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Show 550 WESTERN WILDS. crossed before, and hurried to the top of the bluff, losing three officers and twenty- nine men killed, and seven men wounded in this operation. In fact, nearly his entire loss occurred in this retreat, men and horses being shot from behind. It would seem to a civilian, who has, per-haps, no right to criticise an Indian fight, that it would have been far cheaper, and more nearly in accordance jwith his orders, to stick to the woods on the west side and fight it out for a few hours. The sur-geon present says there was only one man wounded before Reno aban-doned the timber. We turn now to Benteen. That officer, having been ordered to the extreme left while marching down the affluent towards the Little Horn, was necessarily several miles off when the rest of the com-mand turned to the right and down the Little Horn. Finding no Indians, he recrossed the affluent and marched down the trail left by Custer. About three miles, as he says, from where Reno first crossed, he met a sergeant carrying orders to Captain McDongall to hurry up the pack- train ; a little further on he met Trumpeter Martin with an order from Custer, written by Adjutant McCook, and the last he ever penned, which read, " Benteen, come on; big village; be quick; bring packs." About a mile further on he came in sight of the Little Horn, and saw Reno retreating up the bluffs. He also saw " twelve or fifteen dismounted men fighting on the plain, the Indians there numbering about 900 ! " About 2: 30 P. M., he came up to where Reno had gathered his forces on the right bluff. The di-vision of the regiment into three battalions was made at 10: 30 A. M.; Benteen says that his scout and return to the main trail occupied about one hour and a half, bringing it to noon. How he consumed the time from then till 2: 30 P. M., none of the reports inform us. The distance traversed could not have been over five miles, if we can trust any thing to the military map. It also appears from the re-port that Boston Custer, brother of the General, had time to come to the rear and pack- train, get a fresh horse, and go back to Custer, passing Benteen, and be killed in the final slaughter. The reports by various survivors seem to leave us in ignorance of much that we should like to know. It was now near 3 P. M., and as senior Major Reno had in com-mand his own and Benteen's battalions, and the company guard-ing the pack- train : Companies A, B, D, G, H, K and M, numbering 380 men, commanded by Captains Benteen, Weir, French and McDougall, and Lieutenants Godfrey, Mathey, Gibson, Edgerly, Wallace, Var-num and Hare. With them was Surgeon Porter. These officers are |