Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-11-07

| 01Uonumes Keeping up the monoronous
| humping Of their rude drums and mean
| ingless inharmonic droning until the conn
mand was ready to march again as the
sun rose.
One dark and foggy morning, when we
had been en- route nearly three days, I was
riding with General Custer and his famous
hounds a short distance in advance Of the
column. following . small pack OF gray
| wolves his dogs had driven out Of shell
tered ravine. As Ga John Smith, principal
guide, was alongside of us indicating the
direction the command was to take,
there suddenly doomed mp in the THICK
atmosphere, and greatly magnified there
! by, an apparently lofty peak OF an
isolated chain, over which the venerable
guide said our coArse lay. The feDerAl
turned to me and asked: ssWhat>i9 fAis
! place, any how?" 1 glanced around and
the whole dreary landscape reminded me
/ SO forcibl of the many barren and deso-
late ranges of the Holy Land that I
almost involuntarily replied: This Is
Mount Jesus" The considerable hill over
which that memorable trail first passed
more than twenty years ago. the traces OF
which may be distinctly seen to-day, is
historic ground. 1t is located in what is
now Clark County, whose principal town,
Ashland, reposes in its shadow.
1t was near the foot of sMount Jesus"
q
clature of the topography OF the region,
that Sheridan first learned he had been
promoted to the exalted position Of
Lieutenant General of the Army.
But i must return to the consecutive
thread of my desultory memories. When
the command reached the salt marshes
OF the Cimarron- river it was somewhat
surprised by an order from General Sheri-
dan, who had now overtaken us, relieving
General Snl nd nj ir7c
preme authority over the troops, by virtue
of the latter's higher brevet rank, and
Sully continued with us to Camp Supply,
where he directed the building of the can
tonment which was afterwards. and is
now, an important military post General
Sully, when the next forage train started
north, was ordered back to Fort Harker
and reassumed command of the district
of the Upper Arkansas.
On the evening of the third day, if my
memory serves me correctly, after our
arrival at Camp Supply-the radiating
point determined upon by General Sheri-
dan in his elaborate plan for waging an
aggressive war upon the hostile tribes
the terrible storm have previously re-
ferred to broke in all its fury upon the
only partially sheltered troops bivouacked
there, and which nearly put hors de combat
the gallant Nineteenth Kansas, marching
en- route to that point
The morning Of the 26th of November
opened with clear skies, an intensely cold
wind from the north and the ground COW
cred with snow to the depth OF four or five
inches. But, Notwithstanding, General
Custer, impatient and brooking no further
delay, marched out with his famous regi-
ment, celebrated band and gaudily- appar-
eled Indian scouts. At the same time I
was ordered north by General Sheridan
with the immense train to bring back
forage and commissary stores from the
depot at Fort Dodge. Nv command as q
protection to the long line of over six
hundred army wagons through the Indian
country, comprised two companies of
regular infantry, besides which every
teamster was armed and equipped to be-
come a combatant in case of emergency.
The next day, the memorable 9th of No.
vember, General Custer gained his great
victory over Black Kettle on the WASH
ita river, south of the Canadian But of how
he, to the surprised Indians. apparently
dropped from the clouds in The gray of the
early morning. while thu band struck up
''Garry Owen" the reader is refers ed to
the Generals own graphic account in his
"My Life on the Plains" !" which originally
appeared in the Galaxy.
On the 29th, only fol ty- -eight hours after
this historic event, 1 was encamped at the
mouth Of the Mulberry, and in the mid
die of the nigh the pickets broue hit to INV
tent a courier ho had been dispatched by
General Sheridan with the following
characteristic letter:
CAMP SUPPLY. Nov. ss -6s
MY DEAR -: Custer struck the Cheyeuues
on headwaters Of the Washita- Killed lO3 war
rors and destroyed the village of Black Kettle =
killing Black Kettle and capturing fftythree
squaws and their children He is returning to
this point with his prisoners, and his supply of
forage, unless he has been very careful TO keep
his horses on half forage will be short Push
on your trains, but not to injure the mules
with the supplies
The weather here is delightful and the snow
nearly all gone. Yours truly,
p b. SHERIDAN, Major-Generai.
In that terrible battle the Indians lost
enc hundred and three killed, including
the famous Chiefs Black Kettle and
White Rock. Many were wounded who
crawled Off and died in the ravines, whose
number is not determined. Custer lost two
officers and nineteen men, and three Of
fcers and eleven men were wounded The
officers killed were Major Elliott and Cap
tain Louis McLane Hamilton, grandson
of General Alexander Hamilton. The fight
lasted several hours, and all the warriors
were either killed or dispersed and their
camp entirely destroyed, together with
some twelve hundred ponies, shot by order
of General Custer. Major Elliott's fate
was a sad one. He separated himself from
the main command, followed by nineteen
of the troopers, including Sergeant
Major Henderson, to follow a body of In
dians over the divide. which proved to
be decoy, and when about mile from
the creek was suddenly surrounded by an
overwhelming force OF savages. They
fought only brave men of the Seventh
cavalry could, but it was useless; they
were all killed and their bodies horribly
mutilated- The intrepid Sergeant Major
Henderson was the last one to fall; when
ell had been killed but he, the chief in com
mand (his name have forgotten) offered
him his hand. but Henderson knew too
well what was in store for him if he sur
rendered-nothing short of the stake
and its accompanying tortures-
so he elected to die right there:
and as the fingers of he assembling say
age grasped his he ran him through the
body. At the same instant b received his
own death wound at the hand of a one
armed, mounted warrior, who, seated on
his horse Immediately behind him, when
he saw his chief fall thrust his spear into
the shoulder of the brave Henderson as he
stood up in his sfirrups above him, forcing
it down through the unfortunate mans
heart and out below his hip; and he, too.
the last of all sunk a crushed mass a ar,opy