Young Hawk, an Arikara scout with the Seventh Cavalry, stood with the other scouts on a small knoll at the base of a hill as George Armstrong Custer’s party descended from the high ground. There was considerable agitation among the scouts, who wondered how Custer would react when he learned that the Sioux were already aware of his approach. The scouts who had come down from the hill had reported seeing six Sioux warriors in the distance. As Custer approached, the scouts gathered according to their tribes—Arikara, Crow, and the others.
The Arikara grouped around their older men, who addressed the younger warriors according to tribal custom. Stab spoke to the young men, and Custer conveyed his instructions through the interpreter Fred Gerard. He told the scouts he required them to seize the horses from the Sioux camp. Stab then urged the Arikara to heed Custer’s orders and take as many horses as they could.
Custer was resolved to ride directly to the enemy encampment and capture their herds. He told the scouts they were in for a grueling day, that they must steel their nerves, and that they would gain valuable experience. When they reached the summit of the ridge, the bugle sounded and the flag was unfurled. This provoked considerable excitement, and the men prepared themselves, tightening their girths and lightening their loads.
Another bugle blast sounded, and Custer ordered the scouts to advance. They descended into the dry creek bed and rode about halfway to the high ridge on the right. Young Hawk saw a group of scouts at the lower end of the ridge peering toward a solitary tepee. The scouts in his company slowed their pace as the others approached, and then they heard Gerard’s call from behind: the chief ordered them to charge.
Stab responded with a war whoop, asking what they were doing, and rode on. At that, all the scouts let out war whoops, and Stab reached the lone tepee first, striking it with his whip. Young Hawk followed, dismounted on the tepee’s north side, drew a knife from his belt, and slashed the tent from top to bottom. Inside he saw a scaffold upon which lay a dead body wrapped in a buffalo robe.
At that moment Young Hawk saw Red Star riding beside him. All the scouts galloped around to the north side of the tepee and veered into the dry creek beyond, where they overtook the white soldiers and rode on together, mingled in a chaotic throng. The most skilled riders among the scouts kept pace with the soldiers while others lagged behind. They crossed through a prairie dog village at the mouth of a dry coulee, turned sharply to the right, and Young Hawk saw Red Star, Goose, Chief, and Red Bear on the west side of the Little Bighorn.
Anticipating his own death and scalping by the Sioux, Young Hawk unbraided his hair, tied it forward with a bunch of loose eagle feathers, and prepared for the worst. The battle commenced abruptly, with skirmishes erupting in front of the line as the soldiers and scouts dismounted and held their horses in groups behind the line. The soldiers formed a line to the right, while the scouts positioned themselves to the left near the ridge, with scattered scouts far to the left on a slant. Bob-tailed Bull stood farthest to the left, closest to the Sioux, whose skirmishers rode back and forth in front of the line.
Young Hawk shifted to the right, taking his place among the scouts, who stood in the following order: Red Bear, Little Brave, Forked Horn, Red Foolish Bear, Goose, Big Belly, Crow, Strikes Enemy, Crow, and finally Bob-tailed Bull far out on the left flank. Young Hawk positioned himself between Goose and Big Belly. Behind them, on the Little Bighorn, Bloody Knife appeared, approaching directly. Young Hawk looked up and noticed his distinctive black handkerchief adorned with blue stars—a gift from Custer—and a bear’s claw with a clamshell.
Bloody Knife addressed him, declaring that Custer’s orders regarding the Sioux horses were being executed and that the horses were being seized. Then he moved behind the line and took his stand beside Little Brave. The battle intensified, and the line curved back toward the river. Many soldiers fell, and the forces began to retreat.
A Dakota warrior charged courageously, closing in on the soldiers, but was brought down by a bullet about sixteen feet from the line. He rode a sorrel horse with a bald face and a tail tied up with a piece of red cloth. As the warrior fell, the horse continued toward the scouts, and Young Hawk claimed it. He shouted to Red Bear, offering him the captured horse, but Red Bear did not come to claim it.
