Proceeding down this lovely valley, which he appropriately named
Floral Park, an Indian camp-fire, recently abandoned, was discovered,
and fearing a collision unless pains were taken to prevent it, Custer
halted and sent out his chief scout, Bloody Knife, with twenty
friendly Indian allies, to trail the departed Sioux.  They had gone
but a short distance when, as Custer himself relates,
        Two of Bloody Knife’s young men came galloping back and
        informed me that they had discovered five Indian lodges a few
        miles down the valley, and that Bloody Knife, as directed,
        had concealed his party in a wooded ravine, where they awaited
        further orders.  Taking Company E with me, which was afterward
        re-enforced by the remainder of the scouts and Colonel Hart’s
        company, I proceeded to the ravine where Bloody Knife and his
        party lay concealed, and from the crest beyond obtained a full
        view of the five Indian lodges, about which a considerable
        number of ponies were grazing.  I was enabled to place my
        command still nearer to the lodges undiscovered.  I then
        despatched Agard, the interpreter, with a flag of truce,
        accompanied by ten of our Sioux scouts, to acquaint the
        occupants of the lodges that we were friendly disposed and
        desired to communicate with them.  To prevent either treachery
        or flight on their part, I galloped the remaining portion of
        my advance and surrounded the lodges.  This was accomplished
        almost before they were aware of our presence.  I then entered
        the little village and shook hands with its occupants,
        assuring them through the interpreter that they had no cause
        to fear, as we were not there to molest them, etc.

Finding there was no disposition on the part of General Custer to harm them, the Indians despatched a courier to their principal village, requesting the warriors to be present at a council with the whites.  This council was held on the following day, but though Custer dispensed coffee, sugar, bacon, and other presents to the Indians, his advice to them regarding the occupation of their country by miners was treated with indifference, for which, he observes in his official report, “I cannot blame the poor savages.”

During the summer of 1875 General Crook made several trips into the Black Hills to drive out the miners and maintain the government’s faith, but while he made many arrests there was no punishment, and the whole proceeding became farcical.  In August of the same year Custer City was laid out, and two weeks later it contained a population of six hundred souls.  These General Crook drove out, but as he marched from the place others swarmed in and the population was immediately renewed.

It was this inability, or real indisposition, of the government to enforce the terms of the treaty of 1868, that led to the bitter war with Sitting Bull, and which terminated so disastrously on the 25th of June, 1876.