PREFACE. ..............................................................................................................................................2

CHAPTER I. CHANGE OF STATION. ................................................................................................2

CHAPTER II. A BLIZZARD. ................................................................................................................5

CHAPTER III. WESTERN HOSPITALITY. ........................................................................................9

CHAPTER IV. CAVALRY ON THE MARCH. ..................................................................................11

CHAPTER V. CAMPING AMONG THE SIOUX. .............................................................................15

CHAPTER VI. A VISIT TO THE VILLAGE OF "TWO BEARS." ...................................................19

CHAPTER VII. ADVENTURES DURING THE LAST DAYS OF THE MARCH. .........................23

CHAPTER VIII. SEPARATION AND REUNION. ............................................................................28

CHAPTER IX. OUR NEW HOME AT FORT LINCOLN. .................................................................31

CHAPTER X. INCIDENTS OF EVERYDAY LIFE. .......................................................................34

CHAPTER XI. THE BURNING OF OUR QUARTERS. CARRYING THE MAIL. ....................38

CHAPTER XII. PERPLEXITIES AND PLEASURES OF DOMESTIC LIFE. .................................41

CHAPTER XIII. A "STRONG HEART" DANCE! .............................................................................43

CHAPTER XIV. GARRISON LIFE. ...................................................................................................45

CHAPTER XV. GENERAL CUSTER'S LITERARY WORK. ...........................................................49

CHAPTER XVI. INDIAN DEPREDATIONS. ....................................................................................51

CHAPTER XVII. A DAY OF ANXIETY AND TERROR. ................................................................52

CHAPTER XVIII. IMPROVEMENTS AT THE POST, AND GARDENING. ..................................55

CHAPTER XIX. GENERAL CUSTER'S LIBRARY. .........................................................................57

CHAPTER XX. THE SUMMER OF THE BLACK HILLS EXPEDITION. ......................................59

CHAPTER XXI. DOMESTIC TRIALS. ..............................................................................................64

CHAPTER XXII. CAPTURE AND ESCAPE OF RAININTHEFACE. ......................................67

CHAPTER XXIII. GARRISON AMUSEMENTS. ..............................................................................71

CHAPTER XXIV. AN INDIAN COUNCIL. .......................................................................................74

CHAPTER XXV. BREAKING UP OF THE MISSOURI. ..................................................................75

CHAPTER XXVI. CURIOUS CHARACTERS AND EXCURSIONISTS AMONG US. .................78

CHAPTER XXVII. RELIGIOUS SERVICES. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. .......................................81

CHAPTER XXVIII. A WINTER'S JOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS. ..........................................83

CHAPTER XXIX. OUR LIFE'S LAST CHAPTER. ...........................................................................85

APPENDIX. ..........................................................................................................................................89

ONE of the motives that have actuated me in recalling these simple annals of our daily life, has been to give a

glimpse to civilians of garrison and camp life about which they seem to have such a very imperfect

This ignorance exists especially with reference to anything pertaining to the cavalry, which is almost

The isolation of the cavalry posts makes them quite inaccessible to travellers, and the exposure incident to

meeting warlike Indians does not tempt the visits of friends or even of the venturesome tourist. Our life,

therefore, was often as separate from the rest of the world as if we had been living on an island in the ocean.

Very little has been written regarding the domestic life of an army family, and yet I cannot believe that it is

without interest; for the innumerable questions that are asked about our occupations, amusements, and mode

of housekeeping, lead me to hope that the actual answers to these queries contained in this little story will be

acceptable. This must also be my apology for entering in some instances so minutely into trifling perplexities

GENERAL CUSTER graduated at West Point just in time to take part in the battle of Bull Run. He served

with his regiment the 5th Cavalry for a time, but eventually was appointed aidedecamp to General

McClellan. He came to his sister's home in my native town, Monroe, Michigan, during the winter of 1863,

and there I first met him. In the spring he returned to the army in Virginia, and was promoted that summer, at

the age of twentythree, from captain to brigadiergeneral. During the following autumn he came to Monroe

to recover from a fleshwound, which, though not serious, disabled him somewhat. At that time we became

engaged. When his twenty days' leave of absence had expired he went back to duty, and did not return until a

We had no sooner reached Washington on our weddingjourney than telegrams came, following one another

in quick succession, asking him to give up the rest of his leave of absence, and hasten without an hour's delay

to the front. I begged so hard not to be left behind that I finally prevailed. The result was that I found myself

in a few hours on the extreme wing of the Army of the Potomac, in an isolated Virginia farmhouse,

finishing my honeymoon alone. I had so besought him to allow me to come that I did not dare own to myself

the desolation and fright I felt. In the preparation for the hurried raid which my husband had been ordered to

make he had sent to cavalry headquarters to provide for my safety, and troops were in reality near, although

The general's old colored servant, Eliza, comforted me, and the Southern family in the house took pity upon

my anxiety. It its a sudden plunge into a life of vicissitude and danger, and I hardly remember the time during

the twelve years that followed when I was not in fear of some immediate peril, or in dread of some danger

that threatened. After the raid was ended, we spent some delightful weeks together, and when the regular

spring campaign began I returned to Washington, where I remained until the surrender and the close of the

After that we went to Texas for a year, my husband still acting as majorgeneral in command of Volunteers.

In 1866 we returned to Michigan, and the autumn of the same year found us in Kansas, where the general

assumed charge of the 7th (Regular) Cavalry, to which he had been assigned, with the rank of

lieutenantcolonel in the Regular Army. We remained in Kansas five years, during which time I was the only

officer's wife who always followed the regiment. We were then ordered, with the regiment, to Kentucky.

After being stationed in Elizabethtown for two years, we went to Dakota in the spring of 1873.

When orders came for the 7th Cavalry to go into the field again, General Custer was delighted. The regiment

was stationed in various parts of the South, on the very disagreeable duty of breaking up illicit distilleries and

suppressing the Kuklux. Fortunately for us, being in Kentucky, we knew very little of this service. It seemed

an unsoldierly life, and it was certainly uncongenial; for a true cavalryman feels that a life in the saddle on the

Not an hour elapsed after the official document announcing our change of station had arrived before our

house was torn up. In the confusion I managed to retire to a corner with an atlas, and surreptitiously look up

the territory to which we were going. I hardly liked to own that I had forgotten its location. When my finger

traced our route from Kentucky almost up to the border of the British Possessions, it seemed as if we were

From the first days of our marriage, General Custer celebrated every order to move with wild demonstrations

of joy. His exuberance of spirits always found expression in some boyish pranks, before he could set to work

seriously to prepare for duty. As soon as the officer announcing the order to move had disappeared, all sorts

of wild hilarity began. I had learned to take up a safe position on top of the table; that is, if I had not already

been forcibly placed there as a spectator. The most disastrous result of the proceedings was possibly a broken

chair, which the master of ceremonies would crash, and, perhaps, throw into the kitchen by way of informing

the cook that good news had come. We had so few household effects that it was something of a loss when we

chanced to be in a country where they could not be replaced. I can see Eliza's woolly head now, as she thrust

it through the door to reprimand her master, and say, "Chairs don't grow on trees in these yere parts, gen'l."

As for me, I was tossed about the room, and all sorts of jokes were played upon me before the frolic was

ended. After such participation in the celebration, I was almost too tired with the laughter and fun to begin

I know that it would surprise a wellregulated mover to see what short work it was for us to prepare for our

journeys. We began by having a supply of gunnysacks and hay brought in from the stables. The saddler

appeared, and all our old traps that had been taken around with us so many years were once more tied and

sewed up. The kitchen utensils were plunged into barrels, generally left uncovered in the hurry; rolls of

bedding encased in waterproof cloth or canvas were strapped and roped, and the few pictures and books were

crowded into chests and boxes. When these possessions were loaded upon the wagon, at the last moment

there always appeared the cook's bedding to surmount the motley pile. Her property was invariably tied up in

a flaming quilt representing souvenirs of her friends' dresses. She followed that last instalment with anxious

eyes, and, true to her early training, grasped her red bandanna, containing a few last things, while the satchel

In all this confusion no one was cross. We rushed and gasped through the one day given us for preparation,

and I had only time to be glad with my husband that he was going back to the life of activity that he so loved.

His enforced idleness made it seem to him that he was cumbering the earth, and he rejoiced to feel that he

was again to have the chance to live up to his idea of a soldier. Had I dared to stop in that hurried day and

think of myself all the courage would have gone out of me. This removal to Dakota meant to my husband a

reunion with his regiment and summer campaigns against Indians; to me it meant months of loneliness,

anxiety, and terror. Fortunately there was too much to do to leave leisure for thought.

Steamers were ready for us at Memphis, and we went thither by rail to embark. When the regiment was

gathered together, after a separation of two years, there were hearty greetings, and exchanges of troublous or

droll experiences; and thankful once more to be reunited, we entered again, heart and soul, into the minutest

detail of one another's lives. We went into camp for a few days on the outskirts of Memphis, and exchanged

hospitalities with the citizens. The bachelors found an elysium in the society of many very pretty girls, and

lovemaking went on either in luxurious parlors or in the open air as they rode in the warm spring weather to

and from our camp. Three steamers were at last loaded and we went on to Cairo, where we found the trains

The regiment was never up to its maximum of twelve hundred men, but there may have been eight or nine

hundred soldiers and as many horses. The property of the companies saddles, equipments, arms,

ammunition, and forage together with the personal luggage of the officers, made the trains very heavy, and

we travelled slowly. We were a week or more on the route. Our days were varied by the long stops necessary

to water the horses, and occasionally to take them out of the cars for exercise. My husband and I always went

on these occasions to loose the dogs and have a frolic and a little visit with our own horses. The youth and

gamins of the village gathered about us as if we had been some travelling show. While on the journey one of

our family had a birthday. This was always a day of frolic and fun, and even when we were on the extreme

frontier, presents were sent for into the States, and we had a little dinner and a birthday cake. This birthday

that came during the journey, though so inopportune, did not leave utterly without resources the minds of

those whose ingenuity was quickened by affection. The train was delayed that day for an unusually long time;

our colored cook, Mary, in despair because we ate so little in the "twentyminutesforrefreshments" places,

determined on an impromptu feast. She slyly took a basket and filled it at the shops in the village street. She

had already made friends with a woman who had a little cabin tucked in between the rails and the

embankment, and there the never absent "eureka" coffeepot was produced and most delicious coffee dripped.

Returning to the car stove, which she had discovered was filled with a deep bed of coals, she broiled us a

steak and baked some potatoes. The general and I were made to sit down opposite each other in one of the

compartments. A board was brought, covered with a clean towel, and we did tablelegs to this impromptu

table. We did not dare move, and scarcely ventured to giggle, for fear we should overturn the laden board in

our laps. For dessert, a large plate of macaroons, which were an especial weakness of mine, was brought out

as a surprise. Mary told me, with great glee, how she had seen the general prowling in the bakers' shops to

buy them, and described the train of small boys who followed him when he came back with his brown paper

parcel. "Miss Libbie," she said, "they thought a sure enough gen'l always went on horseback and carried his

We were so hungry we scarcely realized that we were anything but the embodiment of picturesque grace. No

one could be otherwise than awkward in trying to cut food on such an uncertain base, while Mary had taken

the last scrap of dignity away from the general's appearance by enveloping him in a kitchen towel as a

substitute for a napkin. With their usual independence and indifference to ceremony, troops of curious

citizens stalked through the car to stare at my husband. We went on eating calmly, unconscious that they

thought the picture hardly in keeping with their preconceived ideas of a commanding officer. When we

thanked Mary for our feast, her face beamed and shone with a combination of joy at our delight and heat from

the stove. When she lifted up our frugal board and set us free, we had a long stroll, talking over other

AFTER SO many days in the car, we were glad to stop on an open plain about a mile from the town of

The three chief considerations for a camp are wood, water, and good ground. The latter we had, but we were

The long trains were unloaded of their freight, and the plains about us seemed to swarm with men and horses.

I was helped down from the Pullman car, where inlaid woods, mirrors, and plush surrounded us, to the

ground, perfectly bare of every earthly comfort. The other ladies of the regiment went on to the hotel in the

town. The general suggested that I should go with them, but I had been in camp so many summers it was not

a formidable matter for me to remain, and fortunately for what followed I did so. The household belongings

were gathered together. A family of little new puppies, some halfgrown dogs, the cages of mockingbirds

and canaries, were all corralled safely in a little stockade made of chests and trunks, and we set ourselves

about making a temporary home. The general and a number of soldiers, composing the headquarters detail,

were obliged to go at once to lay out the main camp and assign the companies to their places. Later on, when

the most important work was done, our tents were to be pitched. While I sat on a chest waiting, the air grew

suddenly chilly, the bright sun of the morning disappeared, and the rain began to fall. Had we been

accustomed to the climate we would have known that these changes were the precursors of a snowstorm.

When we left Memphis, not a fortnight before, we wore muslin gowns and were then uncomfortably warm; it

seemed impossible that even so far north there could be a returned winter in the middle of April. We were yet

to realize what had been told us of the climate that there were "eight months of winter and four of very late

in the fall." On the bluffs beyond us was a signalstation, but they sent us no warning. Many years of

campaigning in the Indian Territory, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska, give one an idea of what the weather

can do; but each new country has its peculiarities, and it seemed we had reached one where all the others

were outdone. As the afternoon of that first day advanced the wind blow colder, and I found myself eying

with envy a little halffinished cabin without an enclosure, standing by itself. Years of encountering the

winds of Kansas, when our tents were torn and blown down so often, had taught me to appreciate any kind of

a house, even though it were built upon the sand as this one was. A dugout, which the tornado swept over,

but could not harm, was even more of a treasure. The change of climate from the extreme south to the far

north had made a number of the men ill, and even the superb health of the general had suffered. He continued

to superintend the camp, however, though I begged him from time to time as I saw him to give up. I felt sure

he needed a shelter and some comfort at once, so I took courage to plan for myself. Before this I had always

waited, as the general preferred to prepare everything for me. After he had consented that we should try for

the little house, some of the kindhearted soldiers found the owner in a distant cabin, and he rented it to us

for a few days. The place was equal to a palace to me. There was no plastering, and the house seemed hardly

weatherproof. It had a floor, however, and an upper story divided off by beams; over these Mary and I

stretched blankets and shawls and so made two rooms. It did not take long to settle our few things, and when

wood and water were brought from a distance we were quite ready for housekeeping, except that we lacked

a stove and some supplies. Mary walked into the town to hire or buy a small cookingstove, but she could not

induce the merchant to bring it out that night. She was thoughtful enough to take along a basket and brought

with her a little marketing. Before she had come within sight of our cabin on her return, the snow was falling

Meanwhile the general had returned completely exhausted and very ill. Without his knowledge I sent for the

surgeon, who, like all of his profession in the army, came promptly. He gave me some powerful medicine to

administer every hour, and forbade the general to leave his bed. It was growing dark, and we were in the

midst of a Dakota blizzard. The snow was so fine that it penetrated the smallest cracks, and soon we found

white lines appearing all around us, where the roof joined the walls, on the windows and under the doors.

Outside the air was so thick with the whirling, tiny particles that it was almost impossible to see one's hand

held out before one. The snow was fluffy and thick, like wool, and fell so rapidly, and seemingly from all

directions, that it gave me a feeling of suffocation as I stood outside. Mary was not easily discouraged, and

piling a few light fagots outside the door, she tried to light a fire. The wind and the muffling snow put out

every little blaze that started, however, and so, giving it up, she went into the house and found the

luncheonbasket we had brought from the car, in which remained some sandwiches, and these composed our

The night bad almost settled down upon us when the adjutant came for orders. Knowing the scarcity of fuel

and the danger to the horses from exposure to the rigor of such weather after their removal from a warm

climate, the general ordered the breaking of camp. All the soldiers were directed to take their horses and go

into Yankton, and ask the citizens to give them shelter in their homes, cowsheds, and stables. In a short time

the camp was nearly deserted, only the laundresses, two or three officers, and a few dismounted soldiers

remaining. The townspeople, true to the unvarying western hospitality, gave everything they could to the

use of the regiment; the officers found places in the hotels. The sounds of the hoofs of the hurrying horses

flying by our cabin on their way to the town had hardly died out before the black night closed in and left us

alone on that wide, deserted plain. The servants, Mary and Ham, did what they could to make the room

belowstairs comfortable by stopping the cracks and barricading the frail door. The thirtysix hours of our

imprisonment there seems now a frightful nightmare. The wind grew higher and higher, and shrieked about

the little house dismally. It was built without a foundation, and was so rickety it seemed as it rocked in a great

gust of wind that it surely would be unroofed or overturned. The general was too ill for me to venture to find

my usual comfort from his reassuring voice. I dressed in my heaviest gown and jacket, and remained under

the blankets as much as I could to keep warm. Occasionally I crept out to shake off the snow from the

counterpane, for it sifted in between the roof and clapboards very rapidly. I hardly dared take the little phial

in my benumbed fingers to drop the precious medicine for fear it would fall. I realized, as the night advanced,

that we were as isolated from the town, and even the camp, not a mile distant, as if we had been on an island

in the river. The doctor had intended to return to us, but his serious face and impressive injunctions made me

certain that he considered the life of the general dependent on the medicine being regularly given.

During the night I was startled by hearing a dull sound, as of something falling heavily. Flying down the

stairs I found the servants prying open the frozen and snowpacked door, to admit a half dozen soldiers who,

becoming bewildered by the snow, had been saved by the faint light we had placed in the window. After that

several came, and two were badly frozen. We were in despair of finding any way of warming them, as there

was no bedding, and, of course, no fire, until I remembered the carpets which were sowed up in bundles and

heaped in one corner, where the boxes were, and which we were not to use until the garrison was reached.

Spreading them out, we had enough to roll up each wanderer as he came. The frozen men were in so

exhausted a condition that they required immediate attention. Their sufferings were intense, and I could not

forgive myself for not having something with which to revive them. The general never tasted liquor, and we

I saw symptoms of that deadly stupor which is the sure precursor of freezing, when I fortunately remembered

a bottle of alcohol which had been brought for the spiritlamps. Mary objected to using the only means by

which we could make coffee for ourselves, but the groans and exhausted and haggard faces of the men won

her over, and we saw them revive under the influence of the fiery liquid. Poor fellows! They afterwards lost

their feet, and some of their fingers had also to be amputated. The first soldier who had reached us unharmed,

except from exhaustion, explained that they had all attempted to find their way to town, and the storm had

completely overcome them. Fortunately one had clung to a bag of hardtack, which was all they had had to

eat. At last the day came, but so darkened by the snow it seemed rather a twilight. The drifts were on three

sides of us like a wall. The long hours dragged themselves away, leaving the general too weak to rise, and in

great need of hot, nourishing food. I grow more and more terrified at our utterly desolate condition and his

continued illness, though fortunately he did not suffer. He was too ill, and I too anxious, to eat the fragments

that remained in the luncheonbasket. The snow continued to come down in great swirling sheets, while the

wind shook the loose windowcasings and sometimes broke in the door. When night came again and the cold

increased, I believed that our hours were numbered. I missed the voice of the courageous Mary, for she had

sunk down in a corner exhausted for want of sleep, while Ham had been completely demoralized from the

first. Occasionally I melted a little place on the frozen windowpane, and saw that the drifts were almost

level with the upper windows on either side, but that the wind had swept a clear space before the door.

During the night the sound of the tramping of many feet rose above the roar of the storm. A great drove of

mules rushed up to the sheltered side of the house. Their brays had a sound of terror as they pushed, kicked,

and crowded themselves against our little cabin. For a time they huddled together, hoping for warmth, and

then despairing, they made a mad rush away, and were soon lost in the white wall of snow beyond. All night

long the neigh of a distressed horse, almost human in its appeal, came to us at intervals. The door was pried

open once, thinking it might be some suffering fellowcreature in distress. The strange, wild eyes of the

horse peering in for help, haunted me long afterwards. Occasionally a lost dog lifted up a howl of distress

under our window, but before the door could be opened to admit him he had disappeared in the darkness.

When the night was nearly spent I sprang again to the window with a new horror, for no one, until he hears it

for himself, can realize what varied sounds animals make in the excitement of peril. A drove of hogs,

squealing and grunting, were pushing against the house, and the door which had withstood so much had to be

It was almost unbearable to hear the groans of the soldiers over their swollen and painful feet, and know that

we could do nothing to ease them. To be in the midst of such suffering, and yet have no way of ameliorating

it; to have shelter, and yet to be surrounded by dumb beasts appealing to us for help, was simply terrible.

Every minute seemed a day; every hour a year. When daylight came I dropped into an exhausted slumber,

and was awakened by Mary standing over our bed with a tray of hot breakfast. I asked if help had come, and

finding it had not, of course, I could not understand the smoking food. She told me that feeling the necessity

of the general's eating, it had come to her in the nightwatches that she would cut up the large candles she

had pilfered from the cars, and try if she could cook over the many short pieces placed close together, so as to

make a large flame. The result was hot coffee and some bits of the steak she had brought from town, fried

with a few slices of potatoes. She could not resist telling me how much better she could have done had I not

The breakfast revived the general so much that he began to make light of danger in order to quiet me. The

snow had ceased to fall, but for all that it still seemed that we were castaways and forgotten, hidden under the

drifts that nearly surrounded us. Help was really near at hand, however, at even this darkest hour. A knock at

the door, and the cheery voices of men came up to our ears. Some citizens of Yankton had at last found their

way to our relief, and the officers, who neither knew the way nor how to travel over such a country, had

gladly followed. They told us that they had made several attempts to get out to us, but the snow was so soft

and light that they could make no headway. They floundered and sank down almost out of sight, even in the

streets of the town. Of course no horse could travel, but they told me of their intense anxiety, and said that

fearing I might be in need of immediate help they had dragged a cutter over the drifts, which now had a crust

of ice formed from the sleet and the moisture of the damp night air. Of course I declined to go without the

general, but I was more touched than I could express by their thought of me. I made some excuse to go

upstairs, where, with my head buried in the shawl partition, I tried to smother the sobs that had been

suppressed during the terrors of our desolation. Here the general found me, and though comforting me by

tender words, he still reminded me that he would not like any one to know that I had lost my pluck when all

The officers made their way over to camp, for they were anxious and uncertain as to what might have

happened to the few persons remaining there. I had been extremely troubled, for each of the soldiers for

whom we had been caring had, with a trooper's usual love of the sensational, told us of frozen men and of the

birth of babies to the laundresses. These stories had reached town through stragglers, until we imagined from

the exaggeration that enough newlyborn children might be found to start a small orphan asylum. The

officers soon returned with the story reduced to one little stranger who had come safely into this world in the

stormy night, sheltered by a tent only. No men were frozen, fortunately, though all had suffered. The soldier

detailed to take care of the general's horses found his way back with them, and in his solemn voice told us

that in spite of every effort, sharing his blankets and holding the little things through the storm, the

thoroughbred puppies had frozen one by one. There was one little boxstove in camp which the officers

In the midst of all this excitement, and the reaction from the danger, I could not suppress my sense of the

ludicrous when I saw the daintiest and most exquisite officer of "ours," whom last I remembered careering on

his perfectly equipped and prancing steed before the admiring eyes of the Memphis belles, now wound up

with scarfs and impromptu leggings of flannel; his hat tied down with a woollen comforter; buffalo gloves on

Some of the officers had brought out parcels containing food, while our brother, Colonel Tom Custer, had

struggled with a large basket of supplies. In a short time another officer appeared at our door with a face full

of anxiety about our welfare. He did not tell us what we afterwards learned from others, that, fearing the

citizens would give up going to us, and knowing that he could not find the way alone over a country from

which the snow had obliterated every landmark, he had started to go the whole distance on the railroad.

Coming to a long bridge he found the track so covered with ice that it was a dangerous footing; the wind blew

the sleet and snow in his face, almost blinding him, but nothing daunted, he crawled over on his hands and

knees, and continuing to use the track as his guide, stopped when he thought he might be opposite our cabin,

When the officers had returned to town, we made a fire in the little stove which had been put upstairs, as the

pipe was so short. We ensconced our visitor, to whom the stove belonged, near by. He was a capital fireman;

we divided our bedding with him, and put it on the floor, as close as possible to the fire. The shawl and

blanket partition separated our rooms, but did not seem to deaden sound, and at night I only lost

consciousness of the audible sleeping of our guest after I had dropped the point of a finger in my ear. He was

the one among us who, being the oldest of our circle, and having had a varied experience, was an authority on

many subjects. Ho had peculiar and extreme ideas on some questions. We listened out of respect, but we all

drew the line at following some of his advice, and over one topic there was general revolt. He disbelieved

entirely in the external or internal use of water, and living as we did in countries where the rivers were

flowing mud, and the smaller streams dried up under the blazing sun, his would have been a convenient

system, to say the least. Unfortunately, our prejudices in favor of cleanliness increased with the scarcity of

water. Bathing became one of the luxuries as well as one of the absolute necessities of life. From being

compelled to do with very little water, we had learned almost to take a bath in a thimble, and to this day I find

myself pouring the water out of a pitcher in a most gingerly manner, so strong is the power of habit even

now with the generous rush of the unstinted Croton at my disposal. The theory of our venerable friend on the

danger of bathing was fortified with many an earnest argument, and the advantages of his improved system of

dry rubbing set out elaborately in his best rhetoric. Nevertheless, taking a bath with the palm of the hand was

combated to the last by his hearers. When I had heard him arguing previously I had rather believed it to be

the vagary of the hour. I had proof to the contrary the next morning after the storm, for I was awakened by a

noise of vigorous friction and violent breathing, as of some one laboring diligently. I suddenly remembered

the doctrine of our guest, and realized that he was putting theory into practice. As softly as I awakened my

husband, and tried to whisper to him, he was on nettles instantly, hearing the quiver of laughter in my voice.

He feared I might be heard, and that the feelings of the man for whom he had such regard might be wounded.

He promptly requested me to smother my laughter in the blankets, and there I shook with merriment, perhaps

even greater because of the relief I experienced in finding something to counteract the gloom of the preceding

hours. And if I owned to telling afterwards that the old officer's theory and practice were one, it could not be

called a great breach of hospitality, for he gloried in what he called advanced ideas, and strove to wear the

martyr's crown that all pioneers in new and extreme beliefs crowd on their heads.

Our friend remained with us until the camp was inhabitable and the regular order of military duties was

resumed. Paths and roads were made through the snow, and it was a great relief to be again in the scenes of

busy life. We did not soon forget our introduction to Dakota. After that we understood why the frontiersman

builds his stable near the house; we also comprehended then when they told us that they did not dare to cross

in a blizzard from the house to the stabledoor without keeping hold of a rope tied fast to the latch as a guide

for their safe return when the stock was fed. Afterwards, when even our coolheaded soldiers lost their way

and wandered aimlessly near their quarters, and when found were dazed in speech and look, the remembrance

of that first storm, with the density of the downcoming snow, was a solution to us of their bewilderment.

THE citizens of Yankton, endeavoring to make up for the inhospitable reception the weather had given us,

vied with one another in trying to make the regiment welcome. The hotel was filled with the families of the

officers, and after the duties of the day were over in camp, the married men event into town. We were called

upon, asked to dine, and finally tendered a ball. It was given in the public hall of the town, which, being

decorated with flags and ornamented with all the military paraphernalia that could be used effectively, was

really very attractive. We had left gas far behind us, and we had not the mellow, becoming light of

waxcandles, but those Western people were generous about lamps, as they are about everything else, and

The ladies had many trials in endeavoring to make themselves presentable. We burrowed in the depths of

trunks for those bits of finery that we had supposed would not be needed again for years. We knew the

officers would do us credit. Through all the sudden changes of fashion, which leave an army lady when she

goes into the territories quite an antediluvian in toilet after a few months, the officer can be entirely serene.

He can be conscious that he looks his best in a perfectly fitting uniform, and that he is never out of date.

The general and I went into the hotel and took a room for the night of the ball. Such goodhumor, confusion,

and jolly preparations as we had, for the young officers came to borrow the corner of our glass to put on the

finishing touches, carrying their neckties, studs, sleevebuttons, and gloves in their hands. The aigret had

been taken from the helmet and placed across their broad chests, brightening still more their shining new

uniforms. I remember with what pride the "plebs" called our attention to the double row of buttons which the

change in the uniform now gave to all, without regard to rank. The lieutenants had heretofore only been

allowed one row of buttons, and they declared that an Apollo even could not do justice to his figure with a

Yankton, like all new towns, was chiefly settled with nearlymarried people, who ornamented their bits of

front yards with shining new perambulators. The mothers had little afternoon parades, proud enough to

trundle their own babies. If any one's father ever came from the States to a Western town, we all felt at liberty

to welcome his gray hairs. There were but few young girls, but that night must have been a memorable one

for them. All the town, and even the country people, came to the ball. The mayor and common council

received us, and the governor opened the festivities. We crossed to the hotel to our supper. We were asked to

sit down to the table, and the abundance of substantials proved that our hosts did not expect us to nibble. The

general was, of course, taken possession of by the city fathers and mothers. Finding among them a woman he

knew I would appreciate, he placed me beside her at supper. I had but little time to eat, for she was not only

clever and brave, but very interesting in her description of the dangers and hardships she had endured during

the ten years of her pioneering. The railroad had been completed but a short time, and before that the life was

wild enough. She sat quietly among these people in her simple stuff gown, honored and looked up to. Though

not even elderly, she was still almost the oldest citizen and an authority in the history of the country. All

classes and conditions came to the ball, for Yankton was not yet large enough to be divided into cliques;

besides, the rough and hazardous life these people had shared endeared them to one another.

The days after this passed very rapidly. The officers were already getting the command into condition to

begin the long march of five hundred miles that lay before us. Before we left, the general, desiring to return

some of the civilities of the citizens, gave the governor and his staff a review. The wide plain on which our

camp was located was admirably adapted to the display of troops. My heart swelled with pride to see our

grand regiment all together once more and in such fine condition. When the review was closing, and that part

came where the officers leave their companies and, joining, ride abreast to salute the commanding officer, the

general could hardly maintain the stereotyped, motionless quiet of the soldier the approach of this fine

All were well mounted; the two years' station in the South had given them rare opportunities to purchase

horses. The general, being considered an excellent judge, had, at the request of the officers, bought several

from the stables of his Kentucky friends. He told me that if a colt failed a quarter of a second in making

certain time expected, the owner was disappointed and willing to sell him at a merely nominal sum. So it

came about that even the lieutenants, with their meagre pay, owned horses whose pedigree was unending.

There were three officers belonging to each of the twelve companies; some were detailed on duty elsewhere,

but those remaining, with the adjutant, surgeon, quartermaster, and commissary, made a long line of

brilliantly caparisoned and magnificently formed men mounted on bloodhorses. No wonder that the moment

they saluted the general, he jumped from the saddle to congratulate them, and show them his pride in their

The governor and his staff were not chary in their expressions of admiration. It was a great event in the lives

of the citizens, and the whole town was present. Every sort of vehicle used on the frontier came out, filled to

overflowing, and many persons walked. The music of the band, the sun lighting up the polished steel of the

arms and equipments, the hundreds of spirited horses going through the variety of evolutions which belong to

a mounted regiment, made a memorable scene for these isolated people. Besides, they felt the sensation of

possession when they knew that these troops had come to open the country and protect those more

adventurous spirits who were already finding that a place into which the railroad ran was too far East for

One day we were all invited to take luncheon on board the steamer that had been chartered to take the

regimental property up the river to Bismarck. The owner of the boat was very hospitable, and champagne

flowed freely as he proposed oldfashioned toasts. The officers and ladies of the regiment received with

pleasure all this politeness, and since these occasions were rare in the lives of those of us who lived always on

the outskirts of civilization, we were reluctant to go home. My horse had been sent away by some mistake,

and the general accepted the offer of the host to drive me out to camp, he riding for a time beside the carriage,

and then, with his usual restlessness, giving rein to his horse for a brisk gallop. It was not long before I

discovered that the uncertain swaying of the vehicle from side to side, and the hazardous manner in which we

skirted the deep gullies, was due to the fact that our friend was overcome with hospitality.

Trying to talk intelligently, and to appear not to notice the vagaries of the driver, and at the same time to

control my wandering eyes as they espied from afar a dangerous bit of road, I spent a very uncomfortable

hour. Fortunately the "dear Polly" was most demure in harness, and possibly having been left before that to

find her own way under similar circumstances, she did not attempt to leap with the carriage over ditches, as

her gay owner invited her to do. When we came up within shouting distance of the general, I cried out, in

what I meant to seem like playful menace; but he had taken in the situation, and seeing that Polly was to be

trusted, he mischievously laughed back at me and flew over the country. Finally we neared our little cabin,

and my last fear came upon me. Mary had spread the clothesline far and wide; it was at the rear of the

house, but my escort saw no door, and Polly soon wound us hopelessly up in the line and two weeks'

washing, while she quietly tried to kick her way through the packingboxes and woodpiles! Mary and Ham

extricated me, and started the old nag on the road homeward, and I waved a relieved goodbye to the

Only such impossible wives as one reads of in Sundayschool books would have lost the opportunity for a

few wrathful words. I was not dangerous, though, and the peals of laughter from my husband, as he described

my wild eyes peering out from the side of the carriage, soon put me into a goodhumor. Next day I was

called to the steps, and found that Polly's owner had discovered that we had a door. He said an offhand

"How d'ye?" and presented a peaceoffering, adding, "My wife tells me that I was hardly in a condition to

deliver a temperance lecture yesterday. As what she says is always true, I bring my apologies." Ham carried

in the hamper, and though I urged our guest to remain, he did not seem quite at ease and drove away.

While we were at Yankton, something happened that filled us with wonder. The Indians from the reservation

near brought in reports that came through other tribes of the Modoc disasters. It was a marvel to the general

to find that at that distance north news could come to us through Indian runners in advance of that we

WHEN the day came for us to begin our march, the sun shone and the townspeople wished us goodluck

The length of each day's march varied according to the streams on which we relied for water, or the arrival of

the boat. The steamer that carried the forage for the horses and the supplies for the command was tied up to

the riverbank every night, as near to us as was possible. The laundresses and ladies of the regiment were on

board, except the general's sister, Margaret, who made her first march with her husband, riding all the way on

horseback. As usual, I rode beside the general. Our first few days were pleasant, and we began at once to

enjoy the plover. The land was so covered with them that the hunters shot them with all sorts of arms. We

counted eighty birds in the gunnysack that three of the soldiers brought in. Fortunately there were several

shotguns in the possession of our family, and the little things, therefore, were not torn to pieces, but could

be broiled over the coals of the campfire. They were so plump that their legs were like tiny points coming

from beneath the rounded outline that swept the grass as they walked. No butter was needed in cooking them,

for they were very fat. Some of the officers had not left behind them all of their epicurean tastes, and

preferred to have the birds cooked when they were decidedly "gamy." In this way they secured the privilege

of taking their odoriferous luncheon quite apart from the others. The general had invited two officers besides

his brother Tom, and his brotherinlaw, Mr. Calhoun, to mess with him. We had a tableful, and very merry

we were, even in the early morning. To joke before daylight seems impossible, but even at breakfast peals of

One of the officers was envied, and we declared he got more to eat than the rest, because he insisted upon

"carving the hash;" while to cut meat for all our hungry circle, as the general did at the other end of the table,

took many precious moments. One of our number called us the "Great Grab Mess," and some one slyly

printed the words in large black letters on the canvas that covered the luncheonhamper, which was usually

strapped at the back of our travellingcarriage. How gladly we gathered about that hamper when the

command halted at noon! How good the plover and sandwiches tasted, while we quenched our thirst with

cold coffee or tea! Since we were named as we were, we all dared to reach over and help ourselves, and the

No great ceremony is to be expected when one rises before four, and takes a hurried breakfast by the light of

a tallowcandle; the soldiers waiting outside to take down the tent, the servants hastily and suggestively

rattling the kettles and gridiron as they packed them, made it an irresistible temptation for one hungry to

We had a very satisfactory little cookstove. It began its career with legs, but the wind used to lift it up from

the ground with such violence it was finally dismembered, and afterwards placed flat on the ground. Being of

sheetiron it cooled quickly, was very light, and could be put in the wagon in a few moments after the

morning meal was cooked. When we came out from breakfast the wagon stood near, partly packed, and

bristling with kitchen utensils; buckets and baskets tied outside the cover, axe and spade lashed to the side,

while the little stove looked out from the end. The messchest stood open on the ground to receive the dishes

we had used. At a given signal the diningtent went down with all those along the line, and they were stowed

away in the wagons in an incredibly short time. The wagontrain then drew out and formed in order at the

At the buglecall, "boots and saddles," each soldier mounted and took his place in line, all riding two abreast.

First came the general and his staff, with whom sister Margaret and I were permitted to ride; the private

orderlies and headquarters detail rode in our rear; and then came the companies according to the places

assigned them for the day; finally the wagontrain, with the rearguard. We made a long drawnout

cavalcade that stretched over a great distance. When we reached some high bluff, we never tired of watching

the command advancing, with the long line of supply wagons, with their white covers, winding around bends

in the road and climbing over the hills. Every day the breaking of camp went more smoothly and quickly,

until, as the days advanced, the general used to call me to his side to notice by his watch how few moments it

took after the tents were ordered down to set the whole machinery for the march in motion; and I remember

the regiment grow so skilful in preparation that in one campaign the hour for starting never varied five

The column was always halted once during the day's march to water the horses, then the luncheons were

brought forth. They varied decidedly; sometimes an officer took from his pocket a hard biscuit wrapped in his

handkerchief; the faithful orderly of another took his chief's sandwiches from his own haversack and brought

them to him, wherever he was. Often a provident officer, as he seated himself to his little "spread" on the

grass, was instantly surrounded by interested visitors, who, heedless ever of any future, believed that the

When the stream was narrow, and the hundreds of horses had to be ranged along its banks to be watered,

there was time for a nap. I soon acquired the general's habit of sleeping readily. He would throw himself

down anywhere and fall asleep instantly, even with the sun beating on his head. It only takes a little training

to learn to sleep without a pillow on uneven ground and without shade. I learned, the moment I was helped

out of the saddle, to drop upon the grass and lose myself in a twinkling. No one knows what a privilege it is

to be stretched out after being cramped over the horn of a lady's saddle for hours, until she has experienced it.

I think I never got quite over wishing for the shade of a tree; but there was often a little strip of shadow on

one side of the travelling wagon, which was always near us on the journey. I was not above selfishly

appropriating the space under the wagon, if it had not been taken by somebody else. Even then I had to

dislodge a whole collection of dogs, who soon find the best places for their comfort.

We had a citizenguide with us, who, having been long in the country, knew the streams, and the general and

I, following his instructions, often rode in advance as we neared the night's camp. It was always a mild

excitement and new pleasure to select camp. The men who carried the guidons for each company were sent

for, and places assigned them. The general delighted to unsaddle his favorite horse, Dandy, and turn him

loose, for his attachment was so strong he never grazed far from us. He was not even tethered, and after

giving himself the luxury of a roll in the grass, he ate his dinner of oats, and browsed about the tent, as tame

as a kitten. He whinnied when my husband patted his sleek neck, and looked jealously at the dogs when they

After tramping down the grass, to prevent the fire from spreading, my husband would carry dry sticks and

underbrush, and place them against a fallen tree. That made an admirable backlog, and in a little while we

had a glorious fire, the general having a peculiar gift of starting a flame on the wildest day. The next thing

was to throw himself down on the sod, cover his eyes with his white felt hat, and be sound asleep in no time.

No matter if the sun beat down in a perfect blaze, it never disturbed him. The dogs came at once to lie beside

him. I have seen them stretched at his back and curled around his head, while the nose and pairs of one rested

on his breast. And yet he was quite unconscious of their crowding. They growled and scrambled for the best

When the command arrived, the guidons pointed out the location for each company; the horses were

unsaddled and picketed out; the wagons unloaded and the tents pitched. The hewing of wood and the hauling

of water came next, and after the cookfires were lighted, the air was full of savory odors of the soldiers'

dinner. Sometimes the ground admitted of pitching the tents of the whole regiment in two long lines facing

each other; the wagons were drawn up at either end, and also at the rear of the two rows of tents; they were

placed diagonally, one end overlapping the other, so as to form a barricade against the attack of Indians.

Down the centre of the company street large ropes were stretched, to which the horses were tied at night; our

tents were usually a little apart from the rest, at one end of the company street, and it never grew to be an old

story to watch the camp before us. After I had changed my ridinghabit for my one other gown, I came out to

join the general under the tentfly, where he lay alternately watching the scene and reading one of the

wellthumbed books that he was never without. I always had sewing either a bit of needlework that was

destined to make our garrison quarters more attractive, or more often some necessary stitches to take in our

hardworn clothes. As we sat there it would have been difficult for a stranger seeing us to believe that it was

Our camps along the river were much alike, and each day when we entered the tent our few things were

placed exactly as they were the day before. The only articles of furniture we had with us were two

foldingchairs, a bed, a washbowl, with bucket and tin dipper, and a little mirror. This last, fastened to the

tentpole, swayed to and fro with the neverceasing wind, and made it a superfluous luxury, for we learned

to dress without it. The campchairs were a great comfort: they were made by a soldier out of oak, with

leather back, seat and arms, the latter so arranged with straps and buckles that one could recline or sit upright

at will. I once made a long march and only took a campstool for a seat; I knew therefore what an untold

blessing it was to have a chair in which to lean, after having been sitting in the saddle for hours.

We had tried many inventions for cotbeds that folded, but nothing stood the wear and tear of travel like the

simple contrivance of two carpenter's horses placed at the right distance apart, with three boards laid upon

them. Such a bed was most easily transported, for the supports could be tied to the outside of the wagon,

while the boards slipped inside before the rest of the camp equipage was packed.

An ineffaceable picture remains with me even now of those lovely camps, as we dreamily watched them by

the fading light of the afternoon. The general and I used to think there was no bit of color equal to the delicate

blue line of smoke which rose from the campfire, where the soldiers' suppers were being cooked. The effect

of light and shade, and the varying tints of that perfect sky, were a great delight to him. The mellow air

brought us sounds that had become dear by long and happy association the low notes of the bugle in the

hands of the musician practising the calls; the click of the currycomb as the soldiers groomed their horses; the

whistle or song of a happy trooper. And even the irrepressible accordeon at that distance made a melody. It

used to amuse us to find with what persistent ingenuity the soldiers smuggled that melancholy instrument. No

matter how limited the transportation, after a few days' march it was brought out from a roll of blankets, or

the teamster who had been bribed to keep it under the seat, produced the prized possession. The bay of the

hounds was always music to the general. The bray of the mules could not be included under that head but it

was one of those "sounds from home" to which we had become attached. Mingling with the melodies of the

negro servants, as they swung the blackingbrushes at the rear of the tents, were the buoyant voices of the

The twilight almost always found many of us gathered together, some idling on the grass in front of the

campfire, or lounging on the buffalo robes. The one with the best voice sang, while all joined in the chorus.

We all had much patience in listening to what must necessarily be "twicetold tales," for it would have taken

the author of "The Arabian Nights" to supply fresh anecdotes for people who had been so many years

together. These stories usually varied somewhat from time to time, and the more Munchausenlike they

The territories are settled by people who live an intense, exaggerated sort of existence, and nothing tame

attracts them. In order to compel a listener, I myself fell into the habit of adding a cipher or two to stories that

had been first told in the States with moderate numbers. If the family overheard me, their unquenchable spirit

of mischief invariably put a quietus on my eloquence. In fact I was soon cured of temptation to amplify, by

the repeated asides of my deriding family, "Oh, I say, old lady, won't you come down a hundred or two?"

Sometimes, when we were all gathered together at evening, we improved the privilege which belongs to

longestablished friendships of keeping silent. The men yielded to the soporific influence of tobacco, in quiet

content, knowing that nothing was expected of them if they chose not to talk. My husband and I sometimes

strolled through the camp at twilight, and even went among the citizen teamsters that are employed for the

These teamsters mess together on the march as the officers do, with rarely more than four or five in the circle.

One of the number buys the supplies, takes charge of the rations, and keeps the accounts. The sum of

expenses is divided at the end of the month, and each pays his portion. They take turns in doing the cooking,

which, being necessarily simple, each can bear a share of the labor. Sometimes we found a more ambitious

member of the mess endeavoring to rise superior to the tiresome hardtack; he had bared his brawny arms

and was mixing biscuit on the tailboard of the wagon, let down for the purpose. He whistled away as he

moulded the dough with his horny hands, and it would have seemed that he had a Delmonico supper to

We had not left Yankton far behind us before we were surprised to see one of its most hospitable citizens

drive up; he acknowledged that he had missed us, and described the tameness of life after the departure of the

cavalry as something quite past endurance. We were so stupid as not to discover, until after he had said the

second goodbye, that he really wanted to join us on the march; still, had he kept on, I am sure his endurance

would leave been tested, for while I do not remember ever to have been discouraged before in all our

campaigning, I was so during the storm that followed. The weather suddenly changed, and we began our

march with a dull, gray morning and stinging cold. The general wound me up in all the outside wraps I had

until I was a shapeless mass of fur and wool as I sat in the saddle. We could talk but little to each other, for

the wind cut our faces and stiffened the flesh until it ached. My hands became too numb to hold my horse, so

I gave him his own way. As we rode along like automatons, I was keeping my spirits up with the thought of

the camp we would make in the underbrush of a sheltered valley by some stream, and the coming campfire

rose brightly in my imagination. We went slowly as the usual time a cavalry command makes is barely four

miles an hour. It was a discouraging spot where we finally halted; it was on a stream, but the ice was thick

along the edges, and all we could see was the opposite bank, about thirty feet high, so frozen over that it

looked like a wall of solid ice. It was difficult to pitch the tent, for the wind twisted and tore the canvas; the

ground was already so frozen that it took a long time to drive in the iron pins by which the ropes holding the

tents are secured. All the tying and pinning of the opening was of little avail, for the wind twisted off the

tapes and flung the great brass pins I had brought on purpose for canvas far and wide.

