After Captain Myles Keogh, this man might be the most famous Irishman of the 7th cavalry, though many do not even know his name. Instead, we know about how his leg was amputated on the field, and after being given a stiff drink, he supposedly said, “Doctor, give me another drink and you can cut off me other leg.”
This man’s name was Michael Madden, and he was an Irish immigrant from Galway.
24 soldiers who fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn were the recipients of the Medal of Honor. 18 of them had gone for water for the wounded. Michael Madden was one of those volunteers. Yet he did not end up receiving one of America’s highest honors, instead he died in poverty and was buried in an unmarked grave.
Let's remember the real man and the story of what really happened...
Thanks so much for joining me!
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Links and Books:
Douglas Scott’s incredible article, “An Agreeable Sort When Sober”
www.academia.edu/26726354/_An_Agreeable_Sort_When_Sober_the_Myth_of_Michael_Madden_Additions_and_Revisons
Duties of the U.S. Army Saddler
freepages.rootsweb.com/~gregkrenzelok/genealogy/veterinary%20corp%20in%20ww1/saddlerduties.html
Irish Saddlers: Saddler profession
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=765131.0
Veterinary Care on Custer’s Campaigns
www.notesfromthefrontier.com/post/veterinary-care-on-custer-s-campaigns?fbclid=IwY2xjawHt-v5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfJ9RmdB5Ga64u76XSxtOJ5VwWLUywGjjokgo4tNPZq7hfUj12Xrk6DIpQ_aem_cRgVgDIFvZVx34BkcdWX7g
James Klokner: Men with Custer
Don Wiebert: Custer, Cases, and Cartridges
COL Graham: The Custer Myth
Bruce Liddic: Vanish Victory
Douglas McChristian: Regular Army O!
Don Rickey Jr: Forty Miles A Day on Beans and Hay
Richard Hardorff: Camp, Custer, and the Little Bighorn
Other Suggested reading:
Courage and Conflict: The Irish at War, Ian Kenneally
They Died with Custer, Douglas D. Scott. P. Willey, Melissa A. Connor
Participants of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Federic C. Wagner III
Myles Keogh: “Irish Dragoon,” John P. Langellier, Kurt Hamilton Cox, Brian C. Pohanka
Life of Soldier on the Western Frontier, Jeremy Agnew
G.A. Custer, Glenwood J. Swanson
Ireland 1845-1850: The Perfect Holocaust, Chris Fogarty
Regular Army O, Douglas McChristian
Irish Famine Museum Dublin Ireland - Irish Famine Exhibition (theirishpotatofamine.com)
Remembering The Fallen: Corporal John Briody, Seventh U.S. Cavalry (1847-1876) | Pat McNamara (patheos.com)
Nativism Against the Irish in America: A Historical Perspective - Irish Famine Exhibition (theirishpotatofamine.com)
Black '47 Ireland's Great Famine and its after-effects - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)
Penal laws (Ireland) - Wikipedia
The Civil War Was Won By Immigrant Soldiers | Essay | Zócalo Public Square (zocalopublicsquare.org)
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Thank you to Dale Kosman, George Kush, Nathan Simmons, Joe Creaden, and my map-man extraordinaire-- Geoff Lackey-- for sharing little known facts, anecdotes, and images with me about these soldiers.
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If you too have a passion for the 7th Cavalry, please consider joining:
Little Bighorn Associates
www.thelbha.com
Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association
custerbattlefield.org
Custer Association of Great Britain
www.english-westerners-society.org.uk
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www.siobhanfallon.com
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