The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-07-12
THE INDIAN WAR.
Official Report of the EaEaSeme "a I
Which Resulted i'm so Over"
WheIInimg "A Disaster-The
sioux in Strong Force.
Odieial Report of the Engagement.

CHICAGO, July 8-TThe following i
the official report of General Terry OF
Clusters engagement with the Indians,
which was received at the headquarters
of Gen. Sheridan to-day:
HEADQUARTERS DEPT OF DAKoTA)
CAMP on LITTLE BIG Horn RIVER,
June 27th, 1876 }
Adjatant General Of the Military Dirision
Of the Missouri, at Chicago:
sit is my painful duty to report that
day before yesterday, the twenty fifth
instant, great disaster overlook Gen.
/ Custer and the troops under his COM
mand. At twelve o'clock of the twenty
second. he started with his whole regi-
ment aud a strong detachment of scouts
and guards, from the mouth of the Rose
| Bud. Proceeding up that river about
| twenty miles, lie struck Il very heavy
| Indian trail, which had previously been
/ discovered, and pursuing it found that
! it led, as was supposed that t would
lead, to the Little Big Horn river.
| Here he found village of almost unex-
ampled extent, and Immediately at
tackled it with that portion Of his com
mlnd which was Immediately at hand.
Major Reno, with three companies-A,
O., and M-of the regiment, was sent
into lhe valley of the stream at the point
where the trail struck it. General Custer,
with five companies-C, +, +, |, and l.,
attempted to enter it about three miles
lower Gown. Reno forded the river,
charged down its left bank, dismounted
and fought on foot until finally, com
pletely overwhelmed by numbers, he was
compelled to mount, recross the river,
and seek a refuge on the high bluffs
which overlooked its right bank. just
as he recrossed, Captain Bolton, who
with three comparatively, II, and K
was some two miles to the left of Reno
when the action commenced, but who
had been ordered by Gen. Custer to re-
turn down the river, and rightly con-
cluling that it was useless for his force
to attempt to renew the fight in the valley |
he Joined Reno on the Bluffs. Captain
MDougal, with his cOmpany-B--was
at first at some distance in the rear
with a train of pack mules. He also |
came up to Reno. Soon this united |
force was nearly surrounded by Indians,
many of whom, armed with rifles, Occu-
pied positions which commanded the |
ground held by the cavalry--grOund
from which there was no escape.
Rife pits were dug, and the fight was
maintained, though with heavy loss, from
about halfpast two o'clock of the twenty
fifth until six o'clock on the twenty-sixth,
when the Indians withdrew from the
valley, taking with them their village.
OF the movements Of Gen. Custer, and
the five companies under his immediate
oolxy Il
from those who witnessed them, for no
soldier or officer who accompanied him
has vet been found His trail from the
point where Reno crossed the stream
passes along in the rear of the crest of
the bluffs on the right bank for nearly or
quite three miles then it comes down to
the bank of the river but at once DIVORCES |
from it, as if he had unsuccessfully at
tempted to cross, then turns upon itself, |
almost completes a circle, and closes. 1t
is marked by the remains of his officers |
and men, and the bodies of his horses
some Of them dropped along the path, |
others heaped where halts appear to have
been made. There is abundant evidence |
that gallant resistance was offered by |
the troops, but they were beset on all
sides by overpowering numbers. The |
officers known to be killed are: General |
Custer; Captains Keogh, Gates and |
Custer Lieutenants Cook, Smith, Nc
Intosh, Calhoun, Porter, Hodgson,
Sturgis and Reilly, of the cavalry;
Lieutenant Crittenden, of the Twentieth |
infantry, and Acting Assistant-Surgeon
DeWof. Lieutenant Harrington, Of
the cavalry, and Acknowledgment Lord,
are missing. Captain Benton and Lieu
tenant Varnum, of the cavalry, are
wounded. Mr.. Boston Custer, a brother,
and Mr.. Reed, nephew, of Gene
Custer, were with him, and were killed |
No other officers than those whom | have
named are among the killed, wounded
and missing. 1t. is impossible as yet to
obtain a reliable list of the enlisted men
who were killed and wounded but the
number of killed, INCLUDING officers, must
reach two hundred and fifty. The timber
Of the wounded J, 4 is tift y =
Major Reno is very confident that there
were a number of white men fighting
with the Indians 1t is believed that the
| loss of the Indians was very large.
have as vet received no official reports of
the battle, and only what is stated and
gathered from the officers who were on
| the ground, and from those who have
! been oyer ii since.
''ALFRED H. TERRY,
"Brigadier- General."
SHERIDAN ORGANIZING HIS FORCES.
WASHINGTON, July S.-Another dis
patch from General Sheridan to General
Sherman says that he has notified Cen
eral Terry that six companies Of the Fifth
infantry, under General Miles, will i'm
mediately join him, and also that he has
requested General Sherman to send from
the lake stations six companies of the
| Twenty second infantry to join him also.
General Sheridan further says: II have
also notified General Crook of this fact,
and that, if he should require any addi-
tional forces than the five companies
which have already sent him, l can or
der eight companies of infantry under
General Merritt to join him. There is
nothing to be regretted but poor Custer
death and the officers and men with him.
! The column was sufficiently strong to
have handled the Indians if Custer had
waited for junction. There is no cause
for uneasiness, and we will soon give the
Indians another turn. / will be in Chi
cago by the first train" General Sher-
! man does not think that the Indians now
e number more than twenty-five hundred
: or three Thousand men, and that they
E must be greatly embarrassed by theil
t wounded.
y SECRETARY-OF WAR CAMERON.
e WAsHINGToN, July 8.-The secretary
5 of war, in long communication to The
: President, recites all the facts of the or
:. ganization of the military expedition
e called for by the department of the int