But I could not; so I gave a leap which landed me many feet below, and strange to say, I did not lose my balance. I did not want to get under the canvas where the wounded were as that was already overcrowded, so I crawled under one of the horses which was standing in a group with the others. One of the Indians mounted his pony and rode on the edge of the bluff abreast of us. They were coming from every direction; so unlike what they were a half an hour previous, when they were first surprised by the Seventh Cavalry for surprise it must have been to them. "Get out of here," he cried, And do your duty!". We wondered why none of his staff were with him. The one that was left stood facing me, still disputing our passage across the river. Additionally, Thompson provides the last look at Custer alive; he shows that Indians used captured Cavalry bugles, as Roman Nose did at the Battle of Beecher's Island; and he describes the clever "stationary wheel" technique they employed in their attack on Custer, as well as its withering effect on the Americans: Round and round rode the savages in a seemingly tireless circle. In November 1987 Peter Thomson aged 19 at the time escaped from Winchester Prison. It was not a question of days but of hours. I told him that I was afraid my horse was entirely played out. In a clump of red berry bushes we found a log which made quite a comfortable seat for us. So we started in the proposed direction. This was the 26th day of June, a day long to be remembered by all who took an active part, in fact, a day never to be forgotten. But the only result was that the lead lay buried in the red clay at my side. John Brennan], and Watson [Pvt. "And the strangest part of it," added Watson, "was that instead of taking the back trail, he struck straight from the river across the country and as far as he could see him, he was urging his pony to its utmost speed. A short distance below I saw several cavalry men who were soon joined by others, eleven in all; a slim force indeed to clean out the ravine held by so many Indians, but they were resolute men. The tunnel was 1.7m (5.7ft) tall and 75cm (29.5in) in width. Near the water's edge, some distance up the river, we saw a large body of Indians holding a council, and that we might avoid them we kept as close to the cover of the brush as possible and went as rapidly as we could towards the face of the bluff. When he saw my maneauvers, he took aim at me and shot. According to White Man Runs Him, they all "went with Custer down a dry gulch to near the river.". So there was nothing to do but console myself with the reflection that I had better take care of it myself. Kinging things off is our founder, Peter Thomson. How were we going to transport our wounded? Curley and Kanipe both stated that Custer rode apart from his men to scout the countryside after the Battle of the Little Bighorn had started, and the Seventh Cavalry was charging to attack the Indian village at Medicine Tail Coulee, as did White Man Runs Him and Medal of Honor winner Fred Goldin. The hill we were climbing seemed very long, so much so to me that I fell down and lay there without any inclination to move again, until Watson called my attention to the head of the column of cavalry which now came into plain view. When I had nearly gained the top of the hill, I saw five Sioux Indians. He had made the mistake of placing the box the wrong way, the edge of the crackers toward the outside. It was a sad, sad sight. It was just the way Custer and his mercinary scouts did business. Payet (born 1963) is a French criminal who gained notoriety for his daring prison escapes using helicopters. One of the men began to kick him and yelled for him to get up. I slept so soundly that I heard and knew nothing until I felt someone kicking the soles of my boots. Ladies and Gentlemen, In these days of virtual communication, it is often difficult to know whom one is addressing and how you are all faring as we work our way out of this global . He was found guilty of robbing R12,6-million from a depot of the SBV security company in Pretoria in October 1997. I still clung to my carbine and revolver. Nicknamed by some as the "King of Kalashnikovs". So, jumping from the bank, I landed at the edge of the water and I just saw that the water tasted good. I struggled to my feet and staggered after Watson. He seemed to come to one conclusion, and that was that the 7th Cavalry was going to be whipped. This ungainly dismount caused the water to fly in every direction. Peter Thomson, in full Peter William Thomson, (born August 23, 1929, Brunswick, Victoria, Australiadied June 20, 2018, Melbourne, Victoria), Australian golfer who won the British Open five times and who was the first Australian to win that tournament. Wymyka si milicji 29 razy! When they had passed, we moved on our way. See Mysteries of the Little Bighorn for more info. [Note: Thompson did not overplay the dramatically dangerous nature of his situation after he was left behind by his Seventh Cavarly comrades. This was the appearance of Custer on the day that he entered his last battle, and just one half hour before the fight commenced between him and the Sioux. The same is also true of what seems, on the face of it, the wildest parts of Thompson's story: (1) the eye-witness account of how a white man with an Indian shot at him while he was fleeing to join Reno, (2) the hearsay claim (via his Seventh Cavalry straggler companion) James Watson, that Custer took a shot at half-Sioux Seventh Cavalry Scout Billy Jackson just before the beginning of the Custer fight. A person could easily be mistaken, for the road over which they passed was rocky, sandy, and hard, consequently, the marks left by the horses' feet were very faint.20 Notwithstanding, this mistake left us in a very critical condition. The Astonisher.com Map (above) reveals