Custer free essay sample

# 8217 ; s Last Stand Essay, Research Paper Custer # 8217 ; s last base Five springs ago I, with many Sioux Indians, took down and packed up our tepee and moved from Cheyenne river to the Rosebud river, where we camped a few yearss ; so took down and packed up our Lodges and moved to the Little Bighorn river and pitched our Lodges with the big cantonment of Sioux. The Sioux were camped on the Little Bighorn river as follows: The Lodges of the Uncpapas were pitched highest up the river under a bluff. The Eastern sioux Lodges were pitched following. The Oglala # 8217 ; s Lodges were pitched following. The Brule Lodges were pitched following. The Minneconjou Lodges were pitched following. The Sans Arcs # 8217 ; Lodges were pitched following. The Blackfeet Lodges were pitched following. The Cheyenne Lodges were pitched following. A few Arikara Indians were among the Sioux ( being without Lodges of their ain ) . Two-Kettles, among the other Sioux ( without Lodges ) . I was a Sioux head in the council Lodge. My Lodge was pitched in the centre of the cantonment. The twenty-four hours of the onslaught I and four adult females were a short distance from the cantonment delving wild Brassica rapas. Suddenly one of the adult females attracted my attending to a cloud of dust lifting a short distance from cantonment. I shortly saw that the soldiers were bear downing the cantonment. To the cantonment I and the adult females ran. When I arrived a individual told me to travel rapidly to the council Lodge. The soldiers charged so rapidly we could non speak ( council ) . We came out of the council Lodge and talked in all waies. The Sioux saddle horse Equus caballuss, take guns, and travel fight the soldiers. Womans and kids mount Equus caballuss and travel, intending to acquire out of the manner. Among the soldiers was an officer who rode a Equus caballus with four white pess. [ This officer was obviously Capt. Gallic, Seventh Cavalry. ] The Sioux have for a long clip fought many brave work forces of different people, but the Sioux say this officer was the bravest adult male they had of all time fought. I don # 8217 ; t cognize whether this was Gen. Custer or non. Many of the Sioux work forces that I hear speaking tell me it was. I saw this officer in the battle many times, but did non see his organic structure. It has been told me that he was killed by a Santee Indian, who took his Equus caballus. This officer wore a large-brimmed chapeau and a deerskin coat. This officer saved the lives of many soldiers by turning his Equus caballus and covering the retreat. Sioux say this officer was the bravest adult male they of all time fought. I saw two officers looking likewise, both holding long xanthous hair. Before the onslaught the Sioux were camped on the Rosebud river. Sioux moved down a river running into the Little Bighorn river, crossed the Little Bighorn river, and camped on its west bank. This twenty-four hours [ twenty-four hours of onslaught ] a Sioux adult male started to travel to Red Cloud bureau, but when he had gone a short distance from cantonment he saw a cloud of dust rise and turned back and said he thought a herd of American bison was coming near the small town. The twenty-four hours was hot. In a short clip the soldiers charged the cantonment. [ This was Maj. Reno s battalion of the Seventh Cavalry. ] The soldiers came on the trail made by the Sioux cantonment in traveling, and crossed the Little Bighorn river above where the Sioux crossed, and attacked the Lodges of the Uncpapas, farthest up the river. The adult females and kids ran down the Small Bighorn river a short distance into a ravine. The soldiers set fire to the Lodges. All the Sioux now charged the soldiers and drove them in confusion across the Little Bighorn river, which was really rapid, and several soldiers were drowned in it. On a hill the soldiers stopped and the Sioux surrounded them. A Sioux adult male came and said that a differ ent party of Soldiers had all the adult females and kids captives. Like a whirlwind the word went around, and the Sioux all heard it and left the soldiers on the hill and went rapidly to salvage the adult females and kids. From the hill that the soldiers were on to the topographic point where the different soldiers [ by this term Red-Horse ever means the battalion instantly commanded by General Custer, his manner of differentiation being that they were a different organic structure from that first encountered ] were seen was flat land with the exclusion of a brook. Sioux thought the soldiers on the hill [ i.e. , Reno s battalion ] would bear down them in rear, but when they did non the Sioux thought the soldiers on the hill were out of cartridges. Equally shortly as we had killed all the different soldiers the Sioux all went back to kill the soldiers on the hill. All the Sioux watched around the hill on which were the soldiers until a Sioux adult male came and said many walking soldiers were coming nigh. The coming of the walking soldiers was the economy of the soldiers on the hill. Sioux can non contend the walking soldiers [ foot ] , being afraid of them, so the Sioux hastily left. The soldiers charged the Sioux cantonment about midday. The soldiers were divided, one party bear downing right into the cantonment. After driving these soldiers across the river, the Sioux charged the different soldiers [ i.e. , Custer s ] below, and drive them in confusion ; these soldiers became foolish, many throwing away their guns and raising their custodies, stating, â€Å"Sioux, commiseration us ; take us prisoners.† The Sioux did non take a individual soldier captive, but killed all of them ; none were left alive for even a few proceedingss. These different soldiers discharged their guns but small. I took a gun and two belts off two dead soldiers ; out of one belt two cartridges were gone, out of the other five. The Sioux took the guns and cartridges off the dead soldiers and went to the hill on which the soldiers were, surrounded and fought them with the guns and cartridges of the dead soldiers. Had the soldiers non divided I think they would hold killed many Sioux. The different soldiers [ i.e. , Custer s battalion ] that the Sioux killed made five courageous bases. Once the Sioux charged right in the thick of the different soldiers and scattered them all, contending among the soldiers manus to manus. One set of soldiers was in rear of the Sioux. When this set of soldiers charged, the Sioux fell back, and the Sioux and the soldiers stood confronting each other. Then all the Sioux became courageous and charged the soldiers. The Sioux went but a short distance before they separated and surrounded the soldiers. I could see the officers siting in forepart of the soldiers and hear them hiting. Now the Sioux had many killed. The soldiers killed 136 and wounded 160 Sioux. The Sioux killed all these different soldiers in the ravine. The soldiers charged the Sioux cantonment farthest up the river. A short clip after the different soldiers charged the small town below. While the different soldiers and Sioux were contending together the Sioux head said, â€Å"Sioux work forces, go watch soldi ers on the hill and forestall their fall ining the different soldiers.† The Sioux work forces took the vesture off the dead and appareled themselves in it. Among the soldiers were white work forces who were non soldiers. The Sioux dressed in the soldiers’ and white men’s vesture fought the soldiers on the hill. The Bankss of the Little Bighorn river were high, and the Sioux killed many of the soldiers while traversing. The soldiers on the hill dug up the land [ i.e. , made earth-works ] , and the soldiers and Sioux fought at long scope, sometimes the Sioux bear downing near up. The battle continued at long scope until a Sioux adult male saw the walking soldiers coming. When the walking soldiers came near the Sioux became afraid and ran off. Bibliography An Eyewitness Account by the Lakota Chief Red Horse recorded in pictographs and text at the Cheyenne River Reservation, 1881Bibliography Nancy Warren ferrel, encyclopaedia britannica