Sergeant
Company H
Born: January 5, 1850 (Bavaria, Germany)
Died: January 28, 1924 (Hot Springs, South
Dakota)
Grave location: Bear Butte Cemetery,
Sturgis, SD
Grave GPS Coordinates: N44 24.633
W103 29.728
His obituary lists Hamburg, Germany, as
his birthplace. He enlisted in the 7th Cavalry on November 4, 1872, at age 26,
in New York City, by Captain Edwin Sumner. Previous occupation was teamster. He
was discharged on January 4, 1878, at Fort Rice, on expiration of service, as a
sergeant of excellent character. He enlisted from February 2, 1878, to August
23, 1878, when he was discharged from Company H for disability. His civil
occupation was as a blacksmith in Sturgis, SD.
During the Battle of the Little Bighorn,
he was wounded in the right shoulder during the hilltop fight. He
was later transported to Fort Lincoln aboard the Far West steamer. He
was recommended by Captain Frederick Benteen on April 6, 1877, for a medal for
distinguished gallantry in the Little Big Horn River fight. He never received
this medal.
He was survived by his son Albert, and daughters: Mrs. Joseph A. Miller and Mrs. Henry Laudette, both of Lead, SD; and Mrs. Frank Wheat of Chicago. His wife Anna M. (Hafer) Pahl (born October 6, 1866), died on January 4, 1900.
“There were many men that day deserving
medals who never got them. There was Sergeant Paul [sic] who got shot leading a
charge on the north side of the hill. A braver man never lived." --
Charles Windolph
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| Headstone for John Pahl at Bear Butte Cemetery - Sturgis, South Dakota |
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| John Pahl |
SGT John Paul's revolver has been found. I will try to call.
ReplyDeleteWow. Interesting news. I had not heard about that.
DeleteScott, Just wanted to touch base. I continue to gather information about John Pahl. My write up of "The Return of a Family Treasure" continues to be updated. He was wounded worse than I had understood. I'll email you an updated version. Hope you had a good summer and fall.
DeleteOpps This anonymous guy is Dave Dimmick :)
Delete