THE BLACR HILLS.



cumstances it was, that the govern nient ordered the Custer ex-
pedition of 1874. It was determined to send a strong column
to explore the hills and ascertain whether there was any gold to
be found there. Accordingly on the first day of July, 1874, the
village of Bismarck in Dakota Territory, in the vicinity of Fort
Lincoln, was all alive with troops as the expedition started,
under command of Custer himself.
    The column consisted of ten companies of the Seventh Cav-
alry, Company I. Twentieth infantry, and Company G. Seven-
teenth infantry, with sixty Indian scouts, and four Gatling
guns. General "Sandy" Forsyth was with the column, and
the President's son, Lieutenant Fred. Grant of the Secoiid Cav-
alry, accompanied Custer on the staff. The whole force was
over 1200 strong, and accompanied by a huge wagon train, full
of provisions. It was to move southwest from Fort Lincoln,
nearly two hundred miles, striking the Black Hills from the
north. There was little or no danger to the powerful column,
either real or apprehended. It started on a romantic and mys-
terious expedition, as if for a picnic, and as such it found the
whole journey. The progress of the expedition is best told by
a few extracts from Custer's reports. Hie writes from Prospect
Valley, a few miles to the north of the Belle Fourche, on the
15th July, 1874:
   " This expedition reached this point yesterday, having
marched since leaving Fort Lincoln 227k miles. We are now
170 miles in a direct line from Lincoln within five miles of
the "Little Missouri" River, and within about twelve miles
from the Montana boundary, our bearing from Fort Lincoln be-
inog south 620 west. After the second day from Lincoln we
marched over a beautiful country; the grazing was excellent
and abundant, wood sufficient for our wants, and water in great
abundance every ten miles. When we struck th6 tributaries of
Grand River we entered a less desirable portion of the country:
nearly all the streams flowing into Grand River being more or
less impregnated with alkali, rendering the crossings difficult.



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