,,contributions ,,from  ,,the ,,museum  
,,of ,,history ,,and ,,technology       
,,paper #ab   ,,hermann ,,stieffel1     
,,soldier-,,artist ,,of ,,the ,,west    
,edgar ,m4 ,howell  ,illustration3      
,figure #a4--;,area in which ,hermann   
,stieffel served with ,company ,k1 #eth 
,u4,s4 ,infantry1 #aheh-ahhb4     ,by   
,edgar ,m4 ,howell  ,hermann ,stieffel1 
,soldier ,artist of the ,west        ,a 
number of gifted artists painted the    
,west and the colorful                  
,indian-fighting army of the            
post-,civil-,war period1 but since none 
of these were military men their work   
lacked the viewpoint that      only a   
soldier could provide4                  
,german-born ,hermann ,stieffel1 for #bd
 years a private in the ,u4,s4          
,infantry1 painted a series of water    
colors while serving in the      ,indian
 country in the #ahfj's and #ahgj's4    
,although ,stieffel could      never be 
called talented1 and certainly was      
untutored as an artist1      his        

unusually canny eye for the colorful and
 graphic and his      meticulous        
attention to detail have given us       
valuable pictorial      documentaries on
 the ,west during the ,indian wars4     
,the ,author3 ,edgar ,m4 ,howell is     
curator of military history in the      
,united ,states ,national ,museum1      
,smithsonian ,institution4  ,the        
,american ,west has never wanted for    
artists with a high sense of the        
documentary4 ,through the talented hands
 of men like ,george ,catlin1 ,carl     
,bodmer and ,alfred ,jacob ,miller1     
,frederick ,remington1 and the cowboy   
painter ,charles ,m4 ,russell the       
trans-,mississippi regions have been    
pictured as have few other areas on     
earth4#a ,from historical and           
ethnological standpoints these men made 
tremendous and timeless contributions to
 our ,american heritage4 ,but the ,west 
held an esthetic fascination for the    
untutored and less talented as well1 and
 not a few soldiers1 miners1 stage      

drivers1 and just plain adventurers     
recorded their impressions on paper and 
canvas4 ,crude though many of these     
works are1 they are nonetheless         
significant1 for they are a graphic     
record of what these men saw1 where they
 lived1 and what they did1 in many cases
 the only record of particular places   
and events1 for the camera of ,l4 ,a4   
,huffman and his colleagues did not come
 into its own until the late #ahgj's4#b 
,without them we would have no          
description1 graphic or otherwise1 of   
much of the ,west both before and after 
the ,civil ,war--the early trading posts
 and forts1 the ,oregon1 ,santa ,fe1 and
 ,overland ,trails1 the ,bozeman ,trail1
 the stage stations1 all of which played
 a part in the opening and development  
of the ,west4#c  ,illustration3 ,figure 
#b4--;,attack on ,general ,marcy's train
 near ,pawnee ,fort1 ,kansas1 ,september
 #bc1 #ahfg4 ,the train was escorted by 
,company ,k1 #eth ,u4,s4 ,infantry1     
,brevet ,major ,d4 ,h4 ,brotherton      

commanding4 7,,usnm #chdahe2            
,smithsonian photo #chihf-;,a47  ,in    
#aidf the heirs of ,lt4 ,col4 ,david ,h4
 ,brotherton1 ,u4,s4 ,army1 an          
,indian-fighting officer of many years  
experience on the frontier1 donated to  
the ,united ,states ,national ,museum a 
collection#d comprising a number of     
,sioux ,indian specimens1 including a   
,model #ahff ,winchester carbine said to
 have been surrendered in #ahha to      
,colonel ,brotherton by the ,sioux      
chief1 ,sitting ,bull1 and ten water    
colors by a ,german-born private        
soldier1 ,hermann ,stieffel of ,company 
,k1 #eth ,u4,s4 ,infantry4 ,nine of     
these paintings 7the tenth being a view 
of ,rattenberg in the ,tyrol ,alps7 are 
photographically reproduced herein4     
,they constitute an unusually graphic   
and colorful1 if somewhat unartistic1   
series of documentaries on the ,west of 
the post-,civil-,war ,indian fighting   
period4  ,it can be surmised that       
,brotherton obtained the paintings from 

,stieffel1 for from #ahfa to #ahgi he   
commanded the infantry company in which 
the latter spent the entire #bd years of
 his ,army career4 ,brotherton's career 
itself is an interesting sidelight on   
the ,west of the period and an excellent
 if somewhat sad commentary on the      
promotion system in the ,army during a  
period when the development of the ,west
 was so heavily dependent on the ,army's
 curbing ,indian depredations4          
,brotherton was graduated from the      
,u4,s4 ,military ,academy with the class
 of #ahed along with several officers   
who later distinguished themselves in   
the ,confederate ,states ,army1         
including ,george ,washington ,custis   
,lee1 son of ,robert ,e4 ,lee1 ,john    
,pegram1 ,j4 ,e4 ,b4 ,stuart1 ,stephen  
,d4 ,lee1 and ,william ,dorsey          
,pender4#e ,assigned to the #eth        
,infantry1 ,brotherton by #ahfa had     
risen to the rank of captain and had    
acquired considerable experience against
 the ,comanches and ,apaches in the     