Instead, Big Belly, a Crow Indian, approached and said, “Brother, I desire this horse; give it to me. ” Big Belly, also known as Half Yellow Face, was Young Hawk’s friend. He took the captured Dakota horse, released his own inferior mount, and mounted the new steed. Meanwhile, the Sioux had been gathering behind the ridge nearest to Bob-tailed Bull.
Suddenly, a dense throng of Sioux appeared over the ridge, charging toward him in a unified mass. At the same time, a nearby white soldier turned to Young Hawk and said, “John, you go. ” The Dakota onslaught pushed the line back toward the soldiers, forcing a retreat across the river about two miles downstream. They traversed the flat and ascended the bluff diagonally—a grueling climb.
The soldiers led the retreat, followed by the scouts: Half Yellow Face and Strikes Enemy, the two Crows, then Red Foolish Bear, Forked Horn, Goose, and Young Hawk. As Young Hawk reached the timber, he heard Forked Horn cry out, “Let’s dismount and make a stand. ” This was because of Bob-tailed Bull’s precarious situation, as he was being closely pursued by the Sioux and had fallen back near the soldiers’ ford. Young Hawk perceived this as a general signal for the scouts and leapt off his horse, followed by Goose.
They fired at the Sioux without halting their horses, and the Sioux turned back. Bob-tailed Bull managed to cross the river at the soldiers’ ford. Young Hawk intended to fire again but accidentally dropped his shell while loading his carbine. The four scouts—Half Yellow Face, Strikes Enemy, Red Foolish Bear, and Forked Horn—rode into the brush and crossed the river farther downstream, less than an eighth of a mile away.
Goose and Young Hawk followed, navigating the dense brush and deep water, their horses struggling to reach the opposite bank. They sought refuge in a dense grove of trees, where they found the other four scouts who had ridden ahead. But the Dakotas surrounded them, firing through the trees as the scouts crouched on horseback. Young Hawk and Goose stood facing each other, and then Goose groaned, “Cousin, I am wounded.
” Young Hawk’s resolve hardened, and he determined to fight to the death. Goose revealed his wounded right hand, and Young Hawk took his cartridge belt, donning it as he stood by the horse. He helped Goose dismount, and as he did, Goose’s horse was felled by gunfire. Enraged, Young Hawk removed his coat and army blouse, ready to fight for his life.
He positioned Goose against a tree, instructing him to hold the horse, and noticed Half Yellow Face coming toward them. Half Yellow Face exclaimed, “My friend is being slain; he lies just at the thicket edge. ”
Young Hawk crawled with him on hands and feet to reach the fallen Crow scout, Strikes Enemy, who lay on his back, arms raised. Together they dragged him to Goose’s position, where he sat against a tree.
Strikes Enemy declared, “I fear not, for I am glad to be wounded. ” Young Hawk confessed that the sight of his wounded comrades filled him with unease, and he dreaded witnessing their torture. Thus he resolved to perish at the timber’s edge. Before departing, he embraced his horse’s neck, whispering, “I love you.
” He then crawled out, stood, and fired at the kneeling Sioux warriors, receiving a volley but emerging unscathed. Determined to try again, he crawled out to a new location, fired, and drew another volley, dropping out of sight before being hit. Nearby he found a tree with driftwood piled against it, providing a safe haven, and discovered Forked Horn lying face down to avoid being shot. When Forked Horn realized Young Hawk had drawn the Dakota fire twice, he admonished him: “Don’t do that again.
It’s foolish to expose yourself as a target. ”
The Sioux attempted to burn them out, but the grass was too green to ignite. Young Hawk sat still for a time, then fired at a nearby Dakota on a gray horse, missing him. He jumped up and shot again, this time killing him.
The horse, adorned with a handsome bridal and beautiful trimming, circled to the left after its rider fell, likely due to being tethered by a lariat. Young Hawk fired twice, finally killing the horse. As it fell, he let out the Arikara yell, a traditional cry signifying the defeat of an enemy. Goose, witnessing the horse’s demise, asked Young Hawk to retrieve the fine bridle for him later.
