Vancouver, WA – Clark County Historical Museum’s 2021 Speaker Series continues on Thursday, Nov. 4, with “Custer’s Other Brother-in-Law: The Calhouns of the Vancouver Barracks” presented by Jeff Davis. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m.
At the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Battle of Greasy Grass), Lieutenant Colonel Custer was accompanied by his brother-in-laws, Miles Moylan and James Calhoun, along with his brothers, Tom and Boston Custer, and a nephew, Harry Autie Reed. All but Myles fell alongside him. One remaining brother-in-law, Lieutenant Frederic Calhoun, was assigned to the 14th Infantry during the Sioux War and was elsewhere during the battle. In this presentation, author and historian Jeff Davis will discuss the career and life of Lt. Calhoun after the Sioux Wars, including a look at his wife, Emma, and the role she played as an officer’s wife at the Vancouver Barracks.
"In military history, it is too easy to dismiss the importance and contribution of Army wives to the betterment of their husband's careers, or the success of a military campaign,” says Davis. “And who picks up the pieces if the soldier dies or is injured? In the case of the extended Custer family after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, I want to discuss the tremendous accomplishments of Emma Reed Calhoun."
Jeff Davis is a credentialed military historian, archaeologist, and author. Davis has a BS in Anthropology and MA in Archaeology and Prehistory. He has worked as an archaeologist in Clark County as well as the Cascade Mountains. He spent 32 years in the Army and Army Reserves, and deployed to both Bosnia, Afghanistan and Southwest Asia. His last assignment was as a military historian at the Vancouver Barracks and Fort Lewis, WA. Davis is one of the founding members of the Vancouver Barracks Military Association. He has worked as a volunteer with the Clark County History Museum as well as The Historic Trust of Clark County. He has written, edited, or contributed to several books on military history and pop culture including “Custer’s Other Brother-in-Law, The Orders Books of Lieutenant Frederic S. Calhoun” available at Clark County Historical Museum.
The CCHM Speaker Series is sponsored by the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission and Versa Events (formerly Wager Audio). General admission is $5; seniors and students are $4; children under 18 are $3; and the evening is free for CCHM members, veterans, and active-duty military personnel.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, as it is seating is limited to 25 participants. For the safety of staff, visitors, and our families, CCHM does require proof of vaccination for admission to all CCHM events.
For more information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or outreach@cchmuseum.org.
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