Last Cavalry Survivor of the Little Bighorn

 Charles Windolph, born in 1851 in Germany, immigrated to the U.S. and joined the 7th Cavalry. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, he served under Captain Benteen. As Custer’s command fell, Windolph’s unit survived a brutal siege on Reno Hill. Braving enemy fire, he volunteered to fetch water for the wounded, earning the Medal of Honor. Promoted to sergeant, he later settled in South Dakota, working for Homestake Mining. Windolph, the last white survivor, died in 1950 at 98, leaving a vivid memoir, I Fought with Custer.

Arizona Legends and Lore