Feature & Exhibit Detail

In the same year that the telephone was introduced to the American public, George Armstrong Custer and his command met their end at the battle of Little Bighorn in Montana.

Many of the soldiers who fell in battle with Colonel Custer late on the afternoon of June 25, 1876 were soon forgotten. This was an age long before standardized military personal identification tags (so called “dogtags”) or DNA testing, and many troopers had no one to note or mourn their loss. In addition, a number of the fallen were unidentifiable, having been badly mutilated in a ritual celebration of victory by the Cheyenne and Sioux warriors.

The troopers were initially buried on the field by fellow soldiers just three days after the battle. Five years later, their remains were disinterred and reburied in a mass grave near where Custer fell. In 1890, carved markers like this were placed on the field in those locations believed to be the original positions of the fallen. However, some of these markers were redundant, as there were 252 placed, although Custer lost 210 in his command.

Some time after its installation, this particular marker was vandalized and removed. It was later recovered, but because of its damaged state, was not restored to the battlefield. It was subsequently disposed of by the government, and was in several collections before being acquired by the Museum.