The New York Herald Newspaper, July 8, 1876, Page 3

eae | CUSTER'S DEATH. The Herald’s Special Report from the Field of Battle. ——--+ - MARCH OF THE CO-OPERATING COLUM | Graphio Picture of the Arrival at the Scene of Disaster. | RESCUE OF RENO’S COMMAND | Where the Yellow-Haired Leader Lay in the Embrace of Death. FRIENDS AND COMRADES AROUND HIM. The Savages Respect the Body of Him They Knew So Well. THE DEAD CORRESPONDENT. Reno’s Desperate Fight Against Overwhelming Odds. Deeds That Shall Go Sounding Down Through Ages. On Fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spreaa; And glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead. Cusrar’s BaTrLE FIELD. Lirrie Horn, June 2} Via Bismarck, D. T., July 6, 1876. Couriers are about to leave with General Terry's @espatches, and I take advantage ofthe opportunity bo send a hasty and necessarily imperfect account bf the battle. I write from the scene of Custer's Bagnificent but terribly fatal charge, from a plateau ‘on which, but a few hours since, I saw at a glance U5 heroic soldiers of the Seventh United States savalry lying where they fell at the hands of a sav- Bge foe, cold and dead. Near the top of a little knoll ma the centre of this plateau lay Custer himself; And it touched my heart to see that the savages, in @ kind of human recognition of heroic clay, had re- Spected the corpse of the man they knew s0 well. Dther bodies were mutilated; Custer's was un- Souched—a tribute of respect from such an enemy More real than a title of nobility. He lay as if asleep, his face calm and a smile on his lips. Near him were eleven dead officers. Captain Miles = Keogh was on bis right, and Bis brother, Captain ‘Thomas Custer, on his left. Almost at Custer’s feet lay a fair, beautifal boy of nineteen. This was young Reed, Custer's Bephew. He was visiting the General at the time he was ordered on this expedition, and insisted ‘upon coming with him. In the field, a little way of, jay Boston Custer, another of the General’s brothers. Within a few feet of each other the three brothers had fallen, and on the skirmisli tine was the body of Lieutenant Calhoun, the husband of Custer’s sister. ‘Mrs. Calhoun lost here a husband, three brothers and @ nephew. Kellogg, the special correspondent of the New YorK HERALD, was found on the skirmish line, near to Calhoun. Upon this scene of action, made memorable by such sacrifice, one~ col- ‘umn, commanded by General Gibbon, came Just in time to rescue Colonel Reno, menaced with the fate that had more rapidly overtaken Custer. Assailed im some poor entrenchments by 4,000 Sioux, excited by the blood of Custer’s men, Reno and what re- mained of the gallant Seventh cavalry must have fallen as their comrades did had not the appear- ance of General Gibbon’s column at the mouth of ‘the Little Horn alarmed the enemy and caused their precipitate retreat. GIBBON’S MARCH. In order to keep clear the story of these events I Brust recur tothe movements of the column with ‘which it was my duty to march. I will first recite the circumstances which led immediately to its march bither. General Gibbon’s command marched up the Yel- Jowstone River on the north side from opposite the Mouth of Rosebud River to a point opposite the mouth of the Big Horn. It arrived June &, was put over the Yellowstone and marched out six miles along the line of Tullock’s Creek, a small tributary of the Yellow- stone, east of the Big Horn. Generals Terry, Gibbon and Brisbin had come upon the steamer Far West and met the command onthe morning of the 2th at the month of the Big Horn. General Gibbon was very illand unable to leave his stateroom, and the command of the column was therefore temporarily assigned to General Brisbin. General Terry per- sonally accompanied the expedition, with his stat— Colonels Smith and Gibbs, Captain Nolan, Lieuten- an? McGuire, Captain Hughes and Dr. Wiliams Early on the 25th the command was pushed fur- ther up the line of Tullock’s Creek, and in the after- moon crossed the ridge or divide of the Big Horn River. There was a want of water, and the infantry suffered a great deal. General Terry put the in- fantry into camp on the bank of the Big Horn, rested there two hours, and at five P. M. pushed forward ‘With ‘Brisbin and the cavairy, It was astormy night, with rain and wind together, and intensely @ark—as bad a night for duty as conid well be im- agined. Over the bad lands, throngh the Fough ravines and wel! nigh impassable Gullies, the column toiled and stumbled on until three A. M., when, completely exhausted, it was halted, a dry camp was made, and without water or Gre the men lay down to rest for a few houra. At daylight the friendly Crow Indians and Lieu- tenant Bradiey, of the Seventh infantry, in charge of scouts, Were pushed out in advance over the Little Horn and saw four Indians, who fed to the Big Horn, closely pursued by the Crows, The flying Indians abandoned one borse, threw off their clothing, and plunging into the Big Horn swum the river. Our Crow sconts captnred the abandoned horse and picked up the germents which the fugitives had caat away. and NEW YORK HERALD, SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1876.