The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-05-29

~ The current issue of Outdoor
Life" a Sportsmen's magazine pub
lishcd monthly at Denver, Colo,
contains an interesting article writ
ten by W. A. Falconcr of Bismarck
concerning "Comanche" lone sur
vivor Of the battle of the Little Big
Horn. June rs, 1876. The story
follows:
The horse Comanchc, found badly
wounded on the Custer battlefield
after the battle Of the Little Big
Horn in Montana Territory, and the
only living thing that escaped, was
a claybank sorrel, and was ridden
on the day Of battle, June rs, 1876,
by Capt. Mylcs w. Kcogh, Seventh
Cavalry.
Comanche was purchased in the
spring of 1868 Mt St. Louis, Mo-,
and Joined the regiment at camp
Ellis, Kan. He was then about s
years old, and he was assigned to
Troop l.
Sully's Mount
When Sully's expedition against
the southern Indians was organized
at Fort Dodge, Kan, in September,
1868, Captain Kcogh was acting in
spcctor general on General Sully's
staff. He chose this horse
for his field mount and
during one of the engage.
mcnts with the Ccmanche In
dams on the Cimarron River, the
horse was wounded while Keogh
was riding him. Thereupon the
horse was named COmanche. KeOgl1
became very much attached to him,
and he was thereafter known as
the Captains MOUNT, and Kcogh
rode him at the battle of the Little
Big Horn between General Clusters
troops and the hostile Sioux
Indians.
When General Tcrry's troops ar
rived on the battlefield, June q,
two days after the battle, horrible
sight met their gaze. They found
the bodies Of General Custer and
his men about 2l2 in all, lying on
the prairie. The soldiers had been
stripped Of all their clothing and
in most cases the bodies were hor-
ribly mutilated. General Clusters
body was one of the exceptions;
also the body Of Captain Keogh.
After the Indians had killed all of
Clusters men, the squaws swarmed
on the field, stripped the men of all
their clothing and then horribly
them.
Relig iOus Emblem Saves MutilatiOn
When the Indians were removing
the clothing from Captain keogh's
body, they found an Agnus Del at
tached to a chain which Captain
Keogh wore around his neck. and
when they saw this emblem of faith.
they refrained from mutilating the
body Of the man who wore it.
The only living thing found on
the battlefield was a horse, wound
I'd in number Of places. There
stood the desolate animal, listening
and waiting; his legs, once 50 sure
and fleet, were terribly swollen,
and as the soldiers came up to him
lis pathetic eyes told OF his ter
'iblc suffering, - =
It was thought best at first to
shoot the horse and put him out of
lis misery, but Lieut.. Henry J.
Nowlan, Seventh Cavalry, who was
field quartermaster on General
rerry's staff, and an intimate
friend Of Captain Keogh (both were
recognized the horse as
and took charge sof him.
Wounded Removed to Bismarck
After the bodies Of General Gus
Ter and his men were buried, the
wounded on Major Reno's battalion
we're taken to the steamboat, Far
West, which was lying at the
mouth of the Little Big Horn, and
was taken along with the
wounded and placed on the boat
and sent down the river to
Bismarck.
It was my good fortune to know
and be personally acquainted with
/ great many of the officers and
men who lost their lives in the Gus
ter disaster. l remember well the
steamer Far West bringing down
The wounded.
The Far West arrived at Bis
marck on the night of July 5, 1876,
1t about II o'clock. Capt. E. w.
Smith, General Terry's assistant
general, came down on the
boat with the wounded, bringing