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©2004-2014
Diane Merkel
Reproduction
in whole or in part without prior written consent is prohibited.
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Jacob
Adams
Photographs
and information contributed by
Jeff Veach of Martinsville, Illinois
Obituary
which appeared in the Vincennes Sun-Commercial,
May 14, 1934:
Jake Adams, Witness of Scenes of Massacre of Custer's
Army by the Indians, Dies Here Sunday.
"Uncle
Jake" Adams, Indian fighter, 82 years old,
a courier for the regular army in the Custer massacre,
and a witness of the scenes on the field of that
battle, died at his home, 123 West Eberwine avenue
at 8:15 p.m., Sunday.
"Uncle Jake" was widely known in Vincennes.
Besides being a war veteran, he had written a
booklet about his experiences in the Indian wars
during his period of service, 1873 to 1878, when
he served on the western plains.
Funeral arrangements have not been completed.
As a member of Uncle Sam's regular army who served
during the war, "Uncle Jake" will be
buried with the flag draped about his body.
Hundreds of Vincennes residents have heard the
sturdy old Indian fighter tell of his experiences
in the days when "the only good Indian was
a dead Indian," and the feeling of the early
settlers ran high against the depredations of
the red man.
Five
Years in Field
His
book tells of enlisting at Yankton, Dakota in
April of 1873. He spent five years with a field
regiment, which served under General Custer. It
was the first expedition ever sent into the Black
Hills, the wild and unknown territory.
Illustrative of the tales he tells is the story
of his getting water, under fire, for the wounded
of his expedition.
Burial in City
Burial
will be in the Mt. Cavalry cemetery. Survivors
are: two sons, Joseph, of Kalamazoo, Mich. and
Francis Adams of Vincennes; and two daughters,
Maggie Miller of Kalamazoo.
Two brothers are George and Edward, both of this
city.
Two sisters, Martha Murphy of St. Francisville
and Lula Hoffman of St. Marie, Ill., also survive.
Other survivors include 32 grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren.
The cemetery caretaker also gave Jeff Veach additional
information, which read:
In
the water party with Michael Madden. Pension and
death records list birthdate as July 12, 1851. Enlisted on April 13, 1873, at age 21, in Yankton,
D.T., by Captain Frederick Benteen. Previous occupation
was farmer in Ohio and Indiana. Treated for frostbite
at Fort Rice December 12, 1873, and for conjuctivitis
of the eye, April 21, 1874. In Captain George
Yates' detachment that arrested Rain In The Face
at Standing Rock Agency in 1875. The unexecuted
part of the sentence of military convict, J. Adams,
formerly private, Company H, 7th Cavalry, was
remitted on June 21, 1876, and he was restored
to duty, per SO 116, Dept. of the Gulf, New Orleons,
1876. Discharged on April 13, 1878, at Fort Rice,
D.T., on expiration of service, as a private of
excellent character. He had brown eyes, brown
hair, fair complexion, was 5'8" tall and
was illiterate. Received a pension after May 7,
1885. Resided on Rural Route 12, Kalamazoo, MI,
in 1927, and Rural Route 8 and 123 West Ebervine,
Vincennes, IN. Died at age 82 at 8:15 p.m. on
May 13, 1934, at his home. Causes of death were
cardiac asthma and arteriosclerosis. Buried in
Mt. Cavalry Catholic Cemetery, Vincennes. Survived
by two sons, two daughters, two brothers and two
sisters. (His account is in Horace Ellis, A "Survivors
Story...," Journal of American History, III,
2:1909; George R. McCormack, "Man Who Fought
With Custer," The National Republic, 21:12,
March 1934, and Kenneth Hammer, Custer on '76,
pp. 121-22. See "Taps For Jacob Adams...,"
Winners of the West, XII:3, February 1935. Obituary
in the Vincennes Sun-Commercial, May 14, 1934.)
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His
wife's gravestone. |
His
home as it appears today. |
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His account of the battle. |
His discharge, signed by Benteen.
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