HORSEMEAT MARCH

The 'Horsemeat March' of 1876, also known as the 'Starvation March', was a military expedition led by General George Crook in pursuit of a band of Sioux fleeing General Custer's defeat at the Battle of Little Big Horn. The Sioux burned the grass behind them, and the American cavalry travelled with reduced rations to allow faster pursuit. As a result, the cavalry had no food for men or horses, and the soldiers eventually had to shoot and eat their horses as they became lame or injured. The Horsemeat March ended in Deadwood, South Dakota. Many of the cavalrymen were said to have gone insane as a result of the march.
The contract surgeon, who was on the Horsemeat March and documented his experiences, was Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy.