Composed by By E.T. Paull
A Short Account Of The
Great Tragedy That Occurred on the Little Big Horn in 1876
[Rewritten from the New York Evening Mail Newspaper]
Forty-six years ago on June 25, 1876, the Nation was horrified with the news of the terrible tragedy of the massacre of Maj-Gen. George A. Custer, and his gallant band of 388 Cavalrymen, at the Battle on the Little Big Horn in Montana.
Somewhere there was a tragic blunder. Who was really to blame will never be known, as not a living white man was left to tell the tale. Sitting Bull, the Indian Chief, at the head of the war-like tribe of the blood-thirsty Sioux, with a thousand warriors in conjunction with Chief Two Moons of the Cheyennes had invaded a reservation of the Crow Indians, driving them from the reservation up the Little Big Horn into the valley of the mountains. (See Note Below.)
The combined forces of Gen. Custer and Gen. Terry were assigned the duty of driving the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians from the Crow Reservation. Custer's Cavalry was to sweep up from the southeast and effect a juncture with Gen. Terry's stronger force from the Northeast, to be completed June 26th. Custer arrived at the rendezvous June 24th. Dividing his command, Custer attempted on June 25th a movement of his own to encircle the Indians. The shrill cry of the Indian Pickets gave warning to the Sioux Warriors of danger. Far away to the northward, the keen eyes of the savage sentries descried in the distance a dust cloud. It meant horses and many of them. Then racing down the decline from the top of the hill toward the Indian camp came a single horseman, a Sioux warrior, bending low on his steed, and riding as if death were behind him. The Chiefs rode out to meet him: He said, "White men with Chief Long Hair is coming." (Long Hair was the name the Indians had given to Custer.)
The Indians waited until the white men, who were riding in close order in column of fours, had reached the crest of the hill. A bugle sounded and Custer's Cavalrymen formed into three squadrons. The bugle sounded again, then Chief Long Hair (as described aftwerwards by Chief Two Moons) rode up and down the line on a sorrel horse shouting instructions to his men. Sitting Bull then rose upon his horse and sounded the war cry; then there was a thunderous dash of two columns of Indian warriors. Up the gulch dashed the Cheyeens; up the river valley rode the Sioux. The lines circled and crossed back of the hill, and Custer's forces were surrounded by overwhelming numbers. Round and round in an encircling movement the Indians rode, narrowing the circle, shrieking war cries, and firing as fast as finger could be laid to trigger, with the Cavalrymen replying. Soldiers drop and their horses fall on them. All along the bugle kept sounding. The smoke was like a great clous, and the men were all covered with dust. With rifle, pistol and tomahawk the Indians kept cutting down Custer's forces until the last man had been killed.
When the news of the massacre reached the East, it froze the Nation with horror. The reaction, however, was quick and terrible. The might of America was launched in an avenging blow. Sitting Bull was beaten, his forces scattered, and his power broken. It was the last of the great Indian Wars.
On the following pages, Mr. Paull hsa attempted to describe in a musical composition, "CUSTER'S LAST CHARGE," as narrated above. The various headings in the music throught the piece, such as "Indian Camp Awakens," "Shrill Cry of Indian Pickets," "White Chief Long Hair (Custer) is Coming," "Bugle Sounding," etc., etc,. indicate what the music is supposed to represent.
Mr. Paull has made a specialty of describing some historical event in his descriptive musical compositions, such as "Napoleon's Last Charge," "Burning of Rome," "Battle of Gettysburg," "Paul Revere's Ride," etc. We believe "Custer's Last Charge" represents his greatest descriptive number.
Very Respectfully,
E. T. Paull
