The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-07-05
new VERSION OF
CUSTER FIGHT
Continued from Feature Page)

we were destroying it, we found the head
of three of our men tied together witt
with their hair all burned off. We did no
see their bodies there. The Indians prob
ably threw them into the river. We go
back to our horses and the orders wer'
given to mount and this time some of thu
men became confused and some of then
could not find their horses.
Major Reno had lost his hat and hat
a red handkerchief tied around his head
As we mounted / looked to the rear in the
direction of the river and saw the Indians
completing the circle, riding through the
brush and lying flat on their ponies.
mentioned the fact to Captain French, say
ing, Captain, the Indians are in our rear
He answered: "Oh, no; those are Genera
Clusters men," Just at that moment one OF
those Indians fired and Private George
Lorentz of my company, who was number
one of the first set of tours, was shot, the
bullet striking him in the back of the neck
and coming out of his mouth. He fell
forward on his saddle and dropped to the
ground. Just at that moment the Indians
fired into US from all sides, and l said to
Captain French of my company: "The best
thing that we can do is to cut right
through them" By this time they had us
surrounded. They were on higher ground
than we were. Major Reno rode up and
said ANY of you men who wish to make
your escape, follow me-"
Reno Leads Charge
The order was then given to charge, and
away we went up the steep embankment,
cutting through the Indians in a solid
body, Major Reno being in advance. As we
cut through them the fighting was hand
to hand, and it was death to any man who
fell from his horse, or was wounded and
was not able to keep up with the conn.,
mand.
After cutting through we went back over
the same ground, and then took a circle
to the left to gain the bluffs at the nearest
point. Here there was some pretty sharp
The Indians were in great num-
hers on all CI6nG Of nG In this nhQ roo
there were 80 men killed, my company los
ing 10, but we reached the river.
Bloody Knife, chief of Indian scouts;
Charlie Reynolds, a white scout, and liar
Dorman, the negro interpreter, were killed
lere. Lieutenant Hodgson was wounded,
md his horse shot. and Lieut.. Donald
Mcintosh was killed. Mcintosh was a
and faithful officer, commanding
G.
Lieutenant DeRudio and Fred Girard, a
White scout, and some 10 or II men, be-
i'd themselves in the brush or in the
foods, or under the river embankment, and
ONE of those men told me afterwards that
ney stood IN water up to their necks, I'M
er the ~embankment, to keep out of sight
f the Indians. Two of those men were
ergeants of my company, Charles White ]
nd Patrick Carney. They Joined the COM
land in the in-trenchments on the bluff
fter dark.
At this point the river was about 50 {
ards wide, and the water about two and {
half feet deep, with a swift current. +
Hodgson asked one of the men :
I'D his horse shot. 1t was reported that f
trumpeter from my company named o
isher, better known as Bounce" told him e
hold one to his stirrup, and the horse d
the lieutenant as well as the rider Il
ross the river. He was shot a second Il
and killed. Now I know of three men :
no claim to have aided Hodgson.
Fighting Is Desperate =
The opposite bank of the river was very y
eep, and the only way to get up to the e
! tne bank, and only wide enough to let o
le man pass through at a time. Before :.
e crossed the river the fighting was des- II
rate and at close quarters. f:
In many instances the soldiers would h
npty their reVolvers right into the breasts y
the Indians, and then throw them away =
ID graD their carbines, not having time
return their revolyers to their holsters. 4
my opinion, if Major Reno had remained /
the timber a short time longer not a 1
an would have made his escape as the /
,dlans outnumbered us 10 to one. |
In scaling the bluff, DR.. De Wolf. a CON |
act surgeon on the expedition. was |
lied; also Sergeant Clair of Company K.
Imam ID. Myer, a farrier of Company NJ,
q Henry Gordon of the same company.
lelr bodies, with a number of others. Law 4
der cover of our guns, so that the Ind Z
did not get a chance to scalp them. =
AFTER we gained the bluffs we could look
ck upon the plains where the Indians =
re. and could see them stripping and
iiplng our men, and mutilating their
dies in a horrible manner. The prairie
al af1re; The officers did all in their
to rally the men, and while they
re doing so many were killed.
AIter the companies were formed the fir
ceased, and we were Joined by Ben
ms battalion, which was the first we
d seen of him since the division of the
'lment. Soon after, the pack train ar
with company b under Captain Nc
ugal, which was very fortunate, as our
nunltlon was nearly exhausted, and we
III not get supplies from any other
irce. We had several rounded men and
attended to them as we'll as circum-
noes would permit. l understood at that
le that Captain Weir with his COMPANY
left the command there, and Started
the direction General Custer had taken
a snort distance, and then returned,
nough l did not see him.
leaving two companies with the nacks
l wounded, Major Reno, with five com
lles, or what was left of them, proceeded
the direction we had supposed General
ster took, and in the direction of the
We went in that direction for probably
I a mile until we gained a high point.
l couid overlook the Indian camp and
OaltleIleId. We saw at a distance of
m a mile and a half to two miles parties
ON we supposed were Indians. riding
* ana fortn, firing scattering shots. We
gsnt mat they were disposing of Gus
5 Wounded men, and this afterward
we'd to be true.
We halted for a few moments. and saw
arge nerd of ponies at the further and
me village, and could distinguish a large
ty of Indians coming towards the Ind
camp. The prairie around the VILLAGE
tne first battlefield was all afire. bay-
been set by the Indians to hide their
t the top Of this bluff we halted and
the foot there was a ford, and this was =
ere Custer had first encountered the
i!ans, as we found some of the dead
lies there two days afterwards. WbiIa
were on the bluffs the Indians again
1e their appearance, coming in 1srge
n6ers from the direction in which We
"a the firing. We exchanged several
Is with them and we lost 4 few mon
!, tnen had orders to fall back to our
n our arriving there we dismounted IN
Le. putting the wounded in a low do
sslon on the bluffs and put packs from
mules around them to shelter them
n Ihe lire of the Indians. We then
ned aa circle Of our pack mnIes and
ses, forming a skirmish line ali aronnd
nole' and then lay down and waited
(Te Be Concluded Nax+ WaaI IL