Richmond, from the desperate conflict in the Wilderness to the final fights before Petersburg. In the closing events he commanded a division of the corps under General Humphreys, joining Sheridan after the battle of Five Forks and aiding him effectively in the capture of Petersburg.

On April 7, when Lee had retreated to Appomattox, Humphreys was in the lead of the pursuers, with his two divisions under Miles and De Trobriand. Crossing the Appomattox River, he found himself confronted by Lee's intrenched army. Not having men enough to dislodge the army by a flanking movement, he resolved on an assault, ordering Barlow to attack the front and sending Miles against the Confederate left. Miles proved the more expeditious of the two, and made his attack before Barlow had reached his allotted position. As a consequence he and his men found themselves very strongly opposed and were driven back, losing about six hundred men. Night was at hand before Barlow was ready, and the attack was not resumed.

This was the last success of Lee's army, except the repulse of General Crook and his cavalry division, which took place about the same time. It gave Lee momentary encouragement, but his case was really hopeless, and on the 9th, finding himself practically surrounded, he laid down his arms and the longprotracted contest came to an end.

Miles continued in the army after the war, and in July, 1866, when twenty-six years of age, found himself at the head of the fortieth regiment of the United States troops. Though the war in the South was at an end, there was war in the West likely to last for many years, and the leaders of the army found plenty of work awaiting them. The migration of settlers into

the plains beyond the Mississippi, and the unjust treatment of the old owners of the soil by those covetous newcomers, roused the Indians to bitter reprisal, and for more than a quarter of a century there was war on the plains and mountains of the West and in the desert realm of the Southwest. In this warfare a number of the army leaders made fine records, notably Custer, Crook, Lawton, and Miles. We have described the service of the first three as Indian fighters; that of Miles remains.

This service was full of interesting and exciting incident, but we can deal with it here only in brief outline. Though the Indians had undoubtedly been badly treated, their murderous manner of avenging their wrongs could not be countenanced, it being impossible for the Government to permit its ill-treated wards to redress their grievances by the murder of settlers and the inhuman torture of prisoners. They had to be subdued and forced to stay quietly on their reservations first of all, and for those who refused to yield to this necessity the strong hand of the military was the only argument that could be employed. To seek to repress them quietly did not avail. In 1873 a commission was sent to treat for peace with the rebellious Modocs and to offer them terms. In the midst of the conference the savages suddenly attacked the commissioners, killing two of them and badly wounding a third. With men like these strong measures had to be used, and Colonel Miles was one of those who took them in hand.

His early service was against the wild and warlike Cheyennes and Comanches on the border of the Staked Plains of Texas. These he defeated in several encounters in 1875, and in the following year took part in the

contest against the warrior bands of the Sioux, who under Sitting Bull and other notable chiefs had recently slaughtered Custer and his men. He was successful in aiding to break up their bands, and it was he who drove Sitting Bull over the frontier, obliging him to take refuge in Canadian territory. He also dispersed the strong bands led by Crazy Horse, Lean Deer, Broad Trail, and other notable warriors. In this way the dangerous Sioux outbreak was in a year or two effectually put down, Miles having proved so persistent and capable in this work that he became widely known as the "Indian fighter."

He had soon another tribe to deal with, that of the Nez Percés of the Northwest. These Indians, whose dwelling place was on the Pacific slope of the Rocky Mountains, had been first visited by Lewis and Clark in their famous journey across the continent. In 1854 the United States bought a large section of their land and set aside a reservation for them in the northern border region of Idaho and Oregon. But like the Seminoles of Florida, many of the chiefs opposed the sale of their lands and when the date came for their migration refused to leave their old home.

Chief Joseph was the leader of these malcontents, a man of fine intelligence, shrewd and sagacious, and in his way one of the most remarkable Indians of the century. As he and his followers would not leave their old lands, General Howard was sent to force them to do so. As the Chief was too weak to fight the regulars he contrived to elude them, and this he did with masterly skill. Though pursued by them for hundreds of miles, he kept out of their reach, and in all his evolutions brought the women, children, and property of the band safely along with him. His