The sun., 1899-05-14
CUSTER'S WASHITA FIGHT.
TIPPING OUT OF BLACK KETTLES
BdND OF CHEYEyNES.

Story of tho Battle Told by Ben Clark. Gus
ter's Chief Scout-CharGs of the Seventh
Cavalry on the Indian village-Fate Of
Major Elliott and His Followers.
GUTHRIE. Oklahoma. May 1O.-The South
west. as we'll as the Northwest. has Custer bat
tleneld In extreme western Oklahoma. near
the little town Of Cheyenne. Roger Mills county
ia the spot where Custer. at the head OF the
Seventh United States Cavalry. wiped out the
Black Kettle band Of Cheyenne Indians on
nov. 81, 1888 and day later narrowly escaped
with his command from destruction by tho
allied forces OF tho Cheyennes. Arapahoes.
Kiovas.; Comanches. Wichtas and dsMescalero
hpaches. A heap OF red.sandstone piled there
pv .he soldiers is the only monument to
mark the spot where the battle was fought
Even this pile has been levelled several times.
by floods ari kc.is Of cattle. The last person
10 build it anew was the late Capt. Allyn Ca
pron II was his purpose. had he lived through
tho war with Spain. to raise funds for mon
ument 10 the men OF the Seventh who fell in
the Neht. the last one o! o!importance between
the Indians In Oklahoma and the troops.
Comparatively little has been written con-
csrning the fight on the Washita. Gen. Gus
ter described it and Mrs Custer repeated his
story In Boots and Saddles" Otherwise its
history ia recorded chiefly in the remem-
bTlnco 0I ITOntltTS1nBu anu luuldub VINO
dwell now In that part OF Oklahoma Chief
Red Moon and his untamable band OF Chey-
ennes whose camp is on the Washita. about
twenty miles above Cheyenne. still nurse the
hatreds and heartaches caused by the slauRh-
tor The country itself looks much as 1t did
thirty wears ago. Broken with hills and small
streams; In winter gray with miles OF buffalo
grass and brown:with thickets and fringes Of
trees along the watercourses: in summer q
vast expanse OF emerald green. beneath sky
Of soft blue. the region Is one Of solitude SO
intense that person 10 startled at the sound
OF his own voice.
Probably the most accurately informed per-
son on the Washlta fight is Ben Clark. corral
master and interpreter at Fort Reno. Okla
homa. and chief OF scouts under Custer. He
sat in the sunshine at the door OF big corral
at Fort Reno the other day. drew maps in the
dust with a straw and told the story OF tho
washita fight with more detail perhaps than
It was ever before recorded. He said
In September. 1868. the Seventh Cavalry.
COMPOSED OF between 800 and 800 men. was In
camp on Kiowa Creek. where IL empties into
the Cimarron Ricar. in Oklahoma. Sully. the
commanding officer. was sick and Custer was
iu command. Custer had lately been under
suspension. pending an investigation OF
charges that had been brought against him
for shooting deserte.s. and was still smartinc
under the discipline. He was impatient to
proceed rapidly and harassed the men and his
subordinates by his arbitrary conduct. He
was a hard master but his dash and cavalier
bearing held the admiration OF his troop
ers. The regi ment began moving about Nov.
]. II was announced the second night out
that the march would begin the next morn
ing at daybreak The stars were still shining
when Custer arose. swearing and charging
II T~l M. L. a
particularly good appetite that morning and
fingered at tho table. to the disgust OF Custer
who told him repeatedly to hurry and finish
his beakfast. The Colonel still fingered. how
ever. and brought on an explosion OF wrath
from Custer. who charged into the tent
kicked over the mess table and sent dishes
and vctuals flying in all directions. Three
teamsters who failed to hear the buRle were
several minutes late IN getting their teams
hitched and were made to walk all day in the
snow. He worked his scouts hard and they
would stay out as long as possible to keep
from being run TO death.
The regiment arrived at the Washi.a River
on the night OF Nov. &c. Early In the
night. with my scouts. struck hostile trail
leading southeast from the Panhandle. / had
under me twelve Usage Indian scouts. blood
thirsty wretches. who afterward dlsgraced the
regiment Two OF these scouts discovered q
campHre. Crawling cautiously toward 1t. they
learned that the Indians had gone toward the
river. having Joined the war party. Several
miles further down the river the tinkle OF pony
bells was family heard. and from the summit
OF a hill the ponies were seen In the valley
below. their bodies standing out dark against
the snow. Custer was In advance OF the troops
and came up to the scouts in few minutes
He dismounted and tho party lay down in the
and 10 rjI lon nf ha htIl
was a clear frosty. starlit night and the yelp-
ing OF the dogs In the village could be plainly
heard. The lodges were invisible. being
hidden in dense timber In a low valley. The
regiment was halted before It reached the hill
Tho troops were on the north side Of the river
1t was not known which side the village was
on. The command was dismounted and each
man told to hold his horse and make as little
noise as possible. No cooking was allowed
and the hungry men made the best Of 1t by
chewing hardtack.
1T WAS now about o'clock In the morning
A council OF officers and scouts was held. Tn.
Rroup was startled by the remarkable bril-.
lance Of star. which was at first sight mis-.
takel FOR an Indian signal among the low-lyinl
hills. Custer. who was impressed by such
iu,idents. called it the Star OF the Washita.
saying that 1t presaged victory for him.
II took with me several scouts. among them
Joe and Jack C"rwin. and set out to learn the
exact location OF the village. We drew close
enough to see the smoke curling from the tops
Of tho lodges and found that the village was
on tho south side OF the river. 1t was an ad
mirahle camping place. in a big bond OF the
river. on a level stretch OF ground. Beyon6
tho village and parallel to the swinging shore
line OF the river was an embankment prob
ably fifty feet high with an almost perpen
dirulnr Thia hnn fhk
abrupt termination Of an undulating prairie
which stretched away still further to the south
The lowland close to tho river continued fol
several miles down stream and merged
gradually with the lessening Insight OF the EN-
bankment into comparatively level ground
About mile above the village was trai
which crossed the Washta. On tho north side
OF the river were low spurs OF hills. which in
creased in height northward until they reached
much higher hills. to which they were almos
at right angles. An Indian trail followed by
~ 49,