The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-07
THE yICIIMs or THE FIGHT.
Sketches Of Gep. Custer aud the Principal
Omccrs Of his Command.

OntcFs OF tommHuus
Gen. Custer was born in Ohio and was
about 5 wears Of are. lie entered West Point
Military Academy In 1857, md was graduated In
1891 with fair standing In his class He was
brevetted as Second Lieutenant In the cavalry
service, and was assigned to the Second Cavalry
on Jun "a. 1891, then attached to the Armv Of
the Potomac, in Emory's brigade. under Gen.
st. George Cook, where he served In the Hrst
battle Of Bull Ran. The mounted corps was
transferred to the Peninsula In March, 1852, and
his regiment took part In scouting AN similar
duties up to and during the siege OF Yorktown
In April, 1869. On July II, 1862, he was ppointed
First Lieutenant, and assigned to Company NJ,
Fifth United States Cavalry. During the Ma y
land cam paigp he served as aid -de-camp to Gen.
Mcclellan. with the rank of Captain, and dis
tinguished himself at Antietam, South Noun
tainand the other great battles Of that cam psiRn.
In 1853, when the forccs Ia virsiniA were reor
sanised under Burnside, Capt. Custer " 9 trans
ferred from the A, NV Of the Potomac to Gen.
stahfs command. then operating In the Pied.
mont region. and subsequently to the command
OF the Second Brigade of Kilpatrtcss division
Of Pieassnton's Cavalry Corps. In the mean
time he b I'd displayed suon hoilitv 8 a brigade
| nrined Brisadier- General Of volunteers, his
commission dating from June ~, 1853. In this
| corps ne took D rt In the advance Of the Army
| OF the Potomac from the X .ppanann0ck 20
PennsylvAnia In June, 1888. In tue cavalry con
tests which preceded tue oattle o. Ge,r sourg.
December, 1853. Gen. Custer W . assumed to the
command Of tho outpost at stevensourg. W.,
tben recently estAbli he'd py Gen. Medne and
In February, 1874, he commanded nu epet de at
division actiug with Kilpatrlck's cavalry expedi-
ton He was ordered TO strike at Chariot ,esville,
| provided he could do So without bringing on =
| general engagement. Near st nnarusviile he
Gems. Ftzhush Lee and j. i. b. stuart. but
| succeeded 10 cutting through them and arriving
| sAiely at Madison Court House with ABOUT atty
| prisoners, having accomplished his OBJECT In
| preventing the enemy from disturbing XII pat
| ricks movement.
| In April. 1884, Gen. Sheridan was appointed to
| the Command Of the cava nv of the Army Of
| the = otomac. and Gen. Custer, Al the head of a
ther distinguish himself He took pat 10 the
/ famous battles OF the Wilderness Being
ordered at one time to carry iortined position
near nicnmond, he placed himself at tue mead
| OF bis TROOPERS, aud said, here are some Of
our guns, boys let us 90 after them" On they
went with hearty cneer, and Ia the lace OF a
heavy hre captured two pieces uf al tillcr., over
| 100 pris0uers, besides ammunition, horse &c.
under him. Gu the stn Of May he com.
missioned as Ceptain IN the regular army, aud
| on the 1ltn, af er the battle OF Yellow Tavern,
was brevetted Lieutenan Colonel on VI v ID the
cavalry under nIs command effected june, ION
with.Gen iButers expedition on the James RIVER.
| After a few daye. however, he was order 10
| Join the movement under Gen Grant, nd on
| ~ he de Gated the famous South Carolina
| Csvairy Brigade after three nours' uzhtiug. u
| Hanover Ferry, covering the movement OF the
| man armv across tbs Pamunkev. He took part
| under Gen. Sheridan In tue engayement I Co i
| Harbor on June l, and In the raid Immediately
| following, py which the rebel commune tons
| with the Rapid an and Rapp hammock were cut
| In August he took part With Gen. sue .iuan In
the defence OF the Snenindoah region. a. con-
mands5 oi tns ld In,id D,V,,,9n En of cayary; on
| later was brevetted Major -Geuersl OF vOiun-
tsers. Alter sisnaizins himself 10 several MI
Oct. ~, at Cedar Crees. across which he pursued
| .rly, whose vic.ory hsd been turned TO Iefeat,
forty-nve pieces of srrriiery. On October "a ne
was coinms-iOned as .isJor. Gener OF voluu-
teeis. After tue complete defeat ot riy. IN
March. 1885, sheiidans c"valry ] ined Grants
main army. and Gen Eus,ei. co ,mandint one
| l. e's armv when followed
since the close OF the war Gen. Custer has
| heen most uf the time In tue in.i,n CO .nlr,.
| HIS dasning EXPLOITS There earned nun no less
repute as al luuIan fsnter tn.n he nad ied
| in REGULAR warf re. GUAR ctetlsuc iuc,denti l.
related by fellow oflic,r wao took par. Aitn
| him IN the Northern cinr Railroad expedition.
