, 1877-07-15

HIS RETURN FROM CUsTER's BATTLE-FMLD.
Lieut.. Col. Il. Y. Sheridan, aide-dc camp on
the staff of his BROTHER Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan, re-
turned last evening from trip to the immortal
battle-ground OF the lamcntcd Custer, whittier he
went to secure the bodies OF the officers who were
massscred by the savages a year ago, and who had
been buried oy sympathetic hands, and their rest
ing places marked by stone.
A TRIBUNE reporter called upon him shortly
after ten, and found him willing to tell his ex-
perience He had had an uneycntful trip, though
be very likely looked upon it ln the light OF sol-
der. lie started from Cedar Creek. Ia Montana,
utout fifty miles below the mouth of the Tongue
River, OH the .Oth OF May last, with one company
Of the Seventh Cavalry, under command OF Capt.
Nowlan and Lieut.. scott Col. Sheridan also took
ters lwh,te). mud eight Crow Indians. Two OF the
latter had been in the terrible bgnt and were n.e-
lul in finding the blood -stuIned spot
The command marched up to the mouth Of the
Big Horn, and swan Their horses across the Yel~
lowstone River. The baggage was ferricd across in
''llttie mackinaws.'' From this point, the troops
marched to thu mouth Of the Little Horn up the
Big Il0rn. and swan the hitter stream, aud from
thence marched to the nattle; ground about fifteen
miles distant. In aIl 200 miles were marched over,
and two very bad rivers were crossed.
THE GROUND UPON WHICH THE BATTLE WAS
FOUGHT
is what is called In that country bad lands, and
IL peculiar in ITSELF 1t consists OF dry ashy sot
upun the surface Of which Is formed slight crust,
covered with light growth Of grass. It is easily
washed by rafns, aud even the winds will some
times change the formation Of the earth IN u sim
gle night that one would scarcely recognize tue
Go in t h. saa ra Ihere ths
the year are impassablc for wason- trains.
cast at this point, while the Little Horn comes into
it from eontherly direction, and the V-slapel
trnct Of land lying between the Two streams is q
field that the memorable battle was fought. in
which oves zoo brave men lost their lives. with
but single one lett to tell the story.
The soldiers were hu7redly buried, those doing
in the,r possession, and danger lurk,
and ant rIastly bones were strewed about, Or n iy,ns
half exposed iu the ground. These collected
and properly buried, while the remains Of twelve
been more carefully buried. were disnterred,
boxed up il: rude collins and brought back pos-
ton q te distance ~ Ths bones o{ the pryatss
50 that they may be recovered by friends ut my
In returning. Col sheridan's command took
steamer, which had by this time gotten up the river
TO Post No =, ut the mouth Of tile Lattle uoru
At Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory, the bodies Of
under guard awaiting the action Of the friends Of
the DECEASED. The four other officers were doubt
less Inferred with the priyatcs us all tc bodies
were stripped, decomposition set in rapidly, and
they could not be recognized.
Col Sheridan expressed some doubts as to the
adysabty Of enlist'n a yolunlesss from the Terri
The people OF that country, he said,
were those who had come to settle,
improve ranches, and make money They
would not enlist, consequently the troops would BE-
made up OF the offscournys Of humanity, like the
''EufT4io Bills, " the 'tTexas .JucSsf and Others
who had pcen driven beyond the pale Of ciyiliza-
ton, and who We're loatiny about thur Territory.
Ills experience hal demonstrated to him thai they
were a set VI arraut towards. And when scouts
were called upon to act as messengers, they were
not the to volunteer but The regular soldiers
were the ones who d,d the dangerous work. He
for that country in bis opinion.