Comanche and His Captain: The Warhorse and the Soldier of Fortune
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Comanche and His Captain
The Warhorse and the Soldier of Fortune
By: Janet Barrett
Against the fury of the Civil War and the challenges of securing the frontier, the intertwined stories of the tough Mustang, Comanche, and the courageous soldier of fortune, Captain Myles Keogh, move toward a climax that spells the end for one and a beginning for the other.
Keogh was one of the many Irishmen whose profession was soldiering but who would not fight under the English flag. They took their talents elsewhere, Keogh coming to America to fight, first for the Union through more than 80 battles in the Civil War and then with the newly formed U.S. Seventh Cavalry.
At Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, among a shipment of Mustangs just in from Indian Territory, the captain saw the horse he wanted and took the unusual step of buying Comanche with his own money. The two rode together for the next eight years, a partnership that took them to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
No soldier survived that fight, not one of the 210 men under General Custer's command. But the Indians remembered Keogh as the bravest man they had ever seen. He was killed as he crouched under Comanche's front legs, firing his final shots. In death he continued to hold his horse's reins. The Indians left them be, Comanche standing alone on a battlefield covered with the dead.
It was 1876, our country's 100th anniversary. As grand July 4th celebrations began, news of the Little Bighorn disaster sent shock waves across the country. Yet, people took comfort in knowing that the brave Comanche had survived.
The soldiers brought him back to Fort Abraham Lincoln and nursed him back to full health. He became the most famous horse in America, Second Commanding Officer of the Seventh Cavalry, his presence helping to restore the cavalry's image of strength and courage.
Paperback; 186 pages
ISBN: 978-1501333958
About the Author:
Janet Barrett remembers her father first telling her about Comanche when she was about eight years old, a simple story then about a horse that survived a battle. When she revisited it as an adult, a few years ago, she found an intriguing, complex story--of a horse and rider whose legacy grew beyond anything that was apparent in their lives. Through her experiences as a horsewoman she found herself particularly fascinated with the connection between Comanche and Keogh, as well as times when the horse was central to life.
The Warhorse and the Soldier of Fortune
By: Janet Barrett
Against the fury of the Civil War and the challenges of securing the frontier, the intertwined stories of the tough Mustang, Comanche, and the courageous soldier of fortune, Captain Myles Keogh, move toward a climax that spells the end for one and a beginning for the other.
Keogh was one of the many Irishmen whose profession was soldiering but who would not fight under the English flag. They took their talents elsewhere, Keogh coming to America to fight, first for the Union through more than 80 battles in the Civil War and then with the newly formed U.S. Seventh Cavalry.
At Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, among a shipment of Mustangs just in from Indian Territory, the captain saw the horse he wanted and took the unusual step of buying Comanche with his own money. The two rode together for the next eight years, a partnership that took them to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
No soldier survived that fight, not one of the 210 men under General Custer's command. But the Indians remembered Keogh as the bravest man they had ever seen. He was killed as he crouched under Comanche's front legs, firing his final shots. In death he continued to hold his horse's reins. The Indians left them be, Comanche standing alone on a battlefield covered with the dead.
It was 1876, our country's 100th anniversary. As grand July 4th celebrations began, news of the Little Bighorn disaster sent shock waves across the country. Yet, people took comfort in knowing that the brave Comanche had survived.
The soldiers brought him back to Fort Abraham Lincoln and nursed him back to full health. He became the most famous horse in America, Second Commanding Officer of the Seventh Cavalry, his presence helping to restore the cavalry's image of strength and courage.
Paperback; 186 pages
ISBN: 978-1501333958
About the Author:
Janet Barrett remembers her father first telling her about Comanche when she was about eight years old, a simple story then about a horse that survived a battle. When she revisited it as an adult, a few years ago, she found an intriguing, complex story--of a horse and rider whose legacy grew beyond anything that was apparent in their lives. Through her experiences as a horsewoman she found herself particularly fascinated with the connection between Comanche and Keogh, as well as times when the horse was central to life.
Her other books are On The Fence: A Parent's Handbook of Horseback of Horseback Riding and They Called Her Reckless--A True Story of War, Love And One Extraordinary Horse. With the success of the latter, about another famous warhorse, Barrett knew it was time to go back to that earlier era and tell the whole story of the tough Mustang that brought fame to himself and his rider, and the U.S. Cavalry.
She was raised in New York, graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in Communications, and now makes her home in Connecticut.