, 1869-01-07
the INDIAN WAR,
Discovery Of the Bodies Of Major
Elliott and Fifteen Soldiers.

IA41utl 4uu V11t6bA k1ul6lbISs
A HORRIBLE Scene OF mulila-
tlon..
Correspondence Of the New Y"rk Htr'ld.
AzADauAHrEns Dxr1 c7s~. Als'ou"r'}
GAIT on wAsnrrA NisrH i. / Dec II.
Having re.chei this raiut IN tue chosen
valley OF The hostile 1n;itant, tlr Command
fDg General determined 10 sprnI al entire
day In camp, in order to give the auiua1s
kest aud IN opportunity to avail themselves
of the lururlant pasturugc In this vicinity.
VIC were now, it was known, hut c.xh. nl!cs
from tho scene Of Geueral CustRf's decisive
vlctory over The Cheyenne baud oI, Black
Kettle !; but two weeks ago General Cus,nr,
e1ill frelil r considerable unxitty to know the
late u Major Elliot. aud the mlssuE 1n"n Of
.hs seventh Cavalry, VII" sIisapp=nrrd In the
hattie of tho Wa<hltn, and hopeful or al
1cns. flndinR tEncCs whereby souic certainty
1nleht X arrived Al relnttyc tu their death nr
tnriiylty, lie letrlnlIut 10 organize U su,s)l
expedition 10 lbu bnttlc Ncld.
Al eight O'clock this lunrslinK the horsc Of
the f'nrty we're saddlrd and mou1t~d, nnd
tic buglc lad douhdcd the lscurllng 3f,uud-
r.h II horsc mud forward. ssvrnli nf tte
t'us cold. 1lr hard frozen ground und the
tI'lng n'r ,latlt bull, incu md anitIInl> inovc
1u'cf'y. A ride III MI llunr nn,l hlli
brought atc lnrty IN The iuitucliatu urp.'Nsh
To tue t,attlc.frta. WI had n,,* f.,liINei h,r
several mira tl,c trt.ll M tic,eta1 I'ust.rs
4'ustnIhg column, hiicr thc hatf!r. cndrnvor:
lu0 1u uvrttHkr The iugttyr kt'sa' and
hrhpatocs and ltcat th'f tu dose u
lnarAal iolutiou I" lrlah llos'ililir1.
~ lrngth nur rh'nn'l croasrd the
.,G it.4I1 1nli Ire bGn I.r
centre rsl,n,n under thr nuto-tu.
nnlr I.lli9.i. ILr lnr,cs' tEnces were quite
sls.lr. il WAS lserc. nith tlsClr cutIrnic4 UC
!hr Other s+'lusnns, tnAt El,utI MD tbs lnrn
r,nod for trscrai hours awaiting t4u trst
Lngrs OF dawn 1tp"A lhr .atl .n hustxun to
1anusll 10Th 1t tic cllarEe CONVEX gtLx upnn
tho tntrd village. .N thr pnrty entered
"hltu the arrA VI TIC a:ht, tlr Al4rtn ot the
aiuFoacli wxa III: siKnnl los thu il2ht Of In.
nn'nrt"t'tc trnsts aua h,rt,a nj Pre- Th0,-
raudt Of ravens nrd crows, dls,urbrd in their
vnrilon least, rosc III upc dvtlhe bark N ltt,
illllns The huTrs'up4ine n!s wtLh ltr!r mourn.
lul ln'icE. md. s"aitg nscr L'le Held, srcin'd
~ kho"tr tHMA ilni'rccali,ns IL return FIR
their roole'sat!ou. Tho sly, cnAnr.ily wnlf,
slMsted from Ills abundant Fcpa.t, At Inlcr-
val" eah'lI.s savage look LcLlnI. rrLiEed 10
'lt. summit "f the surrounding l.nnsnncks
hna fhlgc. ui'l III ruuEr ol slaiger, and lcrr,
t,at,ns htlah:lf aison Ills huu,sc..vs, boldly
WATCHED thu r. .slts hf '..r antf1siru,
l.
takc1, in the opsnlr,.: OF til bA,ilr Ly MAjur
Elliott, an object having tl,- appearance Vi d
bundle of blankets WAS disc ,rcrci II, s.lc
huhEc..: Upon oIe .7Z the bfankrts an lndi,u
warrior Was iound, scalped. Al !u,orvaln
these tvf1u1 1caA Of iGe lust r-trlbution given
the easugr Cheyenne in tht battle ot Washl'a
were seen. About thirty bou!es OF wurrinrs
werc eoun: Cd ai<o. several sq4aws accident
ally shot in the melee.
Ehte1lnS the sLacr occupied by the Indian
10t{YfE ut}s sill tGIk A 1f,e r.I{ns0 vi
VI Black Kettles baud. The u1layratlon
slated by the troops was SO cnmplcts' that
scarcely anything OF camhus,ibie character
escaped, aud to dag the debris ot tho village
consisted in broken md bnrned lodge poles,
small pi-CcA u u1tanned and tanaed hid.s.
From the Immediate site Of tho village the
party rode to the top OF 4 hill. about 4
hundred yards distant, from which point
General Custar Repeated II General sheridan
the details of tie baltic aud the positions
taken by the different columns The former
site oi the lodges could bc distinctly seen by
the pins rangMg In circle and til Fireplace
III the centre. Tn the right OF the Tillase, at
distance OF 155.Sa1ds. lay The carcasscs of
about four acrcs, and numbered not less than
sop. After Lhe battle ~as T. r1cctiy Under
stood and the ground welt surveFed. Geu.
ctals Sheridan and Cnstar, accompanied by
Lieutenant Hale, your cortcspol dent aud !
small detachment Of tEoons, moved down the
south hAuk Of the Wasaf- a. over the route
taken by Aajor Elliott aud the .uis.lng men.
in hopes Of recovering the bodies. ile rc.
