eagerly awaiting them. On July 1, after a 10-day journey, the delegation reaches Fort Rice.
Deliberation starts the next day. 50,000 Prairie Indians camp along the banks of the Missouri, an unprecedented concentration. Each chief gives a speech. The generals read the new treaty of Fort Laramie, which was already signed on May 11 by the other Sioux in the south. The treaty stipulates that the Sioux will be allocated one large Sioux reservation. The reservation corresponds to the portion of South Dakota west of the Missouri River. For the next 30 years, the Sioux can count on rationing and the mediation of a government agent. All forts along the hated Bozeman Trail will be shut down. All the Indians sign, including Gall, Sitting Bull's representative, but he underlines that all forts must go, that all traffic through Indian territory, including shipping on the Missouri, must be stopped, and that all whites must leave Indian territory. De Smet also signs. Once again Terry, Sanborn and Harney are very grateful to De Smet.
For the Americans, this is De Smet's most important contribution in their efforts to bring about a lasting peace between the whites and the Indians. One thing is certain, De Smet has taken a big risk. No other white man would have had escaped alive from the 5,000 rebellious Sioux led by Sitting Bull.
On July 4, De Smet sails east with the Agnes. At Fort Sully, De Smet leaves Terry, Sanborn, and the other committee members, in order to spend some time with the local Indians. On July 11, he embarks on another boat. In Fort Leavenworth he disembarks again with the intention of taking a look at the St. Mary mission, near the Potawatomi in Kansas. It is July 29 and terribly hot. Kansas is hit by a heat wave with temperatures reaching 45° in the shade. At the end of August, De Smet finally reaches St. Louis after a tiring journey of 9,654 kilometres. He is exhausted and fears he may not have long to live. He doesn't waste any time and puts his experiences on paper for Father Terwecoren.
In September Sitting Bull again attacks Fort Buford with 150 warriors. They steal the horses...
De Smet, on the advice of provincial Coosemans, goes to Belgium to have his health examined. He also wants to try and raise funds to start the mission with the Yankton. On November 21, he departs from St. Louis to embark for Europe on November 25 in New York. During the crossing, the ship is caught in a flying storm. De Smet slips on the slippery deck and breaks 2 ribs. It will take until the arrival in Liverpool for him to be treated.
On 29/12 he celebrates the wedding mass of his cousin Paul in Kortrijk.