Battle of Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery

Back in August, I traveled out to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to attend the 50th annual conference of the Little Big Horn Associates. I've been to these conferences before and have always had a great time. If you are interested in this period of history (which is probably why you're on this website), you definitely need to look into membership in the Little Big Horn Associates. You will receive newsletters to keep you updated on happenings, new books, battlefield news, etc. You will also receive the RESEARCH REVIEW, a high quality scholarly journal, which contains articles and photographs on this fascinating period of our country's history.

This year at the conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Jenny Niemeyer. Jenny is the force behind the Battle of Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery. And what is the Battle of the Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery? Here's the description from the website:

"I have visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield in southeastern Montana many times. To the Natives who called this place home it is still known as the Greasy Grass. Each time I visited I felt the presence of the dead and I wanted to find a way to honor all of them.

Many people who research this battle are focused on George Custer and his "last stand," but there's so much more to know. In total, 263 cavalrymen, eight civilian employees, three Arikara scouts, 24 Lakota soldiers, seven Cheyenne soldiers, six Lakota women and four Lakota children died over the course of the two-day battle. I am honoring each of them with a portrait and a short biography. This is the Battle of Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery."

I have one of Jenny's portraits sitting on my desk. The eyes are particularly haunting. 

I encourage you to check out Jenny's website and library or work. Here's a video from Jenny's site explaining the project.

Monument to Horatio Ross

Although not a trooper, Horatio Ross had an impact on George Custer's life. He was one of two miners who accompanied the 1874 Black Hills Expedition. News of the expedition was followed closely in the newspapers across the country. Its mission was to look for suitable locations for a fort in the area. 

There had been rumors of gold in the Black Hills for years. Custer brought along two miners, Horatio Ross and William McKay, to investigate the possibility of minerals in the area, particularly the "yellow metal that made the white man crazy." And they found it. Later, the Homestake Gold Mine, near Deadwood in the Black Hills, would become the largest producing gold mine in the Western Hemisphere. The mine produced more than forty million troy ounces (43,900,000 oz; 1,240,000 kg) of gold during its lifetime. It closed in 2002.

Custer, South Dakota, celebrates its gold rush history every year with Gold Discovery Days.

Ross Monument in Custer, South Dakota

Forest City Press; Forest City, South Dakota; February 16, 1911

HORATIO ROSS PAGE

Daniel Newell at the 50th Anniversary of the Little Big Horn Battle

It's 2024 and we are only two years away from the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, on June 25/26, 2026. They are currently working on a new and updated visitor center at the battlefield to be ready for the big anniversary in 2026.

The 50th anniversary was one of the biggest so far. There were still a fair amount of participants, both Indian and white, alive to participate. Battle tactics were discussed and former enemies compared notes on the biggest event of their lives.

Daniel Newell, who is now buried at the Bear Butte Cemetery in Sturgis, attended the 50th anniversary celebration with his wife, Mary. Before returning home, they stopped and visited with friends and former Sturgis residents, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Bullis at Hardin, MT.

Below is coverage of the anniversary festivities from the Sacramento Bee. General Edward Settle Godfrey was in attendance. He was a first lieutenant during the Little Big Horn battle and was in command of Company K. 

Sacramento Bee; June 25, 1926

Edward Settle Godfrey was a first lieutenant at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Daniel Newell, in 1926.

Newell had fought with Reno, and was wounded in the left thigh during the retreat from the valley. He was taken to Fort Lincoln aboard the steamer Far West. His story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn was published in The Sunshine Magazine on September 30, 1930, as “The Story of the Little Bighorn Campaign of 1876.” This was his first time seeing the battlefield in fifty years. Newell was able to locate the former site of the makeshift hospital, where he had been treated for his injuries.

Some of the crowd gathered in 1926 at the battlefield for the anniversary.

Daniel Newell died in Hot Springs, South Dakota, on September 23, 1933.

The Newell grave in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Daniel Newell is buried beside his beloved wife, Mary, in Bear Butte Cemetery, Sturgis, South Dakota.

DANIEL NEWELL PAGE

Burri - National Indian War Veterans of America

John Burri enlisted in the 7th U.S. Cavalry on March 13, 1871, at St Louis, Missouri.  He was detailed to Company G under Lieutenant McIntosh, where he served 5 years.  Upon the expiration of this term he re-enlisted in the same regiment but was assigned to Company I under Captain Henry J. Nowlan, serving another 5 years.

