FULL DETAILS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 202, 18 August 1876, Page 2

FULL DETAILS.

New York, July 7.— A Herald special from Little Horn, June 29th (via Bismarck, Dakota, July 6th), says : — Couriers are about to leave with General Terry's despatches, and I take advantage of ihe opportunity to send a hasty and necessarily imperfect account of the battle. I write from the scene of Ouster's magnificent, but terribly fatal charge, from a plateau on which, but a few hours since, I saw at a glance 115 heroic soldiers of the Seventh United States Cavalry lying where they fell at the hands of a savage foe, cold and dead* Near the top of a little knoll, in the centre of this plateau, lay Custer himself, and it touched my heart to see that the savages, in a kind of human recognition, had respected the corpse of a man they knew so well. Other bodies were mutilated; Custer was untouched. Our column, commanded ty General Gibbons, came up just in time to rescue Colonel Reno, who was menaced with the fate that, had more rapidly overtaken Custer. Assailed in some poor entrenchments by 4000 Sioux, excited by the blood of Ouster's mcD, Reno and what remained of the Seventh Cavalry must have fallen as their comrades, but the appearance of General Gibbons' column at the month of the Little Horn alarmed tbe enemy and caused their precipitate retreat. Custer started on the 22nd June. Ou June 25th the scouts reported a village only a few miles ahead on the north bank of the Little Horn, and immense numbers of Indians swarming out of it. One of the scouts, a half bred Sioux, Michael Berier, told Custer it was the largest village he had ever seen in the West. Clouds of dust were seen rising over the Indian town, and masses of horsemen were seen neara dense growth of timber and bushes. The bank of the river opposite the village was abrupt and overhanging the stream with high conical hills. Within the background in many places the bluff was twelve feat high and almost perpendicular. On the side where tbe village stood the land was level and stretched like a beautiful lawn to tbe timber which ran to the water's edge. As the troops gained the crest of the hills on the opposite back a singular eight lay before them. Below was tbe village j its white tips stretched for miles along the stream. Riding rapidly across the plain a scout came back and said that the Indiana were running, and Custer immediatelp told Colonel Reno to go ahead and push in and he would push after him. Reno wob given seven companies of the regiment, while Custer reserved five companies for his person. Col. Reno went ahead with three companies. Reno went travelling along the right hand bank of the stream and down its waters. The village was on the left bank of the river, and the river was strung for miles with lodges and horses galloping about, apparently i D the worst confusion. Ciouds of dust rose over the different bodies of Indians, rendering it impossible to number them. Only now and then, when a few ponies shot out of the cloud:! could the Indians be seen, and they apparently were then going to the rear.

»— *• »~- nag, (for confcnwatfon «2/" iVewi see fourth page,) I

The report soon spread that the Indians were retreating, and Custer, after ordering Reno over the river above the village, ordered Captain Keogh, Captain Yates, Captain Thomas Custer, Lieutenant Smith, and Lieutenant Calhoun with their companies to keep on down the right bank of the river, until they came to a point below the village, and then cross over and charge the village on the flank. It was evidently Ouster's intention to attack the village at both ends and have the forces work toward each other. Ouster, with five companies, galloped down the ridge to cut off the Indians. As he dashed forward he raised his hat, and the soldiers cheered lustily. This was the last seen of Ouster or his men, until they were found dead and horribly mutilated. We must now recount the movements of Reno. In obedience to Custer's orders, he had crossed the river above the village, and was advancing upon it. Little resistance was made to bis crossing, and few Indians showed in his front. As he deployed on the plain between the river and bluff, the valley stretched down to the village, which was about four miles distant, and Reno advanced in a column of companies. The valley was a little over a mile wide, and the companies met with no serious resistance in their front for a considerable distance. The first intimation of great danger was the appearance of the masses of Indians on the bluffs on the flank of the last company. A heavy fire was opened from the bluff, and at the same time the Indians charged in front. Officers and men behaved with gallantry, driving back the charging foe, but the fire from the bluffs was so heavy that Reno's men were pushed over towards the river. Rene ordered the companies into the timber and dismounted the battalion. They were formed in the edge of the woods under a little depression to fight on foot. The Indians chased across the stream and made an effort to dislodge the white men from the timber, but were repulsed. Time after time they charged both on ponies and on foot, but were driven back each time with heavy loss. Reno soon discovered that the Indians were working around to his rear and had entered the timber above and between him, and the order was given to mount and charge through the timber towards the reserve. The Indians had become so strong that it was found impossible to dislodge them, while mounted, from behind the bushes and tree?, and the command again dismounted and charged on foot. The Indiarja were every moment getting thicker between the companies on the river bottom and the reserve on the hill. Colonel Reno ordered his men to mount and cut their way through. A wild scramble now begun — every one for himsdf. The ludians on every side rose up and fired at the flying horsemen, and hundreds mounted on swift ponies pursued the soldiers, easily enough coming up with the heavy American horses. It was a baod-to-hand fight, one trooper often having as maoy as five Indians after him. The troopers used their revolvers at short range, emptying Indian saddles at every shot. At a ford about a mile distance a strong force of Indians were found holding it, but the troopers dashed over them, crossed the river, and began to ascend the high bank opposite by a mere ludian trail which led up the facß of the bold hill. The Indians had rallied and taken Bhelter in the bushes about the ford, and opened a deadly fire on the soldiers as they forded and ascended the opposite bank. On account of the narrowness of the ford a great crowd soon collected about the crossing, and it became jammed there, and into this mass of men and horses the Indians fired at short range. The loss of life here was fearful. Lieutenant Hodgson fell while gallantly endeavoring to get his men across the stream. Hodgson bad already crossed the ford himself and was ascending the opposite bank, when bis horse was shot and roiled down the bank with him. Detaching himself from the animal he grasped (he stirrups of a passing soldier to help him safely up the bank, and hid nearly reached the top when a shot struck him and he fell back, and rolled down the bank into the water. As soon as the soldiers reached the hill overlooking this ford, they dismounted, and opened fire on the Indians to cover the crossing of their comrades. The reserve which had been left back with the pack-train was now reported coming up, and soon occupied the hill above the ford. The Indians who had crossed the river above and below the ford, charged the hill, but were repulsed, and began to draw off. Colonel Reno looked and saw large bodies of Indians on the plain, and ordered his men to put their animals in the ravines and lie down behind the crest of the little ridgea that extended in all directions. The Indiaus kept up a brisk fire, but it wa& evident that the masses bad gone off somewhere, and Col. Reno looked for a sudden attack in some other quarter. Two hours went by and there was no news from Custer. All wondered where he had gone or what he could be doing. Another hour and then Colonel Reno became anxious about Ouster and his command. He was about to try and advance up the ridge to look for Custer, but had so many wounded that it took the whole company to carry them. While be t»as debating what was best to be done, and waiting to hear from Custer, he saw large bodies of Indians coming up the valley, and soon a terrible attack be^an on his position. The men hud dug rifle-pits ae. well as they

