Battle of the Little Bighorn: Medal of Honor Recipients

 

In July 1862, Congress authorized a Medal of Honor to be awarded to soldiers who “distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action.”  The first medals were presented in 1863, and it remains the highest decoration for valor the United States can bestow on an individual in the armed services.  There were 421 Medals of Honor awarded during the Indian Wars from 1865 to 1891.

Twenty-four individuals received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, specifically for actions in defense of Reno Hill.  These medals were awarded in 1878.

Name	Rank and Organization	Date of Action	Citation Summary
Neil Bancroft	Private, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water for the wounded under heavy fire.
Abram B. Brant	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water for the wounded under heavy fire.
Thomas J. Callan	Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Obtained water for the wounded and assisted in driving away Indians.
Benjamin C. Criswell	Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Rescued Lt. Hodgson's body, brought ammunition, encouraged men under heavy fire.
Charles Cunningham	Corporal, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Fought bravely despite being wounded, declined to leave the line.
Frederick Deetline	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
George Geiger	Sergeant, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Held a position securing water for the command with comrades.
Theodore W. Goldin	Private, Company G, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 26, 1876	Part of a party bringing water to the wounded under heavy fire.
Richard P. Hanley	Sergeant, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Recaptured a stampeded pack mule with ammunition under 20 minutes of fire.
David W. Harris	Private, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water to the wounded at great danger under heavy fire.
William M. Harris	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Henry Holden	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought up ammunition under heavy fire.
Rufus D. Hutchinson	Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Guarded and carried the wounded, brought water, directed men under fire.
Henry W. B. Mechlin	Blacksmith, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Held a position securing water for the command with comrades.
Thomas Murray	Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought up pack train and rations on the second day under heavy fire.
James Pym	Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily went for water under heavy fire.
Stanislaus Roy	Sergeant, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water to the wounded at great danger under heavy fire.
George D. Scott	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Thomas W. Stivers	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Peter Thompson	Private, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water to the wounded, made two trips despite being shot through the head.
Frank Tolan	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Otto Voit	Saddler, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Held an exposed position with comrades, diverting fire for over 20 minutes.
Charles H. Welch	Sergeant, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Charles Windolph	Private, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Held a position securing water for the command with comrades during the engagement.

Little Bighorn: Medals of Honor

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

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Custer's Dead Officers: First Lieutenant James Calhoun

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

First Lieutenant James Calhoun was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1864 . By the end of the Civil War, he held the rank of sergeant.

After the war, Calhoun accepted a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the infantry and served in the western territories.  He married Margaret “Maggie” Custer, sister of George Armstrong Custer, in 1872. This connection brought him into the inner circle of the so-called “Custer Clan.”

Calhoun was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and transferred to Company C of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, which was commanded by Captain Tom Custer, George’s brother. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, Calhoun was acting commander of Company C, as Tom Custer was serving as aide-de-camp to his brother. Calhoun and his men made their last stand on what is now known as Calhoun Hill, where evidence suggests they fought fiercely before being overwhelmed.

He was initially buried on the battlefield. His remains were later moved to Fort Leavenworth

Calhoun was nicknamed “The Adonis of the Seventh” because of his striking appearance.

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Custer's Dead Officers: First Lieutenant William W. Cooke

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

First Lieutenant William W. Cooke, a Canadian who was the Regimental Adjutant and was known as "Queen's Own" Cooke.  Cooke was known for his long side whiskers that he always wore.

Cooke was awarded brevet promotions to captain, major and lieutenant colonel for this bravery during the Civil War.  He joined the Regular Army after the War and was made a second lieutenant in the 7^th Cavalry in 1866. 

In 1868 he participated in the Washita Campaign.  At the Battle of the Washita, Cooke, one of the best shots in the regiment, commanded forty sharpshooters.  Cooke’s men hid themselves on the northern side of the river and shot down Cheyenne fleeing Custer’s charge.  Chief Black Kettle and his wife Medicine Woman Later were killed by Cooke’s sharpshooters.

