The Fort Peck press., 1935-08-01
IWo Old GruUes ON Banks of
Rosebud Believed to be Those
of Soldiers Of u. S. Cuuulru

While surveying for the state lane
board in 1910, E. G. Sampson, Bill
ings civil engineer, had pointed out
to him on the north side of the yell
lOwstOne river some miles east from
opposite the mouth of the Rosebud
river, the graves of two soldiers. A
couple of years ago Mr.. Sampson
took up the matter with the war de-
partment and a response, asking fer
further information that would iden-
tify the two graves as those of two
enlisted men who were killed by In
dams while hunting on the bluffs
along the river on May %, 1876, was
received.
According to a news item appearing
in the Billings Gazette at that time
the government records show that
Henry Rahmier and Augustine Stoeker.
privates in Company H, Second cav
airy, were hunting for game on the
day of their death and were last seen
in the vicinity Of the camp which was
crossed from the mouth of the Rose
bud. The bodies were later recovered
and buried on the west (north) bank
of the Yellowstone. The news story
which appeared at that time continues
as follows:
According to Mr.. Sampson, he re-
ceived his information from two broth
ers who were occupying nearby land
which they had received from their
father, who had been a soldier at Fort
Keogh. They had always understood
from their father that the graves were
those of men of the Second cavalry who
were killed while hunting.
"Mr. Sampson recalls that the site of
the graves was on section SO, but he is
not certain as to the township and
range. The only section SO in that
vicinity which comes close to the river
bank is in township 7 north, range "A
east. This is about Is miles east of
the mouth of the Rosebud and about
the same distance from Miles City.
1.-THE date of the death of the two
soldiers mentioned by the war depart
ment was a little more than a month
before the destruction of General Gus
ter'S command on the Little Big Horn
en- June 25, 1876.
1.-THE two soldiers undoubtedly be-
longed to the Montana column COM
manded by General Gibbon Who met
Terry and Custer at the mouth OF the
Rosebud and subsequently marched by
the Big Horn and arrived on the scene
of Clusters battle two days after the
wiping out of an entire battalion of the
Seventh cavalry.
"GibbOn'S command consisted OF tour
troops of the Second cavalry and sew
eral companies of the Seventh infantry.
These troops were brought together
from Fort Ellis and other Montana
posts about two months before the OPP
ening of the active campaign against
the Sioux and ~Cheyennes.
about April 1, they moved down the
Yellowstone to the Saltwater. AT the
Grow agency, then near the present
A hco yO1ron ia11+ TannpC n Rr661QV re- |
cruited a party of 26 Grow scouts to
accompany the column. Among these
scouts were the six scouts who were
afterward detailed to accompany Gus
ter, including Curley, widely heralded
the only survivor of the battle and
White Man Runs Him, who died two
years ago, the last of the group.
"Gibbon's command after leaving the
Grow area proceeded slowly down the
Yellowstone river On its north SIDE.
The troops sought particularly to keep
all the hostile Indians to the south
side of the river. At different places,
parties were sent out into the
areas to the south of the river, seek
.ng information as to the presence of
hostile bands.
Most of the Sioux and Cheyennes at
hat time were either in the eastern
part of the territory or had not left
he reservations. The attachments of
covered the area along the Big
Horn without finding any evidence of {
my large bands of Indians, and the
anne experience is recorded OF several ]
parties who passed through t
he region unmolested a few weeks be- V
ore the battle. {
"Along the Yellowstone river, j
1ibbon found some parties of the hos +