, 1900-07-21
SCOUT STORIES
CAPT. vARNUM RIDDLES A YARN
ABOUT GEN. CLUSTERS
DEATH.
Incidentally the Captain, Who Was
Chief of Scouts in That Campaign,
Throws Some Light IN the Sioux
Fight and Tells Why General Gus
ter Was Not Scalped.

"Au ~ 'Ay
ter Was Not Scalped.
Its easy to make history after all
witnesses of events described AVE dis
appeared said Captain Charles A.
Varnum, Of Troop b, Seventh United
States cavalry, now adjutant general
of the Department of Colorado, to
a reporter of the Denver Post,
but when one who happens to person
ally know slances over the various
authentic accounts of battles and
other bloody episodes Of army life, he
finds it imperative now and then to
stop and smile and wonder at the
c~redulity of the public in swallowing
down whole statements containing SO
many conflicting elements hat they
fall apart of their own weight"
Captain Varnum had just been glanc-
ing over an deliberately featured and
which recently appeared in the San
Francisco Call. 1t was entitled: "The
Death of General Custer, Told by His
Scout, Frank Grouard."
ut is a pretty title" continued Cap
tain Varnum, land it is a pity to spoil
it, but told by his scout will have to
be changed to 'garbled by a scout If
the plain truth is wanted"
so Grouard was not Clusters scout,
eh?"
The captain smiled an old-fashioned
campaign smile-a smile merry in the
main, but with hard corners that
crinkled his stiff, we~ather-beaten
cheeks with a succession Of acute
angles. "Of course, he wasn't. l don't
really believe that he ever saw Custer
in his life, and l positively know that
he was never in Clusters command,
either at the time of the massacre or
before that-and do you know why ]
am so positive? I'll tell you. I was
chief of scouts and l came pretty near
knowing every man who served under
me.
Now, there was a scout with us who
is often COMPOUNDED with Frank
Grouard, because his name sounds very
like his. This was Frank Girard, who
vas for years with Custer, and fought
with the command in many In ugly
skirmish. l say was in referring to
him, but l should say is, for he still
lives-runs a big blacksmith shop at
Mandan, South Dakota.
This man Grouard was with Crook.
If you will notice, he says so in this
article, and yet he talks about taking
news to Custer! That's where the
string of absurdities in this authentic
account begins. Now, listen while ]
read what he has to say about the
movements of the troops previous to
the terrible massacre of June %, 1876
The captain read:
Cluster, Terry and Gibbon had just
separated OH the morning Of the 22d Of
Jure, at which time Custer led the
Seventh cavalry up the Rosebud from
the lately abandoned camp, while Terry
and Gibbon followed up the Yellow,
stone"
Now, that's all straight enough, but
look at this:
"'Some have supposed this move was
made in order to hunt for the Indians,
| hut ~ v-a r,aI1 altar 7 ord fhn othor
scouts had borne to the general the
definite knowledge both Of the location
and the vast numbers of the Sioux then
at hand
What do you think Of that?" de
manded the captain. "Grouard report
ing to Custer when Grouard was with
Crook, 200 miles away, on the other
slope of the Big Horns and thousands
of Sioux warriors between the two
commands! It's simply ridiculous"
The captain read further:
"'At this time Crook was encamped
above the town Of Sheridan, which
lies at the base of the Big Horn noun
tains on Little Goose creek
There wasn't any town of Sheridan
at all at that time, you know, not the
first sign of a town'-then he read on:
"'While still at a distance of several
miles down the river from the encamp-
ment of the Indians. Custer called to-
gether his officers in a council of val.
There was NO council of war, but lei
that pass.
"'The result Of this council was the
breaking up Of the command into four
sections under the leadership Of Custer
Reno, Benteen, and McDougal. Custer
headed five troops, Reno and Benteen
each three troops, and McDougal with
one guarded the wagon train
There he goes again." Captain Var
mum broke OF. Wagon train! We
had nothing Of the sort along. That
was no time or place for a wagon train.
But here's the most beautiful mir
acle In the whole bunch" the veteran
proceeded. This article states that
Grouard, becoming dissatisfied with
the plans Of Custer, Joined Crook near
Sheridan. Wyo. I wish somebody
would tell me how he could Join Crook
from Clusters command. It was simp-
ly an impossibility. He would have
had to 90 to the Paciic a and travel