As the Sioux drew closer, Young Hawk took aim and felled another warrior, followed by the death call. Meanwhile, Dakota women rode up, urging their warriors to slay the Arikara with the woman’s yell. Their cries echoed through the bushes, but they soon departed with the others. As the attack waned, Young Hawk noticed the Dakotas riding downstream, suggesting Custer’s assault had begun at the lower ford.
They saw many Dakotas crossing the river and riding north past them. After the shooting subsided, Young Hawk stood up and spotted a United States flag on the ridge above, marking the pack train’s location. Forked Horn praised him: “My grandson, you have proven yourself the bravest. We must now strive to reach the pack train.
” To avoid being mistaken for Dakotas, Young Hawk fashioned a makeshift flag by tying his white handkerchief to a stick. They managed to mount Strikes Enemy on his own horse despite his leg and right hand wounds. Goose rode Red Foolish Bear’s horse, while Red Foolish Bear proceeded on foot. Young Hawk rode ahead, brandishing the white flag.
As they descended the stream and ascended the slope, they saw the Dakotas returning on the east side of the ridge, swarming toward the white camp. The Custer battle had ended, and the Sioux overwhelmed the hill where the soldiers made their final stand. The party turned back except for Young Hawk, who held his ground, waving the white flag. The soldiers fired over him at the enemy, while the Dakotas targeted him near the camp.
His horse was felled, but he sprang to his feet, still clutching the flag, and ran into the camp. There he encountered Peaked Face, the chief of scouts, and found the survivors from the Little Bighorn battle—Reno and Benteen’s troops—and the officer in charge, who greeted him with a relieved expression. The officer signaled that Bob-tailed Bull, the sergeant, had fallen, and that his horse was in camp. Young Hawk spotted Little Brave’s spotted horse, caught it, and claimed it as his own, assuming Little Brave had fallen.
As the Dakotas closed in, the other scouts rejoined him, and the entire party retreated into a nearby ravine. The Dakotas launched a fierce attack, and the gunfire was deafening on both sides, with soldiers and horses falling rapidly. The Dakotas then flanked to the right and began firing into the ravine from one end. The soldiers hastily constructed breastworks using cracker boxes, bacon bags, and other materials.
Young Hawk did not participate in building the breastworks but used a cracker box as a makeshift shield as he lay on the ground. The Dakotas surrounded them, firing from all sides, their lines advancing in a crouching position. The din of gunfire was overwhelming, making it impossible to hear anything else. The wounded were dragged to the breastworks, deemed the safest location.
This intense fighting continued unabated until darkness fell. As night descended, the wounded were tended to and the dead were laid aside. The troops remained vigilant throughout the night, anticipating a Dakota attack at dawn. A few shots were fired, and the battle resumed with ferocity, lasting until late afternoon.
The scouts had regrouped on the side closest to the Dakota lines and the ridge. During the first afternoon, an officer approached the scouts with a message to be delivered after dark. Forked Horn assented. The officer informed Goose that due to his wounds he could not participate, and that each scout would carry the same message.
Later the officer returned with a sergeant, explaining that this man would accompany them to ensure that if all the scouts were killed, the camp situation would be known. Goose insisted on joining despite his wounded hand, saying he wanted to share the same fate as the others. The officer emphasized that the message was destined for the president of the United States, to inform everyone of the events that had transpired. They were permitted to ride government horses, which were faster than their own, and instructed to ride hard, ignoring anyone who might be shot by the Dakotas.
If a scout fell wounded or shot, they were to leave the message paper on the ground so soldiers could later find it and understand the situation. Forked Horn requested that the government horses’ shoes be removed, as he believed they would run better without them. Once the messages were prepared, the two Crow scouts remained behind, one wounded and the other staying to care for him. The messengers—Goose, Forked Horn, Red Foolish Bear, Young Hawk, and the white sergeant—were ready to embark on their perilous journey.
As night fell, they followed the ravine out, but the Dakotas ambushed them, forcing a hasty retreat.