No campfire would burn, of course, in such a gale, but I remembered thankfully the Sibley stove that we

always carried. The saddler had cut a hole in the roof of the tent for the pipe, and fastened zinc around it to

make it safe from fire. I shall never think about a Sibley stove without gratitude, nor cease to wonder how so

simple an invention can be the means of such comfort. It is only a cone of sheetiron, open at the top and

bottom; the broader part rests on the ground, while the little pipe fits on the top. The wood is put through a

door cut in the side; only billets can be used, for the aperture is of course small. It requires almost constant

attention to keep the insatiable little thing filled, but it never occurs to one, where half a dozen are huddled

together, to ask who shall be the fireman, and there is equal division of labor. The stove is so light that, in

marching, the pipe is removed and a rope run through the openings, which enables it to be tied underneath the

wagon, beside the bucket which is always suspended there to be used to water the horses.

The general was busy in the adjutant's tent, so I sent for the sergeant, who was our factotum, and asked him to

hunt up the Sibley stove. I felt disheartened when he told me it had been forgotten.* I could have gone to the

next tent where a provident officer had put his up, but I felt in too disagreeable a humor to inflict myself on

any one, and so crept into bed to keep warm. It was an unmistakable fit of sulks, and I was in the valley of

humiliation next morning, for I knew well how difficult it is to have ladies on the march, and how many

obstacles the general had surmounted to arrange for my coming. My part consisted in drilling myself to be as

little trouble as I could. I had really learned, by many a selfinflicted lesson, never to be too cold or too hot,

and rarely allowed a thought of hunger if we were where no supplies could be had. It was a long struggle, but

I finally learned never to drink between meals, as it is always difficult to get water on a march. I can

remember being oven mortified at dropping my whip, for I wished to be so little trouble that every one would

be unconscious of my presence, so far as being an inconvenience was concerned. The cold of Dakota

OUR march took us through the grounds set apart by the Government for the use of the Sioux Indians at

peace with our country. We had not made much progress before we began to see their graves. They do not

bury their dead, but place them on boards lashed to the limbs of trees, or on high platforms raised from the

ground by four poles perhaps twenty feet. The body is wound round and round with clothing or blankets, like

a mummy, and inside the layers are placed firearms, tobacco, and jerked beef, to supply them on the

imaginary journey to the happy huntinggrounds. In the early morning, when it was not quite light, as we

filed by these solitary sepulchres, it was uncanny and weird, and the sun, when it came, was doubly welcome.

Our first visitor from Agency Indians was Fooldog, a Sioux chief. He was tall, commanding, and had really

a fine face. When he was ready to go home he invited as to come to his village before we left on our next

march. At twilight my husband and I walked over. The village was a collection of tepees of all sizes, the

largest being what is called the Medicine lodge, where the councils are held. It was formed of tanned

buffalohides, sewed together with buckskin thongs, and stretched over a collection of thirtysix poles.

These poles are of great value to the Indians, for in a sparsely timbered country like Dakota it is difficult to

find suitable trees. It is necessary to go a great distance to procure the kind of sapling that is light and pliable

and yet sufficiently strong for the purpose. The poles are lashed together at the tops and radiate in a circle

below. The smoke was pouring out of the opening above, and the only entrance to the tepee was a round

aperture near the ground, sufficiently large to allow a person to crawl in. Around the lodge were poles from

which were suspended rags; in these were tied their medicines of roots and herbs, supposed to be a charm to

keep off evil spirits. The sound of music came from within; I crept tremblingly in after the general, not

entirely quieted by his keeping my hand in his, and whispering something to calm my fears as I sat on the

buffalo robe beside him. In the first place, I knew how resolute the Indians were in never admitting one of

their own women to council, and their curious eyes and forbidding expressions towards me did not add to my

comfort. The dust, smoke, and noise in the fading light wore not reassuring. Fooldog arose from the circle

of what composed their nobility, and solemnly shook hands with the general; those next in rank followed his

example. The pipe was then smoked, and the general had to take a whiff when it came his turn. Fortunately

Coming out of the light into this semidarkness, with the grotesque figures of the plebeians, as they danced

around their chiefs and contorted their bodies to the sound of the Indian drum and minor notes of the singers,

made it something unearthly in appearance; their painted faces, grunts and grins of serious mirth as they

wheeled around the tepee, made me shiver. How relieved I felt when the final pipe was smoked and the

goodbye said! The curious eyes of the squaws, who stood in the vicinity of the lodge, followed us, as they

watched me clinging to the general's arm while we disappeared, in the direction of camp, through the

As we went farther north the twilights became longer, and I was greatly deceived by having so much

daylight. Every morning, when the reveille sounded, in attempting to obey its summons I found myself

actually mystified from excessive drowsiness, and I announced my resolve to go to bed at dark as was

often my custom on previous marches when I was informed that we had marched into a land where

daylight continues into the night hours. The general, who was always looking at the curious effects in the

heavens, delighted in the clearness of the atmosphere and the myriads of stars that seemed to far outnumber

all we had ever seen in other skies. All the strange phenomena of northern climes revealed themselves to us

day by day. The sun and moon dogs, the lunar rainbows, and sometimes three perfect arcs of brilliant color

formed directly above us in the heavens as we made our day's march through spring showers. The storms

came down in great belts of rain sometimes, and if the country were level enough we could look ahead on the

plain and see where the storm was crossing. This enabled us to halt in time to escape a perfect sheet of

pouring rain which fell like a wall of water directly before us. Once we found ourselves in the midst of it, and

not knowing then the peculiarities of such storms, we took our drenching philosophically, and believed that it

was like too many others that had kept us soaked to the skin for hours. Seeing the sun shining in advance on

the plain, the general and I put spurs to our horses and rode out of the storm to perfectly dry ground. The sun

came down on us so hotly that we were soon enveloped in a halo of steam from our drying clothes.

The history of one day's march was that of many; they were varied by small misfortunes over which we

amused ourselves, but which were very serious affairs to the melancholy Ham. He had cooked by fireplaces

in Kentucky, but never having lived outdoors before, he gained his experience by hard trials. The little

sheetiron cookingstove which we considered such a treasure, was placed in the kitchentent on stormy

nights, and the bit of pipe, put through a hole in the canvas, had an elbow so that it could be turned according

One day, after camp was reestablished, the general saw the smoke pouring out of the opening of the

kitchentent, and hurried to see what was the matter. It was one of those days when the Dakota winds, like

those of Kansas, blow in all directions; poor Ham was barely visible in the dense smoke inside the tent. "Why

don't you turn the pipe ?" the general called, above the tempest; and Ham shouted back, "Giniril, I did; see

whar she's p'intin' now?" His master's sides shook with laughter, for sure enough the pipe would have been

right if there had been any uniformity in the course of the wind. The general was hungry, but he did not stop

to complain; he found a place somewhat sheltered, and digging a hole in the ground, taught the discouraged

darkey how to build a fire outside. At last we sat down to a burned, smoky meal, and had to go to bed hungry.

Another day, when there was a small tornado, we began to wonder why dinner was delayed; we looked out,

to find the cooktent blown flat to the ground. The general ran to the rescue, and found Ham interred, as the

oldtime child stories buried their heroes, "in a pot of grease." He had been thrown among skillets and

kettles, and the halfcooked dinner was scattered over him. The general helped him out, and was too much

exhausted with laughter over the old fellow's exasperated remarks about "such a lowdown country," to mind

the delay of the dinner. Indeed, he soothed him by telling him to wait and begin again when the wind went

One day we caught sight of our American flag on the other side of the river, floating over a little group of

buildings inside a stockade. When they told me that it was a military post, I could hardly believe it possible; it

seemed that no spot could be more utterly desolate. Then I remembered having met an officer at Yankton

who had told me that was his station. As I looked at his fine face and figure, I could not help thinking how

thoroughly some woman would appreciate him. Thinking aloud, I said that I hoped he had "improved each

shining hour" of his leave of absence, and was already engaged. He replied that I would see his post as we

went up the river, and then might comprehend why he did not dare ask any woman to be his wife. I argued

that if some girl grew fond of him, it would little matter to her where she went, if it were only by her

husband's side. I confess, however, that when I saw that lonely place, I thought that it would require

extraordinary devotion to follow him there. It was an infantry station, and the soldiers' barracks, officers'

quarters, and storehouses were huddled together inside a wall made of logs placed perpendicularly and about

fifteen feet high. The sand was so deep about this spot that nothing could be made to grow. Constant gusts of

wind over the unprotected plain kept little clouds of fine alkaline dust whirling in the air and filling the eyes

and mouth; not a tree was near, as the Missouri that most uncertain of rivers kept constantly changing

its channel, and the advancing water washed away great hollows in the banks. The post would then have to be

moved farther back for safety. The soldiers would be obliged to take up the stockade, and bury the logs as

deep as they could to keep them from blowing over. The frail buildings, "built upon the sand" rocked and

Beside the forlorn situation of this garrison, no one could go outside to ride or hunt without peril. The warlike

Indians considered that side of the river theirs, and roamed up and down it at will. They came incessantly to

the small sliding panel in the gates of the stockade, and made demands, which, if not consented to, were

followed by howls of rage and threatening gestures. All that the handful of men could do was to conciliate

them as best they could. The company was not full, and possibly, all told, there were but fifty white men

against hundreds of Indians. The only variety in their lives was the passing of an occasional steamer in the

brief summer. Then settled down the pitiless winter, burying them in snow which never left the ground until

late in the spring. The mail only reached them at irregular intervals. They were compelled to live almost

entirely on commissary stores, for though living in the midst of game it was too hazardous to attempt to hunt.

When we found that one regiment had been seven years on the river, and some of the officers had never taken

leave of absence, it seems strange that any one stationed at such a post had not gone stark mad. It makes me

proud of women when I recall the fact that the wife of an officer did live in that wretched little post

afterwards, and did not complain. The cavalry, turning to look their last at that garrison, thanked the

goodfortune that had placed them in a branch of the service where there was the active duty of campaigns to

The dogs had almost as hard a time to become accustomed to the vagaries of a Dakota climate as we did. We

had to be their nurses and surgeons. In our large pack of hounds there were many that had marked

individuality of character. Not many days could be passed in their company before we were noticing new

peculiarities not previously observed. The general had a droll fashion, as we rode along, of putting words into

their mouths when they got into trouble, fought among themselves, or tried to lord it over one another. One of

them had been given us, and had been called by her former owner "Lucy Stone." In vain did we try, out of

respect for the life of the useful woman for whom she was named, to rechristen the dog. She would neither

listen nor obey if called anything else. I can see her now, sitting deliberately down in the road directly in front

of us, and holding up a paw full of cactus thorns. The general would say, "There sits Lucy Stone, and she is

saying, 'If you please, sir, since you chose to bring me into a land of bristling earth like this, will you please

get down immediately and attend to my foot?'" Her howls and upturned eyes meant an appeal, certainly, and

her master would leap to the ground, sit down in the road, and taking the old creature in his arms, begin the

surgery. He carried one of those knives that had many adjuncts, and with the tweezers he worked tenderly

and long to extract the tormenting cactus needles. Lucy was a complaining old dame, and when the general

saw her sit down, like some fat old woman, he used to say that the old madam was telling him that she

"would like to drive a bit, if you please." So it often happened that my travellingwagon was the hospital for

an ill or footsore dog. The general had to stop very often to attend to the wounded paws, but experience

taught the dogs to make their way very skilfully where the cactus grew. A dancingmaster, tripping the steps

of instruction, could not have moved more lightly than did they. If there were no one near to whom they

could appeal in the human way those dumb things have, they learned to draw out the offending thorns with

While we were all getting accustomed to the new climate, it was of no use to try to keep the dogs out of my

tent. They stood around, and eyed me with such reproachful looks if I attempted to tie up the entrance to the

tent and leave them out. If it were very cold when I returned from the diningtent, I found dogs under and on

the campbed, and so thickly scattered over the floor that I had to step carefully over them to avoid hurting

feet or tails. If I secured a place in the bed I was fortunate. Sometimes, when it had rained, and all of them

were wet, I rebelled. The steam from their shaggy coats was stifling; but the general begged so hard for them

that I taught myself to endure the air at last. I never questioned the right of the halfgrown puppies to

everything. Our struggles to raise them, and to avoid the distemper which goes so much harder with blooded

than with cur dogs, endeared them to us. When I let the little ones in, it was really comical to hear my

husband's arguments and cunninglydevised reasons why the older dogs should follow. A plea was put up for

"the hound that had fits;" there was always another that "had been hurt in hunting;" and so on until the tent

would hold no more. Fortunately, in pleasant weather, I was let off with only the ill or injured ones for

perpetual companions. We were so surrounded with dogs when they were resting after the march, and they

slept so soundly from fatigue, that it was difficult to walk about without stepping on them.

My favorite, a great creamcolored staghound, was named "Cardigan." He never gave up trying to be my

lapdog. He was enormous, and yet seemingly unconscious of his size. He kept up a perpetual struggle and

scramble on his hindlegs to get his whole body up on my lap. If I pieced myself out with a campstool to

support him, he closed his eyes in a beatific state and sighed in content while I held him, until my foot went

to sleep and I was cramped with his weight. One thing that made me so fond of him was that on one occasion,

when he was put in the kennel after an absence, he was almost torn to pieces by the other dogs. He was a

brave hound, but he was at fearful odds against so many. Great slices of flesh were torn from his sides, and

gaping wounds made by the fanglike teeth showed through his shaggy coat. It was many months before they

Though the staghound is gentle with human beings he is a terrible fighter. They stand on their hindlegs

and, facing each other, claw and tear like demons. It was always necessary to watch them closely when a new

I will anticipate a moment and speak of the final fate of Cardigan. When I left Fort Lincoln I asked some one

to look out for his welfare, and send him, as soon as possible, to a clergyman who had been my husband's

friend. My request was complied with, and afterwards, when the poor old dog died, his new master honored

him by having his body set up by the taxidermist, and a place was given him in one of the public buildings in

Minneapolis. I cannot help thinking that he was worthy of the tribute, not only because of the testimony thus

given to the friendship of the people for his master, but because he was the bravest and most faithful of

Most of the country passed over in our route belonged to the Indian Reservations, and the Government was

endeavoring to teach the tribes settled there to cultivate the soil. They had hunted off most of the game; an

occasional jackrabbit, the plover, and a few wild ducks were all that were left. I must not forget the

maddening curlew. It was not good eating, but it was always exciting to see one. There never was a more

exasperating bird to shoot. Time and again a successful shot was prophesied, and I was called to be a witness,

only to see finally the surprise of the general when the wily bird soared calmly away. I believe no person was

As we approached an Indian village, the chiefs came out to receive us. There were many highsounding

words of welcome, translated by our guide, who, having lived among them many years, knew the different

dialects. The Government had built some comfortable loghouses for them, in many of which I would have

lived gladly. The Indians did not care for them, complaining that they had coughs if they occupied a house. A

tepee was put up alongside, in which one or two families lived, while little low lodges, looking like the

soldiers' sheltertents, were used for the young men of the circle to sleep in. The tools and stores given by the

A SIOUX chief, called Two Bears, had the most picturesque village that we saw. The lodges were placed in a

circle, as this was judged the most defensive position; the ponies were herded inside the enclosure at night.

This precaution was necessary, for the neighboring tribes swept down on them after dark and ran off the stock

if they were not secured. As we dismounted, we saw an old man standing alone in the circle, apparently

unconscious of everything, as he recounted some war tale in loud, monotonous tones. He had no listeners

all were intently watching the approaching regiment; still the venerable Sioux went on as persistently as if he

were looking "upon a sea of upturned faces." He was the "medicineman," or oracle, of the tribe, or possibly

the "poetlaureate" of the village, for the guide told us he sang of the deeds of valor of his people far back in

Just outside of the village, the chiefs sat in a circle awaiting us. Two Bears arose to welcome the general, and

asked him to go with him to his lodge. I was asked to go also and be presented to Miss Two Bears; for she

was too royal in birth to be permitted outside, and it was not in keeping with the dignity of her rank to mingle

The honor of going alone into the tepee was one that I could have foregone, for my courage was much greater

if I did my Indian sightseeing surrounded by the regiment. The general, fearing their amour propre might be

offended if I declined the invitation, whispered an encouraging word, and we dipped our heads and crept into

the tepee. The chief was a dignified old man, wrapped in his blanket, without the usual addition of some

portion of citizen's dress which the Indians believe adds to their grandeur. His daughter also was in complete

squaw's costume; her feet were moccasined, her legs and ankles wound round with beaded leggings, and she

had on the one buckskin garment which never varies in cut through all the tribes. A blanket drawn over her

head was belted at her waist. To crown all this, however, she had an open parasol, brought to her, doubtless,

as a present by some Indian returning from a council at Washington. She held it with dignity, as if it might be

Fortunately they did not ask us to sit down and partake of jerked beef, or to smoke the neverending pipe, so

we soon got through our compliments and returned to the outer entrance of the village.

Here the tribe were assembled, and evidently attired in galadress in our honor. We were most interested in

the village belle, and the placid manner in which she permitted us to walk around her, gazing and talking her

good points over, showed that she expected homage. She sat on a scarlet blanket spread on the ground, and

over her, stretched from poles, was another for an awning. She was loaded with ornaments, row after row of

beads about her neck, broad armlets and anklets of brass, pinchbeck rings, and a soft buckskin dress and

leggings, heavily embroidered. Her ears were pierced twice on the side as well as in the lobe and from

these holes were suspended circles of gilt. Her bright eyes, the satin smoothness of her hair, and the clear

brown of the skin made a pretty picture. There was no attempt to blend into the brown the bright patch of

Only extreme youth and its ever attractive charms can make one forget the heavy square shape of Indian

faces and their coarse features. It was surprising to see all the other squaws giving up the field to this one so

completely. They crouched near, with a sort of "everydogmusthaveitsday" look, and did not even

There were but few young men. Their absence was always excused by the same reason they were out

hunting. We knew how little game there was, and surmised what we afterwards found to be true that

they had joined the hostile tribes, and only came in to the distribution of supplies and presents in the fall. A

few rods from the village a tripod of poles was set in the ground, and lashed to it the Indian's shield, made of

the hide of the buffalo where it is thickest about the neck. There were rude paintings and Indian hieroglyphics

covering it. The shield is an heirloom with the Indian, and the one selected to hang out in this manner has

always the greatest war record. One of their superstitions is that it keeps away enemies. These nomads had

some idea of luxury, for I recollect seeing some of them reclining on a kind of rest made of a framework of

pliable rods, over which was stretched buckskin. Afterwards I found how comfortable such contrivances

were, for one was given me. The slope is so gradual that you half recline and can read with great ease.

When we had reached camp and were taking our afternoon siesta the same day, with the tent walls raised for

air, we were roused by the sound of music. Looking off over the bluffs we saw a large body of Indians

approaching on ponies, while squaws and children ran beside them. It was the prompt response of Two Bears

to the general's invitation to return his call. The warriors stopped near camp, and dismounting advanced

towards us. The squaws unbridled and picketed the ponies, and made themselves comfortable by arranging

impromptu shades of the bright blankets. They staked down two corners closely to the ground, and propped

When the Indians came up to us, the council was, as usual, begun. The pipe being smoked, Two Bears gave

us a eulogy of himself. He then demanded, in behalf of the tribe, payment for the use of the ground on which

we were encamped, and also for the grass consumed, though it was too short to get snore than an occasional

tuft. He ended, as they all do, with a request for food. The general in reply vaguely referred them to the Great

Father in payment for the use of their land, but presented them with a beef in return for their hospitality. Only

half satisfied, they stalked away one by one. We watched them at a distance kill and divide the beef. It

surprised us to see how they despatched it, and that hardly a vestige of it was left.

Many of the Indians coming from reservations carried papers which they valued and carefully guarded. After

burrowing under robe and shirt, something was produced wrapped in layers of soiled cotton cloth. It was a

recommendation of them obtained from some officer or Indian agent. This was presented on entering, as their

letter of introduction. Most of these papers read very much the same way. Giving the Indian's name, it stated

that he had been living on the reservation for a certain length of time, that he was friendly to the whites, etc.

One of our guests that day carried something a little different. Ho was called "Medicine Jo." Lingering behind

the rest, he presented his letter with perfect good faith and great pomposity. Some wag had composed it, and

"Medicine Jo says he is a good Indian, that you can trust him. If he is, he is the first I have ever seen, and in

It was all the general could do to keep his face straight as he handed back to the unconscious owner this little

The interpreter kept constantly before us the fine post that we were approaching, and the last day before we

reached there it was visible for a long distance. The atmosphere of Dakota was so deceptive that we imagined

ourselves within a few miles of the garrison, when, in reality, there was a march of twentynine long miles

Our road led up from the river valley on the high bluffs, and sometimes followed along the backbone of hills

from which on either side we looked down a great distance. There was barely room for the travellingwagon.

Occasionally I had boon obliged to take refuge from the cold for a little while and drive. Our leadmules

were tiny, quickmoving little dots, and I soon discovered that they were completely demoralized at the sight

of an Indian. They could see one in advance long before the driver could. A sudden shying and quick turning

of these agile little brutes, a general tangle of themselves in the harness and legs of the wheelers, loud shouts

of the driver, and a quick downfall of his foot on the brake, to keep us from overturning, made an exciting

Nothing would get them righted and started again. They would have to be unharnessed, and the rebellious

pair tied to the rear of the wagon until we had gone far beyond the object of terror. Part of the day that we

were following the wanderings of the road alongside hills and over the narrow, smooth level of the hilltops,

I was compelled to drive, and I watched anxiously the ears of these wretched little beasts to see if they

expressed any sentiment of fright. We came to such steep descents, the brake holding the wheels seemed of

no use. Looking down from the wagon on to the mules below us, we appeared to be in the position of flies on

As we came to one descent more awful than the rest, the general, who was always near, rode up to the

carriage and told me not to be afraid, for he would order the wheels manned. The headquarters escort of

over a hundred men, dismounting, attached ropes to the wheels, and held on with all their strength while I

went down the steepest declivity I had ever descended. After that I begged to get out, and the general carried

He took off his coat and joined the soldiers in carrying logs and shovelling earth, for they were obliged to fill

up the soft bed of the stream before the command could cross. It took a long time and much patience; but the

general enjoyed it all, and often helped when the crossings needed to be prepared. When the logs were all

laid, I had to laugh at the energy he showed in cracking a whip he borrowed from a teamster, and shouting to

the mules to urge then to pull through where there was danger of their stalling. When the road was completed,

I was ready to mount any horse, for it seemed to me preferable to die from accident, surrounded with friends,

than to expire alone in the mulewagon. The ascent was rendered so wet and slippery, the general feared my

saddle would turn, and I was once more shut in by myself. The soldiers again manned the wheels to prevent

the carriage sliding back, the mules scrambled, and with the aid of language prepared expressly for them, we

The driver had named the leadmules Bettie and Jane, and when they were over their tempers he petted and

caressed them. Their repeated rebellion at last wore out even his patience. One morning I noticed new

leaders, but the imperturbable face of the driver gave no hint of his successful plotting. Mary told me,

however, that he was worn out with his struggles, and had gone after dark into the herd of mules with Bettie

and Jane, and, as he expressed it, "lost them." He selected two more from among those belonging to the

wagontrain, and returned triumphant over his premeditated exchange. He carefully reclipped their manes

and tails, and disguised them still further with blotches of black paint, to give them a mottled appearance.

When the other teamster prepared to harness in the morning, of course he discovered the fraud perpetrated on

him. There was no redress then, and he had to take out his wrath in language more forcible than elegant,

which the teamsters have adapted expressly for extreme occasions. Our driver told Mary, with a chuckle, that

with a command of many hundred men waiting for a teamster to harness, he found "no time for swapping

Burkman, the soldier who took care of our horses, was a middleaged man, so deliberate in speech and slow

in his movements, he seemed as incongruous among the spirited cavalrymen as would be an oldtime farmer.

Early in the march I had heard him coughing as be groomed the horses. When I asked if he had done anything

for his cold, he replied, "Bottle after bottle of stuff, mum, but it don't do no good," so I begged the surgeon to

look more carefully into his case. He made an examination, and told me, as the result, that the man must have

only light work and nourishing food. After that I asked Mary to save everything for Burkman and make his

recovery her especial care. The officers made fun of me, as they were rather incredulous, and thought a bit of

shamming was being practised on me, but I knew better. They never failed to comment and smile when they

saw the old defender of his country coming out of the kitchentent, his jaws working and his mouth full,

while he carried all the food his hands would hold. To tell the truth, he kept up this prescription of nourishing

It became the delight of my husband and the officers to chaff me about "Old Nutriment," for such was the

sobriquet they gave him. At last, even Mary began to narrate how he swept everything before him with

voracious, convalescing appetite. "Why, Miss Libbie," she said to me one day, "I thought I'd try him with a

can of raw tomatoes, and set them before him, asking if be was fond of them. And he just drawled out,

'Always was,' and the tomatoes were gone in no time," His laconic answer passed into a proverb with us all,

Such a tender heart as that old soldier had! I had noticed this first in Kentucky. My horse, which I prized

above all that I have ever ridden, died during my temporary absence from home. I was too greatly grieved to

ask many questions about him, but one day, some time afterwards, when we were riding through a charming

bit of country, Burkman approached me from the place where he usually rode behind us, and said, "I'd like to

tell Mrs. Custer there's whar poor Phil lies. I picked the purtiest place I could find for him." And he had

indeed, for the green valley under widespreading trees would have gone far to reconcile many a weary

We thought we had made the first step towards savage life when Burkman brought the mother of the one

baby of our regiment the dried vertebra of a rattlesnake that he killed, because he had heard that it was the

I had made some scarlet flannel shirts for my husband's use on the summer campaign, and he was as much

pleased as possible, beginning at once to wear them. Not many days' march proved to me what an error I had

made. The bright red color could be seen for miles, when the form itself was almost lost on the horizon. I had

to coax to get them away again and replace them with the dark blue that he usually wore. Though I

triumphed, I was met with a perfect fusillade of teasing when I presented the red shirts to Burkman. The

officers, of course, hearing all the discussion over the subject as no trifle was too small to interest us in one

another's affairs attacked me at once. If I had been so anxious to protect the general from wearing anything

that would attract the farseeing eye of the vigilant Indian on the coming campaign, why should I be so

willing to sacrifice the life of "Old Nutriment?" They made no impression on me, however, for they knew as

well as I did that the soldier, though so faithful, was not made of that stuff that seeks to lead a Balaklava

My husband and I were so attached to him, and appreciated so deeply his fidelity, we could not thank the

Before we reached the post we were approaching, the commandant sent out ice for our use, and the

despatches of the Associated Press. The general was greatly delighted to get news of events that had occurred

all over the world, in this far distant land. We found afterwards that the officers joined in paying for the

despatches. The Indians had such a superstition about molesting the wires, that the lines ran through even the

most dangerous country. I can hardly say how good it seemed to us to see a telegraphpole again.

We were not surprised, after seeing the other posts below on the river, that the guide had praised Fort Sully. It

was the headquarters of one of the infantry regiments, and the commanding officer had been at the post long

enough to put it in excellent order. It was situated on an open plateau, from which there was an extensive

view. Below in the valley the companies had gardens, and they also kept cows, pigs, and chickens. We

looked upon all this as an El Dorado, and the thought of remaining long enough at one fort to get any good

Our camp was very near the post, on the same open plain, without trees or shelter. We were received with

genuine hospitality, and finally all of us invited to luncheon. The ladies came up from the steamer, and the

large house was filled with happy people. The post band played outside on the paradeground while we

lunched. We had nine kinds of game on the table. Some of it was new to us the beaver tail, for instance

but it was so like pork and so fat I could only taste it. We had, in addition, antelope, elk, buffalo tongue, wild

turkey, blacktailed deer, wild goose, plover, and duck. The goose was a sort of "fatted calf" for us. The

soldiers had caught it while young, and by constantly clipping its wings, had kept it from joining the flocks

which its cries often brought circling around the post. At last it began to make the life of the chickens a

burden to them, and we arrived in time to enjoy the delicious bird served with jelly made from the tart, wild

"bullberries" that grew near the river. The homemade bread, delightful cake, tender ham of the garrison's

own curing, and the sweets made with cream, fresh butter, and eggs three unheardof luxuries with us

proved that it is possible for army people to live in comfort if they do not belong to a mounted regiment. Still,

though they had a band and a good library belonging to the regiment, the thought of being walled in with

snow, and completely isolated for eight months of the year, made me shudder. The post was midway between

Yankton and Bismarck, each the termination of a railroad, and each two hundred and fifty miles away.

The wife of the commanding officer was known throughout the department for her lovely Christian character,

and the contented life she led under all circumstances. I was much amused at her account of her repeated

trials in trying to secure a permanent governess. She said all the posts along the river seemed to know

intuitively when a new one arrived from the East. The young officers found more imperative duties calling

them to Fort Sully than they had dreamed of in a year. Before long the governess began to be abstracted, and

watch longingly for the mails. A ring would next appear on the significant first anger, and be the forerunner

of a request to allow her to resign her place. This had happened four times when I met our hostess, and

though she was glad to furnish the officers with wives, she rather sighed for a woman who, though possessing

every accomplishment, might still be so antiquated and ugly that she could be sure to keep her for a time at

The commandant had some fine greyhounds, and joining the general with his packs of stag and fox hounds,

they had several hunts in the few days that remained. Of course, after so bright a visit and such a feast, it was

hard to begin again on the march with bakingpowder biscuit and tough beef. The cattle that supplied us with

meat were driven along on the march, and killed every other day, and could not be expected to be in very

good condition. The interest of our journey, however, made us soon forget all deprivations. Grateful

sentiments towards those who had been so kind to us as strangers remained as a memory.

MY husband and I kept up our little d�tours by ourselves as we neared the hour for camping each day. One

day one of the officers accompanied us. We left the higher ground to go down by the water and have the

luxury of wandering through the cottonwoodtrees that sometimes fringed the river for several miles. As

usual, we had a number of dogs leaping and racing around us. Two of them started a deer, and the general

bounded after them, encouraging the others with his voice to follow. He had left his friend with me, and we

rode leisurely along to see that the younger dogs did not get lost. Without the least warning, in the dead

stillness of that desolate spot, we suddenly came upon a group of young Indian warriors seated in their

motionless way in the underbrush. I became perfectly cold and numb with terror. My danger in connection

with the Indians was twofold. I was in peril from death or capture by the savages, and liable to be killed by

my own friends to prevent my capture. During the five years I had been with the regiment in Kansas I had

marched many hundred miles. Sometimes I had to join my husband going across a dangerous country, and

the exposure from Indians all those years had been constant. I had been a subject of conversation among the

officers, being the only woman who, as a rule, followed the regiment, and, without discussing it much in my

presence, the universal understanding was that any one having me in charge in an emergency where there was

imminent danger of my capture should shoot me instantly. While I knew that I was defended by strong hands

and brave hearts, the thought of the double danger always flashed into my mind when we were in jeopardy.

If time could have been measured by sensations, a cycle seemed to have passed in those few seconds. The

Indians snatched up their guns, leaped upon their ponies, and prepared for attack. The officer with me was

perfectly calm, spoke to them coolly without a change of voice, and rode quickly beside me, telling me to

advance. My horse reared violently at first sight of the Indians, and started to run. Gladly would I have put

him to his mettle then, except for the instinct of obedience, which any one following a regiment acquires in

all that pertains to military directions. The general was just visible ascending a bluff beyond. To avoid

showing fear when every nerve is strung to its utmost, and your heart leaps into your throat, requires

superhuman effort. I managed to check my horse and did not scream. No amount of telling over to myself

what I had been told, that all the tribes on this side were peaceable and that only those on the other side of the

river were warlike, could quell the throbbing of my pulses. Indiana were Indians to me, and I knew well that

it was a matter of no time to cross and recross on their little tublike boats that shoot madly down the tide.

What made me sure that these warriors whom we had just met were from the fighting bands was the

recollection of some significant signs we had come upon in the road a few days previous; Stakes had been set

in the ground, with bits of red flannel fastened on them peculiarly. This, the guide explained, meant warnings

from the tribes at war to frighten us from any further advance into their country. Whether because of the

coolness of the officer, or because the warriors knew of the size of the advancing column, we were allowed to

proceed unharmed. How interminable the distance seemed to where the general awaited us, unconscious of

what we had encountered! I was lifted out of the saddle a very limp and unconscious thing.

Encouraged by references to other dangers I had lived through without flinching, I mounted again and

followed the leader closely. He took us through some rough country, where the ambitious horses, finding that

by bending their heads they could squeeze through, forgot to seek openings high enough to admit those

sitting in the saddle. We crashed through underbrush, and I, with habit torn and hands scratched, was

sometimes almost lifted up, Absalomlike, by the resisting branches. Often we bad no path, and the general's

horse, "Vic," would start straight up steep banks after we had forded streams. It never occurred to his rider,

until after the ascent was made, and a faint voice arose from the valley, that all horses would not do willingly

what his thoroughbred did. He finally turned to look back and tell me how to manage my horse. I

abandoned the bridle when we came to those ascents, and wound my hands in the horse's mane to keep from

sliding entirely off, while the animal took his own way. All this was such variety and excitement I was

We found a bit of lovely road, which only those who go hundreds of miles under a blazing sun can appreciate

fully. The sunshine came flickering down through the branches of the trees and covered the short grass with

checkered light and shade. Here we dawdled, and enjoyed looking up at the patches of blue sky through great

grownup treetops. It was like a bit of woods at home, where I never thought to be grateful for foliage, but

took it as a matter of course. My husband remembered my having put some biscuit in the leather pocket on

my saddle, and invited himself to luncheon at once. We dismounted, and threw ourselves on the ground to eat

After resting, we gave ourselves the privilege of a swift gallop over the stretch of smooth ground before us.

We were laughing and talking so busily I never noticed the surroundings until I found we were almost in the

midst of an Indian village, quite hidden under a bluff. My heart literally stood still. I watched the general

furtively. He was as usual perfectly unmoved, and yet he well knew that this was the country where it was

hardly considered that the Indian was overburdened with hospitality. Oh, how I wished ourselves safely with

the column, now so far away! There were but few occupants of the village, but they glowered and growled,

and I could see the venomous glances they cast on us as I meekly followed. I trembled so I could barely keep

my scat as we slowly advanced, for the general even slackened his speed, to demonstrate to them, I suppose,

that we felt ourselves perfectly at home. He said "How," of course, which was his usual salutation to them.

An echoing "how" beside him proved that I still had power of utterance. When we came to one Indian, who

looked menacingly at us and doggedly stood in our road, the officer with us declared that I accompanied any

"how" with a salaam so deep that it bent my head down to the pommel of my saddle! At all events, I meant, if

politeness would propitiate, not to be deficient in that quality at such a critical moment.

In a few moments, which seemed however a lifetime, we saw the reason why the village appeared so empty.

Men, women, and children had gone nearly to the top of the bluff, and there, with their bodies hidden, were

My husband, appreciating my terror, quickly assured me it was the 7th Cavalry. Even then, what a stretch of

country it seemed between us and that blessed veil of sand, through which we perceived dimly that succor

My horse was rather given to snuggling, and pressed so against the general that he made his leg very

uncomfortable sometimes. But then, in my terror, it seemed to me an ocean of space was dividing us. I longed

for the old Puritan days, when a wife rode on a pillion behind her liege as a matter of course.

I found courage to look back at last. The bluff was crowned with little irregularities, so still they seemed like

tufts of grass or stones. They represented many pairs of beadlike eyes, that peered over the country at the

The next day the general thought I might rather not go with him than run the risk of such frights; but I well

know there was something far worse than fears for my own personal safety. It is infinitely worse to be left

behind, a prey to all the horrors of imagining what may be happening to one we love. You eat your heart

slowly out with anxiety, and to endure such suspense is simply the hardest of all trials that come to the

I gladly consented to be taken along every day, but there never seemed a time when it was not necessary to

get accustomed to some new terror. However, it is only the getting used to it that is so bad. It is the

unexpected things that require fresh relays of courage. When a woman has come out of danger, she is too

utterly a coward by nature not to dread enduring the same thing again; but it is something to know that she is

equal to it. Though she may tremble and grow faint in anticipation, having once been through it, she can

The rattlesnakes were so numerous on this march that all Texas and Kansas experience seemed to dwarf in

contrast. My horse was over sixteen hands high, but I would gladly have exchanged him for a camelopard

when I rode suddenly almost upon a snake coiled in the grass, and looked down into the eyes of the upraised

head. We counted those we encountered in one day's journey until we were tired. The men became very

expert and systematic in clearing the camp of these reptiles. If we halted at night in the underbrush, they cut

and tore away the reeds and grass, and began at once to beat the ground and kill the snakes. When I say that

as many as forty were killed in one night, some literal person may ask if I actually saw the bodies of all those

"lately slain!" It is not an exaggerated story, however, and one only needs to see hundreds of men pounding

and clearing such a place to realize that many snakes could be disposed of in a short time. After that, when

the ground was selected for our camp in the low part of the valley, I was loath to lie down and sleep until the

soldiers had come up to prepare the ground. My husband used to indulge this little prejudice of mine against

making my head a reproduction of Medusa's, and we often sought the high ground for a rest until the

The guide rode often at the head of the column, and we found him full of information about the country. We

began also to listen for a new domestic disclosure every time we approached an Indian village. He was the

most married of any man I ever saw, for in every tribe he had a wife. Still this superfluity did not burden him,

for the ceremony of tying a marital knot in the far West is simple, and the wives support themselves.

Sometimes he gave us new points about making ourselves comfortable in camp. One day I was very grateful

to him. We were far in advance of the wagontrain containing the tents; the sun was scorching; not a tree, nor

even a clump of bushes was near. In a brief time, however, the guide had returned from the stream, where he

had cut some willow saplings, and sticking them in the ground made what he called "wikaup." He wove

the ends loosely together on top, and over this oval cover he threw the saddle blankets. There was just room

enough to crawl into this ovenlike place, but it was an escape from the heat of the sun, and I was soon

asleep. After I emerged the general took my place. When he had taken his nap the dogs crept in; so a very

The bends in the Missouri River are sometimes so long that the steamer with supplies would have to make a

journey of sixty miles while we had perhaps only five to march across the peninsula. All the soldiers, officers'

servants, teamsters, and other citizen employees took that time to wash their clothes, for we were two days in

camp. The creek on which we halted was lined with bending figures, their arms moving vigorously back and

forth as they wrung out each article. Later on the camp looked like an animated laundry. From every

tentrope and bush floated the apparel. I had only a small valise for my summer's outfit, but Mary had soon

taken out our few things, and around the kitchentent was suspended the family linen. As soon as this was

dry she folded and pressed it as best she could, and laid it between the mattresses as a substitute for ironing.

All the way up the river the guide was constantly interviewed as to the chances for fishing. He held out

promises that were to be realized upon reaching Chotean Creek. We arrived there on one of the restingdays,

and camp was no sooner made, and food and water brought, than a great exodus took place.

The general called me to the tentdoor to see the deserted camp, and wondered how the soldiers could all

have disappeared so quickly. Another problem was, where the fishingtackle came from! Some had brought

rods, even in the restricted space allotted them, but many cut them from the bushes along the river, attaching

hooks and lines, while some bent pins and tied them to strings. The soldiers shared so generously with one

another that one pole was loaned about while the idle ones watched. I never cared for fishing, but my husband

begged me to go with him always, and carried my book and work. I sat under a bush near him, which he

covered with a shawl to protect me from the sun, and there we stayed for hours. Officers and men competed

alike for the best places by the quiet pools. The general could hardly pay attention to his line, he was so

interested watching the men and enjoying their pleasure. His keen sense of the ludicrous took in the comical

figures as far as we could see. In cramped and uncomfortable positions, with earnest eyes fixed steadily in

one place for hours, they nearly fell into the water with excitement if they chanced to draw out a tiny fish.

The other men came from all along the bank to observe if any one was successful.

One of the men near us was a member of the band. He was a perfect reproduction of the old prints of Izaak

Walton. The fixedness of his gaze his whole soul in his eyes while he was utterly unconscious of any

one being near, was too much for the general's equanimity. He put his head under the canopy made by my

shawl, not daring to laugh aloud, for fear he might be heard by the man, and said it was more fun to see that

soldier fish than to hear him play on the violin. No wonder the men enjoyed the sport, for even these little

bullfish, fairly gritty from the muddy water in which they lived, were a great addition to their pork and

For once the sun overcame me, and I knew the ignominy of being compelled to own that I was dizzy and

faint. I had not been long in military life before I was as much ashamed of being ill as if I had been a real

soldier. The troops pride themselves on being invulnerable to bodily ailments. I was obliged to submit to

being helped back to camp, and in the cool of the evening watched the return of the fishers, who were as

proud of the strings of ugly little things they carried as if they had been pickerel or bass. Then the blue flame

and soft smoke began to ascend from the evening fires, and the odor frown the frying supper rose on the air.

In my indolent, weak condition I never knew how I was able to perform such agile pirouettes as I did; but

hearing a peculiar sound, I looked down and saw a huge rattlesnake gliding towards me. I had long ago

learned to suppress shrieks, but I forgot all such selfcontrol then. How I wished myself the Indian baby we

had seen the day before the veritable "baby in the treetop," for it was tied by buckskin thongs to a limb!

There I thought I could rest in peace. The snake was soon despatched. The men had left camp so hurriedly in

the morning that the usual beating of the ground was omitted, and so I had this unwelcome visitor.

When we camped near a village, the Indians soon appeared. Groups of half a dozen on ponies, with children

running after, would come. The ponies were, most of them, dull and swaybacked. It was no wonder, for I

have seen four persons on one pony an Indian and three halfgrown boys. No horse could keep its shape

loaded down, as those of the Indians usually are, with game and property. These visitors grew to be great

trials, for they were inveterate beggars. One day an old Indian, called "TheManwiththeBrokenEar,"

came riding in, elaborately decorated and on a shapely pony. He demanded to see the chief. The general

appeared, assisted him to dismount, and seated him in my campchair. The savage leaned back in a grand

sort of manner and calmly surveyed us all. I was soon in agonies of anxiety, for Colonel Tom and the young

officers lounging near entered the tent. They bowed low, took the hand of the old fellow with profound

deference, and, smiling benignly, addressed him. In just as suave a voice as if their words had been genuine

flattery, they said, "You confounded old galoot, why are you here begging and thieving, when your wretched

old hands are hardly dry from some murder, and your miserable mouth still red from eating the heart of your

enemy ?" Each one saluted him, and each vied with the other in pouring forth a tirade of forcible expletives,

to which he bowed in acknowledgment and shook hands. My terror was that he might understand, for we

often found these people as cunning as foxes, sitting stolid and stupid, pretending not to know a word, while

The officers gave this chief tobacco Perique I think it is called and so strong that, though I was

accustomed to all kinds, I rather avoided the odor of it. We had no whiskey, but if we had kept it, the general

obeyed the law of the reservation too strictly to allow it to be given away. He was called to the officetent a

few moments, and in a trice one of the others had emptied the alcohol from the spiritlamp and offered the

cup to the distinguished guest. Putting the great square of Perique into his mouth, with a bisquit beside, he

washed it all down with gulps of the burning fluid. His eyes, heretofore dull, sparkled at the sight of the

firewater. The officers said, "How," and he replied, "How." This did not surprise me, for that one word is

the Indian toast, and all tribes know it. But my breath almost went out of my body when they asked him if he

would have more, and he replied, "You bet." I was sure then that he had understood all the railing speeches

and that he would plan a revenge. Loud cries of laughter greeted his reply; but matching their cunning against

his, they eventually found that he knew no more English. He had learned these words, without understanding

their meaning, at the trader's store on the reservation. He waited around in the tent, hoping for more alcohol,

until I was weary of the sight of him; but I was too much afraid of him, limp as he then was, to look bored.

Finally he was lifted out, a tumbled up, disorganized heap of drooping feathers, trailing blanket, and

demoralized legs. When once, however, one drunken old foot was lifted over the pony for him, he swung

himself into the saddle, and though swaying uncertainly, he managed to ride away.

During the last days of our march we came upon another premonitory warning from the Indians. A pole was

found stuck in the trail before us, with a red flag, to which were fastened locks of hair. It was a challenge, and

when interpreted meant, that if we persisted in advancing, the hostiles were ready to meet the soldiers and

fight them. The officers paid little attention to this, but my heart was like lead for days afterwards.

We encamped that night near what the Indians call "medicine Rock;" my husband and I walked out to see it.

It was a large stone, showing on the flat surface the impress of hands and feet made ages ago, before the clay

was petrified. The Indians had tied bags of their herb medicine on poles about the rock, believing that virtue

would enter into articles left in the vicinity of this proof of the marvels or miracles of the Great Spirit. Tin

cans, spoons, and forks, that they had bought at the Agency, on account of the brightness of the metal, were

Everything pertaining to the Indians was new and interesting to me. While we were in Kansas the tribes were

at war, and we had not the opportunity to see their daily life as we did while passing through the Sioux

I regretted each day that brought us nearer to the conclusion of our journey, for though I had been frightened

by Indians, and though we had encountered cold, storms, and rough life, the pleasures of the trip

THE day at last came for our march of five hundred miles to terminate. A rickety old ferryboat that took us

over the river made a halt near Fort Rice, and there we established ourselves. Strange to say, the river was no

narrower there than it was so many hundred miles below, where we started. Muddy and full of sandbars as it

was, we began bravely to drink the water, when the glass had been filled long enough for the sediment

partially to settle, and to take our bath in what at first seemed liquid mud. We learned after a time to settle the

The commandant at Fort Rice was most hospitable, and his wife charming. The quarters were very ordinary

frame buildings, with no modern improvements. They were painted a funereal tint, but one warranted to last.

