Walter Mason Camp
The notes of Walter Mason Camp are one of the most quoted resources for information regarding the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Camp had three things going for him, he was obviously bright and intelligent, had an enduring interest in the Custer battle as well as the Indian wars, and was alive when there were still many survivors of the Custer Battle living. Unfortunately, camp died before he could pull his voluminous notes together to write definitive narratives on the history of the 7th Cavalry and the Indian Wars.
Camp was born on 21 April 1867 at Camptown Pennsylvania. He received his basic education at schools in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. In his youth he worked as a trackwalker for the Lehigh valley railroad, and this must have sparked his interest in railroad engineering. He graduated from Pennsylvania State College in 1891 with a degree in civil engineering, and began a long career working for the railroad. He later attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he taught and furthered his education in electrical and steam engineering. In 1987 he became editor of the Railway and Engineering Review, and his Notes On Track, addressing issues in railway construction and maintenance, became a college textbook.
At some point during his mobile career he acquired an insatiable interest in the Indian Wars. The Custer battle was one of his favorite topics, but he studied extensively many other battles as well. For over 20 years he spent every vacation and as much other time as he could sacrifice from his busy schedule to actually talk to survivors both Indian and white about their recollections. These he carefully recorded in his "notes." His academic training and devotion to details further enriched the communications that he had with these individuals, especially as to controversial issues. During this time he visited over 40 battlefields, interviewed over 200 survivors of battles, and along with Gen. anson Mills, found and marked the exact site of the Slim Buttes fight. His notes include studies of the Washita, Mackenzie's raid, Wolf Mountain, Lame Deer, Nez Perce, Rain-in-Face capture, death of sitting Bull, Wounded Knee, and many others.
In a letter of introduction to Elizabeth Custer(Custer's Widow) dated 31 October 1917, to enlist her support for his study of the Little Bighorn, he stated that he had been to the Custer battlefield nine times, had traveled Custer's route from the Yellowstone River to the Little Bighorn five times, interviewed more than 60 survivors of Reno's command(including 8 officers) and over 150 Indian survivors of the battle.
In January, 1920 in Washington, D.C. he addressed the Offer of Indian Wars of the United States on the subject of "Some of the Indian Battles and Battlefields" and received the honor of being the first Honorary Companion of the Order or Indian Wars.
Soon after that his health began to fail and he retired to his farm in Indiana. He died on 3 august 1925 at the age of 58. His valuable notes passed through several hands before the bulk of them were donated to the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University in 1972. Other notes can be found at the Lilly Library at Indiana University and at the Denver Public Library. For those of you who are not able to travel around the country to review the original notes, Kenneth Hammer edited the Custer battle related notes and published them through the University of Oklahoma Press, entitled Custer In '76.
The notes of Walter Mason Camp are one of the most quoted resources for information regarding the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Camp had three things going for him, he was obviously bright and intelligent, had an enduring interest in the Custer battle as well as the Indian wars, and was alive when there were still many survivors of the Custer Battle living. Unfortunately, camp died before he could pull his voluminous notes together to write definitive narratives on the history of the 7th Cavalry and the Indian Wars.
Camp was born on 21 April 1867 at Camptown Pennsylvania. He received his basic education at schools in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. In his youth he worked as a trackwalker for the Lehigh valley railroad, and this must have sparked his interest in railroad engineering. He graduated from Pennsylvania State College in 1891 with a degree in civil engineering, and began a long career working for the railroad. He later attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he taught and furthered his education in electrical and steam engineering. In 1987 he became editor of the Railway and Engineering Review, and his Notes On Track, addressing issues in railway construction and maintenance, became a college textbook.
At some point during his mobile career he acquired an insatiable interest in the Indian Wars. The Custer battle was one of his favorite topics, but he studied extensively many other battles as well. For over 20 years he spent every vacation and as much other time as he could sacrifice from his busy schedule to actually talk to survivors both Indian and white about their recollections. These he carefully recorded in his "notes." His academic training and devotion to details further enriched the communications that he had with these individuals, especially as to controversial issues. During this time he visited over 40 battlefields, interviewed over 200 survivors of battles, and along with Gen. anson Mills, found and marked the exact site of the Slim Buttes fight. His notes include studies of the Washita, Mackenzie's raid, Wolf Mountain, Lame Deer, Nez Perce, Rain-in-Face capture, death of sitting Bull, Wounded Knee, and many others.
In a letter of introduction to Elizabeth Custer(Custer's Widow) dated 31 October 1917, to enlist her support for his study of the Little Bighorn, he stated that he had been to the Custer battlefield nine times, had traveled Custer's route from the Yellowstone River to the Little Bighorn five times, interviewed more than 60 survivors of Reno's command(including 8 officers) and over 150 Indian survivors of the battle.
In January, 1920 in Washington, D.C. he addressed the Offer of Indian Wars of the United States on the subject of "Some of the Indian Battles and Battlefields" and received the honor of being the first Honorary Companion of the Order or Indian Wars.
Soon after that his health began to fail and he retired to his farm in Indiana. He died on 3 august 1925 at the age of 58. His valuable notes passed through several hands before the bulk of them were donated to the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University in 1972. Other notes can be found at the Lilly Library at Indiana University and at the Denver Public Library. For those of you who are not able to travel around the country to review the original notes, Kenneth Hammer edited the Custer battle related notes and published them through the University of Oklahoma Press, entitled Custer In '76.