The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-07-10
THE GUSTAV DIsASTAR.
Official Report of General Terry.
The Killed and Wounded.

day:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT DAKoTA,
cAMP OK LiTTLE Bio HonS RIVER, June q.
70 AdjutGni General Of Military Division {
The Missouri; al. Chicago, Ill.,:
It ia my painful duty to report tha
day before yesterday, the 25th inst,
great disaster overlook Gen. Custar an
the troops under his command. AT 1
o'clock Of the 22d, he started with hi
whole regiment and q strong detachmen
of scouts and guards from the mouth 0
the Rosebud. Proceeding up that rive
about twenty miles, he struck u yer,
heavy Indian trail, which had previousl,
been discovered, and pursuing it founi
that it led, as it was supposed that /
would, to the Little Big Horn River
Here he found village Of almost unex
ampled extent and at once attacked /
with that portion Of his force which wa
Immediately at hand. :, Major Reno will
companies A, g and NJ was sent int
the valley Of the stream at the poin
where the trail struck it. Gen. Custal
with FIVE companies, G, E, F, I and L, at
tempted to enter it about three mile
lower down. Reno forded the river
charged down its left bank, dismounteG
and fought on foot until finally com
pletely overwhelmed by numbers lie was
compelled to mount, re.cross the river and
seek a refuge on the high bluffs which
overlooked its right bank. Just Us lie re-
crossed Captain Benton, who with three
companies, D, Fl and X, was some two
miles 10 the left OF Reno when the action
commenced, but who had been ordered by
Gen. Custar to return, came 10 the river
and rightly concluded that il was useless
for his force to attempt to renew the fight
in the valley. He Joined Reno on the
bluffs. Captain Mcdonald, with Com
pany b, was at first some distance in the
rear with train Of pack mules. He also
came up to Reno. Soon this united force
was nearly surrounded by the Indians
many OF whom, armed with rifles, occu.
pied positions which commanded the
ground held by the cavalry, the ground
from which there was no escape. A
number Of rifle pits were dug, and
the fight was maintained, though with
heavy loss, from about half past two
o'clock Of the 25tl till six o'clock OF the
26th, when the Indians withdrew from
the valley, taking with them their pillage.
OF the movementsof General Custar and
the five companies under his immediate
command, scarcely anything is known
from those who witnessed them, for no
soldier or officer who accompanied him
has yet been found alive. His trail from
the point where Reno crossed the stream,
passed along and in the rear OF the crest
Of the bluff on the right bank for nearly
or quite three miles; then il comes down
to the bank Of the river, but at once di-
verges from it as il he had unsuccessfully
attempted 10 cross; then turns upon itself,
almost completes a circle and closes. 1t
is marked by the remains Of his officers
and men, the bodies Of his horses, some
OF them dropping along the path and
others heaped where halls appear 10 have
been made. There is abundant evil
dence that gallant resistance was
offered by the troops, but they were
beset on all sides by overpowering mum.
bers. The officers known. 10 be killed are
General Custar, Captains Keogh, Gates
and Chester, Lieutenants Cook, Smith,
Calhoun, Porter. Hodgson,
Sturgis and Reilly, Of the cavalry; Lieut..
Crittenden, OF the Goth infantry; Acting
Assistan! Surgeon Dewolf, Lieut.. Har-
OF the cavalry, and Assistant
Lord are missing. Capt. Benton
and Lieut.. Varnum, oil the cavalry, are
are slightly wounded. Mr.. Boston Custar,
brother, and Mr.. Reed, a nephew OF Gen.
Custar, were with him and were killed.
No other officers than those who haye
been named are among the killed, wound
ed and missing. 1t is impossible as yet
to obtain reliable list OF the enlisted
men who were killed and wounded, but
the number of killed, including officers,
must reach $50. The number Of wound
ed is5l. At the mouth Of the Rosebud l
informed Gen. Custar that l should take
the supply steamer Far West up the Yel.
lowstone TO ferry General Gibbons col.
umn over the river; that l should
accompany That column and
that It would in all probability reach the
mouth Of Little Big Horn on the cot inst.
The steamer reached General Gibbons
troops near the mouth.of The Biz Horn
early in The morning of the 2Gth and at 4
o'clocI; in The afternoon ali his men and
animals were across the Yellowsione Al
8 O'clock, the column consisting Of FIVE
companies Of the Seventh; 1nfanty, four
bo,tarv of Gstiinc snns marcSej ont 4
~ and scroas Tnfiocts Croet S,art.
in, IN % soor after K o'cIocE IN Tho morn;na n
tbe 81 ,be';rf,ntry .mads , march nj
90 90 m;iss @ over tho most J;f;cn,t % conn,rv ~
which have evor e sesr ] IL ordsr ] tSs. ths
ssonts % m;ebt be senf INTO tbe vollev of
The I;ttIa hi, Horn The cav,lrv w;th
ths b"t,arx % y,s ,hen M = rcboJ on X Nv T Il
miles ,fnriher Reaching the camn at
The scontS were Sent ont and
nj half mast four on tbs morn;ng nj the
Ss,b t,,a scon,o J;ScovarsJ TnJ;snS
Shn. Who wore @ ~ Nrst snnnoasI IA hs ths
S;6ny' & Int ~hon , oysr,pl, ri l,or ,hsy nroSaJ ~ @
I 70 I,a be 20 Trows, " wbo M had % hoon NV ~, Cav Gon
Erst,r r. AZ Thov % h,on1b, 81" @ Grs, ;n,aII;
soncS H" of tha H,,t,o Thai s,orv @ w"s r not
Ssad;,sJ +, % ,sas .nnnn;oJ @ a. ,I,t sNo oome rU.
S1St;"m ra'homs @ .oHnpa S"rVSe Teh,;nm @ S,J 1o tn
Lsn Lls, mlssc,e hni + Sc w,s not % Lol;aSod "I tba,
,So J;S"5,sr oorII Laro ,Sn o"as,sSon "'"s az
i"roe iorce,,,S % . con,no U r;os % ~ cNra,rv ~
TLs infantry wh;cS LdJ hroIan cSm =
verv AZ early :oon % came m ,,n oHJ % t%s SI;oIe @
column entered and moved IN The lille