Private George W. Glenn, serving under the alias George W. Glee in H Troop of the Seventh US Cavalry, survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn as part of Major Marcus Reno’s battalion. His firsthand account offers a ground-level view of the regiment’s march, the valley fight, and the desperate siege on the bluffs.
His recollections of the combat, the conditions during the defense, and the grim work of burying the dead provide a harrowing record of the catastrophic defeat. Glenn’s narrative begins with the Seventh Cavalry leaving Fort Lincoln, Dakota, on May 17, 1876, with about 25 or 30 wagons. The steamer Far West was chartered to carry provisions and to transport wounded soldiers back if a battle occurred. The regiment passed through Bismarck, accompanied by Mrs.
George A. Custer and the US paymaster, who paid the troops at the Heart River out of fear that many men would otherwise be left behind drunk in town. The column struggled through a hard rainstorm while crossing the Gumbo Hills of Dakota and did not reach the Little Missouri River until the end of May, after a snowstorm blew through the night. The regiment camped there until June 4, then moved on, making a dry camp between the Little Missouri and Powder River.
They arrived at Powder River on the evening of June 7, where General Terry discovered an Indian trail. Terry sent scouts to follow the trail, and they soon reported that the Indians were moving toward the Little Big Horn. Terry left his wagon train at Powder River, taking only a pack train and about 100 men who were fit for the march. The column moved slowly up the Yellowstone River, and on reaching Tongue River on June 16, they found Indian graves buried on platforms in the crotches of trees.
The Seventh Cavalry tore down these graves and threw them into the river, an act Glenn called most unwise, especially since he drank water about a hundred yards downstream. A few days later, the regiment reached Rosebud Creek, where they found the steamer Far West tied up and Colonel Gibbon with four troops of the Second Cavalry and the Seventh Infantry. It was there that Custer received his orders. He was instructed to issue 12 pounds of oats and two horseshoes per man, one forefoot and one hindfoot shoe, to be carried on the horses.
Custer was to send word to Terry at the mouth of the Little Big Horn by scout once he located the Indian village. Custer left the mouth of the Rosebud on June 24. The column marched day and night, resting only at midnight while holding their horses by the bridle. On the morning of June 25, more ammunition was issued.
It was then that Mitch Bouyer, the half-breed scout, returned and told Custer that the village contained from 8,000 to 10,000 people. Custer took no notice of what the scout had told him. Glenn wrote that everyone knew what Custer would do, that he would go in, and that Mitch Bouyer was willing to guide him. But Bouyer knew what the consequences would be.
Custer, however, was a man that you could not dictate to, and no one would know his plans. The column halted within five miles of the Little Big Horn on June 25, and Custer gave Major Reno his orders, telling him to keep up close in the rear with the remainder of the troops and keep the pack train up as well. Custer started on at a dash, riding Mrs. Custer’s horse, Sadi, to have a fresh mount when going into battle.
Reno got off Custer’s trail and went astray in the hills. On his return, he was met by trumpeter John Martin with a dispatch to come quick and bring packs because there was a big village. But for some unaccountable reason, Reno did not follow Custer’s trail and instead switched off four miles up the Little Big Horn, on the left of the village. After arriving on the bluffs facing the river, Reno undertook to go down the river to join Custer.
But seeing so many Indians between him and Custer, he realized he was completely cut off. Captain Benteen advised Reno to fall back and corral the pack train in the ravine. By this time, Custer was already in the fight, having made his charge about 2:30 p. m.
Reno made his charge about 3:00. After Reno crossed the river, he saw so many Indians coming out of the timber that he dismounted his men to fight on foot. The last time he mounted his men, they all struck a panic and retreated back to the ford of the river where they had crossed. The Indians were shooting his men out of their saddles, and Reno lost heavily on this charge in the valley.
After the retreat back to the hills, H Troop held one bluff while the other troops held the back of the other hills. It was not long before the Indians led a charge on H Troop, their point being to take the hill that H Troop held. If they had succeeded, they would have massacred every man of Reno’s command. The Indians made three or four charges, but none took the hill.
The last charge was so hard that Benteen was compelled to call on Reno for reinforcement, and M Troop was sent to his rescue and repulsed the Indians. When the men had time, they dug holes in the ground using their butcher knives, as no picks or shovels could be found. Each troop ran out of ammunition on the hill. Glenn and a comrade named Jones went down to the ravine where the pack train was to get ammunition.
After that, Jones was killed. Glenn could not carry a box of carbine ammunition, so he carried a box of pistol cartridges instead. On his way up the hill, a bullet struck the box he carried, and possibly three or four bullets hit it. He fell to the ground pretending to be dead, playing possum for the Indians.
Benteine told some men to run down the hill and get the box Glenn carried, but Glenn spoke in a low voice, saying he was only resting and would be there in a minute. When he arrived on top of the hill, the Indians led another charge, one that nearly drove H Troop from the hill. That charge came on the evening of the 25th. The charge on the morning of the 26th was not as severe.
