In 1904, Theodore W. Golden, a former soldier of the Seventh Cavalry, put pen to paper and revealed a personal account of the Battle of Little Bighorn. Golden was among the last men to see General George Custer alive, making his testimony a rare piece of history. His letter offers a detailed look at the events leading up to the disaster and the chaos that followed.
Golden first met Custer in 1873 when he joined the regiment. He served with Custer on campaign until the general’s death, except for a period in 1875 when his troop was posted in the southern states. In the spring of 1876, Golden’s battalion learned of a major expedition being formed against the Sioux. The unit moved from Louisiana to Fort Lincoln in the Dakota Territory.
Custer joined the regiment just days before the column departed. He had been in Washington giving evidence before an inquiry committee. Golden noted that Custer’s behavior changed during the march. He appeared sullen, dissatisfied, and tense, a departure from his usual character.
The command reached the Yellowstone River and later united with Major Reno’s reconnaissance force on June 18. A war council was held to examine Reno’s report of a major Indian trail. On the night of June 21, a final council took place on the steamer *Far West*. General Gibbon was asked when he could reach the mouth of the Little Bighorn River. He answered, “Not before noon on the 26th.”
At that meeting, Custer was reportedly offered the Second Cavalry battalion and artillery. He refused both, stating his confidence in his own command. Many officers believed this was part of a plan to secure an independent command, as Custer had enjoyed in earlier years. His wish was approved.
On the afternoon of June 22, the regiment paraded before Generals Terry and Gibbon. Soon after, they started on the trail outlined by Reno. Golden noted that no attempt was made to scout the surrounding area or send a messenger to Gibbon, despite having a scout assigned for that purpose. The marches were long and fast.
Custer’s behavior shifted once they left the Rosebud. His former energy returned, and he seemed entirely focused on finding and fighting the Indians. Based on the estimates of the scouts, the group they were following numbered about 1,000 to 1,200 Indians, almost entirely warriors.
Around 11:00 at night, the command was told to saddle up. A scouting party had gone ahead to find the Indians. The rough landscape slowed their advance, and dawn found them in a ravine at the bottom of a range of high bluffs. Just after sunrise, the scouts reported they had found the village in the valley of the Little Bighorn. Custer was reportedly doubtful of their statement.
It soon became clear that their presence had been detected. A lost box of ammunition, which actually contained hardtack, was found by Indians trying to open it. Upon receiving this report, Custer seemed to choose an immediate advance.
As the command was being split, Mitch Bouyer, a half-breed Crow interpreter, warned Custer that he would find more Indians in the valley than he could handle. Custer asked Bouyer if he was scared to go on. Bouyer replied that he was ready to go wherever Custer went, but cautioned that if they entered the valley, neither of them would come out alive.
Golden was assigned to report to Custer as an orderly. The general told him to ride with Lieutenant Cook, the regimental adjutant. During a short stop, the men lay on the ground, many sleeping, while the horses grazed among the sagebrush.
The command was divided. Benteen’s battalion moved off to the left to scout the country. Reno was to follow the trail. Custer, with five troops under his command, moved off to the right. McDougall stayed with the packed train to follow as best he could.
After a difficult ride, Custer’s column turned left and came upon Reno’s command. They reached the top of a ridge and saw a rolling plateau sloping toward the foothills of the river. In the distance, they saw a huge dust cloud moving down the river valley.
Custer rode toward the river with only his orderly trumpeter. He stopped on a high point and waved his hat, seeming to greet someone in the distance. He then returned to the front of the column led by Captain Keogh and I Troop. With eyes shining, Custer said, “Those Indians are running away. If we can keep up the chase, we can afford to lose half the horses in the command.”
Keogh replied, “General, we will do all that man and horse can do.” The bugles sounded the charge, and the column raced northward down the river, trying to get into the valley below. After several failed attempts, Custer spoke briefly with Captain Cook.
Cook quickly wrote a note, folded it, and called for an orderly. Golden was the first to answer. Cook gave him the paper with orders to deliver it to Major Reno, stay with him until the commands joined, and then report back. Golden rode toward Reno’s command, facing only a few long-distance shots.
After a six-mile ride, Golden reached Reno just as he was dismounting to fight on foot. Reno looked at the dispatch quickly and put it in his pocket. Around this time, the scouts became frightened and ran, not stopping until they reached the Powder River.
It soon became obvious that the Indians were moving around the flanks and closing in behind. Reno’s command fell back into the timber for better cover. Soon after, they saw Captain Moylan getting his troop ready for action. Lieutenant Wallace called out to Captain French, asking about orders. French said he had received none.
