Thomas J. Stowers, Sole Survivor of Custer's Last Stand? - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

The inscription on the tombstone of Thomas J. Stowers, in the Odd Fellow Cemetery east of Baxter, Tennessee, at the junction of the Buffalo Valley Road and the Gainesboro Highway, has generated some controversy:

“Thos. J. Stowers, Dec 3, 1848 – July 26, 1933
Enlisted Sept 3, 1864,
Private, Co. D, 199 Regiment
Served in 7th Cavalry after Civil War
Sole survivor of Gen. Custer’s Massacre, June 25, 1876."

There are several web pages that detail the controversy of Thomas J. Stowers:

(visit link)
(visit link)

It seems likely that Stowers embellished his account of his involvement in the Battle of Little Bighorn, but his notoriety qualifies his resting place regardless.

Description: According to family tradition, when Stowers returned to Putnam County after the war, the hostility of his neighbors in the Baxter area caused him to reenlist in the United States Army. He was assigned to a cavalry unit headed by General George A. Custer. In 1876 Custer was ordered to put down a Sioux uprising in South Dakota and Montana. He headed out with a small cavalry unit which included Stowers. The Putnam Countian however, in order to adjust a stirrup, pulled his horse from line and as punishment was ordered back to camp. Stowers thus missed the Battle of the Little Big Horn in which Custer and 265 other soldiers died. The lucky cavalryman later returned to Putnam County where he lived out his life and was buried in the Oddfellows cemetery in Baxter. The misleading inscription on the tombstone identifies him as the “sole survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn.” Date of birth: 12/03/1848 Date of death: 07/25/1933 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: No open or closing times were listed for this cemetery. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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