—TRIPLE SHEET. THE WAR ON THE SIOUX. Map Showing the Yellowstone Region, the Sites of the Battles and the Routes of the United States Troops, as Originally Planned by Crook, Terry, Gibbon and Custer. Scale of Miles 150 NATIONAL BOUNDARY el these garmnents were recognized by the Crows as belonging to men of their own party who had gone with Custer. It was likely, therefore, that the In- dians who had swum the river were Custer’s scouts, and Lieutenant Bradley consequently lighted signal fires which they would understand. They im- mediately reswum the river and came to him. THEIR STORY—NEWS OF CUSTER. There were three Crow Indians in the party. They said they had been with Custer until the day be- fore—the 26th—when, while near a 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 numerons to count. It was now determined to wait for Genera! Gibbon, who was reported as better and only five miles away, with six companies of his regiment, the Seventh infantry. Word was sent to hurry the in- fantry forward. Gibbon soon came up and assumed command, though still quite ill. Upon full consideration of the story of the Crow scouta it was not believed to be altogether true. It was, however, conceded on all hands that some event of grave import had happened, but the worst that any one conceived as the possible fate of the gallant Seventh cavalry and its dashing leader was that it had been repulsed and compelied to retire for support. FORCED MARCHES TO THE RESCUE. It was now eleven A. M. of the 26th, and Gibbon’s command was closed up and a forced march was made toward @ heavy smoke seen on the Little Horn about fifteen milesaway. By one P. M. 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 ive P. M. was again in motion. Two scouts with messages for Custer were sant ont. oue to the right and the other to the left \ but both returned in an hour and reported the hills fall of Indians, who had pursued them. One scout, named Taylor, had overa hundred shots fired at him while thus pursued. Indians now began to appear on the bluffs to our Tight, and the column was closed up and prepared for batiie. Lieutenant Roe, with Company F of the Second cavalry, was sent out to feel the enemy, and exchanged shots with the Indian scouts, who fled before his advance, SURROUNDED BY THE ENEMY. Our line of march was in @ level bottom land of considerable width, with the Little Hora on our left and steep bluf-like hills at a distance on our right. In these hills we had seen Indians for some time; the scouts reported them very numerous and at nightill a large body of them was visibie. General Gibbon therefore halted, formed a square and encamped in the centre of the bottom or prairie, well out of rife rdnge from both the river and the bluff. All night the men lay on their arms, and were prepared to move forward with daylight. At about a mile beyond the camp the river wound close to the binf, and it was necessary to enter the hilis, This movement was executed with great and we reached, without dis- turbance, & broad open valley beyond. The colamn was moved to the centre of this valley, aud the forced march was resumed. Lieu- tenant Bradiey went in advance, on the left hand side of the river, pushing his scouts well ahead. Captain Edward Ball, with Company H, Second cav- airy, had the advance on the right bank of the river. Behind Captain Ball followed Captain Wheelan’s, Captain Thompson's and Lieutenant Roe's com- panies of the Second cavairy, ready to support him. Indian tepees were seen about six miles ahead, and General Gibbon ordered up a column of six com- panies of infantry to march parallel to the cavalry column. General Terry, apprehenaive, was now very uneasy caution, about Custer, for he had notified him he would be atthe mouth of the Little Horn on the 20th and Would expect couriers from him. It was now nearly noon of the 27th, and still there was no news from Custer. The Indians were now in sight, aud there was as yet no evidence of a disaster; but we were plainly ap- proaching an Indian village, for through the foliage in front we could see the tepees. In this state of feverish, anxious expectation, wondering where Custer was, we went on, when there came dashing in @ messenger from Lieutenant Bradley, who, aa written above, waa in the advance, 118 REPORT 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 190 cavalry soldiers, and