The interior showed the presence of a tasteful woman. She met us as cheerfully as if she were in the luxurious

home from which we knew she had gone as a girl to follow a soldier's life. Contrast often helps us to endure,

and Dakota was not so bad as their last station in Arizona. The dinner was excellent, and our entertainers

were the happy possessors of a good cook. Rarely do army people have two good servants at the same time

on the frontier. Our host and hostess made no apologies, but quietly waited on the table themselves, and a

merry time we had over the blunders of the head of the house, who was a distinguished general, in his

A steamer that arrived a day or two after we had reached Fort Rice brought the regimental property,

consisting of everything that was not used on the march. Our household effects and trunks were delivered to

us in a very sorry condition. They had been carelessly stored on the wharf at Yankton, near the government

warehouse, without any covering, during all the storms that drenched us coming up the river. Almost

everything was mildewed and ruined. We tried to dry our clothing in the sun. Many a little bit of silken finery

that we had cherished since our marriage days, feeling sure that we should never attain to such grandeur

again, was suspended from the tentropes, stained and dull. Our sister's husband helped her to unpack her

clothes and his own soaked uniform. He was dignified and reserved by nature, but on that occasion the

barriers were broken. I heard him ask Margaret to excuse him while he went outside the tent to make some

remarks to himself that he felt the occasion demanded. There were furious people on all sides, and savage

speeches about the thoughtlessness of those who had left our property exposed to snow and rain, when we

were no longer there to care for it. I endured everything until my pretty weddingdress was taken out,

crushed and spotted with mildew. My husband had great control over himself in the small annoyances of life,

and was able to repeat again the proverb he had adopted in his boyhood, "Never cry for spilled milk." How he

could submit so quietly, when he took out his prized books and the few pictures I knew that he valued, was a

All thought began now to centre on the coming events of the summer. It was decided that the regiment was to

go out to guard the engineers of the Northern Pacific Railroad while they surveyed the route from Bismarck

to the Yellowstone River. The ladies necessarily were to be left behind. Now began the summer of my

discontent. I longed to remain in Dakota, for I knew it would take much longer for our letters to roach us if

we went East. Besides, it was far more comforting to stay at a military post, where every one was interested

in the expedition, and talked about it as the chief topic of concern. I remembered when I had gone East

before, during a summer when our regiment was fighting Indians, and my idea was that the whole country

would be almost as absorbed as we were, how shocked I was to be asked, when I spoke of the regiment, "Ah,

I was willing to live in a tent alone at the post, but there were not even tents to be had. Then we all looked

with envious eyes at the quarters at Fort Rice. The post was small, and there were no vacant rooms except in

the bachelor quarters. These are so called when the unmarried men take rooms in the same house and mess

together. No opportunity was given us to wheedle them into offering us a place. Our officers hinted to them,

but they seemed to be completely intimidated regarding women. They received an honest and emphatic "no"

when they asked if the ladies of the 7th Cavalry quarrelled. Even then these wary men said "they did not dare

to offer to take in any women." They added that there were but three in the post, and no two of them spoke to

each other. They thought if we were asked to remain it might be the history of the Kilkenny cats repeated,

There was nothing left for us, then, but to go home. It was a sore disappointment. We were put on the steamer

that was to take us to Bismarck, a heartbroken little group. I hated Dakota, the ugly river, and even my

native land. We were nearly devoured with mosquitoes at once. Only the strongest ammonia on our faces and

hands served to alleviate the torment. The journey was wretchedness itself. I had thrown myself on the berth

in one of the little suffocating staterooms, exhausted with weeping, and too utterly overcome with the

anguish of parting to know much of the surroundings. I was roused by the gentle hand of a woman, who had

forgotten her own troubles to come to me. Ah, even now, when the tears rain down my face at the

remembrance of those agonizing goodbyes, which were like death each time, and which grew harder with

each separation, I think of the sympathy shown me. The sweet, tender eyes of the wives of officers come to

me now, and I feel the soft touch of their hands as they came to comfort me, even when their own hearts were

wrung. Grief is so selfish, I wonder now that they could have been such ministering angels.

At last the slow, wearisome journey was over, and we went into the little town of Bismarck to take the cars.

The Department Commander, returning to his headquarters, had offered to take charge of us to St. Paul, and

was kind enough to share with us the car of the President of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which had been

placed at his disposal. There were seven of us and his own personal staff. Another five hundred miles were

before us, but in such luxury it hardly seemed that my sister and I were the same two who had been "roughing

The journey was very quiet and over an uninteresting country, but we ladies had something to occupy our

time, as we began to prepare some of our meals, for the untidy eatinghouses on the road were almost

unendurable. The staff of the Commanding General went out at the stations and foraged for what food they

could find to add to our bill of fare. At St. Paul we bade them all goodbye, and soon found ourselves

welcomed by dear father and mother Custer, at Monroe. Their hearts were ever with the absent ones.

For several slow, irksome months I did little else than wait for the tardy mails, and count each day that passed

a gain. I had very interesting letters from my husband, sometimes thirty and forty pages in length. He wrote

of his delight at having again his whole regiment with him, his interest in the country, his hunting exploits,

and the renewal of his friendship with General Rosser. The 7th Cavalry were sent out to guard the engineers

of the Northern Pacific, while they surveyed the route to the Yellowstone. This party of citizens joined the

command a few days out from Fort Rice. The general wrote me that he was lying on the buffalorobe in his

tent, resting after the march, when he heard a voice outside asking the sentinel which was General Custer's

tent. The general called out, "Halloo, old fellow! I haven't heard that voice in thirteen years, but I know it.

General Rosser walked in, and such a reunion as they had! These two had been classmates and warm friends

at West Point, and parted with sorrow when General Rosser went into the Southern army. Afterwards they

had fought each other in the Shenandoah Valley time and time again. Both of them lay on the robe for hours

talking over the campaigns in Virginia. In the varying fortunes of war, sometimes one had got possession of

the wagontrain belonging to the other. I knew of several occasions when they had captured each other's

headquarters wagons with the private luggage. If one drove the other back in retreat, before he went into

camp he wrote a note addressing the other as "dear friend," and saying, "you may have made me take a few

steps this way today, but I'll be even with you tomorrow. Please accept my goodwishes and this little gift."

These notes and presents were left at the house of some Southern woman, as they retreated out of the village.

Once General Custer took all of his friend's luggage, and found in it a new uniform coat of Confederate gray.

He wrote a humorous letter that night thanking General Rosser for setting him up in so many new things, but

audaciously asking if he "would direct his tailor to make the coattails of his next uniform a little shorter" as

there was a difference in the height of the two men. General Custer captured his herd of cattle at one time, but

he was so hotly pursued by General Rosser that he had to dismount, cut a whip, and drive them himself until

To return to the Yellowstone expedition. The hour for starting never varied more than a few moments during

the summer, and it was so early the civilians connected with the engineering party could not become

reconciled to it. In the afternoon my husband sometimes walked out on the outskirts of camp, and threw

It was a source of amusement to him if he accidentally overheard the grumbling. His campaigning dress was

so like that of an enlisted man, and his insignia of rank so unnoticeable, that the tongues ran on, indifferent to

his presence. Sometimes, in their growling, the civilians accused him of having something on his conscience,

and declared that, not being able to sleep himself, he woke every one else to an unearthly reveille. At this he

I remember his telling me of another occasion, when he unavoidably heard a soldier exclaim, "There goes

taps, and before we get a mouthful to eat, reveille will sound, and 'Old Curley' will hike us out for the march."

The soldier was slightly discomfited to find the subject of his remarks was within hearing.

The enlisted men were constantly finding new names for the general, which I would never have known

thereby losing some amusement if Mary had not occasionally told me of them. A favorite was "Jack," the

When the expedition returned from the Yellowstone, a despatch came to me in Michigan, saying the regiment

had reached Fort Lincoln in safety. Another soon followed, informing me that any husband was on his way

home. The relief from constant anxiety and suspense, together with all the excitement into which I was

thrown, made me almost unfit to make preparation to meet him. There was to be an army reunion in the city

nearest us, and in my impatience I took the first train, thinking to reach there in advance of General Custer.

As I walked along the street, looking into shopwindows, I felt, rather than saw, a sudden rush from a door,

and I was taken off my feet and set dancing in air. Before I could resent what I thought was an indignity, I

discovered that it was my husband, who seemed utterly regardless of the passersby. He was sunburnt and

mottled, for the flesh was quite fair where he had cut his beard, the growth of the summer. He told me the

officers with whom he had travelled in the Pullman car had teased him, and declared that no man would

shave in a car going at forty miles an hour, except to prepare to meet his sweetheart. I was deeply grateful,

though, for I knew the fiery tint of the beard, and infinitely preferred the variegated flesh tints of his sunburnt

IN a few days we were ready to return to Dakota, and very glad to go, except for leaving the old parents.

The hardest trial of my husband's life was parting with his mother. Such partings were the only occasions

when I ever saw him lose entire control of himself, and I always looked forward to the hour of their

For hours before we started, I have seen him follow his mother about, whispering some comforting word to

her; or, opening the closed door of her own room, where, womanlike, she fought out her grief alone, sit

beside her as long as he could endure it. She had been an invalid for so many years that each parting seemed

to her the final one. Her groans and sobs were heartrending. She clung to him every step when he started to

The general would rush out of the house, sobbing like a child, and then throw himself into the carriage beside

me completely unnerved, I could only give silent comfort. My heart bled for him, and in the long silence that

followed as we journeyed on, I knew that his thoughts were with his mother. At our first stop he was out of

the cars in an instant, buying fruit to send back to her. Before we were even unpacked in the hotel, where we

made our first stay of any length, he had dashed off a letter. I have since seen those missives. No matter how

hurriedly he wrote, they were proofs of the tenderest, most filial love, and full of the prophecies he never

After long debates with her parents, we had captured a young lady who was to return with us. She was a "joy

forever," and submitted without a word to the rough part of our journey. After we left St. Paul, the usual

struggle for decent food began. Some of the officers returning from leave of absence had joined us, and we

made as merry over our hardships as we could. When we entered the eatinghouses, one young member of

our party, whom we called the "butter fiend," was made the experimenter. If he found the butter too rancid to

eat undisguised, he gave us a hint by saying, under his breath, "this is a doubleover place." That meant that

The general was so sensitive when living in civilization that the heartiest appetite would desert him if an

allusion to anything unpleasant or a reference to suffering was made at the table. But he never seemed to be

conscious of surroundings when "roughing it." Of course I had learned to harden myself to almost anything

by this time, but I can see the wideopen eyes of our girl friend when she saw us eat all around any foreign

ingredients we found in our food. She nearly starved on a diet consisting of the interior of badlybaked

One of the eatingplaces on the road was kept in a narrow little house, built on a flat car. Two men presided,

one cooking and the other waiting on the table. We were laboriously spearing our food with two tined forks,

and sipping the muddy coffee with a pewter spoon, when I heard with surprise the general asking for a

napkin. It seemed as foreign to the place as a fingerbowl. The waiter knew him, however, and liked him too

well to refuse him anything; so he said, "I have nothing but a towel, general." "Just the thing, just the thing,"

repeated my husband, in his quick, jolly way. So the man tied a long crash towel under his chin, and the

general ate on, too indifferent to appearances to care because the tableful of travellers smiled.

When we finally reached the termination of the road at Bismarck, another train was about starting back to St.

Paul. The street was full of people, wildly expostulating and talking loudly and fiercely. It appeared that this

was the last train of the season, as the cars were not to run during the winter. The passengers were mostly

Bismarck citizens, whose lawless life as gamblers and murderers had so outraged the sentiments of the few

lawabiding residents that they had forced them to depart. We could see these outlaws crowding at the door,

hanging out of the windows, swearing and menacing, and finally firing on the retreating crowd as the cars

passed out of town. I was inclined to remain a fixture in our car; to step down into such a mel�e was too

much for my courage. The general made allowance for my fears, and we were quietly slipped out on the other

The ice was already thick enough to bear our weight part way over; then came a swift rushing torrent of water

which had to be crossed in a small boat. Some of the soldiers rowed, while one kept the huge cakes of

floating ice from our frail boat with a long, ironpointed pole. As I stepped into the little craft, I dropped

upon the bottom and hid my eyes, and no amount of reference to dangers I had encountered before induced

me to look up. The current of the Missouri is so swift it is something dreadful to encounter. We were lifted

out upon the ice again, and walked to the bank. Once more on shore, I said to myself, here will I live and die,

Our brother, Colonel Tom, met us, and drove us to our new home. In the dim light I could see the great post

of Fort Lincoln, where only a few months before we had left a barren plain. Our quarters were lighted, and as

we approached, the regimental band played "Home, Sweet Home," followed by the general's favorite,

Justify> The general had completely settled the house before he left for the East, but he had kept this fact

secret, as a surprise. Our friends had lighted it all, and built fires in the fireplaces. The garrison had gathered

to welcome us, and Mary had a grand supper ready. How we chattered and gloried over the regiment having a

home at last. It seemed too good to believe that the 7th Cavalry had a post of its own, with room for the half

of the regiment assigned to duty there. In other garrisons, when we had come in late in the fall from

campaigns, the officers, in order to get places for themselves, had been obliged to turn some one else out.

There is a disagreeable, though probably necessary law in the army regulations, which directs officers to take

Fort Lincoln was built with quarters for six companies. The barracks for the soldiers were on the side of the

paradeground nearest the river, while seven detached houses for officers faced the river opposite. On the left

of the paradeground was the long granary and the little military prison, called the "guardhouse." Opposite,

completing the square, were the quartermaster and commissary storehouses for supplies and the adjutant's

office. Outside the garrison proper, near the river, were the stables for six hundred horses. Still farther beyond

were the quarters for the laundresses, easily traced by the swinging clotheslines in front, and dubbed for this

reason "Suds Row." Some distance on from there were the loghuts of the Indian scouts and their families,

while on the same side also was the level plain used for parades and drill. On the left of the post was the

sutler's store, with a billiardroom attached. Soon after the general arrived he permitted a citizen to put up a

barbershop, and afterwards another built a little cabin of cottonwood, with canvas roof for a photographer's

The post was located in a valley, while just back of us stretched a long chain of bluffs. On the summit of a

hill, nearly a mile to the left, was a small infantry garrison, which had been established some time, and now

belonged to our post. When we went to return the visits of the infantry ladies, the mules dragged the

ambulance up the steep hill with difficulty. We found living in this bleak place in small, shabbily built

quarters, such as a daylaborer would consider hardly good enough for his family delicate women and

children, who, as usual, made no complaint about their life. Afterwards we were much indebted to one of the

ladies, who, determined to conquer fate, varied our lives and gave us something to look forward to, by

organizing a readingclub that met every week. She had sent to the East, before the trains ceased running, for

This little post had been built before the railroad was completed, and the houses were put together with as

few materials as possible. There was no plastering, but the ceilings and partitions were of thick paper made

for the purpose. When narrow mouldings of wood were tacked over the joined places, and all of it painted,

the effect was very pretty. When it was torn and ragged it looked povertystricken enough. In one set of

quarters there chanced to be so many children and so little room that the parents had invented a threestory

bed, where the little ones could be all stowed at night. While we were calling there one day, I sat talking with

the cheerful little mother, and wondering how she could be so bright. Everything in garrison life was, of

course, new to my girl friend, and I discovered she was trying to smother a laugh. She commanded a view of

the inner door. One of the children, who had been beating the wall and crying to enter, had finally made

preliminary preparations. She had thrust through a hole in the paper partition each article of her little

wardrobe, even to her shoes, and was putting the first rosy foot through after them. When the mother

discovered this she laughed heartily, and gave us thus an opportunity to join her.

Our own post was somewhat sheltered by the bluffs behind; but though our quarters were plastered, the

unseasoned lumber warped, and it was a struggle to keep warm. The wood with which we were provided was

far from dry, and much of it of that kind that burns quickly but sends out little heat. It seemed to require the

entire time of one man to keep up the fires. It was thus a blessed thing for the poor fellow whose duty it was,

for he had never been able to remain long with his company at a time. He had an uncontrollable habit of

drinking. Most of the time he belonged to the band of prisoners who are taken out of the guardhouse every

day, under a sentinel, to police the garrison and cut the wood. Mary gave them the coffee and whatever else

was left from the table every day. This seemingly worthless fellow told Mary that he believed he could "keep

straight" if Mrs. Custer would get the general to remit his sentence and let him come to us to keep the fires.

So he came, and was occasionally sober for some time. He learned to go through the house with his arms full

of wood when he was quite drunk. Ho really had too much heart to cause me trouble, and used to say, "Mary,

I am pretty full, but don't let Mrs. Custer know it, for I told her I would not do so again, and I don't like to

make her feel bad." So Mary spied out the land before him and opened his doors. After he had tried her

patience long, she finally lost her temper on finding that he had swallowed all the worcestershire sauce and

her bottle of painkiller. She held out the can of kerosene oil to him, and asked if he would not add that to his

dram, and began such a berating that he hurried off to escape frown the violence of her tongue.

The soldiers asked the general's permission to put up a place in which they could have entertainments, and he

gave them every assistance he could. They prepared the lumber in the sawmill that belonged to the post. The

building was an ungainly looking structure, but large enough to hold them all. The unseasoned cottonwood

warped even while the house was being built, but by patching and lining with old torn tents, they managed to

keep out the storm. The scenery was painted on condemned canvas stretched on a framework, and was lifted

on and off as the plays required. The footlights in front of the rude stage were tallowcandles that smoked

and sputtered inside the clumsily cobbled casing of tin. The seats were narrow benches, without backs. The

officers and ladies were always invited to take the front row at every new performance, and after they

entered, the house filled up with soldiers. Some of the enlisted men played very well, and used great

ingenuity in getting up their costumes. The general accepted every invitation, and enjoyed it all greatly. The

clogdancing and negro character songs between the acts were excellent. Indeed, we sometimes had

A regiment is recruited from all classes and conditions of men. Occasionally accident revealed the secret that

there were fugitives from justice in the ranks. If they changed their names, they found no place where they

were so hidden from every one they ever knew as in a regiment that is always on duty in the territories. It

came to pass sometimes that a man of title, who had "left his country for his country's good," wore the

government blue as a disguise, and served as a trooper for want of anything better to do. Among the men who

sent word they would be glad to help me about the house when we were settling either as a carpenter, a

saddler to sew carpets, or a blacksmith to put up stoves there were several with histories. Though they

were strictly military with the general, observing the rule of never speaking unless spoken to, they sought the

first opportunity to tell me their troubles. These were invariably domestic difficulties, until I began to think

our regiment was "a city of refuge" for outraged husbands. It would eventually be found out that these men

had run away and enlisted under assumed names, when driven desperate by the scoldings of a turbulent wife.

Time, and the loneliness of a soldier's life, would soften their woes, and they began at last to sigh even for the

highpitched voice of the deserted woman. The general felt as badly as I did when I carried their stories to

him, begging him to get them discharged. He had a little fashion, however, of asking me to remember that

about this, as about every other subject that we ever discussed, "there were always two sides to a question."

My sympathy for the soldiers in trouble was of little avail, for the law compelling them to serve the five years

out was irrevocable. All I could do was to write letters at their solicitation, revealing their identity and asking

My husband's duties extended over a wide range. If the laundresses had a serious difficulty, he was asked to

settle it. They had many pugilists among them, and the least infringement of their rights provoked a battle in

which wood and other missiles filled the air. Bandaged and bruised, they brought their wrongs to our house,

where both sides had a hearing. The general had occasionally to listen and arbitrate between husband and

wife, when the laundress and her soldier husband could not agree. I was banished from the room, while he

heard their story and gave them counsel. In the same way he listened to whatever complaints the soldiers

made. Some of them came into our quarters on one occasion with a tin cup of coffee for the general to taste,

and determine whether he agreed with them that it was too poor to drink. From that time on, after every

Sunday morning inspection, the general went with all the officers to visit the kitchens, as well as the barracks

of each company, and every troop commander was called upon to pass criticisms on the cleanliness of the

THE companies each gave a ball in turn during the winter, and the preparations were begun long in advance.

There was no place to buy anything, save the sutler's store and the shops in the little town of Bismarck, but

they were well ransacked for materials for the supper. The bunks where the soldiers slept were removed

frown the barracks, and flags festooned around the room. Arms were stacked and guidons arranged in groups.

A few pictures of distinguished men were wreathed in imitation laurel leaves cut out of green paper.

Chandeliers and side brackets carved out of crackerbox boards into fantastic shapes were filled with

candles, while at either end of the long room great logs in the wide fireplaces threw out a cheerful light.

The ball opened, headed by the firstsergeant. After this the officers and their wives were invited to form a

set at one end of the room, and we danced several times. One of the men whose voice was clear and loud

sang the calls. He was a comical genius, and improvised new ways of calling off. When the place came in the

quadrille to "Turn your partners," his voice rose above the music, in the notes of the old song, "Oh swing

those girls, those pretty little girls, those girls you left behind you!" This was such an inspiration to the

funlovers that the swinging usually ended in our being whirled in the air by the privileged members of our

The soldiers were a superb lot of men physically. The outdoor life had developed them into perfect

specimens of vigorous manhood. After the company tailor had cut over their uniforms, they were often the

perfection of good fitting. The older soldiers wore, on the sleeves of their coats, the rows of braid that

designate the number of years in the service. Some had the army badges of the corps in which they fought

during the war, while an occasional foreign decoration showed that they had been brave soldiers in the

fatherland. We were escorted out to the supperroom in the companykitchen in advance of the enlisted men.

The general delighted the hearts of the sergeant and ballmanagers by sitting down to a great dish of

potatosalad. It was always wellflavored with the onion, as rare out there, and more appreciated than

pomegranates are in New York. We ladies took cake, of course, but sparingly, for it was also a great luxury.

When we returned to watch the dancing, the general was on nettles for fear we should be wanting in tact, and

show our amusement by laughing at the costumes of the women. There was but a sprinkling of them: several

from Bismarck and a few white servants of the officers. Each company was allowed but three or four

laundresses. The soldier was obliged to ask permission to marry, and his engagement was a weary waiting

sometimes. In order to get a vacancy for his sweetheart, he had to await the discharge of some other soldier

from the company, whose wife held the appointment of laundress. These women were at the ball in full force,

and each one brought her baby. When we removed our wraps in the room of the firstsergeant we usually

found his bed quite full of curlyheaded infants sleeping, while the laundress mothers danced. The toilets of

those women were something marvellous in construction. In low neck and short sleeves, their round, red arms

and welldeveloped figures wheeled around the barracks all night long. Even the tall Mexican laundress,

hereafter specially mentioned, would deck herself in pink tarletan and false curls, and notwithstanding her

The little Dutch woman, who loved her husband more devotedly after each beating, and did not dance with

any one else, was never absent from the balls. Her tiny little figure was suspended between heaven and earth

while her tall soldier whirled her around the long hall in the endless German waltz. Some officer would

whisper slyly in my ear, as she bowed and smiled in passing, "Do you see the getup of 'Old Trooble Agin?'"

She had long before earned this sobriquet, when coming to me for help out of her misfortunes, beginning

each story of woo with "Trooble agin." Wherever we were, when the orders were issued for a campaign, she

soon appeared claiming sympathy. No one could feel at such a time more than I the truth of her preface, for if

The pack of hounds were an endless source of delight to the general. We had about forty: the staghounds

that run by sight, and are on the whole the fleetest and most enduring dogs in the world, and the foxhounds

that follow the trail with their noses close to the ground. The first rarely bark, but the latter are very noisy.

The general and I used to listen with amusement to their attempts to strike the keynote of the bugler when

he sounded the calls summoning the men to guard mount, stables, or retreat. It rather destroyed the military

effect to see, beside his soldierly figure, a hound sitting down absorbed in imitation. With lifted head and

rolling eyes there issued from the broad mouth notes so doleful they would have answered for a misericordia.

The foxhounds were of the most use in the winter, for the hunting was generally in the underbrush and

timber along the river. I never tired of watching the start for the hunt. The general was a figure that would

have fixed attention anywhere. He had marked individuality of appearance, and a certain unstudied

carelessness in the wearing of his costume that gave a picturesque effect, not the least out of place on the

frontier. He wore troopboots reaching to his knees, buckskin breeches fringed on the sides, a dark navy blue

shirt with a broad collar, a red necktie, whose ends floated over his shoulder exactly as they did when he and

his entire division of cavalry had worn them during the war. On the broad felt hat, that was almost a

He was at this time thirtyfive years of age, weighed one hundred and seventy pounds, and was nearly six

feet in height. His eyes were clear blue and deeply set, his hair short, wavy, and golden in tint. His mustache

was long and tawny in color; his complexion was florid, except where his forehead was shaded by his hat, for

He was the most agile, active man I ever knew, and so very strong and in such perfect physical condition that

Horse and man seemed one when the general vaulted into the saddle. His body was so lightly poised and so

full of swinging, undulating motion, it almost seemed that the wind moved him as it blew over the plain. Yet

every nerve was alert and like finely tempered steel, for the muscles and sinews that seemed so pliable were

equal to the curbing of the most fiery animal. I do not think that he sat his horse with more grace than the

other officers, for they rode superbly, but it was accounted by others almost an impossibility to dislodge the

general frown the saddle, no matter how vicious the horse might prove. He threw his feet out of the stirrups

the moment the animal began to show his inclination for war, and with his knees dug into the sides of the

plunging brute, he fought and always conquered. With his own horses he needed neither spur nor whip. They

were such friends of his, and his voice seemed so attuned to their natures, they knew as well by its inflections

as by the slight pressure of the bridle on their necks what be wanted. By the merest inclination on the

general's part, they either sped on the wings of the wind or adapted their spirited steps to the slow movement

of the march. It was a delight to see them together, they were so in unison, and when he talked to them, as

As an example of his horsemanship he had a way of escaping from the stagnation of the dull march, when it

was not dangerous to do so, by riding a short distance in advance of the column over a divide, throwing

himself on one side of his horse so as to be entirely out of sight from the other direction, giving a signal that

the animal understood, and tearing off at the best speed that could be made. The horse entered into the frolic

with all the zest of his master, and after the race the animal's beautiful, distended nostrils glowed bloodred

In hunting, the general rode either Vic or Dandy. The dogs were so fond of the latter, they seemed to have

little talks with him. The general's favorite dog, Bl�cher, would leap up to him in the saddle, and jump fairly

over the horse in starting. The spirited horses, mounted by officers who sat them so well, the sound of the

horn used for the purpose of calling the dogs, their answering bay, the glad voices, and "whoopla" to the

hounds as the party galloped down the valley, are impressions ineffaceable from my memory. They often

started a deer within sound of the bugle at the post. In a few hours their shouts outside would call me to the

window, and there, drooping across the back of one of the orderlies' horses, would be a magnificent

blacktailed deer. We had a saddle of venison hanging on the woodhouse almost constantly during the

winter. The officers', and even the soldiers', tables had this rarity to vary the monotony of the inevitable beef.

After these hunts the dogs had often to be cared for. They would be lame, or cut in the chase, through the

tangle of vines and branches. These were so dense it was a constant wonder to the general how the deer could

press through with its spreading antlers. The English hounds, unacquainted with our game, used to begin with

a porcupine sometimes. It was pitiful, though for a moment at first sight amusing, to see their noses and lips

looking like animated pincushions. There was nothing for us to do after such an encounter but to begin

surgery at once. The general would not take time to get off his huntingclothes nor go near the fire until he

had called the dog into his room and extracted the painful quills with the tweezers from his invaluable knife. I

sat on the dog and held his paws, but quivered even when I kept my head averted. The quills being barbed

cannot be withdrawn, but must be pulled through in the same direction in which they entered. The gums, lips,

and roof of the mouth were full of little wounds, but the dogs were extremely sagacious and held very still.

When the painful operation was over they were very grateful, licking the general's hand as he praised them

Sometimes, when the weather was moderate, and I rode after the foxhounds, one of them separated himself

from the pack, and came shaking his great, velvet ears and wagging his cumbrous tail beside my horse. The

general would call my attention to him, and tell me that it was our latest surgical patient, paying us his bill in

Among the pack was an old hound that had occasional fits. When he felt the symptoms of an attack he left the

kennel at the rear of the house, came round to the frontdoor, and barked or scratched to get in. My husband

knew at once that the dog was going to suffer, and that instinct had taught him to come to us for help. Rover

would lie down beside the general until his hour of distress, and then solicit the everready sympathy with

his mournful eyes. The general rubbed and cared for him, while the dog writhed and foamed at the mouth. He

was always greatly touched to see the old hound, when he began to revive, try to lift the tip of his tail in

With the staghounds, hunting was so bred in the bone that they sometimes went off by themselves, and even

the halfgrown puppies followed. I have seen them returning from such a hunt, the one who led the pack

The wolves in their desperate hunger used to come up on the bluffs almost within a stone'sthrow of our

quarters. It was far from pleasant to look out of the window and see them prowling about. Once when the

staghounds were let out of the kennel for exercise, they flew like the winds over the hills after a coyote. The

soldier who took care of them could only follow on foot, as the crust on the snow would not bear the weight

of a horse. After a long, cold walk he found the dogs standing over the wolf they had killed. When he had

dragged it back to our woodshed he sent in to ask if the general would come and see what the dogs had done

As the family all stood talking over the size of the coyote and its fur, I said, triumphantly, "Now, I shall have

a robe!" It was enough for them, and they made no end of sport about my planning a robe out of one small

skin. After we had all gone into the house, the soldier, who was not accustomed to hear such badgering, went

in to Mary, and indignantly exclaimed, "Be jabers, and they'll not tease her about that long!" After that,

during the winter, he walked frequently over the plain with the dogs, and when they had started a trail and run

almost out of sight, he patiently followed until he reached the spot where they had brought down the game.

Even in that bitter weather he brought in enough foxes, swifts, and coyotes to make me a large robe. When it

was made up, I triumphantly placed myself on it, and reminded my family of their teasing, and the time, so

The weather seemed to grow colder and colder as the winter advanced from 20� to 30� below zero was

ordinary weather. The officers were energetic enough to get up sleighs, even with all the difficulties they had

to encounter. There was no lumber at the post except unseasoned cottonwood. The man who could get a

packingbox for the body of his sleigh was a Croesus. The carpenter cut and sawed the edges into scallops

and curves; the rudest bobs were ironed by the company blacksmith; and the huge tongue of an army wagon

was attached to the frail eggshell. The woodwork was painted black, and really the color and shape

reminded one of a little baby hearse. Sister Margaret and I disliked sleighing even under favorable

circumstances, but that made no sort of difference; we were expected to go twice a day, and try in turn each

My husband found a sketch in some of the illustrated papers, which he thought such a fitting representation of

us that he added some lines and drew some applicable features to the picture, and wrote underneath,

"Margaret and Libbie enjoying a sleighride!" (two wretched, shivering beings, wrapped in furs, sit with their

feet in a tub of icewater, while a servant rings a dinnerbell over their heads). When we were thus taken out,

as a sacrifice we were enveloped in so many wraps we had literally to be carried and dropped into the sleigh,

and after hot bricks were adjusted to our feet, we assumed the martyr look that women understand how to

take on when persuaded against their will, and off we flew. It made no impression if we were speechless

the dearth of women made the men far from critical. Sometimes we went to the Hart River, which empties

into the Missouri, and which we were not afraid to drive over, as it was frozen solid. And yet it should be

understood that we preferred to go and be frozen rather than stay at home and be comfortable, for we were a

band of friends sharing the same isolation, and each took comfort in contributing to the enjoyment of the rest.

One sort of sleighing we really did enjoy. One of the officers got up a long sleigh, using the bed of an army

wagon for the box. He was his own coachman, and stood in front driving an excellent fourinhand. We all

placed ourselves in the straw and robes, and nothing of the whole party was visible except two rows of "tip

tilted," rosytinted noses peeping out from under fur caps and gay mufflers. If any one rashly left a seat to

play some prank it was never regained. The space closed up instantly, and it was a choice of standing for the

rest of the distance, or uncomfortably sitting on the spurs, arctics, or buffalo overshoes of the others.

Another of our number tried driving tandem; and as his horses were very fleet and his sleigh very frail, it was

a study from first to last how soon we should gather up the fragments of our scattered selves from the white

When the thermometer went down to 45� below zero, the utmost vigilance was exercised to prevent the men

from being frozen. The general took off all the sentinels but two, and those were encased in buffalo overcoats

and shoes, and required to walk their beat but fifteen minutes at a time. There were no wells or cisterns, and

the quartermaster had no means of supplying the post with water, except with a waterwagon that required

six mules to haul it around the garrison. The hole in the river through which the water was drawn was cut

through five feet of ice. It was simply dreadful on those bitter days to see the poor men whose duty it was to

distribute the supply. My husband used to turn away with a shudder from the window when they came in

sight, and beg me not to talk of a matter that he was powerless to remedy. The two barrels at the

kitchendoor were all that we could have, and on some days the men and wagon could not go around at all.

We husbanded every drop, and borrowed from a neighbor, if any neighbor was fortunate enough not to have

WE had hardly finished arranging our quarters when, one freezing night, I was awakened by a roaring sound

in a chimney that had been defective from the first. Women have such a rooted habit of smelling smoke and

sending men on needless investigating trips in the dead of night, that I tried to keep still for a few moments.

The sound grew too loud to be mistaken, and I awakened my husband. He ran upstairs and found the room

above us on fire. He called to me to bring him some water, believing he could extinguish it himself. While I

hurried after the water, there came such a crash and explosion that my brain seemed to reel from fright. I had

no thought but that my husband was killed. Nothing can describe the relief with which I heard his voice

calling back to my agonized question as to his safety. His escape was very narrow; the chimney had burst, the

whole side of the room was blown out, and he was covered with plaster and surrounded with fallen bricks.

The gas from the petroleum paper put on between the plastering and the outer walls to keep out the cold had

exploded. The roof had ignited at once, and was blown off with a noise like the report of artillery. The

sentinel at the guardhouse fired his carbine as an alarm. The general ran to one of the lower windows, and

with his powerful voice that he could throw so far called for the guard. Then we hurried to the room occupied

by our girlfriend. The plastering falling on her bed from the burning roof was the first hint she had of the

danger. It was unsafe for her to stop to gather her clothes, and wrapping a blanket about her we sent her to

In an incredibly short time the men were swarming about the house. The general had buttoned his vest,

containing his watch and purse, over his long nightdress, and unconscious of his appearance, gave just as cool

orders to the soldiers as if it were at drill. They, also, were perfectly cool, and worked like beavers to remove

our things; for with no engine and without water it was useless to try to save the house. The general stood

upon the upper landing and forbade them to join him, as it was perilous, the floors being then on fire. He had

insisted upon my going out of the house, but I was determined not to do so until he was safe. When I did

leave I ran in my nightdress over the snow to our sister's. The house burned very quickly. Fortunately it was

a still, cold night, and there was no wind to spread the flames. Except for this the whole garrison must have

When the morning came we went to inspect the heap of household belongings that had been carried out on

the paradeground. It was a sorry collection of torn, broken, and marred effects! Most of my clothes were

gone. Our poor girlfriend looked down into her trunk, empty except for one tarletan party gown. I had lost

silver and linen, and what laces and finery I had. The only loss I mourned, as it was really irreparable, was a

collection of newspaper clippings regarding my husband that I had saved during and since the war. Besides

these I lost a little wig that I had worn at a fancydress ball, made from the golden rings of curly hair cut

The fire served one purpose after all. Before it occurred I had always been a trial to Mary because I cared so

little for dress and really owned so few ornaments. When the servants gathered together after that to boast of

the possessions of their several mistresses, as is customary with the colored people, who so love display,

Mary was armed with an excuse for me. I used to hear of her saying, "You jist orter seed what Miss Libbie

had afo' the fire;" and then she would describe in detail elegant apparel that I had never even thought of

having. Long afterwards I heard of the comments of one of our number, who loved the loaves and fishes of

this life beyond everything. In vain she accumulated and had the proud satisfaction of outdoing every one in

the number of her dresses. Mary managed to slip into her kitchen on some feigned errand, and drawing upon

her imagination related how much richer Miss Libbie's possessions were before the fire. I had a hearty laugh

by myself when I heard that the Miss Flora McFlimsey of our circle, worn out with the boasting of the cook,

was heard to exclaim, "I wish I might have seen for myself all the gorgeousness described. I am tired to death

The general selected another set of quarters next to his brother's, and thither removed the remnants of our

household goods. He begged me not to go near the house, or attempt to settle, until I had recovered from the

fright of the fire and of his imperilled life the night before. We were all busy enough trying to fit our things

upon our little friend. Her purse, with abundance to buy a new outfit, was burned, and it would be weeks

before she could receive a remittance from home by our slow mails. Next day, as she sat among us in

borrowed apparel, several sizes too large, she had a surprise. A huge clothesbasket was handed in at the

door, with a note addressed to her, begging her to consider herself, what the garrison had long felt that she

was, "the daughter of the regiment." The basket contained everything that the generous hearts of friends

could snuggest. Not content with this, another was sent on the next day, with a further supply of things

bought in the store at Bismarck. She objected to the acceptance, and tears rose in her eyes at the

thoughtfulness; but there were no names signed to the note, so we would not heed remonstrances. Every one

I was too much absorbed in this scheme to ask many questions about the new quarters. When I did inquire,

the general put me off by saying that in a few days I should begin to settle. The second evening after the fire

he sent for me, and asked if I would come and consult with him about some arrangement of the furniture, as

he was too busy to come after me. I started at once, but Mary, ever thoughtful of my appearance, and deep in

the mystery that followed, urged me to put on my other gown. I was unwillingly put into it, and went to the

new house to find both sets of quarters lighted throughout, and the band playing "Home, Sweet Home." My

husband, meeting me, led me in, and to my utter surprise I found the whole place completely settled, a door

cut through into Colonel Tom's quarters, and the garrison assembled at the general's invitation for the

housewarming. The pantry was full of good things to eat that Mary had prepared for the supper. Every one

tried, by merry frolic and dancing, to make me forget the catastrophe, and the general, bubbling over with

fun, inspired me to join. Then he told me to what subterfuges ho had resorted to get the house ready, and

The life of the enlisted men was very dull during the cold weather. In the summer they had mounted drill and

parades, and an occasional scout, to vary the life. They got very little good out of their horses in the winter.

An hour in the morning and another in the afternoon were spent every day in grooming them. The general

took me down to the stables sometimes to watch the work. Each horse had the name given to him by his rider

printed in homemade letters over his stall. Some of the men were so careful of their horses that they were

able to keep them for service during the five years of their enlistment. The daily intercourse of horse and rider

quickened the instinct of the brute, so that he seemed half human. Indeed, I have seen an old troophorse,

from whose back a raw recruit had tumbled, go through the rest of the drill as correctly as if mounted by a

welltrained soldier. Many of the soldiers love and pet their dumb beasts, and if the supply of grain gives out

on a campaign they unhesitatingly steal for them, as a mother would for a starving child.

Beside every stall hung the saddle and equipments of the trooper, and the companies vied with one another in

keeping them in perfect condition. Some of the horses' coats shone like satin under the busy currycomb of an

attached master. The captain of a company and his firstsergeant soon discovered the faults of a horse. When

the preparations for a campaign began, it was really laughable to hear the ingenious excuses why an

In the same way a soldier who was hopelessly worthless was often transferred to another company. The

officers who had been the recipient of the undesirable soldier would come to the general to complain. I could

not always keep a straight countenance when the injured captain narrated his wrongs. One told of what

desperate need he had been in for a tailor. He had been proffered this man with many eulogies by a brother

officer, and the final recommendation given which insured the acceptance of this seemingly generous offer

was, "He has made clothes for me." Not until the transfer was effected, and a suit of clothes ruined for the

captain, was he told by his wouldbe liberal friend the whole story, which was, "Oh yes! he made clothes for

The general sympathized with the impatience of the enlisted men in their dull life, which drove the sergeants

to solicit as a privilege the transportation of the mail. For a man of my husband's temperament it was easy to

understand that danger was more endurable than the dead calm of barrack life. The telegraph lines were

frequently down, and except for the courage of the sergeants we should have been completely isolated from

the outside world. With four mules and the covered body of a government wagon on bobs, they went over a

trackless waste of snow for two hundred and fifty miles. Occasionally there were huts that had once been

stage stations, where they could stop, but it was deadly perilous for them to leave the telegraph line, no matter

The bewilderment of a snowstorm comes very soon. An officer lying in the hospital, quite crazed from

having been lost in attempting to cross a paradeground only large enough for the regiment in line, was a

fearful warning to these venturesome men. If the mail sergeant did not appear when ho was due at the end

of two weeks the general could scarcely restrain his anxiety. He was so concerned for the man's safety that

he kept going to the window and door incessantly. He spoke to me so often of his fears for him that I used to

imagine he would, for once, express some of his anxiety when the sergeant finally appeared to report; but

military usage was too deeply bred in the bone of both, and the report was made and received with the

customary repressed dignity of manner. However, I have seen my husband follow the man to the door, and

tell him that he had felt great concern about him, and renew his directions to take every precaution for his

safety. How thankful I used to be that I was not hedged in with a soldier's discipline, but that I could follow

the faithful old trooper and tell him how the general had worried about him, and how thankful we all were for

It did not take long for the garrison to discover the poor mules, with their tired, drooping heads and wilted

ears, dragging the mailsleigh into the post. Every officer rushed to the adjutant's office for his mail. It was a

great event and the letters were hailed with joy. An orphan, and having no brothers and sisters, I must have

been the only one who was contented not to get any. For my world was there. An officer's wife who could

hardly wait for news from her lonely, delicate mother in the East used to say pathetically, realizing the

distance that intervened, that no one knew what it was to be married to a husband and a mother at the same

As soon as the mail was distributed, the general buried himself with the newspapers. For several days after he

agreed with me that an old engraving, called "My Husband," was a faithful likeness of him at such a time (the

picture represented a man sitting in a chair, completely hidden, except his crossed legs and his hands, and

clasping an outspread paper). As soon as the contents wore devoured, he cut from the illustrated papers comic

pictures, and adding to them some doggerel, sent them in to our witty neighbor as illustrating some joke that

had transpired against her. With other papers, by a little drawing he transposed the figures and likenesses of

some of the officers who had been placed previously in some ludicrous position. Adding marginal comments,

he left the pictures uppermost where they were sure to be seen by the persons for whom they were intended,

when they came in as usual to look over the papers and magazines in his room. A clever lady in a

neighboring garrison, speaking of the arrival of the mail, described how voraciously she seized the new

rending matter and closeted herself for hours to read up in advance of the others. She felt that "having

In spite of the great risks and dangers of the mailcarriers, their journeys were accomplished without serious

accident. I used to hear occasionally that the sergeant had levied such a heavy tax upon the citizens of

Bismarck, when he brought small parcels through for them, that he had quite a little sum of money for

THE climate of Dakota was so fine that those who had been poisoned by malaria in the South became

perfectly well after a short residence there. Sickness was of rare occurrence, and because of its infrequency it

drew forth lavish sympathy. In the autumn a beautiful little girl, the daughter of the sutler, was brought into

the garrison dying with diphtheria. There was no law, like the city ordinance, compelling a warning placard

to be placed on the door, and it would have been of no avail in keeping her friends away. When I begged the

heartbroken mother to turn from the last breath of her idol, it seemed to me her lot was too hard for human

endurance. Every sorrow seemed much worse out there, where we were so unaccustomed to suffering.

As I looked at the little waxen body prepared for burial, lying so like a pretty flower, I did not wonder at the

mother's grief and despair. She was a thousand miles from Eastern friends; her husband was absent on

business, and she among strangers. At another time, when a young mother was caring for her newlyborn

babe, the little toddling brother was unfortunately exposed to the cold, and fell violently ill with pneumonia.

Every lady came daily to help care for him, and at last the officers' repeatedly proffered services were

accepted for night nursing. I remember watching and admiring the tenderness of a handsome, dashing young

fellow as he walked the floor with the feverish little sufferer, or rocked him patiently until dawn. And when I

saw him often afterwards gliding about in the dance, or riding beside some pretty girl, I used to think to

myself that I could tell his sweetheart something good about him. We were all like one family every one

After the trains had been taken off, and winter had fairly set in, the young mother, whom we all loved, was in

despair about clothing for her little ones. We had reached a land where there were no seamstresses, no

readymade clothing, and nothing suitable for children. Money did no good, though our friend had

abundance of that, but busy fingers were needed. The ladies quietly arranged, as a surprise, a sowingbee.

