March 29

I have finished my middle bit of my essay, and so far I have not mentioned the Indians much at all. But I have this part ready for when I am called upon in class.

II. General Custer’s Army Life

General Custer was given a place at West Point - to the surprise of everyone as he was not a very good student. And at West Point, he graduated 24th out of a class of 24.

In June 1861, he went right into the Civil War and was involved in the disastrous battle of Bull Run. He then had better success in several others of the Civil War skirmishes, and came out with valor. He kept being promoted and given greater responsibilities until in March 1865, General Custer became a brevetted brigadier-general, U. S. army. He was the youngest man ever to reach that rank in the army - as he was still only 26.

He spent several years in charge of Indian Affairs in the midwest, mainly Kansas. He seemed to get along well with his men and the Indians alike, and enjoyed his time there, despite the bad weather.
 
Then, in 1867, Custer had a big problem. On 11 October  at Fort Leavenworth, a court martial found Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer, Lieutenant Colonel,
7 th U.S. Cavalry guilty and sentenced him to suspension from rank and command for one year, and forfeiture of his pay for the same time.

These were the charges against him.

• That he absented himself from his command without authority and rode 275 miles, at a time when he was supposed to be actively engaged against hostile Indians. (He was visiting his wife.)

• Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline. He took a group of exhausted horses, which had not been rested and were in unfit condition another 75 miles, on private business and without authority. When on private business, did make use of government property - specifically two ambulances and four mules to convey himself and his escort. That he failed to take measures against a group of Indians that attacked a small party detached from his escort. After the return of the party, with two of their number killed, he neglected to pursue the Indians or recover or bury the bodies.

• Conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline - example - when in command of a pursuit of supposed deserters, he told the party to “shoot them down dead and bring none in alive.” Thus some of these men were severely wounded, and if he had his way, they would not have had a fair trial. These wounded soldiers were placed in a government wagon and hauled 18 miles and this without allowing them to receive medical treatment. One of these men, Private Charles Johnson, Company K, died as a result of his wounds.

He had many friends who came buffalo hunting with him, and they were prolific in the slaughter and waste of those magnificent animals - all for sport. And also, I think, it was a Government policy to try to kill the main food source of the Indians. It turned out to be a very successful way to destroy the Indians at the same time.
 
In 1800 it was estimated that there were 30 million buffalo. By 1850, the number was down to 20 million and by 1870, they were nearly extinct.

Custer and Buffalo Bill Cody took several groups on buffalo hunts in Nebraska, and on one of these parties, Mr. James Gordon Bennett, and Mr. P.T. Barnum were included.

But the one that has most written about is the buffalo hunt by Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, 4th son of Czar Nicholas II, on his 22nd birthday in January, 1872.

A special train provided by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company arrived at Fort McPherson, Nebraska on January 12, 1872 with the Grand Duke, General Sheridan and their entourage.

The Duke and General Sheridan rode in an open carriage, drawn by four horses. Buffalo Bill escorted the party with five or six ambulances, fifteen to twenty extra saddle horses and a company of cavalry with buffalo soldiers, across the South Platte to the Medicine Creek for lunch and a change of horses and then on to what they called Camp Alexis on the Willow for the hunt.

Preparations for the hunt had been extensive with 500 people involved. Spotted Tail and his camp of Indian warriors were in place and had been provided with ten thousand rations of flour, sugar, coffee, and 1,000 pounds of tobacco for their trouble - twenty-five wagon loads in all.

Two hospital tents and ten wall tents were provided for the party. "A" tents for the servants and soldiers. Three of the wall tents were floored and the Duke's was carpeted with oriental rugs. Box stoves and Sibley stoves were provided for the hospital and wall tents. The hospital tents were used as dining tents and they included an extensive culinary outfit. The 2d Calvary band was in place and in tune; "Hail to the Chief" was played when the Grand Duke arrived.

At the start of the party, Spotted Tail was attired in a suit of government clothing, which by no means fit him, with a United States belt upside down, and his awkward appearance showed how unused he was to clothing, but upon being introduced to the Grand Duke, he extended his hand with the customary "How."

