1876 Sioux War Diary of Private Eugene Geant

by Eugene Geant, Brian V. Hunt (Editor)

It was a summer that changed the course of history for two peoples: white Americans and Native Americans. Private Eugene Geant was there, marching across Montana Territory with General John Gibbon and the 7th Infantry to connect with the famed 7th Cavalry and Lieutenant-Colonel George Armstrong Custer.Geant was with Gibbon on June 27, 1876 when they came upon Custer's horrific scene of disaster at the Little Bighorn. The young private recorded the shock that everyone felt and the trials of getting the wounded to the steamboat Far West.Before that, Geant recorded the harsh conditions they endured marching hundreds of miles from Fort Shaw, up and down the Yellowstone River, to the Little Bighorn, and home again. Through snow, fearsome heat, pouring rain with no tents, starvation rations, and scores of river crossings, the soldiers kept their humor. That's recorded here as well.Geant continued to serve in the army until his early death at the age of 39 at Fort Logan in Colorado. The introductory notes include information about Geant's life not found in his diary, as well as how the diary came to be published.

Genres: Native American

34 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2019

Reviews

[Vince Pillig]

Military life is damn tough! 0

As an old recon Marine from Nam. I can't imagine marching around Montana and Wyoming in the winter through the snow and crossing rivers several times a day. People do not understand military life is tough in combat.

[Dorothea L Long]

1876 Sioux War Diary

This is a very good book, with a good story line ,about some of the officers who were part of the campaign with Custer, but didn't make the Ronda view with Custer,so they got there after Custer,and his men were whipped out.

[Gail Climer]

Interesting How Things Turned Out

Really enjoyed reading the short diary regarding Clusters troopers two days after they were killed. Lots of bad blood between the Army's Indian scouts and other natives in the area after the battle.

[Thomas Cronin]

Extraordinary young man

Amazing behind the scenes account of a foot soldier during the race for land in the west reached its climax. The only thing in the way of frontier expansion were untold numbers of indigenous peoples.No matter”Go West young man”.

[William Blume]

Not particularly informative

Very short account and few details. Not sure why anyone would bother publishing, much less keeping, such a bland document.

[Damien A.]

Good history