We impressed our brother Tom into our service, and taught him to use the sewingmachine. A laughing

crowd dropped scissors and thimbles at paradetime and followed to the door to watch him hurry on his belt

and sabre and take his place the quintessence then of everything military and manly. A roomful of busy

women, cutting, basting, making buttonholes, and joining together little garments, soon had a passable outfit

for the brave mother's little ones, and even a gown for her own sweet self. I do not remember ever seeing

anything quite so Dutchy and cumbersome, however, as those little children dressed in the cobbledout

A woman on the frontier is so cherished and appreciated, because she has the courage to live out there, that

there is nothing that is not done for her if she be gracious and courteous. In twenty little ways the officers

spoiled us: they never allowed us to wait on ourselves, to open or shut a door, draw up our own chair, or to do

any little service that they could perform for us. If we ran to the next house for a chat, with a shawl thrown

over our heads, we rarely got a chance to return alone, but with this undignified headcovering were formally

brought back to our door! I wonder if it will seem that we were foolishly petted if I reveal that our husbands

buttoned our shoes, wrapped us up if we went out, warmed our clothes before the fire, poured the water for

our bath out of the heavy pitcher, and studied to do innumerable little services that a maid would have done

I don't think it made us helpless, however. In our turn we watched every chance we could to anticipate their

wants. We did a hundred things we would not have remembered to do had not the quickly passing time

brought nearer each day those labours of separation when we would have no one to do for. I am sure I never

saw more tender men than the officers. One learned to conceal the fact that one was ailing or fatigued, for it

made them so anxious. The eyes of sister Margaret's husband come to me now, full of intense suffering for

his wife, as she silently read her home letters telling of our mother Custer's failing strength. She suppressed

her weeping until they had retired and she believed him asleep. She found her mistake when his gentle hands

So seldom did we hear of an officer's unkindness to his wife, that a very old legend used to be revived if a

reference to anything of the kind was needed. Before the war some officer wished to measure the distance of

a day's march, and having no odometer elected his wife to that office. The length of the revolution of a wheel

was taken, a white handkerchief tied to a spoke, and the madam was made to count the rotations all day long.

The story seldom failed to fire the blood of the officers when it was told. They agreed that nothing but a long

life among Indians, and having the treatment of the squaw before him, would cause a man to act with such

Domestic care sat very lightly on me. Nothing seemed to annoy my husband more than to find me in the

kitchen. He determinedly opposed it for years, and begged me to make a promise that I would never go there

for more than a moment. We had such excellent servants that my presence was unnecessary most of the time,

but even in the intervals when our fare was wretched be submitted uncomplainingly rather than that I should

be wearied. A great portion of the time my life was so rough that he knew it taxed me to the utmost, and I

never forgot to be grateful that I was spared domestic care in garrison. We had so much company that, though

I enjoyed it, I sometimes grew weary. When the winter came and there was little to do officially, my husband

made every preparation for our receptions: ordered the supplies, planned the refreshment, and directed the

servants. The consequence was that I sometimes had as enjoyable a time as if I had been entertained at some

one else's house. To prove how much pleasure I had, I recall a speech that the family kept among a collection

of my faux pas. They overheard me saying to some of our guests, "Don't go home, we are having such a good

time." Afterwards the tormenting home circle asked me if it would not have been in a little better taste to let

We had such a number of my husband's family in garrison that it required an effort occasionally to prevent

our being absorbed in one another. A younger brother came on from Michigan to visit us, and our sister

Margaret's husband had a sister and brother at the post. Sometimes we found that nine of us were on one side

of the room deeply interested in conversation. Something would rouse us to a sense of our selfishness, and I

was the one sent off to look out the quiet ones at the hop who needed entertaining. If I chanced to be

struggling to teach new steps in dancing to feet unaccustomed to anything but march or drill, or strove to

animate the one whom all pronounced a bore, the family never failed to note it. They played every sly trick

they could to disconcert and tease me. I did not submit tamely. As soon as I could, I made my way to them,

At the hops the officers waited long and patiently for the women to dance with them; sometimes the first

waltz they could get during the evening would not come before midnight. I think it would have been very

hard for me to have kept a level head with all the attention and delightful flattery which the ordinary manners

of officers convey, if I had not remembered how we ladies were always in the minority. The question whether

one was old or young, pretty or plain, never seemed to arise with them. I have seen them solicit the honor of

taking a grandmamma to drive, and even to ride as gallantly as if she were young and fair. No men discover

beauty and youth more quickly, but the deference they feel for all women is always apparent.

It seemed very strange to me that with all the value that is set on the presence of the women of an officer's

family at the frontier posts, the book of army regulations makes no provision for them, but in fact ignores

them entirely! It enters into such minute detail in its instructions, even giving the number of hours that

beansoup should boil, that it would be natural to suppose that a paragraph or two might be wasted on an

officer's wife! The servants and the company laundresses are mentioned as being entitled to quarters and

rations and to the services of the surgeon. If an officer's wife falls ill she cannot claim the attention of the

doctor, though it is almost unnecessary to say that she has it through his most urgent courtesy. I have even

known a surgeon, who from some official difficulty was not on friendly terms with an officer, go personally

and solicit the privilege of prescribing through the illness of his wife, whom he knew but slightly.

The officers used sportively to look up the rules in the army regulations for camp followers, and read them

out to us as they would the riot act! In the event of any question being raised regarding our privileges, we

women really came under no other head in the book which is the sole authority for our army. If we put down

an emphatic foot, declaring that we were going to take some decisive step to which they were justly opposed

as involving our safety, perhaps, we would be at once reminded, in a laughingly exultant manner, of the

provision of the law. The regulations provide that the commanding officer has complete control over all camp

followers, with power to put them off the reservation or detain them as he chooses. Nevertheless, though

army women have no visible thrones or sceptres, nor any acknowledged rights according to military law, I

THE Indian scouts employed by our government and living at our post belonged to a tribe called the

Arickarees. This tribe was small, and though not strong enough in numbers to attack the more powerful

Sioux, there was implacable enmity between them, and a constant desire for revenge. During the preceding

summer a band of Sioux came to Fort Lincoln, and drew the scouts belonging to the infantry garrison out of

their quarters by some cunningly devised pretext. No sooner did they appear than they were fired upon by the

Sioux. They fought all day, and finally the Rees succeeded in driving their enemies away. All this took place

right at the post, where the firing could be seen from the windows. It was not known how many Sioux were

killed, for all tribes make extraordinary exertions to carry their dead from the field. Four only were left. After

some months the Sioux, for some reason best known to themselves, sent word that they were coming for a

treaty, The Rees prepared to receive them with what they termed a "Strong Heart" dance. A message inviting

the garrison was sent by them, through the interpreter, and we hailed with relief the variety in our existence

this spectacle would afford. Indian life was still a novelty to us, for we had not been with any peaceable tribe

before coming into Dakota. We stowed ourselves away in long sleighs which took us to the quarters of the

scouts. Their buildings were of logs, and were long and low in construction. Around the walls on the inside

were bunks on which were marks showing the quarters assigned to each family. When the outer door closed

upon us we could scarcely breathe; the atmosphere was stifling, and loaded with the odor of smoked meat,

tanned skins, and killikinick tobacco. The place was lighted by burning logs in a large fireplace, and the deep

shadows throw into highrelief the figures that came into the glare of the fire, and produced effects from

Before the ceremonies began, we women went round the place to see the papooses in their mothers' arms, as

they sat in the bunks or on the earthen floor. Each mother held her baby up for our inspection, with as much

pride as if there had never been a little one on earth before. The squaws were not permitted to come near the

charmed circle in front of the fire, where the mimic orchestra beat their drums; they were allowed to sing at a

distance, and joined in the low monotone of the musicians. At regular intervals, as if keeping time, they

jerked out a nasal twanging note which was emphasized by the coarse voices of the warriors. The dancers

were naked, except for the customary covering over their loins. They had attached to their belts beads and

metal ornaments. Some had so fastened to their girdles the feathers from the tail of the wild turkey, that they

stood up straight as the savages bent over in the evolutions of the dance. One leg and arm would be painted

bright vermilion or blue, and the other a vivid green, with cabalistic characters drawn on them in black. The

faces were hideous, being painted in all colors. A few had necklaces of bears' claws, on which they set great

value. These hung over the bronze shoulders, the claws pointing into the brown skin of their chests. One,

evidently poorer than the rest, had a rudely cut shirt made out of an old hambag, on which the trademark

and name of the manufacturing firm figured conspicuously as his sole decoration. Another, equally poor,

wore only the covering over his hips, while suspended by a cord from his neck was a huge tin toy horse.

From the scalplock of some there was a strip of cloth falling to the ground, on which silver disks made of

In the plait of hair falling to their waists we saw sticks crossed and running through the braid. The interpreter

explained that these represented "coups." Our attention was arrested at once by a little fouryearold boy,

who, from time to time during the evening, was brought to the circle by his mother, and left to make his little

whirling gyrations around the ring of the dancers. It was explained to us that he had won his right to join in

the festivities of the tribe when the fight took place the summer before, to settle which this treaty was

planned. Of the four Sioux left on the battlefield that day, one, though mortally wounded, was not yet dead

when the retreat took place. A Ree squaw, knowing that it would count her child "a coup" if he put another

wound in the already dying man, sent him out and incited the child to plunge a knife into the wounded

warrior. As a reward he was given the privilege of joining in all celebrations, and the right to wear an eagle

feather standing straight from the scalplock of his tiny head. We saw the mother's eyes gleam with pride as

she watched this miniature warrior admitted among the mature and experienced braves. All the dancers

rotated around together for a time, their bodies always bent, and they howled as they moved. In the shadowy

gloom, only momentarily made brilliant by the flashes of light from the fire, these grotesque, crouching

figures were wild enough for gnomes. Only occasionally, where there was a large mixture of white blood, did

we see a welldeveloped figure. The legs and arms of Indians are almost invariably thin. None of them ever

do any manual labor to produce muscle, and their bones are decidedly conspicuous.

We were surprised to observe that though dancing in so small a space, and weaving in and out in countless

figures, without an apparent effort to avoid collisions, they never interfered or caught their brandished

weapons in the ornaments of one another's toggery. When a warrior wished to speak, he made some sign to

the others. They then sat down around him, and the music ceased. He began with a recital of his

achievements Indians never fail to recapitulate these as a preface to each speech. Sometimes the speaker's

career was illustrated, and a cotton sheet was unfolded on which were painted a number of primitive figures.

He gradually grow more and more earnest; his dull eyes glared as he pointed to the scalps he had taken,

which were even then dangling from his belt. Finally the warrior began to give presents, and to receive them

in return, as is the custom on those occasions. If he gave a pony, he declared it by throwing down a stick on

After several had told their "coups," for so they designate their deeds of prowess, one bounded with great

energy into the circle. He narrated with spirit how he had revenged the death of two of their band by killing

the murderer at the last fight at the post. Before any one realized it, an old squaw pushed her way violently

into the open space, threw down a roll of calico at his feet, and flung off her leggings and blanket as presents

in her gratitude, for it was of her husband and son that he spoke. As she was about to complete the gift by

removing her last garment, the interpreter, in consideration for us, hurried her out to her bunk in the darkness,

and we saw her no more. Last of all an old Sioux, wrapped in a black mourning blanket, tottered into the

circle, and silence settled down on all. He spoke of his son who had been in the fight, and had fallen bravely,

but said that before he was killed he had made many Rees "bite the dust," as he then figuratively expressed it.

Excited by the story of the courage of his offspring, he tottered back to his place, but his pride soon

succumbed to his greater sorrow; he buried his head in his blanket when he sank down to his seat. Hardly had

he ceased, before a young Ree leaped into the midst of the warriors, threw off his blanket, and with flashing

eye plunged into a hurried enumeration of his achievements, to prove his courage in days past. Then, striding

up to the bereaved father, he said in exultant, imperious tones, "Boast no longer of the successes of your

dead, I who stand here am he who killed him!" The father did not even raise his eyes. The Ree called out to

the listening warriors, "Will he not fight me? I stand ready." The old warrior remained unmoved, even under

the insolent words of the aggressor. Many years of an eventful life had made him too well versed in, and too

subservient to the laws of Indian warfare, not to know that a "Strong Heart" dance bound all in inviolable

honor not to break the temporary peace; but he knew that once meeting each other on the open plain there

When we left the unearthly music, the gloom, and the barbaric sights, and breathed pure air again, it seemed

One morning soon after that we heard singing, and found that the squaws were surging down from their

quarters nearly a mile distant. We had not received a hint of the honor to be conferred, and were mystified

when they all halted in front of our house. They had come to give us a dance. It was an unusual occurrence,

for the women rarely take part in any but the most menial services. They were headed by Mrs. Long Back,

the wife of the chief of the scouts. She was distinguished as the leader by a tall dresshat that had been the

property of some society man when he wore civilian dress in the States. They began going around after each

other in a jogging, lumbering sort of movement, and singing a humdrum song in a minor key. Much of the

finery we had seen at the genuine wardance was borrowed frown the warriors for this occasion. It was

festooned over the figures of the women already well covered with blankets, and the weight was not

calculated to add materially to their grace. The ranking lady had a sabre which her chief had received as a

present, and this she waved over the others in command. One woman carried her sixweeks'old papoose on

her back, and its little, lolling head rolled from side to side as the mother trotted round and round after the

During the dance one of the officers' colored servants rushed out, and in his excitement almost ran his head

into the charmed precincts. An infuriated squaw, to whom all this mummery was the gravest and most

momentous of concerns, flew at him, brandishing a tomahawk over his head. He had no need to cry, "O, that

this too, too solid flesh would melt!" for his manner of vanishing was little short of actual evaporation into

air. Neither his master nor any one else saw him for twentyfour hours afterwards.

When the women stopped their circumvolutions for want of breath, we appeared on the porch and made signs

of thanks. They received them with placid selfsatisfaction, but the more substantial recognition of the

THERE were about forty in our garrison circle, and as we were very harmonious we spent nearly every

evening together. I think it is the general belief that the peace of an army post depends very much upon the

example set by the commanding officer. My husband, in the six years previous, had made it very clear, in a

quiet way, that he would much prefer that there should be no conversation detrimental to others in his

quarters. It required no effort for him to refrain from talking about his neighbors, but it was a great

deprivation to me occasionally. Once in a while, when some one had brought down wrath upon his or her

head by doing something deserving of censure, the whole garrison was voluble in its denunciation; and if I

plunged into the subject also and gave my opinion, I soon noticed my husband grow silent and finally slip

away. I was not long in finding an excuse to follow him and ask what I had done. Of course I knew him too

well not to divine that I had hurt him in some manner. Then he would make a renewed appeal to me

beginning by an unanswerable plea, "if you wish to please me," and imploring me not to join in discussions

concerning any one. He used to assure me that in his heart he believed me superior to such things. In vain I

disclaimed being of that exalted order of females, and declared that it required great selfdenial not to join in

a gossip. The discussion ended by his desiring me to use him as a safetyvalve if I must criticise others. From

motives of policy alone, if actuated by no higher incentive, it seemed wise to suppress one's ebullitions of

anger. In the States it is possible to seek new friends if the old ones become tiresome and exasperating, but

once in a post like ours, so far removed, there is no one else to whom one can turn. We never went away on

leave of absence, and heard ladies in civil life say emphatically that they did not like some person they knew,

and "never would," without a start of terror. I forgot that their lives were not confined to the small precincts

I had very little opportunity to know much of official matters; they were not talked about at home. Instinct

guided me always in detecting the general's enemies, and when I found them out, a struggle began between us

as to my manner of treating them. My husband urged that it would embarrass him if others found out that I

had surmised anything regarding official affairs. He wished social relations to be kept distinct, and he could

not endure to see me show dislike to any one who did not like him. I argued in reply that I felt myself

dishonest if I even spoke to one whom I hated. The contest ended by his appealing to my goodsense,

arguing that as the wife of the commanding officer I belonged to every one, and in our house I should be

hospitable upon principle. As every one visited us, there was no escape for me, but I do not like to think now

I was not let off on such occasions with any formal shake of the hand. My husband watched me, and if I was

not sufficiently cordial he gave me, afterwards, in our bedroom, a burlesque imitation of my manner. I could

not help laughing, even when annoyed, to see him caricature me by advancing coldly, extending the tips of

his fingers, and bowing loftily to some imaginary guest. His raillery, added to my wish to please him, had the

effect of making me shake hands so vigorously that I came near erring the other way and being too

demonstrative, and thus giving the impression that I was the best friend of some one I really dreaded.

As I was in the tent during so many summers, and almost constantly in my husband's library in our winter

quarters, I naturally learned something of what was transpiring. I soon found, however, that it would do no

good if I asked questions in the hope of gaining further information. As to curiosity ever being one of my

conspicuous faults, I do not remember, but I do recollect most distinctly how completely I was taken aback

by an occurrence which took place a short time after we were married. I had asked some idle question about

official matters, and was promptly informed in a grave manner, though with a mischievous twinkle of the

eye, that whatever information I wanted could be had by application to the adjutantgeneral. This was the

stereotyped form of endorsement on papers sent up to the regimental adjutant asking for information. One

incident of many comes to me now, proving how little I knew of anything but what pertained to our own

home circle. The wife of an officer once treated me with marked coldness. I was unaware of having hurt her

in any way, and at once took my grievance to that source where I found sympathy for the smallest woe. My

husband pondered a moment, and then remembered that the husband of my friend and he had had some slight

official difficulty, and the lady thinking I knew of it was talking her revenge on me.

When I first entered army life I used to wonder what it meant when I heard officers say, in a perfectly serious

voice, "Mrs. commands her husband's company." It was my goodfortune not to encounter any such

female grenadiers. A circumstance occurred which made me retire early from any attempt to assume the

slightest authority. One of the inexhaustible jokes that the officers never permitted me to forget was an

occurrence that happened soon after the general took command of the 7th Cavalry. A soldier had deserted,

and had stolen a large sum of money from one of the lieutenants. My sympathy was so aroused for the officer

that I urged him to lose no time in pursuing the man to the nearest town, whither he was known to have gone.

In my interest and zeal I assured the officer that I knew the general would be willing, and he need not wait to

apply for leave through the adjutant's office. I even hurried him away. When the general came in I ran to him

with my story, expecting his sympathy, and that he would endorse all that I had done. On the contrary, he

quietly assured me that he commanded the regiment, and that he would like me to make it known to the

lieutenant that he must apply through the proper channels for leave of absence. Thereupon I ate a large piece

of humble pie, but was relieved to find that the officer had shown more sense than I, and had not accepted my

proferred leave, but had prudently waited to write out his application. Years afterwards, when my husband

told me what a source of pride it was to him that others had realized how little I knew about official affairs,

and assured me that my curiosity was less than that of any woman he had ever known, I took little credit to

myself. It would have been strange, after the drilling of military life, if I had not attained some progress.

The general planned every military action with so much secrecy that we were left to divine as best we could

what certain preliminary movements meant. One morning, when it was too cold for anything but important

duty, without any explanations he started off with a company of cavalry and several wagons. As they crossed

the river on the ice, we surmised that he was going to Bismarck. It seemed that the general had been

suspicious that the granaries were being robbed, and finally a citizen was caught driving off a loaded wagon

of oats from the reservation in broad daylight. This was about as highhanded an instance of thieving as the

general had encountered, and he quietly set to work to find out the accomplices. In a little while it was

ascertained that the robbers had concealed their plunder in a vacant store in the principal street of Bismarck.

The general determined to go himself directly to the town, thinking that he could do quickly and without

opposition what another might find difficult. The better class of citizens honored him too highly to oppose his

plan of action, even though it was unprecedented for the military to enter a town on such an errand. The

general knew the exact place at which to halt, and drew the company up in line in front of the door. He

demanded the key, and directed the men to transfer the grain to the wagons outside. Without a protest, or an

exchange of words even, the troops marched out of the town as quietly as they had entered. This ended the

It was a surprise to me that after the life of excitement my husband had led, he should grow more and more

domestic in his tastes. His dainty life was very simple. He rarely left home except to hunt, and was scarcely

once a year in the sutler's store, where the officers congregated to play billiards and cards. If the days were

too stormy or too cold for hunting, as they often were for a week or more at a time, he wrote and studied for

hours every day. We had the goodfortune to have a billiardtable loaned us by the sutler, and in the upper

room where it was placed, my husband and I had many a game when he was weary with writing.

The general sometimes sketched the outline of my pictures, which I was preparing to paint, for he drew better

than I did, and gladly availed himself of a chance to secure variety of occupation.

The relatives of the two young housemaids whom we had in our service regretted that they were missing

school, so the general had the patience to teach them. The day rarely passed that Col. Tom, my husband, and I

did not have a game of romps. The grave orderly who sat by the halldoor used to be shocked to see the

commanding officer in hot pursuit of us up the steps. The quick transformation which took place when he

was called from the frolic to receive the report of the officer of the day was something very ridiculous.

Occasionally he joined those who gathered in our parlor every evening. He had a very keen sense of his

social responsibilities as postcommander, and believed that our house should be open at all hours to the

garrison. His own studious habits made it a deprivation if he gave up much of his time to entertaining. I

learned that in no way could I relieve him so much as by being always ready to receive. He grew to expect

that I would be in the parlor at night, and plan whatever diversions we had. I managed to slip away several

times in the evening, and go to him for a little visit, or possibly a waltz, while the rest danced in the other

room. If I delayed going to him while absorbed in the general amusement, a knock at the door announced the

orderly carrying a note for me. Those missives always reminded me of my forgetfulness in some ingenious

arrangement of words. When I laughed outright over one of these little scraps, our friends begged me to share

the fun with them. It was only a line, and read, "Do you think I am a confirmed monk?" Of course they

We spent the days together almost uninterruptedly during the winter. The garrison gave me those hours and

left us alone. My husband had arranged my sewingchair and workbasket next to his desk, and he read to

me constantly. At one time we had read five authorities on Napoleon, whose military career was a

neverending source of interest to him. He studied so carefully that he kept the atlas before him, and marked

the course of the two armies of the French and English with pencils of different color. One of his favorite

books was a life of Daniel Webster, given him in the States by a dear friend. Anything sad moved him so that

his voice choked with emotion, and I have known him lay down the book and tell me he could not go on. One

of the many passages in that beautifully written book, which my husband thought the most utterly pathetic of

all, was the tribute an old farmer had paid to the dead statesman. Looking down upon the face of the orator

for the last time, the old man says, in soliloquy, "Ah, Daniel, the world will be lonesome now you are gone!"

I became so accustomed to this quiet life in the library with my husband that I rarely went out. If I did begin

the rounds of our little circle with our girlfriend, whom every one besought to visit them, an orderly soon

followed us up. Without the glint of a smile, and in exactly the tone of a man giving the order for a battle, he

said, "The general presents his compliments, and would like to know when he shall send the trunks ?" I

recollect a message of this sort being once brought to us when we were visiting an intimate friend, by the

tallest, most formidable soldier in the regiment. It was a mystery to us how he managed to deliver his errand

without moving a muscle of his face. He presented the compliments of the commanding officer, and added,

"He sent you these." We did not trust ourselves to look up at his lofty face, but took from his extended hands

two bundles of white muslin. There was no mistaking the shape; they were our nightdresses. When we

hurried home, and took the general to task for making us face the solemn orderly, he only replied by asking if

we had intended to stay forever, pointing to his open watch, and speaking of the terrors of solitary

It was the custom at guard mount every morning to select the cleanest, most soldierlylooking man for duty

as orderly for the postcommander. It was considered the highest honor, and really was something of a

holiday, as the man detailed for this duty had but little to do, and then had his night in bed; otherwise,

belonging to the guard, and being newly appointed every twentyfour hours, he would have been obliged to

break his rest to go on picket duty at intervals all night. There was great strife to get this position, and it was

difficult for the adjutant to make the selection. He sometimes carried his examination so far as to try and find

Guard mount in pleasant weather, with the adjutant and officer of the day in full uniform, each soldier perfect

in dress, with the band playing, was a very interesting ceremony. In Dakota's severe cold it looked like a

parade of animals at the Zoo! All were compelled to wear buffalo overcoats and shoes, fur caps and gloves.

When the orderly removed these heavy outside wraps, however, he stood out as fine a specimen of manhood

as one ever sees. His place in our hall was near the stove, and on the table by his side were papers and

magazines, many of which were sent by the Young Men's Christian Association of New York. The general

had once met the secretary of the society, and in response to his inquiry about readingmatter, he impressed

him by a strong statement of what a treasure anything of the kind was at an isolated post.

There was usually a variety of readingmatter, but one day the orderly stole out to the cook with a complaint.

He asked for the general's Turf, Field, and Farm, or Wilkes's Spirit of the Times, which he was accustomed to

find awaiting him, and confessed that "those pious papers were too bigoted" for him! He usually sat still all

day, only taking an occasional message for the general, or responding to a beckoning invitation from Mary's

brown finger at the kitchendoor. There he found a little offering from her of home things to eat.

Occasionally, in the evening, the general forgot to dismiss him at taps. After that a warning cough issued

from the hall. When this had been repeated several times, my husband used to look up so merrily and say to

me it was remarkable how temporary consumption increased after the hour of bedtime had come. When the

general had a message to send, he opened his door and rattled off his order so fast that it was almost

impossible for one unacquainted with his voice to understand. If I saw the dazed eyes of a new soldier, I

divined that probably he did not catch a word. Without the general's noticing it, I slipped through our room

When I returned, and gave my husband the best imitation I could of the manner in which he spoke when

hurried, and described the orderly, standing, rubbing his perplexed head over the unintelligible gibberish, he

threw himself on the lounge in peals of laughter. While we were in the States, sometimes he was invited to

address audiences, but being unaccustomed to public speaking, and easily embarrassed, he made very droll

attempts. He realized that he had not the gift of oratory, and I used to wish that he would practise the art. I

insisted, that if he continued to speak so fast in public, I would be obliged to stand beside him on the platform

as interpreter for his hearers, or else take my position in the audience and send him a sign of warning from

there. I proposed to do something so startling that he could not help checking his mad speed. He was so

earnest about everything he did, I assured him no ordinary signal would answer, and we finished the laughing

discussion by my volunteering to rise in the audience the next time he spoke, and raise an umbrella as a

WHEN my husband began to write for publication, it opened to him a world of interest, and afterwards

proved an unfailing source of occupation in the long Dakota winters. I think he had no idea, when it was first

suggested to him, that he could write. When we were in New York, several years before, he told me how

perfectly surprised he was to have one of the magazine editors seek him out and ask him to contribute articles

every month. And a few days after he said, "I begin to think the editor does not imagine that I am hesitating

about accepting his offer because I doubt my ability as a writer, but because he said nothing about payment at

first; for today," he added, not yet over his surprise at what seemed to him a large sum, "he came again and

offered me a hundred dollars for each contribution." We at once seemed to ourselves bonanzas. Many times

afterwards we enjoyed intensely the little pleasures and luxuries given us by what his pen added to the family

On the frontier, where the commanding officer keeps open house, he has little opportunity to have more than

a passing glimpse of his pay accounts, so quickly do they go to settle table expenses. It made very little

difference to us, though; our tastes became more simple each year that we lived so much outofdoors. There

was little dress competition in garrison, and in no way could we enjoy the general's salary more than in

At our first post after the war, the idle tediousness of the life was in such contrast to the whirl and dash of the

years just passed that the days seemed insupportable to my husband. While there we entertained a charming

officer of the old school. His experience and age made me venture to speak to him confidentially of the

sympathy I felt for the aimlessness of my husband's life. I was in despair trying to think of some way in

which to vary the monotony; for though he said little, I could see how he fretted and chafed under such an

existence. The old officer appreciated what I told him, and after thinking seriously for a time, urged me to try

and induce him to explore new territory and write descriptive articles for publication. When the actual offer

came afterwards, it seemed to me heavensent. I used every persuasive argument in my power to induce him

to accept. I thought only of its filling up the idle hours. I believed that he had the gift of a ready writer, for

though naturally reticent, he could talk remarkably well when started. I had learned to practise a little

stratagem in order to draw him out. I used to begin a story and purposely bungle, so that, in despair, he would

take it up, and in rapid graphic sentences place the whole scene before us. Afterwards he was commended for

writing as he talked, and making his descriptions of plains life "pen pictures."

The general said to me that it was with difficulty he suppressed a smile when his publisher remarked to him

that his writing showed the result of great care and painstaking. The truth was, he dashed off page after page

without copying or correcting. He had no dates or journal to aid him, but trusted to his memory to take him

back over a period of sixteen years. I sat beside him while he wrote, and sometimes thought him too intent on

his work to notice my going away. He would follow shortly, and declare that he would not write another line

unless I returned. This was an effectual threat, for he was constantly behind, and even out there heard the cry

for "copy" which the printer's devil is always represented as making. I never had anything to do with his

writing, except to be the prod which drove him to begin. He used to tell me that on some near date he had

promised an article, and would ask me solemnly to declare to him that I would give him no peace until he had

prepared the material. In vain I replied that to accept the position of "nag" and "torment" was far from

When he was in the mood for writing, we used laughingly to refer to it to each other as "genius burning." At

such times we printed on a card, "this is my busy day," and hung it on the door. It was my part to go out and

While my father lived, be used to ask me if I realized what an eventful life I was leading, and never ceased to

inquire in his letters if I was keeping a journal. When the most interesting portions of our life were passing,

each day represented such a struggle on my part to endure the fatigues and hardships that I had no energy left

to write a line when the evening came. My husband tried for years to incite me to write, and besought me to

make an attempt as I sat by him while he worked. I greatly regret that I did not, for if I had I would not now

be entirely without notes or dates, and obliged to trust wholly to memory for events of our life eleven years

When my husband returned from the East in the spring of 1876 he had hardly finished his greeting before he

said, "Let me get a book that I have been reading, and which I have marked for you." While he sought it in

his travellingbag I brought one to him, telling him that I had underlined much of it for him, and though it

was a novel, and he rarely read novels, he must make this book an exception. What was our surprise to find

that we had selected the same story, and marked many of the same passages! One sentiment which the

general had enclosed with double brackets in pencil, was a line spoken by the hero, who is an author. He begs

the heroine to write magazine articles, assuring her she can do far better than he ever did.

Once, when on leave of absence, the general dined with an old officer, whose high character and long

experience made whatever he said of real value. He congratulated my husband on his success as a writer, but

added, with a twinkle in his eye, "Custer, they say that your wife wrote the magazine articles." "If they say

that," replied my husband, "they pay me the highest compliment that I could possibly receive." "Ah, well,"

replied the generous friend, "whoever wrote them they certainly reflect great credit on the family." My

husband wrote much, but was not a voluble talker. As I have said, most of the entertaining devolved upon me,

and the fact that I often spoke of the scenes in his "Life on the Plains" that we had shared together, must have

been the reason why some persons listening to the oftrepeated stories ascribed the book to me.

As for my congratulations, the very highest meed of praise I could give him was that he had not taken the

opportunity offered in describing his life in the book to defend himself against the unjust charges of his

enemies. I had found that they expected and dreaded it, for "the pen is mightier than the sword," and military

people are quick to realize it. My husband appreciated my having noticed what he studied to avoid, though

while I commended, I frankly owned I could not have been equal to the task of resisting what could not but

LONG after the flowers were blooming in the States, the tardy spring began to appear in the far North. The

snow slowly melted, and the ice commenced to thaw on the river. For a moment it would be a pleasure to

imagine the privilege of again walking out on the sod without peril of freezing. The next instant the dread of

the coming campaign, which summer is almost certain to bring to a cavalry command, filled every thought,

and made me wish that our future life could be spent where the thermometer not only went down to twenty

When I spied the first tiny blade of grass, I used to find myself acting like a child and grinding the innocent

green with my heel, back from where it sprang. The first bunch of flowers that the soldiers brought me, long

before the ground had begun to take on even a faint emerald tint, were a variety of anemone, a bit of blue set

deep down in a cup of outer petals of gray. These were so thick and fuzzy they looked like a surrounding of

gray blanket. And well the flowers needed such protection on the bleak hills where they grew. They were a

great novelty, and I wanted to go and seek them myself, but my husband gave me the strictest injunction in

reply not to step outside the garrison limits. We had received warning only a short time before that the

Indians had crawled out of their winter tepees, and we knew ourselves to be so surrounded that it became

On the first mild day my husband and I rode over to the opposite bank of the river, which was considered the

safe side. Thinking ourselves secure from danger there, we kept on further than we realized. A magnificent

blacktailed deer, startled by our voices and laughter, and yet too well hidden by the underbrush to see us,

resorted to a device habitual with deer when they wish to see over an extent of country. He made a leap

straight into the air, his superb head turned to us searchingly. He seemed hardly to touch the earth as he

bounded away. It was too great a temptation to resist. We did not follow far though, for we had neither dogs

Scarcely any time elapsed before an officer and a detachment of men riding over the ground where we had

started the deer, but obliged to pursue their way further up the valley as they were on duty, came to a horrible

sight. The body of a white man was staked out on the ground and disembowelled. There yet remained the

embers of the smouldering fire that consumed him. If the Indians are hurried for time, and cannot stay to

witness the prolonged torture of their victim, it is their custom to pinion the captive and place hot coals on his

The horror and fright this gave us women lasted for a time, and rendered unnecessary the continued warnings

of our husbands about walking outside the line of the pickets. Even with all the admonitions, we began to

grow desperate, and chafed under the imprisonment that confined us to a little square of earth month in and

month out. One day temptation came suddenly upon us as three of us were loitering on the outskirts of the

post. The soldier who drove our travellingwagon, the imperturbable Burkman, came near. We cajoled him

into letting us get in and take ever so short a turn down the valley. Delighted to have our freedom again, we

wheedled the goodnatured man to go a "little and a little further." At last even he, amiable as he was,

refused to be coaxed any longer, and he turned around. We realized then how far away we were; but we were

not so far that we could not plainly discover a group of officers on the veranda at our quarters. They were

gesticulating wildly, and beckoning to us with all their might. As we drove nearer we could almost see by a

certain movement of the lower jaw that the word being framed was one that seems to be used in all climates

for extreme cases of aggravation. They were all provoked, and caught us out of the carriage and set us down,

after a little salute, for all the world like mothers I have seen who receive their children from narrow escapes

with alternate shakings and hugs. It seemed hard to tell whether anger or delight predominated. In vain we

made excuses, when order was restored and we could all speak articulately. We were then solemnly sworn,

The Government had made a special appropriation for rations to be distributed, through the officers, to the

suffering farmers throughout Minnesota and Dakota whose crops had been destroyed by grasshoppers. As we

were on the side of the river with the warlike Indians, we knew of but one ranch near us. It was owned by an

old man who had been several times to the general for assistance. He was a man of extraordinary courage, for

ho had located his claim too far away from any one to be able to obtain assistance if he needed it. He never

left his home except to bring into market the skins that he had trapped, or his crops, when the season was

profitable. He was so quaint and peculiar, and so very grateful for the help given him, that my husband

wanted me to hear him express his thanks. The next time he came, the door into our room was left open, in

order that I might listen to what otherwise he would have been too shy to utter. He blessed the general in the

most touching and solemn manner. The tears were in his eyes, and answering ones rose in my husband's, for

no old person failed to appeal to his sympathies and recall his own aged parents. Referring to some domestic

troubles that he had previously confided to the general, he spoke of their having driven him beyond the pale

of civilization when he was old and feeble, and compelled him to take his "dinner of herbs" in a deserted

spot. At this point in his narrative the door was significantly shut, and I was thus made aware that the

gratitude part was all that I was to be permitted to hear. My husband considered his confidence sacred. We

knew that the old man lived a hermit's life, entirely alone the year through. In the blizzards he could not leave

his doorstep without being in danger of freezing to death. Some time after this a scout brought word that

during the spring he had passed the ranch, and nothing was to be seen of the old man. The general suspected

something wrong, and took a company himself to go to the place. He found that the Indians had been there,

had dismantled and robbed the house, driven off the cattle and horses, and strewn the road with plunder. On

the stable floor lay the body of the harmless old man, his silvery hair lying in a pool of blood, where he had

been beaten to death. They were obliged to return and leave his death unavenged, for by the time the first

WHEN the air became milder it was a delight, after our long housing, to be able to dawdle on the piazza. The

valley below us was beginning to show a tinge of verdure. Several hundred mules belonging to the

supplywagon train dotted the turf and nibbled as best they could the sprouting grass. Half a dozen citizens

lounged on the sod, sleepily guarding the herd, for these mules were hired by the Government from a

contractor. One morning we were walking back and forth, looking, as we never tired of doing, down the long,

level plain, when we were startled by shouts. We ran to the edge of the piazza, and saw the prisoners, who

had been working outside the post, and the guard who had them in charge, coming in at a doublequick. A

hatless and breathless herder dashed up to the officer on an unsaddled mule. With blanched face and

The general came hastily out, just in time to see a cloud of dust rising through a gap in the bluffs, marking the

direction taken by the stampeded mules. Instantly he shouted with his clear voice to the bugler to sound the

call, "Boots and saddles," and keep it up until he told him to stop. The first notes of the trumpet had hardly

sounded before the porches of the company quarters and the parade were alive with men. Every one, without

stopping to question, rushed from the barracks and officers' quarters to the stables. The men threw their

saddles on their horses and galloped out to the paradeground. Soldiers who were solely on garrison duty,

and to whom no horse was assigned, stole whatever ones they could find, even those of the messengers tied to

the hitchingposts. Others vaulted on to mules barebacked. Some were in jackets, others in their flannel

shirtsleeves. Many were hatless, and occasionally a head was tied up with a handkerchief. It was anything

but a militarylooking crowd, but every one was ready for action, and such spiritedlooking creatures it is

rarely one's lot to see. Finding the reason for the hasty summons when they all gathered together, they could

The general did not tarry to give any but brief directions. He detailed an officer to remain in charge of the

garrison, and left him some hurried instructions. He stopped to caution me again not to go outside the post,

and with a hasty goodbye flung himself into the saddle and was off. The command spurred their horses

towards the opening in the bluff, not a quarter of a mile away, through which the last mules had passed. In

twenty minutes from the first alarm the garrison was emptied, and we women stood watching the cloud of

dust that the hoofs of the regimental horses had stirred as they hurled themselves through the cleft in the hills.

We had hardly collected our senses before we found that we were almost deserted. As a rule, there are

enough soldiers on garrison duty, who do not go on scouts, to protect the post, but in the mad haste of the

morning, and impelled by indignant fury at having the herd swept away from under their very noses as it

were, all this homeguard had precipitately left without permission. Fortunately for them, and his own peace

of mind regarding our safety, the general did not know of this until be returned. Besides, the officers never

dreamed the pursuit would last for more than a mile or so, as they had been so quick in preparing to follow.

After our gasping and wild heartbeating had subsided a little, we realized that, in addition to our anxiety for

those who hust left us, we were in peril ourselves. The women, with one instinct, gathered together. Though

Indians rarely attack a post directly, the pickets that were stationed on the low hills at the rear of the garrison

had been fired upon previously. We also feared that the buildings would be set on fire by the wily, creeping

savages. It was even thought that the running off of the herd was but a ruse to get the garrison out, in order to

attack the post. Of course we knew that only a portion of the Indians had produced the stampede, and we

feared that the remainder were waiting to continue the depredations, and were aware of our depleted

Huddled together in an inner room, we first tried to devise schemes for secreting ourselves. The hastilybuilt

quarters had then no cellars. How we regretted that a cave had not been prepared in the hill back of us for

hiding the women in emergencies. Our means of escape by the river were uncertain, as the ferryboat was in

a shocking condition; besides, the citizens in charge would very naturally detain the boat upon some pretext

on the safe side of the river. Finally, nervous and trembling over these conferences, we returned to the piazza,

and tried to think that it was time for the return of the regiment. Our house being the last in the line, and

commanding an extended view of the valley, we kept our lookout there. Each of us took turns in mounting

the porch railing, and, held there in place by the others, fixed the fieldglass on the little spot of earth through

which the command had vanished. With a plaintive little laugh, one of our number called out the inquiry that

has symbolized all beleaguered women from time immemorial, "Sister Anne, do you see any one coming?"

All of us scanned the horizon unflaggingly. We knew the Indian mode of taking observation. They pile a few

stones on the brow of the hill after dark; before dawn they creep up stealthily from the farther side, and hiding

behind the slight protection, watch all day long with unwearying patience. These little picket posts of theirs

were scattered all along the bluffs. We scarcely allowed ourselves to take our eyes off them. Once in a while

one of our group on watch called out that something was moving behind the rocks. Chairs were brought out

and placed beside her, in order that a second pair of eyes might confirm the statement. This threw our little

There was a window in the servants' room at the rear of the house, to and from which we ascended and

descended all day long. I do not think the actual fear of death was thought of so much as the allabsorbing

terror of capture. Our regiment had rescued some white women from captivity in Kansas, and we never forgot

their stories. One of our number became so convinced that their fate awaited us, that she called a resolute

woman one side to implore her to promise that, when the Indians came into the post, she would put a bullet

through her heart, before she carried out her determination to shoot herself. We sincerely discussed whether,

It would be expected that army women would know a great deal about firearms; I knew but few who did. I

never even went into the corner of my husband's library, where he kept his stand of unloaded arms, if I could

help it. I am compelled to confess that the holster of a pistol gave me a shiver. One of our ladies, however,

had a little of the Mollie Pitcher spirit. She had shot at a mark, and she promised to teach us to put in the

cartridges and discharge the piece. We were filled with envy because she produced a tiny Remington pistol

that heretofore she had carried in her pocket when travelling in the States. It was not much larger than a

leadpencil, and we could not help doubting its power to damage. She did not insist that it would kill, but

even at such a time we had to laugh at the vehement manner in which she declared that she could disable the

leg of an enemy. She seemed to think that sufficient pluck would be left to finish him afterwards. The officer

who had remained in command was obliged to see that the few troopers left were armed, and afterwards he

visited the pickets. Then he came to us and tried to quiet our fears, and from that time his life became a

We questioned twenty times his idea as to where he thought the command had gone, when it would come

back, and such other aimless queries as only the ingenuity of frightened woman can devise. He was driven

almost desperate. In assuring us that he hoped there was no immediate danger, he asked us to remember that

the infantry post was near enough to give assistance if we needed it. Alas, that post seemed miles away, and

we believed the gulleys that intervened between the two garrisons would be filled with Indians. After a

prolonged season of this experience, the officer tried to escape and go to his quarters. We were really so

anxious and alarmed that he had not the heart to resist our appeals to him to remain near.

And so that long day dragged away. About five o'clock in the afternoon a faint haze arose on the horizon. We

could hardly restrain our uneasy feet. We wanted to run up over the bluff to discover what it meant. We

regretted that we had given our word of honor that we would not leave the limits of the post. Soon after the

mules appeared, travelling wearily back through the same opening in the bluffs through which so many hours

before they had rushed headlong. We were bitterly disappointed to find only a few soldiers driving them, and

they gave but little news. When the regiment overtook the stock these men had been detailed to return with

the recaptured animals to the garrison; the command had pushed on in pursuit of the Indians.

The night set in, and still we were in suspense. We made a poor attempt to eat dinner; we knew that none of

the regiment had taken rations with them, and several of the officers had not even breakfasted. There was

From this miserable frame of mind we were thrown into a new excitement, but fortunately not of fear: we

heard the sound of the band ringing out on the still evening air. Every woman was instantly on the piazza.

From an entirely different direction from that in which they had left, the regiment appeared, marching to the

Such a welcome as met them! The relief from the anxiety of that unending day was inexpressible. When the

regiment was nearing the post, the general had sent in an orderly to bring the band out to meet them. He

cautioned him to secrecy, because he wished us to have a joyous release from the suspense he knew we had

The regiment had ridden twenty miles out, as hard as the speed of the horses would allow. The general, and

one other officer mounted like himself on a Kentucky thoroughbred, found themselves far in advance, and

almost up to some of the Indians. They seeing themselves so closely pressed, resorted to the cunning of their

race to escape. They threw themselves from their ponies, and plunged into the underbrush of a deep ravine

where no horse could follow. The ponies were captured, but it was useless to try any further pursuit. All the

horses were fagged, and the officers and men suffering from the want of food and water.

When the herders were questioned next day, it was found that the Indians had started the stampede by riding

suddenly up from the river where they had been concealed. Uttering the wildest yells, they each swung a

An astonishing collection of maimed and halt appeared the next morning; neither men nor officers had been

in the saddle during the winter. This sudden ride of so many miles, without preparation, had so bruised and

stiffened their joints and flesh that they could scarcely move naturally. When they sat down it was with the

groans of old men. When they rose they declared they would stand perpetually until they were again limber

As to the officer who had been left behind, he insisted that their fate was infinitely preferable to his. We

heard that he said to the others in confidence, that should he ever be detailed to command a garrison where

agitated women were left, he would protest and beg for active duty, no matter if his life itself were in

THE general began, as soon as the snow was off the ground, to improve the post. Young cottonwood

trees the only variety that would grow in that soil were transplanted from the river bank. They are so

full of sap that I have seen the leaves come out on the logs that had been cut some time and were in use as the

framework of our camphuts. This vitality, even when the roots were dying, deceived us into building hopes

that all the trees we planted would live. We soon found by experience, however, that it was not safe to regard

a few new leaves as a sure augury of the long life of these trees. It would have been difficult to estimate how

many barrels of water were poured around their roots during the summer. A few of them survived, even

One day my husband called me to the door, with a warning finger to come softly. He whispered to me to

observe a bird perched on a branch, and trying to get under the shade of two or three tiny leaflets that were

struggling to live. Such a harbinger of hope made us full of bright, anticipations of the day when our trees

No one who has not experienced it can dream what it is to live so many years in a glare as we did. Many of

the officers were almost blind from time to time, owing to the reflection of the sand over which they

marched, and with which they were surrounded in camp and garrison. I once asked a friend who had crossed

the plains several times, what she would prefer above everything else on the march. When she replied, "a

My husband felt that any amount of care spent on the poor little saplings would be labor well bestowed. If we

were ordered away, he knew that others coming after us, stationed in that dreary waste, would derive the

benefit. Several years afterwards I was assured that some one was reaping his sowing, for a largo leaf was

enclosed to me in an envelope, and a word added to explain that it was from the tree in front of our quarters.

