A veteran scout named Red Bear left behind one of the most detailed firsthand accounts of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, describing how Major Marcus Reno’s command nearly collapsed in panic before being saved from a mistaken friendly fire. According to Red Bear’s account, the scouts had been ordered by Lieutenant Colonel George Custer to capture the Dakota horse herd from their camp. After the scouts charged down a dry ravine and reached a solitary tepee, they paused there for roughly half an hour, inspecting the food left inside for a fallen Dakota warrior. Custer caught up with them and reportedly scolded the scouts, saying, “I told you to charge ahead, not linger.
You have disobeyed me. Step aside and let the soldiers lead the charge. ” He then declared that if any man among them was not brave, he would take his weapons and call him a woman. One scout replied with a sharp retort, saying 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.
After the exchange, the scouts pushed forward. Red Bear noted that about 50 yards past the tepee, Custer turned right with his men, while Gerard continued with the scouts, including Young Hawk, Goose, Black Fox, Red Star, Strikes Two, Bloody Knife, Little Sue, Bobtailed Bull, Fork Horn, Red Foolish Bear, Boy Chief, Little Brave, and One Feather. They charged down to the Little Bighorn River and crossed it near the Dakota camp, then split up again. Six scouts veered to the right where Dakota horses were grazing, while Bloody Knife’s group pressed toward the camp.
Red Bear recalled that Bloody Knife returned with three horses, yelling for someone to take them back to the hill. Because of the dust, Red Bear did not recognize him at first, but later learned it was Bloody Knife. The scouts converged at the camp’s point and opened fire with their carbines from less than a quarter of a mile away. The Dakotas, lying out of sight on the bluffs, returned fire.
At that moment, no one was on horseback. When Fork Horn called out from the timber’s edge, Red Bear mounted and rode toward him. As he dismounted, he noticed a Dakota horse that had been shot in the neck approaching the line where Young Hawk stood. Young Hawk struck the horse and declared, “I strike an enemy’s horse.
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Young Hawk then rode over to Red Bear and offered him the horse, saying, “Uncle, I have struck the bay horse and it’s mine. I give it to you. You have a rope? Take the horse for yourself.
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Red Bear declined, responding, “What’s the use? We’re in the middle of fighting and I might be killed. I’ll have no use for it. ”
Shortly after, Little Brave emerged from the timber with a warning.
He told Red Bear that he had overheard the Dakotas preparing to charge, and advised that they fire one shot at the camp and retreat to the hill, because the enemy outnumbered them. As Little Brave dismounted to fire, Red Bear held his horse. Little Brave quickly returned and warned Red Bear that the Dakotas were about to charge and that they should mount and ride back to the timber, then cross the river. The scouts rode through the bushes toward the river and came under fire from an ambush just across the Little Bighorn.
Dakotas hidden in the bushes were firing from the ground. As they rode, Red Bear 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. At one point, Red Bear dismounted and led his horse, but a leaning tree struck his saddle horn and stopped the horse.
He repeatedly tugged at the horse’s head until it moved forward, but the saddle girth broke, and he lost his extra cartridges. He tried to mount twice but fell, his canteen getting caught under him. Finally, he managed to mount and chased after Little Brave, whose horse had not stopped and was far ahead. Emerging from the timber, Red Bear lost sight of Little Brave but saw someone riding ahead through the smoke and dust.
He then saw ten soldiers on horseback retreating toward the timber, and watched their horses stumble in a deep cut. He steered left to avoid the cut and left the struggling soldiers behind. Following Little Brave, Red Bear saw the dark figure ahead turn left. Believing it could not be Little Brave, he rode straight on.
Then his own horse stumbled and fell, throwing him off. The horse bolted toward the river, and Red Bear gave chase. In an open area with 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 hard to control with one hand while he held his carbine in the other.
Suddenly he saw a painted Dakota warrior riding toward him. The warrior’s face was painted red below and yellow above, with yellow paint around his forehead and eyes. Red Bear shot the Dakota, who fell from his horse. The horse reared, wheeled, and fled.
