The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1909-12-04

the village and scampering over the
high points toward the places desig-
mated for them by their chiefs, and
which entirely surrounded our posi-
ton. They had sufficient numbers to
completely encircle US, and men were
struck from opposite sides of the lines
from which the shots were fired. 4
think we were fighting all the Sioux
nation, and also all the desperadoes,
renegades, half-breeds, and squaw-
men east of the Rocky Mountains.
They must have numbered at least
twenty-five hundred warriors.
"The fire did not slacken until a.
bout $3.50 a. M, and then we found
they were making a last desperate
effort =" In this charge they
came close enough to use their bows
and arrows, and one man lying dead
within our lines was touched with
the coup-stick of one of the foremost
Indians"
Suddenly to the great establishment
of the soldiers, their foe began to
withdraw and move back down to
their village. The next thing the
white men saw was dense clouds of
smoke down in the valley. The In
dams had fired the grass to conceal
their movements, and all afternoon
remained hidden from view. To
quote from Reno again: at was be-
| tween and p. m. that the village
came out from behind the dense
clouds of smoke and dust. We had
close and good view Of them as they.
filed away in the direction of the
Big Horn Mountains, moving in al
most perfect military order. The
length of the column was fully equal
to that of large division of the
cavalry corps of the Army of the
Potomac as / have seen it in its
march,"
Another night they lay on the hill,
and the next morning (the 27th) they
sighted cloud of dust down THE val
ley which announced the approach Of
a marching column. At first they
thought it was Custer returning, but
when the new arrivals reached their
camp they proved to be Gen. TerTy's
command of five hundred men on their
way to join Custer. 1t is now plain
why the Indians had left so unexpect-
edly; their scouts had seen Terry
coming and knew that he had wheel
guns" (artillery) with him.
After the first joyful greeting, an
expedition Immediately started to find
Custer. Following his trail for a.
bout three miles, they reached a gap
in the bluffs where he had gone gal
Looping down to the river, and then
turned back. Why he did not cross
here and attack the village, no one
knows; but it was probably he en-.
countered such an overwhelming force
of warriors there that he was CON-
PEELED to turn and make for the hills
as Reno had done. His trail leads
right back to high ridge, along the
top Of which he halted and fought II
out. Anyone who has seen Gettys-
burg will at once be struck with the
similarity Clusters position bears tc
it; the ridge runs north and south
and the enemy came from the west
When the relief party reached this
they commenced to find dead men, the
small tombstones which stand there
, today marking the exact location Of
! the bodies. It was not a pleasant
sight that met their eyes; anyone who
, has seen dead bodies on a field two
! days after a battle knows that it il
sight not to be forgotten. And any
old Indian fighter who reads this hal
, but to close his eyes to see Custer'I
men as they lay there, stripped naked
the tops Of their heads raw anC
; bloody, covered with gaping wounds
and mutilations, the bodies swoller
! in the summer sun and covered with
: fiies-best draw the curtain and SEE
nothing but the pure white marble
} Small wonder that the horifed be,
. holders simply threw a few shovel
i fuls of earth over each body and hur
! ried away. The wind and rain die
r their work, with the result that fol
: years the bleaching skeletons lay ex
; posed on the desolate hills. 1t wal
to Maj. Galbraith, an officer well
/. known in Boise, that the duty fell Of
> properly burying the remains and set
: ting the white stones, many years
after the battle. Mrs. Galbraith, who
; was an Idaho girl, perhaps better
: known as Mrs. Ridenbaugh's sister
has in her possession today a caval
} ryman's boot which she picked mp or
the field ten years after the fight. The