One of the Indians mounted his pony and rode on the edge of the bluff abreast of us. Both Brennan and Fitzgerald survived. How were we going to transport our wounded? Box 393 Benteen standing by my side. The noise in the village was as great as ever, which told us that the Indians still held it. When we came to the fording place, we found that the water was rushing very rapidly. After his second escape he was captured on September 21, 2007. We formed the cracker boxes into a half circle and kept them as close together as possible. When I reached the place of our defense, I found that the firing was not so brisk. We found that we had made a mistake and had taken a wrong trail. Most wanted criminal in France in 2013. Beside him, I saw Sergeant Finkle [Sgt. James Watson, was already dead by the time Thompson told his story), but actually Thompson's story had been circulating among the enlisted men (but not the officers) since 1876. The herd of ponies which had been grazing at quite a distance were now rounded up close to the teepees; so that the Indians had available mounts. [Note: August De Voto and an Anonymous Sixth Infantry Sergeant also spoke of white men fighting on the Indians' side at the Little Bighorn. I then drew his attention to the orderly manner in which they moved, and the guidons they carried and told him that we better try to join them before they passed us. "The Man Who Broke Charlestown". It is assumed that he used someone else's identity. 5 Jan 2023. A 7th Cavalry survivor's account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Want to Read. We had plenty of them and some of them very badly hurt. So fierce did she look that my hand involuntarily sought the handle of my revolver. 40-43. Look where you would, you could see either dead or wounded soldiers and the end not yet. After they had driven Major Reno across the river we noticed that the village was beginning to teem with life. I now turned around and made my way to the place where my dead horse lay and stripped the saddle of everything, then went and made my bed behind my cracker box. Benteen soon joined them and made a short speech. This animated Bible story is based on Acts 12:1-17.We tell the story through Slapstick Theater - a popsicle stick theater. We had scarcely been concealed ten minutes before we heard a heavy volley of rifle shots down the stream, followed by a scattering fire, I raised to my feet and parting the brush with my gun; the stalks being covered with long sharp thorns, which made it quite disagreeable for a person's clothes and flesh. Crow scout Running Wolf described how "Custer went ahead to look for a trail for the wagons" in the Bad Lands, and both Daniel Kanipe and John Ryan described how Custer left his command and rode ahead with just Chief Trumpeter Henry Voss and a few scouts on the morning of June 25. 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The Indians who seemed to be detailed to bring in the dead and the wounded were continually coming into the village with double burdens showing that the soldiers though greatly decreased in numbers were still doing eff ective work. Peter Thompson went on to be wounded in Frederick Benteen's desperate, do-or-die charge to clear the head of the ravine that night, and then the next morning, before he had his wounds bandaged, he went for water for a dying friend as part of the extremely dangerous water brigade. But finally the poor animal gained his feet with a groan, and Finkle passed on with a rush to overtake our company. The way that I had to go to my post was up a short hill towards the edge of the bluff and the head of the ravine. As I strolled around, I could see something of the horrors of our position. He answered, "To our scouts, of course." I then told him when he passed our scouts on the trail above. It was our intention to hide ourselves in our former place of concealment, but the Indians were watching us; so passing it we came back again to the fording place. When he saw that I was fully awake, he told me I would have to render some assistance at the head of the ravine up which the Indians were trying to sneak. It soon became known that the Indians were concentrating for an attack upon our lines. Although the Indians outnumbered us many times, they lacked the courage and determination of the day previous when they fought Custer; they no doubt had been taught a bitter lesson. He replied, "Have you seen Custer?" I thought that if he was going to be stripped, it was a pity that the ammunition I had left should fall into the hands of an enemy. He said Jackson was in a fearful state of mind. Najmrodzki was a famous robber and thief, known for escaping 29 times from the prison and the authorities. He was attended by John Mahoney [Pvt. Wymyka si milicji 29 razy! He was initially sentenced to a 30-year jail term for a murder committed during the robbery of a security van in 1997. The water at this point ran very shallow over a sandbar. Watson had evidently not made this discovery. After the volley was past, it was a wonder to me how I had escaped. In a short time I secured two canteens and a coffee kettle. Jerking off his blanket he waved it in a peculiar manner and shouted out some lingo to those in the village and then pointed towards us. The detail of Company F which was sent to investigate the teepee, now passed by us on their way to the front with the report that it contained a dead Indian and such articles as were deemed necessary for him on his journey to the "Happy Hunting Ground.". It was impossible for him to move further without assistance. Indians for their families, property, and glory. A large-scale search was made of the surrounding area, but he was never found. John Fitzgerald], Brennan [Pvt. I struggled to my feet and staggered after Watson. Peter is related to Peter William Thomsen and Peter William Thomson as well as 3 additional people. I could see that his days were numbered. After arriving there I took inventory of my ammunition. When one fell either dead or wounded he was carried from the field; but there remained plenty to take his place; but if a soldier fell there was no one to take his, and if wounded there was no one to bring him water to quench his thirst; if dying, no one to close his