USA > Montana > Yellowstone County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
USA > Montana > Park County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
USA > Montana > Dawson County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
USA > Montana > Rosebud County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
USA > Montana > Custer County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
USA > Montana > Sweet Grass County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
USA > Montana > Carbon County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 6
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After a few days observation, they decided to advance farther to the north. On the fourth of September they crossed the Bitter Root mountains and followed down a stream for three miles to where it joined with a larger stream, the Ross fork. In the valley at the junction of the streams they found an Indian encampment. These were the Ootloshoots, or Flatheads. They numbered thirty-three lodges, or 400 souls, eighty of which were men. They purchased from the Indians a number of horses, which, with the ones brought along with theni from the Shoshiones, made fifty in all.
After leaving the Indian village, they con- tinued in a northerly course down the Bitter Root valley, reaching Travelers-rest creek, now the Lolo, September 9th, where they re- mained two days. On the afternoon of the eleventh, the expedition left Travelers-rest, turning to the west, and advanced up the stream-which country was found to be very rough and hard to travel over.
The Indians had informed them of the scarcity of game when near the top of the mountains and on the west side, which state- ments they found to be true. The Indians of this region depended for sustenance, to a great extent, on berries and various roots. We read from Gass's journal of the twelfth, that after "having traveled two miles we reached the mountains which are very steep; but the road over them very good, as it is traveled much by the natives, who come across to the Flathead river to gather cherries and berries."
During the two days following the depart- ure of the party from Travelers-rest the moun- tains were crossed and the descent of the west- ern slope was made. It is not within our pro- vince to here relate the interesting story of the trip from this point to the Pacific ocean. We have told in detail of the trip across the great state of Montana. From the point the Lewis
and Clark party traveled in a general western direction to the Clearwater, to the Snake, to the Columbia, to the Pacific ocean. Wintering on the coast, they started back early in the spring of 1806, and in June we find them again in the Bitter Root mountains.
They arrived back at their old camp on Travelers-rest creek June 30, 1806, without the loss of a man. From the time the party started out until this time they had never been separ- ated for any great length of time. Now they were to be separated, and we let the journal tell of their plans and separation.
We now formed the following plan of operations : Captain Lewis, with nine men, is to pursue the most direct route to the falls of the Missouri, where three of his party are to be left to prepare carriages for transporting the baggage and canoes across the portage. With the remaining six he will ascend Marias river to explore the country, ascertain whether any branch of it reaches as far north as the latitude 50 degrees, after which he descends the river to its mouth. The rest of the party will accompany Captain Clark to the head of Jefferson river, which Sergeant Ordway and a party of nine men will descend with the canoes and other articles deposited there. Captain Clark's party, which will then be reduced to ten men (besides himself and Sacajawea), will proceed to the Yellowstone at its nearest approach to the three forks of the Missouri. There he will build canoes and go down that river with seven men of his party, and wait at its mouth till the rest of the party joins him. Sergeant Pryor with two others will then take the horses by land to the Mandans.
On July third, we read from the journal that, "All preparations being completed, we saddled our horses, and the two parties who had been so long companions, now separated with an anxious hope of soon meeting, after each had accomplished the purpose of his destina- tion."
Captain Lewis followed down the left bank of Clark's river to its junction with the "east- ern branch." This stream is now known as Hellgate river. A short distance below this branch they constructed raftsand crossed over to the other side, the horses swimming the river. Lewis then proceeded up the Hellgate to the mouth of the Cokalahishkit (now Big Black-
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HISTORY OF MONTANA.
foot) river, advanced up it eight miles and camped for the night. This was the trail taken by the Indians to the buffalo country. By the seventh they had reached the divide. We quote the record of this day from the journal of Gass : "Having gone about five miles, we crossed the main branch of the river, which comes in from the north, and up which the road goes five miles further and then takes over a hill towards the east. On the top of this hill there are two beautiful ponds, of about three acres in size. We passed over the ridge and struck a small stream, which we at first thought was of the headwaters of the Missouri, but found it was not. Here we halted for dinner, and after stay- ing three hours, proceeded on four miles up the branch, when we came to the dividing ridge between the waters of the Mis- souri and the Columbia, passed over the ridge and came to a fine spring, the waters of which run into the Missouri. We then kept down this stream or branch about a mile; then turned a north course along the side of the di- viding ridge about eight miles, passing a num- ber of small streams or branches, and at nine o'clock at night encamped after coming thirty- two miles."
