, 1879-01-26
Capt. MoyIan's Testimony at
an End,
The Trip from the Timber to
the Hill.
a Choice Between Detection On a Hill
and Death in a Hollow.
His Impressions Of Maj. Reno, Surgeon
Porter, Etc.
Capt, De Rudio Oorreots the Error Of q
Correspondent.

{ Ae@@@
| yesterday morning, Can't. Moylan's direct CT
animation being resumed ut the point wher
Lieut.. Lee left off Friday afternoon. He va
! asked what was done to ascertain the numbc
| Of Indians in the timber behind Reno's position
| and replied that he did not know, as Reno VA
] there and he was not From the outside b
could see some Fifty or sixty Indians in there
but there might have been many more. 4 for
! nation could have been made with both flank
resting on the river, but he did not knoy
how long it would have remained. TIL
number Of Rcno's men was 50 small
! that they would have had TO spread ou
In order to cover the ground. The Indians
at their left would have had the advantage oye
them from the fact OF this spreading out, aut
from the fact that they were higher than ths
troops, 60 that, in short, such a position wou1t
have been perfectly untenable. To put in ar
effective line, Reno should have had about
double the number Of men. It should be re
membered, however. that one-fourth Of his com
mand were Lorse-holdcrs, and allowance fol
them must he made In any estimate. Wher
Reno was in the woods, there we're probably nc
less than 500 Indians in range, while in the val
ley there could not altogether have been less
than 100.
AS TO AMNUN1TI0N,
his own men had fifty rounds on their persons
and fifty in their saddle-bags, according to Gus.
ter's order. Before leaving the line quite q
number OF his men had fred MI the ammunition
they had, and lie sent them to the saddle-bags
for more. During the forty minutes they were
on foot there on the skirmish line they must
have fired between forty aud fifty rounds per
man on the average About two-thirds of the
firing Was judiclous. The object in leaving the
timber was, he thought. to save the command.
He took thrty-eight men into the fight, out OF
which number eleven were wounded. The
losses Of the other companies were, Us he
thought, about the same Us his, although they
might have been more.
Lieut.. Lee asked Capt. Moy1an ii it was not
really more dangerous undertaking to leave
the timber than to stay there.
The answer was that, unless the command
had been supported, he thought the most
iudicious course was to leave the timber if pos
siblc; that, had it stayed there thirty minutes
longer, he doubted If they would have gotten
out With as many men as they actually did. BIZ
gaining the opposite side, he thought there
would be .au opportunity for the command to
receive aid. Tie command did not leave the
timber because driven out Of it, for they were
not driven out. On the contrary, il thcy had
stayed there they would have been driven into
It.. On the whole, he thought it
THE PART or WISDOM TO LEAVE THE TIMBER.
He didn't remember hearing any bug1e-call or
trumpet-cau on leaving the place. AS to the
formation of the command, lie could only say
that his company was all formed with the ex-
ception OF the one wounded man In the woods
and iaft Do Hp6fp bpsb 1f frb off
behind. Besides these, twelve men, as
he subsequently learned, were left behind
who afterwards got out and reached the hill
The command, on reaching the hill, was not
totally demoraiizcd, neither vas it very ex-
ultant- 1t was i'll good enough condition, he
added, to enable it to throw out a very fair
skirmish line few minutes after arriving there
His impression Was that quite number of the
men must have crossed before Reno did. from
the fact that when he saw Reno, after crossing,
he was standing on the right bank, while a
number Of men were some little distance up the
NIL. The timber was lower than the village, so
that Reno would have oycvshot the village from
bis position in the timber, and could really have
done it no harm. He had no reason to coubt
the Indians staten ents that the village was
one Of 1,S00 lodges and 400 Neutrality-suspicious.
oEEuptCA ~ AEA " AKA 1AA4Al1ES. Lie fulHGH.
from Reno's position on the hill, was out Of
range. He had understood that Custer was to
have supported Reno, and bis own
the trail in tile rear OF Reno's
column and was coming up to support him.
After reaching the top Of the hill-about an
hour altcrwards-he heard firing in the drec-
ton OF what was afterwards ascertained to be
|oA41 9n11 1fr1
Douglas attention to it, and the latter replied
that be thought it Was Custer attacking the
Indians at the other end Of the village. 1t was
yolley firing, but evidently very faint. 1t was
about an hour from the time OF separating from
Custer until the union Of Reno and Benteen
Oh tile hill. Benteen could have gotten across
the river to Reno in tile timber, If his force was
in the vicinity Of the watering-place "B "were
about half mile of from that point. He saw
very little evidences OF fighting near the river,
but further back the evidences were con-
clusiye. The body OF Col. Calhoun, bis
those ubo'th1 Who had fallen together in rceu.
lar line. Around one OF these bodies
he observed twcnty-eigEt cartridge-shclls. Some
Of the soldiers bad evidently valniY tried to
cross the river, for their hngcr"marks and boot
evidences OF lighting at the watering place
- B." although Iue"e were evidences that lot
of popies ilau recently crossed.
"Now," said Lieut.. Lee, "piease state your
opinion as to
THE CONDUCT OF MAI. RENO
on the 18th and 36th of June, 1876 with refer
ence to coulness, efficiency, energy, and courage
Us commanding officer OF the troops. Was it
such as to inspire bis command With confidence
and courage, or the reversed Give the facts On
which your opinion is based"
@&Maj. Rcno," replied Capt Moy1an, "during
tue advance through the bottom rode ut the
head Of the column. After the column was
formed into line, he was in trout OF the line
invariably III front, but sometimes to the right,
sometimes in the centre, and sometimes to the
left, according to circumstances. All his orders
which I received in the timber, either at that
time or afterwards, were given as coolly as a
man under the circumstances usually could give
.hcm, and saw nothing that would indicate
:owarlice about him.
"Very WE'LL" continued the Recorder, stake |
he hiil.' ....
During the afternoon Of the 25th," replied |
Capt. Moylan, ''he seemed perfectly cool to |
ne. saw but very little OF him on the 26ih. !
Orders we're unnecessary then. We were in |
position, and had nothing to Go but to hold it."
did you see him frequently on the 25th, |
after going on to the 1ill! 81
Frequently, and after dark on the 25th !
ay down BIZ his side part Of the time. He vas |
ying on his blankets and was lying next to t
lin and talking with him.