New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-25
A Soldiers Story.


Privates Thomas Harrington, Frank Nc
Hugh and Michael j. Fogarty, late Of the
Seventh United States Infantry, portion
of General Terry's command in the Big
Horn country, have arrived at Governor .
Island. The terms of service OF these three
men expired few days after the Custer
massacre. Their offers to re-enlist on the
spot were not available because to continue
in the service they must needs be sent to q
recruiting station in the East, and now
they are on the island awaiting orders to
proceed to the frontier again.
Through the courtesy of bluff old Ser
geant Gruvert, the veteran in charge of
Castle William, a Rero1d reporter was IN.
troduced to Harrington. This bronzed
young soldier gave the reporter correct
and intelligent account of the initial move
ments of our troops against the Sioux, mar
rating in detail Terry forced marches to
Upon relieving Reno the scene of the mas
sacre was next visited. Harrington's COM
pany being in advance was the first to
reach the bloody ravine and the first to
find Clusters body.
''In what condition was the body" the
reporter inquired.
'.We found General Custer lying partly
on his right side, hatless and bootless; his
uniform was stripped of its gaudy trim
mings, his pockets turned inside out and
their contents missing; his face was un-
bullet wounds, any one sufficient to cause
instant death. These wounds must have
been inflicted at close quarters, and after
he fell. Across Clusters breast laid, face
downward, the eeml-nude corpse of q SER
geant of the Seventh Cavalry. whose name
can not recall just now. This poor fellow
was robbed of everything but his under
shirt; the crown of his skull was knocked
away, his ears cut off, his lett leg chopped
asunder, and the rest of his frame perf0
rated with rifle balls
"rhese atrocities were general9' inter-
rupted the reporter.
"Yes, sir. and even worse in many in
stances. Tom Clusters heart was literally
dug out. The red devils appeared to have
vented their savagery upon his remains.
We could barely lift them up intact, they
were so hacked up with knives. Tom used
to be very open in his prejudice against the
Sioux. Because of this fact his body was,
perhaps, the most mutilated."
How was it that his brother, the
General, escaped similar treatment'-the
Indians may never have a more implacable
foe," the reporter observed.
"Oh, they were afraid of him dead as
we'll as alive. His body was the only one
that met with soldiers end, and his uni
form the only one that was, with the excep-
ton stated, left undisturbed."
"Was there much scalping practiced?'
Very few of the slain had hair long
enough to scalp. We noticed that those
who had hair enough we're scalped, while
those whose hair was too short we're either
beheaded or else Drained. The savages
must have been exaggerated where scalp
ing was an impossibility. They varied the
mOnotony by cutting of noses, ears, limbs,
and perpetrating other indignities, and
conducted the butchery with method at
times, for we would come across a pile of
heads here, or stack of arms and legs there,
heads and limbs were impaled on poles
stuck into the ground for that purpose.
In three or four cases the amputations
were performed with surgical neatness: in
all others mere ohOpping was the manner
"But how could all this butchery have
been so complete in the brief interval that
elapsed between the termination of the bat
tie and the arrival Of your force twelve
hours after"
s.It could only have been accomplished by
the squaws and their young ones, for the
warriors had thei hands too full harassing
Reno, who had turned up just too late to
suecor Custer"
"What about the armament of Clusters
menu
1.-The savages got away with every gun,
pistol and sword, and every mOrsel of am
munit:on that remained. tell you, sir, the
stripping was astonishingly thorough. The
only items they discarded were under
clothes and shoes; boots they were partial
to, generally appropriating the tops alone
by cutting off the bottoms They even made
Off with the cOlors Of the regiment
"They must have captured many of Gus
ter's horses!" suggested the reporter.
.They managed to carry away over $50
in good condition, and the dead and dying
of the animals we're stripped of their brides
and saddles.
.Was General Clusters horse killed9'
mo, sir; We succeeded in recovering the
poor brute, handsome light bay, alive.
We found it limping along in a dense brush
wood, some distance from the battle field;
a section of its bride was still on it's head.
but its saddle was missing. After the Cen
eral fell off the beast must have plunged
into the thicket and been overlooked by the
enemy. The bays sides were lacerated by
the brushwood, which explained the ab-
sence of the saddle; this may have been
picked up by struggling Sioux. General
could not have escaped capture otherwise u
"Were all of Clusters dead accounted
for9"
"All but Second Lieutenant Harrington
of Company C. 1t is believed that he was
taken prisoner and borne away for torture
We identified every officer but him. The
beheaded privares we had considerable diff
fculty in identifying, their heads being
mixed up and scattered around; only pri
Yates were beheaded."
"In deserting their villages it is under
stood that the Indians abandoned vast
quantity Of stores and property" remarked
the reporter.
THAT is true, sir; but what they did
leave behind more than compensated fol
what they carried off from the battle
ground. The abandoned stores were agency
supplies, principally, and the abandoned
property buffalo robes. Clusters horses
arms and clothing they preferred to theil
own comparatively valueless packs. They
can be reconciled to the loes Of the buffalo
skins, we'll aware that they will not have
an opportunity for trading off the same al
any of the agencies this winter at least"
"Did they evacuate in hurry?"
Somewhat in hurry, as in several O.
the tepees or lodges picked up damaging
circumstantial evidences of their complicity
in the Black Hills outrages, for which VI
are endeav0ring to punish them. In on,
lodge found Methodist hymn book, will
the name of 'Mossman' or 'Moseman' in
scribed on the ty.lesf; in another lodge
strings, with ID. w. 10 whitfield on tn
barrel. Mining tools, manuscript letter
and prospecting outfits attested further t.
their guilt. Swallow tail coats and othe
fashionable attire of the finest material an,
make were included in my mental noting.
There is an impression, Mr.. Harrington,
the reporter here interrogated, "that Sittin
Bull was killed in this battle; do You kno'
to the contrary" =.
II know that dead chief, answering hi
description in Q certain respect, was foun
| and believed to have been him, but 1t wa
not"