Post by Beth on May 4, 2016 21:38:42 GMT
There are so many stories about this horse but what is the truth?
Basic facts: Comanche was the personal mount of Captain Myles Keogh. The horse was found wounded after the battle and taken back to Fort Abraham Lincoln on the Far West with the other people wounded at the Battle.
In April 1878, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis issued the following order:
Headquarters Seventh U.S. Cavalry
Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory
April 10, 1878
General Order No. 7
A) The horse known as "Comanche" being the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of the Little Big
Horn, Montana, June 25, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort should be a matter of special pride and solicitude on the part of the 7THCavalry, to the end that his life may be prolonged to the utmost limit. Though wounded and scarred, his very silence speaks in terms more eloquent than words of the desperate struggle against overwhelming odds of the hopeless conflict and heroic manner in which all went down that day.
B) The commanding officer of I troop will see that a special and comfortable stall is fitted up for Comanche; he will not be ridden by any person whatever under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kind of work.
C) Hereafter upon all occasions of ceremony (of mounted regimental formation), Comanche saddled, bridled and led by a mounted trooper of Troop I, will be paraded with the regiment.
By Command of Colonel Sturgis:
(Signed) E.A. Garlington,
1st Lieutenant and Adjutant,
U.S. 7TH Cavalry
In addition to the above orders the following orders were issued:
1. Comanche will be fed a special blend of oats and hay, as per myles Keogh diet for the horse, once a week. There will always be fresh water in the drinking trough.
2. Comanche will be exercised daily in mid-morning, before the temperature gets too hot. After his exercise session, he will be wiped down. In the evening, before Comanche retires, he shall be rubbed down.
Comanche died on November 7, 1891 . He was one of two horses who was given a military funeral with full military honors. His body was preserved and is on display at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum.
(The other horse is Black Jack)
Basic facts: Comanche was the personal mount of Captain Myles Keogh. The horse was found wounded after the battle and taken back to Fort Abraham Lincoln on the Far West with the other people wounded at the Battle.
In April 1878, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis issued the following order:
Headquarters Seventh U.S. Cavalry
Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory
April 10, 1878
General Order No. 7
A) The horse known as "Comanche" being the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of the Little Big
Horn, Montana, June 25, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort should be a matter of special pride and solicitude on the part of the 7THCavalry, to the end that his life may be prolonged to the utmost limit. Though wounded and scarred, his very silence speaks in terms more eloquent than words of the desperate struggle against overwhelming odds of the hopeless conflict and heroic manner in which all went down that day.
B) The commanding officer of I troop will see that a special and comfortable stall is fitted up for Comanche; he will not be ridden by any person whatever under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kind of work.
C) Hereafter upon all occasions of ceremony (of mounted regimental formation), Comanche saddled, bridled and led by a mounted trooper of Troop I, will be paraded with the regiment.
By Command of Colonel Sturgis:
(Signed) E.A. Garlington,
1st Lieutenant and Adjutant,
U.S. 7TH Cavalry
In addition to the above orders the following orders were issued:
1. Comanche will be fed a special blend of oats and hay, as per myles Keogh diet for the horse, once a week. There will always be fresh water in the drinking trough.
2. Comanche will be exercised daily in mid-morning, before the temperature gets too hot. After his exercise session, he will be wiped down. In the evening, before Comanche retires, he shall be rubbed down.
Comanche died on November 7, 1891 . He was one of two horses who was given a military funeral with full military honors. His body was preserved and is on display at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum.
(The other horse is Black Jack)