Glenn pitied the wounded lying among the pack train, suffering for water. The men broke open boxes of tomatoes and other fruits belonging to the officers and gave them to the wounded. A water party was selected to get water, protected by a firing party along the ridge, with orders from Captain Benteen to give no man water except the wounded, letting every other man get his own water. The men held the Indians off all day on the 26th, and at night things grew quieter.
It was on the evening of the 25th that Madden of K Troop lost his leg, which was cut off on top of the hill. There were not many shots fired from the Indians on the morning of the 27th. Glenn noted that if Terry had been a dashing man like Custer, he could have come up on the 26th instead of the 27th, for Terry had only 20 miles to come. When Terry came up to Reno, he asked where General Custer was.
Reno replied that he did not know, saying the last he heard from Custer’s men was firing down the river at sundown on the evening of the 25th. Terry told Reno to take all his picks and shovels and bury the dead of Custer’s massacred command. Terry took care of Reno’s wounded while Reno’s men traced up Custer’s dead. Glenn observed that it appeared to be a running fight, based on the way the men lay when they were found.
There is no photograph of the fight showing the bodies the way they lay on the ridge, as no photographer accompanied them, and the reporter was killed. Only a sketch can be given of the fight by the men who helped bury the dead. It seems that Custer’s men never crossed the river. A trail was found going down into the river, but no trail was found on the other side, suggesting Custer was repulsed before he got across.
The first men were found on the ridge, and on a little knoll was the chief trumpeter with three arrows in his head and one in his right shoulder. Next was Mark Kellogg, the New York reporter, about 50 yards from the chief trumpeter, with arrows in his body. First came a single horse, then 10 or 12 horses and their riders, most of them mutilated with arrows in them. Further up the ridge were scattering soldiers and their horses.
Thomas Tweed of L Troop, a young man Glenn had enlisted with, was cut up the crotch with his left leg thrown over his left shoulder. He had three arrows in his face but was not scalped. The Indians had not had time to scalp all of the men, for there were about 280 killed on the ridge. At the head of the ridge, Captain Benteen rode ahead and, after looking in the ravine, turned to Major Reno and said, Here is the whole headquarters.
They found part of C Troop and part of E Troop, along with General Custer, Captain Tom Custer, Captain Keogh, Captain Calhoun, Custer’s brother-in-law, and Captain Yates. Lieutenant Sturgis’ trousers were found, but his body was not located at that time. Custer’s nephew, about 18 years old, was also killed. The troops with Custer were C, E, F, I, and L.
Captain Keogh and Sturgis belonged to M Troop but were with E Troop when they were killed. Lieutenant DeRudio, an Italian officer holding a commission in the Seventh Cavalry, escaped from Custer’s command and reached Reno’s position on the 26th. After burying Custer’s men, the command crossed the river where the Indian village had stood. There they found two heads of men captured from Reno’s command during the charge on the 25th.
One head was recognized as that of John E. Armstrong of A Troop, identified by Captain Moylan. The two heads were buried. The command then moved up the river to General Terry’s camp to prepare a way to carry the wounded to the mouth of the Little Big Horn, where they were placed on board the steamer Far West.
They used Indian lodge poles and cut poles from the timber to make stretchers. A mule was placed in front and rear of each stretcher, with the poles attached to the mules. The Seventh Infantry marched on each side to keep the stretchers steady. The march took nearly all night, and some wounded died on the way.
After the wounded were on board the steamer, the command pulled out for the mouth of the Big Horn River, where they waited a few days to hear from General Crook. Word reached camp that Crook was over on the Rosebud Creek. Terry packed up at once and moved to where Crook was in camp, holding council with him to decide what to do. They concluded not to follow the Indian trail but to go over to the Powder River, where the Seventh Cavalry had left their wagon train.
On arriving at Powder River, they found that the wagons had been destroyed, the grain scattered all over the ground, and the escorts all killed. After burying the dead, General Terry and Crook separated. Terry went to Fort Lincoln to recruit replacements for the five troops lost on June 25, 1876, while Crook went down to the lower agencies to disarm the Indians. After the Seventh Cavalry was filled up, they went to the Standing Rock agency to disarm the Indians on that reservation.
They went through the lodges, cutting up lariats and breaking up saddles before driving off the ponies. Then they returned to headquarters at Fort Lincoln, Dakota. Glenn concluded that General Custer has been severely criticized for the failure of this campaign, and it seems justly so, as he disobeyed orders in not sending word to General Terry when he located the village, for bringing on the battle on the 25th instead of the 26th, and for not taking the Gatling guns and the four troops of the Second Cavalry as ordered. The plan of the campaign was for Custer to move up the Rosebud, for Terry to move up the Little Big Horn, and for Crook to come in the rear of the Indians, all connected together.
If this had been done, Glenn wrote, the day would have been ours.