The exercises of the evening for the amusement of Alexis were samples of the Indians' skill in horsemanship, lance-throwing and bow-shooting. Then there was a sham fight, showing the Indian mode of warfare, closing up with a grand war dance.

Colonel Cody reported that General Custer carried on a mild flirtation with one of Spotted Tail's daughters, and it was also noticed that Duke Alexis paid considerable attention to another handsome Indian maiden.

Early the next morning the hunting party approached a fine buffalo herd several miles up the Willow. The Grand Duke rode Buffalo Bill's celebrated buffalo horse "Buckskin Joe", which had been trained to ride at full gallop with a target so that the best shot could be made. Even though the party was cautioned to keep out of sight until the "charge" command was given, Colonel Cody had to restrain the excited Duke to prevent a premature direct charge toward the buffalo. The party moved to the windward behind the sand hills, and gradually approached the herd. "Now is your time!" commanded Cody: "Ride as fast as your horse will go! Don't shoot until you get a good opportunity!"

Away they went, tearing down the hill and throwing up a sandstorm in the rear, leaving the Duke's retinue far behind. Within a hundred yards of the fleeing buffalo, the Duke fired, but missed. He was not accustomed to shooting from a running horse. Cody rode up close beside the Duke and advised him, "Don't fire until you are on the flank of the buffalo. "The sport is in the chase." They dashed off together and ran their horses on either flank of a large bull, against the side of which the Duke thrust his gun and fired a fatal shot.

The Duke celebrated his success, taking off his cap and waving it vehemently; shouting to those who were fully a mile in the rear. When his retinue came up, there were congratulations, and everyone drank to his good health with overflowing glasses of champagne. The hide of the dead buffalo was carefully removed and dressed. Cody reports that, "the royal traveler in his journeys over the world has no doubt often rested himself on his trophy from the plains of America."

Twenty to thirty animals were killed on the first day of the hunt. The next day the Duke killed two buffalo; the Indians eight; General Sheridan two in two straight shots; "Shorty", one of the scouts, three; Lt. Stevens, one; Buffalo Bill and the other members of the party killed 40, making about 56 for the day. Two Lance, one of Spotted Tail's chiefs, demonstrated his skill for the Duke, by killing a large animal with one arrow which passed entirely through the body of the running buffalo. The Duke killed a buffalo at a distance of 100 yards with a heavy navy revolver. Buffalo Bill ranked this shot as a "marvelous scratch."

The grand duke's buffalo hunt was reported around the world. Those accounts resulted in Cody's first trip to the East, where he made his first stage appearance that would later lead to his Wild West shows.

It has been suggested that the notoriety of Alexis' buffalo hunts "contributed to a veritable stampede to hunt these animals in subsequent years."
Once source said nearly 3.7 million buffalo were slaughtered from 1872 to 1874, only about 500,000 of them by Indians. The great southern herd, which Alexis had hunted, was totally destroyed within three years.

General Custer, who was engaged as the Duke’s official escort for this part of the tour, became a fast friend of the Prince, and they carried on corresponding up to Custer’s death.

III. Custer’s life from 1867 to 1873

Custer spent much of his free time writing, and he had a book published, My Life on the Plains, or Personal Experiences with Indians, published in 1874. It is a vivid picture of the American West, the rigors of life for the settlers, and the horrors of Indian warfare, and  his experiences with the Seventh Cavalry. Also detailing the winter campaign of 1868, his writings cover the years 1867 through 1869.

Mrs. Elizabeth Bacon Custer writes very movingly of the affection shown her by General Custer, and of the minute details of their family life. I have included a short section from one of her letters:

“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.”

There was much speculation as to whether Custer was a serious contender for the next Presidential election, which was due to take place in that same year as the big battle. In fact, I am sure that my Pa was known to have written that he had confided in him that he wanted to enter the race, and Pa told him that there was only a week before the convention was to be held to pick a candidate, and maybe that was why Custer was in such a darn hurry to get on with fighting the Indians on that fatal day.