Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-25
TALES OF BRAVE MEN
POPULAR CONCEPTION OF BATTLE
NOT SUPPORTED BY FACTS.
Story Of the Historic Fight Told by
Old Plainsmen, Who Learned It
From Indian Participants.
Special From a STAFF Correspondent.
CUSTER BATTLEFIELD, Mont.

washington correspondents mace pllSrlm-
ages today. We were told the details of
the battle by men who had gathered them
first-hand from the Sioux and talked with
the only surviving witness of the battle on
the other side. The man who visits the
battlefield finds that his former impressions
of the tragedy, most likely, were incorrect.
The special train bearing the correspond
ents stopped at the Crow Indian agency, in
which is located the battlefield. Vehicles
and bronchos had been provided. and in
the charming September afternoon we lum
bered off across the rolling country. Pic
turesquely CARRIED blanketed Indians sur
rounded the depot. the squaws carrying
their papooses strapped on their backs. A
squad of Indian police careened around the
outfit on their ponies and led the way.
We forded the Little Big Horn river.
which gives the battlefield its name, and
wound our way along the uplands until the
scattered groups of white headStoneS, mark
ing the place where each soldier fell, came
into view. The popular impression Of the
Custer fight, derived from paintings and
soldiers, encompassed in a small space by
ring of Indians riding around the fallen
whites. Such is far from being the fact.
Clusters men fell in detached groups, over
space nearly quarter of a mile long.
The cavalrymen were not shot down from
their horses and the Indians were not
mounted The whites were picked off at
long range, standing out as they did, clear
marks against high sky line.
Character Of Country.
First get an idea of the scene of the fight.
Imagine a ridge of land, sloping gently up
200 feet, and about fifty feet wide on the
top. This ridge is one of a number, over
hanging a long valley in which the Indians
were encamped. Between the several
,.,l I Ia
ieys, up which the Indians crept. Clusters
men rode out onto this ridge and We're
swarmed upon by horde of Indians
springing up all around them. From the
position in which the bodies were found,
the enemy must have separated the caval-
rymen into little detachments Of from six
to twelve, and cleaned them up. Some of
the troopers were shot while trying to
escape down the ridge. Kellogg, the New
York Herald correspondent, was killed in
the midst of the fighting men. Custer was
killed, surrounded by less than a dozen
men, on the outermOst edge of the firing
line, nearest the Indian encampment.
The fight occurred June %, 1876. There
had been an outbreak of Cheyenne In
dams, who jumped the reservation and de-
clared they would go back to their wild
life. They made for the valley along the
foot of the Big Horn mountains which
abounded In game of all kinds and streams
stocked with fish. There were probab bly,
1000 or l 200 lodges Of these Indians. They
tuViteu the olOux Oh NOTln Dakota TO Join
them, and 1890 lodges Of Sioux came over
land and met them here.
The United States forces advanced upon
the hostiles from three directions. Gen.
Crook came up from Cheyenne, Gen. Glib
bon. from Bozeman, and Gen. Terry from
Buford. Custer belonged to Terry's COM
mand. 1t was expected to meet the enemy
in the Big Horn valley and capture the
outfit.
Custer was in advance of all the others.
He intended to make a strike He was in
disfavor at Washington, and hoped to re-
habilitate himself by smashing victory
His nearest reinforcement was Gen. Terry,
who was coming up the Yellowstone and
Big Horn rivers, on a small steamboat,
and at the time Of the fight was a score or
so miles away Custer did not wait for
him.
On the morning of the 25th, Clusters COM
mand rode out Of the bad lands, three or
five miles from the Indians and made cof-
Zee at daybreak along a small stream His
scouts had apprised him of the location of
the Indian encampment along the Little
Big Horn. They estimated the Indian forces
at about 1,2OO warriors. Clusters entire
force was about 500.
Against Awful Odds.
Custer did not know Of the !, 800 lodges of
Sioux who had Joined the renegade Chey-
ennes. He must have been overwhelmed
with dismay when the 5000 or more savages
sprang upon his detachment
After the daybreak breakfast Custer d.
vided his forces into three detachments.
The pack trains and some troopers were
given to Reno, with directions to advance
upon the Indian encampment in one direc-
ton; Benteen was given anothed detach-
ment, and with 26O men Custer rode out
upon the fatal ridge. Reno struck the In
dams first. In thrice they forced him up
out Of the valley and onto the table land
along which Custer had proceeded. Reno
Immediately was placed upon the defensive,
three miles from the scene of Clusters
fight where he remained.
On went Custer and his men until they
came in full view Of the Indian encamp-
ment. Custer must have seen at a glance
that he was opposed by great force. He
dismounted his troopers. giving to the
fourth man in each company custody Of
four horses and deploying the others for
ward along the ridge.
Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Rain-in-the-
face and the redoubtable Gall were the
leaders of the Sioux. Gall took command,
Dashing his men forward he swept around
Clusters right and took him in the rear. In
less time than 1t takes to tell it, Custer was
surrounded. The Indians crouched in the
sage brush, in the ravines and gulleys and
lay fiat behind the adjoining ridges. The
white men were exposed to a rain of bullets
from every direction and made a splendid
mark. We could appreciate that fact when
we stood at the bottom of the ridge and
looked up. Every little white tablet stood
within pistol-ball distance
Not a man of Clusters command escaped
One of his scouts, an Indian named Curley,
claims to have witnessed the battle from an
adjoining ridge. escaping by wrapping him.
self in a Sioux blanket. Whether he left
before or after the fight, he carried the news
to Terry.
Respected by the Sioux.
The white soldiers were horribly mutt
lated, all but Custer. Only the two bullets
which killed him marred his body 1t was
said the Indians respected him for his
bravery and therefore refrained from
mutilation. Reno and Benteen did not
know of Clusters fate for twenty four hours
or more, although they were within few
miles. The Indians could have cleaned up
both Reno and Benteen If they had gone
after them, but did not. Hearing of the
approach of Terry and Crook and knowing
that fearful accounting would be exacted
for Clusters massacre they separated and
fed. Sitting Bull went over into the Brit
ish possessions where he remained until
| coaxed back by lenient government. and
the others scattered in different directions
This Is the account given US as we stood
on the crest of the battlefield, surrounded
by the little white tablets, each marking