us at this first Rosebud camp. Lots of our people were with him. He
brought the tribal medicine lodge and our sacred Buffalo Head and all
other of our tribal medicine objects. The lodge was set up in the
midst of our camp circle. It put good thoughts and good feeling into
the hearts of all Cheyennes.
I have heard in later years that soldiers from north of Elk river
came across and saw our camp here. But I never knew of any soldiers
having been seen by any of the Indians in this region. We did lots
of buffalo hunting all across from Tongue river and continued to
kill many of them on the hills west of the Rosebud. I did not hear
any talk of the buffalo or other game showing signs of having been
alarmed by any other people. Six or seven sleeps, I believe, we
stayed here. Then we moved up the valley about twelve miles.
At this second Rosebud camp the Uncpapa circle was on land just
across the present highway road westward from and almost in front
of a school house now standing east of the road. A mile and a half
or more on up the valley was the Cheyenne circle. Between them, all
on the east side of the creek, were the other four tribal circles.
On this Cheyenne camping ground I had been in a camp of our people
ten years before this, when I was a boy. Here Crazy Mule had made
medicine and had done some wonderful acts. Here also at that past
time a Cheyenne woman had gone out eastward up a wooded gulch and had
hanged herself.
While we now were at this second Rosebud combined camp a report was
brought in that Crows had been seen in our vicinity. A herald rode
about our camp circle making the announcement. It was agreed our
Crazy Dog warriors should go out to find them. The Crazy Dogs built
a bonfire and had a preparatory dance. All of them stripped naked
and painted their bodies. All of them danced barefooted. It was
considered wonderful that they could do this without getting cactus
thorns into their feet. As the dance was going on it began to become
known that the report of Crows was a mistake, that nobody had seen
them. The war dance was ended and the bonfire died down. It may have
been that Crows actually had been seen, as I have learned in later
times that some of them were scouting as helpers for soldiers north
of Elk river.
After one sleep at the second Rosebud camp we traveled on up the
valley another twelve or fifteen miles. This time the Uncpapas
occupied land now on both sides of the highway road and to the west
and south of a painted peak the white people now call Teat butte. The
other camps were scattered irregularly on up the valley, all yet on
the east side of the creek. It was about a mile and a half from the
lower or last Uncpapa site to the upper or advanced Cheyenne site.
Only one sleep here. The next forenoon the Cheyennes headed again a
procession up the Rosebud valley.
The fourth Rosebud camp was at and above the place where now the
main highway from Forsythe forks to go toward Lame Deer and toward
Ashland. The lower or northern end of the group, the site of Sitting
Bull’s people, was on the benchland by the present roadside east and
northeast from the forks. Four camp circles were, as usual, somewhere
between them and the Cheyennes in front and the Uncpapas at the rear.
One of the Sioux camps was on the west side of the creek, the first
time any of the circles had been set up on that side. The Cheyennes
were about a mile east of where a roadside trading store in late
years has been managed by a white man named Parkins. We were at the
mouth of a stream flowing into the Rosebud and known now as Greenleaf
creek. Our circle was only about a mile southward from the Uncpapas.
The others were in an irregular curve between us. All of the Indians
had been using the dirty yellow water of Rosebud creek, but now the
Cheyennes had better water from Greenleaf creek. While we were here,
some more Cheyennes arrived from the reservation. They told us:
“Lots of soldiers are being sent to fight the Indians.”
Three sleeps I remained with our people at this camp. Great bands of
Sioux went buffalo hunting among the hills and small mountains west
of the Rosebud. I went hunting also, but I did not go there. Eleven
Cheyennes, including myself, got our pack horses and set out over
the low pass to Tongue river. We were on the lookout for soldiers or
signs of them, but we did not want to fight them. We had our war
bags, of course, but Indians did not take pack horses when going out
to fight.
Two or three days after we had left our people they moved on up the
Rosebud. This time the camp circles extended from just above the
present Toohey ranch to a point about a mile and a half up the valley
from that place. As usual, the Uncpapas were at the last end while
the Cheyennes were at the first or upper end. The Uncpapas were on
the east side of the creek, just west of the present main highway.
