The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-05
C00dgeVoices Plea Economy Submitting His Budge
Last Custer Massacre
Survivor Dies at Home
Faulty Shoeing Of Hors e
Saved His Life at Little
Big Horn Battle
Braved Death from Indian
Rifle Bullets to Bring Water
to Comrades

The last authentic survivor Of the
Custer massacre, a man whose life
was probably saved in that disaster
by the faulty shoeing Of his horse,
is dead.
Announcement of the death at
Hot Springs, So. Dak., of Peter
Thompson, ~, veteran u. S. army
Indian fighter, reached Bismarck to-
day.
Thompson became a member of
Company c, Seventh Cavalry, under
the command of Captain Tom Gus
ter at Fort Abraham Lincoln, a short
distance from Bismarck, in October,
1875.
Lieut.. Col. Custer headed an ex-
pedition to the Little Big Horn to
fight the Sioux Indians early in May,
1876. In the morning of June Is,
Custer divided his expedition ilko
three groups, headed by Captain
Benteen, Major Reno, and himself.
Thompson was member of the Gus
ter division. The three divisions
were ordered to take different
courses into the Indian territory.
Shoeing Was Faulty
Before reaching the field where
the massacre finally occurred,
Thompson's horse became exhausted,
due to faulty shoeing on one hoof.
While Thompson was repairing the
shoeing, the Indians separated him
from his division.
He took refuge, with a companion
by the name of Watson who has
been dead for many years, in a
clump of bushes. From this point
he witnessed a great part of the
massacre, of which horse was the
only living survivor.
Under cover of darkness, Thomp-
son and his companion joined Major
Reno's division, which had crossed
to the east side of the river and
situated itself on a high hill.
Reno's division had gone without
water for "a hours, and the wounded
(men were suffering greatly in the
i intense heat. Thompson then vol.
untsered to 60 to the river with twt
buckets and bring back water.
Cited for Bravery
He located a narrow gully, about
eight feet deep, which protected him
from the Indians to a point about 4C
feet from the river. On his first
trip, the Indians, anticipating the
need OF water, were watching the
mouth of the gully for white men
and he was shot with a rifle ball ir
one hand and he returned from the
river. He made his escape, however
and later made two more trips fol
water.
The veteran was awarded media
of honor Oct. s, 1878, for his brav.
cry in the trips for water.
He retired in the early sos and
managed ranch near Elzada, in the
southeastern part of Montana, unit
the time of his death.
Although entitled to a government
pension, Thompson at one time sait
that he needed no assistance from
the United States treasury"
Born in Scotland
Peter Thompson was born II
Fifishire, Scotland, Dec. %, 1856
He came to the United States il
1865 settling at Banksville, which i.
now part Of Pittsburgh, Pa. Aftel
living there q few years, he movet
with his family to Indiana county
: Pennsylvania.
He joined the United States arm,
iu 1875, when he was 10 years old
and was stationed at jefferson
Barracks, Mo-, until he was move,
to Fort Abraham Lincoln q few
months later.
Thompson wrote an account Of tn,
Custer massacre entitled "Experi
ences Of a Private Soldier in the Gus
ter Massacre" The original manu-
script is now in possession Of L. w
Crawford, state historian.
The account was printed q fev
years ago in a "garbled" form, &C
; cording to Mr.. Crawford. It wa
printed in a book entitled "Blacl
Hills Trails" published at Rapi'
City, S. Oak.
Crawford says that Thompson
accounts Of early Indian fighting
have always been accepted. by au
, thoritieS as reliable.