American West: 1861-76

Lesson 6: The Battle of Washita

Custer's Indian Bride, and Elliott's Men Discovered

The events that unfolded there in the Valley of the Washita that November of 1868 were coming to a close. But, they were not quite over.

The captured Indian women thought they were to be shot. In hopes of staving such an end, Black Kettle’s sister, Mah-wis-sa, informed Custer that she was a good Indian. She noted that she had tried to restrain Black Kettle from his war-like career. Brady says this “was all a lie, of course,” but fails to justify his assumption. Black Kettle’s sister then went one step further to insure the continued lives of the women. Her speech to Custer ended with her presenting to him the prettiest Indian maiden in the group. She placed the girl’s hand in Custer’s and said some words over the two young people.

Custer had no idea of what this all meant but did notice scout Romeo watching with a big grin upon his face. When questioned, Romeo advised his superior that he had just been wed to the young Indian woman.

Custer admits in My Life on the Plains that this was a “tempting alliance” but, alas, he was forced to deny himself its advantages, or so he says. Libbie Custer, his lawful wife, waited for him. Various sources speak otherwise of Custer’s involvement with this Indian woman.

The Fort Sill medical records proved that some of Custer’s officers did not deny themselves similar advantages, for early 1869 many of them took the mercury cure for venereal disease. It was a small portion of the Indians’ revenge, along with the death of the white woman and child whose bodies were found after the battle.

They were, indeed, Mrs. Blynn and her child. And as is common, there were numerous testimonies as to where the bodies were found and how the woman and child had been murdered, and by whom. But the man who got credit for the deed was the Kiowa Chief Satanta. He and Custer would meet again that winter with Custer holding Satanta as a prisoner until two white women captives were released.

And what news was there of Major Joel H. Elliott and his men who failed to return? Connell notes that on December 1, when Custer’s command passed in review before General Sheridan, Custer’s men were in an ugly mood over the disappearance of Elliott’s group.

General Phil Sheridan and His Generals

As these troops paraded past, all manner of souvenirs from the battle were displayed by the Indian scouts. One Indian scout known as Trotter, or Koom-la-Manche, carried a scalp he claimed he had lifted from the head of Black Kettle. Others denied Trotter’s story.

The memoir of one of Custer’s sergeants states that Custer did order an immediate search for Elliott but due to the increasing numbers of Indians gathering for the attack a search was prevented. Before this winter campaign was finished, Custer and his men again visited the valley of the Washita. Not far from where Black Kettle’s band had been attacked they found the frozen and mutilated remains of Major Joel H. Elliott and his men.

Interested in what medical knowledge was available during this time period? Here's some information on it:

Military Medicine By Dennis Morehouse http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/gene... The first pharmacopoeia published in the United States was produced by Army doctors at Valley Forge.

Sources for this section are:

Brady, Cyrus Townshend. The Sioux Indian Wars, From the Powder River to the Little Big Horn. Indian Head Books, New York, 1992.

Connell, Evan S. Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn. North Point Press, San Francisco, California, 1984.

Custer, George Armstrong. My Life on the Plains. Leisure Books, New York, NY, no date given.

Suggest topics for discussion from this lesson.

What reason might General Sheridan have had for stopping the attempt to rescue Mrs. Blynn and her son, other than assuming, as he implied, that she was now unfit to live in white society?

How do you think Custer might have justified the killing of the captured horses and mules that had belonged to the Indians?

Besides the attacks on settlers and military personnel, the capturing of white women and children was considered one of the major depredations performed by Indians. In view of this fact, after the Battle of Washita, was Custer justified in taking all those women and children captive?

Considering the various circumstances such as the multitude of Indians and that it was near nightfall, should Custer have made more of an effort to locate Elliott and his men?

Bibliography:

Brady, Cyrus Townshend. The Sioux Indian Wars, From the Powder River to the Little Big Horn. Indian Head Books, New York, 1992.

Brown, Dee, forward by. The Wild West. Warner Books, A Time Warner Company, 1993.

Connell, Evan S. Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn. North Point Press, San Francisco, California, 1984.

Custer, George Armstrong. My Life on the Plains. Leisure Books, New York, NY.