Post by fred on Nov 19, 2007 11:53:41 GMT -6
Please note: this day is the only place I will use "times." You may certainly feel free to correct them. It has not been established whether the times used are St. Paul or local sun time, though St. Paul seems to be more accurate.
Some scattered showers early, then plenty of sun and heat.
Between 2am-3am—Daybreak.
2:45am—Vern Smalley establishes time of first firing, citing a number of sources:
• Reno: about 2:30am • Edgerly: about 2:30am
• McDougall: about 2:30am • Wallace: before 3am
• Godfrey: between 2:30-3am (• Godfrey: about 3am or earlier)
• Moylan: about 3am • Benteen: about 3am
• Varnum: about 3am • Herendeen: peep of the day
[Little Bighorn Mysteries, p. 2-7]
Early morning, before dawn—LT DeRudio, PVT O’Neill, Fred Gerard, and Billy Jackson
try to cross the river to reach Reno’s command. Gerard, superstitious, says a prayer to the Indians Great Spirit and tosses his watch in the river as a token, all this hoping to find a suitable crossing point. Gerard later denied the incident, claiming he lost his watch and threw his rifle into the river, trying to get it out of his way. [Willert, LBH Diary, pp. 392-393]
√ They wind up coming across Indians and Gerard and Jackson—the only ones with horses—take off (this was pre-arranged), leaving DeRudio and O’Neill hidden in the brush.
4am—Terry’s infantry column breaks camp and begins its move to catch up to the cavalry.
Early morning—(Barney Prevo is unclear who he is with at this time)—About 6 miles below the mouth of the LBH horse tracks are seen in the grass and a little way further, 3 Indians are spotted on the other side of the Big Horn. (A lone horse was also spotted on the same side of the river as the soldiers; this was the horse the Crows had let go when they tried to swim the river.)
√ The 3 Indians proved to be the Crows, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, and Hairy Moccasin.
√ They inform Prevo that Custer and all with him have been wiped out.
√ After questioning them, Prevo concluded they were certainly exaggerating and had no definitive knowledge of what had happened.
7:30am—LT Bradley and his scouts arrive at Terry’s cavalry camp, 1 1/2 miles from the
LBH, with the news from the 3 Crows that Custer’s command has been wiped out.
√ Terry awakened.
7:50am—Gatling gun battery was brought into the bivouac.
Just before 9am—Willert claims this was when Benteen ordered the charge of Companies B, D, G, and K. [LBH Diary, p. 403] Liddic claims it was about 3pm, but it may have been somewhat earlier because the Indian firing had all but ceased by 3pm.
Around 9am—Terry begins to move toward the LBH valley.
√ The infantry command is seen moving toward them.
√ Gibbon re-joins the command.
10am—Curley is far down Tullock’s Creek (Gray).
√ Indians started grass and brush fires, probably to conceal their movements and to prevent soldiers from approaching river for water.
√ Stewart felt there might have been “thousands” of Indians in the vicinity this day. “Captain Benteen stated later that there were “picnic parties” of Indians as large as a regiment standing around the river bottom looking on, and that fully 2,000 hostiles were idling about, waiting for a place from which to shoot. He declared… there was not a foot of unoccupied land anywhere and that there were Indians everywhere… the command was surrounded by from eight to nine thousand hostiles.” [Custer’s Luck, p. 422]
√ Varnum felt there were as many as 4,000 Indians, many of whom were never engaged. The men on the hill could see large masses of them a good ways off.
√ Herendeen felt there were between 400-500 in the surrounding hills.
√ Moylan put the number at 900-1,000 around the command. [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, pp. 422-423]
Mid-morning—A sergeant reports to Benteen—with LT Gibson’s compliments—that the
Indians are giving H Company a devil of a time. Benteen reports to Reno and asks for reinforcements. The major refuses, but Benteen demands M Company and with French’s troops organizes a charge chasing the gathering Indians down a ravine and across the river.
A little before noon—The trek down to the LBH for water began.
√ 1 soldier killed, 6 wounded, getting water.
√ Benteen positions 4 marksmen to protect the water carriers:
• SGT Geiger (H) • BSM Mechlin (H) • SAD Voit (H) • PVT Windolph (H)
• SGT Fehler (A) (possibly stood in for Voit when Voit was wounded [Smalley, LBH Mysteries, p. 15-12])
12:30pm—Having proceeded about 9 1/2 miles up the LBH valley (on the east side of the
river), the combined Terry/Gibbon command begins crossing the LBH to its west side.
√ The river was about 20 yards across, 2 1/2 feet deep, and cold.