,southwest1 the ,seminoles in ,florida1 
and the ,mormons in ,utah4 ,electing to 
remain with his regiment at the outbreak
 of the ,civil ,war rather than resign  
and enter a volunteer or militia unit   
where he easily might have risen to     
general rank as did so many of his      
contemporaries1 he remained a captain in
 the ,army until #ahgi when a vacancy   
occurred and he was promoted to major4  
,he was promoted to lieutenant colonel  
in #ahhc after #bi years of service1 but
 only at the expense of transferring    
from his old regiment to the #gth       
,infantry1 where there was a vacancy at 
that rank4 ,he retired for disability in
 #ahhe after #cj years of almost        
constant service in the field4  ,we know
 little of ,stieffel the man4 ,he was   
born in ,wiesbaden1 ,germany1 in #ahbf1 
and became a printer by trade1          
indicating a fair amount of education4  
,he emigrated to this country at an     
unknown date and in ,december #aheg at  
,new ,york ,city enlisted in the ,army  

as a private of infantry4 ,he was #ca   
years old at the time1 and was described
 as being five feet five and one-half   
inches tall with blue eyes1 sandy hair1 
and a fair complexion4#f ,he remained a 
private for the entire time of his      
military service4 ,after recruit        
training at a general depot1 he was     
assigned to ,company ,k1 #eth ,infantry1
 joining that unit late in ,august #aheh
 at ,camp ,floyd 7later ,fort           
,crittenden71 ,utah ,territory1 where   
the regiment was an element of ,col4    
,albert ,sidney ,johnston's ,army of    
,utah sent westward to police the       
recalcitrant ,mormons4#g  ,stieffel's   
record shows nothing of note until      
,december #ahei when he was             
court-martialed and fined4#h ,this      
court-martial seemed to set the pace for
 him4 ,although the precise charge on   
which he was tried is not stated1 in    
view of his later record it can be      
surmised that it was for drunkenness--a 
very common offense in the frontier     

army--for in ,october #ahfa ,stieffel   
owed a sutler #bg4ie1 a heavy debt for a
 day when a private's net pay was less  
than #aa4jj a month4#i ,the debt        
remained unpaid through #ahfb and even  
increasing an additional #ae4jj4 ,during
 this period ,stieffel also was in      
confinement on a number of occasions for
 crimes or misdemeanors unspecified4#aj 
,in #ahfj the #eth ,infantry was        
transferred from ,utah southward to the 
,department of ,new ,mexico4 ,it was    
here in #ahfb that ,stieffel saw his    
first combat in ,col4 ,e4 ,r4 ,s4       
,canby's#aa ,union force1 which         
frustrated the wild ,confederate attempt
 under ,brig4 ,gen4 ,h4 ,h4 ,sibley to  
invade the present states of ,new       
,mexico and ,arizona and conquer        
,california4#ab ,captain ,brotherton1   
,private ,stieffel1 and the remainder of
 ,company ,k fought in the sharp action 
at ,valverde1 ,new ,mexico1 on ,february
 #ba1 #ahfb1 and evidently with some    
distinction as ,brotherton was breveted 

major for gallantry as a result of his  
unit's performance4#ac ,unfortunately   
for posterity1 ,stieffel did not record 
his impressions of this little-known    
sideshow of the ,civil ,war4            
,illustration3 ,figure #c4--,satanta    
addressing the peace commissioners at   
,council ,grove1 ,medicine ,lodge       
,creek1 ,kansas4 7,,usnm #chdahc2       
,smithsonian photo #chbih47  ,the       
,battle of ,valverde was ,stieffel's    
only experience in formal combat so far 
as the record shows4 ,after the final   
withdrawal of ,sibley's force into      
,texas whence it had come1 the #eth     
,infantry turned its hand to policing   
the ,indians and was almost constantly  
in the field during the period          
#ahfc-ahff4ad ,stieffel1 however1 was   
seldom with his unit during this time4  
,when not on one of his frequent stays  
in the stockade1 he was on extra duty at
 the closest army hospital4#ae ,he      
continued on such duty for most of the  
remainder of his service1#af except for 

confinements1 a period of desertion1 and
 necessary changes of station4          
,stieffel's exact unofficial status in  
,company ,k over the years is difficult 
to account for4 ,it is possible1 though 
hardly probable1 that ,captain          
,brotherton had developed a friendship  
with the ,german1 which might account   
for both his acquisition of the         
paintings and ,stieffel's extra-duty    
tours4 ,but such is doubtful4           
,brotherton was a hardened professional 
officer in an era when there was a far  
wider gap between officer and enlisted  
man than exists today4 ,there is no     
evidence that ,stieffel was a shirker4  
,at the end of each enlistment he       
reenlisted and always in ,company ,k1   
and such reenlistment was subject to the
 company commander's veto4 ,it is       
probable that he was not a particularly 
good soldier4 ,but after the ,civil ,war
 an army career in the ranks held little
 glamor for the average young man and   
recruiting officers were hard put to    

keep the ranks even partially filled1   
too often being forced to take what they
 could get4 ,the most plausible         
explanation is that since every unit in 
the ,army1 then as today1 was constantly
 called on for extra-duty men1 the      
company first sergeant just as          
constantly selected the apparently      
agreeable ,stieffel as the person whose 
absence was least likely to weaken the  
combat readiness of the company4 ,the   
arrangement must have suited            
,brotherton1 for he allowed it to       
continue for years4 ,it obviously suited
 ,stieffel1 for once he was placed more 
or less permanently on such detail his  
periods of confinement ceased4 ,hospital
 duty in that day and age was hardly    
arduous1 and the discipline was light4  
,also1 it provided #be cents a day extra
 pay4 ,thus1 this duty gave ,stieffel   
time to paint and1 if our surmise is    
correct1 both the time and the money for
 him to indulge his thirst4 ,in any     
case1 we are indebted to this light duty

