The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-06
Col. John A. Cockerill Describes
a Recent Visit to the Place
Whers the Slaughter
Occurred.
Every Evidence to Show That
the Seventh Cavalry We're
Guided by intelligence.
They Vera Shot Where They
Stood But They Kept the
Alignment Perfectly.

Since the close of our civil war we have
had but one great and striking battle fought
upon the soil of the republic, and that is
known as a massacre. 1 refer to the eX-
tnction of Gen. George A. Clusters cavalry
command, on the Little Big Horn, in Mon
tana June, 1876, by a barbarous mob OF
Sioux and Cheyenne Indians under the COM
mand of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
While this deplorable affair was in sense,
bloody massacre, it was, nevertheless on
the part Of cavalry, a battle 1ouSht
from beginning to end with intelligence ana
discipline and with a heroism that mas not
been eXcelled since Thermopylae. 1t was a
battle and sacrifice
The completion of the railway between
Sheridan, Wyo., and Billings on the North
ern Pacific railway, has brought the custer
battlefield into touch with the outer world
and tourists in the Northwest will flock TO
at hereafter by the thousands. There IS
neat railway station at FIT Custer, the
cavalry depot of the Northwest, 'and the
battlefield is distant 10 miles. An easier
journey can be made from the Crow Agency,
which is on the line of the railway. and only
four miles from the now historic field.
In November last 1 had the privilege of
visiting the scene of Clusters glory in the
company of Col. William F. Cody and under
auspices which were most agreeable.
Arriving at Fit Custer, we were met by
prominent among them Lieut.. Malvern Hill
Barnum, son of the late Gen. Henry A.
Barnum, of New York-remembered as one
of the bravest and noblest soldiers that
ever buckled on sword belt. Gen. Merritt
had kindly notified our coming to Col John
Kemp Miner commandant of the post and
every courtesy at the command of himself
and his officers was ours. Capt. J. b. Nc
Donald, acting quartermaster. was espe-
cally Jealous in his attention, as were also
Lieutenants Wright Johnston and Lieut.
Col. Perry.
START FOR THE BATTLEFIELD.
The start for the battlefield was made at
10 o'clock a. m. We had two ambulances
placed at our disposal, one of them fairly
stocked with rations for the day. and Col
Miner took charge of the expedition He
sent with a detail of troopers, with led
horses for our on the field Besides a
half dozen young officers of the 10th, we
had with the post scout, James Camp
bell, to whom the whole country is indebted
for the care of the Custer field. He in
the vicinity of the battle with Gibbons
command and was one of the first white
men to reach the field after the retreat of
the foe. He familiar with the 7th cav
airy and was able to identify a number of
the mutilated bodies. He went carefully
over the field, and wherever the body of a
soldier Law he placed stake. From that
day he has been stationed at Fl Custer
and he has watched over the field care
fully and tenderly "Od Mortality"
guarded the graves of his Covenanters in
the kirkyards of Scotland
Through tie late Senator Beck, of Ken
tucl.y, who visited the field some years ago,
he induced the government to fence in the
battlefield and erect neat stone lodge for
the use of a superintendent. Furthermore,
he obtained an appropriation for marble
stones, which he substituted for the wooden
stakes which marked the spots whereon the
trOOnarS n fol nd these
white sentinels, dotting the field, tell the
story of the struggle and help in way to
clear up the awful shadow of mystery
which will ever rest upon these solemn,
biood-dyed hills. Each little marble senti-
mel tells that here died a member of the 7th
United States cavalry, June 25. 1876. That
is all.
AT the highest point of the field and
within few feet of where Custer and his
little group of devoted followers rallied and
died there stands a monument, consisting
of three massive blocks of granite, in pyra-
mid form. On these stones will be found
the names of the officers and men of the
18th who were inundated here. AS 1 read
them over | was struck by the fact that
fully two-thirds of them were American
names-a simple thing in itself, but it re-
futed the common belief that our regular
army in time of peace is, and always has
been, largely made up of foreigners. The
vandal had been here with his Ratchet, and
great chunks Of this commemorative pile
have been Clipped off and carried away.
So heartless were the relic hunters before
the government inclosed the field that it
became necessary to take down the stone
which marked the spot where Clusters body
lay and substitute a plain board cross.
They Clipped it off until only a couple of
feet remained.
FIELD OF BATTLE A NATIONAL CEN
ETERY.
But all that is ended now, for thorough
supervision is maintained and this field is
national cemetery now. The remains of
United States soldiers who had been slain
in battle, scout and massacre in that sec
tion are being gathered here and properly
buried, with tombstone and monument The
victims of the FIT Phil Kearny massacre
lie here now, and many a poor, half de-
faced stone which told for years at some
faithful bearer of the national arms has
been transferred with its bones to this
mournful corner. to go telling to the
ages it's story of heroic death and duty per-
formed.
Our ride from the fort to the field was
through the pretty valley of the Little
Big Horn. We passed one large Crow
village, and at one point witnessed a pict-
uresque sight-to wit, about a hundred
Crow Indians engaged in actual manual
labor Capt. Watson, the military officer
in charge of the Crow agency, has estab
lished here experimental farm, the In
dams performing the bulk of the work.
He had them engaged in chopping down
sage grass on the bottom as we passed.
Those Crow Indians are the richest yag-
rants in the world. They own the land
composing the vast reservation, they have
free food and ammunition in abundance.
and they only number about $500 all told.
If they had their holdings In severalty
they would have small fortune per cap-
tia.
AS we came upon the sage bush smiters
the landscape was full of color. The hand
some ponies, with their gay blankets and
rich saddles, were tethered on the plain and
the golden sunshine was gliding their tran
pings with autumnal effulgence The hucks
wore broad white sombreros and were clad
in variegated blanket coats and trousers
while the squaws could have given a lime
RAINBOW cards and spades, so to snaaL
In the matter of color Though they really
had hoes), and l can truthfully saw that
never saw such a formidable forceful
array and so little achievement The men
were for the most part sitting around
smoking cigarettes or loungng half asleen
Whlle the papooses rolled in the sun and
the squaws alone swung the glittering hoe
Ihese Crow Indians l take it, bear ahout
the same relation to virile Indians of the
sioux stamp that the genus coryus hea re
IN ornithology to the whiteheaded ga pile
when one of these Indians takes I'm a hit
OF land and sets up as granger the gov
eminent builds him a nice frame house
AS soon as the house becomes pediculous
the aboriginal farmer sets np tepee on
MS front lawn, moves his family and h;s
penateS into 1t and turns the ooverpn,on.