Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-08-11
An Episode Of the Battle Of the Little
UUown

ESCAPE.
The New York Herald contains long
letter from Lieutenant Charles G. DE Rudio,
of General Reno's command, giving a mi
mule account of his 80 hours' experience
during the battle of Little Horn, while he
and Private O'Neil were cut off from the
command. After an Introduction and a
description of the manner in which his
horse was shot and stampeded, Lieutenant
De Rudo says:
l had not been in my hiding place moro
than ten minutes when heard several pis-
tol shots fired in my immediate vicinity,
and shortly thereafter camc the silvery but
TO me diabolical voices of several squaws.
I raised my head with great caution TO see
what the women were at and to discover
their exact location.
found the women at the revolving work
OF scalping soldier who was perhaps not
yet dead. Two of them were cutting away,
while two others performed a sort of war
dance around the body and its mutilators.
1 will not attempt TO describe to you my
feelings at witnessing the disgusting per-
formancc. determined TO hope to the last,
ult dS 4 ndi llNtNt anu SUI NY lllG as utdT-
ly as possible. Finally the squaws went
away, probably to hunt for moro victims,
and l employed the time thinking of my
perilous position.
While thus engaged heard cracking
noise near me, which on investigating 1
found proceeded from the burning wood,
the Indians having ignited a fire. The
wood being very dry the fire made rapid
headway, and was forced from my hid
ing place.
! cannot find words sufficiently express
sivo TO describe my many thoughts during
those six or seven hours of suspense. FL
nally the time came when under the pro-
lection Of night it was very cloudy, we
were able 10 come out of our hiding place
and take the direction of the ford, which
was two miles 10 the south, through an
open plain. Mr.. Gerard and the scout
mounted their horses and the soldier and
myself took hold each one Of horses tail
and followed them. When we re.crossed
the river VIC ran full into a band of eight
savages.
The two mounted men ran for their lives;
the soldier and myself jumped into the
bushes near us. l cooked my revolver,
and, in kneeling position was ready 10
fire at the savages if they should approach
me. They evidently thought from the pre-
cipitate retreat of the two mounted men
that all of us had decamped, and began TO
talk among themselves. Ina few minutes,
10 my surprise, they continued their course,
aud soon after went out of hearing. 1 rails
cd mp from my position, approached The
bank Of the river and called TO the soldier,
who Immediately answered. We then saw
that the iords were all well guarded by The
savages, and that it would he very danger
Gus TO attempt u cruss any part of the riv-
er. The night passed. and in the dim dawn
Of day we heard an immense tramping as
of a large cavalry command, and the splash
ing of the water convinced us some troops
were crossing the river. 1 imagined ii was
our command, as l could distinctly hear
the sound of the horsc's shoes striking the
stone. l cautiously stepped TO the edge of
the bushes 10 Look out II was then no more
than three yards from the bank oflhe river)
and thought l recognized some gray horses
mounted by men in military blouses and
and some Of them in white hats. They
were, | thought, going out Of the valley,
and those that had already crossed the riv.
er wee going up very steep bluff, while
othes were crossing after thou. saw one
man with II buckskin jacket, pants, top
boots and white hat, and felt quite sure
recognized him as Captain Tom Custer,
which convinced me that the cavalrymen
were of our command.
With this conviction stepped boldly out
on the bank, aud called TO Captain Custer,
"Tom, don'l leave us here p The distance
was only few yards, and my call was an
swered by an internal yell and discharge
OF 300 or 400 shots. I then discovered my
mistake and found the savages were clad
in clothes aud mounted on horses which |
they had captured from our men. Myself |
and the soldier jumped into the bushes uhe |
bullets moving down the branches al
every volley) and crawled OF 10 get out of |
range of the fire. In doing so we moved |
the top branches of the underground, and |
the Indians on The top of the bluff tired |
where they saw the commotion, and cover
ed us with their rifles. The prospect was |
terribly discouraging, for on our immedi-
ate right, not more than fifty yards distant, |
saw four or five Indians galloping toward |
us. Near by me there were two cotton |
wood stumps nearly touching each other, |
and behind this slender barricade myself |
and soldier knelt down. he with his carbine |
and with my revolver, ready to do for a |
few of the savases before they could kill |
us. We determined not TO fire until they |
lhaf ~ ann1d Of ,,,io
and there we waited. l had given up hope |
and made my mind up 10 il that the end |
had come. They had not seen us, and |
when the foremost man was just abr east of |
me and about ten yards distant 1 fired.
They came in Indian file and at my fire |
they turned rightabout and were making
of when Private O'Neil fired his carbine at
the second savage, who at that moment was
refining his pony in TO turn him back.
The private's eye was true and his carbine
trusly, for Mr.. Indian dropped his rein,
threw up his paws, and laid down on the
grass to sleep his long sleep. The gentle
man | greeted rode a short distance and
then did likewise. The rest of the party
rode on, turned the corner of The wood and
disappeared. We remained in our position,
every moment that a hundred
desperate savages would appear TO put an
end to us.
The sharp cracking of the burning tim
ber approached nearer aud nearer with aw-
ful rapidlty, aud we had TO shin our posi-
tiOn. We crawled almost to the edge OF the
wood, when we discovered that the fieDds
had fired both sides. We moved around