Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-06


dians. He was not seen alive after
that. Benteen made an effort to as
sist Reno in the first attack, but was
held in check by the heavy force Of
Indians while Custer had taken his
command (260 men), further up the
slope and probably two and a half
miles away believing that Reno and
Benteen would drive the Indians down
the river where he could finish them
all. Reno retreated across the river
and found refuge in the high hills
where the Indians had him almost
surrounded and where every officer
and private fully expected to meet his
death when suddenly the Indians ceas-
ed action. Words flew for 1t was at
this juncture that Custer had been
discovered; they did not know Of his
presence and thought they had to die
only with Maj. Reno's command.
At this time Iron Cedar" an impor-
tant warrior, excitedly sought out
Chief Gall and told him of Clusters
approach The Indians in body left
Reno and went to attack Custer. Chief
Gall had ordered the heavy force Of
Indians to completely surround Custer
and I saw the ravine where he person.
ally led a large force to the top Of the
bluff.
1t was here that Custer was attack
ed and man after man went down
fighting until the entire command Of
260 men was exterminated. In our
boyhood days we remember reading
the account Of the battle Of Balaklava
with its heroisms, Of the Charge Of
the Six Hundred" against the Russian
batteries where someone had blum
dered" and one half returned unscath-
ed. But no trooper Of Clusters 260
men remained to tell the tale. None
wounded; none missing; all killed. 'Tis
said here that the Indian scout Cur
ley" made his escape early in the bat
tie by dressing in the clothes Of dead
Sioux warrior.
While the battle was progressing
there arose from out the tall grass
and under the hills, thousand fierce
Cheyennes with the demoniacal Rain
in-the- Face as leader. This same In
dian was noted among many Of the
Indians as a fearless fighter and n
"pale-face" hater. To attest his
strength and impress the Indians with
his indifference to death 1t is said that
he hung for three hours in the sun by
deer thongs fastened into holes cut
the flesh under the shoulder
blades He had been imprisoned at
one time at one Of the Agencies by
Capt. Tom Custer (Gen. Clusters
brother), for promoting some trouble
among his bloodthirsty Cheyennes. He
to eat Tom Clusters heart
which threat he made good, for when
the battle ended he sought out Tom
Custer, ripped opened his body, and
tore out the reeking heart before the
eyes Of the exultant savages. The dead
soldiers were mutilated and hacked in
d IuOSL
No one knows the length of the bat
tie. One Indian told that 1t lasted as
long as 1t took a candle to burn one
fourth of an inch;" another said that
1t lasted as long as 1t took a hungry
Indian to eat his dinner" Presum-
ably the awful work was done In thirty
minutes. Report has 1t that part Of
the command purposely failed Custer
and was afraid to send assistance, but
this is disclaimed in that it was utter
ly impossible for them to reach Gus
ter as the Indians were between the
two forces.
At least a few Of the soldiers who
were in Yorkville were with this expe-
dition. Many times I have heard
Trumpeter Penwell give his calls; he
was orderly to Capt Godfrey during
tie battle, but being in Reno's COM
mand he escaped. Another soldier l
we'll, was named Clair.
Sometime after the expedition left the
mouth Of the Rosebud on the Yellow
stone, Clair approached Capt. Godfrey
and said: Captain, I am going to be
killed and / have a sum Of money that
I want you to take" Capt. Godfrey
demonstrated with him for being un-
duly frightened but Clair insisted so
strongly and repeatedly that Godfrey
took the money. It was somewhat
known that Clair enlisted in the army
under an assumed name and so re-
ported to Captain Godfrey. When he
asked Clair what he should do with
the money in case he (Clair) was kill
ed, Clair only answered: You hold to
the money" Clair was killed; / saw
his grave and recognized the name at
once on his tombstone. Capt. Godfrey
turned the money over to the war de-
partment where l suppose it lies to-
day.
Just after the battle it is said that
the Indian boys filled the dead bodies
of the soldiers with arrows and other
wise mutilated them making recogni-
ton in many cases almost impossible.
The Indians did no more shooting
than was necessary as they did not
want to wound or kill the horses which
they coveted much. During the earlier
engagement with Reno's troops, they
were dismounted and the horses left
with a few soldiers as caretakers. A
large number Of these horses were
stampeded by the Indians by waving
blankets in front Of the horses and by
their ferocious yells. These horses
were afterwards caught by the squaws
and boys.
have travelled across many Of these
painless and seemingly endless plains
with nothing in sight except sage
brush and the sky overhead; not
tree to be seen. The Indian is noted
as a great economizer Of wood-no
wonder. However, along the banks Of
the Little Big Horn river grow to
size quite number OF
trees which / took to be cottonwoods.
That night after the battle the Indians
did not stint themselves; they had