He came to Dakota with Custer in 1873.  In that same year, he was stationed along the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska and Wyoming and often told of the many skirmishes with the Indians there.  He was again with Custer in 1874 on the expedition into the Black Hills.  

Elizabeth Custer included the following in her wonderful book, Boots and Saddles, referring to 7th Cavalry musician, John Burri:

"There was a Swiss soldier in our regiment who had contrived to bring his zither with him. My husband would lie on the bearskin rug in front of the fire and listen with delight as long as he ventured to tax the man. He played the native Tyrolese airs, which seemed to have caught in them the sound of the Alpine horn, the melody of the cascade, and the echo of the mountain passes. The general often regretted that he had not had the opportunity to learn music. It seemed to me that it was a great solace and diversion to officers if they knew some musical instrument well enough to enjoy practice. They certainly gave great pleasure to those around them."

The following article appeared in the Sioux City Journal of November 21, 1926, a little more than 50 years after the Little Big Horn battle.

Sioux City Journal; November 21, 1926

There are a couple things to note about the article above. 

First, the peak mentioned that Custer climbed during the 1874 Black Hills Expedition, was Harney Peak. It was since been renamed Black Elk Peak, but was never known as Custer Peak. There is indeed a Custer Peak in the Black Hills, but it is further north. Custer Peak is one of the more prominent peaks in the north central area of South Dakota's Black Hills. Located about 7 miles south of the Deadwood-Lead area.

The article also mentioned that "at the time that Custer's band was wiped out, Burri was in the east." Part of that statement is true. Burri was not present at the Little Big Horn battle. He was in the east visiting his sister who had been ill. But Custer's band was not "wiped out." The band members did accompany the column on the campaign, but were left behind at the Powder River Depot when the 7th headed to the Little Big Horn. Instead of the musicians, Custer needed their horses.

Burri married the widow of fellow 7th Cavalryman Henry Haack, on December 8, 1881, at Fort Totten. After retirement from the Army at Fort Meade in 1885, Burri located on a ranch west of Bear Butte where he resided until he moved to Whitewood in 1899 where he made his home until his death.

Among his civil honors may be cited his yearly presence in the Museum building during the “Days of ‘76” celebration in Deadwood each year since its establishment where he helped to entertain visitors to the Black Hills with sketches of early frontier life, both military and civil.

Burri died on December 1, 1927, in Whitewood, South Dakota. He is buried in the Whitewood Cemetery.

His funeral was a full military funeral by a detachment from Fort Meade.  The funeral services were conducted at the Presbyterian Church in Whitewood by Chaplain Albert K. Mathews, U.S. Army.  At the funeral, a march composed by Burri, “The Black Hills March”, was played by the 4th Cavalry band.  This march was also played by Burri himself at the 50th anniversary of the Little Big Horn fight.  “Taps” was sounded by Corporal Bugler Swift, 4th Cavalry, with the bugle so often used by Burri himself.  As he was also a charter member of the Black Hills Society of Pioneers, they assisted at the funeral services.  

John Burri's grave at Whitewood Cemetery in Whitewood, SD. 
Notice the misspelling of his last name on his headstone.

JOHN BURRI PAGE

Going to the Black Hills

This year (2024) is the 150th anniversary of Custer's 1874 Black Hills Expedition. Since I live in South Dakota, the Expedition fascinates me. It was a precursor to the Battle of the Little Big Horn two years later.

The 1874 Expedition is mentioned in most books about Custer and the 7th U.S. Cavalry, however, there are two that are highly recommended and I consider them to be the "gold standard" of books about the excursion. These are: EXPLORING WITH CUSTER and CROSSING THE PLAINS WITH CUSTER. By reading both of these books, you will have a better and fuller understanding of this historical and important expedition.

The books contain diary entries of the participants, as well as observations by the various newspaper reporters that were along for the trip. There are maps galore to familiarize yourself with the route. But the highlight of both books are the incredible then and now photos. The original photos taken on the expedition by photographer William H. Illingworth are presented side by side with modern day views of the sites. The differences are stunning. But, even more amazing, are the things that have remained the same over 150 years. Believe it or not but burned trees and overturned stumps that appeared in the 1874 photos are still there today. The books are printed on high grade paper that make the photos jump off the pages.

