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Right Before The
Battle
Five springs ago I,
with many Sioux Indians, took down and packed up our tipis
and moved from Cheyenne River to the Railroad River, where
we camped a few days; then took down and packed up our
lodges and moved to the Little Bighorn River, and pitched
our lodges with the large camp 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 Santee lodges were pitched next. The Oglala's lodges
were pitched next, the Brule lodges were pitched next, the
Minneconjou lodges were pitched next, the Sana Arcs' lodges
were pitched next, the Blackfoot lodges were pitched next,
the Cheyenne lodges were pitched next, a few Arikara Indians
were among the Sioux (being without lodges of their own),
Two-Kettles, among the other Sioux (without
lodges).
I was a Sioux Chief in
the council lodge. My lodge was pitched in the center of the
camp. The day of the attack I and four women were a short
distance from the camp digging wild turnips. Suddenly one of
the women attracted my attention to a cloud of dust rising a
short distance from camp. I soon saw that the soldiers were
charging the camp. To the camp I and the women ran; when I
arrived a person told me to hurry to the council lodge. The
soldiers charged so quickly we could not talk (council). We
came out of the council lodge, and talked in all directions.
The Sioux mount horses, take guns, and go fight the
soldiers. Women and children mount horses and go, meaning to
get out of the way.
Among the soldiers was
an officer who rode a horse with four white feet. (this
officer was evidently Capt. French, Seventh Cavalry) The
Sioux have for a long time fought many brave men of
different people, but the Sioux say this officer was the
bravest man they had ever fought. I don't know whether this
was Gen. Custer or not. Many of the Sioux men that I hear
talking tell me it was. I saw this officer in the fight many
times, but did not see his body. It has been told me that he
was killed by a Santee Indian, who took his horse. This
officer wore a large-brimmed hat and a deerskin coat. This
officer saved the lives of many soldiers; by turning his
horse and covering the retreat. Sioux say this officer was
the bravest man they ever fought. I saw two officers looking
alike, both having long yellowish hair.
Before the attack the
Sioux were camped on the Rosebud River. Sioux moved down a
river running into the Little Bighorn, crossed the river and
camped on its west bank.
This day (day of
attack) a Sioux man started to go to Red Cloud agency, but
when he had gone a short distance from camp he saw a cloud
of dust rising and turned back, and said he thought a herd
of buffalo was coming near the village.
 
The Battle
The day was hot. In a
short time the soldiers charged the camp (this was Maj.
Reno's battalion of the Seventh Cavalry). The soldiers came
on the trail made by the Sioux camp in moving, and crossed
the Little Bighorn River above where the Sioux crossed, and
attacked the lodges of the Uncpapas, fathest up the river.
the women and children ran down the Little 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
very rapid, and several soldiers were drowned in it. On a
hill, the soldiers stopped and the Sioux surrounded them. A
Sioux man came and said that a different party of soldiers
had all the women and children prisoners. Like a whirlwind
the word went around, and the Sioux all heard it and left
the soldiers on the hill, and went quickly to save the women
and children.
From the hill that the
soldiers were on to the place where the different soldiers
(by this term Red-Horse, always means the battalion
immediately commanded by General Custer, his mode of
distinction being that they were a different body from that
first encountered) were seen was level ground with the
exception of a creek. Sioux thought the soldiers on the hill
(Reno's battalion) would charge them in rear, but when they
did not the Sioux thought the soldiers on the hill were out
of cartridges. As soon 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 man came and said many walking
soldiers were coming near. The coming of the walking
soldiers was the saving of the soldiers on the hill. Sioux
can not fight walking soldiers (infantry), being afraid of
them, so the Sioux hurriedly left.
 
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