Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-03
A Scouts Story of Clusters Last
Fight.

the following account of the slaughter
Of Custer and his troops, told by a
Crow Indian scout known as s'Curley."
who was attached to the Inflated Gen
erals command, and whom the Herald
believes to be the only survivor Of that
terrible OCCASION:
Custer, with his five companies,
after separating from Reno and his
seven companies, moved to the right
around the base of a high hill over
looking the valley of the Little Horn,
through ravine just wide enough to
admit his column of fours. There We're
no signs of the presence Of Indians in
the hills on that side (the right of the
Little Horn, and the column moved
steadily on till it rounded the hill and
came in sight of the village lying in
the valley below them. Custer APP
peared very much elated and or
dered The bugles to sound charge,
column, waving his hat to encourage
his men. When they neared the river
the Indians, concealed in the under
growth on the opposite side Of the
river, opened fire on the troops, which
checked the advance. Here a portion
of the command were dismOunted and
thrown forward to the river, and re-
turned the fire of the Indians. Dur
ing this time the warriors were seen
riding out of the village by hundreds,
and deploying across his front and to
his left, as if with the intention of
crossing the stream on his right, while
the women and children were seen
| fastening out of the village in large
numbers in the opposite direction.
During the fight at this point Curley
saw two of CUSTER men killed who
fell into the stream. After fighting a
! few moments here, Custer seemed to
be convinced that it was impractical
| bic to cross, as it only could be done in
columns of fours, exposed during the
movement to a heavy fire from the
front and both TANKS. He therefore
ordered the head of the column to the
right, and bore diagonally into the
| hills, down stream, his men on foot,
| leading their horses. In the mean
time the Indians had crossed the river
| below in immense numbers, and began
to appear on his right flank and in his
rear; and he had proceeded but a few
| hundred yards in the new direction the
column had taken, when it became
necessary to renew the fight with the
| Indians who had crossed the stream.
| At first the command remained to-
gether, but after some minutes fight
ing it was divided, portion deploying
der similarly to the right, SO that when
the line was formed it bore a rude re-
semblance to a circle, advantage being
taken as far as possible of the protec-
ton afforded by the ground, The
horses were in the rear, the men on the
line being dismounted, fighting on foot
Of the incidents of the fight in other
| parts of the field than his own, Curley
is not well informed, as he was him
self concealed in a deep ravine, from
which but small part of the field was
visible.
The fight appears to have begun,
from Curley's description of the situa-
ton of the sun, about 2:30 or three
o'clock p. M, and continued without
intermissiOn until nearly sunset. The
Indians had completely surrounded the
command, leaving their horses in "a
vines well to the rear, themselves
pressing forward to attack on foot.
| Confident in the great superiority of
their numbers, they made several
charges on all points of Clusters line
but the troops held their position firm
ly, and delivered a heavy fire, and
every time drove them back. Curley
said the firing was more rapid than
anything he had ever conceived of,
being a continuous roll Gas he expressed
it,, 1.-THE swapping of the threads in
the tearing of blanket" The troops
expended all the ammunition in their
belts, and then sought their horses for
the reserve ammunition carried in their
saddle-pockets.
AS long as their ammunition held
out, the troops, though losing cOnsid-
erably in the fight, maintained their
position in spite of all the efforts of
the Sioux. From the weakening of
their fire, toward the close of the af-
ternOOn, the Indians appeared to be-
lieye that their ammunition was about
exhausted, and they made a grand final
charge, in the course Of which the last
Of the command was destroyed, the
men being shot, where they laid in
their positions in the line, at such
close quarters that many were killed
with arrows. Curley says that Custer
remained alive during the greater part
of the engagement, animating his men
to determined resistance, but, about an