Post by herosrest on Oct 4, 2023 12:58:21 GMT -6
Ducemus
Custer with 850 men and Indian scouts and guides started up the Rosebud on June 22. Early in the morning of the 24th, while the Custer command was passing up the Rosebud, the scouts, who were well in advance, saw a few Sioux scouts or hunters. Later in the day they reported to Custer that they had seen these men and that the Sioux had crossed over into the valley of the Little Bighorn. Custer seemed a little excited, and instructed the scouts to first go to the top of the mountains forming the divide between the Rosebud and the Little Bighorn. The sun was now very low, and the scouts started with the command following. In the scouting party were Lieutenant Varnum, Mitch Boyer, the five Crow scouts -- White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, Hairy Moccasins, White Swan and Paints His Face Half Yellow -- a half-breed, and some Arikara.
The scouting party followed up the Rosebud until they reached a small creek [ie. Davis Creek] that heads in the mountains. They followed this stream, almost reaching the summit of the divide before daylight. Here they lay down to rest. At approaching dawn, Boyer and White Man Runs Him left the others asleep and went to a high point at the summit, usually referred to as the Crow's Nest. Far below them and to the west spread the Little Bighorn valley, over which hung a mist-like cloud -- the smoke from a large Indian encampment. The Crow called to the others to ascend. Varnum or Boyer sent a message by Red Star, and Arikara scout, to Custer who had by that time ascended close to the divide between the Rosebud and the Little Bighorn. When Red Star came hurriedly to Custer, he was asked by the latter in sign, "Have you seen the cutthroats [ie. Sioux]?" On receiving the scouts reply, Custer read the note, and then with four of five men rode at once to the Crow's Nest, from which vantage he studied the distance for some time and viewed the encampment with its great herd of horses on the hills beyond.
This outlook, which affords a splendid view of the entire region, is about 15 miles from the encampment site and is at the head of Davis creek, which flows into the Rosebud, and Middle Reno creek, which flows into the Little Bighorn. The creek flowing down to the Little Bighorn stretches clearly before one, and much of the Sioux encampment was plainly sight. The writers party visited this point in mid-afternoon, when considerable haze hovered over the valley, yet even the small cabins now on the campsite could be discerned with the naked eye, and with the aid of a glass, smaller objects could be readily identified. While the party stood on this point, two railway trains were seen to pass along the valley. These details are mentioned because it has been asserted that Custer was not able to see the valley clearly from this outlook. The scouts say that the white tepees were pitched so thickly in the valley that it had the appearance of being covered with a sheet, and that the hills beyond were brown with horses.
The outlook afforded such a perfect prospect that with the assistence of the scouts, who were thoroughly familiar with the ground, a commander could easily have formulated a plan of attack and have found no reason for materially changing it. Custer discussed with his scouts the situation, the nature of the ground, and the best route to follow, and then rode back to his command, which was just below him at the right. In the early forenoon the command [crossed the divide and] moved down the western slope of Wolf mountains and out on the plain, and thus began the most unfortunate day ever experienced by United States troops in Indian warfare.
Before leaving the summit one Crow scout, Hairy Moccasins, was sent ahead to scan the ground and obtain a closer view of the village. Proceeding down the valley, past the oft-mentioned death-lodge of a Sioux, he climbed a pine-clad hill, near the junction of the middle and north branches of Reno creek (Curtis note: This creek is sometimes referred to as Sun-dance creek or as Benteen creek, and is known to the Indians as Thick Ash creek), observing the Sioux everywhere across the Little Bighorn, and a few, presumably Sioux scouts, in the valley of Reno creek. Hairy Moccasins rode back and reported the size and position of the Sioux encampment and said the hostiles were not running away, as had been thought. On receiving this report Custer hurried the command down the valley and halted at the junction of the two forks on a fair-sized flat, now, as it probably was then, a prairie-dog village. At this point White Man Runs Him designated to the author the site where the troops were halted and the spot where Custer stood. This was where Custer and Reno separated.
Reno advanced down the valley at its left margin. He had with him as scouts White Swan and Paints His Face Half Yellow, both Crows, and several Arikara. The distance from the point of separation as travelled by Reno to where heh began his fight is, by the United States Geological Survey map, 3 1/2 miles.
With Custer were the Crow scouts, White Man Runs Him, Hairy Moccasins, Goes Ahead, and Curly, and Mitch Boyer as interpreter and scout. Custer's command bore off to the right down a sharp bank, across a narrow flat, then across a small cut of a dry creek, and out on a rising plain, Custer, with his staff and scouts in the lead and their horses at a gallop. The course was gradually up and out of the valley of Reno creek. Off to the left Reno's command was in full sight, moving down the valley almost within hailing distance. As Custer's command emerged from the valley it passed, for two or three minutes, from the sight of Reno's men, then came up close to the crest of the hill overlooking the valley.
Just before reaching this crest -- the distance is about a quarter of a mile -- the command was halted and the scouts were sent ahead. They appeared at the top of the hill, sillouetted against the sky, and signalling to Custer to follow; he and his staff went at once to the summit. This is Point 2 on the map, and is where Custer was seen to wave a salutation to Reno's command.
To quote Lieutenant-Colonel Bowen, U.S.A. : "Some of Reno's men had seen a party of Custer's command, including Custer himself, on the bluffs about the time the Indians began to develop in Reno's front. The party was heard to cheer, and seen to wave their hats as if to give encouragement, and then they disappeared behind the hills." This statement by Reno's men verifies the scouts story and proves that Custer's route paralleled the river rather than went far back from it, as some have stated, and as his line of march is traced on many published maps.
