Charles Windolph

Charles Windolph
Born	December 9, 1851(1851-12-09) Bergen, Germany
Died	1950 (aged 98–99)
Place of burial	Black Hills National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1871 - 1883
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	7th U.S. Cavalry
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Charles Windolph (December 9, 1851–1950) was a soldier in Company H of the George Armstrong Custer's Seventh U. S. Cavalry who survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn and was the recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Windolph was born in Bergen, Germany, December 9, 1851, to Joseph and Adelphina Koch Windolph. He arrived in the United States in 1871, and enlisted in the army's 2nd US Infantry November 12, 1871. He deserted July 18, 1871, and promptly reenlisted as Charles Wrangel in 7th US Cavalry. He later surrendered and was restored to duty without punishment. He was a shoemaker and did cobbler work among his comrades. He was a participant in the Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 and the Black Hills Expedition in 1874.

Windolph took part in the Reno-Benteen hilltop action at the Battle of Little Bighorn, and was wounded in the buttock. He later received the Medal of Honor for his actions during that fight, specifically for providing covering fire for his comrades (including Medal of Honor recipient Peter Thompson) who went for water for the wounded on June 26, 1876. He was also awarded the Purple Heart many years later. He was discharged in 1883 as a Sergeant. Like Thompson, he moved to Lead, Dakota Territory, and took a job with the Homestake Mine, where he worked for 49 years. He married twice and had three children. His wife had a bakery. He was the source/subject of a book I Fought With Custer, The Story of Sergeant Windolph which is listed as written by Frazier & Robert Hunt, published in 1947. He died in 1950 at age 98, the last of the white participants in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His remains were interred in the Black Hills National Cemetery.

Windolph first married in 1882 to Mary Jones who died in 1883. He later married a childhood friend, Mathilda Lulow. Mathilda Lulow was born ca. 1861 on the Isle of Rugen to Karl Christian Christoph Lulow and Marie Sophia Henrietta Kagelmacher. Mathilda died on 23 March 1924 and is buried with Charles Windolph in the Black Hills National Cemetery. They had children: Marie Elizabeth, Robert Nicholas, and Irene.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 lune 1876. Entered service at: Brooklyn, N.Y. Born: December 9, 1851, Germany. Date of issue: October 5, 1878.

Citation:

With 3 comrades, during the entire engagement, courageously held a position that secured water for the command.

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Army portal

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars

References

• Nichols, Ronald. Men with Custer (rev. ed.). Hardin MT: Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Society, 2000.

External links

• "Charles Windolph". Hall of Valor. Military Times. http://www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=359. Retrieved September 6, 2010. 
• Kit and Morgan Benson (November 19, 2001). "Charles Windolph". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5969806. Retrieved September 6, 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Windolph, Charles
Alternative names
Short description	United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Date of birth	December 9, 1851
Place of birth	Bergen, Germany
Date of death	1950
Place of death