Some time in the afternoon—Varnum goes to Reno and volunteers to try to get a message
out. SGT McDermott (A) offered to go with him. Reno refused permission, saying he couldn’t afford to lose 2 good shots and that they would probably be killed anyway. Varnum responded, “we might as well get killed trying to get relief as to get killed where we were. [Reno] said, ‘Varnum, you are a very uncomfortable companion.’” [Varnum, I, Varnum, p. 94]
2pm-Early afternoon—The troops again came under heavy fire, this time from the north and
east.
About 2:20pm—With the entire command across the river, Terry orders a halt.
3pm—Benteen ordered another charge, but this time Reno led it or went with it.
Companies B, D, G, and K moved forward about 70 yards before falling back with no casualties. Indian firing was intense. [Liddic, Vanishing Victory, p. 179]
3pm—According to Willert, the Indian firing has ceased altogether. [LBH Diary, p. 410]
√ Large numbers of warriors seen returning to the village.
5:20pm—Terry’s advance up the LBH begins again.
√ The infantry formed the left column (nearest the river); the cavalry was on the right. Terry and Gibbon marched up front, in between the 2 columns.
√ The Gatling guns were in the rear.
6:30pm-6:40pm—The scout, Henry Bostwick, sent out earlier to try to get a message to
Custer comes riding back at a furious gallop. “‘You have been looking for Indians all summer? You’ll find all you want there!’” [Willert, LBH Diary, p. 410; quoting Gen. Charles F. Roe, Custer’s Last Battle, p. 7]
√ Bostwick gestured excitedly up the valley, to a section of bench land about 6 miles up.
√ Terry sends LT Roe (F/2C) toward the western bench land as an advanced guard along the column’s right flank.
√ LT Bradley moves up the left side of the column, through the timber and brush that grew along the river.
√ The Gatling guns and 3 companies of cavalry moved on the right in column, 4 companies of infantry were on the left, and 1 company of infantry in front and behind the pack mules in between the other 2 columns.
Late afternoon—The Indians begin moving their camp.
√ The possessions of those who were in mourning were left behind, as was custom. That included the standing tepees.
√ Some troopers estimated the Indian column’s length at 5 miles. Benteen thought it to be 3 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. Benteen said, “They had an advance guard, and platoons formed, and were in as regular military order as a corps or division.” [Connell, Son of the Morning Star, p. 76]
• “Benteen, who was qualified to judge, estimated the strength of the hostiles as being equal to that of a full cavalry division. ‘It [the Indian column] started about sunset and was in sight till darkness came. It was in a straight line about 3 miles long, and I think half a mile wide, as densely packed as animals could be.'" [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 428]
• “It is beyond doubt that the hostile camp on the banks of the Little Big Horn River had been one of the greatest gatherings of Indians ever seen upon the plains.” [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 428]
√ LT Godfrey: “ ‘… the Indian village moving… was, or seemed to be, about 3 miles long by 3/4 [mile] wide and very closely packed.’” [Willert, LBH Diary, p. 411; quoting Godfrey’s Diary of the Little Big Horn, p. 17]
√ PVT Windolph: “The heavy smoke seemed to lift for a few moments, and there in the valley below we caught glimpses of thousands of Indians on foot and horseback, with their pony herds and travois, dogs and pack animals, and all the trappings of a great camp, slowly moving southward. It was like some Biblical exodus; the Israelites moving into Egypt; a mighty tribe on the march.” [Connell, Son of the Morning Star, pp. 76-77]
√ LT Edgerly: “I thought before the ponies commenced to move that it was like a lot of brown underbrush; it was the largest number of quadrupeds I ever saw in my life…. It looked as though a heavy carpet was being moved over the ground.” [Connell, Son of the Morning Star, p. 77]
√ Most troopers thought the Indians had run low on ammo or that Custer, with reinforcements, was coming to their rescue.
√ The troopers on Reno Hill gave the Indians 3 cheers as they moved away!
√ LT Roe, moving up the bench lands, comes across a large body of warriors, maybe as many as several hundred in number. He sends an orderly back to Terry. He also sees the tail end of the moving village and objects on the eastern bluffs he takes to be dead buffalo. He waits, a good distance away.
√ Terry’s column approaches a heavily timbered area, LT Bradley in the lead, and Indians are spotted amongst the trees and brush.
7pm—Under cover of a huge fire set to conceal their movements (as before), the Indians
broke camp and began to move away.
8pm—LT Roe leaves the bench land to re-join the main column.
8:40pm—Terry decides to go into bivouac, as it is getting dark. He camped on the site of
the present-day Crow Agency, the schoolhouse marking the approximate center of his camp.
√ The camp was about 11 miles as the Crow flies, from the mouth of the LBH and about 8-9 miles from Reno’s position in the hills.
√ There were fully 1,000 Indians to Terry’s front, yet this was only the rear guard, as the rest of the village headed south. [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 304]
Sundown—No Indians to be seen.
Darkness—Gerard and Jackson leave the timber above Ford A and head toward Reno’s
command.
11pm—Gerard and Jackson reach Reno’s command.
