No one was spared. Even the doctors died here.

(Top of picture) Gen. Custer's is the only marker on the battlefield inscribed with the fallen soldier's brevet rank. General Custer's body was stripped (as were all the bodies,) but it was not mutilated (Neither was the body of Capt. (Bvt Lt Col) Myles Keogh.) No one really knows why, seeing as the Indians most likely did not know they were fighting "Yellow Hair" until long after the battle.

In the foreground is the marker of Thomas Ward Custer, the only two time Medal of Honor winner up to that time. He lived and died, literally, in the shadow of his older brother. In contrast to Armstrong's, Tom Custer's body was castrated, brained, scalped several times, and his heart had been cut out. Some say it had been eaten by one of the Indian warriors. His face had been so badly mutilated that the only way the body was identified was by the tattoo "T.C." on his arm. Again, since the belligerents supposedly did not know whom they were fighting, there is much debate as to why Tom Custer was singled out for such grotesque mutilation.

View of "Last Stand Hill" from the so-called "South Skirmish Line." It was  once widely believed that Tom Custer's C Company retreated across this ground towards the hill where the monument now stands and where Tom's body was  found. But Tom Custer, in all likelihood, had been  reassigned as his brother's aide-de-camp before the battle and was no longer in command of C Company.

Based upon archaeological evidence, it is more likely that the majority of C Company (probably under the command of 2LT Henry Harrington) perished on Calhoun Hill (next photograph) and that the line of markers  of the "South Skirmish Line" actually represents a last desperate charge (or headlong flight) of E Company towards inevitable death in the Deep Ravine. 

Calhoun Hill. Strong evidence suggests that this was the site of the first and possibly only organized cavalry defense on the Custer battlefield. Clear evidence of skirmish lines, as well as retrograde defensive repositioning towards the Keogh sector (later grouping of photographs,) exists on and around Calhoun Hill. J.C. Calhoun was married to Custer's Sister, and was therefore the General's brother-in-law - another loss to this family that gave so much at the battle.

The Reno-Benteen Battlefield. The main advantages of cavalry are shock and momentum. Why did Major Marcus Reno halt his attack and order the dismount? An eternally debated question of history. Did Reno's failure to press his attack doom Gen. Custer's battalion up on the ridge, or were his troopers simply overwhelmed, as were Custer's?

The site of Reno's infamous and much debated valley fight and retreat. After failing in his mission to fix the enemy at the North end of the village, Reno's battalion fought two retrograde actions to the woods and the river, then one full fledged retreat up the valley to join Captain Benteen and the rear of the column. Being more defensible ground, the Reno-Benteen battlefield was the only sector to have cavalry survivors.

After much pressure from Major Reno's family, the much maligned officer's remains were finally reburied in the national cemetery at Little Big Horn.

Various images of the sector of the battlefield now named for Captain Keogh. It is said Crazy Horse overran this Eastern slope of a ridge line between Calhoun Hill and Last Stand Hill, which is believed to have been the battalion's reserve sector. Once again, archeological evidence suggests this right wing of Custer's battalion was overwhelmed and defeated within minutes. The long held belief that the parallel rows of markers indicate an organized, European style defensive skirmish line (photo P6240041), is slowly giving way to the realization that Keogh's wing may have been ambushed while still mounted and in two-by-two column. The dearth of Army carbine brass in the sector could mean that these troopers were shot from their horses while attempting to reach "Last Stand Hill" (barely visible just beyond the furthest markers in P6240041.)

Images of the author are at the marker for Capt. (Bvt Lt Col) Myles Walter Keogh , perhaps the most fascinating combatant at the battle. One of the celebrated "Wild Geese" soldiers of fortune, Keogh was a privileged youth who left the comfort of Ireland's gentry class to fight in the wars of other nations. A respected and breveted Union Army veteran of Port Republic, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, legend says that it might have been Keogh who brought the song Garryowen across the Atlantic to the Seventh Cavalry, who adopted it as their anthem. This is possible, as the town of Garryowen, home of the famed 5th Royal Irish Lancers, was near Keogh's place of birth in County Carlow. Capt. Keogh was the commander of  I Company and likely also in command of the right wing of Custer's battalion at the battle. 

Keogh's was the only  soldier's body, (aside from Gen. Custer's,) not desecrated at all by the Indians after the battle. Keogh was wearing, in an Indian medicine pouch, the Agnus Dei ("Lamb of God")  medal he had received for service in the army of Pope Pius IX. Keogh had been photographed wearing other Papal medals of valor (Pro Petri Sede and Ordine di San Gregorio) he'd received at the battle of Castelfidardo, at Ancona (against the revolutionary forces of Garibaldi,) in 1860. It is generally believed that the Indians saw this unusual medal as strong medicine and left the body alone for superstitious reasons. Indian lore also says Keogh held the reins of his celebrated horse, Comanche , after death, and even rose from the dead to try to fight again after the battle, resulting in having to be "killed again." Any of the above reasons could suffice for leaving this officer's body intact. The ever faithful horse, Comanche , multiply wounded, was the only living thing found on the battlefield by the US Army, and became something of a cavalry icon for the rest of his pampered life. 

At the anniversary event, the authors were fortunate enough to have met many descendants of battle participants from both sides. One significant meeting was purely by chance at the marker for Capt. Keogh. While discussing what may have occurred in the Keogh sector with other historians, amateur and professional, the authors noticed a young man making a pencil and paper rubbing of the marker. While holding the paper against the stone for him (the ridge was very windy that day,) I asked:

"Is he a relative?"
"Yes sir. He was my Great Great Great Uncle."
"Really! Is your name Keogh?"
"Yes sir."
"The Captain was reburied at Fort Riley, right?"
"No sir. He was moved near Tarrytown, where his sister lived."

As one would hope, when meeting a descendent of a famous historical figure's family, this young man was respectful, polite, and well informed about his ancestor, (although the Captain's grave in Auburn, N.Y. is actually some 200 miles from Tarrytown - "near" by today's travel standards, I suppose.) He was also a pretty cool guy himself. Although he was sure he was not going to seek a career in the military (can you blame him!), he informed us that his father had done so proudly. He is from good stock, to say the least.

We presume the family has no objections to posting his picture here.

Various views of the battlefield, including the markers and graves of famous battle participants or other luminaries. The first photo, P6230007, is a telephoto shot, taken from Weir Point, of two riders retracing Custer's route along Greasy Grass Ridge.

As stated earlier, nearly all of Gen. Custer's male relatives died at the battle with him, and none of the dead Custer brothers had children of record. These two readers of the "Roll Call of the Fallen" are descendants of brother Nevin Custer. Is the uncanny resemblance familial... or an affectation? It is still remarkable!

This is the citation from Ms. Mechling Carey's father's award:

MECHLIN, HENRY W. B.
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/mohind.htm