eep them out of the Indian territory.ö
Windolph often rode with a man who became a close friend and labeled him ôone of the noblest soldiers who ever lived,ö Captain F. W. Benteen, (Jones, p. 3). Together they ventured into the Black Hills where they once panned for and found small flakes of gold and where they often had to escort miners on their way back out of the Hills. Other missions show the conflict in the relationship between the U.S. government and settlers and Native Americans. The more settlers began to encroach upon what Native Americans viewed as their lands, the more the Indians retaliated. Those who had been forced onto reservations often retaliated by breaking free and trying to murder troops or settlers. In the spring of 1876, Charles Windolph took part in a military expedition in which he and his men were ôassigned to either round up or destroy æhostilesÆ who had left the reservation,ö (Jones, p. 2). Such images of Native Americans are common from this era.
We see that WindolphÆs survivorÆs account of this era implies that Native Americans were viewed as hostile, barbaric and lacking in rights to challenge increasing encroachment by settlers on their lands. However, WindolphÆs account also shows that he felt some
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