Charles A. Windolph (December 9, 1851 – March 11, 1950) was a soldier in Company H of

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

's Seventh U. S. Cavalry who survived the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nor ...

and was the recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Early life and birth

Windolph was born in

Bergen an der Dumme Bergen an der Dumme is a municipality in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The Polabian name of Bergen is ''Tjörska'' (spelled ''Tÿörska'' in older German reference material), probably derived from ''tjöra'' (<

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, December 9, 1851, to Joseph and Adelphina Koch Windolph.

Emigration to the United States

He arrived in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1871.

Military career

Windolph enlisted in the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

's 2nd US Infantry November 12, 1871. He deserted July 18, 1872, and promptly reenlisted as Charles Wrangel in 7th US Cavalry July 23, 1872. He later

surrendered Surrender, in military terms, is the relinquishment of control over territory, combatants, fortifications, ships or armament to another power. A surrender may be accomplished peacefully or it may be the result of defeat in battle. A sovereign ...

and was restored to duty without punishment. He was a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

and did cobbler work among his comrades. He was a participant in the

Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 The Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 was an expedition of the United States Army in the summer of 1873 in Dakota Territory and Montana Territory, to survey a route for the Northern Pacific Railroad along the Yellowstone River. The expedition was unde ...

and the

Black Hills Expedition The Black Hills Expedition was a United States Army expedition in 1874 led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer that set out on July 2, 1874 from modern day Bismarck, North Dakota, which was then Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territor ...

in 1874. Windolph took part in the Reno-Benteen hilltop action at the

Battle of Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lako ...

, and was wounded in the buttock. He later received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions during that fight, specifically for providing covering fire for his comrades (including Medal of Honor recipient Peter Thompson) who went for water for the wounded on June 26, 1876. He was also awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

many years later. He was discharged in 1883 as a

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. Like Thompson, he moved to Lead, Dakota Territory, and took a job with the

Homestake Mine Homestake Mine is the name for several mines in the United States: * Homestake Mine (Nevada), listed in the National Register of Historic Places * Homestake Mine (South Dakota) The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine (8,000 feet or 2, ...

, where he worked for 49 years. He married twice and had three children. His wife had a bakery. He was the source/subject of a book ''I Fought With Custer, The Story of Sergeant Windolph'' written by Frazier & Robert Hunt, published in 1947.

Personal and family life

Windolph first married in 1882 to Mary Jones who died in 1883. He later married a childhood friend, Mathilda Lulow. Mathilda Lulow was born ca. 1861 on the Isle of Rugen to Karl Christian Christoph Lulow and Marie Sophia Henrietta Kagelmacher. Mathilda died on 23 March 1924 and is buried with her husband in the

Black Hills National Cemetery Black Hills National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in South Dakota, located three miles (5 km) southeast of Sturgis in Meade County. It encompasses , and as 2021, had over 30,000 interments. Located at exit 34 of Interstat ...

Death and legacy

He died in 1950 at age 98, the last of the white participants in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His remains were interred in the

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25–26 lune 1876. Entered service at: Brooklyn, N.Y. Born: December 9, 1851, Germany. Date of issue: October 5, 1878. ;Citation:

With 3 comrades, during the entire engagement, courageously held a position that secured water for the command.

References

*Nichols, Ronald. ''Men with Custer'' (rev. ed.). Hardin MT: Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Society, 2000.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Windolph, Charles A. 1851 births 1950 deaths United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People of the Great Sioux War of 1876 Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States German-born Medal of Honor recipients American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Lead, South Dakota People from Celle (district)