Crawford avalanche., 1897-07-29
CUs7ER'S LAST FIGHT.
THE HISTORIC BATTLE OF THE
LITTLE BIG HORN.
Chief Calls Account Of How the Brave
Fellows Of the Seventh Cavalry Were
Overcome BY an indian Horde Gallant
Defense.

Twenty-ope years ago occurred the
famous battle of the Little Big Horn,
in which General George A. Custer
and his brave men of the 7th Cavalry
were massacred by the Cheyennes and
Sioux. The campaign against the
hostile Sioux, under Sitting Bull,
Crazy Horse, Gall and others, was
directed by General Terry, General
Crook, with 1000 men, starting from
Fort Fetterman, Dakota; General
Gibbon. with 450 men from Fort
Ellis, Montana, and General Terry,
with 600 cavalry and 400 infantry,
from Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota.
General Terry established supply
camp at the mouth of Powder river
June 8, and there came in communi-
cation with Gibbon, whose command
was at the mouth of the Big Horn.
General Crook encountered large
force of Sioux June II on the Rose
bud. Terry decided to join Gibbons
force, but sent his cavalry by a circuit
to the Upper Rosebud, where the
whole command was to meet. Gen
eral Custer started June %, and soon
found signs of large body of In
dians. On the Little Big Horn he
came up to their village. Major Reno,
with three companies, was sent to the
valley of the stream, where the trail
crossed it. Reno crossed, but was
driven back, where Captains Benteen
and Mcdonald, with four companies,
joined him. From 2:30 o'clock, the
25th, till 5 o'clock the following day
Reno's force was surrounded by up
ward of 5000 Indians. With their
cups they dug breastworks that prob
ably saved their lives. AT night on
the 25th some of the men crawled to
the river and got water. The next
day they fought in the blazing sun all
day without water. The Indians
sometimes rode up within 200 yards.
Finally a soldier ran out and scalped
an Indian in full sight of his band,
and after that the charging ceased.
The next morning General Terry and
his command came up. Terry and his
officers were all crying. They had
found the bodies of Custer and his
men two miles away. Not soul of
what took place. The loss was twelve
officers, 247 men, five civilians and
three Indian scouts killed, and two
officers and fifty-one men wounded.
While Terry and Crook waited for re-
Inducements the Indians escaped.
In October about 1000 of them sur
rendered to General Miles. Sitting
Bull and his followers got into British
territory and did not come in until the
hard winter of 1881 forced them to
surrender to Colonel Guido Ilges.
Many accounts have been told of
the massacre, but nearly all of them
are distorted by peculations as to
what happened Clusters mistake in
pursuing an overwhelming force, in
face of which he divided his own, to-
gether with the folly of letting the
Cheyennes kill ..the men holding his
horses and stampede the animals, thus
carrying away nearly all his ammuni-
ton, cost him his life and sealed the
doom of the men with him.
The most reliable story of Clusters
last fight was told by Chief Gall to
under Custer. DIR. Lord, the senior
surgeon, insisted on going with Gus
ter and forced Porter to go with Reno,
thus losing his own life and saving
Porter's. Ou the tenth anniversary
of the battle, in 1886, DIR. Porter and
a number of officers who were with
Reno, together with Gall, were at the
battlefield, and they went over the
ground together This is Calls story:
"We saw the soldiers in the morning
crossing the divide. When Reno and
Custer separated we watched them
until they came down 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
were at the point where Reno at
tackled. Sitting Bull was Big Medi-
cine. The women and children were
hastily moved down stream, where the
Cheyennes were encamped. The Sioux
attacked Reno and the Cheyenes Gus
ter, and then all 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 soldiers
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 turn
ed upon Custer and fought him until
they destroyed him. Custer did not
reach the rivor, but was held about
half a mile up the ravine, now called
Reno creek. They fought the soldiers
and beat them back step by step until
all were killed"
From his story it is evident that the
Indians were in the coulees behind
and in front of Custer as he moved up
the ridge to take position. The first
two companies (Keogh and Calhoun)
dismounted and fought on foot. They
never broke, but retired step by step
until forced back to the ridge, where
all finally perished. They were shot
down in line where they stood. This
statement seems borne out by the
facts, as thirty eight bodies of Keogh's
company were fonnd together). The
warriors directed a special fire against
the soldiers who held the horses while
the others fought. As soon as one of
these soldiers was killed, by moving