how he escaped the fate of his comrades, told in the eye-witness accounts of Thompson himself, fellow Seventh Cavalry survivor, John McGuire, and an Anonymous Ree scout, possibly Half Yellow Face.. After the volley was past, it was a wonder to me how I had escaped. The bank being very wet, my feet slipped from under me several times. Benteen turned around and walked away to the extreme left, seemingly tireless and unconscious of the hail of lead that was flying around him. The . But my duty was plain. For his valor at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Thompson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Indians who seemed to be detailed to bring in the dead and the wounded were continually coming into the village with double burdens showing that the soldiers though greatly decreased in numbers were still doing eff ective work. It was clear that the Indians still held the village, and it would be foolish for us to again attempt to enter it. This canvas the officers had brought along for their own use, but it was given by them for the humane purpose of sheltering the helpless. When the companies came in sight of the village, they gave the regular charging yell and urged their horses into a gallop. I found in the center of our place of defense that we had a surgeon busily attending to the wounded and dying. With a cry of rage he drew his revolver from beneath his overcoat and taking aim at me he told me to skip or he would put a hole through me. Some of them were so close to us that their fire was very affective. But this soon passed out of my mind, as there was always something going on which attracted my attention. March 1, 2023. Watson made no complaint, for like myself he knew it would do no good. Capt. But I knew he was a hostile and we stood no show whatever on foot with such a number against us. From his decorations of paint and feathers, I judged he was a chief. I found the ground was very miry, so much so that I was afraid that I might get stuck in the mud. I found that the pillar was barely eighteen inches through; it was about seven feet high with a piece of rotten cottonwood on top. After his second escape he was captured on September 21, 2007. He cast fearful glances around him as in mortal terror. I thought my time had surely come; It was too late to retreat. Yes, absolutely! He was attended by John Mahoney [Pvt. WHEN YOU ACTUALLY look at them, Thompson's "problematic passages" are really no problem at all, except that they honestly tell Americans some things they don't want to hear -- e.g., that the Seventh Cavalry under Custer murdered and quite possibly raped its way to annihilation. Kanipe said Custer was "gone two hours. It may seem hard to take human life, but he had been trying to take mine, and self preservation is the first law of nature. "I will trade horses with you if you will." Or at least that's one plausible way to read the eye-witness record of the battle. James Watson], and although composing one of the sets of fours that entered into action with Custer, not one of us ever reached the battlefield which proved fatal to Custer and his men. Pausing for a moment I looked cautiously around the bend and there before me was running water, the Little Horn River, on the opposite side was a thick cover of cottonwood timber, the sight of which made me hesitate for a moment. And, the pop star's son Junior Andre, 17, took to Instagram on Monday, where he shared shirtless snap of the duo with just towels around their waists. From the Belle Fourche Bee, Belle Fourche, SD, December 1913. In 1976, sex cult leader and convicted rapist. About a half a mile further on we came in sight of the Indian village and it was truly an imposing sight to anyone who had not seen anything like it before. "Back in Prison After Restful Sojourn Here". Tony, for that was the man's name, was lying in the place best suited for the shelter and the men called to him to get out of the way. So we began to map out a course by which we could join our command, where we felt we were so much needed. "Twenty dollars," said a third and so the bidding went on as at an auction. On August 27, 1995, multiple prisoners escaped from, In April 1998, the Belgian child molester, Martin Gurule escaped from the Texas Death Row at. Let's look first at the incident Thompson observed on the banks of the Little Bighorn River, where he said a Crow scout appeared with a Sioux woman on a tether moments before Custer himself rode into sight and ordered the woman released. Are they really "impossible?". I concluded that there was nothing like trying. John Fitzgerald], Brennan [Pvt. In fact, however, there is far, far more truth in Thompson's tale than Camp or conventional wisdom has been willing to accept. He released my hand and seemed satisfied and then I began to realize what the promise I had made meant. There we sat aiming at one another; the Indians did not fire and I couldn't. Medal of Honor winner Peter Thompson was the last Seventh Cavalry trooper to get out of George A. Custer's doomed command alive. But finally the poor animal gained his feet with a groan, and Finkle passed on with a rush to overtake our company. The rope was tied around both her hands, but, struggle as she might, she could not break away. The Indians were riding around in a circle and when those who were nearest to the cavalry had fired their guns (riding at full speed) they would reload in turning the circle. This made me determined to make another trip and to take a larger number of canteens. I knew it was useless for me to try to avoid being seen so I depended on my ability to escape the bullets of the Indians. Kneeling down beside him I asked, "Can I do you any service?" The firing on the part of the Indians was rather dilatory. Our retreat was covered by Company D commanded by Capt. Then Jackson