could in the hard ground, and were very imperfectly sheltered. The Indiana oharged on foot, and by a tremendous effort attempted to rout the soldiers. The fight for a few minutes was desperate in the extreme and almost hand to hand, some of the Indians who were evidently unarmed, or out of ammunition, throwing atones at the Boldiers. Reno stood firm, and after a desperate struggle the Indians fell back a little. Two or three more efforts were made to carry Reno's position, but without Success, and then the Indians drew off to the hills, completely covering them on every side of the command. A large body got at one time into tho ravine close by, and Col. Reno ordered Captain Benton to charge them out of it with his command. The raeu sprang out of their rifle-pits, and, with a cheer, dashed forward, the Indians running and breaking at their approach. It was now discovered that tivo or three small hills near by were higher than the one occupied by Reno and hi 3 party, and- commanded it. On these hifla the Indians gathered, and poured in a galling fire. One of the hills overlooked the corral, and from it the savageß shot down scores of our horees and mules, and killed and wounded eleven packers who were wiih the pack train. The fighting ceased at 9 o'clock, when it became too dark to see to shoot, but at dark the Indians were all on the hills, in the ravines, and commanded us completely. The surrounded soldiers worked all night to strengthen their position, but the ground was very hard and they had nothing to dig with except their butcher knives, hands and tin plates for shovels. At daybreak on tho morning of the 26fch, the battle was renewed. The Indians opened with a fire and a deafening war whoop. The hills were black with them, and they were variously estimated at from 2000 to 4000, while Reno's command at that time did not number 400 men, one-third of whom had to protect the horses and pack animals, and were in a great measure of no use in resisting the Indian's assault, and the situation was desperate in the extreme. In the afternoon the sua became very hot, and the men, who bad been without water for 36 hours, were almost famished. The horses showed signs of perishing, and the wounded begged piteously for water. It was full two hundred yards down the hill to water, and every inch of ground was covered by Indian sharpshooters. Colonel Reno determined to get water at all hazards. While one Company took kettles and canteens, another charged down the hill by their side, and engaged the attention of the Indians while the kettles were being filled. A dash was made, and the men went bravely to the river and dipped up the water, while a heavy stream of fire was kept up over their heads. Five men fell in the charge to get the water. On the morning of the 26th the Indians renewed the attack furiously. They seemed to regard it only as a question of time, but were willing to wait until the men ran out of supplies. Great suffering was endured for want of water. For miles back the country was full of Indians to cut off any who attempted to escape, and not even a courier could be got through their line. FightiDg cominued on from 6 o'clock to noon, when the Indiana began to leave. About 2 o'clock a great commotion was observed in the village. Lodges were pulled down, and the Indians in crowds of hundreds hurried out of the valley, and into the wild hills. Until day the stampede continued, hut was conducted in so orderly a manner as to lead Colonel Reno to believe that they were only moviDg their village to get graßs for their immense herd of animals. At nightfall Colonel Reno's front was totally free from Indianp, and the command passed a quiet night. On the morning of the 24th not Bn Indian was to be seen. This hasty departure was of course due to their knowledge of Gibbon's advance with infantry. Many of the men found dead on Custer'g field were horribly mutilated, and most of them had their skulls smashed by stone mallets. This was the work of the squaws, who swarmed the battkfield, robbing and mutilating the bodies of the dead and killing the dying and wounded. A writer wbo arrived with the reinforcements says: — "We found the ruins of an immense Indian village. Evidences that it had been hastily abandoned were seen on every hand. Buffalo robes, elk skios, kettles, and camp utensils generally, Buch as are used by Indians, were scattered on the ground in every direction. Wounded Indian ponies struggled here, and dead ones lay there. Dead horsee, branded 'Seventh Cavalry' were seen. Then we saw the head of a white man, but could nowhere find his body, and a moment later we came upon a dead cavalryman, with an arrow stuck in his back and the top of his skull crushed in. Two large Indian lodges were reached, made of fine white skins. Inside were a number of dead warriors in full war paint and oo3tume, and but recently elain. There were dead horses about the lodges, which had been killed in their funeral ceremony. The officers picked up a shirt deeply stained with blood and a pair of drawers," The United States Government have sent large reinforcements, and the Press speaks of the war as likely to be one of extermination. Several engagements with ludians have reeulted in great losses on both sides. The American General Crook, on one occasioo, narrowly eecaped the fate of General Ouster,

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