Red Bear 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 crossed with it. As he emerged from the water, he saw the horse of the Dakota he had shot swimming behind him, a dark bay with a white streak on its forehead and a string of deer hooves around its neck that rattled as it swam. He saw Little Brave, already across the river, 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. Then Bobtailed Bull’s horse came charging through the bushes with its reins and rope flying, its saddle covered in blood. Five or six white soldiers emerged from the bushes, having crossed the river, and Bobtailed Bull’s horse followed them.
The Dakota horse Red Bear was driving dashed after the others. Little Brave, still riding slowly, waved his hand at Red Bear to be careful, as the Dakotas were firing down from the hills. Red Bear interpreted the gesture as a request to catch a horse for Little Brave, whose own mount was exhausted. Red Bear dismounted and grabbed a rope trailing from one of the horses, but the frightened animal dragged him through the bushes.
He lost his moccasins in the river and injured 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 Major Reno, with a white handkerchief tied around his head, foam gathering at his mouth and beard, and his eyes wild with fear, according to Red Bear’s account. 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!
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Reno, in a panic, shouted back, “The Sue! The Sue! ” 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 John.
The soldiers, frantic and disorganized, fired haphazardly at the Dakotas, who were positioned higher on the ridge. A stray bullet grazed Red Bear’s coat at the armpit. When a wounded Dakota horse ran toward them, Red Bear tried 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, Bobtailed Bull, Little Brave, Fork 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 told him that the Crow scouts had captured some Dakota horses but had not yet returned.
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. Mistaking them for Dakotas, they turned back toward Reno’s position.
The riders were actually Crow scouts, who recognized Red Bear and waved friendly greetings. Red Bear called back White Cloud, noting the distinctive red shoulders painted on the Crow scouts’ white shirts. The Crow scouts halted, and the group rode together. 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 one by one, starting with Bull in the Water, followed by Strikes Two, Red Star, Boy Chief, One Feather, Soldier, Stabbed, Strikes the Lodge, and Little Sue. Later, more scouts arrived with a herd of about 40 captured horses, including Charging Bull, Bull, Redwolf, and White Eagle.
At Reno’s position, the soldiers were on higher ground while the scouts gathered about 10 rods away down the slope. Stabbed gave a speech, asking, “What are we doing, scouts? We should follow Kuster’s orders if we’re defeated. He told us to fall back to the Powder River where the rest of the scouts, wagons, and provisions are.
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Pretty Face, who had joined them from the pack mule train, was also present. The soldiers were partially dismounted, and Red Bear did not notice any officers. The scouts discussed the loss of seven of their comrades. 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 a Dakota scout. They set off with the herd. Those who remained behind were Strikes Two, Stabbed, Soldier, Boy Chief, Strikes the Lodge, Little Sue, White Cloud, a half-breed Dakota interpreter, and Bull. The ten scouts leading the horse herd had barely begun their journey when another Dakota scout, Bear Waiting, 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 after, 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 a pursuit. Bull joined the group. After sunset, Redwolf and Bull in the Water rode ahead of the herd.
As darkness fell, they heard three shots fired ahead, 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 flying from the trail, 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, 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, a scout named Whole Buffalo mentioned that he knew the way out, and they followed him to the Rosebud River, reaching it at midnight. They continued on to what is now the Cheyenne Agency, arriving at daylight.
They then climbed a high ridge and halted, gazing down at the sight of the Dakota’s Sundance. 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, according to Red Bear.
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.
Around noon, they proceeded down the Rosebud’s bank to find boxes of partially spoiled hardtack, which they packed onto their saddles. 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 a commander from Fort Buford. Through interpreters, the Santee half-breed Dakota and Crow Bear Grover Entric, the scouts shared their knowledge of the battle with the officer. The officer 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 an officer who had traveled up the Elk River by steamboat to the Bighorn 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 Bighorn 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.