The Cheyennes at the upper end of the group were on the west side of
the creek, on a bench, a mile or so across west from the road. I was
not there at the time, but this place is only ten or twelve miles
north of our present reservation, so I have learned all about it from
other Cheyennes as we have traveled up and down the road now there.
At this camp the Uncpapas had a Great Medicine dance. No other
Indians took part in it, but great throngs of people from the other
camp circles assembled to look on. This Great Medicine dance, or sun
dance, as the white people call it, was held about a quarter of a
mile west of the present highway that extends along the valley. The
medicine lodge was pitched just north from the Uncpapa camp circle.
Its exact site was on a flat bottom by the creek about a quarter of
a mile south by southwest from the present Toohey ranch house. By the
present roadside, just below the Toohey ranch house, is a signboard
that tells people, “Custer camped here June 23, 1876.” The place
where Sitting Bull’s people had their Great Medicine dance is only
half a mile southwest from this roadside signboard.
A few miles up the valley from this camp site are the deer medicine
rocks. They are three or four miles below the present reservation
northern gate. They may be seen about a mile west of the present
road and off from the base of the hills. They are about half a mile
or farther southwest from the big ranch house of a white man named
Bailey. In the old times, both Cheyennes and Sioux had reverence for
these separated cliff towers. As hunters were about to go for deer
or antelope, they assembled on horseback and grouped around the deer
medicine rocks. There they looked up to the tops and made prayers
for success in the oncoming hunt. It is probable that the Indians at
that camping time paid the usual respect to this old-time place of
worship. But I do not know. I was not there. I then was traveling up
the Tongue river valley, with ten other Cheyenne buffalo hunters.
FOOTNOTES:
[16] Santee Sioux, Wahpeton group, refugees from Minnesota, dwelling
in Canada.
[17] The universal Indian name for the Yellowstone river.
[18] Thomas H. Leforge and his Crow scouts learned that the hostile
Indians arrived on the Rosebud about May 19th, 1876. They observed a
great camp there on May 26th. A few days later this camp was gone.
Lieutenant Bradley’s diary records these facts. Bradley, Leforge and
the Crow scouts were of the Gibbon forces, located then on the north
side of the Yellowstone river.--T. B. M.
VII
_Soldiers from the Southward._
Our party of eleven buffalo hunters went over the same low pass that
is traversed by the road now going from the Rosebud to Tongue river
and Ashland. We did not find any big herd of buffalo. We had killed
only four by the time we arrived at Hanging Woman creek. We decided
then to go on over to Powder river. We followed Powder river almost
up to the mouth of Lodgepole creek. On the way we came across a
dead Indian on a burial scaffold. The body had been stripped of all
wrappings and of clothing. We wondered if this had been a Sioux, a
Crow or a Shoshone. We wondered also who had robbed the body.
One of our men named Lame Sioux went out to a hill for a look over
the country. Pretty soon he began to signal. He had seen a camp of
soldiers. All of us got out to look. Yes, this was a soldier camp. We
dropped back into hiding. Ourselves and our horses all were put into
concealment until darkness came. Then we dressed ourselves, painted
ourselves and went on a night scout for a closer view. We saw the
camp fires burning. We worked our way carefully toward them. It was
after the middle of the night when we arrived at a point where we
could see well the entire scene. But all of the soldiers then were
gone.
We slept then until morning came. When we went to the abandoned
camp site the first thing to arouse our special interest was a beef
carcass having yet on the bones many fragments of meat. The next
interesting object was a box of hard crackers. It had been raining,
and they were wet, but this made them all the better. We ate what
we wanted of them. We cooked pieces of the beef on the fire coals.
We enjoyed a fine breakfast. Then we set out on the trail of the
soldiers.
The trail led us northwestward over the divide and down Crow creek.
Near where Crow creek empties into Tongue river we saw the soldier
camp.[19] The time was late in the afternoon. We retreated and
skirted around up the river. At dusk we crossed it to the west side.
The water was running high. We stripped and tied our clothing in
bundles about our necks. We sat upon our riding horses and led our
pack horses as they swam through the lively current. We hid ourselves
among the trees on that side of the valley and slept until morning.
