The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-05-31
Re ebMriaI of the Officers and Men
Killed ira the Custer Massacre.

The removal of the remains of the Off
GERS having been determined upon by the
War Department, and portion of the
army contingent fund being set apart to
defray the expenses of the same, Colonel
M. V. Sheridan, of General Sheridan's,
staff, has been detailed to superirtend
the exhumation and transfer of the le-
mains, and accordingly left for the field
OF the massacre, expecting that the trip
will consume about five weeks. From
Fort Lincoln, Dakota, Colonel Sheridan
will be accompanied by an officer and
detachment of twenty soldiers of the
Seventh Cavalry. who, being at the time
with Reno's command. assisted in the
burial of their comrades. The trip from
Fort Lincoln to the mouth of Tongue
River, and perhaps to point on Tongue
River within forty miles of the battle.
field, will be made on one of the small
steamers now plying on the upper Mis-
souri, and Yellowstone.
The officers of the butchered command
were buried in a row, with only few
feet intervening between them. The re-
mains were wrapped in Blankets and
pieces of tent cloth, and with each body
the shell of discharged cartridge, con-
tanning the name of the officer, was
placed, to make Identification certain
even after the decay of the corpse. At
the head of each grave stake was
driven below the surface, and on each
of these stakes the name of the officer was
cut with a penknife.
Below are the names of the officers who
were killed, with an indication of their
rank: Lieutenant Colonel George A.
Custer, Brevet Major General; First
Lieutenant W. W. Cooke, Adjutant,
Brevet Colonel; First Lieutenant G. E.
Lord, Assistant Surgeon; Captain Thos.
w. Custer, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
Captain G. w. Yates; Captain M. W.
Keogh, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
First Lieutenant A. E. Smith, Brevet
Captain; First Lieutenant Donald Nc.
Intosh, First Lieutenant J. E. Porter
First Lieutenant James Calhoun, Second
Lieutenant Benjamin Rodgson, Second
Lieutenant Fl. M. Harrington, Second
Lieutenant J. Sturgis, Second Lieuten
ant W. Van W. Reilly, Second Lieuten
ant J. J. Crittenden, Acting Assistant
SurgeonJ. M. DeWolf. At the time the
interment was made the soldiers were
unable to find or identify the bodies O.
Lieutenants Harrington and Porter.
The remains of Lieutenant Crittende1
will not be molested. This officer
father, General Thomas J. Crittenden, O
Kentucky, has written letter to Gen
eral Sheridan expressing the wish thai
his sons bones may not be disturbed, ane
giving his reasons therefor. The remains
OF the other thirteen will be exhumed
placed in cofins transported thither fol
the purpose, and brought to Fort Lin
coin. From Lincoln the body of Gen
eral Custer will be shipped via Chicago
to West Point, New York, where it will
be buried on the grounds of the Nationa
Academy. 1t was General Clusters wish
repeatedly expressed during his cam
paign against the Indians, that he b.
buried at West Point if he should b.
killed in the service. The remains o
the other officers will be taken to For
Leavenworth, Kansas, and given sepul
ture in the National Cemetery, at tha
place. Colonel Sheridan thinks that h
will be fortunate if he succeeds in hndip!
the bones of the officers who were burie,
on the battlefield.