After news of Custer's visit to the Black Hills hit the newspapers, the rush to find gold was on. Miners, prospectors, and settlers flooded into the Black Hills and the stream couldn't be stopped. This was a thorn in the Indians' side and led directly to Custer's death, as well as that of many of his men, two years later on the shores of the Greasy Grass River in what is now Montana.

The following article appeared in the March 28, 1876 edition of the Cheyenne Daily Leader. Cheyenne was one of the points offering outfitting to parties wishing to travel to the Black Hills.

In roughly three months after this article appeared, Custer and many of his officers and men would be dead.

Peter Thompson Book Review

Peter Thompson of Company C, 7th US Cavalry, wrote his account of the Battle of the Little Big Horn which appeared in the Belle Fourche Bee in eight weekly installments. The first installment was printed February 19, 1914 and continued weekly until April 9, 1914. Thompson's account not only provided an enlisted man's perspective of the battle but it also ruffled a lot of feathers. Thompson put up with ridicule and doubt for the rest of his life.

Daniel O. Magnussen published his book, Peter Thompson's Narrative of the Little Bighorn Campaign, 1876. The book was an analysis of Thompson's 1914 narrative and of the battle itself. Today, the book, in fine condition, routinely sells for hundreds of dollars.

On February 1, 1975, The Missoulian newspaper out of Missoula, Montana, published a book review of this new book on the Custer fight. Click on the image below for an enlarged copy.

The Missoulian, Missoula, Montana, February 1, 1975

You can search used bookstores and websites for a copy of Magnussen's book, or you can download your very own copy of Thompson's narrative as it appeared in the Belle Fourche Bee in 1914. To download your copy of Thompson's Little Big Horn narrative in PDF format, click on the link below. 

Peter Thompson's Narrative, Belle Fourche Bee, February to April 1914

PETER THOMPSON PAGE

Annie and Josephine Windolph

 In 1890, Trooper Charles Windolph and his wife, Mathilda, lost two daughters to diphtheria.

Diphtheria is an acute bacterial infection spread by personal contact and it was the most feared of all childhood diseases. Symptoms ranged from severe sore throat to suffocation due to a ‘false membrane’ covering the larynx. The disease primarily affected children under the age of 5. Until treatment became widely available in the 1920s, the public viewed this disease as a death sentence.*

The Windolph's daughter, Anna, passed away on June 20, 1890.

Black Hills Daily Times, Deadwood, SD, June 21, 1890

Two days later, on Sunday, June 22, 1890, Josephine Windolph, the older of the two sisters, passed away at the Homestake Hospital in Lead.

Daily Deadwood Pioneer-TImes, Deadwood, SD, June 23, 1890

Charles Windolph was well known around the Black Hills area. He participated in the 1874 Black Hills Expedition with Custer and two years later in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1878, for his part as a member of the sharpshooters who were protecting the water carriers during the Little Bighorn battle in 1876. The Medal of Honor citation read, “With three comrades, during the entire engagement, courageously held a position that secured water for the command.” He was wounded in the buttock during the hilltop fight on June 25 and returned to duty. He was later awarded the Purple Heart for this wound. He was discharged on March 21, 1883, at Fort Meade, Dakota, as the First Sergeant of Company H. After his discharge he was employed by the Homestake Mining Company for 49 years. He married Mathilda L. Windolph in 1880. Mathilda died on March 23, 1924 and Charles followed her 26 years later, on March 11, 1950. Both are buried in the Black Hills National Cemetery.

On Thursday, June 26, 1890, the following appeared in the Sturgis Advertiser.

Sturgis Advertiser, Sturgis, SD, June 26, 1890

Although still tragic, the Sturgis Advertiser understated the incident. The Windolph family lost both their children in two days. Annie and Josephine Windolph are both buried in South Lead Cemetery in Lead, South Dakota, with their paternal grandparents, Joseph and Adolphine.

Following the deaths of her children, Mathilda spend some with her sister on a ranch in the Black Hills. This snippet appeared in the July 1 Daily Deadwood-Pioneer.

Daily Deadwood Pioneer-Times, Deadwood, SD, July 1, 1890

Charles and Mathilda would go on to have three more children: Marie (1892-1972), Robert (1894-1976), and Irene (1898-1993).

* Dittrick Medical History Center https://artsci.case.edu/dittrick/2014/04/29/deadly-diphtheria-the-childrens-plague/

CHARLES WINDOLPH PAGE