Diary of Dr. Holmes Offley Paulding, 1876

File — Box: 1, Volume: 2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Holmes Offley Paulding was the surgeon with Colonel John Gibbon's "Montana Column," which marched from Ft. Ellis and met the Terry/Custer column from Ft. Lincoln. Paulding was one of the first to see the dead of Custer's command scattered along the hills near the Little Bighorn. He attended to the wounded Seventh Cavalrymen, under Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen, who had managed to hold off the Indians, in the southern portion of the battle, for more than a day after Custer fell. Paulding's diary, which spans 22 February 22 to 17 November 1876, is shaded with criticism of Colonel Gibbon, and reveals the tension felt between those in the high command. Also voiced are the concerns of duty that a surgeon in the field faced, as well as graphic descriptions of wounds sustained by soldiers in action. Paulding's diary is at once entertaining and powerful, a sad and ironic commentary on the war waged against the Indians.

Dates

1876

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.