The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-12-17
Story Of Clusters Last Battle ~
Told by an Idaho Man
Cavalryman Steunenberg Visits the Battlefield
Details Of a Fight to the Death

scape One solitary house stands IL
the midst Of the wilderness sub
stantial stone dwelling built for thu
keeper or the cemetery.
He was at home that morning ar
old G.. A. r. man who frankly adj
mitted that he knew very little about
the field! that he had been here on,s
three months, and as yet had never
Ieven been over to the Reno camp.
an entrenched hilltop three miles
away where Maj Reno had remained
on that fatal day while Custer was
being exterminated He stated, how
lever. that visitors were at liberty to
wander about the pace at will.
On leaving the house, the first
|sight that attracts the eve is the big
granite monument that was seen
from the car window. 1t stands on
1.-THE summit of nearby hill, while
on the slope right below it, one no
sltices an irregular group of small
white grave stones.
Proceeding up the winding road
j toward the monument, one pauses at
I this group Of small stones for closer
scrutiny. The first one bears the in
scription, Boston Custer, Civilian,
Fell Here June rs, 1876" He was a
| brother of the general The next is
marked, Arthur Reed, Civilian
He was Clusters nephew. Close by is
one inscribed, ~. s. Soldier. 9TH
Cavalry" the next. Captain T. w.
/ Custer" another brother of the gem
eral. Then one with a small flag plan
tied beside it. marked, Gen. Geo. A.
Custer" There are fifty stones in
the group bearing the significant
words. Fell Here, June Is. 1876
There is no attempt at straight rows,
the small tablets being huddled to-
/ gether in confused group, each
marking the spot where scalped and
lmutilated body was found by the men
L who arrived two DAYS after the fight.
So closely are they punched in places
that one can almost picture the
doomed men falling literally on top
of one another in the bloody hand to
hand conflict that marked the end.
Right above them. on the summit Of
the knoll, stands the big granite mon
ument, its four sides completely COW
cred with the names of the two HIM
1dred and fifty men who fell on that
| fatal Sunday. 1t has been found
necessary to enclose 1t with a high
iron fence to prevent desecrating
idiots from climbing it away for souv-
lenirs as if it differed from any other
granite. Looking about from this
commanding spot, one sees other
stones dotting the field in various
places, and this is all the average Wis
iitor sees of the Custer battle-ground.
] But this is comparatively nothing.
1t is we'll worth while to devote a
day to it and follow the battle
through it's different phases, for it is
positively thrilling from start to fin
ish. With this in view went riding
over the hills to point five miles
I'm the river, the point from which
Custer first launched his attack.
From here, looking down the Lit
| tie Big Horn toward the battle
ground. one sees the river lined on
the right side by high, sloping bluffs,
and on the left by low, fiat plain
mile wide. On this level plain, on
that memorable day in June, '76,
stood the countless tepees of large
Sioux village, extending for miles
along the bank of the river. Here
thousands of Sioux warriors had as
sembled under such leaders as Chief
Call, Crazy Horse and Rain-in-the-
Face, in anticipation of the clash with
the soldiers, which they knew was in
evitable sooner or later. Sitting Bull
was there, and is usually credited
with having led the Indians to vic
tory. But as matter of fact he was
acting more in the capacity OF medi-
cine man than chief; he took no part
in the fighting. but stayed away in
the hills making medicine, like wise
Indian.
Custer approached from behind the
bluffs, and. on sighting the. village,
Immediately decided to charge
straight into it, shooting down the
astonished red men before they could
recover from their surprise a plan
which had SO often before carried vic
tory with 1t by it's very audacity To
prepare to strike from an unexpect-
ed quarter, and then, when all was in
readiness. to have the band strike up
Garry Owen" while he went dash.
ing in with hurrah-that was Gus
ter's way! This tune, Garry Owen. "
has. by the way, become almost
part of the Seventh Cavalry; to this
day when the regiment passes in re-
view, although there is not single
man left in 1t who rode with Custer,
the stirring notes of the old air ring
out with all the inspiration of thirty
five years ago.
Whether or not he surprised the
Indians on this occasion is matter
OF much dispute. Some of the Indians
admit they were surprised: others
say that for two. days their scouts
had been watching the cloud of dust.
that heralded Custer's approach, and
their own superior numbers, had
simply remained in readiness while
he rode to his death. But there is
one point on which all--both white
and redA-agree; and that is that Gus
ter found more Indians than he was
looking for--found them in such
swarming thousands that his own lit
tie band of two hundred fell an easy
prey.
In making his dash this time. Gus
ter divided his command Always a
hazardous thing to do In the face of
the enemy AS soon as he sighted the
village-by the way. he saw only a
800 - - oo1 bod M. idoo <xf &c vocf