The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-05-27

the popular fancy and dominates this engage
ment that it probably will never be known gem
orally by any other name than Clusters Last
Fight, or Clusters Last Rally or more commonly
(albet inaccurately) the Custer Massacre
Plans for the semi-centennial celebration of this
famous engagement are under the direction of the
National Custer Memorial association, organized
last year in Montana but including in its men,
bership a score of persons nationally known who
are prominent in the work of patriotic societies
and perpetuation of historical spots One of them
is Gen. e. s. Godfrey, U. S. A.. retired who was
lieutenant in Clusters regiment the Seventh
cavalry that fatefu day fifty years ago
The program calls for participation In the cele-
bration by the present personnel of the Seventh
cavalry now stationed at Fort Bliss Texas and
Sioux and Cheyenne Indians the sons and grand
sons of the savage warriors who overwhelmed
Clusters men on the Little Big Horn. The Unit
ed States government is cooperating, $4,000 hav-
ing been appropriated by congress recently for
the transportation of the troops to and from the
celebration. Congress has also passed bill au-
thorizing the secretary of the interior to acquire
tract of land of 100 the site of the fight
between the Indians and the detachments COM
manded by Major Reno and Captain Benteen
which part of the Custer battle and to
erect it suitable monument and historical
tablet, the dedication of which will be part of
the celebration. But the most interesting part
of it all will be the march of the Seventh under
Colonel Lee from the mouth Of the Rosebud
river, beginning at noon on June % and following
the route taken by Custer and his doomed men,
They will arrive ION the Custer battlefield, the
property of the federal government upon which a
monument was erected many years ago on the
morning of June %. There they will be met by
the Indians and formal ceremony symbolicaI Of
the "burying of the Ratchet" between red men
and white will take place.
Thus, in a celebration which is attracting ma
tion-wide attention, will be recalled tragedy
which shocked the entire nation a half century
ago. echoes of which have been heard every year
of the fifty that have interviewed since Americas
"Slx Hundred rode into their valley of Death"
The story of this battle is so wellknown that 1t
needs repetition here. It has been told and re-
told often that there seems to be little that is
to tell again Over it has ragged many BIT
ter controversy and around it has sprung up q
great mass of tradition, myth INSTRUMENTATION
and sheer bunk" Fortunately, however 1t has
had its historians who have worked Industrious
Iy to 'debunk' the story of the Custer battle and
although there still many details over which
there is and always will be- chance for dis
agreement, in the main certain facts which have
been oftenes distorted have been established
In their true light
First Of all, the Custer battle was not the
~Custer Massacre" as it is so often called Gus
ter attacked the Indians and fought desperately
until he and all of the 212 men In the five com
panies of the Seventh which accompanied him
were killed. But there was no ambush, no sIaugh-
ter of unarmed men, of the other factors
which would justify calling this battle mas
sacre.
One of the points which there has been
the most acrimonious debate is whether or not
Custer disobeyed the orders of his superior Off
Ger. Gen A. II. Terry. and by his disobedience
brought disaster upon himself In many respects
this dispute resolves itself Into an academic affair
to which there can be no solution without astrict
Limitation, Interpretation and definition Of the
terms used in the debate. Opinion on this matter
Is about equally divided. General Godfrey is the
most eminent among those who believe that the
disaster did not result from dlsobedience of orders
and the general is probably as well qualified as
anyone in the world TO make positive state
ment in this regard.