Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-05-29
Indian Sport.

Indian Sport.
Gen. Custer tells the following story
of way the Indians have of amusing
themselves
I was in the act of taking my seat for
dinner one day, my ride having given
me splendid relish for the repast,
when the shouts and firing of the saw
ages informed me that more serious
duties were at hand. Every man flew
to arms and almost without command
rushed to oppose the enemy. Officers
and men provided themselves with rifles
or carbines, and soon began delivering
deliberate but ineffective fire against
the Indians. The latter, as usual, were
merely pfacticing their ordinary ruse
de guerre, which was to display very
small venturesome force in the expecta-
tion of tempting pursuit by an equal or
slightly superior force, and, after hav.
ing led the pursuing force well away
from the main body, to surround and
destroy it by the aid of overwhelming
numbers, previously concealed in q
ravine or ambush Until the proper mo-
ment. Or tnis occasion the strategem
did not succeed. The Indians, being
mounted on their feetest ponies, would
charge in single file past our camp,
often riding within easy carbine range
of our men, displaying great boldness
and indispensable horsemanship. The
soldiers, unaccustomed to firing at such
rapidly moving objects, were rarely
able to infict serious damage upon
their enemies. Occasionally a pony
would be struck and brought to the
ground, but the rider always succeeded
in being carried away upon the pony of
comrade. 1t was Interesting to wit
ness their marvellous abilities as horse
men; at the same time one could not
but admire the courage they displayed.
The ground was level, open, and unob-
structed the troops were formed in an
irregular line of fskirmishers dismounted,
the line extending a distance of perhaps
two hundred yards. The Indians had
rendezvous behind hilleck on the
right, which prevented them from being
seen or disturbed by the soldiers.
Starting out singly, or by twos and
threes, the warriors would suddenly
leave the cover of the hillock, and with
war whoops and taunts dash over the
plain in line parallel to that occupied
by the soldiers, and within 1easy carbine
range of the latter. The pony seemed
possessed of the designs and wishes of
his dusky rider, as he seemed to fly un-
guided by bride, rein, or spur. The
warrior would fire and load and fire
sgain as often as he was able to do, while
dashing along through the shower of
leaden bullets fred above, beneath, in
front, and behind him, by the excited
troopers, until finally, when the aim of
the latter improved and the leaden
messengers whistled uncomfortably
close, the warrior would be seen to cast
himself over on the opposite side of his
pony, until his foot on the back and his
face under the neck of the pony were
all that could be seen, the rest of his
person being completely covered by the
body of the pony. This maneuvre
would frequently deceive the recruits
among the soldiers having fred prob
ably about the time the warrior was
seen to disappear, the recruit would
shout exultingly and call the attention
of his comrades to his lucky shot. The
old soldiers, however, were not so easily
deceived, and often afterwards would
remind theirless experienced companion
of the terrible fatality of his shots.
After finding that their plan to induce
small party to pursue them did not
succeed, the Indians withdrew their
forces, and, concealment being no longer
necessary, we were enabled to see their
full numbers as that portion of them
which had hitherto remained hidden
behind bluff rode boldly out on the
open plain. Being beyond rifle range,
they contented themselves with taunts
and gestures of defiance, then rode
away. From the officers of the camp I
learned that the performance of the
Indians which had occupied our atten-
ton on this afternoon was of almost
1oi1v oonurranna