The story of the Battle of Little Bighorn is often told through the fate of George Armstrong Custer and the men who died with him. Less known is the perspective of the soldiers who survived because they were not on the field during the final charge. One of those men was Private John Martin, an Italian-born trumpeter for the Seventh Cavalry.
Martin, born Giovani Martino in Italy in 1852, immigrated to the United States and enlisted in the army in 1873. He was assigned to the Seventh Cavalry Regiment as a trumpeter. His survival on June 25, 1876, came down to a single order: Custer sent him away with a message just before the fighting began.
Martin’s account provides a rare, detailed look at the hours leading up to the battle. He was called to serve as Custer’s orderly trumpeter on the morning of June 25. The regiment had been marching through the night and stopped to make coffee near the divide between the Rosebud and Little Bighorn rivers.
The signs of a large Indian presence were already clear. The troops had passed through abandoned villages for two days and followed a heavy trail. On June 24, they found freshly killed buffalo carcasses, skinned only a short time before.
When Martin reported to Custer, the general was speaking with an Indian scout named Bloody Knife. The scout described a large village in the valley, with several hundred teepees and about 5,000 Sioux. Martin sat nearby and listened, unable to understand the Indian language but grasping the meaning from Custer’s questions.
Martin noted that Custer was dressed in a blue-gray flannel shirt, buckskin trousers, and long boots. His yellow hair was cut short, not the long, curly style he had worn in earlier years.
By 8:30 a.m., the command was ready to march. The scouts went ahead, and the regiment followed slowly. Martin rode about two yards behind the general. They moved at a walk until reaching a deep ravine, where they halted.
Custer left the column with the scouts to climb to the Crow’s Nest, a lookout point on the divide. He was gone a long time. When he returned, he learned that fresh pony tracks had been found nearby and that the Sioux had spotted the troops in the ravine.
Custer immediately ordered Martin to sound officer’s call. For two days, no trumpet calls had been made, and every precaution had been taken to hide the march. Now, secrecy was no longer possible.
The officers gathered for a serious conference. Afterward, they returned to their companies, and the column moved on. Around noon, they crossed the divide.
Custer pointed to the left, and Captain Frederick Benteen, with three troops, left the column in that direction. Martin’s own troop was among them. The rest of the regiment rode in two columns: Major Reno with three troops on the left, and Custer with five troops on the right.
Martin rode directly behind Custer. The columns followed a small stream toward the Little Bighorn River. Scouts rode in and out, and Custer listened to their reports, sometimes galloping off to look around.
The troops came upon an old teepee containing a dead warrior. It had been set on fire by the Indian scouts. Nearby, a scout named Fred Gerard spotted some Indians between the troops and the river. He called out that they were running away.
Custer ordered the Indian scouts to follow, but they refused. He then motioned to Reno and ordered him to cross the river and attack the village, promising support from the whole regiment.
Reno and his three troops left at a trot toward the river. Custer’s column followed for a few hundred yards, then swung to the right. They stopped only once to water the horses. The general was in a hurry.
After riding a mile or two, they came to a big hill overlooking the valley. Custer took Martin with him to the top. From there, they could see the village and the valley on the other side of the river.
It was a large village, with several hundred teepees in plain sight. But there were no warriors visible, only women, children, dogs, and ponies. Custer seemed surprised and pleased, saying the Indians must be asleep in their tents.
Martin noted that Custer did not see Reno’s column from the hill. The general looked around with his glasses and said, “We’ve got them this time.” He waved his hat to the men below and shouted, “Hurrah, boys! We’ve got them. We’ll finish them up and then go home to our station.”
The general and Martin rode back down to the troops. They continued at a fast pace until reaching a large ravine leading toward the river. This was about three miles from where they had left Reno’s trail.
Custer called Martin over and gave him a verbal order: take a message to Colonel Benteen, ride as fast as possible, tell him to hurry, that it was a big village, and to bring the ammunition packs.
The adjutant then wrote a message in a small book, tore out the leaf, and handed it to Martin. He told the trumpeter to take the same trail back, and if there was no danger, to return, but otherwise to stay with his company.
Martin’s horse was tired, but he started back as fast as he could. The last he saw of Custer’s command, they were galloping down into the ravine, with the gray horse troop in the center.
As Martin rode back, he heard firing behind him. He looked around and saw Indians, some waving buffalo robes and some shooting. They had been in ambush.
Near the summit of the hill, Martin encountered Boston Custer, the general’s brother. Boston asked where the general was. Martin pointed behind him and said, “Right behind that next ridge, you’ll find him.” Boston dashed on. It was the last time he was seen alive.
From the hilltop, Martin looked down and saw Reno’s battalion in action. It had been only 10 or 15 minutes since he and Custer had stood there, seeing no Indians. Now, many Indians were riding around and shooting at Reno’s men, who were dismounted in a skirmish line.
Martin did not stop to watch. He had to find Benteen. Some Indians saw him and began shooting. Several shots were fired at him, but he was not hit. His horse was struck in the hip, though he did not know it at the time.
He followed the trail back to the place where the horses had been watered. Soon, he saw Benteen’s command approaching. Martin waved his hat and spurred his tired horse.
He encountered Benteen, who was riding well ahead of his troops with his own orderly trumpeter. Martin saluted and handed over the message. He told Benteen what Custer had said: it was a big village, and he should hurry.
Benteen asked where the general was now. Martin replied that the Indians they saw were running, and he supposed Custer had charged through the village by then.
Benteen then noticed Martin’s horse. “What’s the matter with your horse?” he asked. Martin said it was just tired. Benteen pointed out the blood on the animal’s hip and said, “You’re lucky it was the horse and not you.”
Captain Weir had come up by then. Benteen handed him the message to read and told Martin to join his company. Martin was given another horse and rode on with his troop.
The pack train was about a mile behind, with mules walking, trotting, and running. The troops moved faster than the packs, and soon the pack train was out of sight, leaving only a cloud of dust.
Martin survived the battle. His account, given later, remains one of the most important firsthand records of Custer’s final movements. It captures the confusion, the speed of the march, and the moment when the general rode into the ravine, never to be seen alive again.