The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-12-18
DoANE ROBINSON WRONG

Canton Leader.-It was 80 years
that Gen. Custer and part of his
regiment, the 18th cavalry, had been
cut to pieces in a bloody battle among
the bluffs bordering the Little Big
Horn river in Montana. Much has
been written of that memorable
event, and many stories have been
told of how it happened and of the
chief actors in that bloody drama.
until the towards in hat unequal
strife have been made heroes and
the soldiers who died with Custer are
blamed for the slaughter.
In a recent lecture at Sioux City by
Doane Robinson, secretary of the His
torical Society of this state, he dis
cussed Sitting Bull and his qualities
as a medicine man, and other matters
reported by the Sioux City Journal,
from which we quote the following:
ut was Mr.. Robinson's opinion, re-
sulting from data gathered among
the Indians, that Custer was to be
blamed for the massacre. and not
Reno, whom military histories con
denim for failing to go to Clusters
aid. The distance from where Reno
vas entrenched to where the Custer
massacre took place, according to the
speaker, was about ten miles, and
had Reno started his cavalry off at
full speed the horsemen, without II
interference, could not have got half
way to Custer before the entire Gus
ter force Of 263 men was completely
wiped out. According to the stories
told by the Indians Reno did the only
sensible thing and is deserving of
great credit.
The lecture was we'll attended and
highly enjoyed by those present."
OF course Mr.. Robinson is not so
much to blame for the story he tells
because he had been told these
things by men who didn't know the
facts. yet history would have told
him that Reno was the coward and
Benteen d%isobeyed orders in refusing
to move rapidly OF Clusters relief.
The editor of the Leader was per-
sonally acquainted with every officer
in the regiment from Gen. Custer
down, as we'll as the chief interpreter.
Fred Girard. who knew Sitting Bull
for years before that bloody June day
in Montana.
Girard accompanied Gen. Custer
until the command was divided about
noon when the order to attack was
given. Gen. Custer told Girard to
accompany Maj. Reno, as he might
need his services during the ap-
preaching battle.
We shall not go into details con-
corning the movements of Captain
Benteen or Captain McDougal. who
were some in the rear when Custer
and Reno separated, but confine our
story to an interview we had with
Fred Girard on his return to Fort
Lincoln shortly after the slaughter.
ut was about 1890 when Gen.
Custer ordered Reno to cross the Lit
tie Big Horn and attack the Indian
village in sight and that he would
pass down the river and attack the
Indians at the other end" said Mr..
Girard to the writer.
Reno forded the river without
difficulty, and we found the Indians
in hasty preparation for flight. We
advanced to a body of timber and the
order to dismount was given instead
Of charging the camp. When the
troops were dismounted, both tanks
were protected by the river and per-
fectly safe from attack on flank or
rear. We advanced from the horses
and took position in the timber, and
every man fired from behind trees
until the Indians were scattered and
demoralized. If Reno had charged
them he would have saved Custer
from slaughter"
"When Reno ordered his men to
mount and retreat not a man had
been killed or even wounded. but in
the confusion of retreat We lost
40 men killed and wounded before
the command gained the hill across
the river. When we began to retreat
the scattered Indians picked up cour-
age and followed us vigorously and
they were all armed with rifles while
the troops had carbines.
For the time we crossed the river
and attacked the Indians until our