The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-31
by the Late John A CockeriU.


No pen picture can adequately de-
scribe the formation of the field upon
which the fighting took place. But the
story is plainly told, though no living
witness has told it. Poor Custer was
the victim of msinformation, but it is
unjust to his memory to say that he
was reckless or foolish He had been
a major-general Of volunteers, with
splendid reputation as a cavalry fighter,
and on this expedition he was lieu
tenant colonel and in command of the
Seventh cavalry. He was in disfavor
at Washington. He was anxious to
distinguish himself in battle. In the
advance of Terry's expedition he had
been pushing for some days on the
trail of a band of Southern Wyoming
Indians marching to join Sitting Bulls
uprising. He knew from the size of
the trail that he had from twelve hum
dred to fifteen hundred hosties to deal
with. His scouting must have been
poor, for when the Indian village was
located he determined not only to at
tack, but to capture the entire band
Reserving five companies to himself
| he placed four companies under com
| mand of Major Reno to move on his
| left flank and two companies under
| Captain Benteen, who was to work
| around to the Indian right and was
to bag the enemy when the stampede
| began. With these dispositions he
moved around the point of the range
which brought him into the view of the
| enemy, forded the creek and was at
once engaged. Instead of finding him
self confronted by twelve hundred
| Pawnees under Santana, he found
| himself in a death grapple with not
/ less than five thousand Sioux and Chey
| enne warriors. 1t is in evidence that
| the Indians had broken up their vii
| lagos and We're preparing to decamp
| when they discovered that they only
| had horse soldiers" to deal with. At
the very outset Custer threw out a
| strong skirmish line. Every member
/ of the gallant band was slain and the
| little marble stones which mark the
| spots where these brave men fell are
beautifully aligned. As the main body
| moved into action great masses of the
enemy rose in front of Custer and
| swung around to his rear.
On the first hillside he divided his
command and sent two troops, num-
bering sixty men, down the left side of
the confronting ridge, while he kept to
| the right on almost parallel lines, ad-
| yancing into a dry ravine. Here he
met with terrible opposition, and from
this time on he struggled to get upon
the high ground. steadily advancing
With his thinned ranks--the slaughter
i became terrible--he reached the spot
where he met his death At this point
the separate command could see him
| They fell in groups of fours. by twos
and singly. You can count the little
marble stones, sixty in number. Gould
anything be more pttiful? At the same
instant the little group rallied around
Custer was being annihllated From
the low ground in front of the gallant
leader rose a thousand fierce Cheyennes
under the satanic Rain-int the-Face
Not a life was spared. BY Clusters
side his brother Tom fell. Then it was
that Rain in the Face who had sworr
to eat Tom Clusters heart because as
officer of the day at some camp the
, lieutenant had one day placed the vii
lainous chief in the guard house, ripped
open the poor fellows body and, tear
ing therefrom the reeking heart made
good his savage oath.
All was now silent save the demonica
, and exultant cries OF the savages. The
remains of the brave Custer were not
disturbed, but every other body upor
that field was hacked and mutila ted ir
the most horrible manner.
This is the story of the battle as in
terpreted by the insenslble records. II