Comanche Legendary Horse of the Old West

There have been many legendary figures in the history of the Old West, but not so many legendary horses. This is the story of one famous horse named Comanche, who earned his well-deserved reputation in service for the U.S. Cavalry in the 1800s. Even though the subject of this video is the horse named Comanche, the story cannot be accurately told without knowing Comanche's partner in the U.S. Army, whose name is Captain Miles Keough. Captain Keough was born in Ireland in 1840, and like most young Irishmen, he enjoyed a stiff drink and was not opposed to participating in a good fight. Miles tried his hand at college, but became bored and volunteered to serve the Catholic Church to help defend the states around the Vatican. For his meritorious service in that endeavor, he received military awards presented by the Pope himself. The American Civil War had started by that time, and he found the prospect of that conflict to be something in which he desired to participate. He set sail for America and joined the Union Army. His service during the Civil War proved to be distinguished, and he rose to the rank of Major. At the end of the war, he mustered out, but missed the military, and rejoined the Army at the rank of Captain. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, and became associated with another former Civil War officer, George Armstrong Custer. Their careers were spent together in the Plains Indian Wars, fighting against the worthy adversaries of the day, who were often referred to as hostiles. They shared a love of the military life and fine horses. Comanche became Captain Keough's personal mount in the cavalry. He was a superb horse, a well-trained bay, born probably around 1862, and he definitely stood out in a herd. Comanche was a little over 15 hands tall, and weighed in at well over 900 pounds. He earned his name in a battle with Comanche Indians in Kansas. An arrow hit him, and he let out a loud bellow, which is uncharacteristic for a hooved animal. That cry of pain sounded like the scream of a charging Comanche warrior, and thereafter, he went by the name of the famous Indian tribe. Comanche became famous within the 7th Cavalry, and was known for his stamina and unquestioned courage. Even though Captain Keough was known to sometimes drink to excess, and occasionally dealt with bouts of depression, he was well regarded as an exemplary soldier, brave and always true to his duty. He and Comanche made an excellent pair, well suited for life in the cavalry. Unfortunately for Captain Keough and Comanche, they were participants in Custer's last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. There are various versions of the story of Captain Keough's demise in the famous battle. One says that he was the last of his troops to die, fighting bravely until the end, and dying after all others had perished. An Indian brave who survived the battle was questioned a few years later, and said he was one of the first to go down. Another Sioux warrior named Little Soldier, who was supposedly watching the action from another ridge, recounts the following story. He said that a bullet hit and passed through Comanche, and hit Keough's knee. Unable to stand, he kneeled down holding Comanche's reins, and continued firing from underneath his trusted mount. Several bullets found their mark, and Captain Keough drew his last breath, still holding the reins of his beloved horse. Although Comanche was severely wounded during the battle, none of the Indians attempted to take him for their own, probably for a couple of reasons. They knew that his wounds were so severe, that he was unlikely to recover. And because the reins remained in the hands of his dead owner, they felt it would be bad medicine to take the fine mount. The Indians did take many horses that survived the battle, but left some in their hasty retreat. When army reinforcements arrived at the battlefield, they found Comanche in a steep gully, riddled with wounds from both arrows and bullets. There was talk of putting Comanche out of his misery, but the officer in command decided that they should try to save him, if at all possible. The wounded horse was transported to a riverboat on the Little Bighorn River, and eventually to Fort Abraham Lincoln, near Mandan, North Dakota. It took nearly a year for Comanche to fully recover, and he ultimately ended up at Fort Riley, Kansas. The officers at Fort Riley decided he had earned the right to be retired from active duty. He enjoyed being ridden by the children at the fort, but eventually out of respect for the now famous horse, the commanding officer made the following statement. Quote, Comanche is the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of Little Bighorn. His kind treatment and comfort should be a matter of pride and solicitude on the part of the 7th Cavalry. To the end that his life may be prolonged to the utmost limit, he will not be ridden by any person whatsoever under any circumstances. End quote. For the next 15 years, the only duty Comanche was asked to perform was walking in parades. When his caretaker, Gustave Nave, was shot and killed at the Battle of Wounded Knee, legend has it that Comanche started to decline as a result of missing his friend. On November 7th, 1891, at almost 30 years of age, he passed on to the big corral in the sky. The 7th Cavalry wanted to preserve his memory for time immemorial and toward that end, contracted with a taxidermist, a Mr. Deisch at the University of Kansas to do the taxidermy work for a fee of $400. Mr. Deisch completed the job and proposed to forego his fee if Comanche were to be allowed to remain at the University of Kansas. The 7th reluctantly agreed to the proposal and today Comanche remains at the Museum of Natural History at the university. One can still visit Comanche at the University of Kansas where the old war horse proudly stands preserved behind climate controlled glass. If you enjoyed this video, give a thumbs up, click on the bell for notifications and most importantly, subscribe to the channel. As always, thanks for watching.