The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-02-07

~ LUZ lILfO1of AiAtAAe W AlANt 000N ~
in 1890 ON the Milk River.
knees slightly drawn up, and head
and shoulders bent forward, and
secured to the bed by drawing the
blanket up over him and lashing it
Ito the upper part of the rim. |
made use Of 10 of these travels to
transport the wounded from the
battlefield of the Little Big Horn,
June Is and 20, 1876, to the boat
at the mouth of the Big Horn.
"The distance was 30 miles time
of march,, night the country to be
traversed rough and broken; the
Little Big Horn, which crossed our
line of march in its windings to-
ward the Big Horn, had to be ford
ed six times-obstacles enough 10
test the merits of the rravois rs a
carrier of wounded; yer, notwitk-
standing the difficulties in the way,
the wounded were transported to
the boat without accident or per-
sonal inconvenience and discom-
fort of any kind"
In a subsequent report, given
January 9, 1877, Assistant Surgeon
Williams, who was chief medical
officer of General Terry's com
mand, gave further information of
the use of the travels after the bat
tie of the Little Big Horn:
"On the arrival of the infantry
column under Col. John Gibbon,
9TH Infantry, on June 20, it was inn
perative that SO wounded men be
transported to the confluence of the
Little Big Horn with the Big Horn,
a distance of about 80 miles, where
they could be placed on the trans
port Far West. 1t was of urgency
that they should be removed with
out delay from the immediate vi
of the battlefield, made in
tolerable by the unburied bodies of
men and horses. General Gibbon
suggested transportation by hand
stretchers; DR.. Williams advised
the construction of travels; Lieut..
G. A. Doane advocated the use of
two-mule litters. Specimens of the
three varieties were made the next
day, June II, and we're used in
moving the wounded to a camp
about five miles down, on the Lit
tie Big Horn.
"The hand-litters proved useless
for the men employed as bearers
broke down, and sufficient relays
could not be had. The travels
worked we'll. The double-mule lit
-ers were ineffective, except for
luggage, for the animals were so
FESTIVE that the wounded feared to
De placed on the filters.
"The next day, June 18th, new
-rials were made with the mule
itters and travels, selecting ami
from General Clusters pack
rain, in which the mules, recently
to long and fatiguing
marches, were more docile and
ractable. After these experiments,
IN June 10Th, General Gibbon dir
the construction of additional I
wo-mule filters and travels, and, /
IS fast as they were finished, the {
mules were exercised in marching s
With them.
"On June 30th, 19 Of the more +
everely wounded were placed on I
he two-mule @litters, 10 on travels, {
nd 80 of the less severely wound {
d on horseback. Each mule-lit- t
er was attended by four men, one '
eading the forward mule, n the 4
ear mule, while n walked on
lther side of the litter to steady \
he swaying movement of the side |
oles. q
Among the gravely wounded v
n the mule-litters was on ampu-
ated at the place of election in the
e, another with a shot perfora-
on of the knee joint, and four
nth penetrating wounds of the
hest or abdomen. The ~travois, on
hitch the wounded men were car
led transversely to the long side
oles required the service of but al