The air along the dry run was thick with dust and the promise of violence. Red Bear, a seasoned scout with the Seventh Cavalry, was riding forward as part of the charge Custer had ordered. The specific command was clear: seize the Dakota horses from their camp. When Red Bear reached the solitary tepee, the other scouts were already circling it, lashing it with their whips.
They paused there for about half an hour, and one of them noted the provisions inside. One Feather stepped inside, tasting the soup left for a fallen Dakota warrior and eating some of the meat. That was when Custer appeared with Fred Gerard, who shouted that they were supposed to have moved directly into the Sioux village. Custer, who had outpaced his own soldiers, chastised the scouts with both words and gestures.
He told them he had ordered a charge, not lingering, and that they had disobeyed him. He declared they should step aside and let the soldiers take the lead. Then he issued a harsh challenge, stating that if any man among them lacked bravery, he would take his weapons and deem him a woman. One scout replied that if Custer did the same to his white soldiers who were less brave than the scouts, it would take him a very long time.
The scouts laughed and signaled their readiness for battle. They pushed forward, but Red Bear noticed a change. About fifty yards past the solitary tepee, Custer veered to the right with his men. Gerard continued with the scouts, accompanied by Young Hawk, Goose, Black Fox, Red Star, Strikes Two, Bloody Knife, Little Sioux, Bob-tailed Bull, Forked Horn, Red Foolish Bear, Boy Chief, Little Brave, and One Feather.
They rode hard down toward the Little Big Horn, and as they crossed the river, they approached the Dakota camp. After crossing, they split up. Six scouts veered sharply to the right where the Dakota horses were grazing near the timber, with Boy Chief and Red Star leading, followed by Strikes Two, Black Fox, Little Sioux, and One Feather. Bloody Knife’s group pressed toward the point of the Dakota camp.
Far ahead, Bloody Knife returned with three horses, shouting for someone to take them back to the hill, noting that one was for him. Red Bear’s group converged at the Sioux camp’s point and opened fire with their carbines. They dismounted and began shooting at the Dakotas, who were lying out of sight on the bluffs and hills, returning fire. No one was on horseback at that moment; they were firing from less than a quarter mile away.
Forked Horn, at the timber’s edge, called for them to come his way. As they crossed toward the Dakota village at the ford, the soldiers caught up with them. They moved more to the left, and Red Bear saw soldiers lining up across the river to his right. All was chaos and confusion.
He recognized no white soldier or officer. As Red Bear reached Forked Horn and dismounted, he noticed a Dakota horse shot in the neck or cheek approaching the line where Young Hawk was standing. Young Hawk struck the horse, declaring he had struck an enemy’s horse. The white soldiers were shouting and calling out.
Young Hawk then rode up to Red Bear and said, “Uncle, I have struck the bay horse, and it is mine. I give it to you. You have a rope; take the horse for yourself. ” Red Bear responded, “What’s the use?
We’re in the middle of fighting, and I might be killed. I’ll have no use for it. ” Young Hawk rode back to his position. Just then, Little Brave emerged from the timber with a warning.
He had overheard the Dakotas in their camp preparing to charge. He suggested firing one shot at the camp and then retreating to the hill, for the enemy outnumbered them. As Little Brave dismounted to fire, Red Bear held his horse. Little Brave quickly returned, alerting Red Bear that the Dakotas were about to charge and advising them to mount and ride back to the timber, then across the river.
As they rode through the bushes toward the river, they came under fire from an ambush just across the Little Big Horn. The Dakotas were hidden in the bushes, firing from the ground. The scouts retraced their steps to where they had started. As they rode toward the river, they saw a massive wave of Dakota horsemen between the ridge and the river, riding toward the ford, shouting and firing.
The area was swarming with them. Red Bear dismounted when the Dakotas opened fire and led his horse, but a leaning tree struck the saddle horn, halting the animal. He repeatedly tugged at the horse’s head until it finally moved forward, though the saddle girth broke, causing him to lose his extra cartridges. He attempted to mount but fell twice as his canteen got caught under him.
Finally, he managed to mount and chased after Little Brave, who had not dismounted and was far ahead. Emerging from the timber, he lost sight of Little Brave but saw someone riding ahead, barely visible through the smoke and dust. He then saw ten soldiers on horseback retreating toward the timber. At that moment, a deep cut caused the soldiers’ horses to stumble, and he heard them shouting.
He steered his horse left, avoiding the cut, and left the struggling soldiers behind. He continued to follow Little Brave until the dark figure ahead turned left. Thinking it could not be Little Brave, he rode straight on, passing the point where the rider had turned. Red Bear’s horse stumbled and fell, throwing him off.
