In jealousy by the established military, General Custer was court martialed for going to his wife in resuecing her. As the Indian situation broke down into complete disaster and war, this dispatch reached him at Michigan.
Headquarters Department of the Missouri,
In the Field, Fort Hays, Kansas, September 24, 1868.
General G. A. Custer, Monroe, Michigan:
Generals Sherman, Sully, and myself, and nearly all the
officers of your regiment, have asked for you, and I hope the
application will be successful. Can you come at once? Eleven
companies of your regiment will move about the ist of October
against the hostile Indians, from Medicine Lodge Creek toward
the Wichita Mountains.
P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General Commanding.
Into this would come a new arrival who would return one day to Michigan after the General was murdered.
Five hundred fresh horses arrived by trail from Leaven-
worth. The general chose for himself a lively bay
which he named Dandy.
Dandy would become thee most constant companion of the General in he would leave the horse loose to graze and it would never wander off, and in climbing mountains he would dismount, grab the horse's tail and as Dandy climbed the General would be pulled up by the tail.
There were scouting expeditions, and plenty of
hunting. The camp fairly lived on wild turkey and
deer and elk and buffalo and rabbit and grouse. The
general s dogs chased wolves and antelope.
The absolute regret I have is that General Custer did not record anything really of his hunting expeditions, but only a few anecdotes along with his praise of his Remington Rolling Block in 50 caliber in a letter to the company.
Most interesting of the new arrivals were the
Osages. They hated the Cheyennes, Comanches,
Kiowas, and all these raiding Indians who pillaged
them as well as the whites ; through the Civil War the
Osages had acted as Union scouts, on the plains.
One never hears that the Delaware, Kansas and Pawnee joined with the Americans in hating the terrorist Indian bands for terrorizing them as much as they did white people.
To proceed south, in the direction of the Antelope Hills,
thence toward the Washita River, the supposed winter seat of
the hostile tribes ; to destroy their villages and ponies ; to kill
or hang all warriors, and bring back all women and children.
General Phil Sheridan in the winter campaign
It was to be war as the terrorists had provoked it.
It was winter, deep snow and it was exactly the weather God intended for the army to catch the terrorists in camp to punish them.
The general went galloping
across to the tent of General Sheridan.
" Is that you, Custer ? What do you think about
the storm?" The words of General Sheridan issued
muffled but plain, into the driving flakes.
" Just the thing, general," answered so buoyantly
" Old Curly." " We can move but the Indians can t.
I d ask nothing better than a week of this."
" Good-by, old fellow. Take care of yourself,"
General Custer wore a round wolf-fur cap with
ear-tabs, fur mittens, and on his feet great buffalo-
hide over-shoes with the hair inside. That was trapper
style. His double-breasted cavalry overcoat kept his
body warm.
In days of winter warfare, the 7th Cavalry would on scout catch a large band of raiding Indians moving back to winter camp out of Kansas having murdered Citizens there.
Corbin spoke at once.
" We ve struck the trail, about twelve miles north.
Hundred and fifty Injuns, pointin southeast, for the
Washita. Made within twenty- four hours."
It would be Thanksgiving spent in a winter march which would lead to the Battle of the Washita.
Late it proved to be ; for not until within an hour
of sunset, and after a day s ride without halt for food
or drink, did the column see Little Beaver stop short,
and with uplifted hand signal a trail.
Such had been Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, No
vember 26, 1868.
By the tracks, Major Elliot was still upon the trail
of the village-bound Indians. After reading the pony
sign, Little Beaver and his Osages declared that the
Indians had passed on their way this very morning.
For the battle:
" Officers and men will remove their overcoats
and the men their haversacks, to be left here under
guard of one man from each company," directed the
general, tersely. " We must be free in our actions.
Not a shot is to be fired before the charge is sounded.
Keep those dogs here, too."
The Indian rifles cracked venom
ously into the very faces of the horses.
This was not to be a war of plunder, but a clear message to the Indian terrorists, this was a war of punishment.
Now 200 soldiers were set at work heaping high the plunder
from the tipis, and tearing the tipis down, to burn
them. General Custer, in plain view, on restless
Dandy, delivering rapid orders right and left to his
aides, received report of the battle results.
There were 875 ponies and mules; 241 saddles,
some (as could be seen in the pile gathered) very
finely decorated; 573 dressed buffalo robes some of
these, also, very fine; 390 lodge hides; 160 raw robes,
untanned; thirty-five bows, thirty-five revolvers,
forty-seven rifles, 360 axes and hatchets, twelve
shields, seventy-five lances, ninety bullet molds,
thirty-five pounds of powder, 1050 pounds of lead,
300 pounds of bullets, 4000 arrows and arrow-heads,
470 Government blankets, ninety-three coats, 775
hide lariats or picket-ropes, 940 skin saddle-bags, 700
pounds of tobacco, and moccasins and dried meat and
flour and so forth.
One hundred and three Indians had been killed,
including sixteen chiefs ; three squaws and a boy and
two girls had been wounded; fifty-three were
prisoners. Captain Hamilton had been killed, and
three other soldiers; Colonel Barnitz, Colonel Tom
Custer, Lieutenant March, and eleven men wounded;
Major Elliot and Sergeant-Major Kennedy and four
teen men were still missing. It was rumored that
they had pursued some Indians escaping down the
stream.
After a few things had been picked out, to keep,
the piles of lodges and belongings were set on fire.
At sight of the flames, from the Indians upon the hills
swelled a great cry of rage, and down they came, in
party after party, charging the cavalry lines. The
general ordered his mounted squadrons to charge back.
Outfought, the Indians were forced to open a way
wherever led the guidons. Thus breathing space was
again given.
Thus was the Battle of the Washita in true record. A winter campaign engaged in after 9 11 type events forced the United States government to protect it's Citizens and punish the terrorists.
This is the reality of what brought peace to the states of Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Indian Territory in Oklahoma and Nebraska for the Americans and friendly Indians residing there.
It was a winter campaign so successful that it's mission allowed General Custer to save other bands of renegades by example.
Yes the brave man, saved Indian lives.
agtG
