Comanche
The KU Natural History Museum is the home of Comanche, the horse ridden by Captain Myles Keogh at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. After Comanche's death, Lewis Lindsay Dyche taxidermied the horse for the 7th Cavalry, but Comanche stayed with the museum's collections. In 2005, museum staff completely restored the mount and created a new display on the fourth floor. Comanche is one of the most visited exhibits in the museum.
On June 25, 1876, General George Armstrong Custer led a detachment of troops from the United States Army's 7th Cavalry at what is now known as the Battle of Little Big Horn; a U.S. National Park monument is located at the site today in Montana.
United States Army Captain Myles Keogh rode a bay horse named Comanche into the battle, and two days after the battle Captain Keogh had died, but the horse — severely injured — survived. More than 200 US cavalrymen were killed that day as well as several dozen Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho men, women and children. After the battle, Comanche was nursed back to health but he was retired and orders were given that he should never be ridden again.