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John S S Forbes, Little Big Horn, St John’s Episcopal Church

 
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Adam Brown
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 7312
Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)

PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:51 pm    Post subject: John S S Forbes, Little Big Horn, St John’s Episcopal Church Reply with quote

Trooper Forbes, Little Big Horn, War Memorial
St John’s Episcopal Church, Junction of Lothian Road and Princes Street, Edinburgh
OS Ref: NT 247 736



This is quite a well known plaque. Unfortunately the lighting in the church and the fact I can't take photographs for toffee meant that I had to take this photograph at this ridiculous angle. Hopefully someone else can come up with a better one.

The inscription says

In Memory of
John Stuart Stuart Forbes
7th Reg’t United States Cavalry, born at Rugby
28th May 1849, Killed in Action 25th June 1876
St. James 4: 13-14-15 Romans 8: 35-37

John Stuart Stuart Forbes died at the Battle of Little Big Horn and his story crops up now and again in Scottish magazines and newspapers

The double Stuart middle name is not a mistake. Due to some complicated family inheritances he and his brother ended up with two Stuart surnames as their middle names.

By all accounts the black sheep of the family who had to flee the UK under a cloud he enlisted in the US Cavalry in 1872 as John Stuart Hiley and is listed on the memorial on the battlefield under that name.

He wasn’t the only Scot to fall that day. These men also died and were from Scotland

Alexander Brown from Aberdeen; James Callan, Thomas Conlan from Ayrshire; James Hill, William Moodie, David McWilliams, Edinburgh; Joseph Milton, Glasgow; Charles Scott and Peter Thompson, Markinch.

As far as I know there are no memorials to them in Scotland.

Not surprisingly there is plenty to read about the Little Big Horn and Trooper Forbes on the internet.

Here are some interesting ones for starters.

From the Friends of Little Big Horn website

http://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/john_stuart_forbes_memorial.htm

http://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/glasgow-sunday-post.htm

From the Scottish Military Historical Society Website

http://www.btinternet.com/~james.mckay/disp_001.htm

List of Little Big Horn Casualties

http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/togo/human/data/little.html

Guide to the battlefield

http://www.custerbattle.com/

This year’s e-enactment of the battle. If you are in Montana next weekend check this out!

http://www.custerslaststand.org/

Adam
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Adam Brown
Curator


Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 7312
Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)

PostPosted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A letter from Leslie Hodgson in the June 2007 edition of the Scots Magazine explains the double Stuart in this name.

The first Stuart is a christian name. James Stuart Forbes added another surname to his name in 1866 when his mother changed their names from Forbes to Stuart Forbes. This was when his older brother became the 9th Baronet, Sir William Stuart Stuart Forbes of Pitsligo

The 8th Baronet, Sir John Forbes of Pitsligo had taken the surname Stuart Forbes after inheriting the estate of Sir John Stuart of Fettercairn in 1829 (he had to add another surname Hepburn as well in 1864 but that was not carried forward by the 9th Baronet)

Just to complicate matters further William and John were in New Zealand when William inherited the title.

Adam
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