When Custer reached this outlook, probably one-half to three-quarters of the Indian encampment was in plain view, Reno had already forded the river and was riding down the valley toward the Sioux camp. The distance from the point of separation to where Custer now stood on the outlook is one mile, and to where Reno was seen along the Little Bighorn beginning his march down the valley, it was the same distance. From these points, either or both commanders could have ridden into the Sioux camp in less than 10 minutes. Custer stopped here, as the Indians expressed it, "only as a big bird alights and then flies on."
The ground in general is a sharp ridge sloping abruptly toward the river on one hand, and gently on the other, this easy slope ending in a draw, which from here to the point where the attack on Custer began parallels the river. The peculiar topography enabled Custer and his staff to keep close to the crest where they could have a full view of the valley, while at the same time the troops were entirely ignorant from what was in the valley on the other side of the ridge. Within one minute from Custer's starting from this first point of vantage he passed over the ground from which Reno's disordered force was later to make its stand. This spot is now strewn with the bleached bones of troop-horses and pack-mules.
Hugging (WHAT A LOVELY WORD) the ridge for a time, Custer passed behind a hill and out in full view of the valley again. This last point is one of the highest in the region and gave a perfect view of the entire Indian encampment and the ground on which Reno made his attack. It is Point 3 on the map, and is a mile and a quarter from the scene of Reno's fight in the valley. The nature of the intervening ground is such that cavalry could have covered it at a lope. The distance from here to the point of separation is two and one-half miles.
Custer's route thence practically paralleled the valley for a distance, then turned to the left down a dry creek, by the Indians called Medicine Tail Coulee. Here he rode out close to the river, and probably planned to ford at this point and attack the Sioux. But the Indians had now discovered him and were gathered closely on the opposite side, and if the plan had been to cross, it was given up without an effort, even without going quite to the stream. It has been said that this was not a good ford -- that the river had cut banks and quicksand. On the contrary, there is no better fording place on the river. The ground slopes down without a bank of any sort, and the opposite side is likewise favorable to passage, although a little higher, and there is no sign of a treacherous bottom.
From here Custer turned slightly, led his command back up the valley a short distance, then swung to the left, and with Boyer and some of his staff dismounted and went out on a fairly high point overlooking the whole encampment. This is Point 4 on the map. The configuration of the land is, as at the other stopping place such now that the troops now dismounted were back of him, and in part, at least, out of sight of the enemy. At this time some Indians were crossing the river here and there, and others were stealthily creeping up in Custer's front.
When Custer had reached this point, Reno's fight in the valley had closed, and his men, along with Benteen, were together on the bluffs, so that the entire Sioux force was free to attack Custer. Lieutenat-Colonel Bowen says:
"While waiting for the ammunition pack-mules, Major Reno concluded to make an effort to recover and bury the body of Lieutenant Hodgson. At the same time he loaded up a few men with canteens to get water for the command; they were to accompany the rescuing party; the effort was futile; the party was ordered back after being fired upon by some Indians who doubtless were scalping the dead near the foot of the bluffs. At this time there were a large number of horsemen, Indians, in the valley, at least one thousand, says Benteen. Suddenly they all started down the valley, and in a few minutes scarcely one was to be seen."
According to the testimony of almost innumberable Sioux participants, this rush of warriors down the valley commenced when they had sighted Custer's command, and this was the beginning of their attack on him. Custer personally, while sitting there, shot at Indians who were reckless enough to come within range. Boyer sat at Custer's side and the Crow scouts were behind with the troops.
Curly had deserted Custer more than an hour before the attack, the place of the desertion being close to Point 2, where he joined some of Reno's deserting Arikara scouts, who had stolen Sioux horses in the valley previous to the beginning of the fight there and were running away. As these fleeing scouts passed Custer's command on the hill, Curly joined them and made his escape. As there has been so much discussion relative to Curly's part in the affair, it seems necessary to present some of the evidence bearing particularly on the action of this scout. The three Crow scouts, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, and Hairy Moccasins, stated positively that Curly ran away at the time and in the manner mentioned, and without leading questions, the Arikara scouts verified their assertions. John Burkman, Custer's hostler, also supported the statements of the Crows, having personally seen Curly with the escaping Arikara; while Curly himself, when sharply questioned, admitted that he was never anywhere near the actual fight. The only knowledge he has of the affair was gained from a distant outlook.
Boyer called White Man Runs Him, who came up to him on his hands and knees, when Boyer said to him, "You have done what you agreed to do -- brought us to the Sioux camp, now go back to the pack-train and live." The scouts then mounted and rode away, and as they came in sight of the attacking Sioux, many shots were fired at them, but they were soon out of range. They said they did not ride hard very long, but as soon as well out of range proceeded more slowly and watched the fight. Theirs was only a distant view, hence they could give no details of the encounter. Custer mounted at the time the scouts left him and began his retreat, and it was at this point that seven bodies were found by the burying squad. None of these men had empty cartridges, which clearly indicates that they were killed in the first attack, before there had been any considerable firing by the troops.
Custer made no attack, the whole movement being a retreat. Whether he thought only of withdrawing far enough back from the river to make a stand, or had undertaken a long retreat to the mountains, cannot be told. The Sioux thought he was trying to reach the distant hills, and headed him off, forcing the retreat in a line more or less paralleling the river. A careful study of the ground convinces one that within miles there was no more favorable ground for a stand than that occupied by Custer's troops when the Sioux made the attack. To the west was the circling cut-bank protecting a third of his line; to the east his position commanded all the immediate points; there were no hills near enough to form a satisfactory commanding position for the Indians and he was within 50 yards of water.
