Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-06-28
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CALLS NARRATIVE.
The story Of the custer massacre a

Inc STORY OF the custer Massacre as
Related by nm Indian Participant.
Custer Battlefield, Mont, June 25-
The tenth anniversary of the dark and
bloody tragedy which will be a gloomy
page IN American history was to day APP
propriately celebrated by q few survi-
vors OF that dreadful June day. Early
IN the day the great Sioux chief, Gall,
went over the entire field and described
in an intelligent and straight forward
manner the exact manner in which the
Custer command wat destroyed. Curley,
the Grow scout who was in reality the
| only survivor of all who marched into
the valley Of the Little Big Horn with
Custer, was also present, but Gall turned
his back on CurIey and said che ran
away too soon in the fight" Gall is a
powerful, fine looking specimen Of the
red race, forty.sIx years Old and weighs
over 200 pounds. He first appeared re-
tioient and was inclined to act suilen,
but when he stood on the spot which
saw the last fight of Custer on earth his
dark eyes lighted with fire, he became
earnestly communicative and he told all
he knew without restraint. His digni-
fed ~countenanoe spoke truthfulness,
and there is no doubt that the true his.
tory of that dreadfulday is at last made
known.
Calls narrative was as follows:
We saw the soldiers early in the morn
ing crossing the divide. When Reno
and Custer separated, we watched them
until they came down into the valley. A
cry was raised that the white men
soldiers were coming, and orders were
given for the village to move immedi-
ately. Reno swept down SO rapidly on
the upper end that the Indians were
forced to fight. Sitting Bull and I were
at the point where Reno attacked.
Sitting Bull was O big medicine man.
The women and children were hastily
moved down stream where the Ohey-
ennes were camped. The Sioux attacked
Reno and the Chyennss Custer, and then
all became mixed up. The women and
children caught the horses for the bucks
to mount. Then the bucks mounted and
charged back on Reno, checked him and
drove him into the timber. The soldiers
tied their horses to trees and came out
and fought on foot. As soon as Reno
was beaten and driven back across the
river, the whole force turned upon Custer
and fought him until they destroyed
him. Custer did not reach the river, but
was met about half a mile up a rayiue,
now called Reno creek. They fought the
soldiers end beat them back step by
step, until all were. killed, lone Of
Renos officers confirms this by saying ;
"After we were driven back to the hill
where the stand was made, there was an
intervals of over an hour that we had no
lighting. This gave us an opportunity
to shelter our horses in q .rayine and
partially intrench ourselves. tt was
probably during this interval of quiet
on Reno's part that the Indians massed
on Cutser and annihilated hint. The
Indians ran out of ammunition and then
used arrows They fired from behind
their horses. The soldiers got shells
stuck in their guns and had to throw
them away; they then fought with little
guns (pistois). The Indians were in
lcoulees 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 until
for1ed back to the ridge upon which; all
finally perished. They were shot down
AZ ohS 1AAO WhCkO hACsy cpSOus LAcUkA Z
company rallied by company and were
all killed in e bunch. This statement
seems borne ont by facts, as thirty-eight
bodies of Keogh's troops were found
piled in q heap The warriors directed
a special fire against the trooper who
held the horses while the others fought;
as soon as aholder vas killed, by wav-
ing blankets and great shouting the
horses were stampeded, which made it
impossible for the soldiers TO escape
afterward. The soldiers fought desper-
ately and hard and never surrendered.
They fought standing. They fought in
line along the ridge. As fast as the
men fell the horses were herded and
driven toward the squaws and old men,
who gathered them up. When
Reno attempted to find Custe,
by throwing out q skirmish line, Custer
and all wish him were dead. When the
skirmIshers reached q high point over.
looking Custer's field, the Indians were
galloping around and over the wounded,
dying and dead, popping bullets and
arrows into them. When Reno made
his attack at the upper end, he killed my
two sguaws and three children, which
made my heart bad. I then fought with
the hatohet which means, of course, mu.
tilatiDg the soldiers. The soldiers ran
out of ammunition early in the day
Their supplies of cartridges were in the
saddle pockets of their stampeded
horses. The Indians then ran mp to the
soldiers and bntchered them with
hatchets. A lot OF horses ran away and
jumped into the river, and were caught
by the squaws. Eleven Indians were
killed on Reno creek, and several In
dians fell over and died. Only forty
three Indians were killed altogether but
q great many wounded opes came across
the river and died IN the bushes. Some
soldiers got away and ran down a
~ravine. crossed the river,
came back again and were killed. We
had Ogallallas, M~ineconious. Brule.
Teton, Uncapapa, Sioux, Cheyenes.
Arrapahoes and Gros Ventres. When
the big dust came In the air dcwn the
river Emeaning Terry and Gibbon] We
struck our lodges and went up a creek
toward the White Rain mountains. The
Big Horn ranges were covered with
snow. We waited there four days, and
then went over to the Wyoming noun
tains.
This ended Calls narrative. 1T brings
ont many new facts and c~errects some
others. 1t has been popularity supposed
that Custer entered the river, but such
was not the case, as the bodies foundion
l the Little Horn were those of O few
stappeded soldiers. There were no
ceremonies or exercises gone through
with-simply an attempt, which was