The only 7th Cavalry survivor of the Little Big Horn battle - 1876

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Cavalry horse COMANCHE, was the only living thing that survived Custers Little Big Horn massacre. He was bought in1868 by the US Army in St.Louis Missouri.
Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th Cavalry (killed in the battle) bought him for his personal mount.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comanche_(horse) and many more links on the web.
The Little Big Horn battle took place on Sunday 25th June 1876.
When found, Comanche had a number of wounds, 3 serious - one through the neck, one through his front shoulders and one went right through his rear just in front of the hind legs. I think it was one arrow and two bullets, the rest were flesh wounds. He was found two days after the battle wandering about very weak from his wounds amongst Custers 210 dead soldiers and a number of dead horses. All the fit horses were taken by the Indians.
Comanche was wounded many times before the Little Big Horn, arrows, bullets and flesh wounds but survived all these to retain his fitness as a cavalry horse.
He was nursed back to health - it took over a year in a special stable with loving medical care and he had to have slings to help him recover. After that was treated to a luxurious life as the proud and cherished mascot of the 7th Cavalry. He lived for 15 years after the battle and died of natural causes.
Comanche is one of only two horses in American history to be given full military honours on their death.
The picture below was taken on the actual battle field, dead horses are shown in the back ground.
This poor horse must have suffered a life of pain with all the wounds he received but still carried out his duties as if nothing had happened. He was declared unfit for service after this final battle.
He is now preserved in a glass case at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum on public display.
Many people have claimed to have survived the battle of The Little Big Horn, but none have been officially corroborated. Only Comanche.
COMANCHE
AT THE SCENE OF THE BATTLE
COMANCHE1_zps7f916918.jpg
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This is the very definition of the term "horse sense"; he was the only one with enough sense to run away!

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This is the very definition of the term "horse sense"; he was the only one with enough sense to run away!

But the point is Derek, he never ran away. He was too badly wounded and in pain, but so incredibly loyal and disciplined, that he still stayed with his slaughtered unit, the only family he ever knew, wandering around among the carnage of mutilated dead soldiers and dead fellow horses until the 7th relief column arrived about two days later.

Many of Custer`s men ran away until they were caught and killed by the Indians, but not Comanche, he stayed put. It was never ever "Custer`s Last Stand", it was Custer`s last RUN. "Custer`s Last Stand" is an ego satisfying fictitious answer to the unacceptable belief at the time that "barbaric" Indian savages could never defeat the glorious 7th Cavalry, recognized as the "Special Forces" of the day.

My opinion is that the Indians were indigenous Americans, simply defending their homelands against intrusion, exploitation and aggression by white "pony soldiers" from the West.

Errol Flynn may have "Died with his boots on" as last man standing by the flag in the Hollywood movie, but Custer never did. He died like everybody else and much earlier. There was never a "Last Stand", just a complete break down in military discipline and morale, blind panic setting in and men running away all over the place to be finally cut down by the chasing Indians. Many of Custer`s men simply threw down their weapons and ran.

There was never a battle of the Little Big Horn, just a complete rout. Custer made the unforgivable military blunder of dividing his forces before the "battle". In times of political recession, heroes are manufactored in order to raise public moral. Custer is one of these conveniences and so a mythical legend was born.