As the men prepared to mount, they found about 15 men without horses. Lieutenant McIntosh had lost his horse and took one belonging to Trooper McCormack, who said they were all finished anyway. As they came out from the timber, they were amazed to find Reno performing a charge on the bluffs on the other side of the river.
The retreat became a disorderly rush. Golden’s horse suddenly fell, throwing him into a patch of sagebrush. Lieutenant Wallace rode past and told him to run for the timber, warning that his horse had been killed. Golden followed his advice.
From his hidden position, Golden saw the men pushing their horses into the river. He watched Lieutenant Hodgson struggle in the water, apparently wounded. Hodgson held onto the stirrup strap of a passing trooper to help him cross. On the bank, he was hit again and fell.
Hodgson got to his feet unsteadily and looked for help from another comrade. Just as it seemed he was safe, the second trooper threw up his arms and fell heavily to the ground. Hodgson stumbled forward a few steps before falling again. Knowing further retreat was hopeless, he turned to face the Indians, drew his revolver, and started firing. Moments later, several shots sounded, and Hodgson staggered and fell.
Golden found himself alone, hiding as the Indians stripped and mutilated the bodies of fallen comrades along the riverbank. He heard the far-off sounds of heavy firing downriver and guessed that Custer was fighting the enemy. Most of the Indians near him suddenly left, rushing to join their comrades at the lower end of the village.
Golden met up with the scout George Herendeen. Herendeen told him that 15 dismounted men from their outfit had gotten to a spot in the timber about 200 yards away. The Indians had set the river bottom on fire, seemingly to hide their movements. The smoke turned out to be their saving grace, allowing them to reach the river under its cover.
They crossed the river and came upon a Crow scout who pointed them to the place of their command. Upon rejoining, they found that Benteen’s battalion had arrived, but there was no news of Custer. Soon after, a white flag was seen waving from the riverbottom. Lieutenant Hare risked his life to signal to the party below. The dismounted men who had been left behind during Reno’s retreat carefully made their way across the river and joined the group.
Golden noted that Lieutenant McIntosh had been seen riding ahead of him during the retreat. His lariat had come loose and was dragging on the ground. Moments later, his horse fell. Golden saw the lieutenant lying still, either dead or unconscious. They found him in the same place the next day, and it looked like he had indeed died.
As Golden stood on the bluffs, he heard an angry conversation nearby. Captain Weir shouted, “By God, if you won't go, I will. And if we ever get out of this situation, someone will answer for it.” Soon after, D Troop got mounted and moved into the valley towards the far-off firing. The whole command followed except for Benteen’s and Godfrey’s troops.
They went down the valley until they met Weir’s troop in retreat, overrun by a much larger force of Indians. They quickly formed a line and held back the advancing crowd until Weir’s command had passed through. As they kept retreating, Colonel Benteen turned to Lieutenant Wallace and said, “Wallace, there's no point in falling back anymore. Form your troop with your right side secured here, and we will make a stand.”
Wallace replied, “I don't have a troop, only two men.” Benteen laughed harshly and answered, “Form yourself and your two men, and I'll tell you about our situation once I figured it out myself.” This small group formed the center of the defensive line. Others joined soon after, and they took cover behind sagebrush, building rough barricades and starting to fire.
They held the Indians back until nightfall. During the night, they changed position, set up a corral and hospital, and dug in as best they could. At dawn, the battle started again and continued until about 3:00 in the afternoon, when the Indians suddenly began to take down their teepees and leave up the river valley.
On two occasions during the afternoon, volunteer groups went out to get water, drawing Indian fire both times. Madden of K Troop was hit during the second trip and suffered leg injuries that required amputation. His leg was cut off that night.
The next day, General Terry and General Gibbon arrived, bringing help and news of the fate of Custer’s battalion. On June 28, after moving the wounded across the river, they went to the battlefield and buried the remains of Custer’s men. Except for General Custer himself, few bodies had not been subjected to some form of mutilation. Golden remembered that their fallen leader’s body showed no such signs.
Golden reflected on the general agreement among army officers and frontier veterans regarding the disaster. Three main factors were cited. First, the splitting of the command into four separate columns about 15 miles from the battlefield without exact knowledge of the enemy’s position caused a crucial lack of support. Second, Custer’s early arrival on the scene, nearly 24 hours ahead of plan, was harmful. Third, the loss of horses and extra ammunition badly limited the command’s effectiveness.
Golden described Custer as dangerously brave, inclined to take chances without fully considering the odds against him. He believed one potential reason for Custer’s actions was his strong feeling of shame from the president’s treatment of him. Custer may have wanted to clear his name with a bold and decisive victory, restoring himself as a leading figure in the public’s view.
Whatever his reason, Golden concluded, Custer fought with bravery and finally gave his life with the comrades who had ridden with him to success in many previous battles.