 that gave him the opportunity to paint4
  ,in ,september #ahfg ,company ,k left 
,new ,mexico for ,fort ,harker1 ,kansas1
 in the ,department of the ,missouri1 as
 escort for ,brig4 ,gen4 ,r4 ,b4 ,marcy1
 an old member of the #eth ,infantry who
 was acting as inspector general for    
troop units west of the ,mississippi4   
,on that march of something more than   
#ejj miles the column was sharply       
attacked near ,fort ,dodge on the       
,arkansas ,river by a large force of    
,cheyenne believed led by ,black        
,kettle1 and ,stieffel had his second   
and last taste of combat4 ,the action   
must have impressed him1 for it         
furnished the subject of the first of   
his paintings 7fig4 #b74 ,from ,fort    
,harker1 ,company ,k escorted the       
,indian peace commissioners to ,council 
,grove on ,big ,medicine ,lodge ,creek  
for their treaty meeting with the       
,kiowas1 ,apaches1 ,comanches1          
,cheyenne1 and ,arapahoes in ,october4  
,this historic meeting ,stieffel        

witnessed and depicted with considerable
 color and attention to detail 7figs4   
#c1 #d74  ,illustration3 ,figure        
#d4--;,camp of the peace commissioners  
at ,medicine ,lodge ,creek1 ,kansas4    
7,,usnm #chdahd2 ,smithsonian photo     
#chbih-;,a47  ,after another period of  
hospital duty at ,fort ,harker 7figs4   
#f1 #g71 ,stieffel went in the field1   
for what appears to have been the last  
time1 as a member of a wagon-train      
escort to ,medicine ,bluff1 ,indian     
,territory 7present day ,oklahoma71     
where ,general ,sheridan was            
establishing ,fort ,sill on the southern
 edge of the ,wichita ,mountains4#ag    
,this picturesque overhang of ,medicine 
,bluff ,creek1 a small tributary of the 
,red ,river1 was the subject of one of  
,stieffel's landscapes and perhaps his  
finest single work 7fig4 #e74           
,illustration3 ,figure #e4--,the        
,wichita ,mountains from ,medicine      
,bluffs1 ,indian ,territory4 7,,usnm    
#chdahh2 ,smithsonian photo #dbhhj47    

,after this brief interlude in the      
wilderness1 ,stieffel went back to his  
hospital work4 ,then in ,september      
#ahgc1 following a change of station for
 ,company ,k from ,harker to ,fort      
,leavenworth1 he went in desertion until
 the following ,may1 being restored to  
duty upon his return1 rather strangely1 
without trial but with loss of pay for  
the period of his absence4#ah ,the only 
possible explanation for this leniency  
in a period when court-martial sentences
 tended to severity could be that since 
extra-duty men had to be furnished1     
,stieffel was worth more to the company 
out of the stockade than in4 ,with      
,indian unrest increasing every man     
counted4#ai  ,illustration3 ,figure     
#f4--;,fort ,harker1 ,kansas2 east side4
 7,,usnm #chdahg2 ,smithsonian photo    
#dbhie47  ,following the ,custer        
massacre on ,june #be1 #ahgf1 all posts 
in the ,department of the ,missouri were
 virtually stripped of troops1 among    
them the #eth ,infantry1 and dispatched 

to the ,department of ,dakota in an     
all-out attempt to bring the rampaging  
,sioux under control4 ,but ,stieffel saw
 no action in the campaigns that        
followed4 ,he was sick#bj and was left  
behind on ,july #ab when ,company ,k    
left ,leavenworth for the northwest for 
five years of almost continuous         
campaigning including numerous actions  
with the ,sioux and the campaign against
 the gifted ,indian tactician1 ,chief   
,joseph1 and his ,nez ,perce4 ,we could 
wish that ,stieffel had been present    
during the ,nez ,perce campaign1 for he 
might have pictured for us ,nelson      
,miles and the #eth ,infantry taking the
 surrender of ,joseph in the ,bear ,paw 
,mountains at the end of his epochal    
#a1fjj-mile running fight4#ba  ,stieffel
 remained at ,fort ,leavenworth until   
#ahgg when he rejoined his regiment at  
,cantonment ,tongue ,river1 ,montana    
,territory1 renamed ,fort ,keogh in     
#ahgi4 ,at ,keogh he was again placed on
 hospital extra-duty and so remained    

until he was discharged ,june #bc1      
#ahhb1bb on a surgeon's certificate of  
disability4 ,after his discharge he     
retired to the ,soldier's ,home in      
,washington where he died on ,december  
#ad1 #ahhf1 at the age of #fj4 ,he was  
buried in the ,national ,cemetery on the
 ,soldiers' ,home grounds4#bc  ,stieffel
 painted three scenes of ,fort ,keogh   
and vicinity--one of the fort itself1   
one of ,miles ,city across the ,tongue  
,river1 and a landscape of the          
,yellowstone ,river near ,miles ,city   
7figs4 #h-aj74   ,the ,paintings        
,chronologically1 the first of the      
paintings 7fig4 #b7 is that of the      
,indian attack on ,general ,marcy's     
train escorted by ,company ,k on        
,september #bc1 #ahfg4 ,this attack took
 place on the ,arkansas ,river about    
nine miles west of ,cimarron ,crossing1 
,kansas4 ,it was an insignificant action
 as such1 similar to hundreds of other  
such fights in the ,west1 but1 in the   
days of wet-plate photography and       

low-speed camera shutters1 the painting 
is significant as a rare eye-witness    
drawing and tells us far more than might
 any written description4 ,general      
,marcy's report is somewhat cursory3    
,yesterday at about #i o'clock a4m4 as  
we were approaching a bluff      near   
the ,arkansas ,river thirty-five miles  
above here we suddenly      discovered a
 great many ,indians approaching us from
 various      different directions4 ,i  
immediately halted our train and after  
arranging our escort in proper order for
 action went forward4 ,the      ,indians
 circled around us at full speed firing 
as they ran but did      not come very  
near us4 ,i would not allow our men to  
fire at the      long range1 believing  
that the ,indians would come nearer but 
they      did not4 ,some of the men     
fired and it is believed that two were  
wounded as groups collected around them4
 ,they wounded ,lt4 ,williams           
severely in the leg and one soldier who 
has since died4       ,near the point   

