Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1876-08-01
CUSTER,S FIGHT,
The Sole Survivor Tells His
StOry-Fhc Crow Indian, Cur
ley, Says More Indians Were
Killed than custer had
White NIcn-They Fight
from two O'cloclS Until
Sunset.


White Mcn-phey Eight
from two o'clock Until
| sunset.
The Herald in a communicate
from Bismarck dated July 18th, fror
an officer high In command OF til
! forces operating against the Indians
says the Grow Indian, Curley, is be
! lieved to be the only survivor of tn
! 250 men who went into the actor
with Custer He is very clear i'm hi
knowledge of the fight, and made th,
/ statement that he went down will
two other Crows and went into tn,
action with Custer. The General, h,
! says, kept down the river, on tht
north bank, four miles, after Major
| Reno had crossed to the south side
above. Custer's object was to cut of
the Indians. He thought that Reno
would drive down the valley and al
| the same time attack the village OH
two Sides he believing that Reno
would take it at the upper end while
he (Custer) would go in at the lower
end. Custer had to go further down
the river, and further away from Reno
than lie wished to. on account Of the
steep bank along the north side, but
at last he found ford and dashed for
it.. TIE Indians met him and poured
in heavy fire from across the narrow
river. Custer dismounted to fight OH
foot, but could not get his skigmishers
across the stream. In the meantime
hundreds of Indians, on foot and on
ponies, poured over the river, which
was only about three feet deep, and
filled the ravines on each side Of Gus
ter's men. Custer then fell back to
some high ground beyond him and
seized the ravines I'm his immediate
vicinity. The Indians completely
surrounded Custer and poured in a
terrible fire from all sides. They chafg-
ed Custer on foot in vast numbers, but
were again and again driven back. .-
The fight began about two O'clock and
lasted, Curley says, almost until tire
sun went down over the hills. The
men fought desperately, and after the
ammunition in their belts was eX-
hausted they went to their saddlebars
and got more and continued to fight.
Curley says more Indians were killed
than Custer had men. He also says
the big Chief (Custer,) lived until
nearly all his men had been Killed or
wounded, and went about encouraging
his soldiers TO fight on. He gotta shot
in the left side and sat down with his
pistol in his hand when another shot
struck Custer in the breast and he
fell over. The last officer killed was
man who rode n white horse, who is
believed to be Lieut. Cook, Adjutant
of the Seventh, as Lieuts. Cook and
Calhoun were the only officers who
rode white horses, and Lieut.. CAL
han IL, l.
line, near the ford, and probably fell
early in the action. Curley says that
when he saw Custer, he was hope
lessly surrounded. He watched his
opportunity and got Sioux blanket,
put it on, and worked his way up q
ravine, and when the Sioux charged
he got among them, and they did not
know him from one of their own
men. There were some mounted
Sioux, and seeing one fall, Curley ran
to him, mounted his pony, and gallop-
ed down as If going towads the white
men, but ran up ravine and got
away. He says as he rode off, he saw,
when nearly mile from the battle
field, "a dozen or more soldiers in
ravine fighting, with Sioux all around
them. He thinks all were killed, as
they were outnumbered five to one and
dismounted. These were
no doubt part Of the thirty-five miss
ing men reported in the official dis
patches of Gen. Terry. Curley says
he saw one cavalry soldier who had
got away. He was well mounted, but
shot through both hips, ard Curley
thinks lie died Of his wounds, or
starved to death in the bad lands, or
more likely his trail was followed and
he was killed by Sioux. Curley did
not leave Gen. Custer until the battle
was nearly over, and he describes it as
desperate in the extreme, He is quite
sure the Indians had more killed than
Gen Custer had white men with him,
and says the soldiers fought on until
the last man fell, The Other Crow In
dlans In the battle We're killed.
1t is stated by very high authority
that the Republicans have decided to
give the nomination for Governor to
District Attorney Benjamin X. Phelps