Fort Keogh - Honoring A Fallen Soldier

Honoring A Fallen Soldier

The fort was named for Myles Keogh, a Captain (brevet Lt Colonel) and commander of Company I in the 7th US Cavalry under Lt Colonel (brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer. He also had been killed in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Born in Ireland on March 25, 1840, Keogh came from a comfortable background. Wanting adventure, Keogh left the farming to a brother and went off to war. In 1860 he went to Italy after the Pope recruited Irish men to take up the fight to save the Papal States. In those battles, he won two medals. Later Keogh joined the Papal Guard in Rome.

Keogh preferred warfare to acting as a guard; he resigned his post, and in March 1862 headed to the United States to enter the American Civil War. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Union Army, and proved his ability repeatedly. He won many commendations, and his bravery in the Battle of Gettysburg earned him the rank of brevet Major. Keogh took an assignment in the western wars in 1863; he served under Custer until his death in battle.

Keogh stood his ground, with the company he commanded around him; they were surrounded and outnumbered by Sioux warriors. His body was later found in the center of those of his soldiers. The Army later found his horse "Comanche" walking riderless on the battlefield. Soldiers nursed the horse to health, and he became a legend.