The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-05-21

- OF THE = =
LITTLE HORN.

battlefield, Captain Grover, keeper O
the government cemetery and tn,
battlefield, is to deliver a lecture OF
the Custer massacre. The captain i!
to gather the material for his address.
from different sources, and as to its
authenticity no nj in these part:
will be able to judge, for no white
person survived that terrible massa
ere and the versions of the Indians
do not jibe in the least particular.
There was in Billings a few days
ago one, who was a member of Reno's
command as a courier, in the battle
of the Little Horn, and he is in a
position to know as much about the
particulars leading up to Clusters en-.
gagement as any person, and, having
been n of the persons who assisted
in the work of burying Clusters dead,
knows considerable about the after
circumstances. This person is none
other than Chas. H. Reynolds of Sher-
idan, Wyo., who is a personal friend
of the editor Of The Gazette and he
consented to an interview from a
Gazette reporter, it being the first
time he has permitted the newspa-
per men to interview him. Some
years ago he wrote a sketch for the
historical book of Wyoming, but has
never been publicly quoted and The
Gazette feels f1attered in being able
to give it's readers his version of the
battles. He has been importuned on
several occasions to sit for a few
hours for a talk with magazine cor
respondents, and was offered a good
~ sum to do so. but in every instance
refused the proffers.
Mr.. Reynolds story as told to The
Gazette man is as follows:
Troops Start Out.
Il started out from Fort Abraham
Lincoln, in Dakota, with a govern
ment beef herd up the Powder river
on the 17tn day of May, 1876. The
command of the Seventh cavalry
marched from Fort Lincoln to near
the mouth of the Powder river on or
about the 18th day of June, 1876, and
this is when l Joined it. After lying
there for a short time six troops of
the Seventh were selected for a
scouting expedition under Colonel
Reno in the Powder river country,
looking for the trail OF hostile Indians
going into the hostile village, for
which the troops were in search and
which they thought to be located at
a certain point. General Gibson's
Seventh infantry and four troops of
the Second cavalry with the Montana
had orrivnd ornocifn thu
mouth of Powder river on the west
side of the Yellowstone, and General
Terry, who accompanied General Gus
ter's command from Fort Lincoln,
a conference and decided upon
4 campaign against the hostile Sioux
lnder Sitting Bull. 1t was decided
hat General Clusters remaining six
.roops should proceed up the Yellow
stone river on the east side to the
mouth Of fTongue river and Rosebud, !
While General Gibbons would proceed
the Yellowstone to the mouth of
Rosebud, and General Terry, depart
nenL commander of Dakota, would
accompany General Gibson's COM
nand on the steamboat to the mouth
II the Rosebud. About that time
Colonel Reno returned with his scout
ng party and joined General Gus
,er's column.
Plan of Campaign Formed.
There a more decided plan of cam
paign was formed against Sitting
Bulls hostile Sioux, supposed to be
IN the Big Horn river. General Glib
bons' column accompanied by Gener-
Il Terry was to proceed up the west
side of the Yellowstone, thence up
The Big Horn to the mouth of the
Little Horn and thence up that river
% a point where he would strike the
indian village. Genera Custer was
% proceed up the Rosebud with the
entire Seventh cavalry and pack
rain and to keep well to the left of
he Little horn, sending scouts to
ocate the hostile village.
Custer Strikes Indian Trail.
Cluster left the mouth of the Rose
on the afternoon of June %, NOV
ng out about Is miles. He camped
the river that night, and on the |
lext day moved up the river. At
about 3 O'Clock in the afternoon he
struck a large Indian trail leading in
he direction of the Little Horn. At
O'Clock OF the same day the com.
nand went into camp. A general
all was sounded at 9 o'clock that
light and General Custer decided to
across the divide between the
Rosebud and the Little Horn that
light. Meantime Captain Varnum,
hief of the scouts, Guide Reynolds
nd Billy Cross were sem out to
watch for and locate the Indian vii
age. The night was very dark and
wing to the large buffalo trails
rossing the Sioux Indian trail it was
IMPOSSIBLE to follow The latter. Cen
Custer had started out, but at
bout / o'clock on the following morn
Is he halted his command IN top of
ne divide and waited the arrival of
scouts. During the morning the
moved forward over the
all.
Hard Bread Left Behind.
after Clusters command had pro-
seded several miles Captain Yates
F troop reported 70 General Custer
int his troop had left two boxes of