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Post by herosrest on Jan 18, 2013 15:18:31 GMT -6
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Post by herosrest on Jan 18, 2013 21:50:20 GMT -6
Cape Vincent, N. Y., August 28, 1877.
General: Herewith I have the honor to forward a sketch of the route marched on a reconnaissance through the Bighorn Mountains, executed under your immediate supervision, also an itinerary of this route.
I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
D. B. SACKET, Colonel and Inspector-General. Lieut. Gen. P. H. Sheridan, U. S. A., Chicago, Ill.
AN ITINERARY OF THE ROUTE MARCHED OVER ON A RECONNAISSANGE ALONG AND THROUGH THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, FROM CAMP BROWN, WYOMING, TO THE NEW POST ON BIGHORN RIVER, MONTANA.
Camp No. 1 (Departure) was located on the right bank of Little Wind River, about one mile east of Camp Brown. The course of the first day's march (July 1) was almost due east along the valley of the Little Wind River. The road for the 14 miles marched was very good. One and one-half miles from camp was passed the famous hot spring of Wyoming. One and one-half miles farther..... ..... From Camp No. 17 (Greasy Grass), July 20, 14 miles were made. The trail this day led along the right bank of the Little Bighorn for 10 miles, first over a high rolling country, and afterward along the level valley of the stream. It then crossed to the west or left bank of the river, ascended the bluff, and passed over a high table-land to the valley of Grass Lodge Creek, a fine, large, rapid stream, upon the left bank of which camp was pitched. The Grass Lodge takes its rise in the Bighorn Mountains, runs a northeasterly course, and empties itself in the Little Bighorn River. The general course marched, about north. Wood abundant; water good; grass, numerous varieties, excellent. Estimated altitude of Camp No. 18, 4,590 feet.
From Camp No. 18 (Grass Lodge), July 21, 17 miles were made. The trail lay along the west bank of the Little Bighorn River, at times along its valley, and then over the high land. With the exception of an occasional deep ravine, the road was a very good one. Rich and excellent grasses, such as bunch, gama, and blue, with the wild rye and pea-vine, covered hill and valley the entire day's march. Camp was pitched in a beautiful and extensive valley on the left bank of the Little Bighorn River, immediately opposite the Seventh Cavalry battle-ground of June 27, 1876. Wood abundant; grass only fair, owing to a recent hail-storm, which had almost completely destroyed all vegetation. The course of the day's march was a very little east of north. Estimated altitude of Camp No. 19, 4,524 feet.
From Camp No. 19 (Seventh Cavalry), July 22, 15 miles were made. The trail this day, after leaving the valley of the Little Bighorn, ascended a high table-land lying between tbe Big and Little Bighorn Rivers, which it followed until the new military post on the Bighorn was reached. The road was a very good one. The general course traveled this day, a very little west of north.
The valley of the Little Bighorn is covered with most excellent grass to its junction with the Bighorn; but on the Highlands, as the new post is neared, the grass becomes very short and thin, and is almost entirely eradicated by the prickly pear. Tents were pitched at the cantonment of the Eleventh Infantry (near the location of Post No. 2), near the steamboat landing on the Bighorn River, in the delta of the Big and Little Bighorns. Estimated altitude of this point, 3,965 feet.
Respectfully submitted. D.B. SACKET, Colonel and Inspector-General.www.archive.org/details/reportsinspecti00deptgoogia600202.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/11/items/reportsinspecti00deptgoog/reportsinspecti00deptgoog_tif.zip&file=reportsinspecti00deptgoog_tif/reportsinspecti00deptgoog_0015.tif&scale=4&rotate=0
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Post by herosrest on Jan 20, 2013 10:28:02 GMT -6
Arkansas City Traveler, October 31, 1877.
A recent letter from the Custer battle-ground on the Little Big Horn River states that the graves of those who fell in the battle are now in good condition. When Colonel Brackett's force examined the field in September, they found twelve human skulls and some bones above ground. These had been dug up by Indians or wolves. They were collected and reinterred. Bones are scattered over the field in every direction. But they are not human bones. The soldiers' remains seem to have been interred with care, and the writer of the letter, who went over the entire battleground, says, "It is unseemly for people to say that the bones of these men lie bleaching in the sun and without decent burial," because such was not the case, and is not now. Arkansas City Traveler, October 31, 1877.
Sorry-Looking Cavalry.
The Helena (Montana) Herald of the 2nd inst., describes the filing through that place, on the day previous, of Company E, Seventh Cavalry, Lieutenant De Rudio in command. Hundreds of people in attendance of the Territorial Fair were amazed at the reduced condition of the horses and men. Says the Herald:
"A sorrier spectacle of reduced and broken-down horseflesh was probably never seen in the mounted service of Montana. Here was a sample portion showing the sad plight of the whole mounted force operating of late against the Indians. Howard, after an unprecedented march, protests that he was doing the best that he could with his jaded horses and sore-footed and shoeless infantry. He was shouted at and berated soundly. When Sturgis reported his animals `played out' and unable to move off a walkmany of his horses, indeed, wholly disabled and dropped in the chasethe bar-room warriors chuckled and said, `He won't do.'
. . . De Rudio's troop did good service and good campaigning to the full extent of human and horse-flesh endurance. It did another good service in passing through Helena on the escort journey north. It completely upset the critics who have railed and carped at the military these past two months. In place of spirited war-steeds they saw skeleton animals fit for little else than the bone-yard; horses that the troopers could not coax or urge into a trot, and numbers of them that could not bear their riders except at short intervals. The lesson taught by the spectacle of Saturday will not readily pass from the memory of the people who witnessed it."
Arkansas City Traveler, December 5, 1877. General Sherman has issued a general order from the headquarters of the army in which he says the President is much concerned to find before him for action, proceedings of courts martial in several cases where officers have been tried for violation of the 38th article of war, which provides that any officer found drunk on duty shall be dismissed from service. After this solemn warning, a vigorous execution of sentences imposed in due course by court martial may be expected. www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/cowley/oldnews/papersup/trb.htmAnnex ~ books.google.co.uk/books?id=iXP58ROs8mgC&pg=PA153&lpg=PA154&ots=UCcgA5pP_9&dq=1877+brackett+custer&output=html_textBracket knew Jay Haynes ~ F. Jay Haynes was born in Saline, Michigan, on October 28, 1853. In 1876 he moved to Moorhead, Minnesota where he opened his first studio. The next year he traveled 400 miles by stagecoach photographing Dakota Territory. He married Lily V. Snyder on Jan 15, 1878, and in that same year he made a photographic journey to the West Coast. Lily V. Snyder ~ ? Simon Snyder ~
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Post by herosrest on Jan 20, 2013 14:45:41 GMT -6
Buell - Brien papers.
About 125 letters make up the correspondence of Mrs. George P. Buell (Rochie Brien) and her son, Don Carlos. In addition to these letters, there is a little diary kept by Mrs. Buell from March, 1876, to October, 1877. The diary begins with a trip from Fort Griffin, Texas, to Ringgold, Texas, which required two months. The country is described as being very beautiful for most of the trip. Several days were spent at San Antonio. After Custer's forces were massacred in Dakota by the Sioux Indians, General Buell was ordered to construct a fort farther west than Fort Abraham Lincoln from which Custer had set out on his fateful advance against the Indians. Mrs. Buell went home to Nashville in August, 1876 to be with her mother, Mrs. Brien. She joined her husband in November, 1876, at the Cheyenne Agency.
The diary ends with a description of the battlefield where Custer made his last stand.
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