This Week in Little Bighorn History

John Samuel Ragsdale was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, on December 9, 1850. He was a Private in Company A who was not present at the Battle of the Little Bighorn due to detached service.

Charles A. Windolph (left) was born on December 9, 1851, in Bergen, Germany. He was a Private in Company H who was wounded in the hilltop fight, and he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

Thomas Gordon (right) was born in Boston on December 9, 1853. He was a Private in Company K who participated in the hilltop fight.

Thomas Bell (Benton) Weir died on Governors Island, New York, on December 9, 1876, less than six months after the battle. He was the Captain of Company D who participated in scouting and in the hilltop fight. He was originally buried on Governors Island but was moved to the Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Martin Kilfoyle died on December 9, 1894, in Washington, D.C. He was a Private in Company G who was on detached service during the battle.

Henry Jackson died in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on December 9, 1908, and is buried in the National Cemetery there. He was a First Lieutenant in Company F who was not at the battle due to detached service.

John Sivertsen (left) was born on December 10, 1841, in Jensen, Norway. He was a Private in Company M who fought in the valley and hilltop fights. He married Anna Olson in Douglas County, Wisconsin, on December 25, 1889.

Henry N. B. Witt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 10, 1852. He was a Private in Company K on detached service during the battle.

William J. Gregg (right) died on December 10, 1913, in Hampton, Virginia, and is buried in the National Cemetery there. He was a Private in Company F who was with the pack train and participated in the hilltop fight.

Frederick Henry Gehrmann died on December 10, 1922, in Washington, D.C., and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was a Private in Company B who was on detached service during the battle.

William Van Wyck Reily (left) was born on December 12, 1853, in Washington D.C. He was a Second Lieutenant in Company F who was killed during the battle on June 25, 1876, and was buried on August 3, 1877, in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

John Godfried Tritten died in Dayton, Ohio, on December 12, 1918. He was Saddler Sergeant on detached service during the battle.

Frederick Deetline (right) died on December 13, 1910, in San Antonio, Texas, and was buried in the National Cemetery there. He was the Blacksmith for Company D who was in the hilltop fight. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

Francis Marion Gibson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 14, 1847. He was a First Lieutenant in Company H who performed scouting duty and participated in the hilltop fight. He survived the battle, but his brother-in-law, Donald McIntosh, did not.

Henry Holden served as a Private in Company D and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the hilltop fight. He died on December 14, 1905, in East Brighton, England, and was buried in the Brighton and Preston Cemetery there.

James P. Boyle was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on December 15, 1855. He was a Private in Company G who participated in the valley and hilltop fights. He was wounded in his back.

Matthew Maroney died on December 15, 1880, in Washington, D.C., and was buried in the Soldiers’ Home National Cemetery there. He was a Sergeant in Company H who participated in the hilltop fight.

Felix Villiet Vinatieri, the Chief Musician of the Seventh Cavalry, died in Yankton, South Dakota, on December 15, 1891, and was buried in the Yankton City Cemetery. The band was not present at the battle.

John Donahoe died on December 15, 1905, in San Francisco, California, and was buried in the National Cemetery there. He was the Saddler for Company M who participated in the valley and hilltop fights.

William Braendle died in Santa Rosa, California, on December 15, 1932, and was buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery. He was a First Lieutenant with Company L who was not present at the battle due to illness.

 


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