From a cliff the next morning we saw first a band of about twenty
Indians riding away from the soldier camp. Were they Crows? Were
they Shoshones? We exchanged guesses, but we did not know. We talked
among ourselves about making an attack upon them. There was some talk
of trying to steal soldier horses. We were anxious to do something
warlike, to get horses or to count coups. But the general agreement
was that it was too risky. We considered it most important that we
return and notify our people on the Rosebud. We did not want to tire
out our horses in an effort to get others or to get fighting honors.
But we lingered to do some more looking. We saw soldiers walking
about their camp. It had been flooded by the high waters. They were
splashing about here and there and appeared to be getting ready to
travel. We decided it was time for us also to travel.
Six of us, including myself, started out toward the hills between us
and the uppermost Rosebud. The five other Cheyennes remained behind
to see where the soldiers might go. During the day two of these came
on and joined us. Before night the final three were with us. “They
are coming in this direction,” the three reported. We then were on
the upper small branches of Rosebud creek.
We killed a buffalo there. We hurried in cutting from it some of
the choice pieces. We quickly divided up the liver and ate the raw
segments. Over a hastily built fire we scantily toasted little chunks
of buffalo meat. As we devoured them we spoke but few words. Whatever
speech was uttered was in jerky sputterings. Everybody was excited.
Every minute or two somebody was jumping up to go somewhere and look
for pursuing soldiers. After the food had been bolted we hastened to
move on. When darkness had well advanced we stopped for the night.
Our horses needed rest and food. We picketed them. We felt safe
during the night, so we slept soundly.
Before the sun was up we were several miles on down the Rosebud
valley. We did not know just where our people were, but we knew they
were somewhere on this stream. We found them strung along from the
location of our present Indian dance hall there up almost to the
present home of Porcupine. We wolf-howled and aroused the people.
Cheyennes flocked to learn why we had given the alarm. We went on
into camp and reported to an old man. Some Sioux were there, and they
carried the news to their people. Soon all of the camp circles were
in a fever of excitement. Heralds in all of them were riding about
and shouting:
“Soldiers have been seen. They are coming in this direction. Indians
are with them.”
Councils were called. Lots of young men wanted to go out and fight
the soldiers, but the chiefs would not allow this. Our chiefs
appointed Little Hawk, Crooked Nose and two or three others to go
scouting and find out about the further movements of the white men.
Maybe some Sioux scouts also were sent out. I do not know, but I
think they depended upon the Cheyennes to do the work.
The Indians all moved camp, going on up the valley about ten miles.
Here the Cheyennes chose for their location a spot on the east side
of the Rosebud, just across from the present Davis creek and on the
land now occupied by Rising Sun. The Sioux following them set their
circles on down the creek, the Uncpapas being below the present Busby
school. My recollection is we stayed here more than one sleep, but
I am not sure. When we left this place we went westward up Davis
creek and across the hills beside it, going toward the dividing hills
separating us from the Little Bighorn river. It was understood we
were on our way to that valley.
We camped that afternoon just east of the divide. The place is about
a mile north of the present road there, the camps extending northward
up a broad coulee full of plum thickets. Dry camp, no water, at this
place. One sleep here. The next morning we went on over the divide
and down the slopes to what we called Great Medicine Dance creek,
but known now to the white people as Reno creek. We stopped where
the main forks of the creek come together. Our circles were formed
along the valley and on the bench. The Cheyennes were at the advance
or west end, the Uncpapas at the rear or east end. From our camp to
theirs the distance was about two miles. The grouped camps centered
about where the present road crosses a bridge at the fork of the
creek.[20]
Little Hawk and the other scouts returned to us here. They reported
the soldiers as being on the upper branches of the Rosebud. The Sioux
were told of this report, or they may have had information from
scouts of their own. Heralds in all six of the camps rode about and
told the people. The news created an unusual stir. Women packed up
all articles except such as were needed for immediate use. Some of
them took down their tepees and got them ready for hurrying away if
necessary. Additional watchers were put among the horse herds. Young
men wanted to go out and meet the soldiers, to fight them. The chiefs
of all camps met in one big council. After a while they sent heralds
to call out:
“Young men, leave the soldiers alone unless they attack us.”
