Full Breakdown
Mark Kellogg: The First Associated Press Journalist Killed in Combat and His Enduring Legacy
6/26/2026, 5:29:34 AM
The Fatal Ride with Custer
On June 25, 1876, Mark Kellogg, a 43-year-old reporter for *The Bismarck Tribune* and the *New York Herald*, rode with Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s Seventh Cavalry during the Battle of Little Bighorn. Embedded in the unit, Kellogg filed dispatches that the Associated Press (AP) distributed nationwide. When Custer’s forces made a final stand on a hill and were overwhelmed by Sioux warriors, Kellogg’s scalped body was recovered nearby. His last published dispatch read, in part, “I go with Custer and will be at the death.”
Historical Context: The First AP War Fatality
Kellogg’s death marks the first instance of an AP journalist killed while covering a conflict. The 150th anniversary of the battle highlighted this milestone. Since 1876, a total of 38 AP journalists have died in the line of duty, spanning wars, civil unrest, and other hazardous assignments.
Key Figures
- Mark Kellogg – Part-time reporter, widower, father of two daughters, who also carried a rifle while filing stories.
- Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer – Commander of the Seventh Cavalry, whose miscalculation of Sioux numbers precipitated the battle.
- Sandy Barnard – Historian and author of a Kellogg biography, who has contextualized Kellogg’s role.
- Lindsay Meidinger – Deputy State Archivist for the State Historical Society of North Dakota, custodian of Kellogg’s diary and personal effects.
Data & Statistics
- 38 AP journalists have died while reporting for the agency.
- Kellogg was 43 years old at the time of his death.
- The diary preserved by the State Historical Society documents daily weather, travel distances, troop composition, and wildlife sightings, but ends before the battle.
- The diary and related artifacts—including eyeglasses, tobacco, clothing, and a mosquito net—have been digitized for public access.
Diary Insights: Day-to-Day Observations
Kellogg’s journal entries provide granular detail on the cavalry’s movements, noting antelope counts, rider positions, and environmental conditions. These observations offer historians a rare glimpse into the logistical realities of the 1870s frontier campaign, supplementing official military reports.
Official Statements & Responses
Historian Sandy Barnard emphasized that Kellogg’s conduct “bordered on that of a soldier,” noting his rifle carriage and close integration with the troops. Barnard also highlighted Kellogg’s overt bias, citing his description of Native Americans as “red devils.” Archivist Lindsay Meidinger described the diary as “a primary source of the historical event,” underscoring its scarcity among Seventh Cavalry records. The AP noted that Kellogg’s dispatches were circulated nationwide, establishing an early model for rapid news transmission from the battlefield.
Criticism & Opposition
Kellogg’s language reflects the era’s prevalent racism toward Native Americans. His failure to maintain journalistic neutrality—exemplified by derogatory terminology—contrasts sharply with modern standards of impartial reporting.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The diary terminates before the battle, leaving no first-hand account of Kellogg’s final moments. Consequently, scholars rely on secondary reports and the physical evidence of his scalped body to reconstruct his experience.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I go with Custer and will be at the death.” — Mark Kellogg, dispatch
- “During the last stages of the campaign, Kellogg was probably more of a soldier than he was a newspaper man,” — Sandy Barnard, historian
- “While his record as a journalist might be very small compared to modern reporters who go into combat, he certainly was doing exactly what they are doing,” — Sandy Barnard
- “And he made no attempt to avoid not just bias but racism against Native Americans, whom he called “red devils.” — Sandy Barnard
- “It’s a primary source of the historical event, that not many other primary sources remain from that time period related to the Seventh Cavalry and Custer,” — Lindsay Meidinger, Deputy State Archivist
What’s Next
The digitized diary is now available through the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s online portal, inviting further scholarly analysis. Ongoing research aims to contextualize Kellogg’s reports within broader narratives of 19th-century war correspondence and to assess the evolution of journalistic ethics from his era to the present.
