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Show 548 WESTERN WILDS. the Rosebud to- morrow with his whole regiment, and thence to the head- waters of the Little Horn, thence down the Little Horn. The object, of course, was for Custer to head off the escape of the Indians towards the east, while Gibbon would move up the Big Horn and intercept them in that direction. It has been absurdly said that Custer disobeyed or exceeded the general orders he received from Terry ; but, in fact, those orders were so very " general," that, aside from the instructions as to route and sending scouts to seek Gibbon, they might have been condensed to, " Go ahead, do yom- best; I trust all to you." Similar orders directed the march of Gibbon up the Big Horn. Should both columns march equally, all else being equal, it would result that they would come together on the Big Horn, some distance above ( south) the junction of the Little Horn. There ap-pears to have been no special order given as to rates of marching ; and so far the witnesses do not agree very well as to what either com-mander was to do if he struck the Indians first. The reasonable sup-position is, that it was understood beforehand they were to fight on sight. It was hardly to be supposed that Sitting Bull would accom-modate them by slowly retiring before either, until the other could come up in his rear. Ouster's command received rations for fifteen days. Thus supplied, and thus directed with only general orders and plenary powers under them, Custer and his cavalry set out up the Rosebud on the afternoon of June 22, 1876, which is the last account we have from him in person. Thereafter his movements are known only by the report of Major Reno, who succeeded to the command of that section of the regiment which survived; the statements of various officers in the same command ; the evidence of Curly, an Upsaroka scout, who alone survived the massacre, and some unsatisfactory ac-counts from the enemy. From all these sources, and a careful exam-ination of the trails and battle- ground, the following facts are proved : On the 22d, Custer marched his command about twelve miles up the Rosebud, and encamped. On the 23d they continued up the Rose-bud for about thirty- five miles, perhaps a little less. On the 24th they advanced rapidly twenty- eight miles, and finding a fresh Indian trail, halted for reports from scouts. By night they had received full reports, and about 9: 30 P. M., Custer called the officers together and informed them that the Indians were in the valley of the Little Horn, and that to surprise them they must cross over from one stream to the other in the night. Accordingly they moved off at 11 P. M. ; but about 2 A. M. of the 25th, the scouts gave notice that the command could not get across the divide before daylight ; so a halt was made, provis- |