Here they abandoned the trail and pro- ceeded north to the Medicine, or Sun, river, following the course of this stream to its mouth, arriving there July eleventh. After spending a few days here Lewis departed on the exploration to the headwaters of the Marias river. He took with him three men, leaving the others of the party to construct boats and bring the baggage they had deposited on the west bound trip, to the mouth of the Marias river where they had been instructed to wait his arrival. They crossed from the great falls to the Teton river. £ Here they noticed the fresh tracks of a bleeding buffalo, which pre- sumably had been injured by Indians. This created a feeling of uneasiness, for the Minne - tarees, a very treacherous tribe, were supposed to be in this country. This scare proved to be
a false alarm and the next day they continued their journey to the Marias river, crossing six miles above the point where Lewis had as- cended the previous fall. After having com- pleted their explorations of the river, and on their return, they met with a band of Indians who proved to be Minnetarees. They all camped together for the night. During the early morning the Indians stole some of their guns and part of their horses. This resulted in one of the Indians being stabbed by one of the party, and in Captain Lewis shooting one who was making away with the horses. After being shot he took aim at Captain Lewis, the ball passing within a few inches of his head.
During the evening they were apprised of the fact that to the west and north, at a dis- tance of some 30 miles, a large band of Indians were camped. Fearing that the news would be carried to them, and that the whole tribe would pursue them, they traveled with the utmost speed to the Missouri. They did not go direct to the mouth of the Marias, but kept to the west, where the country was not so broken, and came to the Missouri above the mouth of the Marias. Here they met the party coming down the river. The horses were turned loose and the party embarked in the boats, and hastened to the mouth of the Marias. After loading their boats with the baggage, deposited the year previous, they, on July 28, embarked down the river, reaching the junction of the Missouri and Yellowstone on August 7. Here they found a note left by Clark, showing that he had passed this point several days previous, and had advanced down the river and would wait at some convenient place.
For convenience we have followed Captain Lewis from Travelers-rest creek to the mouth of the Yellowstone. Now we return to this same place and trace Clark's party as they journey across to the Yellowstone and down its course to its confluence with the Missouri.
On the same day, July 3, that Lewis set out in an easterly direction, Captain Clark with
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HISTORY OF MONTANA.
the remainder of the party, started up thie river, crossed the mountains and through Ross' hole and camped on Camp creek. They ad- vanced up the creek three miles, leaving to the right the trail by which they had crossed the mountains the fall before. "and pursued the road taken by the Ootloshoots, up a gentle ascent to the dividing mountains which separ- ates the waters of the middle fork of Clark's river from those of the Wisdom and Lewis rivers." Turning eastward they were once more on the headwaters of the Wisdom river. The course from here was in a southeasterly direction across the divide between the Wis- dom and the Jefferson rivers, and down Grass- hopper creek to the Jefferson.
On July 10 the party began their journey down the Jefferson. The boats were now load- ed, and Captain Clark divided his men into two bands, one to descend the river with the baggage, while he. with the other, proceeded on horseback to the Rochejaune.
The two divisions reached the three forks at about the same time, July 13. The same day Ordway and nine men, with six boats, sailed down the Missouri to the great falls, where he was to meet Lewis and party, which was suc- cessfully accomplished. Captain Clark at the same time struck out in an easterly direction with eleven men and Sacajawea and her child. Here Sacajawea was found to be of great value, as she had been over the country when a child and knew just where to direct the party.
On the 15th of July they crossed the divide between the Gallatin and Yellowstone rivers, and on descending the ridge they discovered a stream flowing into the Yellowstone, which course they pursued. Nine miles from the top of the ridge they reached the Yellowstone itself, about a mile and a half below where it issues from the Rocky mountains. It now appeared
that the communication between the two rivers was short and easy. From the head of the Missouri at its three forks to this place is a dis- tance of 48 miles, the greater part of which is through a level plain ; indeed, from the forks of the eastern branch of the Gallatin river (near Bozeman), which is there navigable for small canoes, to this part of the Yellowstone, the dis- tance is no more than 18 miles, with an excel- lent road over a high, dry country, with hills of inconsiderable height and no difficulty in passing.
