Thomas Mower McDougall facts for kids
Thomas Mower McDougall (born May 21, 1845 – died July 3, 1909) was an officer in the United States Army. He was part of the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn. McDougall survived the battle because he was not with General Custer's main group. Instead, he was with Major Reno and Captain Benteen. On the day of the battle, McDougall was in charge of guarding the pack train. This train carried important supplies like ammunition. However, the mules carrying the packs were slow. They fell far behind the other army groups. Custer later sent urgent messages for the pack train to hurry. But the distance made it very hard to get the supplies to him in time.
Contents
Early Life and Family History
Thomas McDougall was born at Fort Crawford in Wisconsin. His father, Charles McDougall, was a general in the Army Medical Corps. His mother was Marie Hanson McDougall. Thomas went to St. Mary's Academy in Maryland.
In 1860, he was living with his parents in New York. McDougall later married a woman named Alice. She passed away in 1920. His brother-in-law was Lawrence Babbitt.
McDougall's Army Career Before Little Bighorn
McDougall came from a military family. He began his army service during the American Civil War. He was with General Grant during the siege of Vicksburg in 1863. He served as a volunteer aide-de-camp when he was only 17. In 1864, at age 18, he became a Second Lieutenant. He joined the 10th US Louisiana Volunteers of African Descent. This group later became the 48th US Colored Infantry.
He was badly wounded in a battle in Louisiana. He left volunteer service in June 1865. The very next day, he became a captain in the 5th US Volunteer Infantry. While with this group, he fought in an Indian skirmish near Ellsworth, Kansas. He left volunteer service again in August.
In 1866, McDougall was offered a commission as a second lieutenant in the 14th US Infantry. He accepted this offer at Fort Laramie. He was later transferred to the 32nd US Infantry. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1867. After serving in Washington, McDougall went to Arizona in 1867. There, he took part in scouting missions. He also fought against different groups of Apache Indians.
In 1869, he was transferred to the 21st US Infantry. Then, in 1870, he joined the 7th US Cavalry. He was stationed in South Carolina during the time of the Ku Klux Klan troubles. He married Alice M. Sheldon in South Carolina in 1872.
After the 7th Cavalry gathered at Fort Abraham Lincoln, McDougall fought the Sioux. This happened near the Big Horn River in Montana in 1873. He was with the David Stanley Yellowstone Expedition. He also joined Custer's 1874 Black Hills Expedition. He was the commander of Company E during this time. He was promoted to captain in December 1875.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn
In 1876, Captain McDougall commanded Company B. He went with the 7th Cavalry Regiment. This regiment was led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. They left Fort Abraham Lincoln for a campaign. This campaign became known as the Great Sioux War of 1876. It ended with the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This battle is also called Custer's Last Stand. It took place on June 25–26, 1876.
Before the Battle: The Dakota Column
On May 17, 1876, the 7th Cavalry left Fort Abraham Lincoln. Their goal was to join a campaign against the Sioux Indians. The 7th Cavalry had 12 companies. Custer led them as the main fighting group. They were part of a larger group of soldiers called the Dakota Column. General Alfred Terry commanded this column.
The Dakota Column was supposed to meet General John Gibbon's Montana Column. General Terry learned that scouts had found a large Sioux village. It was on lower Rosebud Creek. General Terry thought the village had moved up the Rosebud. He sent Major Reno to scout other areas. Reno's group included McDougall's Company B. Reno found many large, fresh campsites. This showed the Sioux village had moved up Rosebud Creek.
This information led General Terry to gather his troops. On June 22, 1876, he sent Custer. Custer took the entire 7th Cavalry up the Rosebud. They were chasing the Sioux village. On June 24, Custer learned the village had gone into the Little Horn Valley.
Morning of June 25: Guarding the Pack Train
On the morning of June 25, 1876, Custer and the 7th Cavalry were on a ridge. From there, Crow scouts saw a very large Sioux and Cheyenne village. It was in the Valley of the Little Bighorn River. Custer divided his command into four groups.
Custer kept five troops for himself. Major Reno was given three troops. These two groups went down a small stream towards the Indian village. Captain Benteen was given three troops. He was sent to the southwest. His job was to see if there were other Indian villages.
Captain McDougall and his Troop B were assigned to guard the pack train. This was the fourth group. The pack train carried important supplies, including extra ammunition. Custer ordered one troop to protect it. McDougall's B Company was chosen for this task. Some of his soldiers were sad. They thought they would not see any fighting.
At a later inquiry, McDougall said Custer ordered him to "take charge of the pack train and serve as a rear guard." McDougall's company had about 45 men. There were also about 60 men with the pack train. Plus, there were 5 or 6 civilian packers.
