The New York herald., 1876-07-08

what remained OF seven companies Of the ssvsnth
cavalry. He said dreadful battle had taken place.
and that Reno did not know where Custer waA
On we went, therefore. till we came upon Renos
battle held and marched among the bodies Of sliss
soldiers and their horses All the bodies were noss
nbiy muulated. offensive from the heat and covered
| with swarrns OF nics- An ofiicer recognized she
body of Lieutenant Mcintosh. Of the seventh
cavalry and OF a soldier OF McIntoshs company.
Mcintosh was himself part Indian. . highly esiu-
Gated gentleman and nne officer He has fallen In
battle with his face toward tho enemy, and 10 v
| hoped the government viii remember lls widow md
| his little children 1t Fort Lincoln
| Reno's battle field was dreadful place-hesses
and ponies, white men and Indians. all dead to
| gether, and their bodies mingled n they had
died where they fought all the wild confusion Of
the melee. Reno was found on high hill, and when
the officers OF our column made their way up tns
officers OF the Seventh grasped them by the hand
and shed tears Reno came forward, and, for the
circumstances, wonderfully calm ana a. ease.
He said he wanted doctors and medicines and
canvas to shelter the wounded from the
sun, and wished to have his wounded men helped
down into the valley. He would have moved them
several hours before, as he felt sure that tho
Indians were gone and help near. but thought
it better to avoid even the possibility OF having 70
move them twice.
They were all got down before night but IL then
too late TO move his camp, and he passed another
night there. But in the cool air Of night the odors
were less uncomfortable.
In the morning Colonel Reno with his command
marched down the ridge to Custer's battle neld,
about i've and half miles distant
THE GENERAL PLAN.
Such is the story OF our arrival here-too late to
help Custer, but happily in time to save the REM
nant Of his heroic regiment. To comprehend pre-
cisely the relation OF Custers force to the other
forces operating the theatre 1t Ia necessary
to glance at the general plan OF the campaign
developed. There were three columns-one from
the Department OF the Platte, under General Crook;
one from the De epartment of Dakota, under General
Terry; one from Montana, under General Gibbon.
Gibbons command to start from Fort Ellis
April /; Terry was to start from Fort Lincoln May
IL, and Crook from Fort Fetterman May l5
or the operations Of General Crooks column your
correspondent knows nothing, except common
rumors but ofthe operations OF the other two columns
he has personal and direct knowledge. The general
plan of the campaign for a simultaneous move
| tn ha do tha throa of
the compass. General Gibbon was to move with his
Montana column down the valley OF the Yellowstone,
and prevent, If possible, the Indians from escaping
northward; General Custer, at the same time, push
ing across the country from the Missouri to the
Yellowstone, and driving the Indians toward GEN
eral Gibbon; General Crook to scout the Black
Hills and drive any hostile Indians found there,
who 1t was believed would fall back when pressed
into the Big Horn country.
General Terry and stair accompanied General
Clusters column from Fort Lincoln to the Yellow
stone. The march occupied about twenty days.
They Indians, but found some old trails and
camps on the Little Missouri. On arriving at the
Yellowstone and communicating with Genera
Gibbon they learned that a heavy force Of Indians
had concentrated on the Rosebud River, near it
junction with the Yellowstone. General Gibbon had
his camp at the mouth OF the Rosebud, and the
Indian camp was about eighteen miles up the Rose.
bud. The Yellowstone River nowed between the
hostile camps, presenting an almost impossible
barrier. For fourteen days the Indian pickets
occupied one bank Of the river and our soldier
pickets the other bank. Both camps closely watched
each other, but nothing was done until the 2sd Of
May, when $50 Indians
swUM THE YELLOWSTONE,
attacked and killed two calvary soldiers and .
citizen, belonging to General Gibbons command.
Gibbon at sent Brsblns battalion Of the Second
United States cavalry pursue the Indians, and
after fatiguing march Captain Ball, with his own
and Captain wheelans companies, succeeded in
driving the Indians the river to their camp on
the Rosebud. General Gbbon ordered General Bris.
bin TO patrol the north bank Of the Yellowstone day
and night and II possible prevent Indians from
crossing to the north bank. Captains Ball, wheclan
and Thompson and Lieutenant Colonel Roe;with
their companies Of the Second cavalry did the work
very enectualy. preventing all the Indians fron
crossing.
A large supply train for General Gibbons COM
mand was brought down the Yellowstone $50 miles
by Lieutenant English, with his company Of the Sew.
enth infantry, and although great apprehension was
felt for Its safety effort made by the Indians
to disturb it. This was the situation on the Yellow
stone on the lst OF June.
On April "a Captain Ball, with and companies
OF the Second cavalry had secuted the Big and