The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-08-04
FRONTIER.
Graphic Description of Gus
tcr's Fatal Fight.
Some Points i'm that Terrible
Encounter Cleared Up.

New YORK, July 26.-The Her
aid in a communication from Bis
mark, Dakotah Territory, dated
July 18th, from an officer high in
command Of the forces operating
against the Indians, says a Grow
Indian named Curley, is believed
to be the only survivor Of $50 men
who went into the action with
Custer. He is very clear in the
knowledge Of the fight and has
made statement. He went
down with two other Crows, and
went into the action with Custer.
The General, he says, kept down
the river on the north bank four
miles after Reno had crossed to
the south side above. Clusters
object was to cut off the Indians.
He thought Reno would drive
down the valley and at the same
time attack the village on two
sides. He believing Reno would
take it at the upper end, while he,
Custer would go in at the lower
end. Custer had to go further
down the river and further away
from Reno than he wished on ac-
count Of the steep bank along the
north side, but at last he found
ford and dashed for it. The In
dians met him and poured in a
heavy fire from across the narrow
river. Custer dismounted to fight
on foot, but could not get his
skirmisherS over the stream. In
the meantime hundred Of Indians
on foot and on ponies, poured
over the river which was only
about three feet deep, and filed
the ravines on each side of Gus
ter's men. Custer then fell back
to some high ground behind him
and seized the ravines in his i'm
mediate vicinity. The Indians
completely surrounded Custer
and poured in a terrible fire on all
sides. They charged Custer on
foot in vast numbers, but were
again and again driven back. The
fight began about two O'Clock and
lasted, Curley says, almost till
the sun went down over the hills.
The men fought desperately and
after the ammunition in their
belts was exhausted, went to their
saddlebags and got more and con-
tinued to fight. Cul1ey says more
Indians were killed than Custer
had men. He also says the big
chief Custer lived until nearly all
of his men had been killed or
wounded, and went about encour-
aging his soldiers to fight on. He
got a shot in his left side, and sat
down with his pistol in his hand;
another shot struck Custer in the
breast and he fell over. The last
officer killed was a man who rode
a white hcrse, believed to be
Lieut.. Cook, Adjutant Of the 7th,
as Lieut.. Cook and Calhoun were
the only officers who rode white
horses; and. Lieut. Calhoun was
found dead on the skirmish line,
near the ford, and probably fell
early in the action. Curley says
when he saw Custer was hopeless
ly surrounded, he watched his OPP
portunity to get a Sioux blanket,
put it on, worked his way up a ra
vine and when the Sioux charged
he got among them, and they did
not know him from one Of their
own men. There were some
mounted Sioux, and seeing one
fall, Curley ran to him, mounted
his pony and galloped down as if
going to ward off the white men,
but went up u ravine and got
away. He says as he rode off he
saw, when nearly mile from the
battlefield, a dozen or more sol
diers in ravine fighting, with
Sioux all around them. He thinks
all were killed, as they were out
numbered five to one, and appar-
emily dismounted. These were
no doubt part of the 30 missing
men reported in the official dis
patches of Gen. Terry. Curley
saws he saw one cavalry soldier
who had rot away. he was well