.nainder Of the party Spent some lime 1ongc.
in The village aud moved down tue bed Of the
valley OF the river.
The Generals party moving down the
eonth hanf, ascendrd q high divide, from
which IN extensive view could he tad OF the
surrounding country. descending on the
other side the party had proceeded but 4
hnudred ysFds when the budr Of waite me n
was luuEd. perfectly naked and covered with
n1roa ana bullet loien Tle head presented
loe appeef1I.ce at having l,ccn leattn with a
iato flp1 nnnbl nne - i9a ., ,tc sks! was broken
iy1ne partly IL the skull and parity IN Tic
ground. AT first it was supposed that the
BODY vas That # Elliott, hut upou minute
cIamin ation this WAS fnund Lot to he IN,
Marking the spot whrre this body was
.outd, the party CONTINUED rnnviIg down
stream. Crossing with sunle difficulty a
eu alI raEint, ato1lF III ccntrc ot nm * san.
slve swell. At disiancc Of two hundEed
JaIds further un objects we're seen lying IN
tbc grass, n1u suprrecd to he bodies TIE ,
attention attrnctca in this direc ion, Tue p 4rt
moved on for tic spot 4. sallop. few
mlhnIes aiter scene VA. Witnessed sufficient
10 Gull forth the scbuke of every brner o}put
anu cph1htencf nlstId ~ inst The dlrkcned
1hMiiects I" the sU-ca!icu p'ila- b .pri 8,
MIMI: lsl a4 q OF not nlnrv it,A,t utlcru 4rts
laS 5,.tetu hnman boui-s, all hat renal ed
q: Elliott and bis party hc winter air
S"epl acroa5 thu plain. and with IT'S c3!d
blasts b: d added to tie .hast iness ol dealt,
Tue acd,'ir''ul tpec1acle Of s,x,c.n naked
cnFp*es fFs'zen as soliuly Us s,vrc thc
PARTY here dlsuouted, pcd ~ exaul.
lt4aticn o. lhc bedics was madc. There va s
mol single one that did not exhibit eyi.
dences Of scariui lnltisas'u,,. Tue bodies
were all lsl7s with thes. E.css Gown, and In
close p osinity T. earh other. Bullet and
aErow ~ou, ds covered the backs each, the
= NtLnYN =
were bel1taded. The body of ne ct the
Iorses which the ,nen had ridden out was
seen YIN Al distance Of flity Yards from
.ahe pile Q: hodits. Owiu.. 10 The mi u,itatiou
@ o. .ne n0dies, and no "ne rr sen. having
been sufficiently acquainted with Major ri.
lott while living, his body was not III the
time recognized. JudEirg from the po,i.
ti"u OF thr 'Wdies, antF tho nature OF
1hc c19ald surrotn'ias. il l. probable that
Nal'r Elliott {by some II is though. his horse
ran away with Lin, J st nj in ,hr direction
of purity Of fugitive Indians. Some nf the
men seeing the Major star; followed aud
Joined him. 1t is very probable the party
pnseued several miles when they struck the
: A,alahoes coming up 10 ih. support af the
1heScnnes. The party be,ug vigorously
pressed cotNnenced rrstriny. and descending
The second t1' ide on tue rytu.n found them
selves cut od ~ parry Of wavrors who had
noEed up under 6 tycr o' the timrcr On The
banks OF TIE Washita ana look psi lon III ne
ravih.- writh rut item oil c1'frrly rum The
lcst OF The cumnland. N0t benz. missed ia
tho cornianc Until too late. the little band
was eomp,1l.d to de:tud Itself against the
Whole ioEcs OF the Arupahoes and, doubtless
number ol The hioWa w rinrs. The plt "
alandOi cd their horses und probably at
tempted ~ fJrce their Why do xn % the river
1ra take protection bet1nd The trers where
they could fight to greater advantage. It il
likely when all nope of rescue aud escane
va. given up they ue.crmi,cd TO sacrIHce
1belr ases d dearly as possible. The grass
where they lay wss 1rodden down and j:
En1nber OF cartridge she,ts TESTIFY to tue
salur Of their dc!ercc, until ONE tr1euu|y
bullet gave then the only alternating o1 es
cape from the terrible torture 10 which tn :
would nnqucstiouably have been subjected !
taken alive. 1t Is not likely that The cutlr,
party was k!1led before taken. but whether
any ard who were taken alive aad the trv
Ing and terrible moments wlica follow ed
FIN always reman mystery. all The n,ss
lnG b dies we're nos tonud Not one has
seen 1ctl 70 narrnte the horrible story. Ths
iast oHlcca oi humanity a proper burial
Tas all that remained.
Generals Sheridan aud Custar now consid
cred that all had been accout tIis oed and sci
out on return. Moving towards the creek
the party followed dow the hsaks ol tue
stTtatu. The todsc6 vi several dead ~a1tior,
w're found, probably killed bv Elliott a.d
MS men. Af:er short ride OF several miles
the remains o: the village. ri the Asapahocs
r. mo n hlo"As. ~ha came ia tne support o. the
CheScpnes, we're found. II was cv:drnt thai
Guln Hcse nations cleared nut With rhc,i
lananlcs Us hastily as their means y lpc mo
tion would allow Camp KETTLES, coffee pots
cups fcace Fommf<sion and Interior De