11pm + – DeRudio and O’Neill reach Reno’s command.
Best wishes,
Fred.
Some scattered showers early, then plenty of sun and heat.
Between 2am-3am—Daybreak.
2:45am—Vern Smalley establishes time of first firing, citing a number of sources:
• Reno: about 2:30am • Edgerly: about 2:30am
• McDougall: about 2:30am • Wallace: before 3am
• Godfrey: between 2:30-3am (• Godfrey: about 3am or earlier)
• Moylan: about 3am • Benteen: about 3am
• Varnum: about 3am • Herendeen: peep of the day
[Little Bighorn Mysteries, p. 2-7]
Early morning, before dawn—LT DeRudio, PVT O’Neill, Fred Gerard, and Billy Jackson
try to cross the river to reach Reno’s command. Gerard, superstitious, says a prayer to the Indians Great Spirit and tosses his watch in the river as a token, all this hoping to find a suitable crossing point. Gerard later denied the incident, claiming he lost his watch and threw his rifle into the river, trying to get it out of his way. [Willert, LBH Diary, pp. 392-393]
√ They wind up coming across Indians and Gerard and Jackson—the only ones with horses—take off (this was pre-arranged), leaving DeRudio and O’Neill hidden in the brush.
4am—Terry’s infantry column breaks camp and begins its move to catch up to the cavalry.
Early morning—(Barney Prevo is unclear who he is with at this time)—About 6 miles below the mouth of the LBH horse tracks are seen in the grass and a little way further, 3 Indians are spotted on the other side of the Big Horn. (A lone horse was also spotted on the same side of the river as the soldiers; this was the horse the Crows had let go when they tried to swim the river.)
√ The 3 Indians proved to be the Crows, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, and Hairy Moccasin.
√ They inform Prevo that Custer and all with him have been wiped out.
√ After questioning them, Prevo concluded they were certainly exaggerating and had no definitive knowledge of what had happened.
7:30am—LT Bradley and his scouts arrive at Terry’s cavalry camp, 1 1/2 miles from the
LBH, with the news from the 3 Crows that Custer’s command has been wiped out.
√ Terry awakened.
7:50am—Gatling gun battery was brought into the bivouac.
Just before 9am—Willert claims this was when Benteen ordered the charge of Companies B, D, G, and K. [LBH Diary, p. 403] Liddic claims it was about 3pm, but it may have been somewhat earlier because the Indian firing had all but ceased by 3pm.
Around 9am—Terry begins to move toward the LBH valley.
√ The infantry command is seen moving toward them.
√ Gibbon re-joins the command.
10am—Curley is far down Tullock’s Creek (Gray).
√ Indians started grass and brush fires, probably to conceal their movements and to prevent soldiers from approaching river for water.
√ Stewart felt there might have been “thousands” of Indians in the vicinity this day. “Captain Benteen stated later that there were “picnic parties” of Indians as large as a regiment standing around the river bottom looking on, and that fully 2,000 hostiles were idling about, waiting for a place from which to shoot. He declared… there was not a foot of unoccupied land anywhere and that there were Indians everywhere… the command was surrounded by from eight to nine thousand hostiles.” [Custer’s Luck, p. 422]
√ Varnum felt there were as many as 4,000 Indians, many of whom were never engaged. The men on the hill could see large masses of them a good ways off.
√ Herendeen felt there were between 400-500 in the surrounding hills.
√ Moylan put the number at 900-1,000 around the command. [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, pp. 422-423]
Mid-morning—A sergeant reports to Benteen—with LT Gibson’s compliments—that the
Indians are giving H Company a devil of a time. Benteen reports to Reno and asks for reinforcements. The major refuses, but Benteen demands M Company and with French’s troops organizes a charge chasing the gathering Indians down a ravine and across the river.
A little before noon—The trek down to the LBH for water began.
√ 1 soldier killed, 6 wounded, getting water.
√ Benteen positions 4 marksmen to protect the water carriers:
• SGT Geiger (H) • BSM Mechlin (H) • SAD Voit (H) • PVT Windolph (H)
• SGT Fehler (A) (possibly stood in for Voit when Voit was wounded [Smalley, LBH Mysteries, p. 15-12])
12:30pm—Having proceeded about 9 1/2 miles up the LBH valley (on the east side of the
river), the combined Terry/Gibbon command begins crossing the LBH to its west side.
√ The river was about 20 yards across, 2 1/2 feet deep, and cold.
Some time in the afternoon—Varnum goes to Reno and volunteers to try to get a message
out. SGT McDermott (A) offered to go with him. Reno refused permission, saying he couldn’t afford to lose 2 good shots and that they would probably be killed anyway. Varnum responded, “we might as well get killed trying to get relief as to get killed where we were. [Reno] said, ‘Varnum, you are a very uncomfortable companion.’” [Varnum, I, Varnum, p. 94]
2pm-Early afternoon—The troops again came under heavy fire, this time from the north and
east.