The horse bolted toward the river, and Red Bear gave chase. In this open area with few trees and many rose bushes, a long dry limb got caught in the bridle and dragged behind the horse, bringing it to a stop. Red Bear caught up, but the horse was spooked and jumped around, making it difficult to control with only his left hand, as he still held his carbine in his right. Suddenly, he saw a painted Dakota warrior riding toward him upstream on his right.
The warrior’s face was painted red below and yellow above, with yellow paint around his forehead and eyes. Red Bear shot him, and the Dakota fell from his horse. The horse reared up, wheeled back, and fled. Red Bear could now only hear the continuous firing of carbines and the piercing whistles of the Dakotas.
He followed his horse to the river and saw it swimming across. He leaped into the water, swam to the horse, caught it by the mane, and they crossed the river together. As he emerged from the water, he saw the horse of the Dakota he had shot swimming behind him. The dark bay horse had a white streak on its forehead and a string of deer hooves around its neck that rattled as it swam.
This horse crossed the river a little upstream from him. He saw Little Brave, who had already crossed and was wounded under his right shoulder, with blood streaming down his white shirt. Little Brave’s horse was trotting slowly toward the ridge. Red Bear approached the spot where the Dakota horse had crossed, intending to drive it toward Little Brave.
Suddenly, through the bushes on his left downstream came Bob-tailed Bull’s horse, its reins and rope flying, mane and tail flowing in the wind. The horse was terrified and ran snorting past Red Bear just a few yards away. He saw that the saddle was covered in blood. Five or six white soldiers emerged from the bushes, having crossed the river, and Bob-tailed Bull’s horse followed them.
The Dakota horse Red Bear was driving dashed after the others. Little Brave was still riding slowly and waved his hand at Red Bear to be careful, as the Dakotas were firing down at them from the hills above. Red Bear interpreted the gesture as a request to catch one of the horses for him, as his own was exhausted. Red Bear dismounted and grabbed a rope trailing from one of the horses, but the animal was frightened and dragged him through the bushes, causing him to lose his moccasins in the river and injure his bare feet on the rose bushes.
The horse pulled him upstream toward the end of the ridge while Little Brave and the soldiers rode toward the Dakota firing line. Eventually, Red Bear released the rope and mounted his own horse. He did not see Little Brave again and assumed the soldiers had all been killed. As Red Bear approached the ridge, he saw many soldiers in retreat.
At the front was Reno, with a white handkerchief tied around his head, foam gathering at his mouth and beard, and his eyes wild with fear. Mistaking Red Bear for a Dakota warrior, Reno’s men raised their carbines to shoot. Red Bear rode close to Reno, slapped him on the chest with an open hand, and shouted, “Scout! Scout!
” Reno, in a panic, shouted back, “The Sioux! The Sioux! ” When asked where, Red Bear pointed down the ridge, indicating the enemy’s position. An officer with three stripes handed Red Bear some cartridges, calling him “Jon.
” The soldiers, frantic and disorganized, fired haphazardly at the Dakotas positioned higher on the ridge. A stray bullet grazed Red Bear’s coat at the armpit. As a wounded Dakota horse ran toward them, Red Bear attempted to catch it, but the soldiers shot the animal down. Reno’s group made a brief halt, but Reno struggled to keep his men from falling apart.
Eventually, the Dakotas retreated and stopped firing. The remaining scouts regrouped with Reno’s men, though seven scouts were missing: Young Hawk, Bloody Knife, Bob-tailed Bull, Little Brave, Forked Horn, Red Foolish Bear, and Goose. After failing to catch the wounded horse, Red Bear remounted and lost sight of Little Brave, who had been slowly riding toward him. As he crested the ridge, Red Bear encountered White Cloud, a Dakota scout, who informed him that the Arikara scouts had captured some Dakota horses but had not returned yet.
White Cloud suggested they join the other scouts with the horses. Red Bear led two horses he had found, and White Cloud led one. Approaching a small hill, they spotted four riders in the distance and, mistaking them for Dakotas, turned back toward Reno’s position. However, the riders were Crow scouts who recognized Red Bear and waved friendly greetings.
The Crow scouts reported that two of their comrades had been killed on the ridge and planned to retrieve their bodies before returning. Red Bear and White Cloud waited, but after a long time, Red Bear suggested they return to Reno’s position, assuming the Crow scouts would not come back. They found Reno and his soldiers still there, and soon the scouts who had retrieved fresh horses returned as well. The scouts began to arrive, starting with Bull in the Water, followed by Strikes Two, Red Star, Boy Chief, One Feather, Soldier, Strikes the Lodge, and Little Sioux.
