Origins: The document was created by Nelson A. Miles, Secretary of War in 1891, following the "Sioux Outbreak" of 1890. It can be found in the Report of the Secretary of War for 1891, Vol. 1, pp. 133, 134, and 149. This document is a primary source because it includes the actual words from Miles' Secretary of War report.
Purpose: The purpose of this document is to make government officials understand the seriousness of the Sioux situation. To achieve this purpose, the document discusses the causes that led to the disturbance of peace. This is an internal memo, so its targeted audience is government officials rather than the public.
Values: This document is valuable because it was written by Nelson Miles, who was an expert on Indian affairs because he was the United States' Secretary of War at the time. The document shows that Miles took the Indians' side regarding the event. His bias toward the Indians is shown in three ways. First, he stated that the Indians had been "subjugated" by the whites from 1877 to 1879. Secondly, he said that the Indians had been "forced" to kill the whites' cattle to survive. Thirdly, he stated that anyone with an "unprejudiced intelligent mind" would listen to the problems and then decide to take the Indians' side.
Limitations: Due to Miles' bias toward the Indians, we do not know the opinions of other American officials. We are unaware why the civil agents in charge of the majority of the Sioux were frequently changing and often inexperienced. Thirdly, we are unaware if the Indians' claims that the "government had not fulfilled its treaties and had failed to make large enough appropriations for support" is true.
