Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Little Bighorn
by Chief Red Horse
1881
Five springs ago I, with many Sioux Indians, took down and packed
up our tipis and moved from Cheyenne river to the Rosebud river,
where we camped a few days; then took down and packed up our lodges
and moved to the Little Bighorn river and pitched our lodges with the
large camp of Sioux.
The Sioux were camped on the Little Bighorn river as follows: The
lodges of the Uncpapas were pitched highest up the river under a
bluff. The Santee lodges were pitched next. The Oglala's lodges were
pitched next. The Brule lodges were pitched next. The Minneconjou
lodges were pitched next. The Sans Arcs' lodges were pitched next.
The Blackfeet lodges were pitched next. The Cheyenne lodges were
pitched next. A few Arikara Indians were among the Sioux (being
without lodges of their own). Two-Kettles, among the other Sioux
(without lodges).
I was a Sioux chief in the council lodge. My lodge was pitched in
the center of the camp. The day of the attack I and four women were a
short distance from the camp digging wild turnips. Suddenly one of
the women attracted my attention to a cloud of dust rising a short
distance from camp. I soon saw that the soldiers were charging the
camp. To the camp I and the women ran. When I arrived a person told
me to hurry to the council lodge. The soldiers charged so quickly we
could not talk (council). We came out of the council lodge and talked
in all directions. The Sioux mount horses, take guns, and go fight
the soldiers. Women and children mount horses and go, meaning to get
out of the way.
Among the soldiers was an officer who rode a horse with four white
feet. [This officer was evidently Capt. French, Seventh Cavalry.] The
Sioux have for a long time fought many brave men of different people,
but the Sioux say this officer was the bravest man they had ever
fought. I don't know whether this was Gen. Custer or not. Many of the
Sioux men that I hear talking tell me it was. I saw this officer in
the fight many times, but did not see his body. It has been told me
that he was killed by a Santee Indian, who took his horse. This
officer wore a large-brimmed hat and a deerskin coat. This officer
saved the lives of many soldiers by turning his horse and covering
the retreat. Sioux say this officer was the bravest man they ever
fought. I saw two officers looking alike, both having long yellowish
hair.
Before the attack the Sioux were camped on the Rosebud river.
Sioux moved down a river running into the Little Bighorn river,
crossed the Little Bighorn river, and camped on its west bank.
This day [day of attack] a Sioux man started to go to Red Cloud
agency, but when he had gone a short distance from camp he saw a
cloud of dust rising and turned back and said he thought a herd of
buffalo was coming near the village.
The day was hot. In a short time the soldiers charged the camp.
[This was Maj. Reno's battalion of the Seventh Cavalry.] The soldiers
came on the trail made by the Sioux camp in moving, and crossed the
Little Bighorn river above where the Sioux crossed, and attacked the
lodges of the Uncpapas, farthest up the river. The women and children
ran down the Little Bighorn river a short distance into a ravine. The
soldiers set fire to the lodges. All the Sioux now charged the
soldiers and drove them in confusion across the Little Bighorn river,
which was very rapid, and several soldiers were drowned in it. On a
hill the soldiers stopped and the Sioux surrounded them. A Sioux man
came and said that a different party of Soldiers had all the women
and children prisoners. Like a whirlwind the word went around, and
the Sioux all heard it and left the soldiers on the hill and went
quickly to save the women and children.
From the hill that the soldiers were on to the place where the
different soldiers [by this term Red-Horse always means the battalion
immediately commanded by General Custer, his mode of distinction
being that they were a different body from that first encountered]
were seen was level ground with the exception of a creek. Sioux
thought the soldiers on the hill [i.e., Reno's battalion] would
charge them in rear, but when they did not the Sioux thought the
soldiers on the hill were out of cartridges. As soon as we had killed
all the different soldiers the Sioux all went back to kill the
soldiers on the hill. All the Sioux watched around the hill on which
were the soldiers until a Sioux man came and said many walking
soldiers were coming near. The coming of the walking soldiers was the
saving of the soldiers on the hill. Sioux can not fight the walking
soldiers [infantry], being afraid of them, so the Sioux hurriedly
left.
The soldiers charged the Sioux camp about noon. The soldiers were
divided, one party charging right into the camp. After driving these
soldiers across the river, the Sioux charged the different soldiers
[i.e., Custer's] below, and drive them in confusion; these soldiers
became foolish, many throwing away their guns and raising their
hands, saying, "Sioux, pity us; take us prisoners." The Sioux did not
take a single soldier prisoner, but killed all of them; none were
left alive for even a few minutes. These different soldiers
discharged their guns but little. I took a gun and two belts off two
dead soldiers; out of one belt two cartridges were gone, out of the
other five.
The Sioux took the guns and cartridges off the dead soldiers and
went to the hill on which the soldiers were, surrounded and fought
them with the guns and cartridges of the dead soldiers. Had the
soldiers not divided I think they would have killed many Sioux. The
different soldiers [i.e., Custer's battalion] that the Sioux killed
made five brave stands. Once the Sioux charged right in the midst of
the different soldiers and scattered them all, fighting among the
soldiers hand to hand.
One band of soldiers was in rear of the Sioux. When this band of
soldiers charged, the Sioux fell back, and the Sioux and the soldiers
stood facing each other. Then all the Sioux became brave and charged
the soldiers. The Sioux went but a short distance before they
separated and surrounded the soldiers. I could see the officers
riding in front of the soldiers and hear them shooting. Now the Sioux
had many killed. The soldiers killed 136 and wounded 160 Sioux. The
Sioux killed all these different soldiers in the ravine.
The soldiers charged the Sioux camp farthest up the river. A short
time after the different soldiers charged the village below. While
the different soldiers and Sioux were fighting together the Sioux
chief said, "Sioux men, go watch soldiers on the hill and prevent
their joining the different soldiers." The Sioux men took the
clothing off the dead and dressed themselves in it. Among the
soldiers were white men who were not soldiers. The Sioux dressed in
the soldiers' and white men's clothing fought the soldiers on the
hill.
The banks of the Little Bighorn river were high, and the Sioux
killed many of the soldiers while crossing. The soldiers on the hill
dug up the ground [i.e., made earth-works], and the soldiers and
Sioux fought at long range, sometimes the Sioux charging close up.
The fight continued at long range until a Sioux man saw the walking
soldiers coming. When the walking soldiers came near the Sioux became
afraid and ran away.