Later, more scouts arrived with a herd of about forty captured horses. At Reno’s position, the soldiers were on higher ground while the scouts gathered about ten rods away down the slope. Stabbed rode around giving a speech, asking what they were doing as scouts. He reminded them that they should follow Custer’s orders.
If they were defeated, he told them, they were to fall back to the Powder River, where the rest of the scouts, wagons, and provisions were. Pretty Face, who had joined them from the pack mule train, was also present. The scouts discussed the loss of seven of their comrades, and Red Bear was relieved to be reunited with the others. Stabbed instructed some scouts to take the horse herd while the rest stayed behind to fend off the Dakotas.
The scouts chosen to go with the horses were Bull in the Water, Charging Bull, Red Wolf, White Eagle, Red Star, Pretty Face, Red Bear, One Feather, and Pata, a Dakota scout. Those who remained behind were Strikes Two, Stabbed, Boy Chief, Strikes the Lodge, Little Sioux, White Cloud, two Crow scouts, a half-breed Dakota interpreter, and Bull. The ten scouts leading the horse herd had barely begun their journey when another Dakota scout, Bare Waiting Matxa, joined the group tasked with holding off the Dakotas. Red Bear and his fellow scouts continued on, passing the lone tepee and traveling six miles beyond it by sundown, following the same trail they had taken earlier that morning.
Shortly, Bull caught up with them, sent by Strikes Two with a message to hasten their pace, as the Dakota tents were being dismantled and they feared pursuit. After sunset, Red Wolf and Bull in the Water rode ahead of the herd. As darkness fell, they heard three shots fired ahead of the herd, alarming the scouts. They quickly surrounded the herd and rode forward, reaching the Rosebud Valley in the darkness.
The two scouts who had been ahead fell back upon hearing the shots and rejoined the herd. Concluding that the Dakotas were approaching and they needed to escape, they selected fresh horses and rode ahead. The remaining scouts, driving the herd from behind, saw a cloud of dust and dirt flying from the trail behind them, indicating the Dakotas were in pursuit. They too took fresh horses and rode around the herd, continuing until they saw the black line of timber ahead.
Exhausted and thirsty, they halted at the timber’s edge while one scout rode ahead to find a muddy water hole over a cut bank. The scout called out to the others, and they led their horses over the bank, sliding down to the water hole. Each scout created a makeshift drinking spot with their hands and drank from the hole as it filled with water. There was not enough water for the horses.
As they rested and talked, White Buffalo mentioned that he knew the way out, and they followed him to the Rosebud River, reaching it at midnight. They continued on to the present-day Cheyenne Agency, arriving at daylight. Next, they climbed a high ridge and halted, gazing down at the sight of the Dakota’s Sun Dance. The Dakota scout advised them to stay put for the day, as they could observe their surroundings in all directions.
They spent the day resting, with some scouts sleeping while others kept watch. At sundown, they resumed their journey, riding through the night until they reached the camp where Bloody Knife had been drunk at dawn. The scouts scavenged for food among the camp remains and found meat and hardtack for breakfast. They crossed the Rosebud River at the same spot as before and discovered that Stabbed’s scout party had already crossed ahead of them in haste, recognizing their tracks from Stabbed’s mule.
Following the Rosebud to its mouth, they arrived at the old camp and last parade ground, finding remnants of a recent campfire, including cooking cans. They deduced this was the breakfast camp of the party ahead. With the time now around noon, they proceeded down the Rosebud’s bank to find boxes of partially spoiled hardtack. They packed these onto their saddles and continued on their way.
The party led by Strikes Two mistook Red Bear’s group for Dakota Indians and hastened their pace, disappearing from sight. Red Bear’s party followed the old Custer Trail at a slow pace until they neared the Tongue River, then camped in the timber on top of a ridge. The next morning, they crossed the Tongue River and came upon the site where a soldier had been clubbed to death. Continuing on, they reached the Powder River camp, where they found Strikes Two’s party, a company of infantry, and a wagon train led by the commander in the white hat from Fort Buford.
Through interpreters, the scouts shared their knowledge of the battle with the officer. He gathered the scouts and instructed them to bring in their horses, selecting the best two for Foolish Bear and White Cloud to carry messages to the officer who had traveled up the Elk River by steamboat to the Big Horn River mouth. The two scouts swam their horses across the Yellowstone, or Elk River, pulling a small raft with their carbines and a message bag. They rode to the Big Horn mouth, returning after several days to summon Strikes Two and Bull in the Water to cross over and carry the mail to Fort Buford.
Foolish Bear and White Cloud then recrossed the river, rejoining the other scouts. Red Bear never saw Little Brave again, believing that all the soldiers had been killed.