Lt Bradley enlisted into the 14th Ohio Volunteers at the outbreak of the Civil War. It was reported he was only 16 yrs old, when he enlisted. Bradley fought in several battles & was a Prisoner of War. In July 1865, Bradley mustered out of the army at the rank of sergeant.

In February 1866, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. He was assigned to Company B, 7th US Infantry at Ft Benton in Montana Territory. Bradley proved himself to be an exceptional officer & was quickly promoted to 1st Lt.

In the Summer of 1876, the 7th US Infantry, commanded by Col John Gibbon, participated in the campaign to force the Lakota & Cheyenne back onto their reservations. Also part of this campaign was LTC George Armstrong Custer & his 7th Cavalry.

Lt Bradley, in command of the scouts, was one of the first persons to find the remains of Custer & his men following their defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

In the Summer of 1877, Col Gibbon & several companies of the 7th Infantry were ordered to intercept Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce, who had fled from Oregon. Lt Bradley was part of this campaign.

The 7th Infantry located the Nez Perce camped at Big Hole Basin in Montana. Lt Bradley, leading a mounted charge, was killed at the beginning of what became known as the Battle of Big Hole.

Bradley & approximately 29 other soldiers killed during the battle were first buried where they had died. Corporal Charles Loynes, who had fought at the Battle of Big Hole, described the burials as "the dead were buried as best we could at the time." The graves were marked with headboards made from cracker boxes.

In September 1877, word reached members of the 7th Infantry at Ft Missoula that soldier burials at Big Hole had been disturbed. A detail of soldiers were dispatched to the battlefield to ensure the remains of their comrades were properly buried. The detail reported the graves had been distrubed. "Lt Bradley's body had been scalped showing that Indians as well as wolves and other animals had been at work." All the remains were re-buried in a mass grave. In 1883 a granite monument was placed in the vicinity of the mass grave.

During his career, Bradley was known as a gifted observer of Montana history & the Native American culture. He had written articles & at the time of his death was writing a journal titled "The March of the Montana Column." The journal chronicled his observations during the campaign that ended with finding Custer & his men in the Valley of the Little Bighorn.

Bradley was survived by his wife, Mary Beach Bradley of Atlanta GA, two children & his father, Edwin Bradley. Sadly Lt Bradley's youngest child, Pauline, was born after his death.

Though Lt Bradley is buried at the Big Hole Battlefield, his father had a mounment erected in the Stryker Cemetery.

James H Bradley