But as darkness came on we slipped away. Many bands of Cheyenne and
Sioux young men, with some older ones, rode out up the south fork
toward the head of Rosebud creek. Warriors came from every camp
circle. We had our weapons, war clothing, paints and medicines. I had
my six-shooter. We traveled all night.
We found the soldiers[21] about seven or eight o’clock in the
morning, I believe. We had slept only a little, our horses were very
tired, so we did not hurry our attack. But always in such cases
there are eager or foolish ones who begin too soon. Not long after
we arrived there was fighting on the hillsides and on the little
valley where was the soldier camp. In this early fighting, one young
Cheyenne foolishly charged too far, and some Indians belonging to the
soldiers got after him. They shot and crippled his horse. I and some
other Cheyennes drove back the pursuers. I took the young man behind
me on my horse, and we hurried away to our main body of warriors.
Jack Red Cloud, son of the old Ogallala Chief Red Cloud, was wearing
a warbonnet. His horse was killed. According to the Indian way, in
such case the warrior was supposed to stop and take off the bridle
from the killed horse, to show how cool he could conduct himself.
But young Red Cloud forgot to do this. He went running as soon as
his horse fell. Three Crows on horseback followed him, lashed him
with their pony whips and jerked off and kept his warbonnet. They did
not try to kill him. They only teased him, telling him he was a boy
and ought not to be wearing a warbonnet. Some of his Sioux friends
interfered, and the Crows went away. The Sioux told us that young Red
Cloud was crying and asking mercy from the Crows. He was my same age,
eighteen years old.[22]
White Wolf, a Cheyenne almost thirty years old, had a repeating
rifle. In drawing this weapon from its scabbard at his left side it
was accidentally discharged. The bullet broke his left thigh bone. He
finally recovered and is yet living (1930). He still limps on account
of that accidental wound.
Until the sun went far toward the west there were charges back and
forth. Our Indians fought and ran away, fought and ran away. The
soldiers and their Indian scouts did the same. Sometimes we chased
them, sometimes they chased us. One time, as I was getting away from
a charge, I caught up with a Cheyenne afoot and driving his tired
horse ahead of him. My horse also was very tired, so I dismounted
and we two drove our mounts into a brush thicket. There we rested a
while. It appeared that all of the Cheyennes were in hiding just then.
Chief Lame White Man, the old Southern Cheyenne, rode out into the
open on horseback. He called to us for brave actions. Our young men
had high regard for him. The Cheyennes came out from hiding and went
flocking to him. I and my companion joined them. It then became the
turn of the soldiers and their Indians to get out of our way.
The soldiers finally left the field and went back southward, on the
trail where they had come to this place. Some Sioux and Cheyennes
followed them a short distance, but not far. The soldiers lost or
left behind some of the packs from their mules.[23] We got crackers
and bacon and other food material. I found a good white hat and a
good pair of gloves. I picked up a little package of something and
stuffed it under my belt. As I went riding away, the package rubbed
between the belt and my body. The day was hot, and I was sweating
freely. My nostrils perceived a pleasant odor. I traced it to the
package. I took it from my belt, sniffed at it, then fumbled at the
heavy paper and tore off a corner.
“Oh, coffee!” My heart was glad. I had something good to take as a
gift for my mother.
The only naked Cheyenne in that battle was Black Sun. All of the
rest of us had on whatever war clothing he owned. I do not recollect
having seen there any Sioux who was not dressed in his best. But
Black Sun had a special medicine painting for himself. He spent a
long time at getting ready. All of his body was colored yellow. On
his head he wore the stuffed skin of a weasel. He wrapped a blanket
about his loins. The soldiers and enemy Indians fired many shots at
him without harming him. Finally some one of them got behind him and
shot him through the body. He fell, not dead, but unable to stand up.
Some of his friends rescued him. I caught his horse. When we were
ready to go back to our camps we put him upon a travois and had his
horse drag this bed for him. He died that night, at his home lodge.
He was the only Cheyenne killed that day. Limpy was shot in his left
side and had his horse killed. Other Cheyennes had slight wounds.
