Thomas Mower McDougall subsequently he was appointed Captain, 15 Dec 1875. In 1876 Captain McDougall commanded Company B and accompanied the 7th Cavalry Regiment, under command of Lt. Col. George A. Custer in its fateful departure from Fort Abraham Lincoln to participate in what became known as the Great Sioux War of 1876, which culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand which occurred on June 25–26, 1876. On May 17, 1876, the 7th Cavalry left their base at Fort Abraham Lincoln near present day Mandan, North Dakota to join in a campaign against the Sioux Indians.
1st Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry Regiment 1st Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry Regiment The 1st Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the "Mounted Rangers," was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was mustered in at St. Cloud, St. Peter, and Fort Snelling for one year's service between October and December 1862, and the men were mustered out between October and December 1863. The 1st Minnesota Cavalry served entirely in Minnesota and the Dakota Territory, guarding the frontier against the hostile Sioux Indians. The 1st Minnesota Cavalry lost 2 officers and 4 enlisted men killed in action or died of wounds