Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-14
News by Telegraph.


LArRR-FURrHRR PARTICULARS.
BosNAN. Mantana, July 3, I'd. MIR.
Taylor, bearer of dispatches from Little
Horn to Fort Ellis. arrived this evening and
reports the following: The battle was
fought on the 25th ult., thirty or forty
miles below the Little Horn. Gen. Custer
attacked the Indian village OF from s, 500
to 900 warriors on one side, and Col.
Reno was to attack on the other side.
Three companies were placed on hill as a
reserve. General Caster and fifteen officers
and every man belonging to the five COM
panies were killed. Col Reno retreated
under protection Of the reserve.
| OVER THREE HUNDRED KILLED.
The whole number killed was 3I5. When
Gen. Gibbons Joined Reno the Indians left.
The battle ground looked like Q slaughter
pen. as it really was. being in a narrow
ravine. The dead were much mutilsted.
| The situation now looks serious. Gen.
| Terry arrived at Gibbons camp on a steam
boat and crossed the command over and &C
companied it to join Gen. Custer. who
knew it was coming before the fight occur
| red. Lieut.. Crirtenden, son Of Gen.
Crittenden, was among the killed.
PARTICULARS OF The SAD AFFAIR.
NKw YoRk. July THE Times has the
following special: Camp at mouth Of Big
Horn, July 3D.; Gen. Custer left the Rose
bud, June 22i, with twelve companies Of
the seventh cavalry, striking trail where
Reno left it. On the morning OF the 25th
an Indian village. 20 miles above the mouth
of the Little Horn, was reported Is miles
away. Gen. Custer pushed rapidly on.
They had marched - miles in the "a hours
preceding the battle. When near the vii
lage it was discovered that the Indians we're
moving in hot haste as il retreating Reno
with seven companies of the seventh cav
airy was ordered to the left to attack the
village at its head. while Custer with five
companies went to the right and commenc-
ed . vigorous attack. Reno felt of them
with three companies Of cavalry and was
almost instantly surrounded. and after an
hour or more Of vigorous fghting-during
which he lost Lieutenants Hodgson and
Mcintosh. and DIR. DeWulf and twelve
men. with several Indian scouts killed and
many wounded-he cut his way through 10
the river and gained bluff 300 feet 10
height, where he entrenched. and was soon
ioinei by Col. Benton with four companies.
The Indians resumed their attack, making
repeated charges, which were repulsed with
great slaughter to the Indians. They gained
higher ground than Reno occupied, and as
their arms were of longer range and better
than the cavalry, they kept up CALLING hre
until night-tall. During the night Reno
strengthened his position. and another at
tack was made at daylight. The day wore
on. Reno had lost in killed and
wounded large portion OF has com,
mand, forty odd having been killed
before the bluff was reached, many of them
in hand-to-hand conflicts with the Indians
who outnumbered them ten to one, and as his
men had been without water for thirty-siI
hours the suffering was heartrending. In
this state of affairs they determined to reach
water at all hazards, which they finally did,
and the command was relieved. When the
fighting ceased for the night Reno further
prepared for attacks. There had now been
forty-eight hours fighting, with no word
from Custer. After twenty-four hours
more of fighting the Indians abandoned
their village in great haste. Keno knew
then that succor was near at hand. Ten.
Terry, with Gibbons. commanding his own
infantry, had arrived, and as the COM
rades met the men wept on each
others necks. Inquiries were then made for
Custer, but none could tell where he was:
Soon an officer came rushing into camp and
related that he had found Custer dead and
stripped naked, but not mutilated. and near
him his two brothers. Col. l.. ". and Boston
Custer his brother-in-law. Col. Calhoun
his nephew, Col. Yates; Col. keOgh. Capt.
Smith. Leuts. Crlttenden and Sturges, Col.
Cooke, Lients Porter and Harrington. DR..
Lord, Mack Kellogg. the Bismarck Tribune
correspondent. and 100 men and scouts out
of Gen. Clusters command. There was only
one scout remained to tell the tale. Custer
was completely surrounded by the Indians
Custer was among the last who
fell. but when his cheering voice
was no longer heard. the Indians
made easy work OF the remainder.
The bodies Of all save the newspaper corre-
spondent were stripped and most OF them
were horribly mutllsted. Custer was shot
through the body and through the head.
The troops cared for the wounded and
buried the dead and returned to their base
of supplies and instructions from the gen
eral of the army Col. Smith arrived at
Bismarck Wednesday night, with thIr-
ty-fye wounded. The Indians lost
heavily in the battle. The Crow scout
survived by hiding in a raylne. lie believes
the Indians lost more than the whites. The
village numbered 800 lodges, and 1t Is
thought there were 900 warriors. Gen.
Custer was directed by Gen. Terry to ind
and feel of the indians. bat not TO fight
unless Terry arrived with infantry and with
Gibbons column. The Casualties loot up
26l killed and 81 wounded.
GEN. SHERMAN on THE MASSACRE
A correspondent il Philadelphia had
conversation with Gen. Sherman on the
Sioux massacre Of Clusters command. In
answer to the questions what were the rea-
sons for this expedition. Gen. Sherman said
" We are doing this at the specIsl re-
quest Of the Indian department. IL does
| not originate with the War Department at
| all You will see on my map where the In
| dian reservation l. Our purpose Is to drive
\ these Indians who are OF widest and most
| savage sort down on their reservation You
can saw that We will do it now or externln-
| ate them
Speaking of the Indian policy, Gen sher-
man said that the truth was the army was
unable to carry out tne purposes ot the
| government in the Indian country by rea-
son of its weakness. - have, said oen.
Sherman, " sent every man | could spare
into that region, even taking troops from
Louisiana and Salt Lake. The government
in its wisdom directs the doing ot certain
things in these regions; it directs IN expe-
ditions like this of rerry,-in expeditions
necessary for the development of that coun-
| try,-and We do the best We can with our
material. but We are in no condition to do
the work required of US"
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
BISMARCK, July T. Additional intelli-
oenee trom the mouth II Big Horn, dated