Peter Thompson Book Review

Peter Thompson of Company C, 7th US Cavalry, wrote his account of the Battle of the Little Big Horn which appeared in the Belle Fourche Bee in eight weekly installments. The first installment was printed February 19, 1914 and continued weekly until April 9, 1914. Thompson's account not only provided an enlisted man's perspective of the battle but it also ruffled a lot of feathers. Thompson put up with ridicule and doubt for the rest of his life.

Daniel O. Magnussen published his book, Peter Thompson's Narrative of the Little Bighorn Campaign, 1876. The book was an analysis of Thompson's 1914 narrative and of the battle itself. Today, the book, in fine condition, routinely sells for hundreds of dollars.

On February 1, 1975, The Missoulian newspaper out of Missoula, Montana, published a book review of this new book on the Custer fight. Click on the image below for an enlarged copy.

The Missoulian, Missoula, Montana, February 1, 1975

You can search used bookstores and websites for a copy of Magnussen's book, or you can download your very own copy of Thompson's narrative as it appeared in the Belle Fourche Bee in 1914. To download your copy of Thompson's Little Big Horn narrative in PDF format, click on the link below. 

Peter Thompson's Narrative, Belle Fourche Bee, February to April 1914

PETER THOMPSON PAGE

Annie and Josephine Windolph

 In 1890, Trooper Charles Windolph and his wife, Mathilda, lost two daughters to diphtheria.

Diphtheria is an acute bacterial infection spread by personal contact and it was the most feared of all childhood diseases. Symptoms ranged from severe sore throat to suffocation due to a ‘false membrane’ covering the larynx. The disease primarily affected children under the age of 5. Until treatment became widely available in the 1920s, the public viewed this disease as a death sentence.*

The Windolph's daughter, Anna, passed away on June 20, 1890.

Black Hills Daily Times, Deadwood, SD, June 21, 1890

Two days later, on Sunday, June 22, 1890, Josephine Windolph, the older of the two sisters, passed away at the Homestake Hospital in Lead.

Daily Deadwood Pioneer-TImes, Deadwood, SD, June 23, 1890

Charles Windolph was well known around the Black Hills area. He participated in the 1874 Black Hills Expedition with Custer and two years later in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1878, for his part as a member of the sharpshooters who were protecting the water carriers during the Little Bighorn battle in 1876. The Medal of Honor citation read, “With three comrades, during the entire engagement, courageously held a position that secured water for the command.” He was wounded in the buttock during the hilltop fight on June 25 and returned to duty. He was later awarded the Purple Heart for this wound. He was discharged on March 21, 1883, at Fort Meade, Dakota, as the First Sergeant of Company H. After his discharge he was employed by the Homestake Mining Company for 49 years. He married Mathilda L. Windolph in 1880. Mathilda died on March 23, 1924 and Charles followed her 26 years later, on March 11, 1950. Both are buried in the Black Hills National Cemetery.

On Thursday, June 26, 1890, the following appeared in the Sturgis Advertiser.

Sturgis Advertiser, Sturgis, SD, June 26, 1890

Although still tragic, the Sturgis Advertiser understated the incident. The Windolph family lost both their children in two days. Annie and Josephine Windolph are both buried in South Lead Cemetery in Lead, South Dakota, with their paternal grandparents, Joseph and Adolphine.

Following the deaths of her children, Mathilda spend some with her sister on a ranch in the Black Hills. This snippet appeared in the July 1 Daily Deadwood-Pioneer.

Daily Deadwood Pioneer-Times, Deadwood, SD, July 1, 1890

Charles and Mathilda would go on to have three more children: Marie (1892-1972), Robert (1894-1976), and Irene (1898-1993).

* Dittrick Medical History Center https://artsci.case.edu/dittrick/2014/04/29/deadly-diphtheria-the-childrens-plague/

CHARLES WINDOLPH PAGE

Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas in a Sibley Tent by Frederic Remington

I'm not going to post a usual update this time around. I wanted to extend my greetings to everyone for a joyous and happy holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other winter holiday, I wanted to wish you nothing but happiness during the rest of 2023 and all through 2024.

Thank you for visiting this site and for all the comments and emails. Believe me, they are very much appreciated.

It's not too early to think about the Little Bighorn Associates annual conference coming up in August 2024. More information here. 

Take care and I will see you all soon.

Carolina Mollar

My previous post was about Peter Eixenberger's wife, Mary. This time I take a look at another trooper spouse, Carolina Mollar. 

Jan Mollar was enlisted on January 15, 1872, in Chicago, Illinois, by Captain Samuel Young.  His previous occupation was laborer.  He was discharged on January 15, 1877, upon expiration of service, as a corporal of excellent character.  He had a sandy complexion, grey eyes, light hair, and was 5’8” tall. He was wounded in the right thigh during the Battle of the Little Big Horn hilltop fight on June 25, 1876.  He was later transported to Fort Abraham Lincoln on the steamer Far West. 

There are various spellings for Mollar's last name. On pension records he is listed as Jan Moller and elsewhere as John Muller, James Muller, or James Mullen. He was baptized ‘Jens Mathiasen Móller’ but enlisted under the name of Jan Moller. [Peter Russell email of March 21, 2009]. His gravestone at Mount Moriah lists his last name as 'Mollar', so that is what I'm using here.

MARRIED.

MOLLER - ANDERSON - Sunday, October 4, 1891,

Justice Crawford officiating. John Moller to Carolina Anderson.