They immediately descended the river and on July 18, "a smoke was descried to the south-southeast, towards the termination of the Rocky mountains, intended most probably as a signal by the Crow Indians." On the follow- ing day, another or the same smoke was seen "on the highlands on the opposite side of the river." During the same day. "Captain Clark determined to make two canoes which, being lashed together, might be sufficient to convey the party down the river, while a few men might lead the horses to the Mandan nation."
On the 22nd, "at noon the two canoes were finished. They are 28 feet long, 16 or 18 inches deep, and from 16 to 24 inches wide, and being lashed together, everything was pre- pared for setting out tomorrow." The boats having been completed, they, on the 24th, pro- ceeded down the river. The trip down the river was uneventful, the journal for these days simply mentioning the character of the country, animals, and birds that were found.
About 2 o'clock on August the 23rd, they reached the junction of the Yellowstone with the Missouri, and formed a camp at the same place where they had camped on the 26th of April, 1805. On the 23rd of September, at 12 o'clock, noon, they reached St. Louis, their starting point.
CHAPTER III
THE INDIAN WARS.
During the whole of Montana's early his- tory Indian troubles of a more or less serious nature were almost constantly annoying the white settlers. It would be impossible for us, in a work of this kind, to treat of all the many little wars and skirmishes which took place be- tween the white settlers and volunteers and the red men. We shall confine ourselves to the two greatest events-the Custer battle of 1876 and the Nez Perce war of the year following.
Of the many battles fought with the In- dians none proved more disastrous than the battle of the Little Big Horn, where Gen. Cus- ter and all his command were surrounded by the hostile Indians and killed. This battle is remarkable in so far that not one escaped to relate the story. The simple fact that all per- ished upon the battle field, not one being alive when the other columns came up the third day after the battle, has made an accurate descrip- tion of the battle impossible; but the move- ments as traced by Colonel Reno together withi the information gathered from the Indians en- gaged in the battle has brought to light enough information that writers are enabled to give almost an accurate statement of the posi- tions of the different troops and the methods pursued by the Indians and a general descrip- tion of the battle.
The Sioux Indians, after having relin- quished their rights in the state of Minnesota, gradually drifted westward into the Dakotas and made the Black Hills their stronghold. In the early seventies gold was discovered in the Black Hills. Many of the gold seekers were killed and commerce and travel was impeded. All efforts on the part of the government to. pacify the Indians having failed, force was sent to subdue them.
The Indians causing the trouble were known as the hostiles. The hostiles were made up of Indians from the various agencies who were not content to stay in the territory as- signed them. Chief among these was Sitting Bull. Other prominent chiefs were Crazy Horse, Gall, Black Moon, and Low Dog. In reality there was no chosen leader of these various tribes, but Sitting Bull was looked up to by all bands as their leader and his councils were heeded.
Sitting Bull first became famous in the Sully and Sibley expeditions of 1863 and 1864. He engaged Sully north of the Black Hills and defeated him, forcing him through the Bad Lands beyond the Powder river.
Order had gone forth to all the hostile In- dians that they should be on their agencies by January 31, 1876, and if not, that armed force would be sent to subdue them.
Lieutenant General Sheridan conducted all directions. The headquarters of General Sher- idan was in Chicago. He sent orders to Gen- eral Crook, who was located at Fort Fetter- man, to march against Crazy Horse and di- rected Terry to send a mounted column under General George A. Custer to move against Sit- ting Bull. Crazy Horse was located on Pow- der river in Wyoming and Sitting Bull on the Little Missouri in Dakota. Sheridan divided the forces into three columns ; one under Gen- eral Crook, consisting of fifteen companies of cavalry and five companies of infantry (1,049 men), who was located at Fort Fetterman, was ordered to march north May 29; one column under General Terry, comprising the seventh cavalry, consisting of twelve companies (600 men), and six companies of infantry, three of which were to be sent on the supply steamer, a
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HISTORY OF MONTANA.
battery of Gatling guns, and forty Indian scouts, was to move westward from Fort Abra- ham Lincoln in Dakota May 17; a third under General Gibbon, consisting of four companies of cavalry and six companies of infantry (in all 450 men), was to march from Fort Ellis, in Montana, eastward and meet General Terry on the Yellowstone river June 21.
