Year: 1874

good road TO Fort Lincoln, and knew every camp We
should make. Finding this TRAN hike striking an
DID, familiar turnpike though devoid Of tollates and
keepers Concerning this trail. and the who made
it. your readers were informed IN the Yellowstone cor
respondence Of last year Returning over this trai!
second time for nearly $50 miles, found that impress
sons OF the country received last year again
newed or the country taversed bythat expedition the
section between the Big and the'Litte Missouri Rivers
excepting occasional tracks along the Yellowstone River
and the valley OF the Mississippi River altogether
the best But this offers few inducements for the
settler while the region west Of the Little Missouri and
west OF the Yellowstone hardly worth giving away
The admirable letter OF Geu Hazen TO THE TRIBUNE last
Winter, giving fun and accurate description OF the
country the vicinity Of Fort Buford we'll character
zes the region OF which speak 1t is part and parcel
Of the lot. Northern Pacific Railroad spectators
are st making strenuous efforts persuade emgrants
of the fertility or this section Of the North American
desert while there thousands OF acres OF good
farming land still unoceupied. no one who has modi-
cum Of practical wisdom will select his homestead here
II is useless to deny that the country is desert The
sad necessity OF redeeming IL has not yet arrived


Rarely surprised himself Gen. Custer Is rather fond
Of surprising other people. He succeeded in surprising
Fort Lincoln the 90th of August He not looked
for till the following day but when the expedition
reached Hart River Crossing about Il miles from Lin
coln the s0tn the temptation to 20 in instead
OF camping great to be resisted. halt for



the last time the familiar TO horse and the Ad
vance" sounded and we moved on the fort.
order OF march was adopted. The train
was turned over to the tender mercies of
the infantry. The cavalry were formed into single
column OF fours. preceded by the company OF
scouts Behind the rode the band and the bugers
Officers call sounded, and rush Of shoulder
straps to the front Drawn up in single line, with
Gen Custer in center, % officers represented the
commissioned authority Of the expedition Guidons
unfurled and the band for the 120h time on the
trip played " The Little German Band" and other
classic pieces, reservng for the grand finale as we
entered the garrison Custers favorite charging hymn
"Garryowen." For two months Garry" had been
corked up waiting for an Indian engagement The
Indians failed 10 attend and the tune reserved for
the expedition doxology When the tune was concluded,
the expedition had expired without a groan.


SUMMARY OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED.


So Custer's reconnaissance is and dead, aud Its
epitaph is alone to be written. time time,
opportunity permitted your readers have been kept in
formed of all the results and discoveries OF the exped
ton they have been suecessively achieved. From
military point of view it complete none
the less because met and conquered Indian foe
II anything Gen. Custers credit that the
Indians while they may have feared the result Of an
engagement. had sufficient confidence in his pacific
promises to avoid precipitatng than 1t would have
been to have met and conquered them with pistol and
carbne supplement TO Gen. Clusters reputation as
soldier needs to include his success peace commits
siouer Quaker garb indeed does i'll become him.
1t is small matter Of congratuaton either that the
commander enabled to take large train across
desert. and then through country pronounced impas
sable for wagons, with little loss of men, time and
stock.


Scientifically valuable result will be the new and
accurate Llap Of this region from Col Lldows survey,
which will supersede all guess-work charts. 1t will be
supplemented by the geological survey OF Prof.
U,ralf ffv NJ
Regents of the University of Minnesota, was
relieved from duty for the Summer in the lat
ter State, and allowed 10 accompany the expedi-
ton at the States expense As the Govern
ment had made provision whatever for geoogst or
any scientific corps indeed except represented in the
engineers this action OF the State Of Minnesota deserves
the thanks of the whole country.


Mr. Grinnel, our palBOntologst found opportunity
in the metamorphic upfts of the Black Hills TO locate
an antedHuyian cemetery and without such GENE
terry be could not find the bones he sought But the
large and valuable collection Of birds and mammals
made by him. transfers to the department. of zoology
the debt his The collection of flowers made
BY Prof Donaldson and described by Dr. Williams, will
add another floral chapter the national herbarium.


To our practical miners belongs the credit of discover
ing goda discovery whose ultimate value can only De
determined by future exploration. Though the guam
tty OF gold taken out not large 1t must be remem
bered that was washed from a few pans OF earth





the creeks and gulches yet untested TO contain
dirt worth cents pan, the value Of the gold dscoy
cry will certainly established But the value OF the
Black Hills country will not stand or fall on the worth
or continuity of its gold yield 1t is preeminently fitted
for the OF the farmer and stockraiser For them
there is certainly gold in the SOIL and have no doubt
that in the the most profitable way of extract
ing it will with the scythe and the corral instead Of
with the miners pan.





THE ROUTE SELECTED IN GOING AND RETURNING


CHARACTER OF THE sURYEY-ATTRACTIYE CHAR


ACTERIsIICs OF THE BLACK HILLS REGION


To me ssislant Adftant General Commanding Depart


ment Of Dakota:


SIR: The expedition was organized for the
purpose exploring the unknown territory living prin
cipay the western and southwestern portion or Da-
kota and the eastern portion of Wyoming, with the
view OF discovering practicable interior military routes
between Fort Lincoln in the Department OF Dakota and
oppose the terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad and
Fort Laramie in the Department. Of the Platte with that
railroad for base. 10 case circumstances should re-
qure the establishment OF military posts in the region
referred TO- knowledge Of It's resources than we
possessed would also DC required TO guide IN the selec
ton of suitable sites.


was directed by the department commander to ac-
company the expedition and act as engineer officer.
Unable obtain funds which would be available for the
payment OF salaries nevertheless secured the valuable
services of Prof. n II. Winehe Of Minneapolis TO act
as geoogist for the expedition, and OF Mr.. G. b, Grin
nell. representing Prof Marsh of Yale College. who
kindly agreed to report upon the paeontology aud
zoology Of the region traversed Prof. Wnchell would
also make such report his time afforded, upon the
botany Of the Hills and Dr. Williams Assistant Surgeon
o. g. A. and chief medical officer OF the expedition,
promised TO and in the same department. photo
grapher was fitted out with apparatus and chemicals,
and spring wagon, constructed for similar use on the
Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 In the surveying had