Curley: Credible Crow Scout or Discredited Raconteur?

Curley: Credible Crow Scout or Discredited Raconteur?

On April ­­9, 1876, Colonel John Gibbon’s Montana Column arrived at the Crow Indian Agency along the Bighorn River. He was there to enlist scouts to help him locate hostile and non-treaty Sioux and Cheyennes.

Among the 23 Crow scouts Gibbon enlisted was a young warrior named Curley. Of those nearly two dozen scouts, Curley was likely among the least significant. Yet he gained by far the greatest notoriety, especially right after the Little Bighorn debacle.

As with most notoriety, some of it was good and some bad.

Early Life and History

The wavy-haired Curley was born around 1856 while most Sioux still roamed free. He grew up a blood enemy of that larger, stronger Sioux tribe. His Crow tribe soon allied with the U.S., seeing their advancing numbers and technology. They agreed to the Fort Laramie Treaties in 1851 and 1868, with agencies established for them by 1869.

The Crows saw the benefit of allying with the U.S. Army against the Sioux. Even on their agency, they still suffered Sioux depredations in 1875 and 1876.  In fact, Sioux raiders stole the Crow scouts’ horses near the Montana Column’s camp along the Yellowstone River in May, 1876. Crows relished returning the favor.

The Crows proved skilled and valuable as scouts, knowing the region as their homeland. They were widely known among Plains tribes as skilled horse thieves. James Bradley, Gibbons chief of scouts, worried at times his Crows would get side-tracked in their zeal to steal Sioux ponies and would derail his bigger plans.

Little is recorded of Curley’s life before his enlistment before the Little Bighorn. Though he was young, he must have been capable. When the Montana and Dakota Columns met roughly a week into June 1876, General Terry commandeered six of Gibbon’s Crow scouts (along with guide/interpreter Mitch Bouyer.) Curley was among them.

A Skilled Scout

Terry had capable Arikara scouts, and Custer himself had confidence in them. However, the soldiers were now in the Crows’ homeland; the Rees did not know the region as the Crows did. Lt. James Bradley, Gibbon’s chief of scouts, wrote in his journal that he had picked six of his best.

As Custer’s 12 troops made their final approach toward the large hostile encampment on the Little Bighorn, his Ree scouts all went with Major Reno. This may have been due to a misunderstanding. It appears Custer had intended for them to ascend a ridge where they could better survey the huge tepee village. Instead they all followed Reno in his assigned attack on the village’s south end.

Apparently two Crows went with Reno and the Rees. Some Rees were said to have gone after a small bunch of Sioux ponies. Some accounts state they stole several and drove them off, not stopping til they reached the army’s supply base at the mouth of Rosebud Creek. Some say the two Crows made their own attempt to steal Sioux horses and were shot for their efforts.

Accompanying Custer

Four Crows, along with mixed-blood Mitch Bouyer, went northward with Custer and his five remaining companies. He intended, as best we know, to make a flank attack while Reno attacked from the South. Accounts are many and varied as to what happened next, but before Custer began his attack Mitch Bouyer released the Crows. They left before the fight and lived to tell their tales as a result.

Somewhere, somehow, Curley separated from the other three Crow scouts; versions vary as to where he went and what he did next. One Crow scout later said Curley had gone with the Rees, stolen some horses and ended up at Terry’s supply base near Rosebud Creek. That’s feasible. It doesn’t preclude other events attributed to Curley, but it seems unlikely.

Less Credible Accounts

Most accounts state four days later Curley reached the contract steamboat Far West, which was then anchored in the Bighorn River at the Little Bighorn’s mouth. He could have reached that point after first going to Rosebud Creek, but that’s unlikely too.

Another account says Curley connected with one of the Ree scouts and took him to a point back toward Rosebud Creek. Curley told the Ree he knew where soldiers had left some hardtack. It’s true that hardtack crates had fallen off a pack mule back near the Crow’s Nest, but Custer had sent a sergeant back to retrieve them. This account seems unlikely too.

Other accounts say Curley stayed with Custer but escaped by using a Sioux blanket to make attackers think he was Sioux. Where he might have found a blanket in the heat of battle on a very hot summer day is not explained. And what distinguished it as Sioux?

Another tale said Curley hid inside the carcass of an eviscerated horse until the Sioux had left. It fails to explain where he managed to find a horse with its entrails removed. It also overlooks the glaring question of how his own horse – a valued commodity in any tribe – remained at hand and unclaimed until Curley climbed out. These tales appear to have been spun by sources other than Curley himself.

A More Likely Account

The most likely account, told by Curley, is that he left when he was released by Bouyer. He then managed to find a high point more than a mile from where the battle occurred. There he watched through field glasses as the battle played out.

It seems doubtful that an Indian scout would have owned field glasses. No writers seem to question where and when Curley obtained them. However, this account seems to be most plausible and widely accepted.

Witnesses did attest to Curley’s arrival at the Far West on June 29. With no interpreter, his initial report was not understood. (They did note he had an enormous appetite when fed, maybe debunking the hard-tack account.)

Later Accounts

In 1877 Curley and older scout White Man Runs Him went with Colonel Michael Sheridan (brother of General Phil Sheridan) to the battlefield. They were to oversee  better burials for the fallen. Sheridan found little credibility in Curley’s accounts but concluded he had run away early in the fight or before it.

Curley accompanied Lt. Edward Godfrey to the battlefield in 1886 along with the Sioux chief Gall. Gall rebuffed Curley, saying he had fled early. Gall was able to point out places where he himself had been. In 1919 General Hugh Scott interviewed Curley and Half Yellow Face but found Curley less than convincing. Other veteran Crow scouts did too. He may or may not have seen the battle.

Survivor Stories

The Little Bighorn Battle is rife with “survivor” stories. Most are outlandishly comical. Some come closer to credibility, and one even bears enough corroborating evidence as to be at least plausible if not probable. Some of these will be examined in coming months.

The Crow scout Curley, however, remains an enigma. Various yarns or versions are credited to (or blamed on) him. However, he was not likely the source of the less credible tales. His tales may have been misunderstood, misrepresented and embellished due to language barriers and literary license. And, like Rain-in-the-Face with Tom Custer stories, Curley may have been badgered enough that he finally just went along with popular myths.

A Fair Assessment

In fairness, army lawyer and dedicated Custer researcher William A. Graham wrote that his findings indicated Curley claimed no wild tales. After quoting salty civilian guide and battle survivor George Herendeen on July 7,1876, a New York Herald added part of Curley’s account, concluding “Curley is a truthful Indian, and his statement may be relied on.” As with any reporting, it can be taken with a grain of salt.

Other Crow scouts’ questioning of Curley’s tales may have stemmed from other sources’ the wild embellishments. They may also have envied his publicity vs. their less-deserved anonymity. What is known of Curley is that he ranched successfully near Crow Agency, dying of pneumonia in 1923.