The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-07-13
A TERRIBLE INDIAN MASSACRE.

The United States Army, winch was
stationed in Montana to repress the vio-
lence of the Sioux Indians towards white
emigrants to the famous Black Hills, has
recently met the most disastrous and
complete defeat ever suffered by the
United States Army from the Indians.
Nothing since the defeat of Braddock in
colonial times has equalled it. The par,
ticulars may be briefly summed up as
follows: :,
Gen. Custer with five companies found
an Indian camp of twenty-five lodges, on
the Little Horse River, and OIL the 25th of
June attacked it with companies @, l., 1,
F. and E, of the seventh cavalry, at the
thickest part of the camp on the left, and
sent Mai. Reno with seven companies to
attack the right of the encampment.
The soldiers had travelled seventy-eight
miles in the twenty-four preceding
hours, and rested only few hours before
beginning thefght Gen. Custer had about
two hundred and fifty men in his detach-
ment. and had not more than begun the
fight when he was completely surrounded
by the Indians, who poured a murderous
fire into the troops, carrying destruction
and annihilation to Clusters whole force,
which, with the exception of single
scout of the Crow Indians, was killed
mon the field of battle. The seventh
regiment fought like tigers, and were
overcome by mere brute force. The In
dians' loss cannot be estimated. The In
dians got all the arms of the dead SOL
diers. Seventeen commissioned officers
were killed. The whole Custer family
died at the head of their columns, and
ali fell near to each other. Two hun
dred and seven men were killed almost
in a mass. The officers slain were Gen.
Custer. his two brothers, Col. Tom and
Boston Custer, his brother-in-law, Col.
Calhoun, and his nephew, Col. Yates,
Col. Keogh, Capt. Smith, Lieutenant
Crittenden, Lieutenant Sturgis, Col.
Cooke. Lieutenant Porter, Lieutenant
Harrington, DR.. Lord, Mack Kellog, the
Bismarck Tribune correspondent. The
Indians numbered from $500 to 1000.
When they left the field it looked like a
SLAUGHTER pen. The dead were much
mutilated. Little else is known of the
operations of this detachment except
their course as traced by the dead.
Upon the right, the fight though des-
perate was not so disastrous. Reno felt
them with three companies, and was i'm
mediately surrounded. After one hours
hard fighting, losing Lieutenants McIn-
tosh and Hodgson, and twelve men, and
having several Indian scouts killed and
many wounded, he cut his way out and
gained the bluff, 100 feet high, where he
entrenched his command, and was soon
after Joined by Colonel Benton, with four
companies. Here the Indians made re-
peated assaults, but were repulsed with
great slaughter. The Indians finally
gained higher ground than Reno
held. and we're armed with longer range
guns than the cavalry. They kept up
from that point CALLING fire until night.
The Indians renewed the attack at day
light. Reno had lost forty-odd killed
before reaching the bluffs, many IN hand
to-hand conflicts, the Indians outnumber-
ing them ten to one. The men were
without water for thirty-siX hours. They
determined to reach water at all hazards,
and Col. Benton made a sally and routed
the main body, guarding the, approach to
water. Water was gained with one
killed and seven wounded. The fighting
then ceased for the night, during which
time Reno proposed to resist further
attacks. There had now been forty Weight
hours fighting, with no word from Custer;
Twenty hours more of suspense, and
fighting ended, when the Indians aban-
doned their village in great haste. Gen
eral Terry with Gibbon, commanding his
own infantry, had arrived, and as the
comrades met men wept on each others
necks. Inquiries were then made Tor
Custer, but none could tell where ne was.
Soon after an officer came rushing into
camp and related that he had found
Custer dead and stripped naked, but not
mutilated, and near him were the other
officers and men as above described.
The number of killed is estimated at 5OO
| and wounded at 81