, 1897-03-13
CUSTER And COMMAND.
GENERAL MILES DEFENSE OF
GENERAL CUSTER.
Captain Gibson's Share in the Battle as
Told by Himself-What the Sur
vivors Owe to Captain Benteen-
Interesting Tale OF the Battle of the
Little Big Horn.

The massacre OF General Custer and
five companies of the Seventh cavalry
by Indians at the battle OF the Little Big
Horn, 20 years ago, has become a topic
of public discussion, especially among
military men, from the fact that Gem
eral Nelson A. Miles, in his recently
published recolleclions OF army life,
vigorously defends The brave but ill,
starred Custer from the charge of i'm
prudence and reckless disregard OF mill
tary strategy in his preparations FOR the
battle.
General Miles claims that Custer fail
ed 10 defeat the Indians because ne was
not adequately supported by the seven
companies Of cavalry that were to ac,
in concert with him and which were un,
der the command of Major Reno and
Captain Benteen.
No one is more interested in any dis
cussiOn OF the Custer massacre than
Deputy COMMISSIONS Francis NJ. Glib.
son of the street cleaning department Of
this city, says the New York Evening
Post. Many who have ma, him /, his
Official capacity are aware that he is a
retired army officer. but few of them
know that the polite, guiet-mannered,
smogr voiced denu,y commissioner
was with the vangu,rd Of Tho ,r,,ns
under Reno and B~enteen. when they
had 10 fight with rho dasnar,tion a.
despair to save themselves from tho f,ts
of Custer and his mon ofter ,boso mn
f~ortunates had been .wiped ont" nv mn
Overwhelming force of Indians
CANAAN Gibson seldom sna,ks oe TINT
stirring episode in his military c,roer
but in iustica To tbe rer,,,,in, -, h;s
old comrade in arms Canaan Rer,oon
he has written ON for the Evenin, Dos,
The ollowi narrative of rho evarts
thar led M IN and folIou,od tho C,.,on
massacre. and he has told his story in
a way that is IMPRESSIVE bv irs ou,in,
simplicity:
CAPTAIN GIRSON,S STORy
The Seventh Cavalry under The com-
mand of its lieuIepant coIo,al Ca,era,
George A. Custer loft its w;,,.r omar
tiers on May II. 1876, for tbe Yellowstone
country. from which section in con.
junction with other nmmands-,b
Second cavalry md Seventh infantrv-
# was 10 oneraie a]pains, largo hand p.
hostile Indians, hen on the warpolh
The Seventh cavalry was d;vided into
three bnttalions for ,bis sar,;oe Tho
first was commanded Ia. co,or, r,,.o.
himself: the second NV Co,onal Reno
one of the ma iors and ths ,bi,d hv
Colonel Ren>eep tba senior o,n,,ir -.
the regiment
These three oficers nossossed vo,.c
different characteristics cus,er,S rI.
lantrv and dash b,a oopa dou, :, Iii.
tory He was also , man n. av,ram.
pervous energy. bis n,,iri,a ,otiv;tv
WIS boundIess and 50 also w,s his in
tepsitv of nurnosa H. ,,tor,,, eo,u
Iess ALWAYS sang,i,o Of suooa,s h,d -,
abiding fai,b in rho ahi,i,v a. hi, ron,
ment tn s,,ccaed wbe, o,hors wo,,,d tan
md renosed absolute o~o,6da,oo !, ,ia
cbosen friends uis 5,ri,r .,,o;4, -,
Lost bis bra verv ora bio sahtinn o,o,i
ties sho,ld stnm, him a, .hIo omoor
He was , ,horo,oh oovo,rrmo, Prom, 70,
IN toe
Colonial, pero uos ,n,rdod ,ho
officer bnt he lackad Tho dash Tho o,er-
ev tho dstermi,,,;,, ora Tho .ubi,ior
NJ C,ster
R.rto., ;s q man 81 = ,oh,o oh,r
oo,or,s,io. III l., 1.u,,.
coes,r and 10 o,o, ,raor fro y Viva
nrovsrhioI c,c,mhor 7, ,;nht r,,oo
b;s coo,,ess 10 ,e,sS,ri,, md his i,,ar
mon, c,r ,,w,vs bo do,ondod ,no, on,
all tho survivors NJ tho h,,,,o ~ ,,o lii
tIe Rig Horn ore vary Glad bs vos ,boro
IN exarcise bis su,orior i,domon+ co,o
mel Renteen ia a man If sto,id do,eru;n-
alton, and when he takes nm a nosition
either IN the field of h,ftle or in tba
midst OF peaceful pursuits. IT ia nex, to
impossible to move him He 10 penerons
to a fault. and most cbnrit,b,e md
places his PRINCIPLES of honor on tbe
n @;"' ss;a;,s ss'. ~,'s s %a;' ss's ! s ;s::t int; &: