When Were the First Photos Taken?

[Diane Merkel]

I received the following question from a website visitor. I think I know the answer to this one, but I don't want to give false information. When were the first photos after the battle taken?

With battlefield photography well in place during the civil war
battles, were any taken after CUSTER'S final battle?

[El Crab]

I believe Stanley Morrow took the first pictures of the field in 1877. Or so says Michno, in The Mystery of E Troop. But if the question is concerning photos taken of the field before any burials, much like all of those Civil War battlefield photos, then the answer is no.

[Scout]

Stanley Morrow took the first pictures of the battlefield in the spring of 1879, if he had done it in 1877 he would have recorded some grisly scenes since most of the dead were still unburied. The 1877 date was given by Morrow's two biographers Hurt and Lass who incorrectly dated them. Michno apparently referred to this date. Morrow accompanied Capt. George Sanderson and a company of the 11th U.S. Infantry to the site in April of 1879 for reburials. Sanderson stands in the famous photo of Keogh's grave with another soldier. There are actual only a handful of photos of the event, leading to speculation there might have been more that have been lost to time.
Excellent article, with pictures, in the 1995 CBHMA Symposium by Jim Brust. L.A. Huffman later bought Morrow out and distributed Morrow's photos with his [Huffman's] name on them which has led to some confusion as to who shot what, but Morrow took the first pictures of the site. A number of stories on the battle say Custer was planning to take a photgrapher along but his photo supplies did not arrive in time. There is no foundation in truth to this story and it is just another tall tale kicked around about the battle.

[bhist]

Actually, John Gray set the record straight on this question in an article for Montana Magazine in 1978. If Crab is correct and Michno stated Morrow took photos of the battlefield in 1877, Michno was mistaken. The first photographer was John Fouch who took photos of LSH in 1877 and many have mistakenly attributed Fouch photos to Morrow.

These photos are impressive to say the least. The field around LSH is a deadly mass of horse bones, stakes protruding from the ground -- some have the bottom half of cavalrymen boots sitting on top of them.

Jim Brust has done a lot of great research on Fouch and his photographs and I'm sure it will be discussed in the upcoming book, "Here Fell Custer." It is Brust's impeccable research with the Fouch photos that raises a very good possibility of locating the spot where Custer fell. The NPS has noted this on a wayside at the top of LSH.

For a photo history of LSH including a Fouch photo go to the Friends of the Little Bighorn website at -- www.friendslittlebighorn.com/little-bighorn-changing-faces.htm

[El Crab]

I was going off the top of my head about Michno and Morrow. He might have said Fouch. But I thought I got it right. I'll check it when I get home.

[crzhrs]

Bhist

You are correct about Fouch. The article in GREASY GRASS (May 1991) is very impressive with many photos taken of the battlefield in early July 1877, a little more than a year after the battle. Many bones of horses are visible and the actual spot were Custer was found may have been photographed. One photo shows piles of horse bones and in the background is a wooden stake with a soldiers' boot on it

[El Crab]

Michno has it right, Fouch in 1877 and Morrow in 1879...