Irey n al been ,oliVwinx the tracS Of tue i,l
| lowstone for some uays. but were detained m
getting tue Oai gaze tr in over sOne bigi bl fs.
Gen. Custer toOk two COMPANIES. about ~ u,en
| nvei. aud then nalted there TO rest untiltne
| column came up. He was att ckeu oy uiii 3JO
| ln.iais. After sDa p ugnt bis am.uuuitlon
had some len res Cdliug the horses, ma IS
soon the men had nfed their ST round he
gave the word 10 draw s nbres ana mount lie
ten chai ged the Indians witn suU0 i'm yetuOsIIy
tuat tncy ucu nelosu nii.
ID kota 10 testify "a regard " tue ao ises oi the
pos. trad rships ho Oh rye OF tue X publican
| press tn It he sought 10 maze hln.srif Uro l.
n ut uy vOlui terrius IT, appear AS q witness TO
the neRls of his regular dutis 8, Is UIsprovcd by
a eisRram now ~ the poss ssiOn VI Nj Clymer,
Gu irin an Of the committee, In waicn, while
saying that he would Obey tn-ir summons, ne
reques. cd to be allowed to send his dns~ers To
their quert by mall Il " expected To 1 he
wouId cUumanI Icllowst, no expedition.
out ait ne hAd given mis- testimony exposing
toe frauds prac iseo al the post tr ,derehips
{ d. r. al
tDa, testimony Gen. Terry was oruerei to
sum tue command, ~ d Gen. q. a. er went oIt
Liedten nt-Colonel Ia com ,nanJ Of his reg
inent, tue Seventh CavaIy, acting Us ouief OF
cavalry in the 'xJeoition.
sTAFw AND LINE OFFICERS.
or those VINO were ut the front Il IL impossi-
bic TO ssf what Officers we're killed without
kno~ leu-e as 10 wniOh companies formed the
nye Ia at dIeo with Caster. Among those at me
front were Capt. Frederick W. ,nt,en, Who
had been Coopel OF volunteers; Capt. Mylos
". Keogn, one Of three young Irisnmsn VINO
left tue POpe's army III Italy To toin The Amerl-
Q n army dur ny the war, es'rioed as n Or We,
d.sniog Yuung "floer; Capt. 4. N. McDougsll, "a
NOTED recontlv; Lieut.. Mc1ntush, the son of a
Hudson Is Indian trader and an iudian wo
man; Lieu. Sturgrs, son OF the Colonel OF tue
Seventh Cavalry, and who was grad lated last
year I West Point; Capt French VINO was pro-
noted from tue ranks during the war; Capt
Thomas Z ister, bfot ier OF u IN. uster, hne
soldier, and promoted only last year; Capt
N les A. Movlan, VINO IN rried Gen. Clusters
sister. and who rose from the ranks a'so Lieut.
Calhoun, whose sister was Gen. Clusters wife
Capt. McDougsl. wno " engaged under Major
herrill In hunting the Ku Kiux In South Caro-
lima In 1901, and fterwsrd In the Coushstta
d. trict IN Louisiana, and VINO married u dsugb-
ter Of rrof; Cummings Of the University Of
South Carolina; aud Lieut.. Wallaoe, . non Of
Cngressm an Wallace Of South Carolina.
Lieut.. Crittenden, the gallant young fellow
who 10 reported killed, was the only child OF
Col. Lrttsnden OF The Ssxenteentb InfAntry,
end was only q years old. He did not belong to
the Seventh Cavalry. but obtained permission
and volunteered 20 accompany Geo. Custer on
the expedition.
Naior Reno, formerly Colonel OF the Twelfth
Penns Nlvania Volunteers aud Brevst Brigsoisr-
General, and who commanded one detachment
IN Clusters .ttAck. and brought out his men
safely. h. ID but recently returned from Eurooe.
where bo had oeen on leave Of nbsence for nearly
a,sar He was tho only ono OF the N Jors with
the regiment. 1tiford, tho senior = sJor, 10
absent on siok leave Merrill, tho Second Major,
10 on Centennial duty - assistant to Gen. Haw-
lev. Col SturRos. com handing ths regiment, 10
Superintendent OF tls Cavalry Recruit = Ser
woe at St Louis. Capt Tourtslotte 10 acting as
aide TO Hen. Sherman; Out. Sheridan, as aide
to his brother, Gen. Sheridan; C4pt. 1llslee, as
aide 10 Gen. Pope, at Lravenwortn. Others OF
the ofioers may we been aUsent, and there
fore safe, but those bore named are known to
DO 30.
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