The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-03

J
peared very much elated and or
dered the bugles to sound a charge,
/ and moved on at the head of his
column, waving his hat to encourage
his men. When they neared the river
the Indians, concealed in the under
! growth on the opposite side of the
river, opened fire on the troops. which
checked the advance. Here a portion
of the command were dismOunted and
| thrown forward to the river. and re-
! turned the fire of the Indians. Dur
ing this time the warriors We're seen
riding out of the village by hundreds,
and deploying across his front and to
his left, as if with the intention of
crossing the stream on his right, while
the women and children were seen
fastening out of the village in large
numbers in the opposite direction.
During the fight at this point Curley
saw two of Clusters men killed who
fell into the stream. After fighting a
few moments here, Custer seemed to
be convinced that it was impractica-
BILE to cross, as it only could be done i'll
columns of fours, exposed during the
movement to heavy fire from the
front and both flanks. He therefore
ordered the head of the column to the
right, and bore diagonally into the
hills, down stream, his men on foot,
leading their horses. In the mean
time the Indians had crossed the river
below in immense numbers, and began
to appear on his right flank and in his
rear; and he had proceeded but few
hundred yards in the new direction the
column had taken, when it became
necessary to renew the fight with the
Indians who had crossed the stream.
AT first the command remained to-
gether, but after some minutes fight
ing it was divided, portion deploying
circularly to the left, and the remain
der similarly to the right, so that when
the line was formed it bore a rude re-
semblance to a circle, advantage being
taken as far as possible of the protec-
ton afforded by the ground. The
horses were in the rear, the men on the
line being dismounted, fighting on foot.
OF the incidents Of the fight in other
parts of the field than his own, Curlev
is not well informed, as he was him
self concealed in deep ravine, from
which but small part of the field was
visible.
The fight appears to have begun,
from Curley's description of the situa-
ton OF the sun, about ? 80 or three
O'Clock p. m, and continued without
| intermission until nearly sunset. The
Indians had completely surrounded the
command, leaving their horses in IA
| vines well to the rear, themselves
pressing forward to attack on foot.
Confident in the great superiority of
their numbers, they made several
charges on all points of Clusters line :;
but the troops held their position firm
ly, and delivered a heavy fire, and
every time drove them back. Curley
! said the firing was more rapid than
anything he had ever conceived of,
being continuous roll Gas he expressed
lt), "the swapping of the threads in
the tearing of blanket The troops
expended all the ammunition in their
belts, and then sought their horses for
the reserve ammunition carried in their
saddle-pockets.
AS long as their ammunition held
out, the troops, though losing consid-
erably in the fight, maintained their
position in spite of all the efforts of
the Sioux. From the weakening of
their fire, toward the close of the af-
ternoon, the Indians appeared to be-
lieve that their ammunition was about
exhausted, and they made grand final
charge, in the course of which the last
of the command was destroyed, the
men being shot, where they laid in
their positions in the line, at such
close quarters that many We're killed
with arrows. Curley says that Custer
remained alive during the greater part
OF the engagement, animating his men
to determined resistance, but, about an
hour before the close of the fight, re-
ceived mortal wound.
Curley says the field was thicklv
strewn with the dead bodies of the
Sioux who fell in the attack-in num-
Der considerably more than the force
of soldiers engaged. He is satisfied
that their loss will exceed 800 killed,
beside an immense number wounded.
Curley accomplished his escape by
drawing his blanket around him in the
manner of the. Sioux, and passing
through an interval which had been
made in their lines as they scattered
over the field in their final charge. He
says they must have seen him, for he
was in plain view, but was probably
mistaken by the Sioux for one of their
own number, or one of their allied Ar
rapahoes or Cheyennes.
In most particulars the account Civ
Ell by Curley of the fight is confirmed
by the position of the trail made by
Custer ins his movements, and the
general evidences Of the battlefield. |
Only one discrepancy is noted, which
relates to the time when the fight came |
to an end. Officers of Reno's COM
mand, who, late in the afternoon, from
high points surveyed the country in
anxious expectation of Clusters ap-
pearance, and commanded view of
the field where he had fought say that
no fighting was going on at that time
between five and six o'clock. 1t is /
evident, therefore, that the last of Gus
ter's command was destroyed at an
earlier hour in the day than Curley re-
lates. jt asEitlExt
A Great Feat Accomplished.
"A DISPATCH reaches tssto-day that
the work of cutting through the San
Fernando tunnel, on the Southern Pa
cifie Railroad, has, been completed. !
This is one of the greatest achieve
ments in railroad construction accom-
Mi haI on tho porifn ooact Tho |