Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-12-14
Red Horse Sioux Chiefan Describes Battle Of Little Big Horn

Nearly every white man who had
sersonaI knowledge OF the Custer
Rattle and nearly every otEaer Enan
who knew something abo@t Il mas
appeared A print ~ some time or
sEfer during the time that has
e5ansed. The red mans version o. the
battle, however, has been MTgeiy c0n-
fined 20 the government reports and
records Largely those Of the bureau
Of ethn0iOgy.
In 1881, five years after the battle,
one Red Horse, a Sioux chief and q
leading participant in the massacre,
dictated the Indian account Of the dis
aster and illustrated It with 90 Indian
drawings, nine of which, together with
q map prepared by Red Horse, Illus
trRted his narrative in the bureaus
reports. Red Horses story has the
merit Of novelty and newness In lit
erature. It follows:
Five springs ago, I, with many Sioux
Indians. took down and packed up our
tips and moved from Cheyenne river
to the Rosebud river, where we camped
few days: then took down and pitched
our lodges with the large camp Of the
Sioux.
'The Sioux were camped on the
Little Big Horn river, as follows: The
lodges Of the Unepapas were pitched
shighest up the river under bluff. The
Santee lodges we're pitched next. The
Oglala's lodges were pitched next. The
AEinneconjou lodges we're pitched next
The Sans Areys lodges were pitched
next. Tine BIackfeet lodges were pitched
next. The Cheyenne lodges we're pitched
next. A few Arigara Indians were
among the Sioux (being without lodges
Of their OWN Two-Kettle, among the
other Sioux (without lodges.)
II was q Sioux chief In the council
lodge. NV lodge was pitched in the
center of the camp. The day Of the at
tack, I and four women were short
distance from the camp digging wild
turnips. Suddenly one OF the women
attracted my attention to a cloud OF
dust rising a short distance from the
camp. I soon saw that soldiers were
charging the camp. To the camp and
the women ran. When arrived q per-
son told me to hurry to the council
lodge. The soldiers charged so quickly
we could not talk (council) We came
out of the council lodge and talked in
all directions. The Sioux mount horses,
take guns and go fight the soldiers.
Women and children mount horses and
go, meaning get out Of the way.
Among the soldiers was an officer
who rode a horse with four white feet.
Supposed to be Captain French, Sew
enth cavalry. The Sioux have a long
time fought many brave men of diff
ferent people, but the Sioux say this
officer was the bravest man they ever
fought I don't know whether this was
General Custer or not. Many of the
Sioux men that I hear talking tell me
it was. / saw this officer In the fight
many times, but did not see his body
It has been told me that he was killed
by a Santee Indian who took his horse.
This officer wore large brimmed hat
and a deerskin coat This officer saved
the lives of many soldiers by turning
his horse and covering the retreat.
Sioux say this officer was the braVest
man they ever fought. saw two Off
GERS looking alike, both having long,
yellowish hair.
''The day was hot. In q short time
the soldiers charged the camp CThis
was Major Reno's battalion Of the
Seventh cavalry) The soldiers were on
the trail made by the Sioux camp In
moving, and crossed the Little Big
Horn river above where the Sioux
crossed and attacked the lodges Of
the Unepapas, farthest up the river
The women and children ran down the
Little Big Horn river a short distance
into ravine. The soldiers set fire to
the lodges.
All the Sioux now charged the sol
diers and drove them in confusion |
across the Little Big Horn river, which |
was very rapid, and several soldiers
were drowned in it. On hill the SOL I
diers stopped and the Sioux surround |
ed them. A Sioux man came out and /
said that different party Of soldiers I
had all the women and children pris- /
0ners. Like q whirlWind the word went |
around, and the Sioux all heard it and /
left the soldiers on the hill and went
quickly to save the women and chill
dren . r
"From the hill that the soldiers were
on to the place where the different
soldiers (by this term Red Horse meantl
the battalion Immediately commanded
by General Custer, the mode of dis
tinction being that they were differ
ent body from that first encountered)
were seen was level ground with the
exception of a creek. Sioux thought the
soldiers on the hill would charge them
IN the rear, but when they did not the
Sioux thought the soldiers on the hill
were out of cartridges. As soon as we
had killed all the different soldiers the
Sioux went back to kill the soldiers on
the hill. ALI the Sioux watched around
the hill on which were the soldiers
until a Sioux man came and said many
walking soldiers we're coming near. The
coming of the walking soldiers was the
saving of the soldiers on the hill. Sioux
cannot fight the walking soldiers Qn-
fantry), being afraid of them, so the
Sioux hurriedly left.
1.-THE soldiers charged the Sioux
camp about noon. The soldiers were
divided, one party charging right into