eyes. Although that company had entered the fight with General Custer, there were a few who had been detailed to the pack train. IN THE MORNING before mounting the companies form in single lines. We had been two hours and a half in our concealment in the bend of the river watching the fight between Custer and the Indians. Beyond the village was a black mass of ponies grazing on the short green grass. The silence was suddenly broken by a loud command given by a hostile chief, which was followed by a terrific volley and a great many of our horses and mules passed over the range. The trail we had followed had been made by buffalo, when going to and from the river. I threw open the breech lock of my carbine to throw the shell out, but it was stuck fast. On September 11, 2014, T.J. Lane, 19, serving three life sentences for, In June 2015, two convicts escaped maximum security in the, On November 3, 2019, Samuel Fonseka, 21, and Jonathan Salazar, 20, both convicted murderers, escaped from the Monterey County Jail, located in, On April 16, 2020, James Newman and Thomas Deering escaped the, On December 1, 2021, a group of gangsters, On April 29, 2022, Alabama murder suspect, On January 1, 2023, gunmen stormed a prison in, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 04:51. The tunnel was 1.7m (5.7ft) tall and 75cm (29.5in) in width. The Indians had been pouring in volleys upon us long before I had been awakened and they were still at it. We reached the fording place as soon as possible, but all signs of Custer were gone. I ventured to rise myself and scanned the top of the bluffs to see if there were any Indians in sight. OK, WHO WAS the Crow scout Thompson and Custer apparenlty caught mid-murder and/or rape? "All American: A Sportswear Tradition," April 4, 1985-June 29, 1985. The other two offenders (one serving a life sentence for murder, the other for rape and kidnapping) were at large for several days before being apprehended in a small town approximately 40 miles (64km) from the prison. On looking him over I could see the reason for his sitting and watching as he did. He and other prisoners dressed as prison guards and escaped via ladders across the prison yard to the wall. I thought of the ravine which was cleared by eleven brave men and hoped that I might be able to make my way to the river by that route. Kneeling down beside him I asked, "Can I do you any service?" Passing the ford on the run, we came to some underbrush; when we slowed down to a walk. I thought my time had surely come; It was too late to retreat. Both Brennan and Fitzgerald turned their horses toward the rear, when they had gone two miles beyond the lone teepee. One party of Indians were dashing down the river; others were rushing toward the upper end of the village. So it turns out that there's actually an abundance of reasonable suspects among Custer's Crow scouts! The offers of money by the wounded for a drink of water was painful to hear. Peter Thompson 96K views 3 years ago. Had I been armed I would have been more at my ease. All routes to the river were cut off by the Indians. I knew it was useless for me to try to avoid being seen so I depended on my ability to escape the bullets of the Indians. In 1976, sex cult leader and convicted rapist. After I had travelled a considerable distance, I came to a turn in the ravine. But my duty was plain. It was possible that some of the Indians were concealed in it to pick anyone off who was bold enough to approach the water; but I could see no signs of life and concluded to proceed. Then others may ask why we did not go sooner. I found that the pillar was barely eighteen inches through; it was about seven feet high with a piece of rotten cottonwood on top. But I could not see any, and this puzzled me very much, but on looking down to the lower end of the bluffs I could see a body of men on horseback mounting slowly up the trail on top of the bluffs. He escaped by crawling through a ventilation duct. Slaper also questioned the timing of Thomspon's tale (he saw dark significance in the fact that Thompson's battlefield companion, Pvt. It may seem hard to take human life, but he had been trying to take mine, and self preservation is the first law of nature. Watson, looking around at me said, "What in thunder is the matter?" Share. Watson was a short distance behind me and was keeping watch on the flat below. The well formed ranks of the cavalry did fearful execution, for every time the soldiers fired I could see ponies and riders tumbling in the dust, I could also see riderless ponies racing away in every direction as if anxious to get away from such a frightful scene. I wandered to the edge of the bluff overlooking the village. We knew our duty, but to do it was beyond our power. We kept very close to the underbrush, which lined the bank of the river. Pausing for a moment I looked cautiously around the bend and there before me was running water, the Little Horn River, on the opposite side was a thick cover of cottonwood timber, the sight of which made me hesitate for a moment. For instance, the sequence of physical landmarks described by Thompson almost exactly matchs the actual landscape of lower Medicine Tail Coulee and the adjacent Little Bighorn River (see detail map left and full map above). Our retreat was covered by Company D commanded by Capt. We all realized that our lives were not worth betting on, but the expression on the faces of the men was that of a dogged determination to sell them dearly. In New York, convicted murderers Timothy A. Vail and Timothy G. Morgan escaped from Elmira State Penitentiary in July 2003; both were recaptured in two days. Tom Custer and other Seventh Cavalry troopers riding across the river in the moonlight, but it turned out to be Indians in captured Army uniforms.]