On the opposite side of the Missouri River, except for the scattered underbrush along the banks, there was a

stretch of country for eighty miles eastward without a tree, and with hardly a bush. The only one I know of,

on our side of the river, I could not help calling a genuine ancestral tree. It was a buryingplace for the

Indians. We counted seventeen of them that were lashed to boards and laid across the main branches, and

there securely fastened, so that a tornado could not dislodge them. Much as we longed to enjoy what had

become by its rarity a novelty, the sitting under the shade of green trees, and hearing the sound of the wind

through the foliate, not one of us could be induced to tarry under those sepulchral boughs.

The struggles to make the grass grow on the sandy paradeground were unceasing. Not only would it have

been an improvement to the post, in its general appearance, but it would certainly have added materially to

our comfort. How we longed to escape from the clouds of dust that the unceasing wind took up in straight

whirling eddies and then wafted in great sheets of murky yellow into our doors and windows, making our

The general sent East for grassseed, which, with oats, were sown over and over again. Our referee on all

agricultural questions assured us that the oats sprouted so soon, the oncoming blades of grass would be

protected. He was so enthusiastically in earnest that he seemed to be studying the soil at all hours of the day

One moonlight night we were attracted to the gallery by seeing him stalking slowly back and forth, waving

his arms in apparent gesticulation of speech as he traversed the length of the paradeground. Some said, in

explanation, that the moon was at that stage when reason totters on her throne most readily; another declared

that, having become tired of the career of a Mars, he had resumed his old r�le as a statesman, and was

practising, addressing his imaginary constituents. All were wrong. The faithful promoter of the general good

was sowing oats again, doubtless hoping that the witchery of the moonlight would be a potent spell to induce

their growth. Even after such indefatigable efforts, the soil refused to encourage the sprouting of more than

A portion of ground near the river was assigned the companies for their gardens, and there were enough

soldiers looking forward to the result who counted it no hardship to plant, dig, and weed. All this tilling of the

soil inspired our energies, and a corner of our own yard was prepared. A high fence was put up so that the

staghounds, which make such incredible leaps, could not scale the enclosure. The household even gathered

about the general to see him drop the seed, so full of interest were we all. Long before it was time to look for

sprouting, we made daily pilgrimages to the corner and peered through the fence.

The general, Colonel Tom, and I watered, weeded, and watched the little bit of earth; the cook and

housemaid took our places and resumed our work when we ceased. Never was a patch of terra firma so

guarded and cared for! At last Mary became impatient, and even turned the tiny sprouts upside down, putting

the plants back after examining the roots. Her watch was more vigilant than ours, and she actually surprised

the general one morning by putting beside him a glass of radishes. It was really a sensation in our lives to

have raised them ourselves, and we could not help recalling the pitiful statement of a dear friend, who also

belonged to a mounted regiment, that she had planted gardens for twelve successive springs, but had never

been stationed long enough in one place to reap the benefit of a single attempt. Of course, being naturally so

sanguine as a family, we began in imagination almost to taste the oncoming beets, turnips, etc. We reckoned

too hastily, however, for a perfect army of grasshoppers appeared one day. They came in swarms, and when

we looked up at the sun we seemed to be gazing through clouded air. Absorbed in this curious sight we forgot

our precious garden; but Colonel Tom remembered, and insisted upon trying an experiment recommended in

print by a Minnesota farmer. Seizing some tins from the kitchen, and followed by the servants and their

mistress, all armed in the same manner, we adopted the advice of the newspaper paragraph, and beat the

metal with perfectly deafening noise around the small enclosure. Had grasshoppers been sensitive to sound, it

would have ended in our triumph. As it was, they went on peacefully and stubbornly, eating every twig in our

sight. Having finished everything, they soared away, carrying on their departing wings our dreams of radishes

and young beets! The company gardens were demolished in the same manner, and every one returned for

I remember the look of amazement that came into the face of a luxurious citizen when I told him that we gave

a dinner at once if we had the goodfortune to get anything rare. "And, pray, what did you call a rarity?" he

responded. I was obliged to own that over a plebeian cabbage we have had a real feast. Once in a great while

We used condensed milk, and as for eggs, they were the greatest of luxuries. In the autumn we brought from

St. Paul several cases, but five hundred miles of jostling made great havoc with them.

The receiptbooks were exasperating. They invariably called for cream and fresh eggs, and made the cook

furious. It seemed to me that some officer's servant on the frontier must have given the receipt for waffles, for

it bears the indefinite tone of the darky: "Eggs just as you haz 'em, honey; a sprinklin' of flour as you can hold

The crystallized eggs, put up in cans and being airtight, kept a long time, and were of more use to us than any

invention of the day. In drying the egg, the yolks and whites were mixed together, and nothing could be made

of this preparation when the two parts were required to be used separately. It made very good battercakes,

In the, spring, when it was no longer safe to hunt, we had to return to beef, as we had no other kind of meat.

My husband never seemed to tire of it, however, and suggested to one of our friends who had the hackneyed

motto in his diningroom, that she change it to "Give us this day our daily beef."

Once only, in all those years of frontier life, I had strawberries. They were brought to me as a present from St.

Paul. The day they came there were, as usual, a number of our friends on the piazza. I carefully counted noses

first, and hastily went in before any one else should come, to divide the small supply into infinitesimal

portions. I sent the tray out by the maid, and was delayed a moment before following her. My husband

stepped inside, his face as pleased as a child over the surprise, but at the same time his eyes hastily scanning

the buttery shelves for more berries. When I found that in that brief delay another officer had come upon the

porch, and that the general had given him his dish, I was greatly disappointed. In vain my husband assured

me, in response to my unanswerable appeal, asking him why he had not kept them himself, that it was hardly

his idea of hospitality. I was only conscious of the fact that having been denied them all these years, he had,

This doubtless seems like a very trifling circumstance to chronicle, and much less to leave grieved over, but

there are those who, having ventured "eight miles from a lemon," have gained some faint idea what

When such a life goes on year after year, and one forgets even the taste of fruit and fresh vegetables, it

THE order came early in the season to rebuild our burned quarters, and the suggestion was made that the

general should plan the interior. Ho was wholly taken up with the arrangement of the rooms, in order that

they might be suitable for the entertainment of the garrison. Though he did not enter into all the post gayety,

he realized that ours would be the only house large enough for the accommodation of all the garrison, and

that it should belong to every one. It was a pleasure to watch the progress of the building, and when the

quartermaster gave the order for a baywindow, to please me, I was really grateful. The window not only

broke the long line of the parlor wall, but varied the severe outlines of the usual type of army quarters.

On one side of the hall was the general's library, our room and dressingroom. The parlor was opposite, and

was thirtytwo feet in length. It opened with slidingdoors into the diningroom, and still beyond was the

kitchen. Upstairs there was a long room for the billiardtable, and we had sleepingrooms and

servantrooms besides. To our delight, we could find a place for everybody. Space was about all we had,

however; there was not a modern improvement. The walls were unpapered, and not even tinted; the windows

went up with a struggle, and were held open by wooden props. Each room had an oldfashioned boxstove,

such as our grandfathers gathered round in country schoolhouses. We had no well or cistern, and not even a

drain, while the sun poured in, unchecked by a blind of even primitive shape. It was a palace, however,

compared with what we had been accustomed to in other stations, and I know we were too contented to give

My husband was enchanted to have a room entirely for his own use. Our quarters had heretofore been too

small for him to have any privacy in his work. He was like a rook, in the sly manner in which he made raids

on the furniture scattered through the rooms, and carried off the best of everything to enrich his corner of the

house. He filled it with the trophies of the chase. Over the mantel a buffalo's head plunged, seemingly, out of

the wall. (Buffaloes were rare in Dakota, but this was one the general had killed from the only herd he had

seen on the campaign.) The head of the first grisly that he had shot, with its open jaws and great fanglike

teeth, looked fiercely down on the pretty, meekfaced jackrabbits on the mantel. (My husband greatly

valued the bear's head, and in writing to me of his hunting had said of it: "I leave reached the height of a

hunter's fame I have killed a grisly.") Several antelope heads were also on the walls. One had a mark in the

throat where the general had shot him at a distance of six hundred yards. The head of a beautiful blacktailed

deer was another souvenir of a hunt the general had made with Bloody Knife, the favorite Indian scout. When

they sighted the deer they agreed to fire together, the Indian selecting the head, the general talking the heart.

They fired simultaneously, and the deer fell, the bullets entering head and heart. The scout could not repress a

grunt of approval, as the Indian considers the white man greatly his inferior as a hunter or a marksman. A

sandbill crane, which is very hard to bring down, stood on a pedestal by itself. A mountain eagle, a yellow

fox, and a tiny fox with a brush called out there a swift wore disposed of in different corners. Over his

desk, claiming a perch by itself on a pair of deerantlers, was a great white owl. On the floor before the

fireplace, where he carried his love for building fires so far as to put on the logs himself, was spread the

immense skin of a grisly bear. On a wide lounge at one side of the room my husband used to throw himself

down on the cover of a Mexican blanket, often with a dog for his pillow. The campchairs had the skins of

beavers and American lions thrown over them. A stand for arms in one corner held a collection of pistols,

huntingknives, Winchester and Springfield rifles, shotguns and carbines, and even an old flintlock

musket as a variety. From antlers above hung sabres, spurs, ridingwhips, gloves and caps, fieldglasses, the

mapcase, and the great compass used on marches. One of the sabres was remarkably large, and when it was

given to the general during the war it was accompanied by the remark that there was doubtless no other arm

in the service that could wield it. (My husband was next to the strongest man while at West Point, and his life

after that had only increased his power.) The sabre was a Damascus blade, and made of such finelytempered

steel that it could be bent nearly double. It had been captured during the war, and looked as if it might have

been handed down from some Spanish ancestor. On the blade was engraved a motto in that highflown

Large photographs of the men my husband loved kept him company on the walls; they were of General

McClellan, General Sheridan, and Mr. Lawrence Barrett. Over his desk was a picture of his wife in bridal

dress. Comparatively modern art was represented by two of the Rogers statuettes that we had carried about

with us for years. Transportation for necessary household articles was often so limited it was sometimes a

question whether anything that was not absolutely needed for the preservation of life should be taken with us;

but our attachment for those little figures, and the associations connected with them, made us study out a way

always to carry them. At the end of each journey we unboxed them ourselves, and sifted the sawdust through

our fingers carefully, for the figures were invariably dismembered. My husband's first occupation was to

hang the few pictures and mend the statuettes. He glued on the broken portions and moulded putty in the

crevices where the biscuit had crumbled. Sometimes he had to replace a bit that was lost, and, as he was very

fond of modelling, I rather imagined that he was glad of an opportunity to practise on our broken statuettes.

My husband, like many other men who achieve success in the graver walks of life, could go on and

accomplish his ends without being dependent on the immediate voice of approval. In all the smaller, more

trifling acts of daily life he asked for a prompt acknowledgment. It amused me greatly, it was so like a

woman, who can scarcely exist without encouragement. When he had reset an arm or modelled a cap I could

On one occasion we found the head of a figure entirely severed from the trunk. Nothing daunted, he fell to

patching it up again. I had not the conscience to promise him the future of a Thorwaldsen this time. The

distorted throat, made of unwieldy putty, gave the formerly erect, soldierly neck a decided appearance of

goitre. My laughter discouraged the impromptu artist, who for one moment felt that a "restoration" is not

quite equal to the original. He declared that he would put a coat of gray paint over all, so that in a dim corner

they might pass for new. I insisted that it should be a very dark corner! Both of the statuettes represented

scenes from the war. One was called 'Wounded to the Rear," the other," Letter Day." The latter was the figure

of a soldier sitting in a cramped, bent position, holding an inkstand in one hand and scratching his head for

thoughts, with the pen. The inane poise of his chin as ho looked up into the uninspiring air, and the hopeless

expression of his eyes as he searched for ideas, showed how unusual to him were all efforts at composition.

We had a witty friend who had served with my husband during the war. Many an evening in front of our open

fire they fought over their old battles together. He used to look at the statuette quizzically, as he seated

himself near the hearth, and once told us that he never saw it without being reminded of his own struggles

during the war to write to his wife. She was Southern in sympathies as well as in birth, but too absolutely

devoted to her husband to remain at her Southern home. When he wrote to her at the North, where she was

staying, it was quite to be understood that there was a limit to topics between them, as they kept strictly to

subjects that were foreign to the vexed question. To the army in the field, the allabsorbing thought was of

the actual occurrences of the day. The past was for the time blotted out; the future had no personal plans in

the hearts of men who fought as our heroes did. And so it came to pass that the letters between the two, with

such diversity of sentiment regarding the contest, were apt to be short and solely personal. How the eyes of

that bright man twinkled when he said, "I used to look just like that man in the Rogers statuette, when I was

racking my brains to fill up the sheet of paper. My orders carried me constantly through the country where

my wife's kin lived. Why, Custer, old man, I could not write to her and say, 'I have cut the canal in the

Shenandoah Valley and ruined your mother's plantation," or, 'Yesterday I drove off all your brother's stock to

feed our army.' Of course one can't talk sentiment on every line, and so I sometimes sent off a mighty s

We often lounged about my husband's room at dusk without a lamp. The firelight reflected the large glittering

eyes of the animals' heads, and except that we were such a jolly family, the surroundings would have

suggested arenas and martyrs. I used to think that a man on the brink of mania a potu, thrust suddenly into

such a place in the dim flickering light, would be hurried to his doom by fright. We loved the place dearly.

The great difficulty was that the general would bury himself too much, in the delight of having a castle as

When he had worked too long and steadily I opened the doors, determined that his room should not resemble

that of Walter Scott. An old engraving represents a room in which but one chair is significantly placed. In our

plans for a home in our old age we included a den for my husband at the top of the house. We had read

somewhere of one like that ascribed to Victor Hugo. The room was said not even to have a staircase, but was

I USED to be thankful that ours was a mounted regiment on one account: if we had belonged to the infantry,

the regiment would have been sent out much sooner. The horses were too valuable to have their lives

endangered by encountering a blizzard, while it was believed that an enlisted man had enough pluck and

endurance to bring him out of a storm in one way or another. Tardy as the spring was up there, the grass

began at last to be suitable for grazing, and preparations for an expedition to the Black Hills were being

carried on. I had found accidentally that my husband was fitting up an ambulance for travelling, and as he

never rode in one himself, nor arranged to take one for his own comfort, I decided at once that he was

planning to take me with him. Mary and I had lived in such close quarters that she counted on going also, and

went to the general to petition. To keep her from knowing that he intended to take us, he argued that we could

not get along with so little room; that there was only to be allowed half a wagon for the camp outfit of the

headquarters mess. "You dun' know better'n that, giniral?" she replied; "me and Miss Libbie could keep

At the very last, news came through Indian scouts that the summer might be full of danger, and my heart was

almost broken at finding that the general did not dare to take me with him. Whatever peril might be awaiting

me on the expedition, nothing could be equal to the suffering of suspense at home.

The black hour came again, and with it the terrible parting which seemed a foreshadowing of the most intense

anguish that our Heavenly Father can send to his children. When I resumed my life, and tried to portion off

the day with occupations, in order that the time should fly faster, I found that the one silver thread running

through the dark woof of the dragging hours was the hope of the letters we were promised. Scouts were to be

The infantry came to garrison our post. In the event of attack, my husband left a Gatling gun on the hills at

the rear of the camp. It is a small cannon, which is discharged by turning a crank that scatters the shot in all

directions, and is especially serviceable at short range. A detachment of soldiers was stationed on the bluff

back of us, that commanded the most extended view of the country. The voice of the sentinel calling, at

regular intervals during the night, "All's well," often closed our anxious eyes. Out there one slept lightly, and

any unusual noise was attributed to an attack on our pickets, and caused us many a wakeful hour. With what

relief we looked up daily to the little group of tents, when we finally realized that we were alone.

The officer who commanded this little station was an old bachelor who did not believe in marriage in the

army. Not knowing this, we told him, with some enthusiasm, how safe and thankful we felt in having him for

our defender. He quite checked our enthusiasm by replying, briefly, "that in case of attack, his duty was to

protect Government property; the defence of women came last." This was the first instance I had ever known

We were not effectually suppressed, for the only safe place in which we could walk was along the beat of the

sentry, on the brow of the hill, near the tent of this zoological specimen. Here we resorted every evening at

twilight to try and get cool, for the sun burns fiercely during the short northern summer. With the hot weather

the mosquito war began Fort Lincoln was celebrated as the worst place in the United States for these pests.

The inundations recurring each spring opposite us, brought later in the year myriads of the insects; those I had

known on the Red River of the South were nothing in comparison. If the wind was in a certain direction, they

tormented us all day long. I can see now how we women looked, taking our evening stroll: a little procession

of fluttering females, with scarfs and overdresses drawn over our heads, whisking handkerchiefs and beating

the air with fans. It required constant activity to keep off the swarms of those wretched little insects that

annoyed us every moment during our airing. In the evening we became almost desperate. It seemed very

hard, after our long winter's imprisonment, to miss a single hour outofdoors during the short summer.

We had petitioned that in the rebuilding of our house the piazza around it should be made wide, like those we

enjoyed in the South. On this delightful gallery we assembled every evening. We were obliged to make

special toilets for our protection, and they were far from picturesque or becoming. Some one discovered that

wrapping newspapers around our ankles and foot, and drawing the stocking over, would protect down to the

slipper; then, after tucking our skirts closely around us, we fixed ourselves in a chair, not daring to move.

One night a strange officer came to see us, and taking his place among the group of huddledup women, he

tried not to smile. I discovered him taking in my tout ensemble, however, and realized myself what an

incongruity I was on that lovely gallery and in the broad moonlight. I had adopted a headnet: they are little

tarlatan bags, gathered at one end and just large enough to slip over the head; rattans are run round these to

prevent their touching the face they look like dolls' crinolines, and would make a seraph seem ugly. In

desperation I had added a waterproof cloak, buckskin gauntlets, and forgot to hide under my gown the tips of

the general's ridingboots! Tucked up like a mummy, I was something at which no one could resist laughing.

The stranger beat off the mosquitoes until there lay on the floor before him a black semicircle of those he

had slain. He acknowledged later that all vanity regarding personal appearance would be apt to disappear

before the attacks to which we were subjected. We fought in succession five varieties of mosquitoes; the last

that came were the most vicious. They were so small they slid easily through the ordinary bar, and we had to

put an inside layer of tarlatan on doors and windows. We did not venture to light a lamp in the evening, and

at five o'clock the netting was let down over the beds, and doors and windows closed. When it came time to

retire we removed our garments in another room, and grew skilful in making sudden sallies into the

The cattle and horses suffered pitiably during the reign of the mosquitoes. They used to push their way into

the underbrush to try if a thicket would afford them protection; if a fire were lighted for their relief, they

huddled together on the side towards which the wind blew the smoke. As it was down by the river, they were

worse off than ever. The cattle grew thin, for there were days when it was impossible for them to graze. We

knew of their being driven mad and dying of exhaustion after a long season of torment. The poor dogs dug

deep holes in the side of the hills, where they half smothered in their attempt to escape.

The Missouri River at the point where we had to cross sometimes represented a lifetime of terror to me. We

were occasionally compelled to go to the town of Bismarck, four miles back on the other side. I could not

escape the journey, for it was the termination of the railroad, and officers and their families coming from the

East were often detained there; while waiting for the steamer to take them to their posts they were compelled

to stay in the untidy, uncomfortable little hotel. If I sent for them they declined to come to us, fearing they

might make extra trouble; if I went for them in the post ambulance, I rarely made a fruitless errand. Even

when elated with the prospect of a little outing at St. Paul, I so dreaded that terrible river that we must cross

going and coming, it almost destroyed my pleasure for a time. The current was so swift that it was almost

impossible for the strongest swimmer to save himself if once he fell in: the mud settled on him instantly,

clogged his movements, and bore him under. Some of the soldiers had been drowned in attempting to cross,

in frail, insecure skiffs, to the drinkinghuts opposite. As I looked into this roaring torrent, whose current

rushes on at the rate of six miles an hour, I rarely failed to picture to myself the upturned faces of these lost

The river is very crooked, and full of sandbars, the channel changing every year. The banks are so

honeycombed by the force of the water that great portions are constantly caving in. They used to fall with a

loud thud into the river, seeming to unsettle the very foundations of the earth. In consequence, it was hard

work for the ferryboat to make a landing, and more difficult to keep tied up, when once there.

The boat we were obliged to use was owned by some citizens who had contracted with the Government to do

the work at that point. In honor of its new duty they renamed it The Union. The Western word "ramshackly"

described it. It was too large and unwieldy for the purpose, and it had been condemned as unsafe farther

down the river, where citizens value life more highly. The wheezing and groaning of the old machinery told

plainly how great an effort it was to propel the boat at all. The road down to the plank was so steep, cut deep

into the bank as it was, that even with the brakes on, the ambulance seemed to be turning a somersault over

the four mules. They kicked and struggled, and opposed going on the boat at all. We struck suddenly at the

foot of the incline, with a thump that threw us off the seat of the ambulance. The "hiyis" of the driver, the

creak of the iron brake, and the expressive remarks of the boatman in malediction upon the mules, made it all

seem like a descent into Hades, and the river Styx an enviable river in contrast. The ambulance was placed on

deck, where we could see the patched boiler, and through the chinks and seams of the furnaces we watched

After we were once out in the channel the real trouble began. I never knew, when I started for Bismarck,

whether we would not land at Yankton, five hundred miles below. The wheel often refused to revolve more

than halfway, the boat would turn about, and we would shoot down the river at a mad rate. I used to receive

elaborate nautical explanations from the confused old captain why that happened. My intellect was slow to

take in any other thought than the terrifying one that he had lost control of the boat. I never felt tranquil,

even when the difficulty was righted, until I set my foot on the shore, though the ground itself was insecure

from being honeycombed by the current. The captain doubtless heard my paean of thanks when I turned my

back on his old craft, for once afterwards I received from him a crumpled, soiled letter, with curious spelling

and cramped hand, in which he addressed me as "highly honored lady," and in loftysounding terms

proceeded to praise his boat, assuring me that if I would deign to confer on him the honor of my presence, he

would prove it to be quite safe, and as "peert" a steamer as sailed. With a great flourish, he ended," for The

We were told, when the expedition started, that we might expect our first letters in two weeks. The mail was

delayed, unfortunately, and each day after the fortnight had expired seemed a month. In spite of all my efforts

to be busy, there was little heart in any occupation. The women met together every day and read aloud in

turn. Every one set to work to make a present for the absent ones with which to surprise them on their return.

We played croquet. This was tame sport, however, for no one dared to vary the humdrum diversion by a

brisk little quarrel, which is the usual accompaniment of that game. We feared to disagree even over trifles,

We knew that we could not expect, in that climate, that the freshness of summer would last for more than a

short time after the sun had come to its supremest in the way of heat. The drouth was unbroken; the dews

were hardly perceptible. That year even our brief enjoyment of the verdure was cut short. A sirocco came up

suddenly. The sky became coppercolored, and the air murky and stifling; the slightest touch of metal, or

even the doorhandles, almost blistered the fingers. The strong wind that blew seemed to shrivel the skin as it

touched us. The grass was burned down into the roots, and we had no more of it that season. This wind lasted

for two hours, and we could not keep back apprehensions at the strange occurrence. After that, during the

summer, as we walked over the little space allowed us, our shoes were cut by the crisp brown stubble, and the

sod was dry and unyielding under our feet. As far as we could see, the scorched earth sent up over its surface

floating waves of heated atmosphere. No green thing was left. The only flowers that had not been scorched

out of existence were the soap plants, which have a swordlike stalk, out of which grow the thick, creamy

petals of its flower. The roots that extend for many feet in all directions near the surface of the soil, enable it

to secure moisture sufficient to keep it alive. The only other flower was the bluebell, which dotted a hill

where we were accustomed to climb in order to command a better view of the country in our efforts to

discover the scouts with the mail. One can scarcely imagine how hungrily we gazed at those little blossoms.

They swung lightly on their cunningly fashioned stems, that swayed and tossed the tiny azure cups, but

withstood the strongest wind. I cannot see even a sketch of that flower now without thinking how grateful we

were for them out there in that stripped and almost "Godforgotten" land. When we threw ourselves on the

turf among them, the little bells almost seemed to us to ring out a tiny sound, as if they were saying, in

Some of our eyes seemed to be perpetually strained, watching the horizon for the longedfor scouts. At dawn

one morning which is at three o'clock in summer in Dakota I was awakened by strange sounds at the

door. When I drew the curtain, there were the Ree scouts, and on their ponies the mailbag, marked by some

facetious hand, "Black Hills Express." It took but a second to fling on a wrapper and fairly tumble down the

steps. The Indians made the sign of long hair and called "Ouches," which is the word denoting that in their

language. (The general had borne this name with them for some time.) I was too impatient to wait their tardy

movements, and tried to loosen the mail bag. The Indian, always pompous and important if he carries

despatches, wafted me away. I understood enough, to be sure, that no one would receive the mail but the

officer in command. As the scouts slowly moved down the line towards his quarters, other impatient female

figures with flying hair came dancing restlessly out on the porches. Every woman soon knew that news had

come. Even the cooks, scantily attired, ran out to stand beside their mistresses and wave their fat arms to the

Indians to hurry them on. Our faithful soldier, Keevan, whom my husband had left to care for us, hearing the

commotion, came to ask what he could do. I sent him to bring back the letters. He, in his turn, thinking only

to serve me, made an effort to open the mailbag, but the watchful Indian suppressed him quickly. The old

fellow's face beamed with delight when he placed the great official envelope, crowded with closelywritten

pages, in my hand. How soon they were devoured, though, and what a blank there seemed in the day when

Three times after that we had letters. They were most interesting, with descriptions of the charm of travelling

over ground no white feet had ever before touched. My family could not avoid, even at that distance, studying

up little plans to tease me. After describing their discovery and entrance into a large and almost hidden cave,

my husband said that Colonel Tom and he had come upon the bones of a white man, doubtless the only one

who had ever set foot in that portion of the world. Beside him lay a tin cup, some buttons from his coat, and a

rusty, ancient flintlock musket. All were marked with his initials. They were the same as those of one of the

friends whom I had known when a little romping girl of seventeen. "This," they said, in the language of a

dime novel, "explains the mysterious disappearance of your old love. Rather than meet such a fate as awaited

him in marrying you, old lady, he has chosen to seek out solitude in a cavern, and there die." Of course I

thought even the story of the finding of the cave a fabrication for my benefit. I enjoyed it hugely, and thought

what ingenuity they had employed to invent such a tale. When they came back at the end of the summer, and

brought the musket and other mementos, with the very initials rusting in the metal, and declared on honor that

they had found the skeleton, I was compelled to believe them. Not that the remains of the unfortunate man

were those of my early friend, who was soon afterwards accounted for, but that some unhappy man had

When the day of their return came, I was simply wild with joy. I hid behind the door as the command rode

into garrison, ashamed to be seen crying and laughing and dancing up and down with excitement. I tried to

remain there and receive the general, screened from the eyes of outsiders. It was impossible was down the

steps and beside my husband without being conscious of how I got there. I was recalled to my senses and

overwhelmed with confusion by a great cheer from the soldiers, who, I had forgotten, were lookerson.

Regular soldiers rarely cheer, and the unusual sound, together with the embarrassment into which I had

When we could take time to look every one over, they were all amusing enough. Some wives did not know

their husbands, and looked indignant enough when caught in an embrace by an apparent stranger. Many, like

the general, had grown heavy beards. All were sunburnt, their hair faded, and their clothes so patched that

the original blue of the uniform was scarcely visible. Of course there had been nothing on the expedition save

pieces of white canvas with which to reinforce the ridingbreeches, put new elbows on sleeves, and replace

The boots were out at the toes, and the clothing of some were so beyond repairing that the officers wanted to

escape observation by slipping, with their tattered rags, into the kitchendoor. The instruments of the band

were jammed and tarnished, but they still produced enough music for us to recognize the old tune of

Byandby the long wagontrain appeared. Many of the covers had elk horns strapped to them, until they

looked like strange bristling animals as they drew near. Some of the antlers were brought to us as presents.

Besides them we had skins, specimens of gold and mica, and petrified shells of iridescent colors, snake

rattles, pressed flowers, and petrified wood. My husband brought me a keg of the most delicious water from a

mountainstream. It was almost my only look at clear water for years, as most of the streams west of the

As soon as the column appeared in sight, the old soldier who had served me with such fidelity all summer

went to Mary to tell her the news. He also said that as long as the general had put Mrs. Custer in his charge he

knew how to behave. Now, being no longer on honor, he added, "I intend to celebrate their return by going on

a tremendous 'bum.'" How any one could get drunk in so short a time was a mystery. The general had hardly

removed his buckskincoat before the old fellow stumbled up the steps and nearly fell in the door, with his

arms full of puppies that had arrived during the summer. The rejoicing was too general for misdemeanors to

be noticed. The man was thanked for his watchful care over me during the months past, and advised to find a

FROM the clouds and gloom of those summer days, I walked again into the broad blaze of sunshine which

my husband's blithe spirit made. I did everything I could to put out of my mind the long, anxious, lonely

months. It was still pleasant enough to ride, and occasionally we went out in parties large enough to be safe,

and had a jackrabbit or wolf chase. In the autumn we went into the States on a short leave of absence. Much

to our regret we had to take our prized girlfriend home. Her family begged for her return. The last goodbye

to us was an appeal from the young officers to bring back another; and we did so, for while we were East we

had the goodfortune to persuade another father and mother to part with their daughter.

An incident of our journey was an amusing illustration of the vicissitudes of Western life. In passing through

Fargo, on the Northern Pacific Railroad, an old townsman of ours always came to see us, but invariably after

dark. He had taken a claim in the very heart of the town, which was disputed by an energetic widow. If he left

his place in the daytime for a few hours, he invariably returned to find his cabin occupied by the goods and

chattels of the widow, and his own effects reposing on the snow outside his door. Then ensued the ejection of

the interloper by one of the town authorities, and our friend would reestablish himself. After these raids

were repeated a few times, he learned to keep guard during the day and steal out after dark. In vain outsiders

advised him to settle the difficulty by asking a clergyman to unite the claims. His eyes turned from the widow

to a young girl in his native State, who now presides unmolested over the disputed domicile, while the widow

The question of servants was a very serious one to those living on the borders of civilization as we did. There

was never a station equal to those frozenup regions. Should servants go out there in the fall, they were

almost certain to become engaged to the soldiers and marry after the trains were taken off and no new ones

could reach us. It often happened that delicate ladies had to do all kinds of menial service for a time. Except

for a kindhearted soldier now and then, who was too devoted to the wife of his company officer to see her

do everything, I hardly know how army ladies would have endured their occasional domestic trials. The

soldiers were especially fond of children, and knew how to amuse them; indeed, a willing heart made them

quick to learn all kinds of domestic work. I think they even regretted that they could not sew, when they saw

an overtaxed lady wearily moving her needle. We had no trouble, fortunately. Our colored cook not only

commanded us, and as much of the post as she could, but she tyrannized over her two sisters whom she had

brought from Kentucky for us. These were thought excellent servants, but Mary, invested with a "little brief

authority," ruled like a despot. The youngest having been born after the emancipation proclamation, was

looked down upon by her elder sister, who bad been a slave. In her moments of rage the most deadly insult

was to call the younger one "you worthless free nigger, you!" I think with deep gratitude of their devotion to

us. As they were colored people they had not even the excitement of beaux among the enlisted men.

Sometimes they sighed and longed for home. At such times Mary used to say to me, "Miss Libbie, you has

the giniral, and you don' mind whar you is so long as you has him, but you can't tell what it is for us to live in

When we reached St. Paul, on our return from leave of absence, we were generally met with telegrams from

our friends at Fort Lincoln, imploring us to bring them cooks. The railroad officials were good enough to give

us passes, so we could always take them without much trouble. The first time after advertising, only the

young and pretty ones were selected from those who came to as at the hotel. Their almost instantaneous

capitulation to the devotion of the soldiers taught us a lesson. After that we only took the middleaged and

plain. When we were fairly started on our journey, the general would look them over, chuckle to himself, and

jog my elbow for me to see the ancients as tourists. He would add, under his breath, that evidently we had

settled the question that time, for no soldier would look at such antediluvians. He reckoned too soon. He

hardly took into consideration that after hundreds of soldiers had lived for months without seeing so much as

the distant flutter of a woman's drapery, they ceased to be fastidious or critical. Without an exception these

antique, parchmentfaced women, in a few weeks after we had delivered them over to their mistresses, began

to metamorphose. They bought tawdry ornaments at the sutler's store, and hurried after dinner to adorn

themselves to meet the enlisted men, who even under adverse circumstances will "awooing go."

I remember well the disheartened eyes of one of our pretty young friends when she told me it was of no

manner of use to try and keep a white servant. Even the ugly old female that we had brought her, and that

cooked so well, was already beginning to primp and powder. By this time our dearly loved neighbor had

become exhausted by the almost constant care of her two children, and with only inefficient servants to help

her. Through our sympathy for the hard life she led out in that wilderness we had fallen into the way of

calling her "poor Miss Annie," having known her as a girl. In the States she would have been "rich Miss

Annie." With a brave, handsome husband, a distinguished father, an abundant income, and bright, healthful

children, she was rich. It would not have been strange if the clouds had obscured these blessings, living the

taxing, wearying life she did on the frontier. In vain the devoted husband sought to share her cares. The very

climax of her troubles seemed to have arrived when she confided to me that she would soon need an

experienced nurse to care for her through her coming peril. The trains had ceased running, so that one could

not be sent on from St. Paul. There was no neighborly help to be expected even, for all of our ladies were

young and inexperienced. There seemed to be no one to whom we could look for aid. Instead of rejoicing, as

we would have done in the States over the sweet privilege of coming maternity, we cried and were almost

disconsolate. There were no soft, dainty clothes to receive the little stranger, no one to take care of it when it

did come; the young surgeon was wholly inexperienced in such duty, and the future looked gloomy enough.

Fortunately, I remembered at last one of the camp women, who had long followed the regiment as laundress,

and had led a quiet, orderly life. "Poor Miss Annie" shuddered when I spoke of her, for the woman was a

Mexican, and like the rest of that hairy tribe she had so coarse and stubborn a beard that her chin had a blue

look after shaving, in marked contrast to her swarthy face. She was tall, angular, awkward, and seemingly

coarse, but I knew her to be tenderhearted. In days gone by I had found, when she told me her troubles, that

When she first came to our regiment she was married to a trooper, who, to all appearances, was good to her.

My first knowledge of her was in Kentucky. She was our laundress, and when she brought the linen home, it

was fluted and frilled so daintily that I considered her a treasure. She always came at night, and when I went

out to pay her she was very shy, and kept a veil pinned about the lower part of her face. The cook told me one

day that she was sick and in trouble, and I went to see her. It seemed the poor thing had accumulated several

hundred dollars by washing, baking pies for the soldiers, and sewing the clothes for them that had been

refitted by the tailor. Her husband had obtained possession of the money and had deserted. She told me that

she had lived a rough life before coming to the 7th, even dressing as a man in order to support herself by

driving the oxteams over the plains to New Mexico. The railroads had replaced that mode of transporting

freight, and she was thrown out of employment. Finding the life as a laundress easier, she had resumed her

woman's dress and entered the army, and thinking to make her place more secure, had accepted the hand of

the man whose desertion she was now mourning. It was not long after this, however, before "Old Nash" (for

through everything she kept her first husband's name) consoled herself. Without going through the ceremony

or expense of a divorce, she married another soldier, and had come with us out to Dakota. Of course her

husband was obliged to march with his company. It was a hard life for her, camping out with the other

laundresses, as they are limited for room, and several are obliged to share a tent together. In the daytime they

ride in an army wagon, huddled in with children and baggage. After all the rough summer outofdoors, it

was a great boon to her to get a little cabin in Laundress Row, at our post. Another trouble came to her,

however: her new husband succeeded in stealing her savings and deserting like the first. "Old Nash" mourned

her money a short time, but soon found solace in going to the soldiers' balls dressed in gauzy, lownecked

gowns. Notwithstanding her architectural build and massive features, she had no sooner accumulated another

bank account than her hand was solicited for the third time. Again ignoring the law, and thinking divorce a

superfluous luxury, she captured the handsomest soldier in his company. He was Colonel Tom's own man,

and when we were riding we often admired the admirably fitting uniform his wife had made over, and which

displayed to advantage his wellproportioned figure. It was certainly a mariage de convenance. Fortunes are

comparative; a few hundred dollars out there was quite equal to many thousands in New York. The trooper

thought he had done a very good thing for himself, for notwithstanding his wife was no longer young, and

was undeniably homely, she could cook well and spared him from eating with his company, and she was a

good investment, for she earned so much by her industry. In addition to all these traits, she was already that

The bride and groom returned from the ceremony performed by the Bismarck clergyman, and began

housekeeping in the little quarters "Old Nash" had refurbished for the occasion. When "Miss Annie" and I

went down to see her and make our petitions, we found the little place shining. The bed was hung with pink

cambric, and on some shelves she showed us silk and woollen stuffs for gowns; bits of carpet were on the

floor, and the dresser, improvised out of a packingbox, shone with polished tins. Outside we were presented

to some chickens, which were riches indeed out there in that Nova Zemblian climate. She was very gentle

with our friend when we told our errand, and gave her needful advice in her broken Mexican tongue. After

listening to her tribute to the goodness of her husband, we made such pitiful entreaties that we at last

prevailed on her to leave him. She insisted upon the promise that she might come home every evening and

cook her "manny manny's supper." We learned frown her that her own two children had died in Mexico, and

that she had learned midwifery from her mother, and confirmed, what I had previously heard, that she had

constant practice among the camp women. "Old Nash" appeared at the required hour, and was as skilful a

physician as she was a nurse. My friend used to whisper to me that when she watched her moving about in

the dim light of the sickroom, she thought with a shiver sometimes how like a man she seemed.

Occasionally she came to the bed, and in her harsh voice asked, "Are you comph?" meaning comfortable.

The gentle, dexterous manner in which she lifted and cared for the little woman quieted her dread of this

great giraffe. By degrees I was promoted to the duty of bathing and dressing the little newcomer, the young

mother giving directions from the pillow. When "Old Nash" was no longer absolutely necessary she went

Her past life of hardship and exposure told on her in time, and she became ailing and rheumatic. Finally, after

we had left Dakota, we heard that when death approached, she made an appeal to the camp women who

surrounded her and had nursed her through her illness; she implored them to put her in her coffin just as she

was when she died and bury her at once. They, thinking such a course would not be paying proper attention

to the dead, broke their promise. The mystery which the old creature had guarded for so many years, through

a life always public and conspicuous, was revealed: "Old Nash," years before, becoming weary of the

laborious life of a man, had assumed the disguise of a woman, and hoped to carry the secret into the grave.

The surgeon's certificate, stating the sex of "Old Nash," together with the simple record of a laundress in the

regiment for ten years, was all the brief history ever known. After enduring the gibes and scoffs of his

comrades for a few days, life became unbearable to the handsome soldier who bad played the part of husband

in order to gain possession of his wife's savings and vary the plain fare of the soldier with good suppers; he

went into one of the company's stables when no one was there and shot himself. When our friend, whom the

old creature had so carefully nursed, read the newspaper paragraph describing the death, her only comment

was a reference to the Mexican's oftrepeated question to her, "Poor old thing, I hope she is 'comph' at last."

AS the second winter progressed it bade fair to be a repetition of the first, until an event happened that

I must preface my account of the occurrence by going back to the summer of the Yellowstone campaign. Two

of the citizens attached to the expedition, one as the sutler, the other as the veterinary surgeon, were in the

habit of riding by themselves a great deal. Not being enlisted men, much more liberty than soldiers have was

allowed them. Many warnings were given, however, and an instance, fresh in the minds of the officers, of the

killing by Indians of two of their comrades the year before was repeatedly told to them. One day their last

hour of lingering came. While they stopped to water their horses, some Indians concealed in a gully shot

them within sight of our regiment, who were then fighting on the hill, and did not find the bodies for some

time afterwards. Both of the murdered men were favorites; both left families, and regret and sympathy were

A year and a half afterwards information came to our post, Fort Lincoln, that an Indian was then at the

Agency at Standing Rock, drawing his rations, blankets, and ammunition from the Government, and at the

same time boasting of the murder of these two men. This intelligence created intense indignation in our

garrison. A detachment was quickly prepared, and started out with sealed orders. The day was bitter, and not

a still cold, for the wind blew, and cut like needlepoints into the faces of the troopers. No one was aware

even what direction they were to take. General Custer knew that it was absolutely necessary that caution and

secrecy should be observed. At the next post, twenty miles below, there were scouts employed. They would

not fail to send out a runner and warn the Standing Rock Indians of the coming of the command and its

object, if they could learn what it was. When the runner carries important news he starts with an even gait in

the morning and keeps it up all day, hardly stopping to drink at the streams he crosses. Such a courier would

Accordingly, Fort Rice was left behind many miles before the orders were opened. They contained directions

to capture and bring back an Uncapapa Indian, called Rainintheface, the avowed murderer of the sutler

and the veterinary surgeon. The command consisted of two officers and a hundred men. The general had

selected his brother to assist in this delicate transaction, as he had been wont to do ever since they began their

life of adventure together during the war. They arrived on the day that the Indians were drawing their rations

of beef. There were five hundred at the Agency, armed with the latest longrange rifles. It was more and

more clear that too much care could not be taken to prevent the object of the visit being known to the

warriors. An expedition had been sent down once before, but news of its intentions had reached the Agency

in time for the culprit to escape. He could not refrain, even after this warning, from openly vaunting his

In order then to deceive as to the purport of their appearance at the Agency, the captain in command resorted

to a ruse. He sent fifty men to the camp ten miles away to make inquiries for three Indians who had murdered

citizens on the Red River the year before. Colonel Custer was ordered to take five picked men and go to the

trader's store, where the Indians resort constantly. This required great coolness and extreme patience, for they

had to lounge about, seemingly indifferent, until they could be certain the right man was discovered. The cold

made the Indians draw their blankets around them and over their heads. There is never any individuality

about their dress unless when arrayed for a council or a dance; it was therefore almost impossible to tell one

Colonel Tom had to wait for hours, only looking furtively when the sharp eyes of these wary creatures were

off guard. At last one of them loosened his blanket, and with the meagre description that had been given him,

Colonel Tom identified him as Rainintheface. Coming suddenly from behind, he threw his arms about

him, and seized the Winchester rifle that the savage attempted to cock. He was taken entirely by surprise. No

fear showed itself, but from the characteristically stolid face hate and revenge flashed out for an instant. He

drew himself up in an independent manner, to show his brother warriors that he did not dread death.

Among them he had been considered brave beyond precedent, because he had dared to enter the Agency store

at all, and so encounter the risk of arrest. The soldiers tied his hands and mounted guard over him. About

thirty Indians surrounded them instantly, and one old orator commenced an harangue to the others, inciting

them to recapture their brother. Breathless excitement prevailed. At that moment the captain in command

appeared in their midst. With the same coolness he had shown in the war and during the six years of his

Indian campaigns, he spoke to them, through an interpreter. With prudence and tact he explained that they

intended to give the prisoner exactly the treatment a white man would receive under like circumstances; that

nothing would induce them to give him up; and the better plan, to save bloodshed, would be for the chiefs to

withdraw and take with them their followers. Seeing that they could accomplish nothing by intimidation or

by superior numbers, they had recourse to parley and proposed to compromise. They offered as a sacrifice

It was generosity like that of Artemis Ward, who offered his wife's relatives on the altar of his country, for

they took care not to offer for sacrifice any but Indians of low rank. Rainintheface was a very

distinguished warrior among them, and belonged to a family of six brothers, one of whom, Iron Horse, was

very influential. The officers prevailed in the end, and the prisoner was taken to the cavalry camp. During the

time that the Indians were opposing his removal, the troopers had assembled around the entrance, ready for

any emergency, and prepared to escort the murderer away. The Indians instantly vanished; all went quickly

and quietly to their camp, ten miles distant. Later in the day a party of fifty mounted warriors dashed through

the Agency to the road beyond, which had to be taken by our troopers on the way home. Of course our

officers expected an attack from that party when they began their homeward march; to their surprise, they

were unmolested. We learned afterwards that the mounted Indians went to the camp of Two Bears to urge the

young braves there to combine with them in the recapture of Rainintheface. Two Bears had long been

friendly to the white man; he was too old to fight, and prevented his young men from joining in the

After the command had returned and the officers had reported, General Custer sent for Rainintheface. He

was tall, straight, and young. His face was quite imperturbable. In a subsequent interview the general locked

himself in his room with him. Through an interpreter, and with every clever question and infinite patience he

spent hours trying to induce the Indian to acknowledge his crime. The culprit's face finally lost its impervious

look, and he showed some agitation. He gave a brief account of the murder, and the next day made a full

confession before all the officers. He said neither of the white men was armed when attacked. He had shot the

old man, but he did not die instantly, riding a short distance before falling from his horse. He then went to

him and with his stone mallet beat out the last breath left. Before leaving him he shot his body full of arrows.

The younger man signalled to them from among the bushes, and they knew that the manner in which he held

up his hand was an overture of peace. When he reached him the white man gave him his hat as another and

further petition for mercy, but he shot him at once, first with his gun and then with arrows. One of the latter

entering his back, the dying man struggled to pull it through. Neither man was scalped, as the elder was bald

This cruel story set the blood of the officers flowing hotly. They had already heard from one of the white

scouts a description of Rainintheface at a sundance, when he had betrayed himself as the murderer of

the veterinary surgeon, by describing in triumph his beating out the brains of the old man with his mallet.

After all this, it is not to be wondered at that each officer strode out of the room with blazing eyes.

