et to the spot, and have one battle royal with the Indians, in which he
and the Seventh should be the sole participants on our side, and in
consequence the sole heroes. The idea of defeat seems never to have
occurred to him.

Early on the morning of June 25th, Custer resumed his march. Up to that
time the command was maneuvered as a whole. Now, however, it was divided
into four detachments. One under Major Reno, consisting of three troops
of cavalry and the Indian scouts, forty in number, held the advance; the
second battalion, composed also of three troops, moved off some miles to
the left of Reno, scouting the country to the southward; a third
detachment, comprising the pack train which carried the reserve
ammunition--some 24,000 rounds--was under the command of Captain
McDougall, and had one troop as an escort; the fourth battalion was that
under Custer himself, and was the largest, having five troops, and it
marched parallel to Reno and within easy supporting distance to the
north, the pack train following the trail in rear of Reno and Custer.

Reno advanced from the ford across the valley in column of fours for
some distance, then formed in line of battle, and afterwards deployed
the command as skirmishers. The bulk of the Indians and their camp were
hidden by a bend of the river, and Reno, instead of charging round the
bend and into the Indian camp, halted and dismounted his command to
fight on foot. At this point two or three of the horses could not be
controlled, and carried their riders into the Indian camp; one account
stating that they plunged over the river bank, injuring the men, who
were afterwards killed by the Indians. Here at Ash Point, or Hollow, the
command soon got sheltered in the timber, and were on the defensive; the
Indians now pouring in from all sides. The Indian scouts with Reno had
before now been dispersed, and were making back tracks fast as their
ponies could carry them. Accounts differ as to how long they remained in
this timber, but it was probably not to exceed half an hour. The
"charge" out--as Reno termed it--was virtually a stampede, and many did
not know of the departure until too late to start, no well-defined and
well-understood order having been given to that effect. There was no
systematic attempt to check the pursuit of the Indians, who now,
directed by "Gall," swarmed down upon them and prevented them from
reaching the ford at which they had crossed. Many were killed on this