GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER.



the march during the day, a trusty sergeant, one who had served
as a soldier long and faithfully, imparted the first information
which could be relied upon as to the plot which had been
formed by the malcontents to desert in a body. The following
night had been selected as the time for making the attempt.
The best horses and arms in the command were to be seized
and taken away. I believed that the summary action adopted
during the day would-intimidate any who might still be con-
temp'lating desertion, and was confident that another day's
march would place us so far in a hostile and dangerous coun-
try, that the risk of encountering war parties of Indians would
of itself serve to deter any but large numbers fron attempting
to make their way back to the settlements. To bridge the
following night in safety was the next problem. While there
was undoubtedly a large proportion of the men who could be
fully relied upon to remain true to their obligations and to ren-
der any support to their officers which might be demanded, yet
the great difficulty at this time, -owing to the sudden devel-
opment of the plot, was to determine who could be trusted.
   The difficulty was solved by placing every officer in the
command on guard during the night. The men were assem-
bled as usual for roll-call at tattoo, and then notified that every
man must be in his tent at the signal " taps," which would be
sounded half an hour later; that their company officers, fully
armed, would walk the company streets during the entire night,
and any man appearing outside the limits of his tent between
the hours of "taps " and reveille would do so at the risk of
being fired upon after being once hailed.
   The night passed without disturbance, and daylight found
us in the saddle and pursuing our line of march toward Fort
Wallace.
   The lesson given by Custer as thus told by him was suffi-
cient. No further attempt was made at desertion. After the
finding of the bodies of Lieutenant Kidder's party, the columnn
proceeded on its way. It will be remembered that the tele-



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