where the affair occurred was a large   
train of      wagons en route to ,new   
,mexico with valuable freight4 ,the     
train had      two hundred mules driven 
off by the ,indians about twelve days   
ago1      and it had been guarded by    
twenty-five men since1 and it is        
probable that the ,indians were there   
for the purpose of capturing      the   
train as they had been firing into it   
previous to our      arrival4#bd        
,stieffel tells us much more in his     
painting4 ,upon being attacked the train
 has pulled off the road1 visible in the
 left foreground1 and corralled4 ,the   
horses remain hitched1 witness to the   
suddenness of the attack4 ,that the     
,indians did not venture overly close1  
as stated by ,marcy1 is indicated by the
 fact that ,brotherton's men have not   
been forced to take cover behind the    
wagons4 ,that the ,indians appear closer
 than ,marcy indicates is due to the    
artist's lack of perspective4 ,they are 
firing muzzle-loading rifles1 several   

men being in the act of ramming home    
charges4 ,stieffel is doubtless correct 
in this detail4 ,the ,chief of ,ordnance
 reported in ,october #ahfg that nearly 
all the infantry in the ,departments of 
the ,missouri and the ,platte had been  
issued breech-loaders4#be ,it seems more
 than probable that ,company ,k1 in     
transit as it was from the distant      
,department of ,new ,mexico1 had never  
seen the new weapons4  ,in the matter of
 uniform1 ,stieffel may have been       
indulging his fancy somewhat when he    
pictured the men as wearing the long    
frock coat and black campaign hat4 ,a   
miscellany of dress with the short      
fatigue jacket and kepi predominating   
would seem far more reasonable for an   
outfit which had just finished six rough
 years in the desert ,southwest and was 
even then nearing the end of a #ejj-mile
 march4 ,the artist1 as did most        
observers of the period1 has patently   
overestimated the number of ,indians who
 must have carried firearms in the      

attack4 ,fully #ej percent or more of   
the ,indians are pictured as so armed1 a
 point which--understandable as it may  
be in the case of an observer           
participating in what may well have been
 his first ,indian fight--is not borne  
out by the record4 ,in the ,fetterman   
,massacre of the previous ,december1 of 
the #ha white men killed only six bore  
gunshot wounds1#bf and the best evidence
 indicates that the force which         
overwhelmed ,custer on the ,little ,big 
,horn ,river in #ahgf was at least #ej  
percent armed with bow and arrow4#bg    
,then again1 ,general ,marcy's report   
would seem to bear this out4 ,had the   
,indians been well armed1 the freight   
wagon train1 which ,stieffel pictures   
corralled in the right background1 could
 hardly have held out for twelve days   
against a force estimated at #cjj or    
more warriors defended by only #be men1 
at least a part of whom were ,mexicans  
described by ,marcy as badly            
frightened4#bh ,the soldier in the      

center background making a dash for the 
corralled wagons is probably a flanker  
cut off by the sudden attack1 possibly  
the ,lt4 ,williams who was wounded1     
since only officers in the infantry were
 mounted4 ,the group of ,indians around 
the fire 7in the right centerground7    
cannot be accounted for4  ,illustration3
 ,figure #g4--;,fort ,harker1 ,kansas2  
south side4 7,,usnm #chdahf2            
,smithsonian photo #chihf47  ,stieffel's
 two pictures of the meeting of the     
,government's peace commissioners with  
the ,indians at the general tribal      
rendezvous on ,big ,medicine ,lodge     
,creek in ,october #ahfg 7figs4 #c1 #d7 
are his most important from a historical
 standpoint1 especially the one of      
,satanta1 the ,kiowa chief1 addressing  
the meeting4#bi  ,indian unrest during  
and immediately after the ,civil ,war   
caused by the ever-increasing white     
migration to the ,west had grown to such
 proportions that in #ahfg the ,congress
 launched an all-out effort to establish

 a lasting peace on the frontier4 ,the  
plan was to persuade the warring tribes 
to sign treaties whereby they would move
 onto reservations where they would be  
undisturbed by the whites and1 in turn1 
would cease to molest the frontier      
settlements4#cj ,the ,indians concerned 
with the ,medicine ,lodge treaty were   
the ,kiowa1 ,comanche1 ,apache1         
,cheyenne1 and ,arapahoe4 ,this treaty  
is unusually important1 as it changed   
the entire status of these tribes from  
that of independence with free and      
unrestricted range over the entire      
plains area to that of dependence on the
 ,government with confinement to the    
limits of a reservation with constant   
civilian and military supervision4 ,for 
the ,indians it was the beginning of the
 end4  ,illustration3 ,figure           
#h4--;,fort ,keogh1 ,montana4 7,,usnm   
#chdahi2 ,smithsonian photo #cgibe47    
,upon its arrival at ,fort ,harker      
following the action of ,september #bc1 
,company ,k had been assigned as escort 

for the commissioners1 thus ,stieffel's 
presence at ,council ,grove4 ,it was a  
colorful gathering1 with some #e1jjj    
,indians on hand4 ,first came a series  
of speeches4 ,then the treaty was drawn 
up and explained to the ,indians4 ,they 
were to retire to assigned reservations1
 cease attacking the whites1 and permit 
railroads to be built across the plains4
 ,in return the reservations were to be 
closed to the white buffalo hunters and 
the tribes were to be issued certain    
annuities and provided with farming     
implements1 seeds1 churches1 and        
schools4 ,in short1 the ,indians were to
 be forced to walk the white man's road4
  ,when the turn came for the ,indians  
to reply1 several chiefs responded1 the 
most notable being the ,kiowa chief1    
,satanta1 or ,white ,bear 7fig4 #aa71   
one of the most remarkable individuals  
in his tribe's history4 ,speaking for   
all1 ,satanta made an unusually strong  
impression on most of those present1    
,stieffel among them1 for this is the   

