Good Day Sunshine

I've been interested in Custer, the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and Plains history for quite some time. In 2007, I started collecting information on the troopers who are buried in my home state of South Dakota. There are actually quite a few, including a couple of the more "big names" among enlisted men - Peter Thompson and Charles Windolph. But as I started to pickup tidbits on these guys I realized they all had an interesting story, regardless of their so-called fame.

Every time I read a book I keep a small notepad close by to jot down any notes pertaining to the 7th Cavalry troopers buried in South Dakota. I keep individual files on each trooper and all the information I find goes into these files. I live in Pierre, the state capital of South Dakota, and home to the SD State Archives. I scratch through the old newspapers on microfilm and their other files looking for mentions of these men. I have collected photos, obituaries, news stories, etc. I'm always on the prowl for new information.

Early on in my research I heard about a magazine that contained articles in which I knew I would be interested - Sunshine Magazine, published in Sioux Falls, Issues of this magazine from back in the 1930's contained articles about Daniel Newell, Charles Windolph, and others. I had to find these magazines. I searched flea markets, Ebay, and other websites, trying to find this elusive treasure. No luck. No one I talked to had even heard of it. I was about to give up.

Then I found something. I saw mention that Custer historian John M. Carroll had collected these articles and published them in pamphlet form. They were published under the title, THE SUNSHINE MAGAZINE ARTICLES, in 1979. OK, now I was more optimistic about my chances of finding these articles.

In 2009, my buddies and I (we call ourselves MONTANA MAYHEM), were in Billings, MT, for the conference of the Little Big Horn Associates. One of the highlights of these conferences in a book room. If you're a history nut, you'll be in heaven hunting through all the books available. While there one of my buddies, Michael Olson, said, "Hey Scott, aren't you looking for this?" I looked over and he was holding a copy of THE SUNSHINE MAGAZINE ARTICLES pamphlet. I rushed over and bought it immediately. The search was over!

It wasn't anything special as far as production value went. It certainly wasn't much to look at. It looked simply like a mimeographed booklet. It was however, signed and numbered (#22 of 100) by Mr. Carroll. I was thrilled. Twenty-nine pages including the introduction and signature pages.

The articles that are of interest to me are under the main title, BULLETS, BOOTS, AND SADDLES. John P. Everett, of Sturgis, South Dakota, personally interviewed some of the participants of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Two of the included articles were the reason I searched so long for this publication.

After the introduction, there is THE STORY OF THE BIG HORN CAMPAIGN OF 1876 by Private Daniel Newell. Newell is one of the troopers who is included on this website and he gives a great account. His narrative includes mentions of the 1874 Black Hills Expedition, the trip from Fort Lincoln to the Little Big Horn, the death of his "bunkie," and the battle's aftermath. He is buried in Bear Butte Cemetery at Sturgis, SD.

Newell's grave at Bear Butte Cemetery, Sturgis, SD

The next article I was interested in was THE BATTLE OF THE BIG HORN by Charles Windolph. Windolph is one of the more well-known of the enlisted men. He won a Medal of Honor for his actions as a sharpshooter protecting the water parties on their trips to the river during the battle. His book, I FOUGHT WITH CUSTER, was published in 1947. The version of events contained in this interview predates the publication of his book. Windolph was the last white survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, living until March of 1950.

Windolph's grave at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD

I try and collect every reference I can find to these troopers who are buried in South Dakota. I had been searching for THE SUNSHINE MAGAZINE ARTICLES for quite some time and they did not disappoint. Any opportunity you have to obtain primary source material, jump at the chance. Reading these soldier's experiences in their own words is priceless.

DANIEL NEWELL PAGE

CHARLES WINDOLPH PAGE