present with the cavalry, there, was temporarily assigned to duty
with my company another officer of the same rank, who was
senior to me by a few days, and who, having been appointed
from civil life, was totally without military experience except
such as he had acquired during the past few days. My brief
acquaintance with him showed me that he was disposed to
attach no little importance to the fact that I was fresh from
West Point and supposed to know all that was valuable or
worth knowing in regard to the art of war. In this common
delusion I was not disposed to disturb him. I soon found that
he was inclined to defer to me in opinion, and I recall now, as
I have often done when in his company during later years of
the war, the difficulty we had iii deciding exactly what weapon
we would use in the charge to which we believed ourselves
advancing. As we rode forward from the foot of the hill, he in
front of his platoon and I abreast of him, in front of mine,
Walker (afterward captain) inquired in the most solemn tones,
"Custer, what weapon are you going to use in the charge?"
From Aiv earliest notions of the true cavalryman I had alwavs
pictured him in the charge bearing aloft his curved sabre, and
cleaving the skulls of all with whom he came in contact. We
had but two weapons to choose from : each of us carried a sabre
and one revolver in our belt. I promptly replied, " The
sabre;'" and suiting the action to the word, I flashed my bright
new l)lade from its scabbard, and rode forward as if totally
unconcerned. Walker, yielding no doubt to what he believed
was " the way we do it at West Point," imitated my motion,
and forth caine his sabre. I may have seemed to him uncon-
cerned, because I aimed at this, but I was far from enjoying
that feeling. As we rode at a deliberate walk up the hill, I
began arguing in my own mind as to the comparative merits of
the sabre and revolver as a weapon of attack. If I remember
correctly, I reasoned pro and con about as follows: "INow the
sabre is a beautiful weapon; it produces an ugly wound; the
term ' sabre charge' sounds well; and above all the sabre is sure;



BUJLL RUJN.



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