Preface -- Introduction -- The Indian system : "a sink of iniquity" -- Lincoln and the Southern tribes : "our Great Father at Washington has turned against us" -- The Indian expedition : "a great exhausting affair" -- Lincoln and the refugees : "a multitude of cares" -- Indian affairs in Minnesota : "a system of wholesale robberies" -- Rebellion in Minnesota : "a most terrible and exciting Indian War" -- Lincoln and the Sioux executions : "I could not afford to hang men for votes" -- Lincoln and removal : "a disagreeable subject" -- The president and the reformers : "this Indian system shall be reformed!" -- The failure of reform : "the do nothing policy here is complete" -- Concentration and militarism : "those who resist should be pursued by the military and punished" -- Linconian attitudes toward Indians : "a dying race ... giving place to another race with a higher civilization" -- Lincoln and the Indians : "a great revolution in the conduct of our Indian affairs."