In 1871Cooke became the regimental adjutant reporting to Custer.  Cooke became a close friend of Tom Custer and became part of what was known as the Custer Gang, a close-knit group of Custer’s friends and relatives. 

The anti-Custer faction within the regiment, including Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno, began calling him “The Queen’s Own.”

On the day of battle at the Little Bighorn, June 25, 1876, Cooke was by the side of George Armstrong Custer.  He is remembered for writing Custer’s final orders to Captain Benteen: “Come On. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs. W.W. Cooke. P.S. Bring Packs”.

Cooke died alongside Custer. He was scalped twice, the second trophy being his side whiskers.  The Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg claimed to have scalped the whiskers from one side of Cooke's face. He gave this trophy to his grandmother, who didn’t think much of it and discarded it two nights later at a victory dance.

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An American at the Battle of Waterloo

 

Though not in an official U.S. capacity, one notable American did fight at the Battle of Waterloo, Colonel William Howe De Lancey.  Born in New York City in 1778, De Lancey came from a prominent Loyalist family that fled to England after the American Revolution.  He later joined the British Army and rose to become chief-of-staff to the Duke of Wellington during the Napoleonic Wars.

At Waterloo on June 18, 1815, De Lancey played a critical role in organizing troop movements and logistics.  Tragically, he was struck by a cannonball during the battle and died from his wounds a few days later.  His story became widely known due to a moving memoir written by his new bride, Magdalene Hall, who had joined him in Brussels shortly after their wedding and just before the battle.

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Custer's Dead Officers: Captain Tom Custer

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

 Captain Tom Custer, 31, rode with the five companies led personally by George Custer.  Tom Custer had distinguished himself during the Civil War, receiving the Medal of Honor twice for bravery, becoming the first of only 16 individuals in American history to achieve this distinction.  

After the Civil War, Tom Custer was appointed a first lieutenant in the 7^th cavalry.  He was wounded at the Battle of the Washita and took part in the Black Hills expedition of 1874.  During the 1876 campaign he served as aide-de-camp to his older brother Lt. Colonel George A. Custer and died with his brother on Last Stand Hill.

 In an interview given in 1900, Dr, Henry Porter recounted: “As soon as we could, several of the officers and myself went over to where Custer had fought…. We found Custer's body stark naked, as white and clean as a baby's. He was shot in the head and breast. The body of Captain Tom Custer, General Custer's brother, was horribly mutilated. He was disemboweled, and his head had been crushed in by a blow from a stone hammer used by the Indians. The only arrow wound I found was in his head. He had the Sioux mark of death, which was a cut from the hip to the knee, reaching to the bone. His heart was not cut out, as has been reported…”

 In fact, Tom Custer’s body had been so badly mutilated that his remains were identified only by a recognizable tattoo of his initials on his arm.

 The bodies of George and Tom Custer were wrapped in canvas and blankets, then buried on the field in a shallow grave.  When soldiers returned a year later, the brothers' grave had been scavenged by animals and the bones scattered.  According to a witness, "Not more than a double handful of small bones were picked up."  George Custer was reinterred with full military honors at West Point Cemetery on October 10, 1877.   The remains of Tom Custer, were reinterred at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

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Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

Custer's Dead Officers: Captain Myles Keogh

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

Captain Myles Keogh an Irish immigrant and seasoned soldier, joined the Seventh Cavalry in 1866 after distinguished service in the Union Army during the Civil War.

During the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Keogh commanded a detachment on Battle Ridge. He and his men attempted to hold the southern end of the ridge but were overrun by Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. His body was found surrounded by several of his men, and his horse, Comanche, survived the battle—later becoming a symbol of the fallen regiment

The medals of Captain Miles Keogh tell an interesting story.  The senior captain among the five companies wiped out with Custer, Keogh's body was found at the center of a group of troopers that included his two sergeants, company trumpeter and guidon bearer.

 Keogh was stripped but not mutilated, perhaps because of the "medicine" the Indians saw in two Papal medals he wore on a chain around his neck.  Vatican records confirm these two medals were given to Keogh during The Papal War of 1860.

 Captain Benteen secured the medals which were sent to Keogh’s sister in Ireland.  They remained in the family until 1988 when they passed into the hands of a well-known collector.  The medals were recently auctioned off for $35,000.

