The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-08-18
THE LITTLE BIG HORN.

rected.
Considerable annoyance is felt by
the officers who participated in Gus
ter fight. on account of the incorrect
or garbled accounts published in some
papers. They claim that good many
officers wrote a good deal about the
fight who knew nothing of it. and that
they have perhaps unwittinglv done
their comrades serious injustice. Gen.
Keno has written the following letter
HEADQUARTERS It'll REGIMENT CAVALRY,
CAMP on THE YELLOWSTONE, July 80, 1876.
mir. L. l.. Rosser :-Sir-When |
read the first part of your letter, pub
llshed IN the Pioneer aud Press of the
9Th inst. as copied from the Minneap-
oils Evening Tribune, my thought was
that your motive had only the object
or defence OF a personal friend-a
gallant soldier against whom YOU
fought; but after reading all of it |
could no longer look upon it as the
tribute OF generous enemy, since.
through me. you had attacked as
brave officers as ever served a govern
ment, and with the same recklessness
and ignorance of the circumstances as
Custer is charged with in his attacks
upon the hostile Indians. Both
charges-the one made against him and
the one made by you against us-are
equally untrue. You say, 81 feel Gus
ter would have succeeded had Reno
with all the reserve of seven compa-
MES, passed through and joined Gus
ter after the first repulse - and after
confesSlng that you are firing at long
range, say further: Il think it quite
certain that Custer had agreed with
Reno upon place of junction in case
of the repulse of either or both de-
tachments, and, instead of an effort
being made by Reno for such juno
ton, as soon as he encountered heavy
resistance he took refuge in the hills
and abandoned Custer and his gallant
comrades to their fate
AS | shall show, both the premises
are false, and consequently ali the con-
clusions of your letter fall to the
ground, including your hifalutin talk
about the last trumpet. Clusters or
ganization of the regiment into dis
tinct commands was not made until
half-past 10 A. NJ. of the day he was
killed, and was as follows: COMPANIES
M, A, md C, to be one battalion, COM
manded by me; companies H, D, and
K another, commanded by the Senior
| Capt. Benteen; company B, Capt. Nc
Dougal, to be rear guard to take charge
OF the pack train, companies c, Z, l,
L, and l., to be his own immediate
command, with Capts. KeOgh and Yates
as subordinate battalion commanders.
He made his own selections of compa-
MES. Benteen, with his battalion,
was sent far to my left by Clusters or
der. When [ went into the fight he
was out of sight. My battalion was to
the left and rear when we approached
! the village, lut was brought to the
front by Custer. The only official or
ders | had from him were about five
miles from the village, when Col.
Cooke, the regimental adjutant, gave
me his orders in these words Custer
says to move at as rapid gait as you
think prudent, and to charge after
ward, and you Will be supported by the
whole outfit
No mention of any plan, no thought
of junction, only the usual orders to
the advance guard to attack by the
charge. When the enemy was reach
ed | moved to the front at a fast trot.
and at the river halted ten minutes or
less to gather the battalion. | sent
word TO Custer that had the enemy
| in my front very strong, and then
charged, driving the reds before me
about three miles or less, to within a
short distance of their village, suppos-
| ing my command, consisting of 100
officers and men and about 25 scouts
and guards, followed by the columns
under Custer. The village, about three
and half miles long, was situated up
on the Little Big Horn, and the topog-
raphy Of the vicinity may be briefly
told. The stream was very crooked,
like letter S in it's wanderings, and
on the side on which the village was
perhaps half OF three-quarters of
mile wide.
The stream was fringed, as usual,
with the trees Of the plans-a growth
cOtlonWood-and on the opposite side
was range of high bluffs which had
been cut into very deep ravines by the
surface water and by the action of the
stream. Just at their base the earth
had fallen in and left perpendicular
banks. As | neared the village the In
dians came out in large numbers, and
| was soon convinced that | had at
lease ten to one against me and was
| forced on the defensive. This | &C
complished by taking possession of
clump of woods where | found shell
ter for my horses. | fought there, dis
mounted, and made my way within 200
yards of the village, and firmly be-
lieve, that if, at that moment, the
seven companies had been together
the Indians could have been driven
from their village. AS we approach
ed near their village they came out in
overwhelming numbers, and soon the
small command would have been sur
rounded on all sides, to prevent which
mounted and charged through them
to position l could hold with the few
men | had.
You see by this I was the advance
and the first to be engaged and draw
fire, and was consequently the COM
mand to be supported, and not the one
from which S1DpOTt cOull be expected.