The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-07-08
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TELEGRAPH
THE INDIAN WAR.
Rcne's nagniarept Figkt-Water "r
Ueath-The Wesrue.

DtId on the Eg0 OF June Will bwsiso oo.
panies OF the 7th Cavalry. On the 24th
4 frosh trail was reported. On the morn
in9 OF the 2sth an Indian village, three
miles long and half a mile wide, was re-
ported fltteen miles off. Gen. Custer
pushed for IT. IT :,
twenty. fotr hours preceding the battle.
When near the village the Indians ap..
reared to be moving In hot haste, as II
retreating. Reno, with seven companies,
Was ordered to attack the right, and
Gen. Custer. with five companies. vlgor-
ensly attacked the left OF the camp.
Reno felt them with three companies,
and was Immediately surrounded, and
after an hours fighting, losing Iieuten-
ants Hodgson and Mcintosh and twelve
men. and several Indian scouts killed
and many wounded. cut his way out and
gained bluff 400 feet high. where he en-.
trepched. and where he was soon joined
by Col. Benton with four companies.
Here tho Indians made repeated as
saults. but were repulsed with great
slaughter. The Indians finally gained
higher ground than Reno, and with
longer range guns than the cavalry had.
kept up a calling fire till night. The
Indians renewed the attack Mt daylight:
gJp to that time Reno had lost forty ODD
killed. :,
Before reaching the bluff many hand
Ia hand conflicts occurred, the Indians
outnumbering the troops ten TO one.
The men were without water thirty-slx
hours. when they determined to reacn
water at al hazards. Col. Benton MADE
n sally and routed the main body guard
ing the approach to water. The water
was gained with one killedband seven
wounded the fighting then ceased for
the night. during which Reno prepared
10 reaiet further attacks. They had now
been forty eight hours fighting. with no
word from Custer. There was twenty
four hours more OF suspense, ana the
fighting ended. when the Indians aban-
doned their village In great haste. Gen
Berry. with Gibbon, commanding ms
own infantry. had arrived. and as the
commanders met the men wept on each
others neoks.
INQUIRIES we're then made for Custer,
but none could tell where he was. Soon
an officer came rushing into camp ana
related that he had found Custer dead
and stripped naked. but not mutilated,
and near him his two brothers, Col. Tom
and Boston Custer, bis brother in law,
Col. Calhoun, and his nephew. Col.
Yates, Col. Keogh, Capt. Smith. Lieut..
Crittenden, Lieut.. Sturgis, Col. Cooke.
Lieut. Porter, Lieut.. Harrington, Dr
Lord, Mack Kellogg. the Bismarck !rt,,
bune correspondent, and one hundreo
and ninety men and scouts. Custer Wen.
into battle with companies 9, IL, ], +
and r. OF the 7th cavalry, and the stafi
and non commissioned staff OF his regi-
ment. and number OF soouts: only one
Grow scout remains to tell the tale-all
80 ' CuHTER's DIs AsTER.
rho wrave noys FaIl Dead in Line ot
DattIe.
Gen. Custer was surrounded on every
side by the Indians, and the horses teil
IA thew fought on the skirmish line or
in line Of battle. General Custer was
among the last who fell, but when his
ehecring voice was no longer heard the
Indians made easy work 'of the re-
mainder.
The bodies OF all, save the newspaper
correspondents, were strlPPeu; ai,'
most of them were horribly mNtilated
Cen Custer was shot through the body
and Through the head. The troops cared
for tho wornded, buried the dead, and
returned Go their base for supplies and
instructions from the General OF the
I,oi Hmith arrived at Bismarck last
night with 96 OF the wounded. The In
dams lost heavily in the battle. The
Grow scout survived by hiding IN 9
rayine. He believes the Indians los'
more thnn the whites. The village mum
bered 1900 lodges, and II is thought there
were 1000 warriors.
Gen. Custer was directed by Gen
Terry TO tind and feel Of the Indians
but not to fight unless Terry arrived
with infantry and with Gibbons column
GsBR0N's PURSUIT.
rn
pmnocs ana Cheyennes.
Gen. Gibbons cavalry followed the
Indians for about ten miles, and ascer
tnined that they had moved to the south
and west by several trails. A good dea
OF property had been thrown away by
them to tighten their march, and was
found scattered for many miles over the
prairies. Many OF their dead were also
discovered, secreted in ravines long
distance from the battlefield. Among
them were Arrapahoes and Cheyennes
as we'll as Sioux.
THE WERALD's REPORT.
THE ScarcM After Custcr-A Terrible
Tale from the Eloquent Dead.
WASHINGTON, July THE nom de
plume of Mr.. Kellogg, the Herdld's cor
respondent. was 81 Believe" The fol
lowing is an extract from the report o.
the Custer massacre.
A partv was sent on Gen. Clusters
trail 10 look for traces of his command
They found awaiting them sight fit tc
appal the stoutest heart. At q point
about three miles down the right bank
Of the stream, Custer had evidently at
tempted to ford and attack the villages
From the ford the trail was found tt
lead back up to the bluffs and to thu
northward, as IL the troops had been re
pulsed and compelled to retreat, and a
The same time had been cut off from re
gaining the force under Reno. The
bluffs along the right bank come sharp
Iy down to the waters edge and are in
terspersed by numerous ravines. AL
along the slopes and ridges and in the
ravines we're found the dead, lying as
they had fought, line behind line. show
ing where defensive positions had beer
successfully taken up and held till none
we're left to fight.
There, huddled in a narrow compass
a nd ,,;1 a