The wedding had a spice of romance in it. In childhood the bride and groom had been playmates in old Denmark. Years ago the groom came to this country, drifting to the Hills, located a ranch west of this city, prospered, and finally wrote for his boyhood’s sweetheart. Saturday she arrived in Deadwood, and Sunday the nuptial knot was tied. The groom is highly spoken of by those here who have known him for years. The bride, about 35 years of age (the groom is about 42) is described as a bright, comely woman, a fit helpmeet for her industrious husband. [Spearfish Weekly Register; October 10, 1891]

According to her headstone, Carolina was born in Sweden on June 18, 1849. [Researcher Peter Russell provides a birthdate of June 11, 1849] In 1898, the Mollars headed to Denmark, where they lived until 1903. In March 1903, they emigrated to the United States and eventually ended up living with Carolina's son, William, in Deadwood at 63 Stewart Street.

Former Mollar home, 63 Stewart Street, Deadwood, South Dakota.

Carolina Mollar died in her son's home on Wednesday, January 11, 1928.

Daily Deadwood Pioneer-Times; January 12, 1928

Carolina's funeral was held in Deadwood, South Dakota, on Saturday, January 14. She was buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Section 2 Plot 200. 

Lead Daily Call; January 13, 1928

Jan Mollar died six weeks later and is buried next to his wife.

Entrance to Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, South Dakota

Jan and Carolina Mollar, Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, South Dakota

Jan and Carolina Mollar, Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, South Dakota

It is very easy to visit the graves of Jan and Carolina. When you enter the front gates at Mount Moriah, follow the walking path and you will see a set of elevated graves to your right. The Mollar headstone is among these and can be easily seen from the walking path. For technology lovers, the GPS coordinates of the grave are 44.375392 -103.724389. 

Much of the biographical information for Carolina is from the article, The Third Dane Who Survived the Little Big Horn Fight by researcher Peter Russell that appeared in the Frontier Army of Dakota Post-Dispatch in the Spring 2019 issue.

JAN MOLLAR PAGE

Mary Eixenberger

Peter Eixenberger enlisted on November 15, 1875, in New York City. He listed his previous occupation as musician. He was discharged on November 14, 1880, at Fort Meade, Dakota, upon expiration of service, as a private of excellent character. He then re-enlisted for another five year term. 

He was not present at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He was on detached service with the rest of the 7th Cavalry band at Yellowstone Depot, Montana Territory. 

In November, 1885, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Achenbach.  To this union eight children were born: Frank of Sykes, Mont; Mrs. John Kellar of Sioux Falls, S.D.; Peter, Jr., Gladys, Arthur, Clarence, Carl, and Joseph of Sturgis.  All were present at the funeral but Mrs. John Kellar, who will arrive here tomorrow. [Eixenberger's obituary; Sturgis Weekly Record; September 14, 1917]

Peter and Mary Eixenberger

Peter Eixenberger died on September 12, 1917, in Sykes, Montana. He was buried in the St. Aloysius Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota. 

Just over a year after her husband's death, Mary was faced with more sorrow. Two of her children, Peter, Jr., and Gladys, both died during the Spanish Influenza outbreak. A while back, the death of Eixenberger's children was a topic on this same blog. You can find that previous post by clicking here.

The following appeared in the November 16, 1918 edition of the Custer Weekly Chronicle, Custer, South Dakota, also reporting the deaths of Peter Jr. and Gladys.

Custer Weekly Chronicle; November 16, 1918

Mary went on living in the Black Hills. In 1939, her family threw her a surprise 72nd birthday party. The party received mention in the April 28, 1939 edition of the Lead Daily Call.

Lead Daily Call; April 28, 1939

The following year, in December, Mary passed away. She was buried alongside her husband, who had died 23 years previous, in St. Aloysius Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Lead Daily Call; December 8, 1940

PETER EIXENBERGER PAGE

General Custer's Body Recovered

Subscribing to newspapers.com is one of the smartest things I've ever done. I originally signed up for the trial period to check some things out. But I find myself returning to those "musty, old newspapers" on a regular basis. The cost is roughly the same as a streaming video service and you don't feel guilty if you spend an entire evening hunting around.

The following was stumbled upon while looking up a totally different subject. When that happens, and it happens a lot, I drop it into a file folder. When I'm struggling for something to post in an update, like now, I'll go looking through that folder and I always find something interesting.

This little tidbit is from the BLACK HILLS CHAMPION newspaper out of Deadwood, South Dakota. This is from the July 16, 1877 edition.

Black Hills Champion, Deadwood, South Dakota, July 16, 1877

Tragedy of Abram Brant

Abram Brant was awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions in bringing water to the wounded under a most galling fire. He was to be given the medal in a ceremony on October 5, 1878. Instead, he was killed the night before from an accidental gunshot wound to the abdomen. The soldiers were encamped near Camp Ruhlen, Dakota, when Brant was shot while handing his revolver to the First Sergeant. His actual gravesite is unknown at this time.

Brant enlisted on September 27, 1875, in St Louis. He listed his previous occupation as civil engineer. He had hazel eyes, light hair, a fair complexion, and was 5’ 5 7/8” tall. He is listed elsewhere as Abraham B. Brant.  

The whereabouts of Brant's Medal of Honor are unknown. It is supposed that he was buried with it.

Memorial marker for Brant at the Fort Meade Post Cemetery. The 
location of his actual grave is unknown. 

Article about the Brant accidental shooting.
Black Hills Daily Pioneer, October 5, 1878.

ABRAM BRANT PAGE