The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1914-01-22

} other soldiers after us; we knew
about where they were, and we fell
they would pursue us.
AT Powder river the soldiers at
tackled our camp and destroyed
Heverything and that made us mad
When the soldiers came after us, on
the day of the Custer fight, we were
ready to kill them all. The soldiers
were after us all the time and we
had to fight"
The authors conclusion on the
! Custer fight are as follows:
Gen. Custer was a daring and
chivalrous Officer He had won
laurels on many a hard fought field
under southern skies-he was a
strategist, brave and unfaltering.
He served in western campaign with
distinction and success. He knew
how to deal with the masterful
generalship of his willy Indian foes
Hitherto his tactics had been
victorious. The orders under which
he now marched to battle were def
mite up to a certain point-then, so
the record in the war department
reads-he was to use his own dis
cretion and initiative. He was
compelled to follow this course-for
he marched over wild and track
less waste, far distant from his base
of supplies and absolutely without
means of com nunication with head
quarters, and without ability to as
certain the movements of any mill
tary force in the field.
Custer was strong enough, brave
enough and sufficiently masterful to
see and seize the situation, His tao
tics he had previously and many
times employed, and always with
brilliant success. On this June day
he would have led the daring Seven
tn TO victory and routed, if not con-
quered, the great Indian camp. He
was defeated and slain with entire
Command. They fell at their posts
in battle formation.
he entire group of Indian war.
riors participating in this grim bat
tie all testify that had Reno pushed
his charge when first attacked the
Indian camp they would have fled
in confusion for the attack was I'M
expected.
They further testify that after
Reno made his attack with portion
of his men, thus depicting his effec-
tive fighting force by one-half and
in desperation made his bungling
retreat had he later come to the aid
of Custer with the added reinforce
ments of Benteen, French and Weir,
who begged him to hear the appeal
of Clusters rapid volleys, Custer
could have broken the Indian camp.
Reno remained on the hill until
every gun was silent. Reno failed.
Custer was slain. This conclusion
is the voice of the Indian
The Custer fight, so graphically
dt picted, occupies only small. part
of this book. Throughout all the
pages is seen a race that stands
apart from all mankind. A race of
men with lofty ideals, heroic in tenn
permanent ineffably tragic in thought.
Creatures of the forest, yet masters
of the forest. One of the five great
races of people who watched their
lands disappear, their buffalo ex-
terminated, yielding their homes
shrinking back before advancing
civilza ion, realizing that their pris
tine glories may never be recovered,
yet never yielding their claim of
equality Today the thought in the
Indian mind still seems to be that
although he is doomed to extermi-
nation, and die he must. vet will he
die undaunted.
The first part of the book is de-
voted to Indian imprints-a glimpse
backward into the original life and
country of the Indian. Here he is
shown to have been a man of
majestic mien, of stolid dignity, of
triumphant courage, with inscrut-
able self poise." He had real re-
ligious impulses and faith and hos
pitality; his savage character, the
author says, came upon him through
contact with the white man and his
going is the imposing triumph OF
solitary grandeur sweeping beyond
the reach of militant crimes, their
muft1ed footballs reaching beyond
the margin of an echo"
These impres sions form the hack
ground for the Stories of the Chiefs"
as told in The Last Great Indian
Council" organized by the expedi-
tan, with the assistance of the
Uoited States government in the
valley of>the Little Big Horn, Mon.
tana. Wrestling with the Indian
superstition that to be photogra phed