incident which he chose to depict#ca    
7fig4 #c74  ,satanta is pictured in the 
act of speaking to the commissioners1   
three of whom can be identified as the  
military members1 ,generals ,terry1     
,augur1 and ,harney from left to        
right1#cb plus one of the civilian      
commissioners1 possibly ,n4 ,g4 ,taylor1
 ,commissioner of ,indian ,affairs4 ,a  
daring and successful warrior1          
,satanta's eloquence and vigor of       
expression had already won for him the  
title ,orator of the ,plains4 ,every    
feature on his strong face1 every line1 
showed his character--a forceful1       
untamable savage of a tribe as well     
known for its lack of honor1 gratitude1 
and general reliability as for its      
bravery4#cc ,with great dignity and     
impact he first denounced bitterly and  
scornfully the killing for mere sport of
 a number of buffalo near the council   
site by some troopers of the #gth       
,cavalry3       ,has the white man      
become a child1 that he should          

recklessly kill      and not eat8 ,when 
the red men slay game1 they do so that  
they may      live and not starve4  ,in 
direct relation to the treaty1 he       
continued with obvious sincerity3       
,i love the land and the buffalo4444 ,i 
don't want any of the      medicine     
lodges schools and churches within the  
country4 ,i want      the children      
raised as ,i was4444 ,i have heard that 
you intend to      settle us on a       
reservation near the mountains4 ,i don't
 want to      settle4 ,i love to roam   
over the prairies4 ,there ,i am free and
      happy1 but when we settle down we 
grow pale and die4444 ,a long      time 
ago this land belonged to our fathers2  
but when ,i go up to the      river ,i  
see camps of soldiers on its banks4     
,these soldiers cut down      my timber2
 they kill my buffalo2 and when ,i see  
that my heart feels      like busting4  
,little wonder ,stieffel and all those  
present were impressed4 ,it is          
appropriate to add that neither the     

,indians nor the ,government of the     
,united ,states observed the provisions 
of this treaty4  ,illustration3 ,figure 
#i4--,miles ,city1 ,montana4 7,,usnm    
#chdaij2 ,smithsonian photo #cgibe-;,b47
  ,the remainder of ,stieffel's         
paintings have no such impact as the    
earlier ones1 but nonetheless they are  
important1 especially for their almost  
meticulous detail of camp and post life 
and terrain in the ,west4 ,in that of   
the camp of peace commissioners he      
accurately depicts the various types of 
tentage of the ,army at the time--the   
small slanting wall tents of the        
enlisted men1 the wall tents of the     
individual officers1 the large wall     
headquarters and officers' mess tents1  
and the familiar ,sibleys1 one of which 
is obviously being used for the guard4  
,the escort wagons and ambulances are   
regulation transport of the period4 ,the
 artist has even included a sentry      
walking post at the ration dump with    
fixed bayonet1 a sound precaution       

against sticky red fingers4 ,two ,indian
 camps are shown in the background1 and 
the ,indians1 as would befit the        
atmosphere of a treaty council1 are     
moving freely through the military camp 
to the apparent unconcern of the        
military4  ,illustration3 ,figure       
#aj4--,the ,yellowstone ,river near     
,fort ,keogh1 ,montana4 7,,usnm #chdaia2
 ,smithsonian photo #cgibe-;,a47  ,the  
landscape of the ,wichita ,mountains    
from ,medicine ,bluffs 7fig4 #e7 on the 
present-day ,fort ,sill reservation is  
noteworthy as a terrain sketch to anyone
 who has served at that post4 ,i have   
ridden over this country many times1 and
 the undulating prairie1 the meandering 
of ,medicine ,creek1 the ,bluffs        
themselves--over the highest of which   
7left centerground7 the ,apache         
,geronimo did not ride his horse with   
the #gth ,cavalry in full cry           
behind--,mount ,hinds and lofty ,mount  
,scott are remarkable in their accuracy 
when one considers that the painting    

must have been done from sketches made  
when ,stieffel was on escort detail to  
the ,indian ,territory in #ahfi4cd  ,the
 two views of ,fort ,harker1 ,kansas    
7figs4 #f1 #g71 now ,ellsworth1 must    
have been painted during #ahgj and #ahga
 while ,stieffel was on extra duty as a 
hospital attendant there4 ,from an      
artistic standpoint they are the poorest
 of his work4 ,his detail1 however1 more
 than compensates for any deficiencies  
as a draftsman and gives us an excellent
 concept of the physical layout and     
daily routine of a small post in the    
,southern ,plains4 ,the two views are   
from the east and south1 and complement 
one another nicely4 ,headquarters1      
officers' quarters1 and barracks1 all of
 typical clapboard construction1 are    
readily discernible1 as are the stables1
 the latter being the long unfenestrated
 buildings4 ,even the barrack privies1  
an outdoor bake oven alongside a mess   
hall1 and earth-covered powder magazines
 can be easily identified4 ,the long    

rows of cordwood for cooking and heating
 were to be seen on any post of the     
period4 ,in the view from the east 7fig4
 #f7 may be seen a detail of cavalrymen 
with led horses moving out for animal   
exercise past the camp of a transient   
unit with its standard tentage and      
transport4 ,the high white paling fence 
is difficult to place1 being either an  
animal corral1 in which case it would be
 much too high1 or a forage yard1 since 
no hay piles are visible elsewhere4     
,stieffel seems to have been            
considerably fascinated by the railroad 
7fig4 #g7 with its accompanying         
telegraph line running southwest of the 
fort1 for again he paints in some       
detail1 although this time with an      
almost childish conception4 ,the        
,u4,p4,r4,w4,e4,d4 which he so carefully
 letters in identifies the line as the  
,union ,pacific ,railway1 ,eastern      
,division4#ce ,the naming of the engine 
,osage was as typical of the period as  
the naming of individual commercial     

