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Show THE NOBLE RED MAN. 553 dead in position, every officer in his place, every wound in front. The awful tragedy ended with the day. General Ouster lay dead on the hill. Beside him lay Colonel Tom Ouster, who enlisted as a private at sixteen, was an officer at nineteen, and had been twice dec-orated for bravery in action. In the same slaughter died two morn of the family. Boston Ouster, forage- master to the Seventh Cavalry, hac 1 sought the open air life of the plains to ward off a tendency to con-sumption which early manifested itself. He avoided a lingering death by a heroic exit, fit subject for epic poem or thrilling ro-mance. And there was young " Autie" Reed, a mere boy, named after General Ouster himself, his nephew, son of - the older sister, who had, in fact, reared the General. It was cruel that he, too, should die in this fearful massacre. Autie was just out of school and wa, J eager to go on the plains " with Uncle Autie." To please the lad Ouster had him and a class- mate appointed herders, to drive the cat-tle accompanying the column. He had come with his uncle on thif last scout, and here met with his death, equally brave with the bravest. Lieutenant James Calhoun, the remaining member of this relationship, had married Maggie E. Ouster, the General's only sister, in 1872 ; and in every emergency showed himself worthy of adoption into this brave family. Cheered on by his voice, every man of his company died in place. With him was Lieutenant Crit-tenden of the Twelfth Infantry, a mere boy, just appointed, but cool as a veteran through all the terrible scene. A whole brotherhood of brave officers were cut off; for Custer had gathered around him a circle of choice spirits, who admired his dash, and emulated his bravery. There was the Adjutant, Col. Wm. W. Cook, a Canadian by birth, who had enlisted in the Twenty- fourth New York Cavalry at the beginning of the war, and risen to be its Colonel. And Cap-tain Yates, who enlisted as a private at sixteen and worked his way up. They used to call his company the " band- box troop," they were so neat in their dress and equipments ; but every man of them died at his post. The last commander of all was Captain Algernon E. Smith, who won renown at the storming of Fort Fisher; was wounded, and for his bravery made brevet Major. But, perhaps, the saddest loss of all was that of Lieutenant William Van W. Reily. He was of he-roic stock. His father, an officer in the navy, went down with his ship in the Indian Ocean a short time before William was born. He left his widowed mother for this expedition, and died in com-pany with all the brave men who then made their last fight. The |