The Hickman courier., 1877-08-10
GEN. CUsTER,s REMALNs.
Their ELIMINATION and ReDtoUaE from tn
Battle Ground.

1Sftttfc tsFONhUs
A dispatch 10 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 O..
Herndon White and Curley, who were
with Custer Half Yellow Face, who was
with Reno, and several Crow Indian
scouts, with q train Of OK wagons, left
the mouth of the Little Big Horn river,
at noon of the first inst. for the Custer
field. They travelled twelve miles up the
west side OF the river and camped.
Early the next morning BaroDnette,
with most Of the scouts, pressed rapidly
up some five miles to the old village
site, then six miles across it, over i'm
mense quantities of lodge poles, camp
kettle paiis pots and other camp equip
age--much OF which was broken and
destroyed by General Terry after the
Indian etreas--asad into Reno ssyalley 5
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 camped at ten am.
Thence in squads they passed over Gus
ter's valley, on the west side of the
stream, and the now deep rapid ford and
line of retreat, and all united atCuster's
grave, at the extreme end and highest
point of a broken, treeIess ridge
Gradually riding a mile and half
from this and then some f.e5 down the
western slope they found, partially un-
earthed, ali 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 sbod hoofs of
horses. Although the remains Of Gen
Custer and most OF his friends there, as
elsewhere, had evidently been disfgured 1
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 were the main portions Of the
bones OF Gen. Custer and his two broth
ars 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 Or. 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 sleeps !
where he fell, with his boys about him,
awaiting Gabrieps reveille; but 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 head of each
IF the others, but most of the soldiers,
either single or in groups, have a stake
lriven where they rest.
After the duty of sprinkIing motherI
Earth upon.the fallen braves and the relig-1
Gus ceremonies were finished, the train
md cortage slowly and silently wended
IS way from the lofty cactus desert to
he deep valleys of the cottonwood and
yiilew that fringed the rivers of this In
liam battle land.