The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-07-06
rELEc RAPHIC

II "A
SGen. Custes's Command Slaughtered
Like Sheep.
fSerenteen Commissioned Officers, In
ctudiag the Custer Family,
d Killed.
The .Seren III Caraly teas Cat 10 <Fiec'
By ,Sittiug Bulrs Friends.
The Battle Field Slaughter Pen II
Which lie Three Hundred and
Fifty Boys in Blue.
Salt Lake. July 5.-A special CORE
spondent of the Helena Montana Her
aid writes fiom Saltwater. Montans
Ennder date of July 2nd as follows:
Muggins Taylor, scout for Gen.
EGibbon, got here last night direct from
Ithe Little Horn River. Gen. Custer
found the Indian camp of about 200C
Hodges on Little Horn and immediate
sly attacked the camp. Custer took
five companies and charged the thick
Test portion of the camp. Nothing is
known Of the operations Of this de-
Itachment only as traced by the dead.
Major Reno commanded the other
seven companies, and attacked the
Hover portion of the camp. The In
.dians poured a murderous fire from all
directions. and besides the greater por
;tion fought on horseback. Gen. Gus
tier, his two brothers, nephew and
'brother-in-law were all killed, and not
|one of his detachment escaped. 207
men were buried in one place and the
killed are estimated at three hundred,
with only thirteen wounded. The In
'dians surrounded Reno's command
'aud held them one day in the hills,
cut off from water, until Gibbon's
command came in sight, when they
broke camp in the highland left. The
Seventh Cavalry fought like tigers,
|and were overcome by mere brute
force. The Indian loss cannot be esti-
mated, as they bore off and cached
most of their killed. The remnant of
THE Seventh Cavalry and Gibbons COM
!mand are returning to the mouth of
Little Horn, where steamboat lies.|
|The Indians got all the arms of the
killed soldiers. There were seventeen|
commissioned Officers killed. The
whole Custer family died at the head
!of the column. 1t is known, as both
|adjutants and sergeant majors were
killed. The Indian camp was from
three to four miles long and was 20
miles up the Little Horn from its
lmouth. The Indians actually pulled
!men off their horses in some instances.
This is given as Taylor told it. He
twas over the the field after the battle,
|and it is confirmed by other letters
(which say that Custer met a,fearful dis
|aster.
CoRRoBoRATIoN.
Salt Lake, July "a Times extra
dated Bozeman, Montana. July Sd. d
|p. M, says: Mr.. Taylor, bearer OF dis
patches from Little Horn to Fort Ellis
arrived this evening and reports the
following:
The battle was fought on. the 25th
thirty or forty miles below the Little
Horn. Custer attacked the Indian viii
|lage, of from $500 TO 1000 warriors, on
|one side,. and Col. Reno was to attack
|on the other. Three companies were
placed on hill as reserve. Gen.
Custer and fifteen officers, and every
man belonging to the five companies,
lwere killed. Reno retreated under
|the protection of the reserve. The
whole number of killed is three hun
|dred and fifty. When General Gibbon
Joined Reno the Indians left. The
battle-ground looked like slaughter
lpen, as it really was, being in narrow
Iravine. The dead were very much
mutilated. ~
The situation now looks serious.
IGen. Terry arrived at Gibbons camp
on steamboat and crossed the COM
mand over and accompanied It to he
|joined by Custer. who knew 1t was
coming before the fight occurred.
Lieut.. Crittenden, son of Gen. Crit
ktenden. was among the killed. IA
The Centennial Celebration in Phita-
delphid.
The day was ushered in by firing o,
~ n