The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-07-12
HERE is "A NEW VERSION OF GUSTERS LAST FIGHT, WHICH
is TOLD BY JOHN RYAN, TOP SERGEANT UNDER MAJOR RENO

i We marched through the town down
to what was then known as Whlsky poinI,
and went into camp; Inns was q smaIs
river. about one mile from Bismark, and
opposite Fort Abraham Lincoln. under-
stand that there is a magnificent Drluge
built over the Missouri on the line or the
Northern Pacific railroad. This point con-
sisted at that time, of a few rum Shops
and gambling halls, and many a soldler
was fleeced of his hard earnings at TINS
point and the town of Bismark, and many
a soldier and citizen went to their happy
hunting ground in short order with their
boots on.
and were Joined by General Sturgis, who
was colonel Of the Seventh at that time
Sturgis was on recruiting service at St
Louis, No., at the time of the Custer
battle and applied to be relieved OF re-
cruiting duty, and Joined his regiment an
Fort Lincoln.
company, and was killed with General
Clusters five companies, and | do not think
his body was ever recovered. lie was at
tached to Company e. Lieutenant Smiths
company, and was a very handsome, brave
and intelligent officer, and the company
mourned his loss very much.
General Sturgis took command, and here
we received about $50 to 600 recruits in
one body, my own company receiving 90.
We also received some new officers from
other regiments to replace those who we're
killed. We also received a large number
Of horses and much equipment.
There were two more expeditions Or
Missouri river, along the Indian agencies
to disarm and dismoun all the Indians
that could be found. General Sturgis
took a part Of the Seventh cavalry and a
battery. and marched down the north bank
of the Missouri.
Major Reno took the balance Of the
regiment and some infantry and marched
down the south bank of the Missouri
The first agency we struck was about 40
miles from Fort Lincoln, known as the
Standing Rock Agency. This was the
agency where Rain-in-the-Faee was cap
tured by Tom Custer some years before.
Here we disarmed and d~ismounted what
further down to the Grand River agency,
and disarmed and dismounted the Indians
here.
We took away about 1900 ponies and
several hundred stands of arms. But the
Indians probably knew that we were COM
ing, for what guns we got were not their
old patched-up shotguns, old muskets and
old ~patched-up rifles. They had probably
hidden their best Winchesters miles from
their camps, as we searched them very
thoroughly.
do not know what success the expedi-
ton that marched down the other side
of the Missouri, under Major Reno met
with.
Fort Rice Barricaded
In some. instances the Indians made
some slight resistance in regard to turn
ing over their ponies and arms and we
had to use some force to secure them,
although we never clashed with them.
We returned, marching up along the
Missouri by easy marches, there being
considerable snow and ice on the ground
n march che Of f" Fort Rice. THOMAS French,
captain of my company, sent me ahead
with six men. We got into a yawl boat,
sia soldiers gai s0T detained eS Z from D1a' Fort frsT Ric e.
and rowed across and swan our horses.
We went to the Fort and got things in
readiness, rations and quarters straight
CANE back. In a few days the troops to
be stationed at that Fort for the winter,
arrived. They were: Company M. Capt.
Thomas Fl. French; Company ID. Captain
Weir; Company H, Captain Benteen; and
we relieved the infantry who were sta
toned there.
Fort Rice was turned into a regular line
of rifle pits, and barricaded in the best
possible manner, as they probably expect
ed an attack on the fort in the absence
of the cavalry.
The balance of the troops marched up
the Missouri from Fort Rice to Fort Lin
quarters at Fort Lincoln, one company to
Fort Ripley, Mimi, a couple of companies
to Fort Wadsworth, on what is known as
Devils lake, one to Fort Totten, and one
The arms which were taken from the
Indians were carried on wagons and were
turned over to the ordnance department
at some of the forts.
The ponies that were in charge of the
infantry officer, whose name / have for
gotten, and the herders who drove the In
dian ponies were teamsters who were on
our summer campaign, and turned in their
teams to the quartermaster's department.
These ponies were to be driven overland
from Mismark to st. Paul, Mimi, to be
sold, and the proceeds turned over to the
Interior department for the use of the
Indians.
/ had but a short time to serve after
being settled down at Fort Rice, and /
took a couple of teams and proceeded
to Bismark and bought supplies for the
company, consisting of several bushels of
potatoes. several bushels of onions, and
sundry other articles of food, such as was
not furnished by the commissary depart
ment for the troops, and among them 10
10 gallon kegs Of lager beer. In additions
CONTINUED on Agricultural Page)