The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-06-26

1 Her0lSm OF Custer !
DISCUSSES Lit
- + 4 4
Says OwnCareless
The heroic lustre which tradition
has built about General George A.
Custer for his part in the battle Of
the Little Big Horn was impugned
Sunday evening in radio address by
P. E. Byrne of l20 Avenue A west, Bis
marck, Indian history authority and
author of Soldiers of the Plains"
/ The occasion for Bryne's address
was the 57th anniversary Of the battle
of the Little Big Horn In Montana
and the so-called Custer Massacre"
by Indians under the leadership Of
Chiefs Gall and Crazy Horse, which
occurred on June Is, 1876.
THE real Custer at the Little Big
Horn must have been melancholy
figure compared with the Custer Of
legend, the Custer whom the world
has been given to know so we'll
throughout these years-the dashing
leader before whom all opposition
faded: the military spearhead intent
upon carrying death and destruction
to the hapless Indian hordes," Byrne
said. alas! the dashing leadership
was all on the other side in that at
fair, and the plans for slaughter went
awry. The Indian forces prevailed;
the whites went down to death. Gus
ter and his battalion went in to kill;
they remained to die"
Three Separate Columns
Three separate columns had been
projected against the Indians en-
camped somewhere in the Big Horn
country, Byrne said in describing in
cidents leading up to the battle. Gen
eral Crook had advanced from Fort
Fetterman, Wyo, on the south, Cen
eral Terry's column, which included
Clusters Seventh Calvary, had ad-
vanced from Fort Abraham Lincoln,
Dakota, on the east while Col. John
Gibbon, acting under Terry, was IN
command OF the Montana column
which had advanced from Fort Ellis,
Mont.
Arriving at the mouth of the Rose
bud in Montana on June q, 1876,
Terry, Custer and Gibbon went into
conference and agreed as to the plan
of operations. At noon of the 22nd
Custer, with the Seventh Cavalry,
went up the Rosebud to follow an In
dian trail previously discovered by
Major Reno's scouting detachment
which had been sent out some days
before from point near the mouth
of Powder river.
Terry, with the Gibbon command,
continued up the Yellowstone to the
mouth of the Big Horn, and from
that point proceeded up the Big Horn
| valley, aiming for the Indian camp
now believed to be in the valley OF
the Little Big Horn. 1t appears that
Custer was to await the arrival OF
Terry and Gibbon before launching
his attack on the Indian village; but
he failed to do so, and proceeded to
the attack although the forces OF Glib
bon still were some 40 miles away.
| Custer Divided Regiment
Custer divided his regiment. He
ordered one troop, Captain McDoug-
all's, to accompany the pack train as
escort. He ordered his senior captain,
Benteen, with three troops on a wide
detour to the south and west in quest
of Indians: "a rather senseless order,
Benteen subsequently testified.
Three troops under Major Reno
were ordered to attack at point sup
posed to be the upper (south) end OF
the village, and Reno was given to
understand that his attack would
have the support of the remainder OF
the regiment-five troops under Gus
ter's immediate command. Instead OF
standing by in support Of Reno, how
ever, Custer, with his five-troop bat
talon, turned to the north with the
intention, presumably, of attacking
the village at the lower (north end
and preventing the escape Of the hos
tiles. AS to this sudden and wholly
unexpected change of plan, Custer
sent no word or hint to Reno. But
it was the end of Custer, for lower
down the river he met the Indians in
force and was wiped out in short or
der.
Reno began his attack but. was
quickly routed and driven back to the
bluffs on the east side of the river
Meanwhile Benteen, having abandon.
ed the "senseless" search prescribed
by Custer, had turned to follow thu
rest of the command, arriving JUS
in time to save Reno. Later, McDoug.
all came up, and the combined forces
stood off the Indians until late in tn
afternoon of June 26. On the 27tf
Terry, with the Gibbon command, ar
rived. Then it was discovered tina
Custer and his five-troop battalion
had been annihilated-not one es
Gaping the carnage. On the evening
of the Goth the Indians had with
drawn, heading for the Big Horn
Mountains.
Astounding Indian Victory
Briefly" said Byrne, this is tn
story Of the Little Big Horn affair
Gall and Crazy Horse had met Gus
J ter. The result: One of the mos
astounding Indian victories in the an
mails Of Indian warfare. Three time
J in three months war had come to tn
passive Indian, and to the trouble
seeking white man disaster"
Custer, ueutenant-colonel (majo
general by brevet) In command of tn
Seventh Cavalry, Byrne said, was [
man Of 81, above the average height
keen, alert, reticent; man Of rar
physical endurance, Of tremendou
energy, Of unusual deeds. He hat
done great things as cavalry leade