The year following the fight, soldiers returned to recover the bodies of the officer and rebuy the rest of the command.
Following the battle, there was a shortage of shovels and not much time. Most bodies were covered over with a thin covering of soldier scrapped from either side of the body (Later the two depressions and bones would be considered “buddy graves” where two soldiers died.)
Custer and his brother Tom were given actual burials. A common grave was dug, the bodies wrapped and a travois placed on top. However, the next year the grave could not be found. In a hurry, the soldiers selected a body that might be Custer’s. Unfortunately, as the bones were move a roll of paper fell out identifying the body as a private. They then selected another body that consisted of a rib cage and a few bones. This has been rebutted with a Libby Custer at West Point. No doubt an enlisted soldier impersonating and officer.

One of our State Patrol Officers I served with grew up on the Battlefield. His Dad was the resident Ranger there. He found quite a few cartridges and other artifacts as a kid roaming around the area.

He also stated that at times, he would get a bad feeling in certain areas. Feeling as though he was not alone or being watched, despite the area being deserted.

quote:

Originally posted by Icabod:
The year following the fight, soldiers returned to recover the bodies of the officer and rebury the rest of the command...

This book mentions the July 1877 body recoveries (though not in great detail) as well as similar work in April 1879, July 1891, and May 1890. It also has great then and now photos of the entire battlefield, not just the well-known hill everyone visits.

"Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now"

https://www.amazon.com/Where-C...ipbooks%2C192&sr=8-1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sigmund,

I liked the way it was laid out by markers in the actual spots where men fell. Unlike alot of other sites it really gave me a feeling of what happened.

If you are ever in the area its easily worth a visit.

Visited here about 8 years ago. A very moving experience.

I watched an interview a few years back with Adam Vinatieri (Kicker for Colts and Pats)and he discussed his great,great grandfather who who was the company bugler in the 7th Cavalry Band in 1876. When the 7th was dispatched to Little Big Horn, Custer told the Band to stay behind because the battle would be over in a matter of a few hours........

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Graniteguy,

144 years ago.

I visited in 2003 on the week of the anniversary. It was pretty hot, could not imagine wearing a wool uniform, even just wool britches or, wearing buckskin like what Custer was wearing, good grief Victorian-era clothing sensibilities.

Besides the heat, was struck by how rough the grass is and the many aggressive thistles amongst the rolling hills.

I don’t understand the description of the area as remote and desolate etc. I found the LBH landscape quite beautiful ... the rolling hills And brush with trees are memorizing.

Comanche, Little Bighorn Survivor
Field review by the editors.

Lawrence, Kansas

Died c.1890

Pet Cemetery.

For a generation who are themselves now dead, Comanche was the most famous horse in America; a kind of equine Elvis, revered in death as much as in life.

Comanche was the only living thing that the U.S. cavalry got back from the Battle of Little Big Horn. When reinforcements arrived, Custer and all 200+ of his soldiers were dead, and all the horses that survived had been taken by the Indians -- except Comanche, who was injured. The Indians had no use for a horse that couldn't dodge a bullet, but the White Man did.

Comanche was nursed back to health and became a living symbol of Manifest Destiny. The public loved him, assuming that he had been Custer's horse (he hadn't) and that he was the Battle's only survivor (he wasn't). This was fine with the Army and the federal government, who wanted the public on their side while they killed Indians. Comanche toured the country, a favorite of parades and patriotic gatherings.

So why, when he died, did he end up in the University of Kansas Natural History Museum?

Comanche had been stabled at nearby Fort Riley. When he passed away in 1890, it was immediately assumed that he would be preserved -- and by a stroke of good fortune the best taxidermist in Kansas worked at the Museum. Comanche's meaty remains were buried with honors, then his hide was given to the Museum and stuffed. But the officers from Fort Riley -- who perhaps realized that most Indians were by now either captured or dead -- never bothered to pick him up (or to pay the taxidermy bill). So Comanche stayed. Aside from being shipped to Chicago to be displayed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, he's been here ever since.

Comanche is still on exhibit, in a glass case, wearing in his cavalry blanket and saddle. The case used to have a brass plaque: "Sole survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn." It was removed in the 1970s at the request of local tribes.

LINK: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/3312

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
We visited about 20 years ago, the graves up on the hill gave me a real spooky feeling.

I always note whenever a member here makes that sort of observation. The time I really felt that kind of thing the strongest was at the site of the Bergen Belsen camp in Germany. Most especially at the realization that the enormous, monolithic, flat topped, 5foot high mounds were mass graves, marked with a rounded estimate like 'Hier Ruhen 1,500 Tote'. With one the total was 5000. The largest says they don't know how many is in it.
It is a bit of a creepy feeling. Whatever it is, when you feel it, it's palpable and unsettling.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 83v45magna,

quote:

Originally posted by 83v45magna:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
We visited about 20 years ago, the graves up on the hill gave me a real spooky feeling.

I always note whenever a member here makes that sort of observation. The time I really felt that kind of thing the strongest was at the site of the Bergen Belsen camp in Germany. Most especially at the realization that the enormous, monolithic, flat topped, 5foot high mounds were mass graves, marked with a rounded estimate like 'Hier Ruhen 1,500 Tote'. With one the total was 5000. The largest says they don't know how many is in it.
It is a bit of a creepy feeling. Whatever it is, when you feel it, it's palpable and unsettling.

I felt that walking into Auschwitz when I visited back in the late 90s. It was a hot summer day outside but it got actually cold once we went through the gates. That place just felt evil...like nothimg else ove ever experienced.

My wife and I visited Little Bighorn last summer. Its an absolutely beautiful landscape. The grave markers placed where the men fell gives a better understanding of the flow of the battle than I've seen at other battlefields, and our tour guide (a Crow Indian) was exellent. He told us that a few years back a tourist threw a cigarette out and set the prarie on fire. At first they were really upset, but after the fire they discovered a bunch of artifacts from the battle that had been hidden by the grass.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
A damn fool, Custer was. Brave, but a fool.

Yes, he was!

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
His ego was writing checks his body couldn’t cash.

He didn't own that horse. The taxpayers did!

I remember reading an article about Adam Vinatieri (place kicker - Colts)and he mentioned that his great grandfather was a bugler in the 7th Cav. At the departure time from camp Custer told the entire bugle corps and band to stand down and remain at camp as this fight would be over in a few hours.

quote:

Custer told the Band to stay behind because the battle would be over in a matter of a few hours........

Well, he wasn't wrong.