[Illustration: _G. A. Custer._] “BOOTS AND SADDLES” OR LIFE IN DAKOTA WITH GENERAL CUSTER BY ELIZABETH B. CUSTER WITH PORTRAIT AND MAP NEW YORK HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE Copyright, 1885, by HARPER & BROTHERS. _All rights reserved._ Dedicated TO MY HUSBAND THE ECHO OF WHOSE VOICE HAS BEEN MY INSPIRATION PREFACE. One of the motives that have actuated me in recalling these simple annals of our daily life, has been to give a glimpse to civilians of garrison and camp life--about which they seem to have such a very imperfect knowledge. This ignorance exists especially with reference to anything pertaining to the cavalry, which is almost invariably stationed on the extreme frontier. The isolation of the cavalry posts makes them quite inaccessible to travellers, and the exposure incident to meeting warlike Indians does not tempt the visits of friends or even of the venturesome tourist. Our life, therefore, was often as separate from the rest of the world as if we had been living on an island in the ocean. Very little has been written regarding the domestic life of an army family, and yet I cannot believe that it is without interest; for the innumerable questions that are asked about our occupations, amusements, and mode of house-keeping, lead me to hope that the actual answers to these queries contained in this little story will be acceptable. This must also be my apology for entering in some instances so minutely into trifling perplexities and events, which went to fill up the sum of our existence. E. B. C. _148 East 18th Street, New York City._ CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. CHANGE OF STATION 9 II. A BLIZZARD 17 III. WESTERN HOSPITALITY 30 IV. CAVALRY ON THE MARCH 37 V. CAMPING AMONG THE SIOUX 49 VI. A VISIT TO THE VILLAGE OF “TWO BEARS” 60 VII. ADVENTURES DURING THE LAST DAYS OF THE MARCH 73 VIII. SEPARATION AND REUNION 86 IX. OUR NEW HOME AT FORT LINCOLN 94 X. INCIDENTS OF EVERY-DAY LIFE 104 XI. THE BURNING OF OUR QUARTERS.--CARRYING THE MAIL 115 XII. PERPLEXITIES AND PLEASURES OF DOMESTIC LIFE 124 XIII. A “STRONG HEART” DANCE! 131 XIV. GARRISON LIFE 138 XV. GENERAL CUSTER’S LITERARY WORK 140