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Custer's Dead Officers: First Lieutenant William Van Wyck Reily

 

First Lieutenant William Van Wyck Reily was one of the youngest officers in the 7th Cavalry Regiment and among those killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.

Born on December 12, 1853, Reily came from a naval family.  Reily himself entered the Naval Academy in 1870 but resigned in 1872 after academic difficulties. He later joined the 10th U.S. Cavalry as a Second Lieutenant in 1875 and transferred to the 7th Cavalry in early 1876, just months before the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

He was described as a “dashing and handsome officer,” though some accounts suggest he was still learning to ride when the regiment departed on the final campaign.  His a signet ring was later recovered from a captured Cheyenne warrior in1877 and returned to Reily’s mother. His remains were reinterred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

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Custer’s Dead Officers: 2nd Lieutenant James Sturgis

 

On June 16, 1875, James “Jack” Sturgis graduated from West Point and was appointed a 2nd Lt, in the 7th Cavalry.  Jack Sturgis, at twenty-two, was the youngest officer in the regiment.  He was also the son of the 7^th cavalry’s commanding officer, Colonel Samuel Sturgis. 

Lt. Jack Sturgis would have had little time to get to know Custer.  He arrived at his duty station at Fort Abraham Lincoln in October 1875.  In March 1876 Custer went East to testifying before Congress.  Custer would not return until May 1876 in time to lead the troops in the field in the campaign against the Sioux.

On June 25, 1876, on the day of Custer’s last fight, Lt. Sturgis was with Company E, one of the five companies under Custer’s direct command that day, all of which were destroyed.  According to archaeological evidence and Native American accounts, it appears that Company E conducted a disciplined retreat toward Last Stand Hill until overwhelmed. 

Jack Sturgis’s body was never officially identified.  His blood-soaked underwear was picked up by General Terry’s troops across the river in the remnants of a Lakota camp. Several decapitated corpses were found near the river, and one soldier later claimed he recognized Sturgis’s scorched head along with several others in a Lakota fire pit.

It is believed that the unidentified remains of Jack Sturgis were buried in a mass grave with the enlisted soldiers. 

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

American Indian Patriots in the American Revolution

 

Daniel Nimham 

Stockbridge, Massachusetts began as a mission or “praying town” for Mochicans and Wappinger Indians.  The so-called Stockbridge Indians supported the Patriot cause during the Revolution vowing:

 “Wherever your armies go, there we will go; you shall always find us by your side; and if providence calls us to sacrifice our Lives in the field of battle, we will fall where you fall, and lay our bones by yours. Nor shall peace ever be made between our nation and the Red Coats.

Some of the Stockbridge Indians enlisted as early as 1775, primarily as scouts and sharpshooters, and were eventually allowed to serve in their own company.  The unit suffered devastating casualties fighting near Knightsbridge, New York (in what is now the Bronx) in 1778.

Daniel Nimham was the last chief of the Wappinger People.  He joined the Patriot cause in Boston at the age of 49.  He and his son Abraham were killed at the Battle of Knightsbridge.

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The Wounded Knee Medals

 

In July 1862, Congress authorized a Medal of Honor to be awarded to soldiers who “distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action.”  The first medals were presented in 1863, and it remains the highest decoration for valor the United States can bestow on an individual in the armed services.  There were 421 Medals of Honor awarded during the Indian Wars from 1865 to 1891.

A controversy surrounds the Medals of Honor awarded to participants in the 1890 Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota. Twenty such medals were awarded. In 2013 Calvin Spotted Elk, a direct descendant of Chief Spotted Elk killed at Wounded Knee, launched a petition to rescind medals of the soldiers who participated in the battle arguing that this was not a battle but a massacre.  He cited the high number of killed and wounded Lakota women and children and the one sided casualty count.  The Lakota suffered 300 killed of which 200 were women and children.  The Seventh Cavalry suffered 25 killed, many from friendly fire.

A Department of Defense review recommended in 2024 that no medals be revoked.

Custer's last Stand Re-examined