The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-11-30
Where the Clusters Died
Pho1o ku Groves kj1kour1

his people were no more hostile then than they
had been when members of this same band were
the victims of Colonel ChivingtOn and his Colo
RADIO troops at the Sand Creek massacre. But
Sheridans orders were, in effect, to kill Indians
and Custer didn't stop to find out whether the
village into which he charged that cold Novem-
Der morning was occupied by friendly or hostile
Indians.
His tactics at the Washita were the same as
those which brought disaster less than ten years
later-a division of his command and headlOng
attack on an enemy" whose numbers were UNI
known. But he soon found that he had stirred
up hornets nest, for Black Kettles village was
only one of several along the Washita. Threat
ened by warriors from the others, Custer hastily
withdrew, even though Maj. Joel Elliott and ~
men in his detachment were still unaccounted
for. Lieutenant Godfrey had reported hearing
sounds of firing which indicated that Elliott was
In distress. But Custer disregarded this and
marched away, leaving Elliott to his fate.
His hasty withdrawal indicates that he had
lost for the moment at least, his belief that the
Seventh could whip all the Indians on the plains.
But he lost something else at the Washita-the
undivided faith and admiration of the regiment
and the confidence of some of his officers From
that time on the Seventh cavalry was regi-
ment divided against itself. Nor during the next
eight years was Custer able to do anything
Wnlcn restored LnaL shattered IalLn.
During the Yellowstone expedition of 1873 he
had one run-in with his superior officer, General
Stanley, and received severe rebuke which
caused him to be good thereafter-at least, so
far as obeying orders was concerned. But he
did rush into one reckless fight with the Sioux
which nearly ended disastrously for him and
which gave him dangerous scorn for the Sioux
as foemen. His expedition into the Black Hills
in 1874 and his exaggerated reports of the rich
ness of the gold there brought him fieeting
moment of fame. but this was soon overshad-
owed by the disgrace which overlook him when
he became embroiled in the Belknap scandal
Belknap President Grants secretary of war,
was accused of graft in connection with sutler
contracts at the army posts and impeached by
congress. Custer talked too much"-claimed
knowledge which he did not have Summoned to
Washington to testify, he made sorry witness.
He was even rash to involve the Presi-
dents brother, Orville Grant, in charges which
he could not prove and to insnuate guilty knOwl-
edge of frontier graft by the President himself.
Naturally Grant resented all this So Custer
was not only deprived of the command of the
expedition which was to be sent against the
hostile Sioux from Fort Abraham Lincoln in
North Dakota but was even forbidden to go with
1t. He made frenzied appeals to Sherman, COM
mander in chief of the army to Alfonso Taft,
the new secretary Of war, and to Grant himself.
But none of them availed and this time not even
his friend, Sheridan, could help him. Finally he
appealed to General Terry. who was to command
the expedition. and it was Terry who succeeded
In getting him restored to the head Of his regi-
ment. It will be seen later how Custer repaid
that favor.
Chief among the points In the controversy
that has ragged about Clusters defeat and death
on the Little Big Horn is the question of whether
not he deliberately disObeyed Terry's orders,
thereby breaking up plan of campaign against
the Indians which might have been successful.
Van De Waters conclusion is that he did DELHI
eratey diEobey that he intended from the first
to Swing clear of Terry" and by winning
smashing victory over the Sioux to regain favor
with his superors. So the Glory Hunter gam
bled-and lost
When he lost he brought death not only to
himself but to more than 300 others. And among
them were three of his own blood-Capt. Tom
Custer, troop commander In the Seventh. Bos-
ton Custer and "Aute" Reed. the of his
half-sister, Lydia, who had been second moth
err to him. Another Of the Custer clan whose
life was to, be blighted by what took place on
June IS. 1876 was his sister, Margaret Emma
Custer. the wife of Lieut. James Calhoun. who
persisted on the hill above the Little Big Horn.
by Western Newspaper Union