Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-08-31
Another Account of Clusters Last
Fight.

publishes n letter from James Man.
Mon, one OF Clusters command, and
consequently an eye witness of the
massacre. He and Curley, the Crow
scout, are the only Survivors. 1t is
the only account of That terrible affair
yet written by witness of it, and de-
tails many incidents not yet given to
the public:
We left camp on the 18th of June,
and started for the Big Horn River,
$50 miles north of here We were
four days on the march thither, where
we joined Terry and Custer, and
marched north on the Big Horn.
Striking the Little Big Horn, we fol-
lowed a well marked trail along its
banks and on Saturday morning,
June oath, we came in sight of an In
dian village with about 1900 tents,
and fighting force of about 5000
warriors. Mai. Reno, in whose COM
mand am, commanded the left flank
and Custer the right, and the fight
commenced by Reno's charging iuto
the Indian village fighting on foot,
having tied the horses in grove a
short way off. While the fight was
going on, Gen. Custer reached the
other side OF the village and attacked
it. Gen. Custer and his five compan-
les took position on ridge in the cen
ter of the Indian camp, cut off from
water, and there fought desperately
all day long, a conspicuous mark tor
the savage marksmen all around
them.
At last when half his command had
been killed, he called on those that
remained to follow him, and dashed
boldly through the red devils. 1t was
running the gauntlet of at least 600
rifles for the whole distance. His
men did not follow him, and when he
cot through he found himself alone
with single Crow Indian, one of his
scouts. He would not leave his men
to perish alone aud turned to 90 back,
but the Crow recognizing that such
course would be fatal, grabbed his
horse and implorei him not 10 do so.
Custer only laughed, and putting
the reins OF his horse between his
teeth, with revolver in each hand,
he gave wild cheer, and dashed
back through the hell OF smoke and
flying bullets. As if by miracle, he
reached the remnant OF his command,
which was now reduced 10 forty men.
Calling on these survivors again to
follow him, which the example aud
success of his former charge disposed
them to do, he led them from their
place ofperil over the path of his sol
itary charge.
That was the last seen of them un
til the battle was over, when tho
whole party, with Custer in their
midst, were found stark and dead
within q circular rampant formed by
their horses bodies. They had evil
IDENTIFY at the last moment made up
their minds to sell their lives dearly,
shot their horses, and then raising them
as breastwork, fought on with vigor
of despair until the last man was dead.
What they suffered and what they did
within the fatal circle will ever be
locked in mystery. OF all Clusters
men only the Crow scout above men
toned and q Sergeant of Company
escaped.
From the descriptions in the papers
you cannot imagine the horror OF the
scene after the battle. | went over it
with the artist as the dead lay in heaps
where they fell and | shall ever re-
member it. Gen. Custer was found
with all his clothes upon him, but his
two brothers were terribly mutilated.
When the fight was in progress the
Tndsn squaws would rush in among
the wounded soldiers and beat out
their braius with clubs.
A remarkable story is told of the
fearful scene at the death of Charles
Reynolds, Clusters chief scout, and the
best shot on tho Missouri river. He
was shot off the back of his horse, and
in falling caught the horse and killed
him, and making brcastwork of the
beasts body commenced a terrible
slaughter of the Indians. He lay be.
hind his horse, dying and still shooting
and every shot he fired his deadly aim
sent savage to the devil. When he
was taken off the field after the fight
twenty-five dead Indians were found
around him.