Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Kansas Lawrence Comanche, Survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
AO Edited

Comanche, Survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Lone survivor from Custer's Last Stand forever preserved.

Lawrence, Kansas

Added By
afgustaf
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Comanche’s final resting place: on display at the University of Kansas   University of Kansas
In 2005 Comanche was completely restored   University of Kansas
  Wikimedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On June 25, 1876 the five companies of the US 7th Cavalry under the command of Gen. George Armstrong Custer were annihilated by a force of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The following day, troops from the remaining companies of the 7th Cavalry discovered the carnage – 210 men lay dead, including their commander, along with dozens of horses. While no US Army soldier survived the engagement, one horse was found alive on the battlefield.

The horse, named Comanche, had belonged Capt. Myles Keough, and had suffered no less than seven bullet wounds during the battle. Though he was heralded as the lone survivor of the battle, many historians believe that as many as 100 horses survived and were either captured or bolted.

After the battle, Comanche was transported to Ft. Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory, and he was officially retired from service in April 1878. As part of his retirement, the commanding officer of the fort ordered that “a special and comfortable stall is fitted up for him, and he will not be ridden by any person whatever, under any circumstances nor will he be put to any kind of work.” The horse was also given the honorary title of “second-in-command” of the 7th Cavalry, and he lived out the rest of his days as a company mascot.

When he died in 1890, he was the first of only two horses in American history ever given a funeral with full military honors. He was not buried, however; instead, his body was sent to the University of Kansas to be stuffed and put on display, where he resides today in the university’s Natural History Museum. In 2005, Comanche was moved to a new exhibit on the museum’s fourth floor after undergoing a complete restoration.

Related Tags

Animals Taxidermy Hunting Horses

Community Contributors

Added By

afgustaf

Edited By

KaliaK

  • KaliaK

Published

December 5, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Stillman, Deanne. "Comanche: The Horse that Survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn." New West, Jen 25, 2007. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/comanche_the_horse_that_survived_the_battle_of_the_little_bighorn_part_1/C39/L39/
  • http://www.nhm.ku.edu/Hdocs/Comanche.html
  • Quite offense to the many native Americans who not only lived to tell the story, but whose defendants are now in charge of the national memorial and museum in Montana.
Comanche, Survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, Kansas, 66045
United States
38.958469, -95.243568
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Museum of Odd

Lawrence, Kansas

miles away

Coal Creek Library

Baldwin City, Kansas

miles away

Black Jack Battlefield

Wellsville, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lawrence

Lawrence

Kansas

Places 2
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Museum of Odd

Lawrence, Kansas

miles away

Coal Creek Library

Baldwin City, Kansas

miles away

Black Jack Battlefield

Wellsville, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lawrence

Lawrence

Kansas

Places 2
Stories 1

Related Stories and Lists

Essential Guide: Taxidermy Heroic Animals

taxidermy

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • Newhouse Room

    Galloway, Ohio

    Trap History Museum

    If you want to build a better mousetrap, first consult this small museum's massive collection of trapping tools.

  • Misty’s taxidermy body at the Museum of Chincoteague.

    Chincoteague Island, Virginia

    Misty of Chincoteague

    The taxidermy remains of the most popular pony in children's literature.

  • Phar Lap’s heart at the National Museum of Australia.

    Canberra, Australia

    Phar Lap's Heart

    The gigantic preserved heart of a champion racehorse.

  • The Skin of Little Sorrel

    Lexington, Virginia

    The Skin of Little Sorrel

    The hide of Stonewall Jackson's equine sidekick is on display not far from where the ashes of his bones are buried.

  • Taxidermied Phar Lap

    Melbourne, Australia

    Phar Lap

    Taxidermy of the racing horse with a huge heart, who inspired hope in the Depression.

  • Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

    Hagerman, Idaho

    Hagerman Fossil Beds

    An ordinary rancher stumbled upon one of the world’s largest collections of Pliocene horse fossils.

  • Taxidermied Polar bear from Hudson Bay area - a former “problem bear”

    Grand Forks, British Columbia

    Alpine Taxidermy & Wildlife Museum

    A curated collection of hundreds of taxidermy animals from across British Columbia, Canada, and the rest of the world.

  • Thylacine taxidermy at the Australian Museum

    Sydney, Australia

    Thylacine Taxidermy

    A rare specimen of an iconic extinct animal in downtown Sydney.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.