Happy New Year!
George Kelley was born on January 1, 1847, in New York, New York. He was a Private in Company H who was not present at the Battle of the Little Bighorn because he was detailed to General Terry’s column.
Morris Cain married May Roberts in Miles City, Montana, on January 2, 1881. He was a Private in Company M who participated in the valley and hilltop fights during the battle.
Julius Gunther committed suicide on January 2, 1902, in Rock Island, Illinois, and was buried in the National Cemetery there. He was a Private in Company K who was not present at the battle due to illness.
Franklin Rankin, who was also known as Edward Clyde, was a Corporal in Company F who was not present at the battle due to detached service at Powder River. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head on January 3, 1895, at Columbus Barracks, Ohio, and was buried in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.
Carl August Bruns was on detached service at the time of the battle. He died in Mandan, North Dakota, on January 4, 1910, and was buried in the Mandan Union Cemetery.
William M. Smith, a corporal in Company B, was with the pack train and in the hilltop fight where he was wounded. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 4, 1921, and his ashes were buried in the Wenonah Cemetery in Wenonah, New Jersey.
John Pahl (left) was born on January 5, 1850, in Bavaria, Germany. He was a Sergeant in Company H who was wounded in the hilltop fight during the battle. See also 7th Cavalry Troopers in South Dakota.
George Walter Yates (right) married Lucretia Beaumont Irwin on January 5, 1865. They divorced on January 31, 1867, in St. Louis, Missouri. Yates was the Captain in Company F who commanded a battalion and was killed with Custer’s Column.
John Frett was born on January 6, 1840, in Prussia Germany. He was a Packer with the Quartermaster unit who was with the pack train and participated in the hilltop fight.
Max Hoehn (left), a Private in Company L, stayed with the regimental papers at Powder River, so he did not participate in the battle. He died of heart problems on January 6, 1911, in Sturgis, South Dakota, and was buried in St. Aloysius Cemetery there. See also 7th Cavalry Troopers in South Dakota.
Frederick William Benteen (left) was Captain of Company H and commanded a battalion during the battle. He performed scouting duty and participated in the hilltop fight, during which he was wounded. He married Catherine Louise Norman on January 7, 1862, in St. Louis, Missouri.