The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-01-08
A GREAT DISASTER.

ter and the flower of his famous Seventh
Cavalry fought their last fight at the
battle of the Little Big Horn. No single
conflict in our long annals of border war
fare has ever shocked the country as did
this. Clusters dashing bravery both on
the frontier and on Southern battlefields
had made him one of our military idols.
The Seventh was the favorite regiment
in our regular army. Custer and his gal
liant troopers had repeatedly vanquished
the best Indian warriors of the West, and
were popularity believed to be invincible
against any savage foemen. 1t was a
rude awakening.
One of Clusters company commanders,
Capt. E. S. Godfrey, tells the story of his
Generals last battle in the Century for
January. In its general features it is
familiar story, but many of the details
are fresh and interesting. If Custer
understood the strength of the hostiles,
as it seems did everybody connected
with the expedition, from the Washing
ton war authorities down, it was one
of those rare occasions when the jealous
Indian tribes managed to get and hold a
great zeal army of warriors together, and
found a chief with the ability to take the
lead and inspire confidence. Custer was
fearfully outnumbered-probably 20 to
1. He was doubtless the first man to see
that the fight was perfectly hopeless.
Captain Godfrey attributes the massacre
to three causes-tirst, the overpowering
numbers of the enemy and their unex-
pected cohesion; second, Reno's panic
in the valley; the defective extraction Of
the empty cartridge shells from the car
bines. When the cartridges were dirty
and corroded, as was likely to be the case
after weeks of active campaigning, the
electors would not stir them from the
chambers and the men were compelled
to use their knives. Where it was one
trooper against ten or twenty savdges,
this delay meant death. 1t is singular
circumstance, but one entirely character
istic of Cur extraordinary Indian policy,
that in border conflict it frequently
happens that the Indians have the better
and deadlier arms.
Captain Godfreys narrative shows
that the expedition was undertaken with
sorrowful fOrbodings, but officers and
privates bore up manfully. There were
incidents that one could hardly keep
from laughing at in the midst of the bit
ter suffering after the defeat. One of
wounded was Saddler mike" Madden
of Troop NJ, great topper, whose en-
forced abstinence had given him a
famous thirst. His leg had to be cut
off, and it had to be done without the
aid of any anesthetic. After it was over
the surgeon gave mike" stiff glass of
brandy. When he had gulped it down.
the poor fellows native gayety returned
to him and he called "M-eh, doctor,
cut off my other leg"
fatal valley came out to tell the tale.
Capt. Godfrey was with the remainder
of the regiment near by, and came upon
the battlefield soon after. His account
is made up partially from information
given him by Indian participants in the
massacre. But the Sioux have been
enthusiastically reticent as to the de-
tails of the tragedy, and there are some
points for which it has never been posi-
BILE to secure a satisfactory explanation.