Gibbon was under the command of Terry, but Crook and Terry were independent of each other. Knowing that Sitting Bull was south of the Yellowstone, General Sheridan's object was to have the three forces each coming in a different direction, surround Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, thus to prevent their escape.
According to orders General Custer moved westward to the Little Missouri river. He divided his command into three columns, the right wing commanded by Major Marcus Reno' the left by Captain T. W. Benteen, and Custer himself having charge of the center column. On the 30th of May, Custer was sent with four troops to scout up the Little Missouri for a dis- tance of twenty miles and to return the same day. He did not find any sign of the Indians. From the Little Missouri the command passed over to the Powder river. Here Terry left Cus- ter and went to the Yellowstone to communi- cate with the supply steamer, and thence up the Yellowstone to communicate with General Gib- bon. Upon returning he ordered Reno to scout up the Powder river, taking with him twelve days' rations. If he found no sign of the In- dians he was to cross over to the Tongue river, scout up that stream and return and join the regiment at the mouth of Tongue river by the time his supplies were exhausted. Custer marched across country to the mouth of the Tongue river, remaining there until the 19th of June, awaiting news from Reno. On the 19th of June Reno arrived and reported having found a trail that led up the Rosebud river. They first discovered the trail on the Tongue river, followed it over to the Rosebud, and up this stream for forty miles.
In the meantime General Crook had marched north and met Crazy Horse and was badly defeated on the 17th of June. Neither officer knew of the nearness of the other al- though they were less than forty miles apart when Reno returned.
Gibbon, Terry and Custer held a conference and it was decided that Custer should follow the trail reported by Reno. On the morning of the 23rd Custer with his command, consist- ing of twelve companies of the seventh cavalry. moved across to the Rosebud and up that stream to follow the trail reported by Reno. After Reno's report Terry concluded that the Indians must be camped somewhere in the valley of the Little Big Horn, and by sending the two forces, one under Custer to attack fron the south, one under Gibbon to attack from the north, that if they were in the Little Big Horn valley, there would be no possible chance of escape. During the 23rd and 24th several traces of the Indians were discovered on the Rosebud river. The scouts located the trail of the Indians over the hill on the afternoon of the 24th, so Custer decided to march to the top of the hill that night that he might be able to lo- cate the village in the morning if the hostiles should be camped in the valley beyond. Dur- ing the early morning the scouts brought tid- ings that the village was about twelve miles distant in the valley. During the middle of the day they marched to the divide. The ad- vance column under Major Reno consisted of troop "M." Capt. French; troop "H." Capt. Maylan and Lieut. DeRudio; troop "G," Lieuts. McIntosh and Wallace; Indian scouts under Varnum and Hara, and interpreter Gir- ard : Lieut. Hodgson acting adjutant, and Doc- tors DeWolf and Porter, medical officers. Custer's battalion was composed of troop "I." Captain Keough and Lieutenant Porter; troop "F." Captain Yates and Lieutenant Reily ; troop "C," Captain Custer and Lieutenant Harrington ; troop "E," Lieutenants Smith and Sturgis : troop "L," Lieutenants Calhoun and
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HISTORY OF MONTANA.
Crittendon ; Lieutenant Cook adjutant and Dr. Lord medical officer. Captain Benteen's col- umn consisted of troop "H." Captain Benteen and Lieutenant Gibson; troop "D," Captain Weir and Lieutenant Edgerly; troop "K," Lieutenant Godfrey. The pack train was un- der the escort of troop "D." Captain Mc- Dougall, and managed by Lieutenant Mathey.
After having reached the divide, Benteen's force was ordered to a line of high, ragged bluffs to the south and west with instructions to send a messenger to Custer immediately if he came in sight of the Indians. Reno's battal- ion marched down a small valley towards the river. Custer's command followed Reno's for a few miles, then turned north. Reno con- tinued on down to the valley, crossed the river to the west side, finding but little resistance until his troop had almost reached the village. At this point the Indian warriors seemed to spring from all directions and Reno was forced to retreat. His efforts to recross at the same ford were made impossible by a band of the Indians who circled to the south of him, so he marched a little to the south of where he had advanced and made the ford some distance down the river from where he first crossed. A messenger sent to carry the news to Custer found his way cut off and returned to his com- pany. After having gained the east side of the river he was joined by Benteen and Mc- Dougall. The Indians pursued him to this side of the river and beseiged him until nine o'clock that evening; then quietly withdrew. Not having heard from Custer the general opinion was that he must have been driven across the hills or down the river. No assist- ance could be expected from this source and with a fear of an early attack in the morning the night was spent in digging gun pits and building breastworks as hest they could for protection. Just at break of day June 26th, the attack was renewed and with more vigor than the day previous. The entire band was now gathered around the command and heavy
firing was kept up all through the day until the middle of the afternoon. Reno's command hal the advantage of position, being located be- tween the bluffs and having rifle pits to fire from. Having the superior advantage their loss was not very heavy, although surrounded by the entire hostile band.
