James Calhoun

James Calhoun (August 24, 1845 – June 25, 1876) was a soldier in the United States Army during the American Civil War and the Black Hills War. He was the brother-in-law of George Armstrong Custer and was killed along with Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His brother-in-law Myles Moylan survived the battle as part of the forces with Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen.

Early life Calhoun was born in Cincinnati, Ohio into a prestigious and wealthy Scottish-American merchant family that included his brother Frederick. When the American Civil War broke out, he was travelling in Europe and two years later, both joined the Union army. Both brothers were to forgo the merchant life for the frontier to the dismay of their parents.

Career Upon returning to the United States, he enlisted in the Union Army in 1864. By the end of the war, he was a sergeant.

In July 1867, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. He met Margaret Custer while she was visiting the Custers in 1870, and they fell in love. A marble slab on the Little Bighorn battlefield marks the place where his body was discovered and initially buried.