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237:. When his hand had recovered sufficiently, he wrote a lengthy account of the fighting. Notably, he said he had been in a hiding place from which he had seen Custer near the river, and had also witnessed the beginning of the fight in which Custer was killed. By implication, he may have been the last white man to have seen Custer alive.
199:. After an honorable discharge, he resided first in Lead, SD, where he worked at the Homestead Mine. Later he moved to Alzada, MT, where he became a rancher. He married Ruth Boicourt in 1904. They had two children, Susan and Peter Jr., born in 1906 and 1909. Thompson died on December 3, 1928, at Hot Springs, SD, of heart failure.
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Thompson's story has received significant attention in recent years. Daniel O. Magnussen wrote in 1974 that, while
Thompson seemed to have been an honest man, his account was riddled with errors. He speculated that Thompson's memory may have been clouded by hallucinations brought on by stress and his
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in the spring of 1914. This was an era when a number of old men (or deceased men, through their obituaries) claimed to have been "the last survivor" of Custer's Last Stand. Thompson would later have confrontations with other battle participants, and be accused of being a liar. He was so labeled by
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at the Little
Bighorn Battlefield in 1909. Camp, who met with Thompson on other occasions and corresponded him for many years, was unable to reconcile Thompson's account with what he had learned from other participants and records. Thompson published his controversial 26,000 word account in his
226:. Thompson took part in other parts of the battle and was wounded in the hand and arm. In spite of his wounds, he made trips outside the lines to obtain water for the wounded, an act that gained him one of 24 Medals of Honor awarded for the battle.
215:, he took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Had his horse not given out on the bluffs above the river as the regiment reached the battlefield, Thompson would have died with Custer. As it was, Thompson and a companion named
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Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., June 25, 1876. Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: October 5, 1878.
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After having voluntarily brought water to the wounded, in which effort he was shot through the hand, he made two successful trips for the same purpose, notwithstanding remonstrances of his sergeant.
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wound. More recently, the publication of Camp's notes has again stimulated interest in
Thompson's story, and provided corroboration for many controversial parts of the account. Like
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fell behind, but continued on toward the river. Unable to rejoin their own company, the two later climbed back up the bluffs and joined surviving elements of the regiment, under
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edited by Earl A. Brininstool. Thompson's attempts to prove his claims were frustrated by the unknown whereabouts of James Watson.
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402:(Revised ed.). Hardin, MT: Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Association.
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352:. U.S. Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from
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Peter
Thompson's Narrative of the Little Big Horn Campaign 1876
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Custer in '76: Walter Camp's Notes on Custer's Last Fight
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American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor
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List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
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262:one veteran named William Slaper in a 1925 book,
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389:United States Army Center of Military History
144:(September 1, 1853 – December 3, 1928) was a
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479:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
346:"Peter Thompson, Medal of Honor recipient"
245:Thompson was interviewed by the respected
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504:Scottish emigrants to the United States
499:Scottish-born Medal of Honor recipients
411:. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
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494:People of the Great Sioux War of 1876
229:After the fight, he was evacuated to
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188:in September 1875, serving in the
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241:Controversy over Thompson's story
383: This article incorporates
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420:. Glendale: Arthur H. Clark Co.
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416:Magnussen, Daniel O. (1974).
207:In 1876, while serving under
158:Battle of the Little Bighorn
489:United States Army soldiers
256:Belle Fourche, South Dakota
115:Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry
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398:Nichols, Ronald H (2000).
152:soldier who was awarded a
271:Hot Springs, South Dakota
190:U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
67:Hot Springs, South Dakota
441:Thompson, Peter (1914).
254:regional newspaper, the
18:Peter Thompson (soldier)
285:Medal of Honor citation
269:Peter Thompson died in
209:George Armstrong Custer
156:for his actions at the
385:public domain material
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264:A Trooper with Custer,
443:"Custer's Last Fight"
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184:. He enlisted in the
168:Thompson was born in
94:Years of service
484:People from Markinch
427:"Men with Custer UK"
407:Hammer, Ken (1976).
231:Fort Abraham Lincoln
445:. Belle Fource Bee
186:United States Army
88:United States Army
356:on August 3, 2013
251:Walter Mason Camp
213:Montana Territory
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350:Indian Wars
249:researcher
247:Indian Wars
224:Marcus Reno
124:Indian wars
97:1875 - 1880
463:Categories
432:19 January
373:References
74:Allegiance
52:, Scotland
43:1854-12-28
294:Citation:
235:steamboat
164:Biography
304:See also
178:Scotland
170:Markinch
150:American
82:Service/
449:9 March
106:Private
279:Curley
130:Awards
84:branch
332:Notes
221:Major
194:Capt.
182:miner
146:Scots
451:2019
434:2017
362:2007
174:Fife
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