The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-06
AZ THE LITTLE BIG HORN.

At THE LITTLE BIG HORN.
TYankton, s. D., Cor. Chicago Record
At the little town of Covington, few
miles down the Missouri from this city
at the advanced age of "A years, resides
David Campbell, the first white man
outside of the military service who heard
Of Clusters massacre. The old mans
once bright brown eyes are growing dim
with on-creeping years, and the once
erect form is stopped and unsteady, but
his mind is still bright and the events of
the rs years of the most exciting times
in the history of the DakotaS, when ne
was one of the leading pilots ON the Up
per Missouri, are recalled with as mucn
yividness as If they occurred only last
month.
So long was he upon the steamboats,
of the Big Muddy, and SO devoted was
he to the art of navigating its shallow
gets to thinking of the events OF ms
earlier life on the river and among the
Indians, soldiers and frontiersmen, he
finds himself thinking that he can hear
the swish of the Missouri as he used to
hear it as it was beating against his
boat. He was one of the first pilots TO
come onto the Missouri after traffic be-
came sufficient with the upper forts and
trading posts to engage boats at this
work exclusively. Countless times he mas
run the sandbarS between St. Louis ana
this city and as many times has he as
cended the dangerous rapids OF the eX-
IRENE upper part of the river at a time
when ShfpWreck meant sure death at the
hands of the savage and eyer-Watchtul
Sioux. Many times did he pilot General
Custer, General Terry and General Miles
up the torturOus Missouri and it's navi-
gable tributaries when the Indians were
bent on resisting the slow but sure en-
enactment Of the whites, and many
times did it become necessary Tor him
TO desert his post as pilot and defend
his boat and his passengers with the
rife.
PILOT FOR GENERAL TERRY.
Though bent with years the old man
likes to dwell on his early river adven-
lures, and especially does he take pride
in relating the events connected with
the great Indian generals who We're sent
into the land of the Dakotas in the SOS
and '70s to put down the frequent Indian
uprisings. He was a personal friend of
General Custer, and never tires OF tell
ing of the sad news of that fatal hot af-
ternoon, June g. 1875, when his soldier
idol fell a prey to Sitting BullS 4,UUO
savage warriors
I was plotting on the stanch old Far
West in 1876 when we were directed 10
take on a cargo at Yankton that would
be distributed at several points up the
river and then proceed to Bismarck 10
take on General Terry and his command,
then go on to FIT Buford, 200 miles far
Their up the river. For nearly two years
dian country that the red faces were
making preparations for the annihila-
ton of all the whites in the northwest.
General Custer had gone up IN 1873 with
a regiment of cavalry to make general
investigation of the situation. He had
returned to Fit. Abraham Lincoln, across
the Missouri from Bismarck, where ne
had spent the winter of 1876, and had
started early in June for the Big Horn
country, where Sitting Bull, the great
medicine chief, was gathering around
him a large number of warriors, ana
was preparing to swoop down on al the
whites in the Dakotas- General Terry
was in command of the department of
the West, with headquarters at St Paul
He met US at Bismarck with company
of infantry, some artillery and guam
tity of supplies. We took those on board
and proceeded up the Missouri to Fort
Buford. and then up the Yellowstone TO
the mouth of the Big Horn. AS soon as
We landed General Terry sent parts of
his command out in three different di-
recti0ns to ascertain the whereabouts
of General Custer, and to let him know
where he might look for assistance, and,
if necessary, for supplies
TUE FATAL 18TH OF JUNE.
s.rrhe 26th of June was one of those
very hot days that frequently come to
the Dakotas in early summer. Custer
had received intimations that the In
dams were not far distant, and he ac-
cordingly was proceeding slowly. Char
Custer word early in the forenoon that
the Indians, from 5000 to 1000 strong,
We're encamped on a range of Duties on
the west side of the Little Big Horn,
fonr or five miles from its mouth, and
that their camps were so drawn up as
to indicate that they knew of his ap-
proach and were prepared for battle on
receiving this news General Custer halt
ed and, with his staff officers, guides,
end scouts rode to the top of the divide
ON the other side were two miles OF the
slor9e Of the divide down to the Little
rig Horn which on account of recent
TaiIs was running full, and extending
m and down the west side of the river
for a distance of two miles and back
onto a range of butteS was Sitting Bulls
Gamma formidable array of 1000 or
4 nan Indians In order to get a closer
view the horses were left on the east
side of the brow of the divide, and Gus
ter. and part of his men crept into
1.avine that runs down into the river and
made their way down until they could
take in the whole situation.
THAT is the biggest camp I ever saw"
said Custer to his staff officers, land we
are in luck" They returned to their
horses and prepared for an attack IN the
afternoon. Clusters command consisted
of 700 or 500 cavalry, as fine a lot OF men
and horses as ever graced a battlefield
These We're divided, One-haif being plac-
ed under Major Reno, and the others
remaining under the direct command of
Custer. 1t was understood that Major
Reno was to proceed south about three
miles and then descend the western
slope, cross the river and attack the
south end of the Indian camp, while
Custer would cross the river and attack
the north end.
1.-The plan was an excellent one, but
1t was destined never to be executed. In
less than an hour after Major Reno left
for the point of attack the battle of the
Little Big Horn was over and Custer
and every one of his command, except
Curly, the Grow Indian, lay dead in the
burning hot sun of that hot June after
noon. Under the protection of the heavy
growth of timber which grew along the
river 900 of Sitting Bulls best warriors
all well mounted and armed with Win
chesters, descended the Little Big Horn
les into the river from the opposite side.