John Lattman was born in Switzerland and came to the United States where he enlisted in the 7th U.S. Cavalry on October 14, 1873, in Philadelphia.
He was a member of Company G and was therefore in the valley fight with the Major Reno. In the haste to leave the valley and get to the nearby bluffs, several troopers were left behind. Lattman was one of those left in the timber after the rest of the troops made their way to the hilltops across the river. He later made it to the hilltop, possibly as a member of Herendeen's group.
He was discharged on October 14, 1878, at Fort Lincoln, Dakota, upon expiration of service, as a private of excellent character. He eventually homesteaded on 160 acres of land northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, where he raised cattle.
He died on October 7, 1913, and was buried northeast of Rapid City in Elk Vale Cemetery.
While perusing old newspapers on microfiche, I came across a couple of mentions of Lattman. These are hardly earth shattering finds but just a glimpse into the past and one of Custer's troopers.
The first is from the April 11, 1913 edition of the Black Hills Weekly Journal. Lattman, who was living on his farm northeast of Rapid City at the time, found himself stuck and stranded during a prairie blizzard. As someone who has lived in the Dakotas all my life, I can certainly attest to these spring snow storms. They drop a lot of snow and can easily fool people into thinking that conditions aren't as bad as they really are.
 |
| Lattman's grave at Elk Vale Cemetery. |
 |
| The entrance to Elk Vale Cemetery northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to leave your comments. No sign-in required.