It was on one of these trips that I discovered the pass through the Black Hills, and gave it the name of Sherman, in honour of my great chief.  Its elevation is 8236 feet, and for years it was the highest point reached by any railroad in the United States.  The circumstances of this accidental discovery may not be uninteresting to you.

While returning from the Powder River campaign I was in the habit of leaving my troops, and, with a few men, examining all the approaches and passes from Fort Fetterman south, over the secondary range of mountains known as the Black Hills, the most difficult to overcome with proper grades of all the ranges, on account of its short slopes and great height.  When I reached the Lodge-Pole Creek, up which went the overland trail, I took a few mounted men—­I think six—­and with one of my scouts as guide, went up the creek to the summit of Cheyenne Pass, striking south along the crest of the mountains to obtain a good view of the country, the troops and trains at the same time passing along the east base of the mountains on what was known as the St. Vrain and the Laramie trail.

About noon, in the valley of a tributary of Crow Creek, we discovered Indians, who at the same time discovered us.  They were between us and our trains.  I saw our danger and took means immediately to reach the ridge and try to head them off, and follow it to where the cavalry could see our signals.  We dismounted and started down the ridge, holding the Indians at bay, when they came too near, with our Winchesters.  It was nearly night when the troops saw our smoke-signals of danger and came to our relief; and in going to the train we followed this ridge out until I discovered it led down to the plains without a break.  I then said to my guide that if we saved our scalps I believed we had found the crossing of the Black Hills—­and over this ridge, between the Lone Tree and Crow Creeks, the wonderful line over the mountains was built.  For over two years all explorations had failed to find a satisfactory crossing of this range.  The country east of it was unexplored, but we had no doubt we could reach it.

In 1867, General Augur, General John A. Rawlins, Colonel Mizner, and some others, crossing the plains with me, reached the point where I camped that night.  We spent there the Fourth of July, and General Rawlins made a remarkable speech commemorating the day.  We located there the post of D. A. Russell and the city of Cheyenne.  At that time the nearest settlement was at Denver, one hundred and fifty miles away; and while we lay there the Indians swooped down on a Mormon train that had followed our trail, and killed two of its men; but we saved their stock, and started the graveyard of the future city.

The explorations by the government