Boots and Saddles or, Life in Dakota with General Custer by Elizabeth Bacon Custer

Around the lodge were poles from which were suspended rags in these were tied their medicines of roots and herbs, supposed to be a charm to keep off evil spirits. The smoke was pouring out of the opening above, and the only entrance to the tepee was a round aperture near the ground, sufficiently large to allow a person to crawl in. It was formed of tanned buffalo hides, sewed together with buckskin thongs, and stretched over a collection of thirty-six poles.The poles are lashed together at the tops and radiate in a circle below. 'The village was a collection of tepees of all sizes, the largest being what is called the Medicine Lodge, where the councils are held.

She also traveled with Custer on scouting expeditions and visited Sioux villages: The Custers lived in the Dakotas when it was still the 'Wild West' and western legends such as Buffalo Bill and Rain in the Face also stride through the pages of this book.Įlizabeth Custer arrived at the fort during a blizzard with a seriously ill husband, frostbitten soldiers stumbling into the house, and terrified animals howling outside - and coped with it all.

Indians of North America - Wars - 1866-1895Ĭuster, George A.General George Custer was ordered to the Dakotas in the spring of 1873 and Elizabeth Custer's Boots and Saddles (the title comes from the bugle call for the cavalry to mount) chronicles their life until the general's death in 1876.Ī counterpoint to the purely military memoir, her account provides details about everyday garrison life at Fort Abraham Lincoln, including sketches of townspeople, Indians, camp followers, and soldiers, as well as daily routines, and special amusements. Great Plainsįrontier and pioneer life - South Dakota 'Boots and Saddles' Or, Life in Dakota with General CusterĬhange of station - A blizzard - Western hospitality - Cavalry on the march - Camping among the Sioux - A visit to the village of 'Two Bears' - Adventures during the last days of the march - Separation and reunion - Our new home at Fort Lincoln - Incidents of every-day life - The burning of our quarters carrying the mail - Perplexities and pleasures of domestic life - A 'strong heart' dance! - Garrison life - General Custer's literary work - Indian depredations - A day of anxiety and terror - Improvements at the post, and gardening - General Custer's library - The summer of the Black Hills Expedition - Domestic trials - Capture and escape of Rain-in-the-face - Garrison amusements - An Indian council - Breaking up of the Missouri - Curious characters and excursionists among us - Religious services leave of absence - A winter's journey across the plains - Our life's last chapter.į590.3: United States local history: The West.

Boots and Saddles or, Life in Dakota with General Custer by Elizabeth Bacon Custer