AN AMERICAN NATIVE DIFFICULTY, SLAUGHTER OF AMERICAN TROOPS.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 662, 17 August 1876, Page 3

AN AMERICAN NATIVE DIFFICULTY, SLAUGHTER OF AMERICAN TROOPS.

Lati American exchange! inform us of the tac') thut th« native diflicu ty, and in » fur nior* aggravated form, aad on u larger tc.de, exist* iv otlur countms than New Zealand, Spotted liml, <b> f of the Indian tribes about Big Horn on thelX>ntanu territory , after being pampered and m diva oh of by the Anier'CP.u Qorei i.m . t con mi need a tries of ouirxges, a>d Gemral Cutter with ft coumaud uf on'y some 300 man, and 17 officers, havi ig learned that a large cump was then at Lit tie Horn, and anxious to make an aciark before Geueral Gibbon-, with tome fire more o inj ameo, came to his ar>Mstauo» , marie an atlai-k upon vho lad am, lume 10,000 strong, charging into Ibe center of the lndi.ju camp. Nothing, ' sa»t th- reporter of the ' Montana Herald,' IB known of Ibe operations of tlm de* ta>bmen>, only at they are trpcu* bv tbe deud. Major Keno commanded the other t'Tpn coinpttnir-s, and attacked ilie low< r poition of the camp Ti.e Indiana poured in a murderous fiie fiom a I dirt t-bions. Tbe gre'tter po-uion fought on huraebaok. Ciuter, hit two broi hen, nef hew, and brnlher-in-low were all killed and not one of hit detHc'ar.ie t esciMed. Two hundred and seven men ««ie bu.'iie>i mono place, aud the number of kOUd m estnjatpd et 300, wuh only 31 wound d The Indians surrounded Keiio'i comramJ and hrld them for one d<y in tbe hill*, cut «>ff from water, until Ghbbon'n coin muiid came m tight, when t'.iey b^oke cid pin the ni^hl und left. The Seventh fought like tig- re, and wer« orticome by mete bruUfoice. The Indiuos aftuallj pulled men off ibeir hortes m tome uiitante«. I give this at Taylor told me, xt he was orer the field a ; ter the battle. iheakoTe i» c nfirmed by other leitei-s, wlich my Cu^er met a tearful ditasu-r The battle was fought ou (»e 25th thirty or forty miles bulow tbe Little Horn. Cui»er attacked the Ini'i,»n village of from 2 500 to 3 000 warriort on one tide, and Colonel Keno wat to attack it on the other Three companies were pii ccd on a hi lAt a reserve. General (Just, r and flit' en officer* and exerj man belonging to the five companies wt.e killed Reno rot rented unuer lh« pro tection of tbe reserve. The ■wl ole number killed wm« 315. Gemr 1 Gtoboru joined Ktino. 'lhe Indians lelt thebmtle Kiound. It looked like a slaughter pen, ai it realU wat being in a n-irov* r*rin« The dead were very much mutilated.' General Cutter was one of the most dashing cavalry officers the Federals poMtsied during th« great Civd War. When General Grant became Fmtdent he d d not forget the services which Custer had rendered to the Army of the Potomac, and he w» accordingly >ip|iointed lo an important Indian co mand Subaiquently 'Spotted Tail,' «cd a larga pnrty of Indian braTt-s, a tacked h frontier settlement ; after murdering and plundering to their he* t's content, they retr-Hied acrotp a tract of country 150 mil. s wi l«, destitute of water or grass, and behind which they confidently believed they were safe trom the avenging Custei. They were undeceived for one* Alter marching and counter - marching tcue fir* hundred mi es, he at last lifted thur trail to the belt of de»ert, and with a force ol mounted m n, tuiiahly equipped, struck right through. In the lost d. Zen of milet thr men wtre commencing te doze in the saddle Iroua exhaustion, when at the grey d>wn they were freshened up by the troutt falling upon recent traces of the retreating maiaudert. On debouching into tli« plain they taw before them tho ' lodgst ' of a force of two thousand men, v ho, from ny>\ earances, were completely off their guard. Without a moment's hetiUtion C'isUr placed hirnielf'at the 1 b«ad df the column, aad charged ihv

centre of th«> encurapment, killing Cve hundred Indiani, and d.«troyin .' their camp and itorei, with the trilling lo»8 of eighteen men. He app »rs to hare adopted liii old tactics at Bis Horn, but without hufoimer tncces, while '^ otted Tuil ' obiained what our Maori neighbour* would call utu for hm formpr cfeat.