Sergeant; Chief Trumpeter
Company G
Born: December 13, 1850 [another source lists 1849] (Basle, Switzerland)
Died: December 1, 1927 (Whitewood, South Dakota)
Grave location: Whitewood Cemetery, Whitewood, South Dakota
Grave GPS Coordinates: N44 27.705 W103 37.991
John Burri came to America shortly after the Civil War, arriving in St. Louis in 1867. Four years later, on March 13, 1871, he enlisted in the 7th U.S. Cavalry at St Louis, Missouri. He was detailed to Company G under Lieutenant McIntosh, where he served 5 years. At 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. In 1876 he was on furlough, visiting his sister who was ill, and missed the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
He married Mary Hath [sic, Haack] (widow of fellow 7th Cavalryman Henry Haack) on December 8, 1881, at Fort Totten. His widow and a daughter survived him. 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.
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| Headstone for John Burri at Whitewood Cemetery in Whitewood, South Dakota. Note the misspelling of his last name. |
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