Cheyenne Markers

Photos below © Bob Reece

New wayside exhibit for the Cheyenne Markers donated by the Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield -- designed by John Doerner, Chief Historian LBH (click on image to enlarge)

Cheyenne Markers Seen From The Battlefield Road Noisy Walking (L) & Lame White Man (R)	Noisy Walking	Lame White Man	Last Stand Hill Seen From The Cheyenne Markers

Lame White Man -- Southern Cheyenne

Lame White Man, a 37-year-old Southern Cheyenne went into battle to encourage the young warriors. As a warrior he was highly respected and his presence in this fight would have indeed motivated the warriors to fight harder.

At the southeast end of Battle Ridge were deployed Companies L and C. Company L under the command of Custer’s brother-in-law First Lt. James Calhoun would hold the high ground of this part of the ridge. Deployed about 100 yards down and to the southwest of Company L was Company C led by Ohio native First Sgt Edwin Bobo, the Irishman Sgt Jeremiah Finley and the German born Sgt George Finckle .

The two companies held these positions as the remaining three Companies E, F, and I under Lt. Col George Armstrong Custer, moved further north and deployed in different areas along Battle Ridge. Company I, under Captain Myles Keogh, was held in reserve immediately behind Calhoun's Company L. Companies F would be in skirmish order in the present National Cemetery area and Company E probably in the basin just below Last Stand Hill.

These were the approximate dispersals of the five companies as the Indian warrior force massed from the south and west. Large contingents of warriors were firing long range into Companies C and L from Greasy Grass Ridge (which parallels Battle Ridge from the south and west).

Company C Markers--Lame White Man's Charge Carried Over Ridge Just Beyond Center Right Of Picture--Last Stand Hill At Top Center -- Photo © Bob Reece

It was from somewhere near Greasy Grass Ridge that Lame White Man yelled out to his warriors to follow him, that they could kill all the soldiers. Leading this charge, Lame White Man and hundreds of warriors overtook and overwhelmed the brave soldiers of Company C. The fighting was fierce, hand-to-hand and the soldier survivors began to pull back to Company L and over Battle Ridge to meet up with Keogh’s Company I.

Keogh's Company I Seen From Calhoun Hill, Lame White Man's Charge Came Over Ridge Left Center---Last Stand Hill Center of Photo -- Photo © Bob Reece

Still leading the warriors, Lame White Man’s charge carried over the top of Battle Ridge. It was near the center of Battle Ridge that Lame White Man was mistaken by a Lakota warrior, as a scout of the Custer Battalion and killed and scalped. When the battle was over the error was discovered and the Lakota warrior, mourning, returned the scalp to Lame White Man’s family. Lame White Man was buried in a rocky hillside near the Bighorn Mountains.

The Lame White Man charge was the beginning of the end of Custer’s five companies. Crazy Horse would lead a charge from the opposite direction that cut off Keogh’s company from the Custer end of the ridge.

 

Noisy Walking	Lame White Man

Photos copyright Jim Eshelman

 

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