The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-13
THE CUSTER MASSACRE.
Sitting Bull raises to explain
his connection.
he tells what be knows about the
Sad Affair.
\. Y Express.

Sitting Bull, the desperate Indian leader.
has recently told the story Of the Custer
massacre to Major CroZier He began his
account of the engagement by saying that
ION the morning of the battle, early at
sunrise, two young men who had been out
short way on the prairie came to me and
told me that from the top of high butte
they could see the troops advancing in two
Idivisions. l then had all the horses driven
into the camp and corralled between the
lodges. About noon the troops came up.
and at once rushed upon the camp. They
charged in two separate divisions, one at
the upper end whilst the other division
charged about the middle of the camp.
The latter division struck the camp in the
center of the $50 lodges of the Uncapapa
Sioux, and close to the door of nv own
lodge. At the time that the troops charged
| was making medicine for the Great
Spirit to help US and fight up
on our side, and as heard
| the noise and knew what it was I came
out. When | had got to the outside of
my lodge noticed that this division had
stopped suddenly close to abe outer side
OF the Cncapapa camp, and then they
sounded bugle, and the troops fired into
the camp. (Here Sitting Bull made pc
cuiar noise with his mouth and clapped
his hands together to initiate the firing of
soldiers.) L at once set my wife upon my
best horse, put my war-bonnet on her
head, and told her to run away with the |
rest of the women. She did so, but in her
hurry forgot to take the baby "a girD |
after she had gone little way she thought |
of the child and came back for it. / gave !
the child to her, and she went off again |
now put a flag upon lodge-poIe and lift |
ing it as high as | could l shouted out as |
loud as was able to my own men,
4 AM SITTING BULL. FOLLOW ME-
l then rushed at the head of them up to |
the place where | thought Custer was, and
fired again, (Here Sitting Bull again
initiated for some length of |
time the firing of the troops). When
saw that the soldiers fired from their sad
dies and did but little damage to us,
ordered all my men to rush though their
ranks and break them, which they did, but
failed to break the ranks, although we
suffered as little damage as before. | then
shouted to them to try again, and putting
myself at the head of my men we went at
them again This time, although the sol
diers were keeping up rapid firing (from
their horses), we knocked away, though
had only one man killed. After this we
charged the same way several times, and
mile, killing them very fast. After fore
ing them back there only remained five
soldiers Of the division and the interpreter
alive, and | told my men to let them live
Then the Interpreter, the man that the
Indians called The White shouted out in
the Sioux and said. Custer is not in this
division he is in the other l
then ordered all my men to come
on and attack the other division. They
did so, and followed me. The soldiers of
this division fired upon Us as soon as we
got within range, but did US little harm
When we had got quite close and we We're
just going to charge them,
a GREAT STORM BROKE
right over US the lightning was fearful, and
struck a lot of the soldiers and horses, kill
ing them instantly. I then called out to
my men to charge the troops, and shouted
out, The Great Spirit is on our side Look
how he is striking the soldiers down. My
men saw this, and they all rushed upon the
troops, who were mixed up good deal
About forty of the soldiers had been dis
mounted by the lightning killing and fright
ening their horses. and these men were
soon trampled to death. 1t was just at this
time we charged them, and we easily
knocked them off their horses and killed
them with our 'coup-sticks. In this way we
/
who tried to get away but were killed 10y
the Sioux before they could get far. All
through the battle the soldiers fired very
wild, and only killed twenty five Sioux /
did not recognize General Custer in the
fight, but only thought l did, but l would
not be certain about it. | believe
CUSTER WAS KILLED
in the first attack, as we found his body, or
what all the Indians thought was Clusters !
body, about the place that it was made. l
do not think there is any truth in the re |
port that he shot himself. / saw two sol
diers shoot themselves. The Sioux Were | '
them, and in a few moments {
would have caught them, but they shot :
themselves with their pistols in the head.
The body which all the Indians said was
Clusters had its hair cut short. There
were seven hundred and nine Americans ,
killed. We counted them by putting q
stick upon each body, and then taking the
sticks up again and counting them. We :
counted seven hundred and seven carbines.
Two might have fallen into the creek"
When Bull had concluded the foregoing
account of the battle he turned to Major
Crozier and said: There, ] have fought
the battle all over again to you, and this
| have never done since the time I fought
Z -,