Two Indians, one of them Iron Horse, had followed the cavalry up from the Agency and asked to see their

comrade. The general sent again for Rainintheface. He came into the room with clanking chains and with

the guard at his heels. He was dressed in mourning. His leggings were black, and his sable blanket was belted

by a band of white beads. One black feather stood erect on his head. Iron Horse supposed that he was to be

hung at once, and that this would be the final interview. The elder brother, believing there was no hope, was

very solemn. He removed his heavilybeaded and embroidered buffalo robe, and replaced it with the plain

one that Rainintheface wore. He exchanged pipes also, giving him his highlyornamented one that he

might afterwards present it to the general. These pipes are valuable, as the material of which the bowls are

made has to be brought from Kansas. Then finding that there was a prospect of Rainintheface having his

trial in Washington, he took off the medal that had been given to his father by a former president, whose

likeness was in the medallion, and placed it over the neck of his brother, that it might be a silent argument in

It was an impressive and melancholy scene. Iron Horse charged his brother not to attempt to escape, saying,

that if he did get back to the reservation he would surely be recaptured. He believed that he would be kindly

treated while a captive, and perhaps the white chief would intercede for him to obtain his pardon. After

asking him not to lose courage, they smoked again, and silently withdrew. In about ten days Iron Horse

The valley of the Missouri is wide, and slopes gradually back to the bluffs. Beyond are the plains, rolling

away for hundreds of miles to another river. There was a level stretch of three miles below our post down the

river. From this direction we were accustomed to watch the approach of the bands of Indians coming from the

reservation. We could see their arms glistening far down the valley long before we could distinguish who

they were, except with a powerful fieldglass. As they came nearer, the sun caught a bit of gaudy scarlet, or

A New York Charity Ball could bring out no more antique heirlooms, nor take more time in preparations than

the costumes of Indians prepared for council. The warbonnets, shields, and necklaces of bear's claws are all

handed down from faraway grandfathers, and only aired on grand occasions. Every available bit of metal

that could catch the light reflected and shone in the morning sun. The belts were covered with brass nails,

shining with many an hour's polishing. They had many weapons, all kept in a brilliant and glistening state.

The tomahawk is one of the heirlooms of the collection of arms. It is not like the ones I used to see at

Mackinac as a child. It looks more like a large icepick. The knife, pistol, and Henry rifle are very modern,

and are always kept in the most perfect condition. Mrs. "Lo" is the Venus who prepares Mars for war, and

many a long weary hour she spends in polishing the weapon and adorning the warrior.

The Indians with Iron Horse came directly to headquarters and asked for a council. As many as could get into

the general's room entered. There was time, while they were preparing, to send for the ladies, and a few of us

were tucked away on the lounge, with injunctions not to move or whisper, for my husband treated these

Indians with as much consideration as if they had been crowned heads. The Indians turned a surprised, rather

scornful glance into the "ladies' gallery," for their women are always kept in the background. In return for this

we did not hesitate to criticise their toilets. They were gorgeous in full dress. Iron Horse wore an elaborately

beaded and painted buckskin shirt, with masses of solid embroidery of porcupine quills. The sleeves and

shoulders were ornamented with a fringe of scalplocks; some of the hair, we saw with a shudder, was light

and waving. I could not but picture the little head, "sunning over with curls," from which it had been taken,

for all the Indian locks I have ever seen were straight and black. The chief wore on his shoulders a sort of

cape, trimmed with a fringe of snowy ermine; his leggings and moccasins were a mass of beadwork. He

wore a cap of otter, without a crown, though, for it is their custom to leave the top of the head uncovered. His

hair was wound round and round with strips of otter that hung down his back; the scalplook was also tightly

wound. Three eagle feathers, that denote the number of warriors killed, were so fastened to the lock that they

stood erect. There were several perforations in each ear from which depended bead earrings. He had armlets

of burnished brass; thrown around him was a beaded blanket. The red clay pipe had the wooden stem inlaid

with silver, and was embellished with the breast feathers of brilliantly plumaged birds. The tobaccobag,

about two feet long, had not an inch that was not decorated. The costume was simply superb.

The next in rank had an immense buffalo robe as the distinguishing feature of his dress. The inside was

tanned almost white, and his history was painted on the surface. Whoever ran might read, for it represented

only two scenes, oft repeated the killing and scalping of warriors and the capture of ponies.

The general's patience with Indians always surprised me. He was of such an active temperament and

despatched his own work so rapidly that I have often wondered how he contained himself waiting an hour or

more for them to get at the object of their visit. They took their places according to rank in a semicircle about

the general. The pipe was filled and a match lighted by one of their number of inferior grade, and then handed

to Iron Horse, who took a few leisurely whiffs. Though we were so shut in, the smoke was not oppressive.

Their tobacco is killikinick, prepared by drying the bark of the ozier and mixing it with sumach. They inhale

the smoke and exhale it from their nostrils. After all in the first circle had smoked a little, the general

included, they observed the Indian etiquette and passed the pipe back through each warrior's hand to the

chief. It was then relighted, and he began again. It seemed to us that it went back and forth an endless number

of times. No matter how pressing the emergency, every council begins in this manner.

Iron Horse tired us out, but he was collecting himself and rehearsing his speech. We found afterwards that it

was prepared in advance, for during its recital he forgot, and was prompted by one of the Indians in the outer

When the pipe was finally put away, they asked to have Rainintheface present. He came into the room,

trying to hide his pleasure at seeing his friends and his grief at his imprisonment. In an instant the

imperturbable expression settled down on his face like a cartain. The officers present could scarcely believe

their eyes when they saw his brother approach and kiss him. Only once before, among all the tribes they had

been with, had they seen such an occurrence. The Indian kiss is not demonstrative; the lips are laid softly on

the cheek, and no sound is heard or motion made. It was only this grave occasion that induced the chief to

show such feeling. Several of the ranking Indians followed his example; then an old man among them

stepped in front of Rainintheface, lifted his hands, and raising his eyes reverentially said a few words of

prayer to the Great Spirit in behalf of their unfortunate brother. The prisoner dropped his head to hide the

look in his eyes that he thought ill became a warrior as brave as he really was. The bitter, revengeful thoughts

with which I had entered the room were for a moment forgotten, and I almost wished that he might be

pardoned. The vision of the hearthstones he had desolated came back to me directly, and I could not forget.

Iron Horse began his speech in the usual highpitched, unchangeable key. He thanked the general for his care

of his brother, and the whole tenor of the rest was repeated petitions to ask the Great Father in Washington to

spare his life. He then slowly took off his elaborate buckskin shirt and presented it to my husband. He ended

by making a singular request, which was worthy of Damon and Pythias: two shy young braves in the outer

circle of the untitled asked permission through their chief to share the captivity of Rainintheface. I could

not help recalling what some one had told me in the East, that women sometimes go to the State prison at

Sing Sing and importune to be allowed to share the imprisonment of their husbands or brothers; but no

instance is found in the history of that great institution where a man has asked to divide with a friend or

Consent was given to the comrades to return to the guardhouse, but they were required to remain in

confinement as he did until they were ready to return to the reservation. After all the ranking Indians had

followed Iron Horse in speeches, with long, maundering, slowlydelivered sentences, each like the other, the

pipe was again produced. When it was smoked, the whole band filed out to eat the presents of food the

general had given them, and soon afterwards disappeared down the valley on their way home.

After his two friends had left him, Rainintheface occupied a part of the guardhouse with a citizen who

had been caught stealing grain from the storehouse. For several months they had been chained together, and

used to walk in front of the little prison for exercise and air. The guardhouse was a poorlybuilt, insecure

wooden building. After a time the sentinels became less vigilant, and the citizen, with help from his friends

outside, who were working in the same way, cut a hole in the wall at night and escaped. He broke the chain

attaching him to the Indian, who was left free to follow. We found afterwards that Rainintheface did not

dare to return to the reservation, but made his way to the hostile camp. In the spring of 1874 he sent word

from there by an Agency Indian that he had joined Sitting Bull, and was awaiting his revenge for his

As will be seen further on, the stained waters of the Little Big Horn, on June 25, 1876, told how deadly and

fatal that was. The vengeance of that incarnate fiend was concentrated on the man who bad effected his

capture. It was found on the battlefield that he had cut out the brave heart of that gallant, loyal, and lovable

THE second winter at Fort Lincoln was very much the same as the first. We had rented a piano at St. Paul in

the autumn. It hardly had a respite from morning until late at night. Every day and evening the sound of

happy voices went through the house. Old warsongs, college choruses, and negro melodies, that every one

knew, were sung, and on Sunday our only churchservice most of the time was to meet together and sing

hymns. In our little circle of forty, many denominations were represented, but all knew the oldtime hymns.

The Moody and Sankey book had soon found its way out there, and incited every one that could raise a note

to make the attempt. We had forgotten to bring a tuner for the piano, but the blacksmith made a very good

one. One of the band, who had been in a pianohouse before enlisting, kept the instrument in order. We had

hard work to keep it in tune, for not only did the extreme cold affect the sound, but it had to endure the

constant drumming of untaught fingers. Even my husband, who was not nervous, used sometimes to beg

The general loved music, and had so correct an ear that he often sang or whistled the airs of an opera after

hearing them once. Music so charmed him that when we have been in the States, listening to an oratorio, the

Thomas orchestra, or a recital of any kind, he has begged me not to be hurt if he did not speak during the

rendering. There was a Swiss soldier in our regiment who had contrived to bring his zither with him. My

husband would lie on the bearskin rug in front of the fire and listen with delight as long as he ventured to

tax the man. He played the native Tyrolese airs, which seemed to have caught in them the sound of the

Alpine horn, the melody of the cascade, and the echo of the mountain passes. The general often regretted that

he had not had the opportunity to learn music. It seemed to me that it was a great solace and diversion to

officers if they knew some musical instrument well enough to enjoy practice. They certainly gave great

If the ladies had any accomplishment that gave gratification to others, it was never allowed to grow rusty. Of

course, where there was so little to interest, whatever they did was overrated. Some times we heard of one of

the officers of the 7th matching the perfections of our ladies against those of another regiment which he

might happen to be visiting. His esprit de corps carried him so far that he would insist that no women sang,

played, danced, painted, or rode as we did! We could only hope that we would never see the people to whom

I used to pity the officers from the bottom of my heart because of the tameness and dead calm of their lives in

winter. Each year's service with them made me wonder more and more how they could come through the test

of so much unemployed time, the really fine men they were. Watts spoke lines that will do for all time, when

he told us who it was that found mischief for idle hands. We had no good company libraries, like the infantry,

because we had so long been without a place to call our own. Every officer coming from leave, brought what

books he could, and they went the rounds until the worn leaves would hardly hold together. We women had

many a simple occupation that interested us, but the men could not content themselves with trifles. If the

young ladies and I stole away to try to take a nap or change our dress, we were almost invariably called back

by the lonely men, who wished to be amused. They were certainly so grateful for the slightest kindness it was

no tax. Besides, people cannot go up and down the face of the earth together for nine years of hardships,

I used to dread the arrival of the young officers who came to the regiment from West Point, fearing that the

sameness and inactivity of the garrison life would be a test to which their character would succumb. When

they came to pay the first ceremonious call in full uniform, we spoke of commonplace topics. I kept up a

running line of comments to myself, usually on one subject: "I wonder if you are likely to go to the bad under

temptation; I am sorry for your mother, having to give you up and be anxious for your habits at the same

time; I hope you don't drink; I pray that you may have stamina enough to resist evil." Our sister knew that I

believed so in matrimony as a savior of young officers that she used to teasingly accuse me of greeting all of

them when they arrived with the same welcome: "I am very glad to see you; I hope that you are engaged." I

hardly remember being quite so abrupt as that in speaking, but I never failed to wish it to myself. Their

frequent difficulty was that they desired to do everything that the old officers did. I have known them rub and

try to mar their shining new uniforms to have them look as if they had seen service. One, especially youthful

in appearance, wondered how I came to divine that the reason he wore his grandfather's fob and seal, and

carried the goldheaded cane when off duty, was that he wished to look old and experienced. I could not help

praising them when they went through the first few telling years of service and came off conquerors. I was

sure that had I had the misfortune to be a man I could not have borne the tests to which I knew they were

I am sure that we could not have been so contented as we were under such circumstances had there not been

such perfect health among us all. It was a pleasure to live among so many hundred people and scarcely see

any one who was not perfectly well. Another relief in that life was that we never saw crippled or maimed

We found our new quarters admirable for the garrison gayety. On Friday nights we all gathered together to

dance, or have private theatricals or games. During the early part of the winter, while the supply of eggs we

had brought from St. Paul lasted, Mary used to give us cake, frozen custard, or some luxury of which these

formed a part. This, in addition to the usual hamsandwiches, coffee, and venison, made our refreshments.

As winter advanced, and the supplies began to give out, we had to be content with crullers, coffee, and

sandwiches. There was very little spirit of criticism, and in that climate one is always hungry.

Of course every one relied on cards as the unfailing amusement. Almost without exception they played well

and with great enthusiasm. Every one struggled over me, and I really worked faithfully to become an adept.

For though I did not enjoy it ever, it seemed very ungracious in me not to be able to take a hand when I was

needed. There must leave been something lacking in my mental organization, for I could not learn. I had one

friend who was equally stupid. He certainly was a comfort to me. We became perfectly hardened to the gibes

of our friends when they called to him, "Come, Smith, and try this now game; it is easy. Why, even Mrs.

Custer learned it!" I labored on, until at the end of twelve years of effort I trumped any partner's ace, and

A fancydress party was always amusing out there, for it was necessary to exercise great ingenuity in getting

up costumes. We were masked carefully, and often the dress was such a complete disguise that a husband and

wife were kept in ignorance of each other until the signal for unmasking was given at supper.

It was impossible to conceal our eccentricities living in such close daily association. As there was continual

chaffing and innumerable practical jokes, it was difficult to know at what moment one's peculiarities were to

be served up for the amusement of others. At all events, when one's personal traits and singularities were

openly joked about, it was something of a consolation to know that the worst to be said was directed to the

face and not behind the back, as is the general rule. There was one of our number towards whom we could

not fire the shot and shell of ridicule. He was far older than any one at the post, and there was too much

reverence for his hoary head to permit extreme raillery. I confess to laughing over some of his strange

aberrations when his young lieutenant gave us an imitation of their company drill. The old officer, mounted

on a horse as toned down as himself, stood in front of his troops and addressed them as he would have done

his supporters in the old political days. They appreciated the stump eloquence, but more keenly the fact that

while he talked they would escape the tedious evolutions of their work. Sometimes while going through the

directions of the tactics, the captain lost his suavity and called a halt. Then, with all the inflections and

emphasis placed as carefully as if he were flinging the Constitution at a crowd of citizens on the 4th of July,

be harangued in slightly heated tones, "Ken, do you suppose you are men? If so, act like men. If you are

geese, act like geese." This would finish the selfcontrol of even the oldest soldier, and a great guffaw would

burst out. For nothing can be more ridiculous than a regular officer pausing to address his men in such a

place. The drill is conducted usually without another word than a repetition of the exact language of the book

of tactics. The young lieutenant in his position at the rear would nearly choke with laughter. He told us how

he rode along the line, and prodded the soldiers in the back, without the captain seeing him, to try and make

them more deferential. His short burlesque repetitions of the aphorisms, philosophy, and theories on all

subjects, that the old captain delivered daily on the drillground, were convulsing. If the speeches themselves

were half as funny as the imitations, the men would have been stolidity itself if they had not forgotten their

discipline and laughed. My husband was truly attached to this officer, and spared him from hardships and

trying campaigns when he could. In a measure he felt himself responsible for the incongruous position the

elderly man occupied in a cavalry regiment full of young, active men. After the war, when the old officer was

mustered out of the Volunteer service, he found that in his native State the waves had closed over him, and

his place was lost in public life. The general went personally to the War Department, and solicited an

appointment for him in the Regular Army. Some time after, he was surprised to find him assigned to his own

regiment, doubtless because a personal application gave the impression that it would be a special favor to

place him there. Had he only asked for an infantry appointment for the already tired out man, it would have

Many of us had been laughingly rechristened, and called a name that was in some way suggested by trifling

incidents in our history. The names were absurd. One of the most delicate and refined of our women was a

superb rider and had shot buffalo, so her intimates spoke of her, when trying to provoke repartee, as "Buffalo

Ann." My sobriquet of "the old lady" dated back to the first days of my married life. When the general and

his merry young staff returned from a raid in the Shenandoah Valley, they descried an old Dutchman, who

did not care which side in the war succeeded, so long as he and his property were left alone. His house had

been their headquarters in a former raid, and they all rode up there to halt again. The old Hans stood on his

steps as they approached and wafted them away, at the same time reiterating, by way of emphasis,

"Gentlemens, I have no objections to your coming in, but the old lady she kicks agin it." After that I could

not raise the mildest protest against any plan but that those mischievous brothers would exclaim pathetically,

and in a most tormenting tone, "What a good time we might have if the old lady didn't kick agin it."

Sometimes the mildest and quietest one of us all would be called by some appellation so suggestive of

ruffianism and bloodshed that it was the extreme of the ridiculous to associate the person and the name

together. For instance, the best regulated and least sensational one would find himself addressed as

"Shacknasty Bill, or the Sinewy Slayer of the Ghostly Gulch." Another, always inclined to gloom, was given

a rousing slap on the back as his goodmorning, and a hearty "How are you, Old Skull and Crossbones?"

No one escaped. I used to think the joking was carried too far sometimes, but it was easy to go to extremes

when the resources were so limited for a variety in our life. My own blood rose to lava heat when I found

people twitting one another on unpleasant facts, and a smile of ridicule circulating. It was too great a triumph

for the teaser to stir up wrath though, and the life was a lesson of constant selfcontrol. Certainly it was

excellent discipline, and calculated to keep one's selfconfidence within bounds. It was the same sort of

training that members of a large family have, and they profit by the friction, for they are rarely so selfish and

THE Indians came several times from the reservations for counsel, but the occasion that made the greatest

impression upon me was towards the spring. They came to implore the general for food. In the fall the

steamer bringing them supplies was detained in starting. It had hardly accomplished half the required distance

before the ice impeded its progress, and it lay out in the channel, frozen in, all winter. The suffering among

the Indians was very great. They were compelled to eat their dogs and ponies to keep from starving.

Believing a personal appeal would be effectual, they asked to come to our post for a council.

The Indian band brought their great orator Running Antelope. He was intensely dignified and finelooking.

His face when he spoke was expressive and animated, contrary to all the precedents of Indian oratory we had

become familiar with. As he stood among them all in the general's room, he made an indelible impression on

my memory. The Indians' feet are usually small; sometimes their vanity induces them to put on women's

shoes. The hands are slender and marvellously soft considering their life of exposure. Their speech is full of

gesture, and the flexible wrist makes their movements expressive. A distinguished scholar, speaking of the

aid the hand is to an orator, calls it the "second face." It certainly was so with Running Antelope. He

described the distressing condition of the tribe with real eloquence. While he spoke, lifting his graceful hands

towards Heaven in appeal, one of my husband's birds that was uncaged floated down and alighted on the

venerable warrior's head. It had been so petted, no ordinary movement startled the little thing. It maintained

its poise, spreading its wings to keep its balance, as the Indian moved his head in gesture. The orator saw that

the faces of the Indians showed signs of humor, but he was ignorant of what amused them. His inquiring eyes

saw no solution in the general's, for, fearing to disconcert him, General Custer controlled every muscle in his

face. Finally the bird whirled up to his favorite restingplace on the horn of the buffalo head, and the warrior

His whole appeal was most impressive, and touched the quick sympathies of my husband. He was a sincere

friend of the reservation Indian. The storehouses at our post were filled with supplies, and he promised to

telegraph to the Great Father for permission to give them rations until spring. Meantime, he promised them

all they could eat while they awaited at the post the answer to the despatch. Not content with a complaint of

their present wrongs, Running Antelope went off into an earnest denunciation of the agents, calling them

One of the Indians, during the previous summer, with foxlike canning had lain out on the dock all day

apparently sleeping, while he watched the steamer unloading supplies intended for them. A mental estimate

was carefully made of what came off the boat, and compared as carefully afterwards with what was

distributed. There was an undeniable deficit. A portion that should have been theirs was detained, and they

accused the agent of keeping it. The general interrupted, and asked the interpreter to say that the Great Father

selected the agents from among good men before sending them out from Washington. Running Antelope

quickly responded, "They may be good men when they leave the Great Father, but they get to be desperate

cheats by the time they reach us." I shall have to ask whoever reads, to substitute another more forcible

adjective, such as an angry man would use, in place of "desperate." The Indian language is not deficient in

When the council was ended and the Indians were preparing to leave, my husband asked me to have Mary put

everything we had ready to eat on the diningroom table. The manner in which Running Antelope folded his

robe around him and strode in a stately way down the long parlor was worthy of a Roman emperor.

I had been so impressed by his oratory and lordly mien that I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw him at

table, and descend from the lofty state of mind into which he had taken me to realize what he was doing.

After gorging himself, he emptied the plates and swept all the remains from before the places of the other

chiefs into the capacious folds of his robe. This he rebelted at the waist, so that it formed a very good

temporary haversack. With an air signifying to "the victor belong the spoils," he swept majestically out of the

The answer came next day from the Secretary of War that the Department of the Interior which had the

Indians in charge refused to allow any army supplies to be distributed. They gave as a reason that it would

involve complexities in their relations with other departments. It was a very difficult thing for the general to

explain to the Indians. They knew that both army and Indians were fed from the same source, and they could

not comprehend what difference it could make when a question of starvation was pending. They could not be

told, what we all knew, that had the War Department made good the deficiencies it would have reflected

discredit on the management of the Department of the Interior. The chiefs were compelled to return to their

reservations, where long ago all the game had been shot and their famishing tribe were many of them driven

to join the hostiles. We were not surprised that the warriors were discouraged and desperate, and that the

depredations of Sitting Bull on the settlements increased with the new accessions to his numbers.

THE day of the final breaking up of the ice in the Missouri was one of great excitement to us. The roar and

crash of the icefields could be heard a great distance. The sound of the tremendous report was the signal for

the whole garrison to go out on the hill near the infantry post and watch the grand sight. Just above us was a

bend in the river, and around this curve great floes of ice rushed, heaping up in huge masses as they swept

down the furious current. All the lowlands that lay between Bismarck and the river were inundated, and the

shore far in covered with blocks of ice that the force of the water had thrown there. Just across the river from

us was a wretched little collection of huts, occupied by outlaws, into which the soldiers were decoyed to

drink and gamble. The law forbidding liquor to be sold on the reservation was so strict that whiskey venders

did not dare set foot on the Government land. The reservation was too large to permit them to place

themselves on its other boundaries; they would have been at such a distance from the post that it would not

have been worth while. Just on the water's edge opposite, these human fiends had perched to watch and entice

the enlisted men. Over their rude cabins they had painted elaborate and romantically expressed signs. In the

midst of bleak surroundings rose an untidy canvascovered cabin, called "My Lady's Bower," or over the

These shanties were placed on a little rise of ground, with a precautionary thought of the usual spring floods.

The day of the first icebreaking we saw the water rise to such a height that cabin after cabin was abandoned.

The occupants dragged their property as best they could to the little rise where one or two, more cautious than

the rest, had built. On this narrow neck of land huddled together the whole of the group, in desperate peril.

No one on our side of the river could help them, for the water was the maddest of whirlpools, while on the

other side the overflow had made a great lake, cutting them off from Bismarck. As we watched them

scrambling on the little knoll, like drowning men clinging to the upturned keel of a boat, we suffered real

distress at our powerlessness to help them. The company commanders, remembering how they had been the

cause of the demoralization of some of their best soldiers, openly avowed at first their relief that the whole

wretched lot were about to drown; but as the peril increased, not one of the officers' hearts remained

unsoftened. They forgot what an utterly abandoned, lawless company it was, and wished that some means

We women had discovered through the fieldglasses a few of our own sex among them, and were alarmed at

their danger; for no matter what they were, the helplessness of women at such a time makes one forget

everything, save that their lives hang in the balance. At last one of them stepped into the only small boat they

had been able to retain, and standing bravely at the side of the one man at the bow, they were swept down the

river out of sight among the gorge of iceblocks and never again heard from. It was too exhausting watching

these imperilled beings, knowing how incapable we were of helping them, and we went back to our quarters

to spend hours of suspense. We could not set ourselves about doing anything while the lives of human beings

so near us were in jeopardy. As day began to close, word came for our relief that the water was subsiding;

not, alas, until some of them had been borne to their last home. Those that were left waded back to their huts,

and, unheeding the warning of that fearful day, began again their same miserable existence.

Of all our happy days, the happiest had now come to us at Fort Lincoln. I never knew more united married

people than those of our regiment. It will be easily understood that in the close companionship involved in

the intimate relationships of that life, either uncontrollable hatred or increasing affection must ensue. If a

desperate attack of incompatibility set in out there, the climate, fine as it was, simply had to disagree with the

wife, for it was next to madness for both of them if they did not escape from a life where almost every hour is

spent with each other. The wife had the privilege of becoming the comrade of her husband in that isolated

existence, and the officers seemed to feel that every amusement was heightened if shared by the other sex.

That perpetual intimacy was a crucial test of the genuineness of the affection. My husband used to quote a

line or two from one of Mrs. Stowe's books that we had read together. The new husband is asked why he

knows that he loves his wife: "Because she never tires me; she never makes me nervous." He believed that if

husbands and wives bore that proof successfully as time advanced, they might count on a happy future.

Life grew more enjoyable every day as we realized the blessings of our home. When the winter was finally

gone there was not an hour that we would not have recalled. I have seen my husband with all the abandon of

a boy throw himself on a rug in front of the fire and enumerate his blessings with real gratitude. Speaking of

his regiment first, his district (for he then had five posts under his command), the hunting, his dogs and

horses, and his own room, which was an unceasing delight, he used to declare to me that he would not

exchange places with any one not even a friend in civil life who stood at the head of his profession as a

journalist, who had wealth and youth, and who lived in almost princely luxury. My husband used to tell me

that he believed he was the happiest man on earth, and I cannot help thinking that he was. For with all the

vicissitudes of those twelve eventful years, I never knew him to have an hour's depression. The presence of so

many of his family about him was an unceasing pleasure. There was an abiding fondness between his brother,

Colonel Tom, and himself. This brother was scarcely more than a lad when he joined us. The general said to

some Eastern friends when he was in the States the last time, "To prove to you how I value and admire my

Colonel Tom always lived with us, and the brothers played incessant jokes on each other. Both of them

honored and liked women extremely. Colonel Tom used to pay visits of an unconscionable length to ladies of

the garrison, and no amount of teasing on his brother's part would induce him to shorten them. He never

knew, when he started to go home from these visits, but that he would find on the young lady's doormat his

trunk, portmanteau, and satchel this as a little hint from the general that ho was overtaxing the lady's

patience. I used to think my husband too severe with his brother, for in his anxiety not to show favoritism he

noticed the smallest misdemeanor. If, in visiting with the young ladies in our parlor, he overstayed the hour

he was due at the stables or drill, the general's eye noticed it, and perhaps overlooked others in the room who

were erring in the same manner. I knew that a reprimand would be sent from the adjutant's office in the

morning if I did not invent some way to warn the offender, so I learned the buglecall for stables, and

hovering around Colonel Tom, hummed it in his ear, which the voice of the charmer had dulled to the

trumpetcall. When the sound penetrated, he would make a plunge for his hat and belt, and tear out of the

When spring came again, it is impossible to express the joy I felt that there was to be no summer campaign;

and for the first time in many years I saw the grass grow without a shudder. The general began the

improvement of the post with fresh energy, and from the drillground came the click of the horses' hoofs and

the note of the bugles repeating the commands of the officers. As soon as it was warm enough, several

charming girls came out from the States to our garrison to visit us. They gave every one pleasure, and

We had supposed that when travelling from the Gulf of Mexico almost to the border of the British

possessions, we could safely call ourselves "West;" but we found that there was a post fifteen hundred miles

beyond us, on the Missouri River. The steamers were constantly taking officers and their families from

Bismarck into Montana. Sometimes the delay of the boats in starting gave us the privilege of entertaining

them. I remember going down to bid goodbye to a family who had gone on board a steamer at our landing.

The officer was returning from an infantry recruiting detail in the States. He had eight children and a dog.

These, with a lieutenant's pay, constituted his riches. He disappeared into a stateroom and brought out the

new baby, exhibiting it with as much pride as if it had been the firstborn! They told me afterwards that

during all that slow, wearisome journey of fifteen hundred miles, on a boat that needs be seen to be

appreciated, the mother was placid and happy. There were no guards around the deck, so she tied the children

separately to the different articles of stationary furniture, and let them play out to the limits of their tethers.

Almost our only exercise on summer evenings was walking on the outskirts of the garrison surrounded by the

dogs. It was dangerous to go far, but we could walk with safety in the direction of the huts of the Indian

scouts. Their life always interested us, and by degrees they became so accustomed to our presence that they

There was a variety of articles among the litter tossed down in front of these Indian quarters; lariates, saddles,

and wornout robes were heaped about an arrangement for conveying their property from place to place. The

construction was simple, and rendered wheels unnecessary. About midway on two long saplings, placed a

short distance apart, is a foundation of leather thongs. Upon this the effects belonging to an Indian family are

lashed. Two pole ends are attached to either side of a rude harness on the pony, while the other two drag on

the ground. In following an Indian trail, the indentation made by the poles, as they are pulled over the ground,

Some of their boats lay upturned about the door. They were perfectly round, like a great bowl, and composed

of a wicker frame over which buffalo hide was tightly drawn. The primitive shape and construction dates

back to the ancient Egyptians, and these boats were called coracles in olden times. They seemed barely large

enough to hold two Indians, who were obliged to crouch down as they paddled their way with short, awkward

Bloody Knife was naturally mournful; his face still looked sad when he put on the presents given him. He

was a perfect child about gifts, and the general studied to bring him something from the East that no other

He had proved himself such an invaluable scout to the general that they often had long interviews. Seated on

the grass, the dogs lying about them, they talked over portions of the country that the general had never seen,

the scout drawing excellent maps in the sand with a pointed stick. He was sometimes petulant, often moody,

and it required the utmost patience on my husband's part to submit to his humors; but his fidelity and

I was always interested in the one pretty squaw among them, called Etnahwahruchta, which means

Medicine Mother. Her husband was young, and she was devoted to him. I have seen him lounging on the

floor of the hut while she made his toilet, combing and plaiting his hair, cutting and oiling the bangs which

were trimmed to cover his forehead, and plucking the few scattered hairs from his chin for they do not

consider it an honor to have a suspicion of a beard. She strapped on his leggings, buckled his belt, and finally

lighted his pipe. Once the war bonnet of her lord had to be rearranged. He deigned to put it on her head,

readjusted the eagle feathers, and then gave it to her to fasten them in securely. The faithful slave even used

to accompany him to his bath. Indians do bathe at long intervals. I was not ambitious to know if she

actually performed the ablutions. However, I have seen him, at a distance, running along the river bank on his

If the Indians kill any game, they return home, order the squaws to take the ponies and bring back what they

have killed, and then throw themselves down to sleep among the sprawling Indian babies, tailless dogs, and

general filth. The squaws do all the labor, and every skin is tanned by their busy fingers. I never knew but one

Indian who worked. He was an object of interest to me, though he kept himself within the gloom of the cabin,

and skulked around the fire when he cooked. This was the occupation forced upon him by the others. He had

lacked the courage to endure the torture of the sundance; for when strips of flexible wood had been drawn

through the gashes in his back, and he was hung up by these, the poor creature had fainted. On reviving he

begged to be cut down, and ever after was an object of scorn. He was condemned to wear squaw's clothing

from that time on. They mocked and taunted him, and he led as separate an existence as if he were in a desert

alone. The squaws disdained to notice him, except to heap work upon his already burdened shoulders.

Once my husband and I, in walking, came suddenly upon a queer little mound, that we concluded we would

observe at a distance. An Indian was soon carrying buckets and creeping with difficulty into the small

aperture. It was about six feet in diameter, and proved to be a kind of steambath, which they consider great

medicine. A hole is first dug in the ground and filled with stones; a fire is kindled upon them long before, and

they are heated redhot. The round framework of saplings over these is covered with layer upon layer of

blankets and robes, so that no air can penetrate. The Indians, almost stripped of their clothing, crouch round

them, while the one acting as servant brings water to pour on the heated rocks. The steam has no escape, and

the Indians are thoroughly roasted. While we were looking at this curious bathhouse a small Indian boy

crept out from under the edges of the blankets, and ashamed to have given in before the rest, drew his almost

parboiled little body into a hidingplace. Ever ambitious, like small boys of all nationalities, he had at first

We went one day into a tepee that was placed by itself to see an Indian who was only slightly ill. His father

and friends were talking to him of his death as a certainty, and making all the plans in advance. They even

took his measure for a coffin, assuring him that they would honor him by putting him in a box in imitation of

the white man. The general used to listen wonderingly when they referred to their dead in the speeches in

The Indians all seemed a melancholy people. They sometimes ask embarrassing questions. Perhaps, when

some young girl accompanied us, they spoke to my husband in the sign language, in which he was versed.

Once they inquired if the young lady was his other wife. The blush of the girl so amused us that our laugh

rang out among them, and seemed to be a sound they knew nothing of. They sat on the ground for hours,

gambling for iron, brass and silver rings, but always glum and taciturn. The tallest Indian of them all, Long

Soldier, grew to be very cunning when he learned what a curiosity he was. He would crouch down at our

approach, and only at the sight of a coin as a "tip" would he draw up his seven feet of height.

The Ree scouts entertained their chief, StaroftheNorth, during the summer. We were all asked to the

feast, and all formally presented to the distinguished stranger, who could not comprehend why he was

expected to shake hands with women. After going through what he found was courtesy among the whites, he

offered us a place around the circle. Taking a bone from the meat broiling before the fire he offered it to the

general. My husband, after getting some salt, had the courage to eat it. It was want of tact on my part to

decline, but any heart failed me when I recognized the master of ceremonies for the evening. As he proffered

me some meat, I found him to be the ferociouslooking savage who had killed his enemy from another tribe

I WISH that I could recall more about the curious characters among us. Most of them had some strange

history in the States that had been the cause of their seeking the wild life of the frontier. The one whose past

we would have liked best to know was a man most valued by my husband. All the important scoutings and

most difficult missions where secrecy was required were intrusted to him. We had no certain knowledge

whether or not he had any family or friends elsewhere, for he never spoke of them. He acknowledged once, in

a brief moment of confidence, that he was a gentleman by birth. Startled, perhaps, by the look of curiosity

that even a friend's face showed, he turned the conversation, and said, "Oh, but what's the use to refer to it

now ?" We did not even know whether Charley Reynolds was his real name or one that he had assumed.

Soon after we reached Dakota the general began to employ him as a scout. He remained with him much of

the time, until he fell in the battle of the Little Big Horn. My husband had such genuine admiration for him

that I soon learned to listen to everything pertaining to his life with marked interest. He was so shy that he

hardly raised his eyes when I extended my hand at the general's introduction. He did not assume the

picturesque dress, long hair, and belt full of weapons that are characteristic of the scout. His manner was

perfectly simple and straightforward, and he could not be induced to talk of himself. He had large, darkblue

eyes, and a frank face. Year after year he braved the awful winters of Dakota alone. I have known him start

out from Fort Lincoln when even our officers, accustomed as they were to hardships, were forbidden to go.

He had been the best shot and most successful hunter in the territory for fifteen years. When I watched the

scouts starting off on their missions, I invariably thanked Heaven that I was born a woman, and consequently

no deed of valor would ever be expected from me. I felt, though, that were I compelled to be brave, I would

far rather go into battle with the inspiration of the trumpetcall and the clash of arms, than go off alone and

The year that the regiment explored the Black Hills, Charley Reynolds undertook to carry despatches through

to Fort Laramie, over one hundred and fifty miles distant. He had only his compass to guide him, for there

was not even a trail. The country was infested with Indians, and he could only travel at night. During the day

he hid his horse as well as he could in the underbrush, and lay down in the long grass. In spite of these

precautions he was sometimes so exposed that be could hear the voices of Indians passing near. He often

crossed Indian trails on his journey. The last nights of his march he was compelled to walk, as his horse was

exhausted, and he found no water for hours. The frontiersmen frequently dig in the beds of driedup streams

and find water, but this resource failed. His lips became so parched and his throat so swollen that he could not

close his mouth. In this condition he reached Fort Laramie and delivered his despatches. It was from the

people of that post that the general heard of his narrow escape. He came quietly back to his post at Fort

Lincoln, and only confessed to his dangers when closely questioned by the general long afterwards. When I

think how gloriously he fell, fighting for his country, with all the valor and fidelity of one of her officers, my

eyes fill with tears; for he lies there on that battlefield, unwept, unhonored, and unsung. Had he worn all the

insignia of the high rank and the decorations of an adoring country, ho could not have led a braver life or died

We were inundated with excursionists during the summer. In order to induce immigration the railroads had

reduced the rates. One of the incidents of the trip was to cross from Bismarck to Fort Lincoln. Sometimes I

had assistance in entertaining, but oftener I was left to perform this duty alone. I have been sitting with the

general and four of his family, when we would see the postambulance unloading at the door. In an instant I

would find myself standing alone in the room, the vanishing forms of all the family disappearing through the

doors, and even out of the windows opening upon the piazza. In vain I entreated them to return; a smothered

It was sometimes tiresome to receive large groups of people, who wanted to know impossible things about

the country, and if it was a good soil for wheat. I only remember one party who taxed my patience to the

uttermost. They cared nothing about Dakota as an agricultural territory, but had come on purpose to see the

general. To satisfy them, I sent the servants and orderly to find him, but all returned with the same answer

he was nowhere to be seen. I walked about the garrison with them, explaining our post as best I could; the

band came to play for them; and finally, as a last resort, I opened the general's room to show them his hunting

mementos. It was all of no avail. One very decided woman said, "This is all very interesting, but we came to

see General Custer, and we do not intend to leave until we do." Finally I said, in desperation, he is much

interested in improvements for the post, and spends much time outofdoors. "Very well," said the chief

spokesman, "we will go all around the garrison and try to find him." As soon as I had bowed them away, I ran

out to Mary to ask where the general really was. I had known from the first, by a twinkle in her eye, that she

was helping him to escape. "Law, Miss Libbie, the giniral most got sunstroke hidin' in the chickencoop."

The coop was still unroofed, and my husband had been superintending the building of a double wall to keep

out the cold in winter; and there I found him, really ill, having beaten his hasty retreat without a hat, and

remained in the broiling sun rather than submit to the odious ordeal of being on exhibition.

Our house was so full of company, and we had so little time for each other, that in order to visit together we

were obliged to take our horses, and ride up and down the valley as far as it was safe to go. Even then my

husband's eyes scanned the horizon so searchingly, hardly turning his face away from where the Indians were

wont to dash, that it intimidated me to see such watchfulness. If we went even a few paces beyond our usual

beat, which was bounded by the grazing stock and the guard, and the busy chatter at his side ceased, my

husband would look quickly to see the cause of the unusual silence. My lip quivered with fear, and I was

wont to wink busily and swallow to keep back a tear of terror, of which I was always ashamed, and against

which I made constant battle. The moment our horses' heads were turned towards home the endless flow of

laughter and talk began again. When we could not ride, we went out on the bluffs, just on the edge of the

garrison, for an uninterrupted hour. We were often out for hours, my husband shooting at a mark, while I was

equally busy talking accurate aim at the everpresent mosquito, our constant companion in all our good

As the soldiers and citizens all knew the general's love of pets, we had constant presents. Many of them I

would have gladly declined, but notwithstanding a badger, porcupine, raccoon, prairiedog, and wildturkey,

all served their brief time as members of our family. They were comparatively harmless, and I had only the

inconvenience to encounter. When a ferocious wildcat was brought in, with a triumphant air, by the donor,

and presented with a great flourish, I was inclined to mutiny. My husband made allowance for my dread of

the untamed creature, and decided to send him into the States, as a present to one of the zoological gardens;

for in its way it was a treasure. While it remained with us it was kept in the cellar. Mary used to make many

retreats, tumbling up the stairs, when the cat flew at her the length of its chain. She was startled so often that

at last she joined with me in requesting its removal as soon as convenient. The general regretted giving it up,

but Keevan was called to chloroform and box it for the journey. Colonel Tom printed some facetious words

on the slats of the cover something like "Do not fondle." They were somewhat superfluous, for no one

could approach the box, after the effects of the chloroform had passed away, without encountering the

fieryred eyes, and such scratchings and spittings and mad plunges as suggested the propriety of keeping

one's distance. Some detention kept the freighttrain at a station over Sunday; the box with the wildcat was

put in the baggageroom. The violence of the animal as it leaped and tore at the cover loosened the slats, and

it escaped into the room. The freight agent spent a wretched day! Chloroform was again resorted to, and it

was deemed a good riddance when the animal was sent off. When we received a letter of thanks from the

Scientific Board for so splendid a specimen, I was relieved to know that the wildcat was at last where it

At one time the general tamed a tiny fieldmouse, and kept it in a large, empty inkstand on his desk. It grew

very fond of him, and ran over his head and shoulders, and even through his hair. Women are not responsible

for their fear of mice; they are born so. I had fortunately only to keep away from the desk when the little

creature was free, for it was contented to consider that its domain. The general, thinking at last that it was

cruel to detain the little thing indoors when it belonged by nature to the fields, took it out and left it on the

plain. The kindness was of no earthly use; like the oftquoted prisoner of the Bastile, it was back again at the

WE had clergymen and missionaries of different denominations as our guests during the summer months.

Among them was a man from the East, who was full of zeal and indifferent to the opinion of others as long as

he felt that he was right. He began to brave public opinion on his way to Fort Lincoln. The cars had stopped

for some time at a station where there was a town; the missionary, wishing to improve every opportunity for

doing good, went out on the platform and began a sermon. Before long he had a crowd of people around him,

listening with curiosity. There were laughter and sneers when the quavering voice of the old man started a

hymn that was familiar throughout the length and breadth of the land. No one joined. Our brother Tom and a

friend, sitting in the car, but knowing nothing of the mission of the man, realized his unsupported position,

and quickly went to him. Standing on either side of him, they joined their fresh young voices in the hymn.

Before long one after the other of the crowd joined in the music, inspired by the independence of the

example. The missionary returned then with the officers, and came to our house, where my husband asked

him to remain indefinitely. We found him almost a monomaniac on the subject of converting the Indians, and

had not the general prevented him from risking his life, be would have gone out alone among the warlike

While he was waiting for an opportunity to go farther west, he begged to begin meetings among the soldiers,

and said that in order to do more good and get at the hearts of those he would help, he must live among them.

For this purpose he left us, and went down to share the rations of the enlisted men. The general had a room in

a vacant barrack put in order, and there the old man began his work. Every night the garrison echoed with the

voices of hundreds of soldiers singing hymns. The simple, unaffected goodness of the missionary caused

them to believe in him, and he found his way to many a heart that beat under the army blue. My husband felt

thankful to have some work go on among the enlisted men. We often talked of their condition, and he felt that

some of the energies of good people in behalf of foreign missions might well be expended upon our army on

the frontier. Among his plans was the building of an assemblyroom at the post, especially for the soldiers: a

place where they could have their own entertainments, and where the papers, magazines, and general library

might be kept. He regretted constantly that there was no regular place where there could be services for the

men when the itinerant clergyman came. The service was usually held in our parlor, but it was only large

enough for the officers and their families. In the following letter he touches upon the subject of bettering the

condition of the enlisted men, and bears tribute to the good man who forgot himself in his love for mankind.

"DEAR SIR, I take the liberty of addressing you a few lines in regard to the Christian work in which Mr.

Matchett has been engaged at this post. He came here under the auspices of the Indian Bureau, intending to

labor among the tribes of the Upper Missouri River, but owing to some obstacles encountered at points above

this on the river, he returned here some weeks ago to await further instructions from those under whom he is

"In the mean time he has devoted himself to missionary work among the soldiers a class, bytheway,

whose moral welfare, at least on the frontier, is as sadly neglected as that of any of our aboriginal tribes. Mr.

Matchett enters into his work with great earnestness and zeal. He has impressed all with whom he has been

associated with his unselfishness, his honesty of purpose, and his great desire to do good.

"It is but due to him and the holy cause he represents, and a pleasure to me, to testify to the success which has

crowned his labors, particularly among the soldiers of this command. If our large posts on the remote frontier,

which are situated far from church and Church influences, had chaplains who were as faithful Christians as I

believe Mr. Matchett to be, and who, like him, are willing to labor faithfully among the enlisted men, the

moral standard, now necessarily so low among that neglected class, would be elevated far above its present

"Hoping you will receive these lines in the spirit which prompts me to send them, I am truly yours,

In the autumn we went into the States, and spent most of the winter delightfully in New York. We went out a

great deal. Of course we were compelled to dress very plainly, and my husband made great sport of his only

citizen overcoat an ulster. He declared that it belonged so to the past that he was the only man beside the

cardrivers that wore one. It did not disturb him in the least; neither did going in the horsecars to receptions

and dinners. Ho used laughingly to say, "Our coachman wears our livery, Libbie," when the cardriver had

on an army overcoat. No one so perfectly independent as he was could fail to enjoy everything.

Colonel Tom and one of the oldest friends we had in the 7th were with us part of the time, and we had many

enjoyable hours together. The theatre was our unfailing delight. They were all desirous that I should see the

military play of "Ours," which was then so admirably put on the stage at Wallack's, but dreaded the effect it

would have on me. At last one of them said that it was too finely represented for me to miss, and I heard them

say to each other, "We must take 'the old lady,' though it will break her heart and she will cry." It ended in my

going. When we reached the part in the play where the farewell comes, and the sword is buckled on the

warrior by the trembling hands of the wife, I could not endure it. Too often had the reality of such suffering

been my own. The three men were crying like children, and only too willing to take me out into the fresh air.

