The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-08-07

village from below and above, success
depending altogether upon the prompt
cooperation of the separate detach-
ments. Scarcely had Clusters slender
column of horsemen vanished across
the summit before Reno's command
advanced, trotting down the valley,
the Arikara scouts in the lead. They
had been chosen to strike the first
blow. to force their way into the lower
village, and thus to draw the defend
ing warriors TO their front, while Gus
ter's men were to charge upon the
rear.
A half-mile, a mile, Reno's troops
rode, with no sound breaking the ST
lence but the pounding Of hoofs, the
tinkle of accoutrements. Then, round
ing a sharp projection Of earth and
rock, the scattered lodges OF the In
dian village already partially revealed
to those in advance, the riders were
brought to sudden halt by a fierce
cracking of rifles from rock and "a
vine. Men fell cursing. and the fright
ened horses swerved, their riders
struggling madly with their mounts,
the column thrown into momentary
confusion But the surprised cavalry
men, quailing beneath the hot fire
poured into them, rallied to the shouts
of their officers. and swung into a
slender battle front, stretching out
their thin line from the bank Of the
river to the sharp upiift of the west
ern bluffs. Scarcely $50 white troop
ers waited to stem as best they might
that fierce onrush of 1900 battle
crazed braves.
For an almost GREATNESS space those
mingled hordes Of Sioux and Chey-
ennes hesitated to drive straight home
their death-blow. They knew those
silent men in the blue shirts, knew
they died hard. Upon that slight
pause pivoted the fate of the day;
upon it hung the lives Of those other
men riding boldly and trustfully across
the sunlit ridges above "Audacity,
always audacity," that is the accepted
motto for a cavalryman. And be the
cause what it may, it was here that
Maj. Reno failed. In that supreme in
slant he was guilty of hesitancy,
doubt, delay. He chose defense In
preference to attack, da1lied where he
should have acted. The observing
savages, gathering courage from his
apparent weakness, burst forth in re-
s1stless torrent against the slender
unsupported line, turned his flank by
one fierce charge, and hurled the
struggling troopers back with a rush
into the narrow strip of timber border
ing the river.
The whole narrow valley seemed to
swarm with braves; they poured forth
from sheltering coulees and Swallowed
ravines; they dashed down in count
less numbers from the distant village.
Custer, now far away behind the
bluffs, and almost beyond sound of
the firing, was utterly ignored. Every
savage chief knew exactly where that
column was, but it could wait it's turn
In leaderless effort to break away
from that swift-gathering Gordon, be-
fore the red, remorseless folds should
close tighter and crush them to death
the troopers, half of them already dis
mounted burst from cover in an en-
deavor to attain the shelter of the
| bluffs The deadly Indian rifles
| famed in their faces, and they were
| hurled back, a mere fleeing mob
searching for nothing in that moment
! of terror but a possible passageway
across the stream. Through some
rare providence of God, they CHANGED
! to strike the banks at a spot where
| the river proved fordable They
| plunged headlong in, officers and mer
commingled, the Indian bullets churn
| ing up the water on every side. The
loss in that wild retreat (Which Rene
| later called a "charge"O was heavy
| the effect demoralizing; but those who
| escaped found a spot we'll suited FOL
/ defense. Even as they swung dowr
from off their wounded, painting horse.
! and flung themselves fiat upon thei
faces to sweep with hastily leveleC
! carbines the river banks below. Ben
teen came trotting CALAMITY down tn,
J valley to their aid, his troopers fresi
and eager to be thrown forward OF
the firing-line. The worst was over
and like maddened lions, the rallied
soldiers of the Seventh. cursing thei
folly, turned to strike and STAY.
A line of skirmishers was hastil,
thrown forward along the edge Of TIT
bluff, while volunteers, urged by the
: agonized cries of the wounded. en-
deavored vainly to procure a suppl,
OF water from the river. Again ant
again they made the effort, only to b,
driven back by the deadly Indian riff,
fire. BY three o'clock, although tn
majority of the savages had departed
down the river. enough remained Il
keep up CALLING fire. and hold Rene
strictly on the defensive.
AS the men lay exposed to the con
tinuous shipping fire, above the sur
rounding din were borne TO their ear
! the ran0rfS of diStan Guns IT cam,