aircraft is today4  ,illustration3      
,figure #aa4--,kiowa ,chief ,satanta1 or
 ,white ,bear4 7,smithsonian photo ,,bae
 #achj-;,a47  ,the last three paintings 
7figs4 #h-aj7 fall in the period of     
,stieffel's service at ,fort ,keogh in  
the ,department of ,dakota4 ,the fort1  
named for ,captain ,miles ,keogh 7who   
died with ,custer in the ,little ,big   
,horn massacre7 and originally called   
,cantonment ,tongue ,river1 was located 
at the confluence of the ,tongue and    
,yellowstone ,rivers near present-day   
,miles ,city1 ,montana4  ,the pictures  
of both the fort 7fig4 #h7 and ,miles   
,city 7fig4 #i7 are subject to check    
against extant photographs2 they are    
amazing in their detail and accuracy4   
,the over-all layout of the fort        
conforms1 and such minute details as the
 gable windows and chimneys of the      
officers' quarters on the left of the   
parade ground and the two-story verandas
 on the enlisted barracks opposite are  
absolutely correct4#cf ,the familiar    

stables1 corral1 wood piles1 and hay    
piles--the latter surrounded by a stone 
wall as protection against grass fire in
 the dry months--are readily discernible
 7fig4 #h74 ,the low stone buildings and
 corral in the right centerground       
probably are part of the original       
structures of ,cantonment ,tongue       
,river4 ,the small shacks to the left of
 them probably are the homes of the     
civilian hangers-on who founded ,miles  
,city in #ahgf after being ejected from 
the post by ,col4 ,nelson ,miles1 the   
commander of the #eth ,infantry4 ,the   
first site of ,miles ,city can be seen  
in the upper right corner on the banks  
of the ,tongue4 ,the town was moved     
across the river in #ahgg4 ,the mounted 
drill in the foreground is difficult to 
explain in a period when and in an area 
where the troops were almost constantly 
in the field under combat conditions4   
,perhaps it is mere window dressing by  
the artist4 ,it is entirely possible1   
however1 that ,stieffel has pictured    

elements of his own regiment1 which was 
mounted from #ahgg until after the      
surrender of ,sitting ,bull in #ahha4   
,being basically infantry they would be 
most in need of training in mounted     
tactics4 ,then again1 these could be    
legitimate cavalry whose commander      
thought had wandered too far from       
regulation movements during the         
unorthodox winter warfare they had been 
waging against the ,indians4  ,the view 
of ,miles ,city 7fig4 #i7 has little    
importance in a military sense1 but it  
is a fine contemporary view of a        
frontier town of the period4 ,it is     
probably the product of a spring        
afternoon ,stieffel spent along the     
banks of the ,tongue4 ,it was painted   
before #ahhj--;a wooden bridge had      
replaced the ferry by that year#cg--;and
 probably as early as #ahgh1 for the    
town grew rapidly and ,stieffel pictures
 only two streets1 ,main and ,park1     
running at right angles4 ,the town is   
correctly placed in a grove of          

cottonwoods1 and low to the river as    
evidenced by the almost annual flooding 
of the streets4#ch ,structures which can
 be readily identified1 reading from    
left to right on ,main ,street1 are the 
,diamond ,d corral visible near the     
ferry landing2 the town stockade which  
,stieffel has either misplaced or which 
was later moved2 ,major ,bochardt's     
store1 the white two-story building2    
,broadwater1 ,hubbel and ,co41 the brown
 two-story structure next right2 the    
,cottage ,saloon at the corner of ,main 
and ,park ,streets1 just to the right of
 the flag pole2 and ,morris ,cahn's     
drygoods emporium on ,park ,street1 in  
the right centerground1 that can be     
identified by ,cahn's name on the false 
front4#ci   ,a ,note on ,stieffel's     
,indians  ,in seven of his nine         
paintings ,stieffel has executed his    
,indian subjects in colorful detail and 
with some care4 ,although he apparently 
did not know his subjects well enough to
 distinguish them by tribe1 he does     

depict them in typical dress of the     
period4 ,many of them are wearing       
,german silver ornaments of various     
designs about their necks1 on strips of 
flannel attached to their hair          
pigtail-like1 or as arm bands4 ,at least
 four are wearing hair-pipe breast      
plates1 a fact of interest to           
ethnologists1#dj and several wear the   
comical1 ,puritan style1 tall black hats
 issued as annuity goods4 ,the red and  
blue robes are of trades-good flannel1  
as probably are the leggings4 ,two wear 
buffalo robes with the skin side out and
 the hair side rolled over at the       
shoulder4#da ,two1 in the ,fort ,keogh  
picture 7fig4 #h7 and the ,yellowstone  
,river landscape 7fig4 #aj71 wear robes 
of the familiar1 colorfully striped     
,hudson ,bay blanketing material4 ,arms 
are conventional--bows1 quivered arrows1
 and pipe tomahawks1 with a scattering  
of firearms4 ,in the ,yellowstone ,river
 landscape one discrepancy should be    
pointed out--the canoe2 the ,northern   

,plains ,indians seldom used water      
transport1 and then generally only in   
the form of rafts4     ,,footnotes3     
,footnote #a3 ,for ,george ,catlin1     
,gustavus ,sohon1 and ,george ,gibbs1   
see3 ,john ,c4 ,ewers1 ,gustavus        
,sohon's ,portraits of ,flathead and    
,pend d',oreille ,indians1 #ahed1       
,smithsonian ,miscellaneous             
,collections1 vol4 #aaj1 no4 #g1 #aidh2 
,george ,catlin1 ,painter of ,indians   
and the ,west1 in ,annual ,report of the
 444 ,smithsonian ,institution 444      
#aiee1 #aief1 pp4 #dhc-ebh2 ,marvin ,c4 
,ross1 ,george ,catlin1 ,episodes from  
,life ,among the ,indians and ,last     
,rambles1 ,norman1 ,okla41 ,univ4       
,oklahoma ,press1 #aiei2 ,harold        
,mc,cracken1 ,george ,catlin and the    
,old ,frontier1 ,new ,york1 ,dial       
,press1 #aiei2 ,david ,i4 ,bushnell1    
,jr41 ,drawings by ,george ,gibbs in the
 ,far ,northwest1 #ahdi-ahea1           
,smithsonian ,miscellaneous             
,collections1 vol4 #ig1 no4 #h1 #aich4  

