Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-06-27
GENERAL CUSTER ANp nls MEN.
Light cavairymen showed Their Love BIZ
Dying with Their Leader.

Poor Custer! ] followed Kim through q !
great part Of the war of the rebellion as u
private soldier | followed him afterward
~ various capacities during his warfare on
the frontier Yes and today, Il ! should
see the general astride his Kentucky thor.
oughbred. seated as no niaire ever sat horss
before or since, should catch the CLINT OF
the sun on the mighty sweep Of that saber
OF his and zee the yellow hair fgirg
straight as he dashed along, / could not re.
eist the temptation to seize n poker or n
Ratchet or an TX handle, jump ustride that
Old mare Of mine and follow him for better
or for worse.
And no soldier OF Clusters ever did more
than follow him. He was leader Of his
men-not driver--a cavalier general who
asked no man to go where he dare not take
the lead, aud as the danger became greater
Custer WAS sure to be just us much farther
in front OF his column. Tacticians have
censured him for that, and perhaps he would
have been with us today had be abandoned
IT. But be was adashing soldier and would
rather charge upon TN enemy outnumber-
ing him 70 to than seek vantage ground
or lay seige. He believed it TO be his bust
ness to fight, and he let but few opporfnn-
tiles go by provided he thought the enemy
worth the inettle OF his troopers
Custer had the most unbounded faith in
the rank and file Of his regiment, but never
regosed the least confidence in his subor-
dinate officers. He gave his personal a =
teation to the minntest details Of his COM
mand, saw that every trooper had his full
allowance Of rations and clothing, and saw,
too. that the men attended just as carefully
to the physical wants of their horses He
t,,l-
lieutenant on such matters For that rea-
son the subordinate commissioned officers
hated him just as heartily as the men loved
him He insisted always on being absolute
ia his command
But how the boys loved that mani Their
devotion was fttingly demonstrated in an
incident in the general last battle On the
| Little Big Horn. The 300 troopers Of the
Seventh cavalry knew they were hopelessly
outnumbered by an enemy better armed
than themselves. Eight cayarymen broke
through the Indian lines and gained q
neighboring bluff. They were practically
| out of danger, for the fine horses will
| which the Seventh were then equipped could
laugh at the best Indian ponies But they
| halted on the bluff, and looking back saw
| their leader hemmed in on all sides by tht
savage enemy. One said Boys. we cam
do thisp' aud alighting placed his carbint
against his horses head and shot him dead
Then he quietly released his revolver
from the saddle, and thrusting them int
his belt started down the slope. The re
naming seven followed suit, and the littl
| band was annihilated in an attempt to gain
their leaders, side on foot All but on
were killed. and he being a half breed. Oh
second son of Theophile Bruguier of thi
county by his first wife, the daughter O
War Eagle, escaped slaughter, the infuri
atcd Sioux paying no attention to any bu
palefaces. Bruguier and | were friends
and he told me the incident the second da
after the Gght.-Sioux City journal.