Bloodshed of Eagles

“Custer, are you trying to tell me that if you hadn’t found Indians on the Tongue or the Powder, you wouldn’t have gone on to the Rosebud?”

“I may have,” Custer agreed. “But it’s different for me.”

“How is it different?”

“I have experience with the Indians,” Custer said. “If I had encountered them, I would have known what to do. I think we should all be very thankful that Reno did not find them, for if he had, the courier might have been bearing the message that his entire command was wiped out to the last man.”

“Oh, come now, that’s a rather harsh appraisal, isn’t it?” Terry replied.

“Are you saying that you don’t think it possible for an entire command to be massacred?” Custer asked.

“No, one only has to recall the Fetterman experience to know that it is possible. But Reno’s command is much larger and more mobile. And there are three columns out here in pursuit of the Indians. So I think any talk of the loss of an entire command is a bit too much.”

“So, what do we do now?” Custer asked.

“We now know where the Indians aren’t,” Terry replied. “We just aren’t that certain where they are. They aren’t on the Tongue or the Powder, so they have to be on the Rosebud, the Little Bighorn, or the Bighorn. I want you to cross the Tongue, find Reno, then come back to the Far West.”

“I’ll go find Reno and bring him back,” Custer said. “But you should have sent me after him three or four days ago. We’ve lost a week with Reno’s blundering. In fact, you should have sent me in the first place.”

“Yes, Custer, I am well aware of your opinion on the matter,” Terry replied wearily.

At three o’clock in the afternoon of Wednesday, June 21, General Terry held a conference in the master cabin of the Far West. Present were Terry, Gibbon, Custer, Major Brisbin—who was the commander of Gibbon’s cavalry—and by special invitation, Falcon MacCallister.

Custer took the first seat at the table, as if it were his due, even though Gibbon outranked him. Gibbon and Brisbin also had seats at the table, and though Terry offered to have a chair brought in for Falcon, he declined, and chose to lean against the wall with his arms folded across his chest as he looked on.

Again, Terry had the map laid out on the table, held down at the corners with an ink bottle, a paperweight, a canteen, and a pistol.

“Gentlemen, we know that General Crook is in the field, but we don’t know exactly where he is. I wish we could coordinate our efforts with him, but that is impossible. In fact, it is going to be difficult to even coordinate our own efforts, but let us hope that our timing is good enough that we can converge in such a way as to prevent the Indians from fleeing, and to convince them to return to the reservation.”

“They aren’t going to be talked back onto the reservation,” Custer said.

“Then we will convince them by force,” Terry said.

Custer nodded. “I’m glad we see eye to eye on that, General. A decisive victory over the hostiles now will, in all probability, end the Indian wars out here once and for all. And I intend to have that decisive victory.”

“General Custer, may I remind you that my men have been in the field much longer than you have?” Gibbon said. “Brisbin’s cavalry has been here since February twenty-second, and the infantry has been here since early March. We have monitored and corralled the Indians for five months, waiting for this operation to begin. I do not understand what you mean by saying that ‘you’ intend to have that decisive victory.”

“Why, General Gibbon, of course when I say ‘I,’ I am talking about all of us,” Custer replied.

“General Gibbon, while I understand what you are saying, I do intend to give the initial attack to Custer,” said Terry.

“But, General, I—”

Terry interrupted Gibbon’s protest with a raised hand.

“Hear me out,” Terry said. “The Seventh Cavalry is numerically stronger. Also, whereas your command is mixed infantry and cavalry, Custer’s is all cavalry, which means if the Indians do attempt to escape, Custer will be able to run them down. Your column is half infantry and, no doubt as you move quickly, you will become separated, thus weakening your force.”

“I understand,” Gibbon said.

“You will not be left out,” Terry said. “My idea is to have Custer move quickly and strongly against the Indians, forcing them against you as a blocking force.

“Here is how I propose the operation to be.” Terry put his finger on the map to illustrate his strategy. “Custer, I want you and the Seventh to push up the Rosebud on the Indians’ trail. Gibbon, you will march up the Yellowstone and Bighorn, to a blocking position at the mouth of the Little Bighorn. If the Indians turn out to be on the Little Bighorn, Custer, you will attack from the south, and Gibbon, you will intercept any who try to get away to the north. Gibbon, how long will you need to get into position?”

“We should be there by the twenty-sixth,” Gibbon replied.

Terry looked at Custer. “I assume you will have no problem getting there by the twenty-sixth?”

“I will have no trouble,” Custer replied. “General, what if we get there and don’t find the Indians?”

“General Custer, once our columns are separated, then you will be essentially on your own,” Terry said. “I will give you written orders before you leave.”

“Very good, sir.”

“In order to give you every advantage, I want you to take four troops of Brisbin’s cavalry with you.”

Custer shook his head. “No, sir,” he said. “No disrespect meant for Brisbin’s cavalry, but I feel that the introduction of troops outside the Seventh will just complicate matters. There will be the problem of command and control. I’m convinced that the Seventh will be able to handle any situation that might arise. Besides, you said