Comanche

There is one happy story from the Battle of the Little Bighorn and that is the story of Comanche.

He was a gelding purchased from the US Army by Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th Cavalry. Two days after the battle, Comanche was found in a ravine, with seven bullet wounds.  He was transported to Ft. Abraham Lincoln near Mandan, North Dakota and nursed back to health.

After a lengthy convalescence, he was retired. In 1879, he was sent to Fort Mead outside of Washington, then to Fort Riley Kansas, where he was made "Second in Command" of the 7th Cavalry.  He  often lead parades and was known to like his beer!

Comanche died in 1891 at around 29 years of age.  He was accorded full military honors, only one of two horses to do so.  The other was Black Jack, the riderless horse used in military funerals in Washington D.C.

Comanche's remains were sent to the University of Kansas, where he was stuffed (like Trigger) and he is on display at the Natural History Museum.   (That's the only sad part...we didn't "stuff" Custer! )