Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-07-21

no command whatever until after Rs
no'sreturn from his fruitless scout Of the
twentieth, has not bean made public.
his regiment wss divided into two
wings, the right under Reno and the left
under BeDteen, while Custer was left to
wabble where he would, without resp0n-
sibility and without command. Much
OF the time was spent with bis brothers
and few tTusty men, hunting and
| scouting on hi own account. General.
ly he was with the advance, but not In
C cDmmand Of it. Two or three times
| he Was called upon to find passes
through the Bad Lands or mnun-
| ( ins, and ore time General Terry
s lid no other officer but Custer could
! have conducted the command through
| difficulties which seemed unsurmount-
| able so successfully. Ga the morning of
the twenty-second OF June Custer was
| given q command, and those who know
him do not wonder that he tried to make
/ the most Of il aud hsZarded all in an at.
| tempt to conquer the Sioux without as
| sistSnce. When Custer entered upon
| his last march he was reading Alex
8nder's "Her Dearest Foe" 1 have
| just been shown the book, and find
many passages showing the strongest
affection and the most kindly and for
giving spirit marked, but this :-''I have
faith in my own fortunes, and believe /
shall conquer in the end" struck me
most forcibly. That faith in his ows5
fOTtu aud the chsfing he had received
at the hands OF the President, which
Terry had done little to heal, was the
immediate cause Of the disaster.
CUsTER's PREDICTION.
Chicago TribLne.l
WASHINGTON, July 17.-An init.
mate personal friend If General Gus
ter says that q short tims previous 10
his departure for his command, he, in
conversation, expressed his feals OF such
calamity as has recently happened.
He said the government could not be
persuaded into an appreciation OF the
formidable character and number of
these savages, armed as they are with
the best and latest improved arms. He
said that, unless a much larger force
than can be brought into the field at
this point now were sent into this coun-
try, there would result q long and costly
Indian war.
WARNING IN TIME-PREPARE FOR THE
WORST.
New York Herald.l
The st. Paul Press prints an admirable |
article on the Indian question, aptly en-
titled "CautiOnary Signals" The Press |
shows that it is natural that apprehen- |
sions as to Indian outrages should exist |
all along the frontier, notwithstanding |
the assurances of military commanders, |
1t recalls the 'blOod-thirsty insanity |
which seized on the Sioux Of the upper |
Minnesota valley in 1852, when, without !
any cause or prOvocation, they made a
Golgotha of our frontier settlements"
Although the Dakota Indians have
shown no unfriendliness as yet, still
there is no knowing what influence the
success Of Sitting-Bull msy have upon
the IndiSn mind. We hear from Mime
sota that there is panic in the border
counties. One journal reports "settlers
from Murray end the adjoining counties
fi0cking into Worthington from fear of
Indians" A dispatch has been received
in Washington ffom Bismarck to the
effect that Indians have smenaced that
town. This Lews lacks confirmation by
our own correspondents, and 50 many
dispatches from Washington about In.
dian sffairs are in the interest of the In
dian ring, that we receive all such in
formation coming in that direction, with
reserve. But two results have followed
the Custer massacre. The first is the
conviction in the minds of the Indians
thst the time has come for them 20 rise
and i've the white men from the soil.
The other, that we have underiated the
strength OF tue Indians and overrated
our power to deal with them.
HOW THE INDIANS GET ARMS AND AM
MUNfTIoN.
Boston Herald.l
An army officer in the Big Horn ex-
pedition wrote letter to friend in this
city few days prior to the slaughter OF
CusteT's command, from which we are
permitted to copy as follows: "I think
this will be very long and tiresome
/ doubt if we will see our
posts again before fall, il then. The
of water adds much to onr diff
ficuliies, and thipk the country gener.
ally much worse than Arizona, the only
growth for miles being the irrepressible
cactus. The Indians are very strong in
and splendidly armed, and
they boast that they can and will clean
put anything the United States can send
against them. SpOtted-Tail pretends to
be friendly, and on the strength Of it he
goes to Cheyenne, buys twelve thousand
rounds Of ammunition, and returns to
the agency with it. The following day
3 fresh party of indians starts ont fully
quipped. OF the wisdom OF allowing
his proceeding l say nothing. He was
IN Cheyenne when we were there on cur
march up. He picks up all the informs-
ion he can get concerning our move
nents, and forwards it to his friends.
II this sort OF thing continues, you can
udge how successful we shall be.n