The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1943-09-09
BY e. A. Brininstool

Maverick" 1.-THE Island OF
Death" THE Fetterman Dis
aster," and co-author of 1.-THE
Bozeman Trail.")
NOTE-Dramatic in the eXtr-
eme was the experience of 1t.
ChaS. De Rudio in the battle OF
the Little Big Horn June Is,
1876. Left behind in the timber
when Major Reno retreated a.
cross the river to the high
bluffs, Lieutenant De Redulo
and Private O'Niel underwent
many hairbreadth escapes from
discovery by the Sioux before
again rejoining Reno's COM
mand. Their experience as here
related form one of the most
thrilling chapters of the most
widely discussed Indian fight on
the American frontier.-E. A,
BrininStool
That the reader may fully
comprehend the situation let it
be understood that when Gen.
eral Clusters scouts reported
the discovery of the immense
Indian village strung along the
Lite Big Horn River, Mont,
June IS, 1876, the Seventh Cav
airy was yet some fifteen miles
from the battlefield. At this
point Custer divided the reg1-
ment into three battalions He
ordered Capt. F. w. Benteen,
with three companies Cncluu-
ing the packtrain, carrying all
the reserve ammunition) off to
the left, with orders to pitch
into anything you come across. >
Major Marcus A. Reno, with
three companies, was to move
forward and attack the upper
end of the village, in which he
was promised the support of the
Custer column.
After Reno had left Custer,
the latter, with five companies,
followed along behind for some
little distance, then diverged to
the right with the apparent in
tention of attacking the Indian
camp at its lower end, some
-FOUR miles down stream, and on
the opposite side of the river.
Reno was thus thrown upon his
own resources, and received no
support whatever. However, he
obeyed his orders to attack the
upper end of the camp, but
meeting with considerable more
opposition than was expected,
he, in order to save his COM
mand, ordered a retreat to the
high bluffs on the opposite
side of the stream, after some
hard fighting in the stand of
timber along the river. Owing to
the dense dust made by the In
dian ponies in racing about
from point to point in their at
tack, as well as to the smoke,
noise and general confusion, the
order to retreat was not gen.
orally understood, no bugle calls
being sounded. This retreat was
made in such disorderly manner
that Lieutenant De Rudio and
twelve or thirteen troopers were
left behind. Doubtless the horse
holders, who remained in the
timber when the skirmish line
was formed, either lost control
of their animals or turned them
loose when the order came to
retreat. In any event, these men
were endorsed and obliged to
take to the brush to escape the
Indians.
They were thus left in a most
desperate plight. The majority,
however, successfully eluded dis
covery and managed to rejoin
Reno late that night. But 1t.
De Rudio and Pvt. O'Neil were
not so fortunate. They became
separated from the others, and
for over thirty-six hours were
kept busy lodging about from
point to point to escape capture.
Finally, on the night of June 26,
they managed to get across the
river, after some thrilling eX-
periences. Here they wandered
about over bluffs and through
ravines for several hours before
they were able to locate Reno's
entrenched position. About 2
o'clock in the morning they
heard the distant bray of a mule
and shortly thereafter were well
coined inside Reno's lines.
Two weeks after the battle,
from the camp of the Seventh
Cavalry, on the north side of
the Yellowstone River, 1t. De
Rudio wrote a letter to a friend
detailing his experiences In the
Little Big Horn fight. After re-
counting the march of the
troops on the expedition, he
said:
De Rudio's Story
II will now endeavor to relate
to you my experience while sep
arated from the command in the
river bottom.
AT about 10 am, on the 25th
Of June, General Clusters scouts
returned and reported that
they had discovered an Indian
village at fifteen miles distance !
on the Little Big Horn,and that
from what they had seen, they
SupDosed the Indians to be re.