The entire country was shocked when news came of the Battle of Little Bighorn. Two hundred sixty-eight soldiers of the 7th Cavalry were killed, including the handsome and popular Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. With the regiment posted at Fort Abraham Lincoln, residents of Dakota Territory felt they had a personal interest in the 7th Cavalry. They were stunned when Captain Grant Marsh piloted the steamboat Far West to the dock, and they watched as the wounded were unloaded.
Among the survivors was Captain Thomas Mower McDougall. He was the son of Brevet General Charles McDougall, so it was natural that he became a career soldier. He was only seventeen in 1863 when he served with General Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. A year later, he was commissioned a second lieutenant with the 48th Colored Infantry. He mustered out of the Army after the Civil War, but within a year, he was back with the 32nd Infantry as a second lieutenant. He rose to the rank of first lieutenant and then captain. Later, he was assigned to the 7th Cavalry in December 1870.
McDougall was in command of the pack train at Little Bighorn. Custer sent two urgent messages to him to bring up the mules with ammunition, but by that time, there was heavy fighting between McDougall and Custer. He was unable to reach Custer but managed to join Major Reno and engage in the fighting with Reno’s unit.
On this date in 1877, the Bismarck Tri-Weekly Tribune observed that the garrison at Fort Abraham Lincoln was complete with the arrival of Captain Howe’s 17th Infantry from Fort Rice. The newspaper noted that Captain McDougall was at the fort with his company. He was described as “one of the very best fellows in the regiment,” and his wife as “one of the most pleasant ladies.”
McDougall continued to serve with the 7th Cavalry, seeing action in the Nez Perce War. He retired in 1890, and he and his wife moved to Wellsville, New York. He died in 1909, and he and his wife are buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tri-Weekly Tribune. “Our Garrison for the Winter.” Bismarck, Dakota Territory. 12/3/1877. Page 1.
- Arlington National Cemetery. “Thomas Mower McDougall.” https://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tmmcdoug.htm Accessed 10/16/2024.
