The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-12-19


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 shout:
of their officers, and swung into {
slender battle front, stretching Out
their thin line from the bank Of the
river to the sharp uplift of the west
ern bluffs. Scarcely $50 white troop
ers waited to stem as best they NIGH
that fierce onrush of 1900 battle
crazed braves.
For an almost breathless 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. dallied where he
should have acted. The observing
savages, gathering courage from his
apparent weakness. burst forth in re-
sistless 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 its turn.
In leaderless effort to break away
from that swift-gathering Gordon, be-
fore the red, remorsele folds should
close tighter and crush chem 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 possible passageway
across the stream. Through some
rare providence of God, they CHANGED
to strike the banks at spot where
the river proved forbade. They
plunged headlong in, officers and men
commingled, the Indian bullets churn-
ing up the water on every side The
loss in that wild retreat (Which Reno
later called a CHARGE was heavy,
the effect demoralizing; but those who
escaped found a spot well suited for
defense. Even as they swung down
from off their wounded, painting horses
and flung themselves fiat upon their
faces to sweep with hastily leveled
carbines the river banks below, Ben
teen came trotting gallantly down the
valley to their aid, his troopers fresh
and eager to be thrown forward on
the firing-line. The worst was over,
and like maddened lions, the rallied
soldiers of the Seventh, cursing their
folly, turned to strike and Stay.
A line of skirmishers was hastily
thrown forward along the edge of the
bluff, while volunteers, urged by the
agonized cries of the wounded, en-
deavored vainly to procure a supply
of water from the river Again and
again they made the Effort, only to be
driven back by the deadly Indian rife
fire. By three O'Clock, although the
majority of the savages had departed
down the river, enough remained to
keep up CALLING fire, and hold Reno
strictly on the defensive. ID.
AS the men lay exposed to the con
tinuous shipping fire above the sur
rounding din were borne to their ears
the reports Of distant guns. 1t came
distinctly from the northward, grow
ing heavier and more continuoue
None among them doubted its ominou
meaning. Custer was already engag d
in hot action at theright of the Ind IN
village. Why wen they kept lying
there in idleness? Why were they not
pushed forward toto their part? They
looked into each ahers faces. God!
They were 300 noV; they could sweep
aside like chaff hat fringe Of red
skirrnishers IL onb they got the word
Oficer after Office, unable to restrain
his impatience, stode back across the
bluff summit, and whistling bullets,
and personally begged the m ajor to
speak the one we'd which should hurl
them to the rescue. They cried like
women, they swDre through clinched
teeth, they openly exhibited their con-
tempt for such commando. yet the
discipline Of army service made active
disobedience impossible. They went
reluctantly, back, as helpless as chill
dren. - t."H '''
.Ipwas four o'clock, the shadows of
le western bluffs already darkening
me river bank. Suddenly a faint cheer
ran along the lines, and the men lifted
themselves to gaze up the river. Urg-
Ing the tired animals to trot, the