Custer fight at the Little Big Horn

skratch said:
Les, here's another video I happened upon, relevant to your interesting thread. If Frank Finkel's story were
true he should have had the wound scars to corroborate. Personally, I think he was like Brushy Bill Roberts,
aka Billy the Kid. But that's another story. :)

Click to expand...
Hmm, possibly an early case of attempted stolen valor!
 
My Great Grandmother taught school on the edge of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming near the Owl Creek and the Padlock/Arapaho ranch as told in some of my trip reports here on the forum.

She had been asked to come out of retirement and teach when the neighboring Reservation school couldn’t find a teacher. After some time teaching she was given a thank you gift of a necklace of trigger fingers supposedly from the little Big Horn battle. That necklace stayed in our family for some time before the decision was made to donate it to the battlefield museum where it was put on display. The necklace display moved around a bit until it was removed from public display/circulation by the museum when I was a kid.

I saw it once in my life when I was a kid. I can remember later when we found out it was no longer being displayed, I have pictures from that trip somewhere. The display was replaced with some welded steel artwork by a local tribesman that was supposed to honor the victory of his people or something like that.

My Great Grandfather, the husband of my Great Grandmother above, was in the last of the Horse Cavalry, we still have his last dress saber from right before the saber went out of service and photos of his company featuring black horses with one white hoof. Obviously after the Indian wars cavalry but a little ironic just the same.
 
Bubblehead617 said:
Neat story Ben, thanx for sharing that..you ever thought about retrieving the necklace?
Click to expand...

We haven’t, while my grandmother and great aunts and uncles weren’t happy it was no longer on display, it was something my great grandparents gave back to “the people.” The treasure they got from it was the joy my Great Grandmother had in teaching and singing with kids again after she had given it up in retirement. We have pictures of her playing the piano in the school room with the (reservation)kids all singing around her. We have the old fashioned sugar cookie recipe she used to bake and take to the kids as treats on special days.

Those memories/things are way more important than the necklace.
 
rocket said:
I never personally met Custer myself, but I did Serve in the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry 2nd Infantry division.
View attachment 161676
Click to expand...
Pardon me for stating the obvious Rocket, but isn’t that something of a contradiction? Calvary = gallop around on horses, infantry= March thru the mud and the dust carrying a pack. If I had been in the 7th Cavalry, they would probably have issued me a shovel and a rack!
 
Flinthillsben said:
@rocket - I just read up on your 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry 2nd Infantry division on the internets - thank you.


View attachment 162112
I should replace Felix on my m38a1 with your groups insignia. It’s pretty awesome.
Click to expand...
Long and distinguished service. Look at ia drang valley as in We Were Soldiers Once and Young. Some folks don’t realize the 7th Cavalry was there.
 
Last edited:
When I go out and about, I wear my colors proudly.
IMG_20240404_200324047.jpg
Blue Duck said:
Pardon me for stating the obvious Rocket, but isn’t that something of a contradiction? Calvary = gallop around on horses, infantry= March thru the mud and the dust carrying a pack. If I had been in the 7th Cavalry, they would probably have issued me a shovel and a rack!
Click to expand...
Air Calvary. After WW2 and during the Korean Conflict, the 7th Calvary traded in their Horses for something like a Pegasus, only with Rotary Wings.
1712299306879.png
This was the Calvary Horse from the 60's to 70's
1712340204236.png
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top