was all surrounded, there had been no firing from either side. The Sioux
then made a charge from the rear side, shooting into the men, and the
shooting frightened the horses so that they rushed upon the ridge and many
horses were shot. The return fire was so strong that the Sioux had to
retreat back over the hill again. I left my men there and told them to
hold that position and then I rushed around the hills and came up to the
north end of the field near where the monument now stands. And I saw
hundreds and hundreds of Indians in the coulees all around. The Indians
dismounted and tied their horses in a bunch and got down into the coulees,
shooting at the soldiers from all sides. From the point that juts out
just below where the monument stands about thirty of us got through the
line, firing as we went, and captured a lot of Custer's horses and drove
them down to the river. The horses were so thirsty that the moment we
reached the river they just stood and drank and drank, and that gave us a
chance to get off our horses and catch hold of the bridles. They were all
loaded with shells and blankets and everything that the soldiers carried
with them. Just then I returned to my men, and the soldiers were still on
the hill fighting, with some of their horses near them. Just as I got
back some of the soldiers made a rush down the ravine toward the river,
and a great roll of smoke seemed to go down the ravine. This retreat of
the soldiers down the ravine was met by the advance of the Indians from
the river, and all who were not killed came back again to the hill. After
the soldiers got back from the hills they made a stand all in a bunch.
Another charge was made and they retreated along the line of the ridge; it
looked like a stampede of buffalo. On this retreat along the ridge, the
soldiers were met by my band of Indians as well as other Sioux. The
soldiers now broke the line and divided, some of them going down the
eastern slope of the hill, and some of them going down to the river. The
others came back to where the final stand was made on the hill, but they
were few in number then. The soldiers then gathered in a group, where the
monument now stands--I visited the monument to-day and confirmed my memory
of it--and then the soldiers and Indians were all mixed up. You could not
tell one from the other. In this final charge I took part and when the
last soldier was killed the smoke rolled up like a mountain above