Between two and three o'clock in the after- noon the grass was set on fire by the Indians and smoke filled the air to such an extent that it was impossible to see the village or the move- ments made by the Indians. However, just about dusk they were seen crossing over the hills in the direction of the Big Horn river. The grass was set on fire to cover up their movements that Reno would not know in which direction they were retreating. Their scouts had reported the coming of Terry and his com- mand which were only a few miles distant down the river. Had they stood their ground they would have been subjected to a cross fire, Terry from the north and Reno from the south. Terry's force would have arrived in the morning. The Indians, knowing this, thought best to make good their escape before his arrival.
On the 26th the Crow scouts brought tid- ings to Terry that Custer's command had met the Indians and were all killed. Immediately he advanced up the river and found that all the command were dead upon the field. Word was then carried to Reno's line, the first in- formation they had of the disastrous defeat.
Nearly all the bodies were stripped of their clothes, and nearly all scalped and mutilated. A notable exception was the body of Custer which had been left on the field as it fell. He was shot in two places, one taking effect in his side, the other passing through his temple.
As there was not a survivor of the battle no definite report could be made, and the only in- formation attainable, as has been heretofore mentioned, was that gathered from the field after the defeat and the description given by the Indians who were engaged in the battle.
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HISTORY OF MONTANA.
From these sources Lieutenant E. S. Godfrey has written an extended article which is the best information attainable. From this article we quote the following description :
Keogh and Calhoun's troops were dismounted to fight on foot. These two troops advanced at double time to a knoll. The other three troops, mounted, followed them a short distance in the rear. The led horses remained where the troops dismounted. When Keogh and Calhoun got to the knoll the other troops marched rapidly to the right; Smith's troops deployed as skirmishers, mounted, and took position on a ridge, which on Smith's left ended in Keogh's position and on Smith's right ended at the hill on which Custer took position with Yates and Tom Custer's troop, now known as Custer hill, and marked by the monument erected to the command. Smith's skirmishers holding their gray horses remained in groups of fours. The line occupied by Custer's battalion was the first con- siderable bluff back from the river, the nearest point being about half a mile from it. His front was ex- tended about three-fourths of a mile. The whole vil- lage was in full view. A few hundred yards from his line was another but lower ridge, the further slope of which was not commanded by his line. It was here that the Indians under Crazy Horse, from the lower part of the village, among whom were Cheyennes, formed for the charge on Custer's hill. All the In- dians had now left Reno. Gall collected his warriors and moved up a ravine south of Keogh and Calhoun. As they were turning this flank they discovered the led horses without any other guard than the horse holders. They opened fire upon the horse holders, and used the usual devices to stampede the horses-that is, yelling waving blankets, etc .; in this they succeeded very soon, and the horses were caught up by the squaws. In this disaster Keogh and Calhoun probably lost their reserve ammunition, which was carried in the saddle bags. Gall's warriors row moved to the foot of the knoll held by Calhoun. A large force dismounted and ad- vanced up the slope far enough to be able to see the soldiers when standing erect, but were protected when squatting or lying down. By jumping up and firing quickly, they exposed themselves for only an instant, but drew the fire of the soldiers, causing a waste of ammunition. In the meantime Gall was massing his mounted warriors under the protection of the slope. When everything was in readiness, the dismounted warriors arose, fired, and every Indian gave voice to the war-whoop ; the mounted Indians put whip to their ponies and the whole mass rushed upon and crushed Calhoun. The maddened mass of Indians was carried forward by its own momentum over Calhoun and Crittendon down into the depression where Keogh was, with over thirty men, and all was over on that part of the field.
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