My husband spent many hours with Mr. Barrett in his dressingroom at the theatre, during the long wait of

Cassius in the play of "Julius Caesar." There were forty nights that these friends sat side by side, until the

callboy summoned the actor to the footlights. The general listened every evening with unflagging interest to

Every one seemed to vie with every one else in showing appreciation of my husband during that winter. He

dined often with men who learned to draw him out in talk of his Plains life. While in the midst of some story,

the butler would pass him a dish that he especially liked. The host at once directed the man to pass on, and

told my husband that he could not spare time for him to take a second helping while they were impatient for

the rest of the tale. After going hungry once or twice, the general learned to dine with me before he left the

He repeated a story to me about Ole Bull, who was asked to dinner and requested to bring his violin. He

accepted for himself, but sent word that his violin did not dine. My husband made a personal application of

the story, and threatened, playfully, to send word that his Indian stories did not dine, hoping thereby to secure

to himself the privilege of satisfying his hunger unmolested. At the Century Club he received from

distinguished men the most cordial congratulations on his essay into the literary field. They urged him with

many an encouraging word to continue the work. Some of the authors he met there were double his age, and

he received each word they said with deep gratitude. My husband knew how I valued every expression of

appreciation of him, and he used to awaken me, when he returned, to tell me what was said. He never failed

to preface every such hesitating and reluctant repetition by exacting promises of secrecy. He feared that in my

wifely pride I might repeat what he told me, and it would look like conceit on his part. I knew that he did not

tell me the half, for when the tears of delight dropped from my eyes at the acknowledgment and

commendation of others his voice ceased. I felt that nine years was a long time out of a young life to live in

the wilderness, away from the sound of approving voices, and the association of men whose very presence

incites to new effort. In February we had to say goodbye to all this pleasurable life. Our friends asked us

why we went so soon. In army life it is perfectly natural to speak of one's financial condition, and it did not

occur to us that civilians do not do the same. I do not wonder now that they opened their eyes with wellbred

astonishment when we said we were obliged to go because we had used all the money we had saved for leave

WHEN we reached St. Paul the prospect before us was dismal, as the trains were not to begin running until

April, at the soonest. The railroad officials, mindful of what the general had done for them in protecting their

advance workers in the building of the road, came and offered to open the route. Sending us through on a

special train was a great undertaking, and we had to wait some time for the preparations to be completed. One

of the officers of the road took an engine out some distance to investigate, and it looked discouraging enough

The train on which we finally started was an immense one, and certainly a curiosity. There were two

snowploughs and three enormous engines; freightcars with coal supplies and baggage; several cattlecars,

with stock belonging to the Black Hills miners who filled the passengercoaches. There was an

eatinghouse, looming up above everything, built on a flat car. In this car the forty employ�s of the road, who

were taken to shovel snow, etc., were fed. There were several daycoaches, with army recruits and a few

passengers, and last of all the paymaster's car, which my husband and I occupied. This had a kitchen and a

sittingroom. At first everything went smoothly. The cook on our car gave us excellent things to eat, and we

slept soundly. It was intensely cold, but the little stove in the sittingroom was kept filled constantly.

Sometimes we came to drifts, and the train would stop with a violent jerk, start again, and once more come to

a standstill, with such force that the dishes would fall from the table. The trainmen were ordered out, and

after energetic work by the stalwart arms the track was again clear and we went on. One day we seemed to be

creeping; the engines whistled, and we shot on finely. The speed was checked so suddenly that the little stove

fairly danced, and our belongings flew through the car from end to end. After this there was an exodus from

the cars; every one went to inquire as to the ominous stop. Before our train there seemed to be a perfect wall

of ice; we had come to a gully which was almost filled with drifts. The cars were all backed down some

distance and detached; the snowploughs and engines having thus full sweep, all the steam possible was put

on, and they began what they called "bucking the drifts." This did a little good at first, and we made some

progress through the gully. After one tremendous dash, however, the ploughs and one engine were so deeply

embedded that they could not be withdrawn. The employ�s dug and shovelled until they were exhausted.

The Black Hills miners relieved them as long as they could endure it; then the officers and recruits worked

until they could do no more. The impenetrable bank of snow was the accumulation of the whole winter, first

snowing, then freezing, until there were successive layers of ice and snow. It was the most dispiriting and

Night was descending, and my husband, after restlessly going in and out to the next car, showed me that he

had some perplexity on his mind. He described to me the discomfort of the officers and Bismarck citizens in

the other coach in not having any place to sleep. His meaning penetrated at last, and I said, "You are waiting

for me to invite them all to room with us?" His "exactly" assured me it was precisely what he intended me to

do. So he hurried out to give them my compliments and the invitation. The officers are generally prepared for

emergencies, and they brought in their blankets; the citizens left themselves to the general's planning. In order

to make the carblankets go further, he made two of the foldingbeds into one broad one. Two little berths

on each side, and rolls of bedding on the floor, left only room for the stove, always heated to the last degree. I

was invited to take the farthest place towards the wall, in the large bed; then came my husband. After that I

burrowed my head in my pillow, and the servant blew out some of the candles and brought in our guests. It is

unnecessary for me to say that I did not see the order in which they appeared. The audible sleeping in our

bed, however, through the long nights that followed, convinced me that the general had assigned those places

to the oldest, fattest, and ranking civilians. Every morning I awoke to find the room empty and all the beds

folded away. The general brought me a tin basin with icewater, and helped me to make a quick toilet; our

eleven visitors waited in the other coach, to return to breakfast with us in the same room. Every one made the

best of the situation, and my husband was as rollicking as ever. Though I tried to conceal it, I soon lost heart

The days seemed to stretch on endlessly; the snow was heaped up about us and falling steadily. All we could

see was the trackless waste of white on every side. The wind whistled and moaned around the cars, and great

gusts rocked our frail little refuge from side to side. The snow that had begun to fall with a few scattered

flakes now came down more thickly. I made the best effort I could to be brave, and deceived them as to my

real terrors I had no other idea than that we must die there. We tried to be merry at our meals, and made

light of the deficiencies that occurred each time we sat down. The increase at the table quickly diminished our

stores, and I knew by the careful manner in which the wood was husbanded that it was nearly exhausted. The

general, always cool and never daunted by anything, was even more blithe, to keep me from knowing that

there was anything alarming in the situation. If I could have worked as the men did, even though it was at the

hopeless snowdrifts, the time would not have seemed so long. Of course I had needlework, but at such a

time any industry that admits of thinking is of little use as a distraction. During those anxious days it used to

seem strange to hear a dinnerbell through the air, muffled with snow. For an instant I was deluded into the

thought that by some strange necromancy we had been spirited on to a station, and that this was the clang of

the eatinghouse bell. It was only the call from the car where the employ�s were fed. The lowing of the cattle

and howling of our dogs in the forward cars were the only other sounds we heard. Finally the situation

became desperate, and with all their efforts the officers could no longer conceal from me their concern for our

Search was made throughout all the train to find if there was a man who understood anything about

telegraphy, for among the fittings stowed away in the car a tiny battery had been found, with a pocketrelay.

A man was finally discovered who knew something of operating, and it was decided to cut the main wire.

Then the wires of the pocketrelay were carried out of our car and fastened to either end of the cut wire

outside, so making an unbroken circuit between as and our Lincoln friends, besides uniting us with Fargo

station. In a little while the general had an answer from Colonel Tom, most characteristic: "Shall I come out

for you? You say nothing about the old lady; is she with you? The "old lady" begged the privilege of framing

the reply. I regretted that the telegram could not be underscored a woman's only way of emphasizing for

I emphatically forbade him to come. On this occasion I dared to assume a show of authority. The stories of

the risk and suffering of our mailcarriers during the two previous winters were too fresh in my memory for

After that we kept the wires busy, talking with our friends and devising plans for our relief. We only

succeeded in suppressing our headlong brother temporarily. Against our direct refusal he made all his

preparations, and only telegraphed, when it was too late to receive an answer, that he was leaving garrison.

Then our situation was forgotten in our solicitude about him. The time seemed to move on leaden wings, and

yet it was in reality not long. He went to Bismarck, and looked up the best stagedriver in all the territory,

and hired him. This driver was cool, intrepid, and inured to every peril. At an old stagestation along the

At last a great whoop and yell, such as was peculiar to the Custers, was answered by the general, and made

me aware for the first time that Colonel Tom was outside. I scolded him for coming before I thanked him, but

be made light of the danger and hurried us to get ready, fearing a coming blizzard. His arms were full of

wraps, and his pockets crowded with mufflers and wraps the ladies had sent out to me. We did ourselves up

in everything we had, while the three hounds were being placed in the sleigh. The drifts were too deep to

drive near the cars, so my husband carried me over the snow and deposited me in the straw with the dogs.

They were such strangers they growled at being crowded. Then the two brothers followed, and thus packed in

we began that terrible ride, amid the cheers of those we were leaving. It was understood that we were to send

The suspense and alarm in the car had been great, but that journey through the drifts was simply terrible. I

tried to be courageous, and did manage to keep still; but every time we plunged into what appeared to be a

bottomless white abyss, I believed that we were to be buried there. And so we would have been, I firmly

believe, had it not been for the experience and tenacity of will shown by the old driver. He had a peculiar yell

that he reserved for supreme moments, and that always incited the floundering mules to new efforts. The

sleigh was covered, but I could look out in front and see the plucky creatures scrabbling up a bank after they

had extricated us from the great drift at the bottom of the gully. If there had been a tree to guide us, or had it

been daytime, it would not have seemed so hopeless a journey. The moon was waning, and the clouds

obscured it entirely from time to time. There was nothing to serve as guideposts except the telegraphpoles.

Sometimes we had to leave them to find a road where the sleigh could be pulled through, and I believed we

never would reach them again. Divide after divide stretched before us, like the illimitable waves of a great

white sea. The snow never ceased falling, and I know too much of the Dakota blizzard not to fear hourly that

it would settle into that driving, blinding, whirling atmosphere through which no eyes can penetrate and no

foot progress. It is fortunate that such hours of suspense come to an end before one is driven distracted.

When at last I saw the light shining out of our door at Fort Lincoln I could not speak for joy and gratitude at

our release from such peril. Our friends gathered about us around the great logfire in the general's room. No

light ever seemed so bright, no haven ever so blessed, as our own fireside. The train remained in the spot

where we had left it until the sun of the next spring melted down the great ice banks and set free the buried

engines. All the help that Bismarck could give was sent out at once, and even the few cattle that survived

were at last driven over that long distance, and shelter found for them in the town.

Hardly had we arrived before a despatch came recalling the general to the East. I had no thought but that I

would be allowed to accompany him, and went at once to repack my things. My husband found me thus

employed, and took my breath away by telling me he could not endure the anxiety of having me go through

such peril again. In vain I pleaded, and asked him to remember that I had summoned sufficient selfcontrol

not to utter a word about my fears; I promised more courage the next time. It was of no avail, I had to submit.

Not the shadow of an anxiety, nor the faintest sign of dread of the coming journey over the snow again came

into his face. He left me with the same words with which he always comforted me: "Be sure, Libbie, it's all

for the best; you know we always find it so in the end." With these farewell words he stepped into the

It is not possible for me to speak in detail of the days that followed. Life seemed insupportable until I

received a despatch saying that my husband had again passed safely over that two hundred and fifty miles of

OUR women's hearts fell when the fiat went forth that there was to be a summer campaign, with probably

Sitting Bull refused to make a treaty with the Government, and would not come in to live on a reservation.

Besides his constant attacks on the white settlers, driving back even the most adventurous, he was incessantly

invading and stealing from the land assigned to the peaceable Crows. They appealed for help to the

The preparations for the expedition were completed before my husband returned from the East, whither he

had been ordered. The troops had been sent out of barracks into a camp that was established a short distance

down the valley. As soon as the general returned we left home and went into camp.

The morning for the start came only too soon. My husband was to take Sister Margaret and me out for the

first day's march, so I rode beside him out of camp. The column that followed seemed unending. The grass

was not then suitable for grazing, and as the route of travel was through a barren country, immense quantities

of forage had to be transported. The wagons themselves seemed to stretch out interminably. There were

packmules, the ponies already laden, and cavalry, artillery, and infantry followed, the cavalry being in

advance of all. The number of men, citizens, employ�s, Indian scouts, and soldiers was about twelve hundred.

As we rode at the head of the column, we were the first to enter the confines of the garrison. About the Indian

quarters, which we were obliged to pass, stood the squaws, the old men, and the children singing, or rather

moaning, a minor tune that has been uttered on the going out of Indian warriors since time immemorial.

Some of the squaws crouched on the ground, too burdened with their trouble to hold up their heads; others

restrained the restless children who, discerning their fathers, sought to follow them.

The Indian scouts themselves beat their drums and kept up their peculiar monotonous tune, which is weird

and melancholy beyond description. Their warsong is misnamed when called music. It is more of a lament

or a dirge than an inspiration to activity. This intoning they kept up for miles along the road. After we had

passed the Indian quarters we came near Laundress Row, and there my heart entirely failed me. The wives

and children of the soldiers lined the road. Mothers, with streaming eyes, held their little ones out at

arm'slength for one last look at the departing father. The toddlers among the children, unnoticed by their

elders, had made a mimic column of their own. With their handkerchiefs tied to sticks in lieu of flags, and

beating old tin pans for drums, they strode lustily back and forth in imitation of the advancing soldiers. They

were fortunately too young to realize why the mothers wailed out their farewells.

Unfettered by conventional restrictions, and indifferent to the opinion of others, the grief of these women was

audible, and was accompanied by desponding gestures, dictated by their bursting hearts and expressions of

It was a relief to escape from them and enter the garrison, and yet, when our band struck up "The Girl I Left

Behind Me," the most despairing hour seemed to have come. All the sadfaced wives of the officers who had

forced themselves to their doors to try and wave a courageous farewell, and smile bravely to keep the ones

they loved from knowing the anguish of their breaking hearts, gave up the struggle at the sound of the music.

The first notes made them disappear to fight out alone their trouble, and seek to place their hands in that of

their Heavenly Father, who, at such supreme hours, was their neverfailing solace.

From the hour of breaking camp, before the sun was up, a mist had enveloped everything. Soon the bright sun

began to penetrate this veil and dispel the haze, and a scene of wonder and beauty appeared. The cavalry and

infantry in the order named, the scouts, packmules, and artillery, and behind all the long line of

whitecovered wagons, made a column altogether some two miles in length. As the sun broke through the

mist a mirage appeared, which took up about half of the line of cavalry, and thenceforth for a little distance it

The future of the heroic band, whose days were even then numbered, seemed to be revealed, and already

there seemed a premonition in the supernatural translation as their forms were reflected from the opaque mist

The sun, mounting higher and higher as we advanced, took every little bit of burnished steel on the arms and

equipments along the line of horsemen, and turned them into glittering flashes of radiating light. The yellow,

indicative of cavalry, outlined the accoutrements, the trappings of the saddle, and sometimes a narrow thread

of that effective tint followed the outlines even up to the headstall of the bridle. At every bend of the road,

as the column wound its way round and round the low hills, my husband glanced back to admire his men, and

could not refrain from constantly calling my attention to their grand appearance.

The soldiers, inured to many years of hardship, were the perfection of physical manhood. Their brawny limbs

and lithe, wellpoised bodies gave proof of the training their outdoor life had given. Their resolute faces,

brave and confident, inspired one with a feeling that they were going out aware of the momentous hours

The general could scarcely restrain his recurring joy at being again with his regiment, from which he had

feared he might be separated by being detained on other duty. His buoyant spirits at the prospect of the

activity and fieldlife that he so loved made him like a boy. He had made every plan to have me join him

The steamers with supplies would be obliged to leave our post and follow the Missouri up to the mouth of the

Yellowstone, and from thence on to the point on that river where the regiment was to make its first halt to

renew the rations and forage. He was sanguine that but a few weeks would elapse before we would be

reunited, and used this argument to animate me with courage to meet our separation.

As usual we rode a little in advance and selected camp, and watched the approach of the regiment with real

pride. They were so accustomed to the march the line hardly diverged from the trail. There was a unity of

movement about them that made the column at a distance seem like a broad dark ribbon stretched smoothly

We made our camp the first night on a small river a few miles beyond the post. There the paymaster made his

disbursements, in order that the debts of the soldiers might be liquidated with the sutler.

In the morning the farewell was said, and the paymaster took sister and me back to the post.

With my husband's departure my last happy days in garrison were ended, as a premonition of disaster that I

had never known before weighed me down. I could not shake off the baleful influence of depressing

thoughts. This presentiment and suspense, such as I had never known, made me selfish, and I shut into my

heart the most uncontrollable anxiety, and could lighten no one else's burden. The occupations of other

We heard constantly at the Fort of the disaffection of the young Indians of the reservation, and of their

joining the hostiles. We knew, for we had seen for ourselves, how admirably they were equipped. We even

saw on a steamer touching at our landing its freight of Springfield rifles piled up on the docks en route for the

Indians up the river. There was unquestionable proof that they came into the tradingposts far above us and

bought them, while our own brave 7th Cavalry troopers were sent out with only the shortrange carbines that

While we waited in untold suspense for some hopeful news, the garrison was suddenly thrown into a state of

excitement by important despatches that were sent from Division Headquarters in the East. We women knew

that eventful news had come, and could hardly restrain our curiosity, for it was of vital import to us. Indian

scouts were fitted out at the Fort with the greatest despatch, and given instructions to make the utmost speed

they could in reaching the expedition on the Yellowstone. After their departure, when there was no longer

any need for secrecy, we were told that the expedition which had started from the Department of the Platte,

and encountered the hostile Indians on the headwaters of the Rosebud, had been compelled to retreat.

All those victorious Indians had gone to join Sitting Bull, and it was to warn our regiment that this news was

sent to our post, which was the extreme telegraphic communication in the Northwest, and the orders given

to transmit the information, that precautions might be taken against encountering so large a number of the

enemy. The news of the failure of the campaign in the other department was a deathknell to our hopes. We

felt that we had nothing to expect but that our troops would be overwhelmed with numbers, for it seemed to

us an impossibility, as it really proved to be, that our Indian scouts should cross that vast extent of country in

The first steamer that returned from the Yellowstone brought letters from my husband, with the permission,

for which I had longed unutterably, to join him by the next boat. The Indians had fired into the steamer when

it had passed under the high bluffs in the gorges of the river. I counted the hours, until the second steamer

was ready. They were obliged, after loading, to cover the pilothouse and other vulnerable portions of the

upper deck with sheetiron to repel attacks. Then sandbags were placed around the guards as protection,

and other precautions taken for the safety of those on board. All these delays and preparations made me

inexpressibly impatient, and it seemed as if the time would never come for the steamer to depart.

Meanwhile our own post was constantly surrounded by hostiles, and the outer pickets were continually

subjected to attacks. It was no unusual sound to hear the longroll calling out the infantry before dawn to

defend the garrison. We saw the faces of the officers blanch, brave as they were, when the savages grew so

A picture of one day of our life in those disconsolate times is fixed indelibly in my memory.

On Sunday afternoon, the 25th of June, our little group of saddened women, borne down with one common

weight of anxiety, sought solace in gathering together in our house. We tried to find some slight surcease

from trouble in the old hymns: some of them dated back to our childhood's days, when our mothers rocked us

to sleep to their soothing strains. I remember the grief with which one fair young wife threw herself on the

carpet and pillowed her head in the lap of a tender friend. Another sat dejected at the piano, and struck soft

chords that melted into the notes of the voices. All were absorbed in the same thoughts, and their eyes were

filled with faraway visions and longings. Indescribable yearning for the absent, and untold terror for their

At that very hour the fears that our tortured minds had portrayed in imagination were realities, and the souls

On the 5th of July for it took that time for the news to come the sun rose on a beautiful world, but with

its earliest beams came the first knell of disaster. A steamer came down the river bearing the wounded from

the battle of the Little Big Horn, of Sunday, June 25th. This battle wrecked the lives of twentysix women at

Fort Lincoln, and orphaned children of officers and soldiers joined their cry to that of their bereaved mothers.

From that time the life went out of the hearts of the "women who weep," and God asked them to walk on

Mrs. Custer very naturally ends her work with the coming of the news that put so many women's lives in

shadow. She has attempted no account of the Little Big Horn expedition, and none seems necessary here; but

it is deemed best to add the following very brief outline by way of explanation to any reader whose memory

The expedition during the summer of 1876, which ended so fatally with the battle of the Little Big Born, was

under General Terry, the ranking officer. General Custer commanded under him the 7th Cavalry. As it

marched, the force struck a fresh Indian trail, and scouts were sent to follow it up and ascertain the number of

warriors in the band. This can be done with great accuracy. The number of Indians can be estimated by

following the trail far enough to get its average width and the size of the circle grazed over at night by the

ponies on which the warriors ride. In this case the scouts followed the trail far enough to ascertain that twelve

hundred Indians were in the band, but did not learn the location of the village where they were encamped.

Upon their return General Terry and General Custer consulted together. It was well known to them that the

vigilance of the Indian keeps outposts and signalfires on every hilltop, thus making it an impossibility to

approach one of their villages unobserved. Neither could it be kept from their quick eyes what the strength of

the approaching force was. To await an attack or to advance with superior numbers was to give the Indians a

chance to escape, and their wariness was known to all. Accordingly it was determined that General Custer

should take such force as he thought the Indians, seeing him approach, would stand against awaiting its

attack. He was convinced that the 7th Cavalry was as large a body as could be taken with safety, and was a

match for twelve hundred Indians. He knew his men, and knew what he was doing. It was suggested that he

should take a piece of artillery, but the scouts had described the bad lands over which they must march, and

General Custer knew that artillery would hamper his movements besides increasing the apparent size of the

command. He started with only his regiment, and the rest of the expedition halted to await the result. The

officers and men went out feeling certain that a fight awaited them. If there had been but twelve hundred

warriors, as there was every reason to suppose, the affair would have ended well; but Indian reinforcements,

covering a trail half a mile wide (as was learned after the battle), had come from the North, and in an opposite

direction to that in which the Indians were going. Instead, therefore, of a thousand, the gallant 7th Cavalry

encountered about five thousand Indians, who were emboldened by success in their battle in another

General Custer called a halt as he approached the village, and summoning his officers, explained to them his

plan of attack, which was the same that had proved so successful in the battle of the Washita, in the previous

history of the regiment. He offered the lead to that officer who should first report his company ready for

battle. In a few seconds one of the highest in rank received this desired honor. Dividing the command into

three detachments, General Custer led the body of his regiment in that final charge, in which afterwards the

line of battle of a portion could be traced by the dead men and horses as they fell at the post of duty, and from

Extracts from Letters written by General Custer to his Wife during the Expedition to the Yellowstone in

[Many of the letters from which the following extracts are taken are very long, but so much of them is of a

personal nature that I have sought here to give only those portions that convey an idea of the camplife and

I regret that I have not the letters giving an account of the Indian fights. I have substituted a copy of General

WHEN I may have an opportunity to send this, or when it may reach you, I cannot tell; but I will have it

This is our sixth day out from Fort Rice. We reached this river yesterday about noon, and are remaining in

camp today as it is somewhere in this locality that we expect to find the railroad engineers, and Lieut. D

Our march has been perfectly delightful thus far. We have encountered no Indians, although yesterday we

saw the fresh tracks of about fifteen ponies, showing that they are in our vicinity.

I never saw such fine hunting as we have constantly had since we left Fort Rice. I have done some of the best

shooting I ever did, and as you are always so interested I want to tell you about it. I take twentyfive picked

men with me, and generally have severalofficers in the party besides. It is not necessary to go out of sight of

the column, as the game is so abundant we can even eclipse your story about antelope running into the men's

arms! They actually ran through our wagontrain, and one was run over by a wagon and caught! Tom*

The first day out the dogs caught an antelope and I shot one, since when I have brought in from two to four

daily. Day before yesterday the members of our mess killed eight antelope. But I must tell you of some of my

Three days ago F and I with a party were out in sight of the column, when an antelope started up fully two

hundred yards distant, and ran rapidly parallel to us. I fired five times at it while running, at this distance. It

then stopped, and I got about twentyfive paces nearer when I fired offhand, aiming directly at the head. It

fell, and I measured the distance, which proved to be one hundred and seventy yards, and the antelope was

found to be shot through the head. Of the five shots which I had fired at it while running at a distance of two

hundred yards, four had struck the antelope, one breaking its thigh and two going through its body.

Yesterday a fine large buck came bounding over the hill across our path. He was so far that no one seemed to

think it worth while to aim at him, but I thought I would try. Jumping off my thoroughbred, Vic, in an instant

I had my rifle at my shoulder and levelled at the buck, which was running at full speed. I pressed the trigger,

and waiting an instant to give the bullet time to reach its mark, the buck was seen to fall lifeless in the grass.

To be accurate in the distance I requested F to measure it. Be did so, and found it to be two hundred and

eighty yards. Galloping to where the antelope had fallen, I found him shot directly through the centre of the

neck, about one foot from the head, the neck being broken by the shot. I put him entire on the orderly

trumpeter's horse and sent him to the wagons to be carried to camp, where I butchered him. He was the fattest

I sent H and M 's messes each a quarter. I have not only been fortunate enough to keep our own mess

supplied with game every meal since we left Fort Rice, but have had quantities to send to the infantry

Poor Fred and Ton! They have accompanied me frequently Fred always along and yet neither of them

has been able thus far to kill a single antelope. I tease them a great deal, for they use the Winchester rifle. It is

You know when Tom takes a notion to get anything of mine how very persistent he is. Well, his latest dodge

is to obtain possession of my Springfield rifle, which I allow my orderly, Tuttle, to carry. Night before last he

carried it off to his tent without saying anything about it; but Tuttle slipped down while Tom was at breakfast

I wish you could have seen one of our huntingparties coming into camp a few days ago, after a hunt of not

more than four hours, in sight of the column all the time. My orderlies and I had four antelope strapped to our

saddles; then came Captain F , with a fine, large buck strapped behind him and a saddle in his front, while

his orderly was similarly loaded; then McD and his orderly, each with a splendid antelope on his saddle,

while others of the men who had accompanied me were well provided with game except poor H . He

and the four men of his company who went with us had equal chances with the rest, but they had nothing.

The officers give H no rest now on the subject of antelope; the last advice given him was that his only

chance now is to spread his fishnet (which the officers ridicule him for bringing into such a country as this)

and catch the antelope in that way! Tuttle killed two antelope at one shot with my Springfield at pretty long

Yesterday Fred and I had an exciting time with an elk that swam the river twice near us, but we only

succeeded in wounding him before he got away to the bluffs beyond sight of the command, where we did not

I am glad that I posted myself with regard to taxidermy; for yesterday, after reaching camp, I devoted all the

afternoon to preparing the head of the antelope I killed for preservation. The antlers the officers think the

finest they ever saw. I have prepared the entire head, and the skin of about one foot of the neck. I also have a

beautiful set of elk antlers that I hope to get through safely. I carry them strapped on top of the ambulance of

I do not think we are going to have any serious difficulty with the Indians at least this is General Rosser's

opinion. He thinks this expedition is too large and unwieldy to perform the desired work promptly, and I

There is an officer temporarily detailed with the command who inspires my respect because he regards the

wishes of his mother so highly. He has some fine rifles at home, but did not bring any with him, merely to

please his mother, who feared that if he brought his guns along he would be tempted to wander off alone

It is four days since I began this letter, but we have been moving in the mean while, so that but little

With the ten companies of the 7th I started to join the engineers, leaving the infantry and train to follow us. I

marched thirty miles over a bad country, besides building a bridge over a stream thirty feet wide and ten feet

deep. I superintended and planned it, and about one hundred and eighty men worked to complete it. About

twenty men had to cross the stream before the bridge could be begun. An officer must go with them, so I

detailed McD and twenty of his men. They had to strip off and swim across. You ought to have heard the

young officers on the bank hooting at McD when he was preparing to lead the "light brigade" across the

water! I built a bridge in about two hours, over which the whole command and wagontrain passed.

The officers have a good joke on Lieut. H . Nearly all of them have killed antelope, so Mr. H concluded

he must kill his. He went out yesterday near the column and soon espied an antelope quietly lying in the grass

about one hundred yards distant. Quickly dismounting from his horse, he crawled on the ground until near

enough, as he thought, to kill it. Taking deliberate aim he fired, but the ball fell short a few feet; yet the

antelope was not disturbed. This is not unusual. Again he took aim this time with great care, fired, and to his

joy he saw the fur fly from the antelope. Never doubting but that he bad given him a mortal wound, Mr. H

leaped into his saddle and galloped up to the antelope to cut its throat. Imagine his disgust to find that the

antelope had been dead several days, and had already been taken possession of by the flies! The officers will

Well, I have joined the engineers, and am having such pleasant visits with General Rosser. We talk over our

West Point times and discuss the battles of the war. I stretch the buffalorobe under the fly of the tent, and

there in the moonlight he and I, lying at full length, listen to each other's accounts of battles in which both

had borne a part. It seemed like the time when we were cadets together, huddled on one blanket and

discussing dreams of the future. Rosser said the worst whipping he had during the war was the one I gave him

the 9th of October, when I captured everything he had, including the uniform now at home in Monroe. He

said that on the morning of that fight, just as the battle was commencing he was on a hill on our front, which I

well remember, watching us advance. He was looking at us through his fieldglass, and saw and recognized

me as plainly as if I had been by his side. I was at the head of my troops all of which I remember and

Rosser said as soon as he recognized me he sent for his brigade commanders and pointed me out to them,

saying, "Do you see that man in front with long hair? Well, that's Custer, and we must bust him up today."

"And so," General Rosser continued, "we would have done had you attacked us as we thought you intended

to; but instead of that you slipped another column away around us, and my men soon began calling out,

'We're flanked! we're flanked!' then broke and ran, and nothing could stop them."

Rosser wanted to meet you at the crossing, but failed, and wrote to his wife to try and see you in St. Paul, but

He too asked if you did not accompany me almost everywhere; so you see what an extended reputation for

campaigning you have. And, do you know, he tells me he thinks I am anxious to get back to you. But I did

I killed another antelope yesterday, two the day before, and two the day before that. Mary made us a delicious

potpie out of two curlew I shot. Whenever the subject of potpies comes up, Mr. Calhoun, Tom, and I at

once begin talking of the place where we got the best potpies we ever tasted. One will say, "I'll tell you

where you can get the very nicest potpie you ever put in your mouth," and before he can go any further the

I saw the most beautiful reddeer yesterday I ever have seen. It was a new species to me; of the deepest red,

All the officers were up at my tent last night at twilight, sitting under the awning in front, all jolly, all

goodhumored, full of their jokes, and prouder than ever of the 7th, as they modestly compared the regiment

This letter of fortyfour closelywritten pages would make a Galaxy article so far as its length goes; suppose

You must read a good deal of it to mother, or tell her of its contents, and say that this time this letter must do

for the family. I hope your going home will be a comfort to her and improve her health.

Tell D if she is going to come into the Custer family she must be prepared to receive little billetdoux

Tom says, "Tell Libbie I intended writing, but when I saw the length of this letter I knew that there was

Well, here we are, encamped on the banks of the farfamed and to you far distant Yellowstone! How I have

longed to have you see, during our progress, what seems to me almost like another world. Truly can this

When the command arrived at what was supposed to be a distance of about fifteen miles from the river, it

became necessary and important to ascertain where the steamboat with supplies that had come by river was

located. I volunteered to go on a steamboat hunt, as I had hunted almost every other species of game; so

taking two troops and leaving our tents and wagons, I started on a search for the Key West. Several of the

officers applied to go, and General Rosser, who is always ready for a trip of this kind, accepted my invitation

No artist not even a Church or a Bierstadt could fairly represent the wonderful country we passed over,

while each step of our progress was like each successive shifting of the kaleidoscope, presenting to our

We passed over a region so full of ca�ons and precipices. Much of our journey was necessarily made on foot,

our horses being led in single file, except my own noble "Dandy." He seemed to realize the difficulties of the

route, and although permitted to run untethered, he followed me as closely and carefully as a welltrained

Sometimes we found ourselves on the summit of a high peak, to ascend which we had to risk both life and

limb, and particularly imperil the safety of our horses. Once we came to a steep declivity which neither man

nor horse could descend. It was impossible to retrace our steps, as the sides of the peak were so steep our

horses could not turn about without great danger of tumbling hundreds of feet. Asking the rest to wait a

moment, I looked about and discovered a possible way out to our left, provided a huge rock which lay in the

path could be removed. Bidding Tuttle "Look out," and uttering a few words of caution to Dandy, who

seemed to comprehend our situation and say, "All right, don't mind me," I left him clinging to the soft and

yielding soil of the mountain. I succeeded in dislodging the rock after some work, and sent it leaping down

the rocky side leading to the valley, sometimes taking hundreds of feet at one plunge. The way being clear, a

simple "Come on, Dandy," and we took the advance, followed by the rest. We were well repaid for our risk

I am making a rare collection of the fossils that the country is rich in vegetable and mineral specimens. I

hope you will approve of my plan of disposal of them: I intend to give them to the college at Ann Arbor.

What would you think to pass through thousands of acres of petrified trees, some of which are twelve feet in

diameter, with trunks and branches perfect! The fallen trunks of some as they lie on the ground are so natural

in grain and color, the officers are sometimes deceived and sit down, thinking them but lately felled.

To return to my search for the steamboat. After struggling through the beds of deep ca�ons and climbing

almost inaccessible peaks, we finally emerged into the valley of the Yellowstone. We were still obliged in

crossing swales to struggle on by walking, leading, climbing, and stumbling, and after a ride of ten miles we

Every one is congratulating F on getting the place I applied to Rosser for, as a member of the party of

engineers. He will get $60 a month, and a prospect later of advancement and higher salary. It is such a

pleasure when I can help young men who evince a disposition to help themselves. I never forget those who

gave me my first encouragement in life. How I have wished that some of our home boys, who possess talent

and education, but lack means and opportunity, would cast themselves loose from home and try their fortunes

in this great enterprising western country, where the virtues of real manhood come quickly to the surface, and

their possessor finds himself transformed from a mere boy to a fullfledged man almost before he realizes his

quick advancement. It is such a comfort to me to feel independent. Much as I dote on my profession, and

earnestly as I am devoted to it, yet should accident cast me adrift and I be thrown upon my own resources, I

have not a fear but that energy and a willingness to put my shoulder to the wheel would carry me through and

In this country, no man, particularly if moderately educated, need fail in life if determined to succeed, so

many and varied are the avenues to honorable employment which open on all hands before him.

The climate is perfect out here; not five men are sick out of the whole ten troops, and one poor fellow who

was about to be discharged before we left for disability, as he was thought to be in consumption, is now well

and does not desire his discharge. Though it is July we sleep under blankets constantly.

Regarding the dogs, I find myself more warmly attached to Tuck than to any other I have ever owned. Did I

tell you of her catching a fullgrown antelopebuck, and pulling him down after a run of over a mile, in

which she left the other dogs far behind? She comes to me almost every evening when I am sitting in my

large campchair, listening to the band or joining with the officers in conversation. First she lays her head on

my knee, as if to ask if I am too much engaged to notice her. A pat of encouragement and her forefeet are

thrown lightly across my lap; a few moments in this posture and she lifts her hindfeet from the ground, and,

great, overgrown dog that she is, quietly and gently disposes of herself on my lap, and at times will cuddle

down and sleep there for an hour at a time, until I become so tired of my charge that I am compelled to

transfer her to mother earth; and even then she resembles a wellcared for and halfspoiled child, who can

never be induced to retire until it has been fondled to sleep in its mother's arms.

Tuck will sleep so soundly in my lap that I can transfer her gently to the ground and she will continue her

slumber, like a little baby carefully deposited in its crib. As I write she is lying at my feet. She makes up with

I have just told Tom if he expects letters from you, he must write first. He answers that he would like to know

what he can find to write "after she receives that book from you." And one might think that the eighty pages

of this letter had exhausted every subject, but there is much I must leave untold.

I am prouder and prouder of the 7th, Libbie; not an officer or man of my command has been seen intoxicated

since the expedition left Fort Rice. H and I have our periodical official tussles, as usual, but I see a great

We have just parted with a member of the expedition who is not a loss to us, for he is a gossip but not

viciously inclined rather the contrary. He peddles tiresome tales without meaning harm. Everybody in the

7th Cavalry camp is content to attend to his own business and not meddle with other people's affairs.

You will scarcely credit what I am about to tell you, but it is an undeniable fact: here we have been encamped

for several days with pickets and guards surrounding our camp for its protection.

Our march here was over a stretch of wild, almost unknown country, supposed to be infested with hostile

Indians. Small parties were not deemed safe beyond sight of our column, and yet today imagine our surprise

to see a plain white covered springwagon, drawn by two mules and accompanied by a single individual,

approach our camp from the direction we came more than one week ago. It proved to be the

travellingconveyance of an humble priest, who, leaving Fort Rice seven days ago, traversed alone and

unguided, except by our trail, through more than two hundred miles of hostile and dangerous country, fording

rivers winding through deep and almost impassable ca�ons, toiling over mountains, at each step liable to be

massacred by hostile Indians. The country was entirely new to him, be never having been west of Fort Rice

before. He came believing he could be of spiritual benefit to many who would otherwise be wholly deprived

of such comfort. He carried no arms, adopted no special precautions for his safety, but with a simple and

unpretentious cross reverently erected and borne above his travellingwagon, he took his life in his hand and

boldly plunged into the wilds of this almost unknown region, evidently relying upon Him who ruleth over all,

to guide and protect him in his perilous journey. This to me is an act of Christian heroism and physical

... The Josephine is unloading her cargo about one mile below here, and leaves for Bismarck within an hour.

We expected to have an opportunity to write letters today, but as the boat receives five hundred dollars a

The command is not in camp yet. I took a squadron and started ahead to find a road. You have no idea what

difficulty we have, looking out a route through this country over which it is possible to move a train.

Yesterday I took two companies and travelled about forty miles. Today we reached the Yellowstone at 9.30.

We have been sleeping since (and it is now 4 P.M.) under the large trees standing on the river bank. I have

just received one letter from you, and I think it is the first instalment only, for I hear there are seven sacks of

mail on board the boat. I am sorry I am compelled to write under such hurried circumstances. I am lying on

Official Report of the Engagements with Indians on the 4th and 11th ultimo. Copy.

SIR, Acting under the instructions of the Brevetmajorgeneral commanding, I proceeded at five o'clock,

on the morning of the 4th instant, with one squadron of my command, numbering about ninety men, to

explore a route over which the main column could move. Having reached a point on the Yellowstone River,

near the mouth of Tongue River, and several miles in advance, and while waiting the arrival of the forces of

the expedition, six mounted Sioux dashed boldly into the skirt of timber within which my command had

halted and unsaddled, and attempted to stampede our horses. Fortunately our vedettes discovered the

approach of the Indians in time to give the alarm. A few welldirected shots soon drove the Indians to a safe

distance, where they kept up a aeries of yells, occasionally firing a few shots. As soon as the squadron could

mount, I directed Captain Moylan to move out in pursuit, at the same time I moved with the troops in

advance, commanded by First Lieutenant T. W. Custer. Following the Indians at a brisk gait, my suspicions

became excited by the confident bearing exhibited by the six Sioux in our front, whose course seemed to lead

us near a heavy growth of timber which stood along the river bank above us. When almost within rifle range

of this timber, I directed the squadron to halt, while I with two orderlies, all being well mounted, continued

after the Sioux in order to develop their intentions. Proceeding a few hundred yards in advance of the

squadron, and keeping a watchful eye on the timber to my left, I halted. The six Indians in my front also

halted, as if to tempt further pursuit. Finding all efforts in this direction unavailing, their plans and intentions

were quickly made evident, as no sooner was it seen that we intended to advance no farther, than with their

characteristic howls and yells over three hundred wellmounted warriors dashed in perfect line from the edge

of the timber, and charged down upon Captain Moylan's squadron, at the same time endeavoring to intercept

the small party with me. As soon as the speed of the thoroughbred on which I was mounted brought me

within hailing distance of Lieutenant Custer's troop, I directed that officer to quickly throw forward a

dismounted line of troopers, and endeavor to empty a few Indian saddles. The order was obeyed with the

greatest alacrity, and as the Sioux came dashing forward, expecting to ride down the squadron, a line of

dismounted cavalrymen rose from the grass and delivered almost in the faces of the warriors a volley of

carbine bullets which broke and scattered their ranks in all directions, and sent more than one Sioux reeling

from his saddle. This check gave us time to make our dispositions to resist the succeeding attacks, which we

knew our enemies would soon make upon us, The great superiority of our enemies in numbers, the long

distance separating us from the main command, and the belief, afterwards verified, that the woods above us

still concealed a portion of the savage forces, induced me to confine my movements, at first, strictly to the

defensive. The entire squadron (except the horseholders) was dismounted and ordered to fight on foot. The

Indians outnumbering us almost five to one were enabled to envelop us completely between their lines,

formed in a semicircle, and the river which flowed at our backs. The little belt of timber in which we had

been first attacked formed a very good cover for our ledhorses, while the crest of a second tableland,

conveniently located from the timber, gave us an excellent line of defence. The length of our line and the

numbers of the enemy prevented us from having any force in reserve; every available officer and man was on

the skirmishline, which was in reality our line of battle, even the number of men holding horses had to be

reduced, so that each horseholder held eight horses. Until the Indians were made to taste quite freely of our

lead they displayed unusual boldness, frequently charging up to our line and firing with great deliberation and

accuracy. Captain Moylan exercised command along the entire line; Lieutenant Custer commanded the

centre; my adjutant, Lieutenant James Calhoun, commanded the right; and Lieutenant Charles A. Varnum,

the left. The first Indian killed was shot from his pony by "Bloody Knife," the Crow who acted as my guide

and scout. Soon after Private Charles P. Miller, of "A" troop 7th Cavalry, succeeded in sending a carbine

bullet directly through the body of a chief who had been conspicuous throughout the engagement. At the

same time it was known that our firing had disabled many of their ponies, while owing to our sheltered

position the only damage thus far inflicted upon us was one man and two horses wounded, one of the latter

Finding their efforts to force back our line unavailing, the Indians now resorted to another expedient. By an

evidently preconcerted plan they set fire in several places to the tall grass which covered the ground in our

front, hoping by this means to force us back to the rear, and thus finish us at their pleasure. Fortunately for us

there was no wind prevailing at the time, while the grass was scarcely dry enough to burn rapidly. Taking

advantage of the dense curtain of smoke which rose from the burning grass, the Indians, by following the

course of the flame, could often contrive to obtain a shot at us at comparatively close range; but my men,

observing that there was no danger to be apprehended from the slowly advancing flames, could frequently

catch an opportunity to send a shot through a break in the curtain of smoke, and in this way surprised the

The fight began at 11.30 A.M., and was waged without cessation until near three o'clock, all efforts of the

Indians to dislodge us proving unsuccessful. The Indians had become extremely weary, and had almost

discontinued their offensive movements, when my ammunition ran low. I decided to mount the squadron and

Captain Moylan promptly had his men in the saddle, and throwing forward twenty mounted skirmishers,

under Lieutenant Varnum, the entire squadron moved forward at a trot. No sooner did the Indians discern our

intentions than, despite their superiority in numbers, they cowardly prepared for flight, in which preparation

they were greatly hastened when Captain Moylan's squadron charged them and drove them "pellmell" for

Five ponies killed or badly wounded were left on the battleground or along the line of their flight. So rapidly

were they forced to flee that they abandoned and threw away breechloading arms, saddle equipments,

Among the Indians who fought us on this occasion were some of the identical warriors who committed the

massacre at Fort Phil. Kearney, and they no doubt intended a similar programme when they sent the six

warriors to dash up and attempt to decoy us into a pursuit past the timber in which the savages hoped to

ambush us. Had we pursued the six warriors half a mile farther, instead of halting, the entire band of warriors

would have been in our rear, and all the advantage of position and numbers would have been with them.

So far as the troops attacked were concerned, the Indians, to offset their own heavy losses, had been able to

do us no damage except to wound one man and two horses; but unfortunately two noncombatants,

Veterinary Surgeon John Honsinger, 7th Cavalry, and Mr. Baliran, of Memphis, Tenn., in endeavoring to

come from the main column to join the squadron in advance, were discovered by the Indians during the

attack, and being unarmed were overtaken and killed almost within view of the battleground. Fortunately

the Indians were so pressed as not to be able to scalp or otherwise mutilate the remains.

On the 8th instant we discovered the trail of a large village, evidently that to which the party that attacked us

on the 4th belonged. The course of the trail led up the Yellowstone, and apparently was not more than two

days old. Acting under the authority of the Brevetmajorgeneral commanding, I ordered my command,

consisting of four squadrons of the 7th Cavalry, in readiness to begin the pursuit that night. The

Brevetmajorgeneral also directed the detachment of guides and Indian scouts under Lieutenant Daniel H.

Brush, 17th Infantry, to report to me for temporary service. Leaving all tents and wagons behind, and taking

with us rations for seven days, we started in pursuit at ten o'clock on the night of the 8th instant, having

waited until that hour until the moon should enable us to follow the trail. Following the trail as rapidly as the

rough character of the country would permit, daylight next morning found us nearly thirty miles from our

startingpoint. Concealing horses and men in a ravine, a halt of three hours was ordered to enable the horses

to graze and the men to obtain refreshments. Renewing the march at eight o'clock, the pursuit was continued

without halting until noon, when, to avoid discovery, as well as to obtain needed rest for men and animals, it

was decided to conceal ourselves in the timber, and await the cover of night to continue the pursuit.