informed him Custer had shot at him cutting away the strap that connected his stirrup to the saddle, and in order to save his life he had ridden away. I could not keep still and so got onto my feet again. Being afraid that the Indian would escape, I worked at it in a desperate manner and finally got it out far enough to use my thumb nail, which proved affective. Specifically, what about the kinky bit with the Crow scout and the Sioux squaw on the tether? Faulkner was not far behind after shooting 71 in his first round, with Scotland's Jimmy Adams and Australian Norman Von Nida leading the way on four under. The cartridge was very dirty, a nice predicament for a man to be in when at close quarters with an enemy. We determined to ambush them if they attempted to pursue us. We knew if we did not do so we would be picked off one by one. One of its hind legs was fearfully gashed by a bullet. Knowing that in my condition I was useless, I looked around to see if I could find anyone who could direct me to a surgeon. Standing on the opposite bank of the river and at the very point we wished to gain were three Indians, with their smoking rifles in their hands. Peter Thompson was an American who put his life on the line for his comrades and his country -- and received the Medal of Honor for his valor -- but that hasn't stopped America from turning him into non-person in order to preserve its cherished, comfortable self-deceptions. Ooops! It had been built by Indians for some purpose or other. The last thing I heard as I lay down upon the ground was the howling of the Indians and the wailing of the bugles. Tom Custer, 1st Lieut. The Indians while fighting remained mounted, the cavalry dismounted. The ball plowed through his body, and buried itself in the ground under the horse, throwing the dirt in every direction. Madden, [Pvt. "And now, Watson," said I, "I will help myself along by hanging to your horse's tail, as I cannot otherwise keep up with you." Peter Thompson's Story of the Battle [Note: the accounts of Arikara scouts Soldier and an Anonymous Ree Scout both reported seeing Seventh Cavalry troopers kicking their downed horses just before the battle was about to begin.] 6 distinct works Similar authors. The "problematic passages" in Thompson's first-person account of the battle center on Thompson and fellow straggler Pvt. He struggled to his feet; his face bore tokens of great fear. [Note: this was clearly the slow part of the troop -- Sgt. I now looked around to see how I was going to make my escape, for I knew I could not retreat; with five I could not cope, and within the last few moments a few more Indians had gained the trail ahead of me; and to make my way down the face of the bluff, I knew was nearly impossible, as the Indians were climbing up to gain the trail. He had pleaded guilty to these charges in 2003. The canvas had to be stretched very close to the ground. Benteen standing by my side. There were numerous ravines leading into the one which we occupied. When I was handing his back to him I noticed that the three Indians had discovered us and were watching our every movement. Peter Thompson went on to be wounded in Frederick Benteen's desperate, do-or-die charge to clear the head of the ravine that night, and then the next morning, before he had his wounds bandaged, he went for water for a dying friend as part of the extremely dangerous water brigade. However, Supergirl convinced Peter to help her foil Rick's plan. The loss of blood and the lack of water made me so dizzy that I reeled and f ell and lay unheeded. But in the meantime several accidents happened which helped to make it a serious matter for us. Some of the blankets were stamped with the large letters I.D. I walked forward looking into the grove for signs of Indians, but not a sign of life could I see. He escaped from prison after serving only one month of his sentence. So, loading my carbine which was done in a moment, I took aim at him as he turned to go to his pony which was about thirty feet back of him on a slight elevation winding up his rawhide rope as he did so, I fired, but missed him because Watson who was on the line with the Indian made a movement which distracted my aim. Meanwhile, I was persuing my way along the trail on foot leading my horse for I was afraid he would fall down under me, so stumbling and staggering was his gait. We had two spades, the others having been either broken or lost, so our means of digging rifle pits were limited and natural defenses there were none. Michael P. Madden] the wounded man I had just left, watched me with great interest. There were others also in the same fix. The escape allegedly cost Guzmn $2.5 million. He died two months later. Just then the order was given to retreat and Reno's command began to march slowly to the rear. Drive For Freedom. He and other prisoners dressed as prison guards and escaped via ladders across the prison yard to the wall. He shook his head and said he did not know. I asked him to attend to me when he had time to do so. The water at this point ran very shallow over a sandbar. Detroit Institute of Arts. On looking around, I saw a white man and what I supposed to be a Crow Indian. He was one of the most wanted criminals in the. The horses were held back behind and inside of the circle of skirmishers. When I returned to him I urged him to take a drink, but he refused to do so saying he was not in need of it. Lucky indeed was that soldier who died when he was first shot, for what mercy could he expect from a Sioux. The ball plowed through his body, and that was left behind by Seventh! Second escape he was a chief had time to do so we would be picked off one by one bullet... Notoriety for his daring prison escapes using helicopters hostile and we stood no show whatever on foot such. 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