The Grange advance., 1876-07-19

blown, and they assembled around
him, but did not hear what he said
to them. The scouts were again sent
ahead. and moved along at fast walk.
We moved at l o'clock, and, while the
officers were eating their lunch, the
scouts came back and reported that
they had found where the village had
been quite recently They moved
again. with fiankers we'll out to watch
the trail and see that it did not divide.
About 4 o'clock we came to the place
where the village had been apparently
only a few days before, and went into
camp 2 miles below the forks of the
Rosebud. The scouts all again pushed
out to look for the village, and at IL
O'Clock at night Custer had everything
packed up and followed the scouts up
the right-hand fork of the Rosebud.
THE VILLAGE DISCOVERED. .~,ss,r..s..e,.. -
''About daylight we went into camp,
made coffee, and soon after it was
light the scouts brought Custer word
that they had seen the village from
the top of a divide that separates the
Rosebud from the: Little Horn River.
We moved up the creek until near it's
head, and concealed ourselves in a "a
vine. It was about three miles from
the head of the creek where we then
were to the top of the divide where
the Indian scouts said the village could
be seen, and after hiding his command,
Gen. Custer, with few Orderlies, gal
loped forward to look at the Indian
camp. In about an hour Custer re-
turned and said he could not see the
Indian village, but the scouts and a
half-breed guide, Much Bayer, said
they could distinctly see it some Is
miles off. While Gen. Custer was
looking for the Indian village, the
scout came in and reported that he
had been discovered, and that news
was then on it's way to the village he
was coming to. Another scout said two
Sioux war parties had stolen up and
seen the command; and on looking in
a ravine near by, sure enough, fresh
pony tracks were found. Custer had
officers call blown, gave his orders,
and the command was put in fighting
order. The scouts were ordered for
ward and the regiment moved at
walk. After going about three miles
the scouts reported Indians ahead, and
the command then took the trail.
Our way lay down little creek, a
branch of the Little Horn, and after
going some six miles we discovered an
Indian lodge ahead, and Custer bore
down on it at stiff trot.
In coming to it we found ourselves
in a observation-disclosures Indian camp,
all the lodges of which were gone ex.
cept the one we saw, and on entering
it we found it contained a dead Indian.
From this point we could see into the
Little Horn Valley, and observed heavy
clouds of dust rising about 5 miles dis
tant. Many thought the Indians were
moving away, and think Gen. Custer
believed so, for he sent word to Col.
Reno, who was ahead with three com.
panies of the Seventh Regiment, to
push on the scouts rapidly and head
for the dust. Reno took steady gal
lop down the creek bottom miles to
where IL emptied into the Little Horn,
and found a natural ford across Little
Horn River. He started to cross, when
the scouts came back, and called out
to him to hold on, that the Sioux were
coming in large numbers to meet Linn.
He crossed over, however, formed his
companies on the plairie in line of
battle, and moved forward at a trot,
but soon took a gallop. The valley was
about three-fourths of mile wide.
On the left q line of low, round hills,
and on the right the river bottom, COW
cred with a growth of cottonwood
trees and bushes. After scattering
shots were fired from the hills, and a
few from the, river bottom, and Reno's
skirmishers returned the shots, he ad-
vanced about mile from the ford to a
line Of timber on the right and dis
mounted his men to fight on foot. The
horses were sent into the timber, and
T the men formed on the prairies and
advanced toward the Indians. The In
dians, mounted on ponies, came across
the prairies, and opened heavy fire
On the soldiers After skirmishing for
q few minutes, Reno. fell back to his
horses in the TIMBER ..
The Indians moved to his. left and
rear, evidently with the intention of
cutting him off from the ford. Reno
ordered his men to mount and move
through the timber. Just as: the men
got into the saddle the Sioux, who had
advanced iu the timber, fred at close
ronno on1 ki1loI opo sonlA;ors = no1 +