,for ,alfred ,jacob ,miller1 see3       
,bernard ,de,voto1 ,across the ,wide    
,missouri1 ,boston1 ,little1 ,brown and 
,co41 #aidg2 ,marvin ,c4 ,ross1 editor1 
,the ,west of ,alfred ,jacob ,miller1   
,norman1 ,okla41 ,univ4 ,oklahoma       
,press1 #aiea4  ,for ,frederick         
,remington and ,charles ,russell1 see3  
,harold ,mc,cracken1 ,frederick         
,remington1 ,artist of the ,old ,west1  
,philadelphia1 ,lippincott1 #aidg1 and  
,the ,charles ,m4 ,russell ,book2 the   
,life and ,work of the ,cowboy ,artist1 
,garden ,city1 ,doubleday1 #aieg4       
,footnote #b3 ,see3 ,mark ,h4 ,brown and
 ,w4 ,r4 ,felton1 ,the ,frontier ,years4
 ,l4 ,a4 ,huffman1 ,photographer of the 
,plains1 ,new ,york1 ,henry ,holt and   
,co41 #aiee2 ,martin ,f4 ,schmitt and   
,dee ,brown1 ,fighting ,indians of the  
,west1 ,new ,york1 ,charles ,scribner's 
,sons1 #aidh4  ,footnote #c3 ,an        
excellent group of these crude          
on-the-spot drawings and paintings is   
reproduced in ,grace ,raymond ,hebard   

and ,e4 ,a4 ,brininstool1 ,the ,bozeman 
,trail1 #b vols41 ,cleveland1 ,the      
,arthur ,h4 ,clark ,co41 #aibb4         
,footnote #d3 ,no4 #agcgdj in the ,u4,s4
 ,national ,museum4  ,footnote #e3 ,the 
information on ,brotherton's career has 
been culled from3 ,register of          
,graduates and ,former ,cadets ,united  
,states ,military ,academy1 #ahjb-aidf1 
,new ,york1 ,the ,west ,point ,alumni   
,foundation1 ,inc41 #aidf2 ,francis ,b4 
,heitman1 ,historical ,register and     
,dictionary of the ,united ,states      
,army1 ,washington1 ,government         
,printing ,office1 #aijc1 vol4 #a2      
,george ,w4 ,cullum1 ,biographical      
,register of the ,officers and          
,graduates of the ,u4,s4 ,military      
,academy1 ,boston1 #ahia-aicj1 vol4 #c4 
,footnote #f3 ,enlistment papers of     
,hermann ,stieffel dated ,december #ag1 
#aheg1 ,adjutant ,general's ,records1   
,national ,archives1 ,washington4       
,footnote #g3 ,theo ,f4 ,rodenbough and 
,william ,l4 ,haskin1 ,the ,army of the 

,united ,states1 ,new ,york1 ,maynard1  
,merrill  ,co41 #ahif1 pp4 #dga-dgb2    
,remarks on ,muster ,roll1 ,company ,k1 
#eth ,infantry 7hereinafter cited as    
,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k71 ,august #ca1   
#aheh1 ,adjutant ,general's ,records1   
,national ,archives1 ,washington4       
,footnote #h3 ,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k1   
op4 cit4 7footnote #g71 ,december #ca1  
#ahei4  ,footnote #i3 ,in #ahfa a       
private's pay was #ac4jj per month with 
#b4jj withheld until expiration of his  
enlistment and 4#ab-a_/b withheld for   
support of the ,u4,s4 ,soldiers' ,home  
at ,washington4 7,u4,s4 ,army           
,regulations1 #ahfa47  ,footnote #aj3   
,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k1 op4 cit4        
7footnote #g71 ,october #ca1 #ahfa2     
,december #ca1 #ahfa2 ,april #cj1 #ahfb2
 ,june #cj1 #ahfb2 ,december #ca1 #ahfb2
 ,february #bh1 #ahfc2 ,april #cj1      
#ahfc2 ,february #bh1 #ahfd2 ,june #cj1 
#ahfd4  ,footnote #aa3 ,canby was       
murdered by the ,modoc ,captain ,jack in
 #ahgc while engaged in a peace         

conference4  ,footnote #ab3 ,for details
 of these operations1 see3 ,the ,war of 
the ,rebellion3 ,official ,records of   
the ,union and ,confederate ,armies1    
#acj vols41 ,washington1 ,war           
,department1 #ahhj-aija1 ser4 #a1 vol4  
#i1 pp4 #dhg-ebb4  ,footnote #ac3       
,ibid41 ser4 #a1 vol4 #dg1 pt4 #b1 p4   
#abdf4  ,footnote #ad3 ,rodenbough and  
,haskin1 op4 cit4 7footnote #g71 p4     
#dgb2 ,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k1 op4 cit4  
7footnote #g71 ,april #cj1 #ahfc2 ,june 
#cj1 #ahfd2 ,october #ca1 #ahfe4        
,footnote #ae3 ,the first note of such  
duty is in ,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k1 op4  
cit4 7footnote #g71 ,february #bh1      
#ahfc4  ,footnote #af3 ,see ,muster     
,roll1 ,co4 ,k1 op4 cit4 7footnote #g71 
#ahfc-ahhb4 ,the muster rolls were      
submitted bimonthly4  ,footnote #ag3    
,ibid41 ,june #cj1 #ahfh2 ,february #bh1
 #ahfi2 ,april #cj1 #ahfi4  ,footnote   
#ah3 ,ibid41 ,december #ca1 #ahfi2      
,september #cj1 #ahgc2 ,june #cj1 #ahgd4
  ,footnote #ai3 ,company ,k was almost 

