St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-26

By this time Reno had began to
retreat to the hill several hundred
yards in his rear and, as Gall said, 1--WE
knew we had him safe. We moved OF
down where the other soldiers were, in
tending to settle them and then come
back after him." He said, however, that
enough Indians had already surrounded
Custer to overwhelm him without their aid.
Having wiped out Clusters command, Gall
said they
PROCEEDED AGAINST RENO.
The hours delay had enabled
him to take position and despite
the fierce attacks and the loss of
fifty men all told he was able to defend
himself until relieved after two days hard
fighting by the arrival of reinfOrcementS
under Terry and Gibbon, whom the scouts
had observed far off. AS Gall expressed it,
There were many soldiers with big guns and
we thought we had better leave" They lett
at once, striking for the Big Horn mount
tains, sixty miles away. where they remained
with the wounded for four days. The
opinion of those present, many of whom
were old Indian fighters, was that Custer
showed great bavery, but an
ABSOLUTE LACK OF JUDGMENT.
AS Gen. Dudley said, he saw star
knew that the teepes which he could
see from the hills on the bottom land below
contained perhaps 5000 warriors. There
was chance for success and promotion in
making the dash and he made it and got
killed. 1t has always been thought
that Custer made an attempt to ford the
river about three miles below Reno's hill
position, to strike the Indians on the flank,
but Chief Gall most emphaically
denies this. He went with
the officers along Clusters trail.
and pointed out the side hill about two
miles back from the river along which Gus
ter had moved. He said that Custer never
went nearer the ford than this side hill, and
that the men and horses found dead rear
the ford were some who had
ATTEMPTED TO JOIN RENO;
that they died after Clusters party on Mon
ument hill, and that they died very hard,
killing many Sioux. Gall showed where
Custer had first dismounted to fighl
on foot. He said that he never mounted
again, but kept falling gradually back. He
further said that the Sioux killed the
men holding the horses first. When
the horses ran away the young
bucks would drive them with their blankets
down across the river and the women caught
time Custer was first seen Reno was
still in the bottom and that on seeing
Custer the order was given to get ready to
move off, as they were alarmed. Just at
this time Reno began to stampede to the
hill, and the Indians, seeing this, revoked
the order for moving, as this gave them
heart to fight After driving Reno to the
hill the Sioux
MASsED ON CUSTER
and staid with him till all were killed,
when they got fresh ponies and went to
fight Reno. AS the party rode into camp
the difference which civilization had
effected on the scene were well il
Illustrated by the cultivated farms of thrifty
Crow Indians below in the bottom and the
perhaps demoralized tendency was
furnished an example by Chief Gall who
said the Great Spirit was with
them in the fight riding naiestically in the
front and clad in a pair Of Nankeen
leggings and a white shirt reaching to
his stockings, calmly smoking, with evident
enjoyment. that highest expression OF mod
er aegeneracy. cigaret
CALLS NARRATIVE
was as follows: I'VE saw the soldiers
divide. When Reno and Custer separated
into the valley. A cry was raised that the
white men soldiers were coming and orders
were given for the village to move imme-
diately. 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 Big Medicine. The women and child
rem were hastily moved down stream, where
the Cheyennes were camped. The Sioux
attacked Reno and the Cheyennes Custer,
and then ali became mixed up. The women
and children caught the horses for the
bucks to mount them; the bucks mounted
and charged back on Reno and checked him
and drove him into the timber. The SOL
diers 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
returned upon Custer and fought him
until they destroyed him. Custer did not
reach the river, but was met about half a
mile up ravine, 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 by
saying: ''After we were driven back to
the hill where the stand was made there
was an interval of an hour that we had
no fighting. This gave us an OPP
portunity to shelter our horses
in ravine and partially intrench our
selves. 1t was probably during this interval
of quiet on Reno's part that the Indians
massed on Custer and annihilated them.
The Indians ran out OF ammunition and
their arrows they fired from behind their
horses. The soldiers shells got stuck in
their guns, and they had to throw them
away. They then fought with little guns
pistols. The Indians were in coulees be-
hind 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 compan-
les. Keogh and Calhoun, disnlounted and
FOUGHT ON FOOT.
They never broke, but retired step by step
until forced back to the ridge upon which
all finally persisted. They were shot down
in line where they stood. Keogh's COM
pany rallied by company, and were all
killed in bunch" This statement seems
borne out by the facts, as thirty-eight
piled in heap. 1.-The warriors
directed a special fire against the
troops, who held the horses while
the others fought AS soon as a soldier
was killed by moving blankets and great
shouting the horses were stampeded. which
made it impossible for the soldiers to es-
cape. Afterwards the soldiers fought des-
perately and hard and never sur
rendered. They fought strong-and then
fought in line along the ridge. AS fast as
the men fell the horses were herded and
driven toward 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 slsrmishers reached a high point over
looking Clusters field, the Indians were
galloping around and over the wounded,
dying and dead, poppingbullets and arrows
into them. When Reno made his attach
at the upper end he killed my two squaws
and children, which made my heart bad. I
then fought with my Ratchet (which means,
of course, mutilating.) The soldiers ran
out of ammunition early in the day. Their
supply OF cartridges was in the