Custer's Last Man: I Survived Little Big Horn

Fog of War
One negative comment -- the handwriting specimen at the end was not Frank Finckle's manuscript signature. The specimen came from a clerk in Walla Walla, Washington, and this may be verified by calling the Columbia County Clerk's office in Dayton, Washington. That's the last time I ever analyze handwriting with my glasses off...The book "Custer Survivor" shows the authentic signatures of "August Finckle" in 1872 and "Frank Finkel" in 1921 and 1930 -- same person at different life stages. Same height, same hair color, same eye color, same fluency in German and English -- and the Prussian Archives in Berlin report NO Prussian officer named Finckle or Finkel 1869 - 1873 so that's another blind detour. Finckle and Finkel were the same person -- the man whose best friend, Sergeant Charles Windolph, MOH, coulnd't find his body. Frank Finckle was never on Last Stand Hill but he and a half-dozen other troopers broke through the Indians when C Company was shot to pieces. The other dead soldiers...

Fascinating
Well done, intriguing, and wildly dramatic mystery. No solutions, really, but this exceedingly well done documentary definitely presents a fascinating tale most of us never knew about when we learned of Custer's Last Stand. I came down on the negative side -- I don't think the man was really a survivor of the battle -- but why invent such a tale? He portrayed himself as so unheroic! Heck, maybe he really was there!

fantasy
Sgt Finckle died with his company at LBH. Part of the battlefield is called Finley Finckle Ridge. Its where the bodies of the 2 sergeants were found. 4 men identified Sgt Finckle( one a Medal Of Honor winner) and a new diary has been discovered where Sgt Allcot a friend of Finckles also identified his body and he has a photo of the brave Sergeant not the Ohio fake who people still make make money off of. Shame to destroy a brave NCO's honor to make a buck. Then again the History Channel is all about swamp people, loggers ,killing gators.Its a joke Ice road truckers are not history so its good the fairy tale was on the History channel.

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