The Dickinson press., 1900-08-18

from various posts. Among
the dead are the victims OF the massacre
at Fort Phil Kearny in I8oo-the Fetter-
massacre, it was called. This ceme-
terry is governed by the same regulations
as those at Arlington, Chickamauga,
Vicksburg and West Point, only those
who lie here, nearly 500 in number, were
all slain by the savage wards of the ma
ton.
"Gen. Terry, in June, 1876, was able to
bring the flatbottom steamer Far West
up the Big Horn river within a few miles
of the battlefield, where, two days after
the massacre, he learned from the lips of
Curley, the Crow scout, that Custer had
been a%nnihilated. AS soon as the
numbers of the Indians were disclosed
Gen. Custer sent Curley to notify Cen
eral Reno and Col. Benteen, who COM
manded the other batalions, of the situa-
ton and order them to join his force as
soon as possible. There has always been
a question as to Curley's courage. Many
think he might have made his way
through the lines of the enemy and de-
livered his orders, but when he saw the
avalanche OF warriors bearing down up
on Clusters little command he fled for
the nearest shelter and remained con-
cealed until the day after the fight, when
he saw the smoke of the steamer coming
up the river. He then made his way to
Gen. Terry and remained with him.
"Curley is now living on a farm near
the agency, having nearly 200 acres of
land under cultivation and quite a herd
of cattle. He is a sober, industrious,
well-behaved Indian. He saves his
money and is a credit to his race.
"White Swan, another Crow scout, who
was with Reno in the fight, lives in the
same neighborhood. He was badly
wounded and draws a pension from the
government.
Erred Serber, who wa a first sergeant
in the Second cavalry for seventeen years
and commanded the Indian scouts under
Terry at the time of the battle, keeps the
hotel at the agency and is probably the
best posted man in this neighborhood
concerning that disastrous campaign.
Serber was also a member of Gen,
Greely's exploring party in the arctics.
"When Gen. Terry arrived at the bat
tlefield the Indians had scattered over
the country, and, assisted by the %surviv-
ors of the Seventh cavalry under Reno
and Benteen, he buried the dead where
they fell and marked each grave with a
stake. Where the bodies could be iden-
tilted the names were given, and after
ward marble slabs were erected. The
field at present is inclosed by a wire
fence, and Clusters last stand is near the
northern boundary of the summit of the
ridge. The place where his body lay
was originally marked by a large marble
stone, which, however, has been entirely
carried away by vandals. Nearly every
visitor to the place knocked off a chip,
until the headstone was destroyed and a
plain wooden cross had been substituted
for it.
"Around Custer lay the bodies of some
thirty soldiers, including his two broth
ers, and it is apparent that he was one of
the last to fall. You can see clearly by the
location of the marble slabs over the
field where attempts were made to rally
and drive back the savages. At several
spots are groups Of thirty and forty head
stones standing closely together. Then
there will be an interval with a few scat
tering stones showing where the men
dropped in retreat, one, two, and some.
times three together. Far from their lei.
lows in remote parts of the field arc
white stones standing alone. These in.
dictate that some of the soldiers endeav.
ored to escape and were shot down by
their pursuers. Each slab is marked
". S. Soldier, 9TH Cavalry; Fell Here
June IS, 1876
ut is a singular fact that the farthes'
grave is that of Lieut.. Donald Mackin
tosh, who must have been one Of the frs,
to fall. He was an Indian, a Cherokee
educated in n of the missionary school:
in Indian Territory and sent to Yves
Point by a Kansas congressman. Mack
intosh's grave is outside of the i~nclosur.
and has been sadly neglected, but FREQ
Serber and other old soldiers around tn.
agency have recently fixed it up care
fully and built an Enclosure to protect it.
"A peculiar mistake occurs in one par
of the letter Of Mr.. Curtis, and that i!
where he states that bodies of two officer.
of the regiment were found, those of DR.
Porter and Lieut.. Harrington. If Mr.
Curtis had stopped in Bismarck, hi
might have seen the doctor, who has beer
a resident of the city a greater part O
the time since the massacre, when he wa.
with Reqo's command and did gallan
work as a surgeon in treating wounded
men under fire.
OF Lieut.. Harrington Mr.. Curtis saws
"Mrs. Harrington became insane, will
a mania that her husband was a prisone
among the Indians. and visited severa
of the agencies in the northwest search
| ing for him. She came here spd wen
fZ.. L-rfr