Year: 1876

New York Herald, was found on the skirmish
line, near to Calhoun. Upon this scene Of
action, made memorable by such sacrifice,
one column, commanded by General Glib
bon, came just in time to rescue Colonel
Reno, menaced with the fate that had more
rapidly overtsken Custer. Assailed in
some poor entertainments by 1000 Sioux, ex-
and what remained of the gallant Seventh
Cavalry must have fallen as their comrades
did had not the appearance Of General
Gibbons column at the mouth OF the Little
Horn alarmed the enemy and caused their
precipitate retreat.


! In order to keep clear the story of these
events / must recur to the movements OF
the column with Which it was my dnty to
march. l will first recite the circumstances
which led Immediately to it's march hither.
General Gibbons command marched up
the Yellowstone river on the north side
from opposite the mouth Of Rosebud river
to point opposite the mouth of the Big
Horn. 1t arrived June "a, was put over
the Yellowstone and marched out six miles
along the line of TullOck's creek, small


tributary OF the Yellowstone. east of the


Big Horn.


Early on the twenty fifth the command


was pushed further up the line OF Tullock's g


creek. and in the afternoon crossed the


ridge or divide of the Big Horn river.


At daylight the friendly Crow Indians


and Lieutenant Bradley, of the Seventh In


fantry, in charge of ecOuts, were pushed


out in advance over the Little Horn, and
saw four Indians, who fled to the Big Horn,
closely pursued by the Crows. The flying


Indians abandoned one horse, threw off


their clothing, and plunging into the Big


Horn, swan the river. Our Crow scouts
captured the abandoned horse and picked


up the garments which the fugitives had
cast away, and these garments were recOg-
nized by the Crows as belonging to men of
their own party who had gone with Custer.
1t was likely, therefore, that the Indians
who had swum the river were Clusters
scouts, and Lieutenant Brady consequently
lighted signal fires " hich they would under
stand. They Immediately reswum the
river and came to him.


There were three Grow Indians in the
party. They said they had been with Gus
ter until the day betore-the twenty fifth
when. while near village, he had been
surprised and his regiment cut to pieces.
They said this had happened at about
twenty miles from where they then were.
They were at the junction of the Little
Horn with the Big Horn. They reported
the Sioux as covering all the plain'-a
force too numerous to count.


1t was now III A. NJ. of the twenty sixth,
and Gibbons command was closed up, and
a forced marched was made toward heavy
smoke seen on the Little Horn about fifteen
miles away. By P. NJ. the command had
reached the Little Horn. six miles distant.
The command was put over in deep water;
but on a good ford, and by ) T. NJ. was
again in motion. Two scouts, with mes
sages for Custer, were sent out, one to the
right and the other to the left, bat both re-
turned in an hoar and reported the hills
full of Indians, who had pursued them.
One scout, named Taylor, had over 100
shots fired at him while thus pursued.


General Terry. apprehensive, was now


very uneasy about Custer, r he had mott
fed him he would be at the mouth of the
Little Horn on the twenty sixth, and would
expect couriers from him. 1t was now
nearly noon of the twenty-seventh, and
still there was no news from Custer. The
Indians were now in sight, and there was
as vet no evidence of disaster; but we
were plainly approaching an Indian village.
for through the foliage in front We could
see the tepees. In this state of feverish,
anxious expectation, wondering where Gus
ter was, We went on, when there came
dashing in a messenger from Lieutenant
Bradley, who was in the advance. His re-
port was that on his march up the stream
on the left hand side of the river, he had
come all at once upon the bodies of 1870
cavalry soldiers, and had no doubt from
what he saw that there were as many
more bodies in the hills near by.


Had a bolt from heaven fallen in the
midst of the group of officers who heard
this report it could not have moro COM
pletely astounded and overwhelmed them.
The comman was halted, and Generals
Terry and Gibbon withdrew to one side to
consider this startling report, which might
we'll have been called Incredible, but that
the statement was of so clear matter of
fact, reported so directly, that doubt was
not possible. Forward we went again, and
in a short time had ocular demonstration of
the horrible reality.


We came on the ruins or remains of an
immense Indian village. Evidences that it
had been hastily abandoned were seen on
every hand. Buffalo robes, elk skins, ket-
ties, camp utensils generally, such as are
used by Indians, were scattered on the
ground in every directi0n-wounded Indian
ponies struggled here and dead ones lay
quietly there. Dead horses, branded ''Sev-
enth Cavalry" we're seen. Then we saw
the head OF q white man, but could no.
we came upon a dead cavalryman with an
arrow sticking in his back and the top OF
his skill crushed in.


Two large Indian lodges were reached,
made of fine white skins. Inside were lot
OF dead warriors, in their full war paint and
costume, and but recently slain. There
were dead horses about the lodges that had
been killed in funeral ceremony. On the
spirits of the horses the spirits of the dead
savages were gone to the happy hunting
grounds.


An officer picked up shirt, deeply STAIN
ed with blood and pair of drawers. On
the waistband of the drawers was written
Lieutenant Sturgis, Seventh Cavalry"
The news spread through the column, and
it was readily comprehend that this well
known and favOrite young officer was no
more He was the son Of the Colonel of
the Seventh Cavalry.


That battle had been fought near by
was plain, but what the result had been we
could as yet only conjecture. That it had
been severe was amply attested by the
bodies Bradley had found. Some believed
that Custer, in q desperate fight, had cap
tured the village and was in pursuit OF the
foe; others furtively surmised that Custer
and his whole command we're destroy ed.
If he had been defeated only why had he
not retreated to the mouth Of the Little
Horn, where he was sure to meet Gibbons
column? But if he was alive and victorious
why had he not sent his messengers, Is
directed, to the came point! With these
doubts, surmises, wonders, every thought
was filed, and in presence of what We
knew the doubts assumed an even glOOmier
character. Suspense had become almost
intolerable, when horseman was seen
coming down the valley with furious speed.
He was recognized as Lieutenant Jacobs,
OF General Gibbons staff, and rush was
made to catch his words. He had found
Reno on hill three or four miles up the
valley, where he was fortified and had with
him what remained of seven companies Of
the Seventh Cavalry. He said dreadful
battle h id taken Mace and that Reno did
not know where Custer was.


On we went, therefore, till we came upon
RenO's battlefield and marched among the