Sergeant Daniel Kanipe: Custer’s First Fortunate Courier
Born on April 15, 1853 near Marion, North Carolina, Daniel Kanipe enlisted in the U.S. Army August 7, 1872 at the age of 19. His military career, like the rest of his life, would...
Bighorn, Big Hole and Beyond Blog
What Led to the Little Bighorn: Early Beginnings: The Grattan Affair
The 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty was never truly agreed upon. Sioux and Cheyenne never signed its amended form. They had agreed to an original version. Congress, however, amended it before finally ratifying it later....
Elizabeth Custer: Lifelong Loyalty
Libby Custer: Loyalty for a Lifetime [EDITOR’S NOTE (Unrelated, but related, material): This post seems timely. It comes on the heels of Michigan’s NCAA basketball championship win. Elizabeth Custer was a true Michigan native....
Custer’s Second Call Before Congress: Results, Ramifications and Reverberations
Custer was called to testify before Congress a second time on April 4, 1876. Their inquiry probed the “Trader Post Scandal,” or “Indian Ring Scandal.” It was not the only corruption scandal to mar...
Reporter Mark Kellogg: Mischief Maker or Valued Investigator?
March 31 marks reporter Mark Kellogg’s date of birth. As a correspondent for the Bismarck Tribune, Kellogg accompanied General Alfred Terry’s Dakota Column into Montana Territory in 1876. He would report on the campaign...
Custer’s Call Before Congress: The Trader Post Scandal and Testimony
In March of 1876 two of three U.S. Army columns dispatched by General Sheridan were in the field. They suffered severely due to freezing and blizzard conditions. While the two columns suffered dutifully in...
Women’s History: Females Who Fought at the Rosebud
With March politically designated at Women’s history month, the Rosebud Battle will get an early mention. The battle itself will be featured more fully on or near June 17th, its sesquicentennial. However, a pair...
Myles Keogh: Irish Cavalier
Myles Keogh: Irish Cavalier Myles Keogh is likely the Seventh Cavalry’s best-known member aside from its infamous leader George Armstrong Custer. That renown results mostly from his famous horse, Comanche, who survived the battle...
Lonesome Charley Reynolds: An Unobtrusive Scout
Sources vary, but most give March 20, 1842 as the birth date of a quiet — but very competent — individual who came to be known as “Lonesome” Charley Reynolds. After serving the Union...
March 17, 1876: 150 Years Ago Today
The March Toward Destiny Begins: General Crook and Colonel Gibbon’s Milestones March 17, 1876 is little remembered, but three notable developments coincided that day. It would mark, in ways, another beginning of events that...