. Woodbridge owns 67% of Thomson Reuters, according to a February 2022 filing. But I knew he was a hostile and we stood no show whatever on foot with such a number against us. I was not the only one to run for the head of the ravine. The red devil still kept aiming at me; I was a better target for him now than before. The odds were against the soldiers for they were greatly outnumbered, and they fought at a great disadvantage. Their ammunition was limited. So I commenced to search around for them. John Martin agreed, "All the time, as we rode, scouts were riding in and out, and the General would listen to them and sometimes gallop away a short distance to look around.". Palaiokostas once again escaped from prison by helicopter. It does mention the hardships of the soldiers of the late Civil War, but it is nothing to campaigning against the Indians. While I looked at them, one rose to his feet and beckoned for us in the most friendly manner to advance. The Indians let fly with their rifles with the usual result. He was kept very busy for some time. The forces under Major Reno, at the time we stepped into the trail, were six companies of the left wing and one company of the right, namely Company B under the command of Capt. I looked around me and saw what remained of those who had gone down the ravine against such fearful odds. In fact, however, there is far, far more truth in Thompson's tale than Camp or conventional wisdom has been willing to accept. The halt was but for a moment, for the Indians came rushing towards them in great numbers. The only answer was a long wailing blast; it was not what was expected. He escaped from prison and manage to evade the police for a year until he was recaptured in 1999 in. Had it not been for the watchfulness of our men, they certainly would have got the best o f us. The sight of this increased our courage. We had men with us who seemed utterly fearless in the face of danger. Each man was supposed to carry one hundred rounds of cartridges, but a great many had wasted theirs by firing at game along the route. The ball plowed through his body, and buried itself in the ground under the horse, throwing the dirt in every direction. I jerked it from his grasp and passed it on to the next. Both banks were wet with the splashing made by the animals going to and from the village. My action would have been justified by the law, as it would have been an act of self defense. Knowing that in my condition I was useless, I looked around to see if I could find anyone who could direct me to a surgeon. The men composing the four with myself were Fitzgerald [Pvt. Watson still being some distance ahead of me. My spurs having been poorly fastened came off again, and seeing a pair lying on the trail, I got off my horse to secure them. I started on looking back once in a while to see if the Indians were coming. This was the appearance of Custer on the day that he entered his last battle, and just one half hour before the fight commenced between him and the Sioux. Thomson won the British Open in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1965, matching the number of wins by John Henry Taylor and James Braid and . Where we made our stand there was nothing but sand, gravel, and a little sagebrush. All realized that the less ammunition expended the better. McDougal [Capt. "Well," I thought, "I will get along anyway." "Twenty dollars," said a third and so the bidding went on as at an auction. By this time the Indians were pouring a shower of lead into us that was galling in the extreme. But we ourselves were no better off. Look where we could, we saw Indians; we two on foot could not cope with scores of them on horseback. While wondering as to my next move, I was suddenly brought to myself with the question, "Where are you going? On June 6, 2015, inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat, both serving sentences for murder, "Puente Grande" Federal Center for Social Rehabilitation No. It does not take very long to expend that amount of ammunition especially when fighting against great odds. He struggled to his feet; his face bore tokens of great fear. Whether he had gone through the village or waded down the stream to reach his command is a question that cannot be answered; but as we had seen no signs of him crossing to the opposite side, we naturally thought that he had made his way down the stream. A s you've likely heard, the ocean's health is . We wondered why none of his staff were with him. [Note: this may be when Spotted Calf killed an officer with his tomahawk, as Foolish Elk recounted.]. When he saw my maneauvers, he took aim at me and shot. I was astonished at seeing a soldier sitting on a bank of earth facing the river with his back towards me. They have also lived in Nashua, NH and Burlington, MA. James Bennett] whom to know was to respect. In a clump of red berry bushes we found a log which made quite a comfortable seat for us. I began to watch the actions of the men. "Ten dollars for a drink," said one. Can this be true? Thompson escaped from custody. See Who Killed Custer -- Part 11 "War Crime Time" for more info.]. Suddenly they broke up and advanced toward my place of concealment. DURING THE SUMMER OF 2004. After aiming at me for a few seconds, they slid off their ponies and sneaked after the other three. We thought we would have time enough to fortify ourselves before the light of another day appeared. I do not know how long I lay there, but I have a faint recollection of being turned and my gun taken from me. No one was more hostile to Thompson, though, than Walter Mason Camp, the most rigidly wrong-headed of the early American collectors of eye-witness accounts of the battle. They were coming from every direction; so unlike what they were a half an hour previous, when they were first surprised by the Seventh Cavalry for surprise it must have been to them. On our part we never expended a cartridge unless we were sure that the body of an Indian was in sight. He released my hand and seemed satisfied and then I began to realize what the promise I had made meant. There was but one gasp and all was still. If their enemy fell into their hands wounded or dying, it was simply to be put to the worst torture possible. But this was getting to be a common sight. Camp, who had no battlefield experience at all, declared Medal of Honor winner Thompson's eye-witness account of his escape from the slaughter "impossible," a judgement that American historians have not revisited in almost a century. It was equipped with artificial light, air conditioning, and high-quality construction materials. When I got close enough to Watson, I called to him in a guarded voice. 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