Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-07-09
CLUSTERS MASSACRE.
The Great Chief Gaul Tells How He and His
Brave Troops were Annihilated.

Brave Troops were Annihilated.
The tenth anniversary of tho massacre OF
Custer was celebrated by the few survivors
at Fort Custer, Mont, June 25. Great
Sioux Chief Gaul went over the field and
described the manner in which Custer's
command was destroyed.
We saw the soldiers early in the morning
crossing the divide when Reno and Custer
separated. We watched them until they
came down into the valley. The cry was
raised that the white soldiers were coming,
and orders were given for the village to
move Immediately. Reno swept down SO
rapidly upon the upper end that the In
dians were forced TO tight. Sitting Bull
and were at the point where Reno at
tackled. Sitting Bull was big medicine
man. The women and children were hasti-
ly moved down the stream where the
Cheyennes were encamped. The Sioux at
tackled Reno and the Cheyennes Custer,
and then all became mixed up. The wom-
en- ando children caught the horses for the
bucks to mount. Then the bucks mounted
and charged back on Reno. They checked
him and drove him into the timber
The soldiers tied their horses to the trees
and came out and fought on foot. AS
soon as Reno was beaten and driven back
across the river, the whole force turned on
Custer and fought him until they destroy
ed him Custer did not reach the river
but was met about half u mile up the RI
vine now called Reno creek. They fought
the soldiers and beat them back step by
step until all were killed. One OF Reno's
officers confirms this, saying: sit was
probably during this interval Of quiet on
Reno's part that the Indians massed on
Custer and annihilated him. The Indians
ran out of ammunition and then used ar
rows. They fred from behind their
horses.
The soldiers got shells stuck in their guns
and had to throw them away. They then
fought with little guns (pistols). The In
dams were in couples behind and in front
of Custer as he moved up the ridge TO take
position, and were just as many as the
grass. The first two companies, Keogh's
and Calhoun's, dismounted and fought on
foot. They never broke but retired step
by step and were forced back TO the ridge,
upon which all finally persisted. They
were shot down in line where they
stood. Keogh's company rallied
by company and were all killed in q
bunch. (This statement seems borne out
by facts, as thirty-eight bodies of Keogh's
troops were found piled in a heap.) The
warriors directed special fire against the
troopers who held horses while the others
fought, AS soon as the holders were killed
by the waving of blankets and shouting
the horses were stampeded, which made it
impossible for the soldiers to escape after
ward. The soldiers fought desperately
hard and never surrendered. They fought
standing in line along the ridge. AS fast
as men fell the horses were herded and
driven toward the squaws and old men,
who gathered them up.
When Reno attempted to find Custer by
throwing out skirmish line Custer and
all with him were dead. When the Skin
mishers reached the high point overlook
ing Custer's field the Indians were gallop-
ing around and over the wounded, dying
and dead, popping bullets and arrows into
them. When Reno made his attack at the
upper end they killed my two squaws and
three children, which made my heart feel
bad. / then fought with Ratchet (Which
means of course mutilating soldiers.
The soldiers ran out Of ammunition
early in the day. Their supplies or cart
ridges were in the saddle packets Of their
stampeded horses. The Indians then ran
up TO the soldiers and butchered them
with hatchets. A lot Of horses ran away
but were caught by squaws. Only forty
three Indians were killed altogether but
great many wounded ones came across the
river and died in the bushes We had
Ogallallas, Minneconjous, Brule, Teton,
Uncapapa, Sioux, Cheyennes, Arapahoes
and Grosventres. When the big dust
came in the air down the river (meaning
Terry and Gibbon) we struck our lodges
and went up creek toward White Rain
mountains. The Big Horn ranges were
covered with snow. We waited there four
days and then went over to Woj noun
tains. 1t has been popularity supposed
that Custer entered the river, but such
was not the case. There were no core
monies or exercises gone through with.