Mississippi Democrat. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1875-1???, 1876-08-26
Gta. Casters Lass CharEs.

A letter dated Mouth Of the lii
tie Horn. giving new version OF
Cu-ters hight With the Sioux, has
bcen received from Lieut. John Gar
land, ot Company ID. Sixth Infant.
~, attaehed ta teen. tilplon'. com
mand. Lieut.. Garland saSs:
At the mouth of the Rosebud. on
the I'D oi June. we struck a large
Indian trail leading up the Roscbad
valley. i,en Custer here took com
mand oi the twelve companies OF
cavalry and pushed on after the
Sioux. lie followed them To- the
iCot ot the mountains, and found b.
scouting In the valley that they
we're cnCamped on a branch Of tie.
LATHE Horn. THIS waS un the NIGHT
Of the 9Th. On the 10Th he took
i've COMPANIES and followed the
stream down on one side, while Ma
lor Reno with seven companies went
down on the other. Major Reno
was to attack the enemy ia the rear
while Custer fought them IN front.
This would have worked all right.
"a Reno had got ia their rear. but
Gen. Caster marching down 90 the
other slie, saw what he supposed
Was the iront Of their camp, and
made a charge on them, the indians
giving way and letting hIm right
into tho gap. The brave man rode
on with his thrce hundred men, aud
would have killed the whole 1000
Sioux, ! believe, II there hal been
no eneny behind h,m; instead OF
charging the front, be- was right "a
the center Of between three thOus
and and tour thousand Sioux. Those
that we're behind him kept con.
cealod until be was right "a their
midst, and then. when Il was too
late, he made bold dash trying 20
cut through them, but the enemy
were tOo many. lie fell about tie
FIRST one, aud the horses bccoming
unmanageable, the pl0r soldiers
were cut down IA less time than il
takes 10 tell IL.
The Sioux then turnpd with All
their Jury upon Major Reno. lie
charged them with one company,
and returned with ohly eleven men.
lic then retreated "a short distance.
placing his men on a blum. lie kept
them ofi until tLs night vi the 9Th.
his men going without water tnrtl
eight hours. lie was relieved by
Gcns. Terry aud Gibbons, who saw
the smoke from where they were at
the Little Horn, AMI thinking Il a
signal Il the Soak marched that
way just "a time 10 save the last
handful ~ the seventh cavalry.
Out OF the whole regiment only
S2s men arc lett, and forty OF them
are lady wounded. II makes one
heartsi,k 10 look over the battle
ground and see the poor fellows,
some Of them with their cntrails cut
out, others with their eyes dug out
aud heart land across their face.
They even stopped 10 cut their
pockets 10 ct their money and
watches. The most fearful sight
was Colonel Cook. lIc was splcn-
did looking man, with long, dark
whlskers. They dug his tace all
ont, 40 as to get hIs tnc beard, Il -
supposed. They did not dlstgure
Gen. Caster Ia any way, but his
brother Tom Custer, was opened aud
his heart taken ont.
Gen. Custer, Capt. Tom Custer
and boston Custer. brothers Of the
General, First-Iaeutenant Calhoan,
brOther-in-law Of the General, aud
A. III. Reed, the Generals nephew,
fell within ten feet of each other.
Mo estimate the loss Of the enc.
my at five hundred, though it, hard
10 tell how many were killed, A.
they carried mosl Of them away.
Gen. Terry and remaining officers
arc feeling very badly. l was stand.
lug by Gen. Custer when Gen. Ter
~ came up, aud as he looked down
upon the noble general, tears
coursed down his face n he said,
The flower OF the army l. gone al
last. Custer was supposed Ia be
the hrst one that fell, but We found
seventeen carthage shells by his
side, where he had kept them on
tlll the last moment.
No blame can he attached 10 any.
one Tor this feaiful slaughter. Ia
Custer bad had the whole regiment.
u would only have been worse, As
the Sioux were TOO many. There
u one poor Crow Indian on the
boat who has Ave shots through him,
yet he Is happy because he has nine
soalps at his side.
These Sioux were all from the
same agency as we found camp
equipments that had never been
used, also blankets that were new
and branded u. \. Indian Depart.
meat.