Nathan Short

[steveuk]

Company C Trooper. Body allegedly found months after the battle near the Rosebud with his horse plus his equipment and carbine.

Thoughts?

[Scout]

Ah yes, good old Nathan Short. The truth of the matter is that Short died with his fellow troopers on the Custer Battlefield. Regardless of what various soldiers said there was never any body found with the horse. Strictly gossip and yarns.

[harpskiddie]

See also Brokensword's Nut House Gang thread, especially the final chapter [43] of the Nut House Gang Saga, in which Nathan Short is mentioned [so is Scout, and Gordie too]. There you will find the answers which you seek.

Gordie
MC

[elisabeth]

Interesting that Godfrey's diary entry for August 8th says: "A rumor spread that a man of C co. and his horse had been found both dead but it seems some 'Dough-boy' got it off as a joke." (The Field Diary of Edward Settle Godfrey, p. 33.) If he's right about that, the whole thing is definitely a yarn.

[Gerry]

Nathan Short burial on the Rosebud Creek, MT.
I visited this site in 2008 and here is another picture of the bronze plaque. As the plaque states many believe that he is buried here, for he was found 10 years after the battle, 1886. The plaque was erected by the 7th Cavalry Regiment Association and the 1st Cavalry Division Association in 1983.

[herosrest]

Ducemus

Some detail and discussion milescity.com/forums/posts/view/53953

It is surprising, perhaps, with all the issues surrounding missing men, survivors, and Nathan Short of Company C - that Harrington was never considered as a candidate.

[Jenny]

Feb 7, 2016 20:49:45 GMT -6 herosrest said:

Ducemus

Some detail and discussion milescity.com/forums/posts/view/53953

It is surprising, perhaps, with all the issues surrounding missing men, survivors, and Nathan Short of Company C - that Harrington was never considered as a candidate.

So, I was going to start a new discussion regarding all of this but then I found this thread! What is considered the final word on the whereabouts of Harrington, Foley and Short? Did they all truly make it far before being killed? Given that we are ruling out suicide, were they just shot from a great distance? Otherwise it seems Foley's guidon would have been taken off him. Still, these guys trying their best to get away are great stories. I only find Harrington's and Foley's getaways believable, particularly Harrington's. 

Jenny

[Jenny]

Having tried to develop a more critical eye for this and other stories, I'm going with Godfrey's explanation. It's the only one that makes sense re. Short.

J

[Yan Taylor]

I think Foley was found dead not for from 1st SGT Butler, Butler is considered to be a courier but Short could have been riding for his life.
Harrington, I thought his body was not actually found, do you mean Lt. Harrington? Didn't the Indians say he died a brave death?

Ian

[Jenny]

Yes, the Indians said Lt. Harrington was brave, but I'm not sure they're sure it was him. They said the same thing about Keogh. And maybe others in other areas. Other Indians said they saw a fast horse (Harrington was known to have a fast sorrel) and the rider was getting away but then the rider shot himself. The Indians didn't approach him afterward. Or did they? To get his horse? Or did he really shoot himself? Maybe his gun just went off accidentally while he was trying to adjust his hat. And Short could still be an escapee way the heck out close to the Rosebud, which can't be seen from LBH, but witnesses say that body was way too far gone to have part of the LBH fight. OK, do I have some of that right? And by the way, in that scenario wouldn't Short have been noticed by those on Reno-Benteen Hill?😂

If I have learned anything so far its that this subject is a tangled mess!

I remain awaiting all the answers,
Jenny

[Jenny]

So let's do a Fred and suppose something: If Custer was able to give Short a message to take to Terry what would it say?

[Yan Taylor]

Well by that time it would be too late to ask for help, maybe Butler was for the rest of the regiment to rescue them and Short was for Terry's, any message to Terry would be to warn him about the size of the village and its ability to fight and not run.

Gibbons Montana column was only around 377 strong and could have been cut up if caught in the open, so to get a warning would have been important.

Ian

[noggy]

Feb 19, 2023 13:40:14 GMT -6 Yan Taylor said:

Well by that time it would be too late to ask for help, maybe Butler was for the rest of the regiment to rescue them and Short was for Terry's, any message to Terry would be to warn him about the size of the village and its ability to fight and not run.

Gibbons Montana column was only around 377 strong and could have been cut up if caught in the open, so to get a warning would have been important.

Ian

The content of a hypothetical message would probably very much be formed by what time Custer sent him, A warning? A "Be wary"? "FFS, help us, you bastard!"..or "Can you pick up some milk?"

Geir

[crzhrs]

Feb 18, 2023 15:40:21 GMT -6 Jenny said:

Yes, the Indians said Lt. Harrington was brave, but I'm not sure they're sure it was him. They said the same thing about Keogh. And maybe others in other areas. Other Indians said they saw a fast horse (Harrington was known to have a fast sorrel) and the rider was getting away but then the rider shot himself. The Indians didn't approach him afterward. Or did they? To get his horse? Or did he really shoot himself? Maybe his gun just went off accidentally while he was trying to adjust his hat. And Short could still be an escapee way the heck out close to the Rosebud, which can't be seen from LBH, but witnesses say that body was way too far gone to have part of the LBH fight. OK, do I have some of that right? And by the way, in that scenario wouldn't Short have been noticed by those on Reno-Benteen Hill?😂

If I have learned anything so far its that this subject is a tangled mess!

I remain awaiting all the answers,
Jenny

One thing to remember about what Indians said regarding the LBH is once on reservations they soon came to realize it was better to tell the White Man what he wanted to hear rather than the truth.

If an Indian admitted to any disfigurement or said the soldiers died like cowards or fought poorly they probably felt that was not what was best for him.

There were a number of Indians who told what they saw or did that may have incriminated them but most knew it was better to praise the soldiers rather than face perceived punishment by the Whites.

[noggy]

Feb 18, 2023 15:40:21 GMT -6 Jenny said:

Yes, the Indians said Lt. Harrington was brave, but I'm not sure they're sure it was him. 

No. They just spoke about a soldier. They knew nobody by name or even face. Some people think it was Harrington they speak of. In a situation where people have dismounted, been shot at and killed, horses ran of and were all over the place, and the remaining soldiers tried to get hold of one, odds are they won't be back up on "their own" horse.

As far as what they saw of bravery, there is a human factor people often forget when they read about battle testimonies. And that is that how you perceive combat is VERY narrow and personal. You can only talk about your own field of view. Ask two soldiers about the same battle, they will tell different stories. That is why you have some Indians talking about long fight, others a short one. Because it can depend on when they joined the fight and saw, or their personal definition of what is long and short. The same with bravery. You have several who obviously saw soldiers fighting to the death. Ask White Bull about the guy who tried to bite of his nose! But you have others who saw basically shell shocked soldiers who couldn't fight back.

For some reason, and i think this is because many think very black.white about historical events, this has left some people (including historians) confused. Simply because they can't understand the human element of it. Instead they'll talk about how Indian testimonies "PROVE" that it was a quick or prolonged fight, that the soldiers were brave or panicked. They can't fathom that things need not be A or B. There is a whole alphabet here, after all...

Hope this makes sense, ramblings are seldom my strong point.

Noggy