Starting out at 6.30 P.M., the trail was followed rapidly for six miles, when, to our disappointment, we

discovered that the Indians had taken to the river, and crossed to the east side. In following their trail to this

point it was evident that the movement of the Indians was one of precipitate flight, the result of the

engagement on the 4th. All along their trail and in their campingplaces were to be found large quantities of

what constitutes an Indian's equipments, such as lodgepoles, robes, saddle equipments, arms, and cooking

utensils. In a hastily abandoned campground nearly two hundred axes, besides a great many campkettles

My entire command was disappointed when the trail showed that the Indians had crossed to the other side,

particularly as our rapid marching had carried us to the point of crossing, the evening of the day on which the

last of the Indians had crossed over, so that one more march would have enabled us to overhaul them.

Bivouacking in a belt of timber on the river bank, we waited until daylight to begin an attempt to cross the

command over the river, which at this point is about six hundred yards wide. At early dawn the entire

command forded the river to an island located about the middle of the channel; but our difficulties in the way

of crossing here began, as the volume of water and the entire force of the current were to be encountered

between the island and the opposite bank the current here rushes by at a velocity of about seven miles an

hour, while the depth of the water was such that a horse attempting to cross would be forced to swim several

hundred yards. Still, as we knew the Indians had not discovered our pursuit, and were probably located within

easy striking distance of the river, it was most desirable that a crossing should be effected. To accomplish

this, Lieutenant Weston, 7th Cavalry, with three accomplished swimmers from the command, attempted to

cross on a lograft, carrying with them a cable made of lariats. The current was so strong that Lieutenant

Weston's party were unable to effect a landing, but were swept down the river nearly two miles, and then

Lieutenant Weston, with characteristic perseverance and energy, made repeated attempts afterwards to carry

the cable over, but although succeeding in reaching the opposite bank in person was unable to connect the

cable with the shore. Almost the entire day was spent in these unsuccessful efforts, until finally a crossing in

this manner had to be abandoned. I then caused some cattle to be killed, and by stretching the hides over a

kind of basketframe prepared by the Crow guide, made what are known among the Indians as bullboats;

with these I hoped to be able to connect a cable with the opposite bank at daylight next morning, but just at

sunset a small party of Indians were seen to ride down to the bank opposite us and water their ponies. They

discovered our presence, and at once hastened away. Of course it was useless now to attempt a surprise, and

At early dawn the next day (the 11th instant), the Indians appeared in strong force on the river bank opposite

us, and opened a brisk fire upon us from their rifles. No attention was paid to them until encouraged by this

they had collected at several points in full view, and within range of our rifles, when about thirty of our best

marksmen, having posted themselves along the bank, opened a welldirected fire upon the Indians and drove

In the mean time strong parties of Indians were reported by our pickets to be crossing the river below and

above us, their ponies and themselves being so accustomed to the river as to render this operation quite

practicable for them. Captain French, commanding the right wing, was directed to watch the parties crossing

below, while Colonel Hart, commanding the left wing, posted a force to discharge this duty with regard to

parties crossing above. It would have been possible, perhaps, for us to have prevented the Indians from

effecting a crossing, at least when they did, but I was not only willing but anxious that as many of them

should come over as were so disposed. They were soon reported as moving to the bluffs immediately in rear

of us from the river. Lieutenant Brush was directed to employ his scouts in watching and reporting their

While this was transpiring I had mounted my command and formed it in line close under the bluffs facing

from the river, where we quietly waited the attack of the Indians in our front. The sharpshooting across the

river still continued, the Indians having collected some of their best shots apparently armed with

longrange rifles and were attempting to drive our men back from the water's edge. It was at this time that

my standing orderly, Private Tuttle, of "E" troop, 7th Cavalry, one of the best marksmen in my command,

took a sporting Springfield rifle and posted himself, with two other men, behind cover on the river bank, and

began picking off the Indians as they exposed themselves on the opposite bank. He had obtained the range of

the enemy's position early in the morning, and was able to place his shots wherever desired. It was while so

engaged that he observed an Indian in full view near the river. Calling the attention of his comrade to the fact,

he asked him "to watch him drop that Indian," a feat which he succeeded in performing. Several other Indians

rushed to the assistance of their fallen comrade, when Private Tuttle, by a skilful and rapid use of his

breechloading Springfield, succeeded in killing two other warriors. The Indians, enraged no doubt at this

rough handling, directed their aim at Private Tuttle, who fell pierced through the head by a riflebullet. He

was one of the most useful and daring soldiers who ever served under my command.

About this time Captain French, who was engaged with the Indians who were attacking us from below,

succeeded in shooting a warrior from his saddle, while several ponies were known to be wounded or disabled.

The Indians now began to display a strong force in our front on the bluffs. Colonel Hart was ordered to push

a line of dismounted men to the crest, and prevent the further advance of the enemy towards the river. This

duty was handsomely performed by a portion of Captain Yates's squadron. Colonel Hart had posted

Lieutenant Charles Braden and twenty men on a small knoll which commanded our left. Against this party

the Indians made their first onslaught. A mounted party of warriors, numbering nearly two hundred, rode

boldly to within thirty yards of Lieutenant Braden's position, when the latter and his command delivered such

a welldirected fire that the Indians were driven rapidly from that part of the field, after having evidently

Unfortunately Lieutenant Braden received a rifleball through the upper part of the thigh, passing directly

through the bone, but he maintained his position with great gallantry and coolness until he had repulsed the

enemy. Hundreds of Indians were now to be seen galloping up and down along our front, each moment

Believing the proper time had arrived to assume the offensive, orders to this effect were accordingly sent to

Colonel Hart and Captain French, the two wing commanders. Lieutenant Weston was directed to move his

troop "L" up a deep ravine on our left, which would convey him to the enemy's position, and as soon as an

opportunity occurred he was to charge them, and pursue the Indians with all the vigor practicable.

Immediately after, Captain Owen Hale was directed to move his squadron, consisting of "E" and "K" troops,

in conjunction with "L" troop, and the three to charge simultaneously. Similar dispositions were ordered in

the centre and right. Lieutenant Custer, commanding "B" troop, was ordered to advance and charge the

Indians in front of our centre, while Captains Yates and Moylan moved rapidly forward in the same direction.

Before this movement began, it became necessary to dislodge a large party of Indians posted in a ravine and

behind rocks in our front, who were engaged in keeping up a heavy fire upon our troops while the latter were

Actingassistantadjutantgeneral of the expedition, was shot under him. My own horse was also shot under

The duty of driving the Indians engaged in sharpshooting was intrusted to Lieutenant Charles A. Varnum,

7th Cavalry, with a detachment of "A" troop, 7th Cavalry, who soon forced the Indians back from their cover.

Everything being in readiness for a general advance, the charge was ordered, and the squadrons took the

gallop to the tune of "Garryowen," the band being posted immediately in rear of the skirmish line. The

Indians had evidently come out prepared to do their best, and with no misgivings as to their success, as the

mounds and high bluffs beyond the river were covered with groups of old men, squaws, and children, who

had collected there to witness our destruction. In this instance the proverbial power of music to soothe the

savage breast utterly failed, for no sooner did the band strike up the cheery notes of "Garryowen," and the

squadrons advance to the charge, than the Indians exhibited unmistakable signs of commotion, and their

resistance became more feeble, until finally satisfied of the earnestness of our attack they turned their ponies'

heads and began a disorderly flight. The cavalry put spurs to their horses and dashed forward in pursuit, the

various troop and squadron commanders vying with one another as to who should head the advance. The

appearance of the main command in sight, down the valley at this moment, enabled me to relieve Captain

French's command below us, and he was ordered to join in the pursuit. Lieutenant McIntosh, commanding

"G" troop, moved his command up the valley at a gallop, and prevented many of the Indians from crossing.

The chase was continued with the utmost vigor until the Indians were completely dispersed, and driven a

distance of nine miles from where the engagement took place, and they were here forced back across the

Yellowstone, the last pony killed in the fight being shot fully eight miles from the point of attack.

The number of Indians opposed to us has been estimated by the various officers engaged as from eight

hundred to a thousand. My command numbered four hundred and fifty, including officers and men. The

Indians were made up of different bands of Sioux, principally Uncpapas, the whole under command of

"Sitting Bull," who participated in the second day's fight, and who for once has been taught a lesson he will

A large number of Indians who fought us were fresh from their reservations on the Missouri River. Many of

the warriors engaged in the fight on both days were dressed in complete suits of the clothes issued at the

agencies to Indians. The arms with which they fought us (several of which were captured in the fight) were of

the latest improved patterns of breechloading repeating rifles, and their supply of metallic riflecartridges

seemed unlimited, as they were anything but sparing in their use. So amply have they been supplied with

breechloading rifles and ammunition that neither bows nor arrows were employed against us. As an

evidence that these Indians, at least many of them, were recently from the Missouri River agencies, we found

provisions, such as coffee, in their abandoned camps, and cooking and other domestic utensils, such as only

reservation Indians are supplied with. Besides, our scouts conversed with them across the river for nearly an

hour before the fight became general, and satisfied themselves as to the identity of their foes. I only regret

that it was impossible for my command to effect a crossing of the river before our presence was discovered,

and while the hostile village was located near at hand, as I am confident that we could have largely reduced

The losses of the Indians in ponies were particularly heavy, while we know their losses in killed and wounded

were beyond all proportion to that which they were enabled to inflict upon us, our losses being one officer

badly wounded, four men killed, and three wounded; four horses killed and four wounded.

Careful investigation justifies the statement that including both days' battles, the Indians' losses will number

forty warriors, while their wounded on the opposite bank of the river may increase this number.

Respectfully submitted. (Signed) G. A. CUSTER, Lieutenantcolonel 7th Cavalry, Brevetmajorgeneral, U.

... I know you will rejoice when your eyes fall upon the date and heading of this letter, and you learn that we

are thus far on our homeward journey, all safe and well. This letter is to be a SHORT one (after having

finished the letter I underscore the word), as it has only been decided a few hours ago to despatch three of our

Indian scouts from here to Fort Buford one hundred and twenty miles distant by river, only eighty by

land with mail, and to bring back what awaits us in return. As there are many official matters for me to

attend to between now and tomorrow morning the time of the departure of the scouts I do not hope to

give you but the main points of a letter, the details to be filled up by word of mouth.

I am here with six companies of cavalry, having separated from the main expedition several days ago on the

Mussel Shell River, and marched to this point direct, a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles. The

mules of the large trains began giving out; forage was almost exhausted, the horses being allowed only about

three pounds per day, fourteen pounds being regular allowance. The country was entirely unknown; no guides

knew anything of the route before us. General did not think it wise to venture into the unknown and

uninviting region with his command. But I did not feel inclined to yield to obstacles, and made an application

to take the main portion of the cavalry and strike through for the stockade direct instead of turning back. I

asked that the railroad engineers be allowed to continue with me. Consent was given and we started.

At headquarters it was not believed that I would get through. So strong was this impression, that in the

official order issued for my movement there was a clause authorizing me to burn or abandon all my wagons

or other public property, if, in my opinion, such steps were necessary to preserve life. I could not help but

smile to myself as I read that portion of the order. I had no idea of burning or abandoning a wagon. After we

had separated from the main column, the chief of the engineers remarked to the officers, "How positively

sanguine the general is that he will make this trip successfully." And so I was. I assured him from the first,

and from day to day, that the 7th Cavalry would bring them through all right. We had the goodluck to strike

across and encounter, instead of serious obstacles, the most favorable country yet met by us for marching.

Hitherto we had made about fifteen miles per day; when we started on this trip we marched twentytwo miles

one day and thirtyfive the next, and so on, and brought in every wagon with which we started, reaching here

The main command headed back towards the Yellowstone, and expects to be twelve or thirteen days in

making the trip. I am going to send an officer with his squadron in charge of fourteen wagons loaded with

Our location for next winter is settled. We shall be at Fort Lincoln, and the decision is satisfactory to me. I

presume you wish you were here to give the lieutenantcolonel of the battalion* a little advice as to what

companies shall be designated for each station. So far as this reason alone is concerned, I am glad that you

are not here, as I not only would not wish you to attempt to influence such a decision, but that no person or

persons might have just ground for imagining that you had done so. The officers are hinting strongly in the

endeavor to ascertain "Who goes where?" but thus far none are any the wiser, for the simple reason that I

It is a delicate, and in some respects an undesirable task, as all, so far as I know, desire to go to Fort Lincoln.

If no accident occurs, we shall reach there before October 1st less than a month from this date, and

probably less than ten days from the time you receive this, so that all your anxiety about me will be at an end.

I do not intend to relax my caution on the march between here and Lincoln, as I do not forget that the two

I think I told you in my letter of eighty pages about my chasing elk four miles and killing three. Since then I

have had the goodfortune to kill a fine large buckelk taller than "Dandy,"* weighing, cleaned, eight

hundred pounds, and with the handsomest pair of antlers I ever saw, and such a beautiful coat. I killed him

only a mile and a half from camp, sent for a wagon, and carried him entire back with us, when the officers

and men, and even those belonging to the scientific party, flocked to the grassy plot in front of my tent to see

The photographer who accompanied the scientists hitched up his photographwagon and drove over to take a

picture of what they called the "King of the Forest." All the officers and the photographer insisted that not

only the game but the hunter should appear in the picture. So I sat down, dressed as I was in my buckskins,

resting one hand on an antler, and you may judge of the immense size of the elk when I tell you that as I sat

there my head only reached to about half the height of the antlers. The picture is to form one of the series now

being collected on the expedition under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute.

Since the expedition started I have become acquainted with the gentlemen of the scientific corps, particularly

with the zoologist and the taxidermist. The latter has been kind enough to make me a pupil of his, and I can

now preserve animals for all practical purposes. I have been able to supply the gentlemen referred to with

many specimens of animals, and, in return, they have not only taught me but supplied me with all the means

You should see how very devoted I am to this, to me, very pleasant and interesting pastime. Often, after

marching all day, a light may be seen in my tent long after the entire camp is asleep, and a lookeron might

see me, with sleeves rolled above the elbow, busily engaged preparing the head of some animal killed in the

chase. Assisting me might be seen the orderly and Hughes, both, from their sleepy looks, seeming to say,

I have succeeded so well in taxidermy that I can take the head and neck of an antelope, fresh from the body,

and in two hours have it fully ready for preservation. I have prepared a most beautiful buckantelope head

and neck for Tom. He intends it for his sweetheart, and will send it by express from Bismarck.

I have just finished heads for two officers, which they intend as presents for their wives, and one I shall give

to the Audubon Club. Then I have the heads of two blacktailed deer, of a buck and doe antelope for me, and

the head and skin with claws of a grislybear. The latter is not thoroughly cured, owing to our constant

marching and the immense amount of fat contained in the neck and hide. The ne plus ultra of all is the "King

of the Forest." I have succeeded in preserving him entire antlers, head, neck, body, legs, and hoofs in

fine condition, so that he can be mounted and look exactly as in life. To prevent the hair being rubbed, I have

caused the head to be well covered with grainsacks, and this, with the entire skin, to be sewed up securely in

The scientists informed me that there were but few specimens on this continent of elk preserved entire, and

none so fine as mine. When I first began work on it I only intended to save the head, neck, and antlers, but

finding that I was able to save the whole, I decided upon the latter course. Had I kept the head and neck only,

it was intended for you; but having it complete alters my intention, as it would require a room to contain it.

So I have concluded, with your approval, to present it to the Audubon Club in Detroit.*

I have a fine buffalo head for you, beautifully haired and with symmetrical horns. A pair of sagechickens, a

One day I shot three antelope without changing my position, the nearest of the three being three hundred and

Our mess continues to be successful. Nearly every day we have something nice to send to Lieutenant

Braden.* Only think of him, with his shattered thigh, having to trail over a rough country for three hundred

miles! He is not transported in an ambulance, but a long stretcher arranged on wheels about thirty feet apart,

pulled and pushed by men on foot. They carry him much more steadily than would horses or mules. It

requires a full company of men each day to transport Mr. Brazen in this way. He is with the main command,

but was doing well when we left. The day the command divided I had the band take a position near the route

where the rest of the expedition would pass, and when he and his escort approached they struck up

* Lieutenant Braden was wounded in the battle described in the official report which accompanies this letter.

Upon our arrival here what was our joy to find quite a large mail awaiting us! It had been forwarded from

Rice and Lincoln to Fort Buford, and from there came here by scouts. I received four letters from you.... Do

you know, on the 4th of August the very day you were writing me one of the letters I received I was

fighting, probably at the same time.... After I received my four letters I threw myself down on the bed to read

them. When any one poked his head inside my large and comfortable tent, and ventured a question, you can

probably imagine the brevity and abruptness of a certain man's replies. My communication was strictly

... When I began my letter, a few days ago, announcing our safe return to the stockade, I said you must only

expect a few lines; but those few lines stretched out until they covered five sheets of letterpaper. I could

now cover five times five and then only have begun my letter, but where the time is to be found I cannot tell.

We are just taking the men across the river on the Josephine, which arrived yesterday. My headquarters and

about half the troops are over, the rest will have followed by night. As Sheldon Co., publishers of the Galaxy,

say, I am going to "boil down" this letter to as many brief allusions as possible.

Instead of waiting here for the rest of the command to move, tomorrow will find us on our way to Lincoln. I

take six troops of the 7th, two companies of infantry, and with the engineers set out on our return. We rely

confidently on reaching Lincoln before October 1st. The reports brought by those who came on the boat place

I think we will have a charming garrison this winter. I wish we had some one competent to give us lessons in

private theatricals. I learn by the boat that Department Headquarters have telegraphed to Lincoln that it is

possible I may wish to take a long leave. They almost take it for granted I will go, but I shall not. Do you

remember, on my return from the Washita campaign, I was offered a leave in a similar manner? I have no

I have enjoyed a few very great luxuries today. At dinner, on the Josephine, for the first time this season

(September 10th) I tasted new potatoes and cucumbers; but these were not the greatest. What do you imagine

was a greater luxury? RAW ONIONS!!!!* Even at this great distance I almost tremble when I inform you

that I not only had onions for dinner, but the captain of the boat gave me a whole bushel of fine large ones. I

supped on RAW ONIONS; I will probably breakfast, lunch, and dine on them tomorrow, and the next day,

and the day after ad libitum ad infinitum, until not time, but onions shall be no more. As one by one I

dispose of each goodlysized fragment of a huge onion, I remark, sotto voce, "Go it, old fellow! Make the

most of your liberties! You are on the homestretch now, and school soon commences;" in other words, "If

I would be glad to have every one of the officers now with me stationed at my post. My relations with them,

personal and official, are extremely agreeable. They are all counting on going to Lincoln, but I know some of

The steamer Josephine will probably leave for Lincoln tomorrow or next day, and should reach there in four

or five days, so that you should receive this letter in about one week.... The steamer brought me two splendid

letters from you, one dated the 18th, another the 25th of August. I received them on the 9th, which is pretty

My collection of geological specimens for the Michigan University is growing satisfactorily. The Indian

battles hindered the work of collecting, while in that immediate region it was unsafe to go far from the

P.S. Goodmorning!... I am sitting in my large, comfortable tent, writing before breakfast. And now I must

refer to a matter which thrusts itself upon my attention almost daily, yes, hourly, and that is the great degree

of comfort which I have enjoyed throughout this long and everchanging march; and it is all due to your

thoughtfulness and foresight, and the manner in which you fitted me up surpasses all my comrades. No mess

has compared with mine in its appointments and outfit. I have the best cook, and certainly no bed can equal

mine. Whenever I look around me I see the evidences of your handiwork and care for my welfare....

You never knew people more enthusiastic over the 7th than the engineers connected with the railroad party....

Well, I must terminate this letter, as I see no likelihood of my being able to tell you onetenth of what I have

to say. However, we will have all winter in our "brand, spankin'" now house to talk it over and over....

Here I have reached my thirtysecond page of this large paper. I only thought of writing three or four, and

... Where are the numerous bridges now which you have been crossing and recrossing in regard to our return

being delayed until late in October, perhaps until the first of November? Well, here we are, not only "as good

I have not drawn a single unhealthy breath since we started on the expedition, and if ever a lot of hardy,

strong, and athletic young fellows were assembled in one party, it is to be seen in a group of the officers of

the 7th. What a history and reputation this 7th Cavalry has achieved for itself! Although a new and young

regiment, it has left all the older fellows in the lurch, until today it is the best and most widely known of any

I am provoked to think I wrote you a long letter on the Yellowstone, also a telegram, and intrusted them to an

officer who was to take passage in the steamer Josephine, and leave about the time we did. It should have

reached here several days before we arrived, but I took six troops of cavalry and the engineers, crossed the

We took everybody by surprise, and beat the steamer here, so that your letter and telegram are still on the

boat somewhere between this point and the stockade. You may rely upon it that no grass grew under our feet

on our return march. I knew that my family consisting of one was in advance somewhere, and, as the

saying is, I just "lit out."* I am so comfortably fixed in my large, heavy canvas railroad tent that was given

me on the expedition, I am sure that you and I could live comfortably in it all winter.

* Here follows a description of Fort Lincoln. His sanguine temperament made it seem little short of an earthly

paradise. He did not seem to realize that the prosaic and plain Government buildings were placed on a

treeless and barren plain. In a carefully prepared plan of our house which he had drawn, he gave the

dimensions and description of each room, and over the floor of his library a triple underlining of his words,

"MY ROOM," and the motto, "Who enters here leaves hope behind." He thus began, before we had even

occupied the house, playfully to threaten any one who disturbed his writing or studies.

I am much pleased with the appearance of the citizens who have come across the river from Bismarck to pay

their respects and offer congratulations on the summer's campaign. Some of the Yankton gentlemen are here

.. When you find that I have just sent the 7th Cavalry band to serenade on his departure, you will say to

yourself, "He has been too forgiving again." Well, perhaps I have. I often think of the beautiful expression

uttered by President Lincoln at the consecration of the Gettysburg monument, and feel how nearly it

expresses my belief, "With malice toward none, with charity for all!" and I hope this will ever be mine to

* The officer to whom reference is made had been a persistent and exasperating enemy of my husband during

the summer, and I could not forget or forgive, even after apologies were offered, especially as they were not

Adopting your wise and deserved suggestion, I have at last written my long delayed letter to Mr. Ford, and

among other things told him I would send him per express the skins of two young elk that I killed, to have

them tanned, and a pair of shoes made for each of us. So, you see, I did as I generally do, obeyed my "other

During a halt of two days, just before we started for home, I wrote a long Galaxy article, and shall mail it

with this. Not only did I do that instead of resting, because of the appeals of the magazine editors, but it

behooved me to get off my contributions with some regularity; for if I stop now, those who attribute them to

you would say all the more it was because you were not along to do the work for me. If people only knew the

amusement they have afforded us by laying the responsibility of these articles on your shoulders.

I must not forget to tell you that during the expedition I killed with my rifle and brought into camp fortyone

antelope, four buffalo, four elk, seven deer (four of them blacktails), two white wolves, and one red fox.

Geese, ducks, prairiechickens, and sagehens without number completed my summer's record.

No one assisted me in killing the antelope, deer, or elk, except one of the latter.

One porcupine and a wildcat I brought in alive. Both of these amiable creatures I intend to send to Central

The following Extracts are taken from Letters sent from the Expedition to the Black Hills, referred to in

...Yesterday was a hard day on the trains. The recent rains had so softened the ground that the heavilyloaded

wagons sunk to the hubs, and instead of getting in camp by noon as we expected, one battalion did not get in

until after dark. But we had a good dinner, and every one is feeling well this morning. I am making a late start

I send you by bearer a young curlew, as a playmate to the wildgoose. Should it live, its wings had better be

Our mess is a great success. Last night, notwithstanding the late hour at which we reached camp, Johnson,

our new colored cook, had hot biscuit, and this morning hot cakes and biscuit. We will not be over twenty or

twentyfive miles from the post tonight. The men are standing around waiting to take down the tents, so I

... We are making a halt of one day at this charming spot, in order to rest the animals and give the men an

opportunity to wash their clothes. I will begin by saying everything is and has been perfectly satisfactory.

We have marched through an exceedingly interesting country. We are now in the most beautiful valley we

have seen thus far, and encamped on a small tributary of the Little Missouri, and about five miles from the

latter. So beautiful did this place seem to us when we first came in sight of it, I directed the engineerofficer,

Three days ago we reached the cave referred to, before we started, by the Indian called "Goose." It was found

to be about four hundred feet long, and just as he described, the walls and top covered with inscriptions and

drawings. The prints of hands and feet are also in the rocks. I think this was all the work of Indians at an early

day, although I cannot satisfactorily account for the drawings of ships found there.

"Bos,"* though this is his first expedition, takes to life on the plains as naturally as if bred to it. One of the

officers says he thinks it must "run in the blood." He has to go through the usual experience that falls to all

"plebs." Every one practises jokes on him, but he bas such a good disposition it does not even ruffle him. I

know that you would espouse his cause against us if you had seen him take some bits of rocks out of his

pocket every night after we had reached camp, and put them to soak in his washbasin. They were given to

him by Tom, who assured him that they were sponge stone a variety that softened by keeping them in

water for a certain length of time. After a few nights of faithful practice it dawned upon him that he was again

the victim of a practical joke, and he quietly dropped them by the way without saying a word. You need not

trouble yourself to take up arms in his defence, for he gets even with us in the longrun.

He has been so pleased with his mule from the first, and has praised, him to me repeatedly. He is a good

animal, for a mule, but endurance, in his constitution, rather triumphs over speed. I could not resist taking

The land was undulating, and you know how it always seems as if one could surely see for miles beyond

when the top of each divide is reached, and how one can go on all day over the constant rise and fall of the

earth, thinking the next divide will reveal a vast stretch of country. "Bos" rode beside me, and I invented an

excuse to go in advance; I made "Vic" gallop slowly over the divide, and when out of sight on the other side I

put spurs to him and dashed through the low ground. When "Bos" came in sight I was slowly ambling up the

next divide and calling to him to come on. He spurred his mule, shouted to him, and waved his arms and legs

to incite him to a faster gait. When he neared me I disappeared over another divide, and giving "Vic" the rein

only slackened speed when it became time for "Bos" to appear. Then, when I had brought my horse down to

a walk I called out, "Why on earth don't you come on?" Believing that the gait he saw me take had been

unvarying, he could not understand why I lengthened the distance between us so rapidly. I kept this up until

he discovered my joke, and I was obliged to ride back to join him and suit "Vic's" steps to those of his

No Indians or signs of Indians were seen from the time we left Lincoln until the day before yesterday, when

about twenty were discovered near the column. They scampered off as soon as observed. Yesterday we came

where they had slept. The officer on rearguard duty saw about twentyfive following our trail.

Signal smokes were sent up all around us yesterday afternoon by the Indians, and some were seen watching

us after we reached camp, but no hostile demonstrations have been made. Our Indian guides say the signals

may be intended to let the village know where we are, so that they may keep out of our way....

We expect to reach the base of the Black Hills in about three days. Professor Winchell and Mr. Grinnell

discovered yesterday the fossil remains of an animal belonging to some extinct race which in life exceeded in

I am gradually forming my annual menagerie. I have one live rattlesnake for Agnes* two jackrabbits,

half grown, one eagle, and four owls. I had also two fine badgers, full grown, but they were accidentally

These are the first lines I have written since my last letter to you, nearly a fortnight since, and you cannot

imagine how tired my hand and arm have become already. I have made no attempt to write on the march; the

short time I have after reaching camp every day is devoted to rest and sleep....

General "Sandy" is delighted with the 7th Cavalry; he says no regiment compares with it except perhaps the

4th. There has not been a single cardparty nor a drunken officer since we left Lincoln....

Our mess is a decided and gratifying success. Johnson is not only an excellent cook but very prompt. We

breakfast at four o'clock every morning. Every day I invite some officer to dine with us.

I remember your wishes and ride at the head of the column, keeping inside our lines all the time, although it

is a great deprivation to me not to go outside and hunt. I feel exactly like some young lady extremely fond of

dancing, who, having a cold, has been forbidden by her anxious mamma to do more than look on at some

elegant party. I received my orders from my commanding officer before starting, and I am going to try and

* This reference to commanding officer meant his wife, whose authority only extended to precautionary

instructions as to his safety and health. The reiterated petition was that he should never leave the column

... In looking for a road I sometimes get a mile or perhaps two ahead of the command, but I always have

seventy or eighty men with me, and after today I mean to take in addition two more companies. I have no

intention of getting beyond sight and hearing of the main column. There is an advanceguard always, and the

I have killed six antelope at the head of the command... Only think! onefifth of the time expired day before

yesterday, and by the time this reaches you onethird of our time of separation will have passed.

We will not be delayed in our return later than I expected when we left Fort Lincoln....

As I write, the dogs surround me: "Cardigan" is sleeping on the edge of my bed, "Tuck" at the head, and

"Bl�cher" near by.... I am not certain whether I will be able to send back more scouts or not. This mail is to

be carried by two Rees, Bull Bear and Skunk's Head. Bloody Knife is doing splendidly on this trip.

There is not a single man on the sickreport in this entire command a fact which the medical officer

... We will move into the valley of the Little Missouri tomorrow, and probably follow that stream to the

Black Hills. You may judge of the fine country we have passed over by the fact that our mules and beefherd

have actually improved since we left Lincoln. We have travelled two hundred and twentyseven and a half

miles, and in a straight line we are one hundred and seventy miles from Lincoln. I must stop now, and write

I wish you could see me at this moment as I am prepared to write to you. First I must tell you that I cannot

send a very long letter not that I have not volumes to say to you, but for reasons which I will briefly

explain. In the evening, after reaching camp, I am too much occupied and have too much hard work to find

time to write. After dinner I usually take an escort and search out a few miles of road for the following day.

* Nothing but excessive fatigue and a determination to make the best of everything could have prompted him

to describe it as comfortable. On the first day's march out from garrison a careless soldier forgot the three

boards that were intended to keep the bedding from absorbing the dampness in case of rain. During the entire

summer, owing to this piece of forgetfulness, the mattress was laid down every night on ground that was

We have reveille regularly at a quarter before three, so that it behooves one to get to bed as early as

possible.... Today has been letterday. Charlie Reynolds leaves in the morning with the mail for Fort

Laramie. I am going to explore some twentyfive or thirty miles in that direction, and Reynolds will go with

me. I take five companies. Two others started off in another direction this morning to be absent three days; so

you see they are kept moving. I will be gone three days; the next day after that we turn our faces northward

and begin our homeward march. I must not forget to explain the other reason why I cannot send you a letter

of thirty pages or so this time one of those that Tom calls my "little notes" to you, I was busy with the

office duties until ten today, and then I began my official report. I had so many interruptions I was at last

driven to print "Engaged" on a placard and pin it on the front of my tent; I tied up the flaps, shutting myself in

It is now a quarter to one. Breakfast is at four, and "Boots and Saddles" will sound at five. I wish I could go

more into detail in describing the expedition, which has exceeded all previous ones, and in success has

I did not hope to have my wagontrain with me, and here it has followed me everywhere. We have

discovered a rich and beautiful country. We have had no Indian fights and will have none. We have

discovered gold without a doubt, and probably other valuable metals. All are well, and have been the entire

My report, which you will see, will contain much that I would have sent you in a letter....

P.S. ...We have marched fortyfive miles today, in a southerly direction from Harney's Peak, and are now

encamped on the south fork of the Cheyenne River, about ninety miles from Fort Laramie. Reynolds* leaves

us here. We are now all seated or lying around a campfire, writing the closing words to our letters....

* The scout mentioned in Chapter XXVI. It was on this trip to Fort Laramie, carrying the despatches and

I must say goodbye. A few days more and we shall be at home, for we start north at five o'clock in the

Though we shall so soon be at home, I must send a few lines by the scout who takes the official despatches. I

cannot tell you how busy I have been, and how hard and constantly I have worked to try and make the

expedition successful. I have attempted to be several other things besides commandingofficer particularly

Now that we have been in and through the Black Hills, I have the satisfaction of knowing that the whole

undertaking has proved a success, exceeding the expectations of the most sanguine. I think that my superior

officers will be surprised and gratified at the extent and thoroughness of our explorations....

The photographer who accompanied us has obtained a complete set of magnificent stereoscopic views of

Black Hills scenery, so I will not attempt to allude to this lovely country until I can review it with you by aid

of the photographs. I send you one that will show you that at last I have killed a grisly after a most exciting

hunt and contest.... Colonel Ludlow, Bloody Knife, and Private Noonan are with me in the group, as we

It would have been such a treat to have had you see all that we have seen this summer, and shared the

enjoyment of this beautiful land. But, never mind, you shall come next summer, for we all hope to return

No Indians have been seen lately, but I intend to be careful until the end of the trip....

Extracts from Letters written on the Second Expedition to the Yellowstone, during the Summer of 1876.

... It has just been decided to send scouts back to Lincoln. They leave here at daylight, and will remain there

thirtysix hours, returning to us with despatches and mail. We are having the "parrot's time" with the

It is raining now, and has been since we started. The roads are fearfully bad. Here we are on the Little

Muddy, after marching four days, and only fortysix miles from home. Everybody is more or less disgusted

except me, and I feel the relief of not having to bear the responsibility of the delays.

The elements seem against us, but a wet season and bad roads can be looked for always in this region in the

We have not seen any signs of Indians thus far, and hardly look for any for a few days yet. I have been

extremely prudent sufficiently so to satisfy you. I go nowhere without taking an escort with me. I act as if

Indians were near all the time. The mess prospers well. Tom and I have fried onions at breakfast and dinner,

and raw onions for lunch!"* The scouts that were left at Lincoln joined us yesterday about 10 A.M. with the

mail. I wish that you knew how good it was to get the letters. You must send me more by the scouts we send

out tomorrow.... Since beginning this letter it is decided that they go at once, for I know it is best to get them

out of camp at night; so they have been directed to saddleup immediately, and I must therefore cut this letter

* They both took advantage of their first absence from home to partake of their favorite vegetable. Onions

were permitted at our table, but after indulging in them they found themselves severely let alone, and that

I said this evening that if I was sure this expedition would go no farther the next four days than it has those

just past, I would be glad to take despatches to Lincoln and return, just for the sake of getting home again for

... I am determined to sit up, even though it is ten o'clock, and write to you, notwithstanding I have had a

tremendous day's work. I breakfasted at four o'clock, was in the saddle at five, and between that hour and 6

P.M. I rode fifty miles over a rough country, unknown to everybody, and only myself for a guide.

We had halted here for one day in order to determine the truth of the many rumors which you and all of us

have heard so long and often, to the effect that the hostile Indians were gathered on the Little Missouri River,

I suggested to General Terry to send out a strong scoutingparty up the river to find out all that could be

ascertained. He left the matter to me, and I took four companies of cavalry and a part of the scouts, and at five

o'clock we were off. The valley of the river averages about one mile in width, hemmed in on both sides by

To shorten the story, we marched the fifty miles and got back before dark, having settled the question beyond

a doubt that all stories about large bodies of Indians being here are the merest bosh. None have been here for

We took packmules with us to carry feed for the horses. When we lunched, all the officers got together and

Only think, we found the Little Missouri River so crooked and the Bad Lands so impassable that in marching

fifty miles today we forded the river thirtyfour (34) times. The bottom is quicksand. Many of the horses

went down, frequently tumbling their riders into the water; but all were in good spirits, and every one laughed

General Terry just left my tent a few moments since, and when I asked him not to be in a hurry he said, "Oh,

I'll leave you, for you must be tired and want to go to bed." I did not tell him that I was going to write to you

Bloody Knife looks on in wonder at me because I never get tired, and says no other man could ride all night

and never sleep. I know I shall sleep soundly when I do lie down; but, actually, I feel no more fatigued now

What I am going to tell you is for you alone. But came to me the other day, and asked me to arrange that

he should be stationed at our post next winter. He says he wants to be in a garrison where the duty is strict,

and, above all, he desires to prove that he is, and desires to be, a man, and be believes that be could do much

better than he has if he could serve under me. He says the very atmosphere of his post seems filled with evil

for him. I have a scheme by which I think I can accomplish his coming, and I believe that you will approve.*

* We had been extremely anxious about the officer to whom my husband refers, and longed to save him from

himself. Since he is gone, I think that I am not betraying confidence in quoting from this letter.

... We left camp about eight o'clock. After marching a few miles, Tom, "Bos," and I, taking some men, started

on a near route across the country, knowing that we would intercept the column later on. This is the second

time I have left the main command, and both times they have lost their way; so you see my "bump of

locality" is of some use out here. We reached this camp about threequarters of an hour from the time we left

the column, but the latter strayed off, and while we were here by 9 A.M., the rest did not reach here until two

o'clock. When they found they were lost, the officers all assembled at the head of the column to consult

Today, while out with Tom and "Bos," we were riding through a part of the country filled with small buttes,

in which it was easy to lose one's self. "Bos" stopped a few moments as we were riding through a ravine, and

dismounted to take a pebble from his pony's shoe. I observed it, and said to Tom, "Let's slip round the hill

behind 'Bos,' where he can't find us, and when he starts we'll fire in the air near him." The moment we passed

out of sight our entire party galloped around the hill behind him and concealed ourselves. Tom and I crawled

to the top of the hill and peeped through the grass without being seen. Sure enough, "Bos" thought he was

Tom and I were watching him, and just as he seemed in a quandary as to where we were, I fired my rifle so

that the bullet whizzed over his head. I popped out of sight for a moment, and when I looked again "Bos" was

heading his pony towards the command, miles away. I fired another shot in his direction, and so did Tom,

and away "Bos" flew across the plains, thinking, no doubt, the Sioux were after him. Tom and I mounted our

Charlie Reynolds killed two bighorn sheep today and gave me the finest of the two heads. I have it in my

tent now and hope to preserve it, although I came away without my preservative powders.

Nearly all my amusement is with "Bos" and Tom. We lunch together every day.... I have about made up my

mind that when I go on expeditions like this you are to go too. You could have endured this as well as not....

...We are now in a country heretofore unvisited by white men. Reynolds, who had been guiding the

command, lost his way the other day, and General Terry did not know what to do about finding a road from

O'Fallon's Creek across to Powder River. I told him I thought I could guide the column. He assented; so Tom,

"Bos," and I started ahead, with company D and the scouts as escort, and brought the command to this point,

over what seems to be the only practicable route for miles on either side, through the worst kind of Bad

Lands. The general did not believe it possible to find a road through. When, after a hard day's work, we

arrived at this river by a good, easy road, making thirtytwo miles in one day, he was delighted and came to

Yesterday I finished a Galaxy article, which will go in the next mail; so, you see, I am not entirely idle. Day

before yesterday I rode nearly fifty miles, arose yesterday morning, and went to work at my article,

determined to finish it before night, which I did, amidst constant interruptions. It is now nearly midnight, and

As a slight evidence that I am not very conceited regarding my personal appearance, I have not looked in a

mirror or seen the reflection of my beautiful (?) countenance, including the fine growth of auburn whiskers,

* This reference to the color of his beard, which he only allowed to grow on campaigns, was a reminder of

the fact upon which we had long since agreed: that though Titian might have found beauty in that tint, we did

... This morning we left our camp on Powder River, I acting again as guide. The expedition started to make its

way through unknown Bad Lands to the mouth of the river. General Terry felt great anxiety in regard to the

trip, as he feared that we could not get through with the wagons. He had been down the river to its mouth

with cavalry, and he and those with him said that wagons could not make the march in a month, and the Bad

Lands looked still more impracticable. He came to my tent before daylight, and asked me if I would try to

find the road. He seems to think I have a gift in that way, and he hoped that we might get within ten miles of

the river's mouth today. What rendered our condition more embarrassing was that the men had only rations

I started with one company and the scouts, and in we "plunged boldly." One company had been sent out the

previous day to look for a road, and their failure to return the same day increased the anxiety. I thought likely

they had lost their way and had slept in the Bad Lands. Sure enough we found them about 10 A.M.

After passing through some perfectly terrible country I finally struck a beautiful road along a high plateau,

and instead of guiding the command within ten miles of here we have all arrived and the wagontrain beside.

If you will look on the map near my desk you will find the mouth of Powder River and our present location

on the Yellowstone, almost due west from Lincoln. Follow up the Yellowstone a short distance, and the first

stream you come to is the Tongue River, to which point we will move after resting three or four days. We

will there be joined by the six companies of the regiment now absent on a scout, and I shall then select the

The steamer Far West leaves for Fort Buford tomorrow....As I was up at three this morning, and have had a

hard day's march, and as it is now going on to twelve, I must hie to bed to get a little rest and slumber....

... I rose early this morning, without waiting to be called to breakfast, in order that I might write my letter.

The Yellowstone is very high; steamers loaded to their utmost capacity can go up some distance above the

mouth of the Big Horn. I wanted to send you a letter that I wished you to read and afterwards remail, had I

not thought you might have found an opportunity to come up the river in the Josephine. The new supplies for

"Tuck"* regularly comes when I am writing, and lays her head on the desk, rooting up my hand with her long

nose until I consent to stop and notice her. She and Swift, Lady and Kaiser sleep in my tent.

You need not be anxious about my leaving the column with small escorts; I scarcely hunt any more.*...

* This letter was scorched and defaced, but fortunately I could read it all, thanks to those who sat up all night

... I fear that my last letter, written from the mouth of Powder River, was not received in very good condition

by you. The mail was sent in a rowboat from the stockade to Buford, under charge of a sergeant and three or

four men of the 6th Infantry. Just as they were pushing off from the Far West the boat capsized, and mail and

soldiers were thrown into the rapid current; the sergeant sank and was never seen again. The mail was

recovered, after being submerged for five or ten minutes. Captain Marsh and several others sat up all night

and dried it by the stove. I was told that my letter to you went off all right, also my Galaxy article. The latter

was recognized by a young newspaper reporter and telegraph operator who came up on the train with us from

With six companies of the 7th, the Gatling battery, the scouts, and the packmules, I left the mouth of

Powder River Thursday morning, leaving all our wagons behind, and directing our march for this point, less

than forty miles distant. General Terry and staff followed by steamer. We marched here in about one and a

quarter days. The boat arrived yesterday evening.... The officers were ordered to leave their tents behind.

They are now lying under tentflies or in sheltertents. When we leave here I shall only take a tentfly. We

are living delightfully. This morning we had a splendid dish of fried fish, which Tom, "Bos," and I caught a

The other day, on our march from Powder River, I shot an antelope. That night, while sitting round the

campfire, and while Hughes was making our coffee, I roasted some of the ribs Indian fashion, and I must

say they were delicious. We all slept in the open air around the fire, Tom and I under a fly, "Bos" and Autie

Reed on the opposite side. Tom pelted "Bos" with sticks and clods of earth after we had retired. I don't know

Yesterday Tom and I saw a wildgoose flying overhead quite high in the air. We were in the bushes and

could not see each other. Neither knew that the other intended to fire. Both fired simultaneously, and down

On our march here we passed through some very extensive Indian villages rather the remains of villages

occupied by them last winter. I was at the head of the column as we rode through one, and suddenly came

upon a human skull lying under the remains of an extinct fire. I halted to examine it, and lying near by I

found the uniform of a soldier. Evidently it was a cavalry uniform, as the buttons on the overcoat had "C" on

them, and the dresscoat had the yellow cord of the cavalry uniform running through it. The skull was

weatherbeaten, and had evidently been there several months. All the circumstances went to show that the

skull was that of some poor mortal who had been a prisoner in the hands of the savages, and who doubtless

We are expecting the Josephine to arrive in a day or two. I hope that it will bring me a good long letter from

you, otherwise I do not feel particularly interested in her arrival unless, by goodluck, you should be on

board; you might just as well be here as not.... I hope to begin another Galaxy article, if the spirit is

... Look on my map and you will find our present location on the Yellowstone, about midway between

Tongue River and the Big Horn. The scoutingparty has returned. They saw the trail and deserted camp of a

village of three hundred and eighty (380) lodges. The trail was about one week old. The scouts reported that

they could have overtaken the village in one day and a half. I am now going to take up the trail where the

scoutingparty turned back. I fear their failure to follow up the Indians has imperilled our plans by giving the

village an intimation of our presence. Think of the valuable time lost! But I feel hopeful of accomplishing

great results. I will move directly up the valley of the Rosebud. General Gibbon's command and General

Terry, with steamer, will proceed up the Big Horn as far as the boat can go.... I like campaigning with

packmules much better than with wagons, leaving out the question of luxuries. We take no tents, and desire

I now have some Crow scouts with me, as they are familiar with the country. They are magnificentlooking

men, so much handsomer and more Indianlike than any we have ever seen, and so jolly and sportive;

nothing of the gloomy, silent redman about them. They have formally given themselves to me, after the

usual talk. In their speech they said they had heard that I never abandoned a trail; that when my food gave out

I ate mule. That was the kind of a man they wanted to fight under; they were willing to eat mule too.

I am going to send six Ree scouts to Powder River with the mail; from there it will go with other scouts to

...I have but a few moments to write, as we move at twelve, and I have my hands full of preparations for the

scout.... Do not be anxious about me. You would be surprised to know how closely I obey your instructions

about keeping with the column. I hope to have a good report to send you by the next mail... A success will

I send you an extract from General Terry's official order, knowing how keenly you appreciate words of

commendation and confidence, such as the following: "It is of course impossible to give you any definite

instructions in regard to this movement; and were it not impossible to do so, the Department Commander

places too much confidence in your zeal, energy, and ability to wish to impose upon you precise orders,