"1876 US cavalry horses " Topic

Got to the stage of painting some 15mm 'Old West' US cavalry, and I hope the better informed readership can advise whether the 7th cavalry tried to have the same colour horses in each company during this period? I've seen references to a 'grey' company, for example…

Also, any information on what colour horse George A.Custer (or indeed Tom, or any other senior officer) was riding would be much appreciated!

The 7th did try to have the same color horses in each troop. Tom Custer's troop rode grays if I remember rightly.
William Reusswig in his book on the battle "A Picture Report on the Little Bighorn" lists some of these, but I am not at home right now. You might also try "Custer's Luck".
I don't know how available they are in your local library. I assume you are British from your spelling of colour.
Natokina.

This may help.

custerlives.com/7thcav9.htm

Capt. Tom Custer's C Company 7th US Cavalry rode horses of Light Carmel in color.

From Boots & Saddles at the Little Bighorn by James S. Hutchins:

"A" Company--coal black horses
"E" Company--gray horses
"B," "D," "F," "I," and "L" Companies--bays
"H" Company--blood bays
"G" and "K" Companies--sorrels
"C" Company--light sorrels
"M" Company got the left overs, so they were a mix
Trumpeters rode grays; officers usually rode the same color horses as their company
Custer rode a horse called "Vic," a sorrel with four white feet and a blaze on the face.
Captain Miles Keogh rode "Commanche," described as a light bay or buckskin. Keogh commanded Company "I" a bay company.

I see you are in Britain; I think American and British horse color nomenclature differs a bit. So, it might be wise to check a dictionary to see what exactly is meant.

Grelber

George A. Custer rode a sorrel. (Kind of a light brown-red)
Interesting about the companies in the 7th.
ALV

Exactly the information I needed, many thanks gentlemen! Now only 400-odd horses to go (oh, and the Indian ones, of course…)

If I'm allowed a couple of follow-on questions:

1. 11th ACR's link shows red/white company guidons, is this correct for 1876? Other references appear to show the cavalry version of the 'stars & stripes', together with Custer's personal standard being carried at LBH.

2.If it's the stars & stripes, was there any company identification letter, or were they all the same?

Sorry if this is an elementary question, but as you've gathered, I'm from 'over there'!

Company Guidons were in 1876:

It should be a stars & stripes swallow tail guidion.

and:

link

link

link

also

link

and

link

Anyone produce suitable guidons in 15mm?

Grelber; is quoting from a really good little book, which I believe is out of print now, to bad. The 7th still had 1873 guidons, even thou 1876 guidons had been issued to some regiments already.

Sorry, another question….

What about US infantry companies during this period – should they carry any sort of flags? I've not found reference to any, and assume that, as it was very rare for larger units (battalions, for example) to be deployed as a whole, any colours they might have would be kept safely back at base, not taken into the field…

But I know that someone here will have the definitive answer!

I have seen references to infantry using company colors in the 1877 Nez Perce war simply as a way of keeping track of units spread out over the empty expanses.