The Hickman courier., 1877-08-10
GEN. CUSTER,S REMAINS.
Their ELIMINATION and RentegaI from the
Battle Ground.

Rattle Ground.
A dispatch to the New York Herald
says: Colonel NJ. Sheridan, with certain
military and other friends; troop j, of
the Seventh cavalry, Captain Nowlan
commanding c. J. Barronette and G..
Herndon White and Curley, who were
with Custer; Half Yellow Face, who was
with Reno, and several Crow Indian
scouts, with a train OF OK. wagons, left
the mouth of the Little Big Horn river
at noon of the first inst fg' the Custer
field. They Travelled twelve mics up the
west side of the river and camped.
Early the next morning Baronnette,
with most of the scouts, pressed rapidly
up some FIVE miles to the old village
{ site, then six miles across it, over inl-
mense quantities of lodge poles, camp
kettle pals, pots and other camp equip
11ruei-s5t ylssssla -srss.-ls-..1.1s. and
destroyed by General Terry after the
Indian retreat-ald into Reno's valley;
thence they filed some ten miles above,
returning again along the line of the
Indians retreat to Clusters valley and
his elevated but silent resting place
Meanwhile the main party marched to
near the center of the village site, some
six miles long, and campeI at ten am.
Thence in squads they passes over Gas
ter's valley, on the west side of the
stream, and the now deep, rapid ford and
line of retreat, and all united at Clusters
grave, at the extreme end and highest
point of a broken, treeless ridge.
Gradually riding mile and a half
from this and then some feet down the
western slope they found, partially un-
earthed, all that remains of the gallant
Custer. Beside and below him lay his
brother, Capt Thomas Custer, and other
officers and friends, surrounded by the
partially exposed and bleaching bones of
the soldiers and their horses, fragments
of clothing and shoes and shod hoofs of
horses. Although the remains OF Gen
Custer and most of his friends there, as
elsewhere, had evidently been disfgured
by the coyotes or savages, and probably
both, and many, if not the most, of the
skulls there and throughout all the fields
were smashed to fragments, mangled or
missing, still what was decided to be and
probably we're the main portions of the
bones of Gen. Custer and his two broth
ers were secured. Neither Reed nor the
officers who fell with him and Reno were
found.
The remains were carefully and sor-
rowfully gathered, wrapped and then
packed with grass cut from Clusters
valley, placed in ten rough cofins and
brought away. The remains of Lieut..
Porter and some of his men have been
found Though the bodies of Lieut..
Mcintosh and DR.. De Wolf were discov-
cred and buried last year, little, if any,
portions of their remains or of Lieut..
/ Hodgson's could now be found.
By the request Of his esteemed father
the gallant Lieut. Crittenden sleep:
where he fell, with his boys about him
awaiting Gabriers reyeille; bat for the
guidance of his friends, his name, rank
etc, are rudelY carved upon a head-post
Another board shows where Capt. Keogh
fell, and where his men sleep. There is
also a rude inscription at the headof each
of the Others, but most of the soldiers
either single or in groups, have Il stake
driven where they rest.
After the duty of sprinkling mother
earth upon.the fallen braves and the relig-
ious ceremonies were finished, the train
and cortage slowly and silently wended
its way from the lofty cactus desert to
the deep valleys of the cottonwood and
willow that fringed the rivers Of this In.
dian battle land.