Comanche gained fame because, for years, he was thought to be the only survivor of Custer's Last Stand battle at the Little Bighorn. It has since been decided that other horses probably survived as well but were captured by the Native Americans.Regardless of that, Comanche was a wonderful mustang who was purchased by the army in 1868. He was wounded in battle and screamed when he was pierced by an arrow. The soldiers said he screamed like a Comanche Indian. That's how he earned his name!
After the destruction of General Custer and his troops on June 25, 1876, Comanche was found severely wounded. The poor thing was taken to Fort Lincoln in North Dakota where he spent a whole year recuperating. After recovering from his injuries, he never did go back into battle. He participated in ceremonies to honor the memory of Custer and those that lost their lives in that battle. When he died at the age of 31, he was stuffed placed on display at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History.
There is a beautiful song written about Comanche by Johnny Horton. You can hear it here:
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A very brave and noble horse. I'm sure he's a unicorn now!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Chris...I'm sure he is a unicorn now, too! Thanks for reading my blog!
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