The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-07-05
NEW VERSION OF
CUSTER FIGHT
Continued from Feature Page)

troop and we missed him very much.
In the Indian camp after the battle, wheI
we were destroying it, we found the headi
of three Of our men tied together witt
wires and suspended from a lodge poll
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 were
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
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 1 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 com
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
fighting. The Indians were in great num-
bers on all sides of us. In this charge
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
the negro interpreter, were killed
here. Lieutenant Hodgson was wounded,
and his horse shot, and Lieut.. Donald
was killed. Mcintosh was a
brave and faithful officer, commanding
G.
Lieutenant DeRudio and Fred Girard, a
white scout, and some 10 or II men, be-
separated from the command, and
MD themselves in the brush or in the
some of those men told me afterwards that
hey stood in water up to their necks, I'M
Ter the ~embankment, to keep out of sight
IF the Indians. Two of those men were
'ergeants of my company, Charles White
Ind Patrick Carney. They Joined the COM
nand in the intrenchments on the bluff
lfter dark.
At this point the river was about so
ards wide, and the water about two and
half feet deep, with a swift current.
Hodgson asked one of the men
0 carry, him across, he being wounded
nd his horse shot. 1t was reported that
trumpeter from my company named
Usher, better known as Bounce told him
0 hold one to his stirrup, and the horse
the river. He was shot a second
and killed. Now I know of three men
Tho claim to have aided Hodgson.
Fighting Is Desperate
opposite bank of the river was very
.eep, and the only way to get up to the I
luffs was through a buffalo trail worn /
4 the bank, and only wide enough to let ,
e crossed the river the fighting was des- l
crate and at close quarters. f
In many instances the soldiers would 7
npty their revolvers right into the breasts l.
the Indians, and then throw them away :
Id grab their carbines, not having time
return their revolyers to their holsters.
my opinion, If Major Reno had remained
the timber a short time longer not a
an would have made his escape as the
!dians 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 X,
lillian d. Myer, a farrier of Company NJ,
d Henry Gordon of the same ompany
lelr bodies, with a number of others, lay
COf6T OIL our guns, SO Thai the Ind
IS did not get a chance to scalp them. :
After we gained the bluffs we could look
upon the plains where the Indians r
re, and could see them stripping and
dies in a horrible manner The prairie
s all Attire: The officers did all in their
Wer to rally the men, and while they
re doing so many were killed. I'LL
After the companies were formed the fir
ceased, and we were Joined by Ben
ms battalion, which was the first we
! seen of him since the division of the
,iment. Soon after, the pack train ar
ugal, which was very fortunate, as our
was nearly exhausted, and we
I'D not get supplies from any other
lrce. We had several wounded men and
attended to them as well as circum-
noes would permit. I understood at that
that Captain Weir with his company,
left the command there, and started
the direction General Custer had taken
a short distance, and then returned,
| did not see him.
ieavlng two companies with the packs
| wounded, Major Reno, with five COM
lies, or what was left of them, proceeded
the direction we had supposed General
;ter took, and in the direction of the
ian camp.
We went in that direction for probably
I a mile until we gained a high point,
could overlook the Indian camp and
battlefield. We saw at a distance of
n a mile and a half to two miles parties
:" We 6uPpOotu we're 1uQldQS, T1QlQg Ill
k and forth, firing scattering shots. WE'LL
ught that they were %disposing of Gus
$ wounded men, and this afterward
we'd to be true.
'e halted for a few moments, and saw
irge herd Of ponies at the further end
he village, and could distinguish a large
ty of Indians coming towards the Ind
camp. The prairie around the village
the first battlefield was all Attire, hav-
been set by the Indians to hide their
Hi
. the top Of this bluff we halted, and
he foot there was a ford, and this was =
re Custer had first encountered the
ans, as we found some of the dead
les there two days afterwards. While
were on the bluffs the Indians again
e their appearance, coming in large
-bers from the direction in which we
d the firing. We exchanged several
$ with them and we lost a few men,
then had orders to fall back to our
IS and wounded.
our arriving there we dismounted in
e, putting the wounded in a low de-
sion on the bluffs and put packs from
mules around them to shelter them
the fire of the Indians. We then
led aa circle of our pack mules and
eS, forming a Skirmish line all around