at full strength at the time1 mustering 
#eh enlisted men of the #fj authorized4 
,ibid41 ,september #cj1 #ahgc2 ,official
 ,army ,register for ,january #ahgd1    
,washington1 ,adjutant ,general's       
,office1 #ahgd1 p4 #bfj;,b4  ,footnote  
#bj3 ,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k1 op4 cit4   
7footnote #g71 ,august #ca1 #ahgf4      
,footnote #ba3 ,frederick ,remington has
 pictured this surrender for us1 but he 
was not an eye witness4  ,footnote #bb3 
,muster ,roll1 ,co4 ,k1 op4 cit4        
7footnote #g71 ,august #ca1 #ahgh1 to   
,june #cj1 #ahhb2 ,certificate of       
,disability for ,discharge1 ,private    
,hermann ,stieffel1 ,april #h1 #ahhb1   
,adjutant ,general's ,records1 ,national
 ,archives4 ,the date of ,june #bc1     
given on the ,muster ,roll1 was         
apparently that on which the discharge  
received final approval in ,washington4 
,footnote #bc3 ,there is no record of   
,stieffel's ever having been a member of
 the ,soldiers' ,home1 but the ,home's  
records for the #ahhj's are very        

incomplete4 ,however1 his discharge     
gives his forwarding address as that    
institution1 and there is definite      
record of the date of his death and     
interment there4  ,footnote #bd3 ,report
 of ,brig4 ,gen4 ,r4 ,b4 ,marcy1        
,september #bd1 #ahfg1 document no4     
#a1jjj1 ,,ago1 ,department of ,missouri1
 vol4 #d1 #ahfg1 ,civil ,war ,branch1   
,national ,archives4  ,footnote #be3    
,report of ,chief of ,ordnance1 #ahfg1  
,washington1 ,war ,department1 #ahfh4   
,footnote #bf3 ,george ,bird ,grinnell1 
,the ,fighting ,cheyenne1 ,new ,york1   
,charles ,scribner's ,sons1 #aiae1 p4   
#bce4  ,footnote #bg3 ,frazier and      
,robert ,hunt1 ,i ,fought ,with ,custer3
 ,the ,story of ,sergeant ,windolph1    
,new ,york1 ,charles ,scribner's ,sons1 
#aidg1 p4 #ib4 ,for an excellent        
discussion of ,indian armament at this  
period1 see ,john ,e4 ,parsons and ,john
 ,s4 ,du,mont1 ,firearms in the ,custer 
,battle1 ,harrisburg1 ,the ,stackpole   
,company1 #aiec4  ,footnote #bh3        

,marcy's report1 op4 cit4 7footnote     
#bd74  ,footnote #bi3 ,jack ,howland1   
artist for ,harper's ,weekly1 also      
pictured ,satanta speaking to the       
commissioners1 and with more accuracy in
 that all the civilian commissioners are
 visible1 but his pictures lack the     
color and drama of ,stieffel's work4    
,see3 ,harper's ,weekly1 ,november #af1 
#ahfg4  ,footnote #cj3 ,the records of  
this treaty meeting are contained in the
 ,office of ,indian ,affairs1 ,record   
,group #ge1 ,national ,archives4 ,the   
final treaties are reproduced in ,indian
 ,affairs3 ,laws and ,treaties1 vol4 #b1
 ,washington1 ,government ,printing     
,office1 #aijc1 pp4 #ged-gfd4  ,footnote
 #ca3 ,there are several accounts of    
this4 ,the best1 in the opinion of the  
writer1 is in ,james ,mooney's ,calendar
 ,history of the ,kiowa ,indians1 #agth 
,annual ,report of the ,bureau of       
,american ,ethnology1 ,washington1      
,government ,printing ,office1 #ahih1   
pp4 #aha-ahf1 #bjf-baj4  ,footnote #cb3 

,see photo taken at later date by       
,alexander ,gardner1 ,still ,picture    
,branch1 ,national ,archives4  ,footnote
 #cc3 ,an interesting sidelight on      
,satanta3 ,in the spring of #ahfg he    
accepted a complete general officer's   
uniform from ,general ,hancock at ,fort 
,dodge and reciprocated shortly         
afterwards by attacking the post while  
decked out in his new dress4  ,footnote 
#cd3 ,detail and orientation check      
closely with map of ,fort ,sill1        
,oklahoma1 sheet #fcec ,,iii ,,nw1 scale
 #a3be1jjj1 ,army ,map ,service4        
,footnote #ce3 ,this was identified in  
,engineer ,files1 ,cartographic ,branch1
 ,national ,archives4  ,footnote #cf3   
,an over-all photographic view of the   
post is in ,still ,picture ,branch1     
,national ,archives4 ,for photos of the 
officers' quarters and barracks1 see    
,brown and ,felton1 op4 cit4 7footnote  
#b71 pp4 #ih1 #abh4  ,footnote #cg3 ,see
 photo in ,brown and ,felton op4 cit4   
7footnote #b71 p #ace4  ,footnote #ch3  

,ibid41 pp4 #acg1 #adj4  ,footnote #ci3 
,ibid41 pp4 #aeg1 #afc1 and end paper   
map4  ,footnote #dj3 ,ewers1 op4 cit4   
7footnote #a71 pp4 #eh-fa1 #aidh4       
,footnote #da3 ,lower right in the      
,council ,grove scene and in the        
foreground of the ,fort ,keogh picture4