had no doubt from what he saw that there were as many more bovdies in the hills near by. Had @ bolt from heaven fallen in the midst of the group of officers who heard this report it could not have more completely astounded and overwhelmed them. The command was halted, and Generais Terry and Gibbon withdrew to one side to consider this startling report, which might well have been called incredibie but that the statement was of so clear a 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. . THE SCENE OF SLAVGUTER, We came on the ruins or remains of an immense Indian village. Evidences that it had been hastily abandoned were seenon every hand. Buffalo robes, elk skins, kettles, camp utensils generally, such as are used by Indians, were scattered on the ground in every direction—wounded Indian ponies strug- gied here and dead ones lay quietly there. Dead horses, branded “Seventh Cavalry,” were seen. Then we saw the head of a white man, but could nowhere fiud his body; and, # moment later, we came upon a dead cavairyman with an arrow stick- ing in his back and the top of his skull crushed in. Two large Indian lodges were reached, made of fine white skina. Inside were a lot of dead warriors, in their fall war paint and costume, and but recently alain. 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. YOUNG STURGIS, An officer picked up a shirt, deeply stained with Dlood, and & pair of drawers. On the waistband of the drawers was written “Lieutenant Sturgis, Seventh cavalry.” This news spread through the column, and {t was readily comprehended that this well known and favorite young oMcer was no more, He was the son of the Colonel of the Seventh cavalry. WHERE IS CUSTER? That a 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 at- tested by the bodies Bradley had found. Some be- lieved that Custer, in a desperate fight, had cap- tured the village and was in pursuit of the foe; others furtively surmised that Custer and his whole command were destroyed. If he had been defeated only why had he not retreated to the mouth of the Little Horn, where he was sure to meet Gibbon’s column’ But if he was alive and victorious why had he not sent his messengers, as directed, to the same point? With these doubts, surmises, wonders every thought was filled, and in presence of what we knew the doubts assumed an even gloomier character. Suspense had become almost intolerable, when a horseman was seen coming down the valley with furious speed. He waa recognized as Lieutenant | Jacobs, of General Gibbon’s staf, and a rush was made to catch his words. RENO'S POSITION, He had found Reno on & bill three or four miles up the valley, Where he was fortified and bad with him what remained of seven companies of the Seventh cavalry. He said a dreadful battle had taken place, and that Reno did not know where Custer waa. On we went, therefore, till we came upon Reso® battle fleld and marched among the bodies of fallen soldiers and their horses. All the bodies were bor Tibly mutilated, offensive from the heat and covered with swarms of fies, An officer recognized the body of Lieutenant McIntosh, of the Sevemth cavalry, and of @ soldier of MeIntosh’s company. McIntosh was himself part Indian, @ highly edu- cated gentleman and a fine officer. He has failes in battle with his face toward the enemy, and 10 is hoped the government wild remember his widow ang his litue children at Fort Lincoln. Reno’s battle feild was a dreadful place—herses and pontes, white men and Indians, all dead tw gether, and their bodies mingled as if they Rad died where they fought in all the wild confusion of the mélée, Reno was found on a high hill, and whea the officers of our column made their way up the | oficers of the Seventh grasped them by the hand and shed tears, Reno came forward, and, for the circumstances, was wonderfully calm and at ease, He said he wanted doctors and medicthes and canvas to shelter the wounded from the sun, and wished to have his wounded men helped down into the valley. He would have moved them Several hours before, as he felt sure that the Indians were gone and help waa near, but thought it better to avoid even the possibility of having ta move them twice, ‘They were all got down before night, but it was then too late to move his camp, and he passed another night there. But in the cool air of night the odors were less unendurable. In the morning Colonel Reno with his command marched down the ridge to Custer's battle feld, about five and a half miles distant THE GENERAL PLAN, Such is the story of our arrival here—too late to help Custer, but happily in time to gave the rem- nant of his heroic regiment. To comprehend pre- cisely the relation of Custer's force to the other forces operating on the same theatre it la necessary toglance