Not a soldier came out of the charge alive. Fifteen officers, including two brothers and a nephew of Custer, and two hundred and thirty-two men were overwhelmed and massacred by the hostiles. It was one of the most awful disasters in our frontier history, but the fault lay with the dashing, headlong Custer himself.
When news of the calamity reached Fort Leavenworth, General Nelson P. Miles was ordered to the scene with the Fifth Infantry. Certain that a large number of the Indians were not far off, General Miles moved down the left bank of the Yellowstone. On the way, he came upon the following note, fastened on a stick thrust into the ground, where it had been left by an Indian runner several days before:
"Yellowstone.
"I want to know what you are doing traveling on this road. You scare all the buffalo away. I want to hunt in this place. I want you to turn back from here. If you don't I will fight you again. I want you to leave what you have got here and turn back from here.
"I am your friend,
"Sitting Bull."I mean all the rations you have got and some powder. Wish you would write as soon as you can."
Instead of writing, as requested, General Miles started after Sitting Bull, and overtook him near one of the branches of the Yellowstone. The two leaders met under a flag of truce and the talk was sharp. Sitting Bull was not in chief command of the Sioux at the Custer massacre, but he was present and took part. The thought of accepting orders from this dusky miscreant was beyond bearing, and General Miles, notable for his self-restraint, said to the grim chieftain:
"I am going to drive you out or you are going to drive me out."
AN INDIAN AGENCY
Filled with rage, Sitting Bull strode back to his bucks, and, knowing that all negotiation was at an end, General Miles attacked him with such vigor that the Sioux were driven into wild flight, with the loss of a large number of warriors. General Miles, who had long before proved himself one of the finest of soldiers, pushed the pursuit so resolutely that the Sioux leaped from their ponies, and, leaving everything, scattered among the hills. General Miles was anxious to capture Sitting Bull, the chief marplot, and he pressed the pursuit for fifty miles, but the Sioux leader kept out of his way. It may as well be said at this point, that Sitting Bull proved that he was lacking in personal courage. He and several other chiefs managed to break away from the main body and thus saved themselves.
Knowing the need of running down Sitting Bull, General Miles reorganized his forces in the camp on Tongue River, and again started in pursuit of the Sioux medicine man. A fall of snow hid the trail. The cold grew intense. General Miles kept his scouts busy, and early in January, the camp of the hostiles was located. It numbered about two hundred lodges, and was attacked with such spirit that the horde was driven headlong across the Missouri. Another assault a fortnight later resulted in the capture of most of the camp equipage of the Indians. Sitting Bull kept pushing northward until he believed he was beyond reach of the tireless Miles. This proved true for the time, for the snow was so deep that it was impossible for the cavalry to make headway; but when spring began melting the snow and ice, the chieftain knew he was liable to be pounced upon at any hour by the officers and men who would not be baffled. So he clinched his safety by crossing the line into Canada. So long as he stayed there, our troops could not disturb him. The fervent hope was that he would stay there, for if he returned to his own country, trouble was sure to follow. He knew better than to misbehave himself while in Canada, where the mounted police looked after the law-breakers.