Grant Wants to Preserve a Record of the Life of Indians, Which Must Soon “pass away”

At any given time, Grant’s staff while he was supreme commander of the armies consisted of thirteen officers only, and was not larger than that of some division commanders. The chief of staff was Brigadier-general John A. Rawlins. There were four senior aides-de-camp, one of whom was Brigadier-general Horace Porter. Grant had two military secretaries, Adam Badeau being the most noteworthy. There were four assistant adjutant-generals, the most famous being Ely Parker, a full-blooded Indian and grand nephew of the great Chief Red Jacket. Another was George K. Leet. The 1866 book “Grant and His Campaigns” says this about Leet: “Major George K. Leet, assistant adjutant-general of volunteers…entered the service as a private in the Chicago Mercantile Battery, and served with it in General Sherman’s expedition against Vicksburg, in the battle of Arkansas Post, and the battles and siege of Vicksburg. In August following the fall of Vicksburg, he was detached from his company as clerk at General Grant’s headquarters; and in October next thereafter, on General Grant’s recommendation, was appointed captain and assistant adjutant-general, and was with him in the campaign and battles of Chattanooga. On General Grant’s appointment to the command of all the armies, Leet was assigned to duty in Washington, in charge of office headquarters there. He was promoted to a majority in the adjutant-general’s department. As a private, he was a splendid soldier; as an officer, prompt and efficient in the performance of his duty — a courteous gentleman and man of sense. He possesses the respect and confidence of all who know him.”  So Leet was Grant’s man at the War Department in the final year of the war, and he was eventually promoted to Lt. Colonel. Leet remained in service to Grant after war’s end, and when Grant became President, Leet secured a position at the Customs House in New York, where for a time his superior was Chester A. Arthur.

In July 1866 Grant received the rank of full General of the Army, the first American to hold that distinction since George Washington. His postwar duties included enforcement of Reconstruction policies in the South, protection of the transcontinental railroad workers in the West, and overseeing Indian affairs. At the time, many if not most Americans saw Indians as little more than impediments that stood in the way of progress, and favored their removal or worse. Grant was, however, an exception, promoting what he saw as fairness to Indians and a policy very liberal for its time. He opposed army schemes to seek confrontations with Indians, especially Custer’s decision to seek gold on Indian lands in South Dakota, though with the nation and the Army leadership (Generals William T. Sherman and Philip B. Sheridan) in an aggressive mood, he was unable to control those events. At his inauguration, he said that he would “favor any course toward them which tends to their civilization and ultimate citizenship.” While in office, he adopted what was called Grant’s “Quaker” Indian Peace Policy. Under his leadership, the U.S. government recognized for the first time the need to insure the welfare of Indians as individuals rather than as tribal entities. This ultimately led to the Indians’ citizenship. Educational and medical programs were institutionalized in the Interior Department, and tons of food, clothing, and books were donated by churches and relief organizations to tribes. Between 1868 and 1876 the number of houses on reservations climbed from 7,500 to 56,000. The amount of land under cultivation increased sixfold. Teachers and schools tripled. Indian ownership of livestock increased by over fifteen times. Today we may see these policies as designed for assimilation rather than to protect Indian culture, but Grant saw the Indian way of life as destined to end, so he crafted his policies to assist individual Indians rather than get rid of them.

Here we see that Grant’s personal view was marked by great sensitivity and even appreciation of Indians. Very few American politicians or general officers would have been capable of writing this letter. Autograph Letter Signed on Headquarters Army of the United States letterhead, Washington, May 6, 1867, to N.G. Taylor, Superintendant of Indian Affairs, seeking to arrange for an artist to go West and sketch Indian life. “I take pleasure in introducing to you Mr. F. Buchon, an artist sent to this country to gather subject growing out of the late Rebellion for historical paintings. Mr. Buchon proposes now to join one of our generals on the plains for the purpose of sketching the Indians in their native condition to preserve on canvass what in a few years must, from the growth of civilization in this continent, pass away as a real existence. It is in connection with this enterprise Mr. Buchon wishes to consult you.” Buchon was possibly a relative of French cartographer Jean A.Buchon, known for his maps of America.

In our years in this field, we do not recall seeing a letter like this, with its sense of history, implication of respect, and touch of poignancy. It shows an unusual and important side of Grant, and helps explain his actions as President.

Interestingly, Grant was himself a very accomplished painter and many of his works still survive. Some of them are sympathetic portrayals of Native American subjects. Though self-effacing, Grant was proud of his ability to paint, and as President spoke of the satisfaction he derived from producing something “artistic.”