The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-02-08

aiken in 1890 on the Milk River.
knees slightly drawn up, and heac
and shoulders bent forward, anc
secured to the bed by drawing the
blanket up over him and lashing il
to the upper part of the rim.
,made use of 10 of these travels tc
transport the wounded from the
battlefield of the Little Big Horn
June Is and 70, 1876, to the boat
at the mouth of the Big Horn.
"The distance was 80 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 to
test the merits of the rravois rs a
carrier of wounded; yer, notwitE-
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 travois 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 i'm
perative that SO wounded men be
transported to the confluence of the
Little Big Horn with the Big Horn,
a distance of about 30 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
entity of the battlefield, made in
by the unburied bodies of
men and horses. General Gibbon
transportation by hand
DIR. Williams advised
he construction of travels; Lieut..
J. A. Doane advocated the use of
wo-mule filters. Specimens of the
hree varieties were made the next |
lay, June 81, and were used in
moving the wounded to a camp
bout five miles down, on the Lit
lie Big Horn.
"The hand-litters proved useless
or the men employed as bearers
,roke down, and sufficient relays
ould not be had. The travels
worked well. The double-mule lit
ers were ineffective, except for
luggage, for the animals were so
estive that the wounded feared to
e placed on the filters.
"The next day, June 18th, new
rails were made with the mule
tiers and travels, selecting ami
1aIs from General Custer's pack
rain, in which the mules, recently
objected to long and fatiguing
were more docile and /,
-actable. After these experiments, /
n June 10Th, General Gibbon dir
cted the construction of additional !
xo-mule filters and travels, and, /
S fast as they were finished, the
Jules were exercised in marching :
18th them.
"On June 30th, 19 of the more t
everely wounded were placed on
he two-mule litters, 10 on travels, :
nd 80 of the less severely wound {
on horseback. Each mule-lit- +
r was attended by four men, one y
aiding the forward mule, one the d
ar mule, while one walked on
Their side of the litter to steady \
e swaying movement of the side /
oles. q
Among the gravely wounded v
| the mule-litters was on ampu-
ted at the place of election in the :
g, another with a shot perfora-
On of the knee joint, and four
18th penetrating wounds of the
lest or abdomen. The travois, on
hich the wounded men were car
ed transversely to the long side
lies required the service of but a