About 2:20pm—With the entire command across the river, Terry orders a halt.
3pm—Benteen ordered another charge, but this time Reno led it or went with it.
Companies B, D, G, and K moved forward about 70 yards before falling back with no casualties. Indian firing was intense. [Liddic, Vanishing Victory, p. 179]
3pm—According to Willert, the Indian firing has ceased altogether. [LBH Diary, p. 410]
√ Large numbers of warriors seen returning to the village.
5:20pm—Terry’s advance up the LBH begins again.
√ The infantry formed the left column (nearest the river); the cavalry was on the right. Terry and Gibbon marched up front, in between the 2 columns.
√ The Gatling guns were in the rear.
6:30pm-6:40pm—The scout, Henry Bostwick, sent out earlier to try to get a message to
Custer comes riding back at a furious gallop. “‘You have been looking for Indians all summer? You’ll find all you want there!’” [Willert, LBH Diary, p. 410; quoting Gen. Charles F. Roe, Custer’s Last Battle, p. 7]
√ Bostwick gestured excitedly up the valley, to a section of bench land about 6 miles up.
√ Terry sends LT Roe (F/2C) toward the western bench land as an advanced guard along the column’s right flank.
√ LT Bradley moves up the left side of the column, through the timber and brush that grew along the river.
√ The Gatling guns and 3 companies of cavalry moved on the right in column, 4 companies of infantry were on the left, and 1 company of infantry in front and behind the pack mules in between the other 2 columns.
Late afternoon—The Indians begin moving their camp.
√ The possessions of those who were in mourning were left behind, as was custom. That included the standing tepees.
√ Some troopers estimated the Indian column’s length at 5 miles. Benteen thought it to be 3 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. Benteen said, “They had an advance guard, and platoons formed, and were in as regular military order as a corps or division.” [Connell, Son of the Morning Star, p. 76]
• “Benteen, who was qualified to judge, estimated the strength of the hostiles as being equal to that of a full cavalry division. ‘It [the Indian column] started about sunset and was in sight till darkness came. It was in a straight line about 3 miles long, and I think half a mile wide, as densely packed as animals could be.'" [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 428]
• “It is beyond doubt that the hostile camp on the banks of the Little Big Horn River had been one of the greatest gatherings of Indians ever seen upon the plains.” [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 428]
√ LT Godfrey: “ ‘… the Indian village moving… was, or seemed to be, about 3 miles long by 3/4 [mile] wide and very closely packed.’” [Willert, LBH Diary, p. 411; quoting Godfrey’s Diary of the Little Big Horn, p. 17]
√ PVT Windolph: “The heavy smoke seemed to lift for a few moments, and there in the valley below we caught glimpses of thousands of Indians on foot and horseback, with their pony herds and travois, dogs and pack animals, and all the trappings of a great camp, slowly moving southward. It was like some Biblical exodus; the Israelites moving into Egypt; a mighty tribe on the march.” [Connell, Son of the Morning Star, pp. 76-77]
√ LT Edgerly: “I thought before the ponies commenced to move that it was like a lot of brown underbrush; it was the largest number of quadrupeds I ever saw in my life…. It looked as though a heavy carpet was being moved over the ground.” [Connell, Son of the Morning Star, p. 77]
√ Most troopers thought the Indians had run low on ammo or that Custer, with reinforcements, was coming to their rescue.
√ The troopers on Reno Hill gave the Indians 3 cheers as they moved away!
√ LT Roe, moving up the bench lands, comes across a large body of warriors, maybe as many as several hundred in number. He sends an orderly back to Terry. He also sees the tail end of the moving village and objects on the eastern bluffs he takes to be dead buffalo. He waits, a good distance away.
√ Terry’s column approaches a heavily timbered area, LT Bradley in the lead, and Indians are spotted amongst the trees and brush.
7pm—Under cover of a huge fire set to conceal their movements (as before), the Indians
broke camp and began to move away.
8pm—LT Roe leaves the bench land to re-join the main column.
8:40pm—Terry decides to go into bivouac, as it is getting dark. He camped on the site of
the present-day Crow Agency, the schoolhouse marking the approximate center of his camp.
√ The camp was about 11 miles as the Crow flies, from the mouth of the LBH and about 8-9 miles from Reno’s position in the hills.
√ There were fully 1,000 Indians to Terry’s front, yet this was only the rear guard, as the rest of the village headed south. [Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 304]
Sundown—No Indians to be seen.
Darkness—Gerard and Jackson leave the timber above Ford A and head toward Reno’s
command.
11pm—Gerard and Jackson reach Reno’s command.
11pm + – DeRudio and O’Neill reach Reno’s command.
Best wishes,
Fred.