The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-07-21

WdFQ. n CHeeT-dS BdllduG anu nearly
cheer as ever rang out on any field
since the day when the sun set on the
slain in the Pass of Thermoplae-swelled
| up; rolling puff of smoke issued from
| the rallied line; and onward down the
hill for two hundred yards, pressed the
battalion,
IN CLOSE PURSUIT OF THE FLYING ENEMY.
Falling back, they formed again on the
old line, and held it until positive orders
came to mount and retreat to the hill to
the right and rear-the one carried
by the infantry in the morning.
Fortunately, at this moment Burt and
Burrows, of the Ninth Infanty had come
down thishill within eight hundred yards
of the position, and, having gotten the
range, prepared to cover the retreat
which was ordered by volley-fring. This
they did excellently well, knocking a
number of Indians from their ponies.
killing several horses, and checking the
advance of the mass that swaTmed from
every rock and arroyo the moment the
line had finally given way.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF CUSTER.
George A. Custer was born at New
Rumley, O, Dec. 5, 1889. He graduated
at West Point Military Academy in
1861, and the civil war having broken
out, was appointed second lieutenant of
| cavalry, and was present at the battle of
Bull Run, and afterwards was employed
in the defense OF Washington. From
Oct. !, 1861, to February, 1862, he was
absent on sick leave. After recovering
he rejoiued the army, and was additional
aid-de-camp to Gen. Mcclellan during
the campaign on the Peninsula and that
in Maryland, being captain of staff. He
served through the entire war and took
part in more than sixty engagements in
which cavalry were employed. In the vol
unteer service he reached the rank OfmajOr
general. He was mustered out of the vol
unteer service Feb'y l, 1866. In the
regular army he received several pro-
motions, the highest being that of brevet
major general. His regular rank, how
ever, was that of lieutenant colonel AS
such in the seventh cavalry, he was, in
July, 1866, ordered to frontier duty in
the northwest. About 1872 the Indians
in this region began to be troublesome,
and Custer was engaged in many en-
counters with them with almost uniform
success. In the summer of 1874 he
conducted large military and scientific
expedition into region among the Blue
mountains, hitherto wholly uneXplOred,
which was found to be well watered and
fertile, and apparently abounding in
mineral wealth. He has published, from
time to time, papers in various periodi-
Gals, describing his experiences in this
region. These, with more or less re-
vision, have been published in a separate
volume, "Life on the Plaius," New
York, 1874.
Readersof this brief sketch of the career
of this brave soldier will readily remem-
Der the effort made to detract from his
fame and degrade his position within the
last few months During the investi-
cations which disclosed the corruptions
in the war department under Belknap's
management, he was summoned from his
command in the northwest to Washington
to testify before Clymer's committee.
He obeyed the summons and while in
cOmmittee-rOom gave some very dam
aging testimony in reference TO the man.
agement of post traderships. For some
reasons the president suspected or pre-
tended to suspect that he had sought the
opportunity to make his disclosures, or
at least had made them too willingly or
with too much of a sense of satisfaction,
and peremptorily ordered him to rejOin
his regiment at once. This order in effect
reduced him from the rank of major gen
eral to that of a lieutenant colonel, and
the iudignity was most keenly felt by
the brave and proud-spirited officer. At
the special request of Gen. Terry, now
in command OF the column to which
Custer belonged, Clusters regiment was
to duty in his division of the
army which was to march against the
Sioux in the Big Horn region, where he
met his terrible fate