June 25: Orders to Bring the Pack Train Quickly
On June 25, the other three army groups moved towards the Sioux village. The mules of the pack train, led by McDougall, fell behind. This was common for them.
Historians believe the village was much larger than Custer expected. Reno followed Custer's orders. He crossed the river and attacked the south end of the village. The Indians quickly fought back. They surrounded Reno's troops. Reno's men were forced to retreat. They fled up the steep hills east of the river. They lost many soldiers. The remaining men dug in on top of the hills.
Custer's five troops took a different path. This path did not let Custer see the valley or the village at first. Custer rode to the edge of the high hills. From there, he saw a very large Indian village. Because of its size, Custer wanted the pack train to come quickly. It had the reserve ammunition. He sent Sergeant Kanipe back to McDougall with a message. It told him to hurry with the ammunition.
Custer returned to his troops and continued north. He was still hidden behind the hills. When Custer rode to the hills again, he saw the village was even bigger. He realized he needed the pack train and Benteen's three troops. He sent his trumpeter, John Martin, to Benteen. Martin carried a written message from Custer's adjutant, Lt. Cooke. It said: "Benteen, Come on, Big Village, Be Quick, bring packs." Trumpeter Martin was the last person to see or talk with Custer.
After pushing Reno from the valley, more Indian warriors arrived. They focused on Custer's five troops. During this time, Benteen's three troops joined Reno's group on the hills.
Benteen's troops had been ordered to look for other villages to the south. After a long search, Benteen gave up. He returned to the path Custer and Reno had taken. He stopped to water his horses at a swampy area. Just as Benteen's troops were leaving, McDougall arrived with the pack train. The mules had not had water since the night before. They rushed into the swampy area and got stuck.
After about 20 minutes, McDougall got the mules out. He was moving towards the Little Bighorn. Then he heard loud sounds. McDougall and others remembered this as the start of Custer's battle.
Benteen continued towards the Little Bighorn. He met Sergeant Kanipe. Kanipe was on his way to tell McDougall to hurry the pack train. Kanipe met McDougall about four miles further down the stream. The pack train stopped to let the mules catch up. Then they continued, but still slowly.
Benteen then met Custer's second messenger, Trumpeter John Martin. Martin had the written order for Benteen to "Come on, Big Village, Be Quick, bring packs." Benteen did not tell McDougall about the urgent message. He went ahead to Reno's position on the hills.
At Reno Hill, Reno and Benteen talked. After about 20 minutes, they sent Lt. Hare back to the pack train. He was to hurry the ammunition. Two packers brought two mules with ammunition ahead of the pack train. The rest of the train arrived in the next half hour. They learned that Custer's group was somewhere to the north.
June 25: McDougall Joins Reno's Defense
When McDougall arrived, he came under Major Reno's command. He took part in a move north to Weir Point. But then they retreated back to Reno's original position. There, they were attacked by many Sioux Indians. These warriors were returning after defeating Custer's five troops.
McDougall's troop and the pack train were attacked with Reno and Benteen's troops. This lasted through the rest of June 25 and until late afternoon on June 26. Then, the Indian warriors left. The Indian village packed up and moved south. This was because General Gibbons was advancing with more soldiers. On the night of June 26, McDougall and two soldiers found Lieutenant Hodgson's body. They buried it on Reno Hill.
On June 27, Colonel Gibbon arrived with more soldiers. He relieved the 7th Cavalry troops. It was then discovered that Custer's five troops had been surrounded and killed.
Later Military Career
In 1877, the year after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, McDougall was scouting in Montana. This was during the Nez Perce troubles. He helped escort Chief Joseph and his people. They were taken from Bear Paw Mountain, Montana, to Fort Abraham Lincoln.
He stayed in Montana and Dakota Territory until 1880. He returned to Dakota in 1882 and stayed until 1888. McDougall remained in the 7th Cavalry. He retired due to a disability on July 22, 1890. He was living in Montana Territory in 1880.
For his service in the Civil War, he was promoted to major of cavalry (retired) in 1904.
Death and Burial
Major McDougall died on July 3, 1909, in Brandon, Vermont. Before his death, he and his wife Alice lived in Wellsville, New York. On July 3, he and Alice took a train to a summer resort in Vermont. They arrived late and he was tired. He went to bed early. Just after 10 p.m., he woke his wife. He said he was having trouble breathing. His wife went to get help. But at 10:45 p.m., Major McDougall passed away. He was 64 years old. McDougall and his wife Alice are buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
|
