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A, If I had heard the firing, as they represent the firing    volley firing
    I should have known he was engaged while I was on the hill;  but I heard
    no such firingL
Q10 -ere you in a position, down at the river for half an hour, to have heaird
    that firing?
A,, Possibly not, although I was nearer to what is termed the battlefield
    than the command.
40 You received an order in your subordinate capacity    in the sense of
there
    beirg a commanding officer of the regiment - from Gen. Custer, to toke
    three companies and charge the enemy?
A, YesJ, sir0
C   i Did you obey that order?
A. Yev, sir0
D. Describe just how,
A. Well, sir, ten men can be ordered t-o charge a million0  There is some
dxs
    cretion left in the hands of the conmvanding officer, I can give you
a
    very brilliant illustration of that in the Battle of Balaklava.,
 '  Had there been any casualties in your cornxsnd at the timre you halted
and
    deployed it as skirmishers?
A. Just one iman had been hit,. ,  t mpde no difference, how.ever, in regard
    to my action0  I should have done the same thing.,
Q, Then you consider that you charged the enemy theres
A. I don't. consider that I charged the enemy, but I went ne.tr enough to
dis,
    cover t'hat it was impossible to do it. I knew nothing about the topography
    of the country, It was arterward developed that if I had gone two or
three
    hundred yards further, i should have thrown my command into a ditch ten
    yards wide and three or four deep.
Q.. rhe Indians were in that ravine?
A. Yes, sir;   I saw theni coming out of itt-
Q.  Did you make any examination of that ravine afterwiard?
A0  Yes, sir.. I crossed it in two or three places afterward, I think,
'i. Uas it a possible thing for a dash made by cavalry to have gone through
    that?
A, I suppose you might get horSes now and then that would Junp that ditch.
Q. Tne Indians being in it and coming cut of it, it was not possible for
    troops to have gone in there?
A   The troops would not havy got that far, By 'he time they would have got
    within a few yards of it., rmost of the men would have been dismounted;
    most of the saddles would have been emptied; and most of the horses killed,
Qi  After leaving the timber and going on the hill, you did expect to reunite
    with the scattered portions of the regiment?
A0  Yes sir0
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