The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1874-07-11
The Black Hills Expedition Who are
Going and for What.
Correspondence Bismarck Tribune.
CAMP, CusTER's EXPEDITION,
NEAR FoRT A. LINCOLN,

| 18th inst. in order to aooustom the horses
| to the rope, the men to camp life, and to
see that nothing is lacking to make the
equipment complete. The men amuse
themselves exercising their horses and car
ing for them, while the teamsters are ae-
customing their animals to each other. The
camp is pleasantly situated about two miles
below Fort A. Lincoln, and the men manage
to enjoy themselves hugely though they are
anxious to be under way.
ORGANIZATION.
of the 7th Cavalry, five of which will be
under the immediate command of General
Custer, and five under the command of Gen.
Forsythe, of Gen. Sheridan's staff; two
companies Of infantry, commanded by Maj.
L. H. Sanger; battery of three Gatling
guns and one Rodman, commanded by
First Lieutenant Josiah Chance;a detach-
ment of U. S. Engineers under Col. Ludlow,
and sixty Indian scouts, commanded by 1t.
Wallace.
THE STAFF.
Gen. Custer issued Order No. 1 on Fri
day, ON assuming command Of the expedi-
tion, and announced the following staff
appointments, viz: Lieut.. Calhoun, Acting
Assistant Adjutant General; Captain A. E.
Smith, Quartermaster; Assistant Surgeon,
J. W. Williams, Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Williams is assisted by Acting AS
sistant Surgeons Allen, of Fort Rice, and
Bergen, Of Iowa.
Col. Fred. Grant, AID de Camp on Gen.
Sheridan's staff, accompanies Gen. Custer
as an Acting Aid.
THE SCIENTISTS.
Several eminent scientists accompany the
expedition. Professor Winchell and an as
sistant will take the testimony of the
rocks" Professor Grinnell of Yale College
also accompanies and will look after fossils.
H. N. Ross and VIM. Mckay Of this place,
both practical miners and explorers are ex-
peeted to find the gold.
GUIDES AND INTERPRETERS.
Louis Agard, who intermarried with the
Sioux, and who speaks the language fluent
ly and has been in tho country 80 years, ac-
companies the Expedition as guide and
known scout and hunter, also goes as a
guide.
EQUIPMENT
Those who ought to know affirm that this
is the best equipped expedition that was
ever fitted out for service on the plains. 1t
is provisioned for sixty days, and is armed
with the new Springfield arm just adopted
by the army. Gen. Terry, who was presi-
dent of the commission which adopted the
arm, declares it the most perfect breech-
loading gun yet manufactured. It was
submitted to all the known tests, and was
adopted after a years investigation. Gen.
Terry says that on one occasion, five shots,
made at five hundred yards, could have
been covered by mans hand. The calibre
is reduced from so to 45, the ball more elon-
gated, the charge Of powder heavier, giving
longer range and greater accuracy. The
ammunition used by this gun is also used
for the new Colts breech-loading revolver
with which the cavalry is also armed,
THE eATLING GUNS.
The Gatling guns will fire $50 shots a
minute, and are good fer 900 yards. The
ball used by the Calling gun is % trifle lar
ger than the old minnie rifle ball; the metal
lie cartridge is used. The cartridges
are pEEsced in a hopper and as crank is
turned, rod is plunged into the end of the
cartridge, causing the explosion. The
guns are ten-barreled, consequently at each
revolution ten shots are fired. Should
Chance open on the red devils with one of
these guns they would think the internal
regions had broken loose on them. Then
imagine the effect should the Gatling guns
with their rain Of leaden hail be supplement-
ed By the unearthly shrek of q three-inch
Rodman.
OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION.
Gen. Dandy informs us that when at Fort
Laramie, a squaw brought into that posta
nugget of pure gold as large as a hens egg,
which she claimed came from the Black
Hills. Other specimens have been brought
in by the Indians from time to time, and the
Indians questioned concerning that country
invariably tell of the rich minerals or are
so evasive as to create all the greater inter-
est Running Antelope" in a converse
tion with Gen. Custer lately, said that the
great objection the Indians had to the
white man exploring tue Black Hills was
that they would want to take the country
when they learned of it's mineral and agri-
cultural wealth. So it has come to pass that
an impression has obtained throughout the
country that this is perfect Eldorado, and
believing that an exploration should be
made, which would give valuable informa-
tien, this expedition was organized, and is
sent out by the government. Time and
again, expeditions fitted out by private
parties, have been checked by the govern
ment, because if permitted to go ON their
own responsibility, they might not only
trespass ON the rights of the Indians, which
this expedition will not do, but would be
liable to be massacred by the willy savage.
Indeed several parties have already been
murdered in years agone, and of parties
seeking to visit this region, not a man has
returned. Yearly the disposition to visit
the Black Hills, ON the part of the restless
spirits among our mining population, has
been growing, but now that the government
has taken the matter in hand they viii bide
their time.
PACIFIC MESSAGES.
Pacific messages have been sent to the
Indians; they have been given to under
stand that this is not measure of war, but
of peace; that if they viii let the expedition
alone they viii not be molested-their
rights will not be interfered with. And
Gen. Custer hopes they win take heed and
let him alone
THE INDIANS STRENGTH.
Still the young men have left their reser-