One Burned Thigh Sioux was killed during the battle, and one
Minneconjoux died after arrival at the camps. I do not know how many
other Sioux were killed, but some Cheyennes said there were twenty
or more. I think the Uncpapas lost the most warriors. I remember
that one of the dead Sioux was a boy about fourteen years old. Black
Sun was buried in a hillside cave. I believe that all of the Sioux
dead were left in burial tepees on the camp site when we left there.
All camps were moved again early the next morning after the Rosebud
battle. We followed a short distance down Medicine Dance creek and
then turned southward across the benches to the Little Bighorn. In
present times, where the Busby road joins the graveled highway there
is a bridge over the river. About half a mile south of this bridge,
on the west side of the highway and on the east side of the river,
stood the camp circle of the Uncpapas. The Cheyennes were a mile or
more farther up the river. The other four tribal camps were scattered
here and there between the Uncpapas and the Cheyennes. There was
not here nor at any other camping location a placing of the camp
circles in line with one another. The groupings between Uncpapas and
Cheyennes were according to the form of the land or the curves of the
stream. The only strict rule of camp circle location was that none
should be set up ahead of the Cheyennes nor behind the Uncpapas.
Six sleeps we remained at this first camping place on the Little
Bighorn. We had beaten the white men soldiers. Our scouts had
followed them far enough to learn that they were going farther and
farther away from us. We did not know of any other soldiers hunting
for us. If there were any, they now would be afraid to come. There
were feasts and dances in all of the camps. On the benchlands just
east of us our horses found plenty of rich grass. Among the hills
west of the river were great herds of buffalo. Every day, big hunting
parties went among them. Men and women were at work providing for
their families. That was why we killed these animals. Indians never
did destroy any animal life as a mere pleasurable adventure.
Six Arapaho men came to the Cheyenne camp while we were at this
place. They said they were afraid of soldiers, as they had killed a
white man on Powder river. Many Sioux and some Cheyennes suspected
them as spies, but finally all of us were satisfied they wanted to
stay with us as friends. They were invited into lodges of different
ones of the Cheyennes. Some more of our own people from the
reservation joined us here. It is likely some Sioux also arrived, but
I am not sure about that.
Our plans had been to go up the Little Bighorn valley. But our game
scouts reported great herds of antelope west of the Bighorn river.
Because of this, the chiefs decided we should turn and go down the
Little Bighorn, to its mouth. From there our hunting parties would
cross the Bighorn and get antelope skins and meat that we now wanted.
These councils of chiefs of all of the tribal circles were held
sometimes at one camp circle and sometimes at another. In each case,
heralds announced the meeting and told where it would be held. Each
tribe operated its own internal government, the same as if it were
entirely separated from the others. The chiefs of the different
tribes met together as equals. There was only one who was considered
as being above all of the others. This was Sitting Bull. He was
recognized as the one old man chief of all the camps combined.
Almost all of our Northern Cheyenne tribe were with us on the Little
Bighorn. Only a few of our forty big chiefs were absent. Two of our
four old men chiefs, Old Bear and Dirty Moccasins, were here. Old
Bear had been off the reservation throughout all of the past year,
while Dirty Moccasins had come to us on the Rosebud. The absent two
old men chiefs were Little Wolf and Rabbit, this last one known
sometimes as Dull Knife, or Morning Star. Our tribal medicine tepee
was at its place in our camp circle, and Charcoal Bear, its keeper,
was with it. I believe all of the thirty chiefs of the three warrior
societies were present, except Little Wolf, leading chief of the
Elk warriors. I do not know how many Cheyennes in all were in the
camp.[24] In fact, I do not know how many of us there were in our
tribe at that time. I never knew of any count having been made during
those times.
We crossed the Little Bighorn river to its west side and set off down
the valley. Cheyennes ahead, Uncpapas behind, in the usual order of
march. The journey that day was not a long one. After eight or nine
miles of travel the Cheyennes stopped and began to form their camp
circle. The tribes following us chose their ground, and their women
began to set up the villages taken down that forenoon. The last
tribe, the biggest one, the Uncpapas, placed themselves behind the
others.
The Cheyenne location was about two miles north from the present
railroad station at Garryowen, Montana. We were near the mouth of a
small creek flowing from the southwestward into the river. Across the
river east of us and a little upstream from us was a broad coulee, or
little valley, having now the name Medicine Tail coulee.