Corporal John Briody was at Custer’s Last Stand
This week's Times Past column by Jonathan Smyth recalls Corporal John Briody who fought at the battle of Little Bighorn.
A famous United States General with Cavan connections, Philip H. Sheridan, otherwise known as ‘Fighting Phil’ was discussing General George A. Custer, with a fellow soldier when he was heard to remark, ‘Custer is the ablest man in the Cavalry Corps.’ The author Stephen E. Ambrose explained that Custer got on well with superior officers, unlike Sheridan who he described as ‘a bullheaded little man, given to intense rages’ who entered battle with a lust to fight, and ‘was quick to censure and slow to forgive.’
Both Custer and Sheridan had a long working relationship, and they would lend divisions to assist each other in battles. However, this week’s column focuses on another soldier with Cavan links who fought alongside Custer’s men when they engaged in a war against the American Indians at Little Bighorn. It would prove, an utter defeat for Custer, his men, and the animals. The only thing on Custer's side that made it out alive was a horse.
The Battle of Little Bighorn was the closing chapter of General Custer's career. The confident General unwittingly made his last stand against the Indian nation whom he assumed were easily beatable. Among the brave soldiers who fought by his side that fateful day in 1876 was Corporal John Briody. Readers may be interested to know that the Briody family, also spelled as ‘Briordy,’ emigrated from Co. Cavan to Brooklyn, New York. Variations in the spelling of names can have a simple explanation. One family I heard of, having arrived in New York in the early days had their name written on documents by a clerk, interpreting them as the word sounded. Hence, the family had to stick with the new variation of the name in accordance with the immigration papers given them.
John Briody was born in Brooklyn to a family of Cavan origin. Although, early details are minimal, Pat McNamara's blog on www.patheos.com provided more details on Corporal Briody. Mr. McNamara writes of his long held fascination for George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Briody family connection. He says, his interest was aroused by the discovery of an ancestral link to Corporal John Briody and his great great grandfather, Henry Briordy, the Corporal’s cousin. McNamara’s relatives came from Cavan and Meath.
On August 9, 1866, Briody arrived at a barracks in New York City to enlist. The officials who took his details made the following observations, height 5 feet 5”, hair brown, and appearance of fair complexion. That September, the army assigned him to Company F, 7th US Cavalry Regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas. Details noted on the ‘Find a Grave’ website mention that he started as the ‘acting company ferrier.’
Little Bighorn
A treaty in 1868 granted the Sioux people a large swathe of land as their permanent reservation for life. But the arrangement left others in the tribe disenchanted and they united under the leadership of Sitting Bull. In 1876, an ultimatum was issued, demanding all Sioux Indians return to the reservation. This way, the authorities could monitor their movements. Naturally, they refused the order.
On June 25, 1876, the Battle of Little Bighorn took place. Custer arrogantly boasted, ‘I could whip all the Indians on the continent with the seventh Cavalry.’ Custer had the White House in his sights. Therefore, a strong victory against the tribes of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull could win him the support needed to run for President. The battle which took place in Bighorn County, Montana, was the biggest miscalculation of Custer’s career. He guessed wrongly that Sitting Bull had a force of 800 warriors.
Sitting Bull’s combination of Sioux and Cheyenne fighters stood at 2000 strong. But, Custer had only around 210 soldiers when he led them into the Sitting Bull’s village encampment. The celebrated Crazy Horse, lauded for his fighting skills, took command of the Lakota and Oglala Indians who fought that day. In the aftermath of the battle, Custer and his men became national heroes, and a memorial site was established at the location to commemorate General Custer and his soldiers buried at Little Bighorn.
Briody's death
At the end of the battle, a search took place to locate the bodies of the deceased soldiers. Positioned 700 yards south of Deep Ravine, a marker on the military map, numbered 257, indicated where the cavalry’s remains were discovered. In the same area, some people have suggested that the body of Corporal John Briody of Company F had been found. This was never officially confirmed. Remains said to be that of Briody, appeared to be severely mutilated, found with one severed leg placed under the head. Fellow soldiers thought they recognized Briody’s body by a tattoo. Douglas D. Scott's book, ‘They Died with Custer,’ throws cold water on the idea of the identification, adding that, Marker 257 being ‘the site of John Briody's burial must remain speculation and an intriguing possibility.’ In addition to the soldiers, countless dead horses lay strewn about Last Stand Hill. On closer inspection there were very few horses in the spot where Custer died.
Race
In 1996, on the battles 120th anniversary, various ‘white historians’ were outraged by a plan to hold a ceremony alongside Native Americans. The Indians received an invitation to ride on horses to the mass grave where they too wanted to remember fifty of their own slain warriors. Gerard Baker, the Indian superintendent at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument had invited the tribes. He told them, ‘this is your day.’ Baker had drawn up a programme of events and planned a monument to remember the Indian warriors killed. He wanted it built on the same site. In reply to negative comments, Baker pointed out that the battle marked an end to the North American Indians way of life; in the aftermath, their freedom was taken away.
Thank you, to Seán MacGiolla Chomhghaill who suggested this week’s topic. For more on the famous battle, read Crazy Horse and Custer, by Stephen E. Ambrose. Sólas na sioriochta dá n-anamach.
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