Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-07-14
bellows falls Jimes,
BELLOWS FALLS, JULY IA, 1876.
Battle with the Indians.
Defeat ofthe u. s. Troops with great siaugh.
ter-Gen. Custer killed-Total Troops
Killed ais

ter-Gen. Custer Killed-Total Troops |
Killed, 3I5.
There has been another big fight with
the indians and terrible whipping of
the troops, an entire command Of five
companies, including seventeen commits
stoned officers, among them General Gus
ter, his two brothers, nephew and broth
er.in-law being sacrificed lin short, one
of the three expeditions sent to exter-
inmate the hostile Sioux has itself been
exterminated, and the other two are in
imminent danger of similar fate.
The news comes from Bosemen, Mon
tana, where it was brought by Muggins
Taylor, scout of General Gibbons
command, but is also confirmed in gen.
eral letters from others The battle was
fought on the 25th ult., thirty or forty
miles below the Little Horn. Generals
Custer and Reno had come upon the In
dians' camp of from $500 to 1000 war
riors, extending three or four miles long,
for which they had been looking, and an
attack was at once ordered. Leaving
three companies on a hill as a reserve,
| Gen. Custer, with the remaining five
companies of his command, charged the
thickest portion of the camp, leaving
Col. Reno, with seven companies to at
tack it on the other side. Nothing is
known of the operations of Clusters de-
tachment, only as they are traced by the
dead on the field The Indians greeted
the charge with murderous fire from
all directions. Besides, the greater por-
ton fought ON horseback. Custer, his
two brothers, nephew and brother-in-
law, were all killed, and not one Of his
detachment escaped. The Indians sur
rounded Reno's command and held them
for one day in the hills, cut off from wa
ter, until General Gibbons command
came in sight, when they broke camp in
the night and left and Gibbons and Re-
nos commands were then joined. Gen.
Terry was with Gibbons command,
which Custer knew was coming before
the fight occurred.
Gen. Clusters command fought like
tigers, and we're overcome by mere brute
force, the Indians actually pulling the
soldiers off their horses in many cases
The whole Custer family died at tn,
head of their column The battle grount
looks like slaughter pen, as it really
was, being in narrow ravine. Tht
dead were much mutilated. The whole
, number killed was 315, with only 81
wounded. Two hundred and seven bod
les were buried in one place. Anon!
the killed was Lieut.. Crittenden, son o
Gen. Crittenden. The loss of the Indi
ans is not known, as they bore off thei
dead. They got all the arms of th'
killed soldiers. The remnant of the I'll
cavalry and Gibbons command are re
turning to the mouth of the Little Horn
where the steamboat lies. The situation
is regarded as very serious.
OFFICIAL REPORT.
PHILADELPHIA, July 6.
Dispatches from Gen. Ferry date'
Camp on Yellowstone river, near moutl
of Big Horn, July I'd, give details o
the starting of Clusters command. Fer
t ry says that the plan was that Custer
J with his white regiment should move VI
I the Rosebud until he struck the trai
/ discovered by Reno few days before
but should not follow it directly to tn,
, little Big Horn. that he should senC
scouts over it and keep the main forc'
> further south SO as to prevent the In
! dians stopping between him and thu
!. mountains. Terry suggested that HI
+ take Gibbons cavalry and 60 with him
. but Custer said he would prefer his OWL
regiment alone. He expressed conf
dence that he had all the force he need
ed. He also refused battery of gat
ling guns, saying they might embarrasi
him and he was strong enough. Anoth
3 er dispatch from Chicago says dispatch
from Terry states no official report is re
ceived of Clusters fight. The following
was received Camp on Yellowstone
near mouth of Big Horn, July 2-Or
the 2Sth we commenced moving dowr
with the wounded, but were able to gel
on but few miles, and as our hard lit
ters did not answer the purpose, we made
litters which done exceedingly well, but
they were insufficient in number: there
, fore the 29th was spent in making full
supply of them. On the evening Of the
29th we started again, and at 2 A. NJ
the wounded were placed on steamer
at the mouth of the Little Big Horn riv
er on the afternoon of the 30th they
were brought down to the depot ON tbs
Yellowstone. send them tomorrow by
steamer to Fort Lincoln, and with them
one of my aids, Capt. e. w. Smith, who
will be able to answer any questions
which YOU may desire to ask. Colonel