The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-09-01
GEN. CUSTER Rem AINS
Their Ertassnetfoas and ReassgGt froaas the
battle Ground.


GEN. GUsTER BEN ALNS
Theis. EacE.assaestfoaa and Rearssedtf from the
Batte Gaoand.
4 dispatch to the New York Herald
saws: Colonel NJ. Sheridan with certain
military and other friends troop Of
the Seventh cavalry, Captain NoWlan
commanding G J. Barronette andd.
Herndon White and Curley, who were
with Custer Half Yellow Face, who was
with Reno, and several Grow Indian
scouts, with a train of Ok wagons, LETT
the mouth of the Little Big Horn TlVer,
at noon of the frst inst. for the Custer
field. They travelled twelvemiles up tne
west Side of the riAr and eanped.
Early the next morning Baronnette'
with most of the scouts, pressed fa2laly
ND some five miles to the old vltlags
| site, then six miles across it, over I'M
mense quantities of lodge poles, camp
kettle pals, pots and other camp equip
age--much of which was broken and
destroyed by General Terry after h
Indian retreat-ald into Reno's valley;
thence they filed some ten miles above
returning again along the line OF the
| Indians retreat to CuAer's 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 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 Custer's
grave, at the extreme end and highest
point of a broken, t~reeless ridge.
Gradually riding a 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 hoots OF
horses. Although the remains OF Gen
Custer and most of his friends there, as
elsewhere, had evidently been dis6gured
by the coyotes or savages, and probably
both, and many, if not the most, of the
skulls there and throughout all the fields
we're smashed to fragments, tlangled Oh
missing, still what was decided to be and
probably were 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 collins and
brought away. The remains of Lieut.
Porter and some of his Zen 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 sleeps
where he fell, with his boys about him
awaiting Gabriel's r~eveiIle 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
of the others, but most of the soldiers
either single or in groups, have a stake
driven where they rest.
After the duty of s~prinkling mother
earth upon the fallen braves and the relig'
ious ceremonies were finished, the train
and cortage slowly and silently wended
it's way from the lofty cactus desert tc
the deep valleys of the cottonwood and
willow that fringed the rivers of this In
dian battle land.