at the general plan of the campaign aa three columns—one from the Department of the Platte, under General Crook; one from the Department of Dakota, under General Terry; one from Montana, under General Gibbon. Gibbon’s command was to start from Fort Ellis Aprill; Terry was to start from Fort Lincoln May U1, and Crook from Fort Fetterman May 15, Of the operations of General Crook’s column your developed. There were correspondent knows nothing, except common rumors, but of the operations of the other twocolumns he has personal and direct knowledge. The general plan of the campaign was for a simultaneous move- ment to be made on the Sioux from three points of the compass. General Gibbon was to move with his Montana column down the valley of the Yellowstone, and prevent, if possible, une Indians from escaping northward; General Custer, at the same time, push- ing across the country, from the Missouri to the Yellowstone, and driving the Indians toward Gen eral Gibbon; General Crook was to scout the Black Hills and drive out any hostile Indians found there, who, it was believed, would fall back when pressed into the Big Horn country, General Terry and staff accompanied General | Custer’s column from Fort Lincoln to the Yellow- stone. The march occupied about twenty days. They saw no Indians, but found some old trails and camps on the Little Missouri. On arriving at the Yeliowstone and communicating with General Gibbon they learned that a heavy force of Indians had concentrated on the Rosebud River, near ita junction with the Yellowstone. General Gibbon had his camp at the mouth of the Rosebud, and the Indian camp was about eighteen miles up the Rose- bud. The Yellowstone River flowed between the hostile camps, presenting an almost impassable barrier. For fourteen days the Indian pickets occupied one bank of the river and our soldier pickets the other bank. Both camps closely watched each other, but nothing was done until the 28d 0) May, when 250 Indians SWUM THE YELLOWSTONE, attacked and killed two calvary soldiers, and & citizen, belonging to General Gibbon’s command. Gibbon at once sent Brisbin’s battalion of the Second United States cavalry to pursue the Indians, and after a fatiguing march Captain Ball, with his own and Captain Wheelan’s companies, succeeded in driving the Indians over the river to their camp on the Rosebud. General Gibbon ordered General Bris- bin to patrol the north bank of the Yellowstone day and night, and if possible prevent Indians from crossing to the north bank. “Captains Ball, Wheelan and Thompson, and Lieutenant Colonel Roegwith their companies of the Second cavalry, did the work very effectually, preventing all the Indians from crossing. Alarge supply train for General Gfobon'’s com- mand was brought down the Yellowstone 260 fhiles by Lieutenant English, with his company of the Sev. enth infantry, and although great apprehension was felt for its safety no effort was made by the Indians to disturb it. This was the situation on the Yellow- stone on the 1st of June. . On April 24 Captain Ball, with H and F companies of the Second cavairy, had scouted the Big and LAttie Horn rivers and found no Indians, Captain Ball returned to General Gibbon's column on the Yellow- stone, on the lst of May, and although he saw m¢ Indians they saw him and followed his trail back t General Gibbon’s camp, at the mouth of the Big Horn, The next night the ponies of the Crow Ip dian scouts who accompanied General Gibban’s column were stampeded by the Sioux, who thus got in ali thirty head of stock, with which they crossed the Yellowstone and escaped to their camp om Tongue River, On the 17th of May Lieutenant Bradiey, of the Seventh infantry, with a detachment of scouts, swum the Yellowstone near the mouth of the Rosebud, crossed the country to Tongue River and discovered the Indian camp. He was closely followed, but escaped in safety to the Yellowstomé and swum across to Gibbon’s camp. On the 18th of May Genera! Gibbon determined to crosa the Yellowstone and attack the Indian village Captain Ball's company of Brisbin’s cavalry was pat into the water, and after four hours’ labor abow two-thirds of the company’s horses were got over. Another company was put In, and five of the animals were drowned. The work of crossing was continued ‘all day, and at night less than 100 animals had beeg got across. ‘The movement was abandoned and the men and animals brought back. On the 19th of May General Gibbon, a4 before stated, made lis camp as the mouth of the Rosebud to watch the Indiana, all the villagers having come over the Tongue River and concentrated on the Rosebad, GENERAL TERKY, with Custer» command, was expected at the mouth of the Powder Kiver on the 28th of May, bus id not arrive antl the lst of June, whea.ca=——~"