The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-03-29
An Indian Chiefs Version Of Clusters Last Fight
Flying Hawk, Survivor of Massacre" Tells Story
From His Standpoint; Statement Considered
Valuable Original Document for
Future Historians
By M. J. McCREIGHT
BY M. J. McCREIGHT
Future Historians.

:, The writer of this article formed
friendships with Flying Hawk, Iron
Tail and other chiefs and he was adpt-
ed into the tribe aud made chief |
with the title Tchanta-Tanka, which
may be translated "Great Heart" The
historic Battle of the Little Big Horn
was a frequent subject of cOnversa-
tion with Flying Hawk, and on one
occasion the old chief was induced to
make statemento on the subject,
which Mr.. McCreight took down. Here
is the statement, only the sOlecisms
of the Indians broken English hay
ing been omitted.
Of the hundreds of fights that
marked the era of warfare between
course of our "Winning of the West"
that which stands out most distinctly
in the memory of men still living and
in the more or less veracious chroni-
cles that form the basis of thousands
of tales of wild adventure is the Bat
tie Of the Little Big Horn on June 25,
1876. Particular pathos was given to
this event described by the whites
as massacre" and by the Indians
as "battle") by the death of one of
the most dashing and romantic of
cavalry leaders, General George A.
Custer, himself the hero of hundred
fights and idolizcd by the army and
the frontiersmen Of his time for his
picturesque and charming personality,
his valor and his soldierIy qualities
Nelson A. Miles, Phil Sheridan, Buff
falo Bill and Pawnee Bill, Custer was
a bright and shining star.
l t.,
of the forty-fifth anniversary of the
in honor Of General Custer was un-
yelled on its site, several narratives
of surviving witnesses of the fight
have appeared in the magazines and
newspapers. 1t is hardly strange in
view of the fact that Custer and all
his men-all the actual participants
on the side of the American troops
were killed, that these narratives
should be in many instances cloudy
and conflicting. The writers saw the
action from safe distance and in
the confusion and excitement of the
occasion, it is scarcely to be expected
that they could have noted the Incl.
dents of the battle with any degree
of accuracy, to say nothing Of the al,
lowance to be made for the faults OF
memory in the lapse of 45 years
Most of these accounts, indeed, are
made up from observation of crcum
stantial evidence after the battle wa:
over. All Of them are written by
white men. Moreover, the fact tha
Indian fighting was not carried OF
with the nice regard for system, de
sign and carefully plotted plan
4 taught at West Point and practicee
by the Civil War veterans of tha
day, makes it unreasonable to assum,
4 that these reports could possibly b,
/ in agreement or entitled to any higl
4 degree Of authenticity.
] For the first time, the actual stor,
4 of the Battle Of the Little Big Horr
i is now given to the public from tn,
4 standpoint of the Indian. In regart
j to this particular fight as in regard t,
4 the major events of the century lon,
strife on the American frontier, Am
q erican history is practically silent a
TO the Indians side of the story
Some day the whole sanguinary tai
i will be told impartially. And whel
4 it is told, the reputation of the India1
will perhaps emerge, if not untarnish
A ed, at least bit less black than i
Il has been painted. 1t is the old stor,
q Of the difference it makes whose Ok i
4 gored. Just now we are learnin,
\ how much it matters whether tn
4 story of a war is told by victor O
81 vanquished in regard to the creates
a Of all wars, a war that involved muc
a Of the world.