Sergeant Daniel Kanipe was a United States Army soldier who served in the 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. He was a member of Company C and played a significant role in the battle. Kanipe was one of the few survivors and was known for his bravery and eyewitness account of the events. He was also a key witness during the Court of Inquiry into the battle, providing valuable testimony about the actions of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry. After the battle, Kanipe continued to serve in the Army and later wrote about his experiences at Little Bighorn. His account, titled The kanipe Story, is considered an important historical resource for understanding the battle. Sergeant Daniel Knype's actions during the Battle of Little Bighorn demonstrate his courage and dedication to duty, making him a notable figure in American military history. On May 17, 1876, we were sent out on what would turn out to be a most unfortunate expedition. We set off toward the Yellowstone River, marching 12 miles to the Big Heart River, where we made camp. We stayed for a while, looking around at our surroundings. By about June 10, we moved on to the Powder River. Six companies out of the 12 were sent out on a scouting mission. Leaving the wagon train at the Powder River, we took 10 days’ rations on pack mules and traveled up the Powder River for two days. Then we turned toward the Tongue River, and it was along the Rosebud River that we discovered the Indian Trail. As the sun began to set, we prepared some coffee and marched along the trail all night long. In the morning, we made more coffee and set out up the trail again, marching until noon. General Reno, who was in command of this detachment, noticed that our 10-day rations were running low, so we turned back down the Rosebud River. At the junction of the Rosebud and Yellowstone, we met the other six companies of the regiment, led by General Custer. General Terry, the commander of the department, was also present. It was said that General Custer was under arrest due to his attitude against post traders who had lost their concessions after scandals during President Grant's administration.
A glass of liquor cost 25 cents, and the servings were mostly just a little bit, very little whiskey. Custer had set a maximum price, which led to his arrest. However, many high-ranking army officers were with him, and he was given a command at the place I mentioned. On July 22, Custer's group received 15-day rations from the steamboat Far West that was on the river. There were two Rodman guns and two Gatling guns with Custer. He thought he could manage without them, so he gave them to General Gibbon, who took them across the river. In hindsight, this was a mistake. If he had kept one of those Rodman guns and fired it just once, the Indians would not have stopped running. If we had had a Gatling gun there, there would have been many more survivors than just me. In fact, there would never have been a Custer massacre. On June 22, we broke camp and set out, marching all day long. That evening, Custer ordered no more bugle calls and only enough fire to make coffee; commands would be given by hand signals. On the morning of June 23, we started out again and marched until nearly nightfall before setting up camp for the night. They had built brush shelters from the cottonwood trees, and the ground was padded down smooth and hard from their dancing. Six Crow Indian scouts who were with our regiment had gone ahead and found the scalp of a white man, which belonged to a soldier from Gibbon's command.
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