The Battle of Little Big Horn (June 25, 1876- Southern Montana) occurred due to a couple of factors. Prior to the war, westward expansion and the United States government forced Native Americans to reside in lands the white Americans deemed unfavorable/ barely inhabitable, due to its dry conditions. An 1867 treaty promised Native Americas land in Dakota to live, and roam. Unfortunately, gold was discovered in the Black Hills of their Dakota Territory, prompting settlers and miners to trespass on Native American land. In 1875, due to the discovered gold, the United States government tried to purchase that land from the Native Americans, and they refused. This angered the government. As retaliation, the government sent their 7th Calvary, led by General Custer, to remove the Native Americans from the land. Little did General Custer know that the Sioux and Cheyenne (led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse), collaborated against his troops. General Custer undermined the Native Americans, because …show more content…
This all began because of Native American “Ghost Dance”. While on the reservations, the Sioux began to believe that the gods were punishing them, so the “Ghost Dance” movement began to spread within the reservation. Participants of the Ghost Dance would be so involved, that the frightened American agents on the reservation informed the government about a possible Sioux uprising. This prompted the government to send the 7th Calvary to intervene and gather the Sioux at Wounded Knee. Although there are conflicting accounts as to what took place, it is agreed that on December 29, 1890, a fight broke out between both sides. It is believed that a gun shot from the Sioux’s side initiated the shooting, but what is known is that at the end of it all, about 200 Sioux Indians tragically lost their lives. (Wounded Knee,
LTC George Armstrong Custer did not effectively apply the concept of mission command as a warfighting function during the Battle of Little Bighorn. While it is important to understand the context in which Custer made his decisions, those circumstances offer little in terms of excusing the fiasco that was Little Bighorn. Custer failed to follow orders, did not take pertinent intelligence into consideration, did not adequately plan or execute protection of his forces, and fought without essential fires equipment available to him. Custer did exercise good sustainment, but it was for naught, as the battle was brief.
On June 25, 1876, The Battle of Little Bighorn took place near the Black Hills in Montana. This was one of the most controversial battles of the 20th century and the line between good guys and bad guys was grey at best. Gen. George Armstrong Custer (reduced to LTC after the civil war) had 366 men of the 7thU.S. Cavalry under his command that day. Sitting Bull (A Medicine Man) led 2000 braves of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes (Klos, 2013). At the conclusion of the battle, the stories of the Indians savagery were used to demonize their culture and there were no survivors from the 7thcavalry to tell what really happened.
The story of Custer’s Last Stand, formally known as “The Battle of Little Big Horn”(25 June 1876), is one that many would consider a legendary tale of gallantry amongst heroic Cavalry Soldiers gloriously fighting against all odds in the face of certain death, until the last bullet fired atop the hill that is now known as Custer’s Last Stand. Regardless of the mythical inspirational value that it provides to Soldiers aspiring to one day also become legendary heroes, from a military perspective, it also teaches us from the unforgiving realities of battle that re-emphasize the importance of tactical knowledge and it’s adequate application. Within my analysis, I will first explain the historical situation during the Western Expansion, the higher commander’s plan and intent for the operation, LTC Custer’s actions on the objective, resulted conclusion of the battle based on his actions, and the significance of this battle that stemmed in terms of tactical lessons learned.
The United States government initially celebrated the Battle at Wounded Knee as the final conflict between Native Americans and the United States military - after which the western frontier was considered safe for the incoming settlers. Over 20 medals were awarded to the soldiers for their valor on the battlefield. However, the understanding has changed regarding what actually took place at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890. The Hollywood version of the Battle of Wounded Knee accurately presents the case that the Battle at Wounded Knee was actually a massacre of the Sioux - the culminating act of betrayal and aggression carried out by the United States military,
The Sioux Uprising started because of broken promises and brutal racism. The Sioux sold their sacred hunting land for gold but the gold was late. The settlers were already sowing their seeds of hate and the Indians were becoming subhuman. So while the arrogance and stupidity of racism caused a war in the South, the white people were too naïve to realize they were about to witness a war in the North. The Sioux Uprising cost innocent people their lives but also brought a family together. Overall, the gold was thought to be the main cause, but it was not the only one. While paying the gold to the Sioux would have delayed the uprising, the Dakota Nations rebellion was inevitable.
The Battle of Little Bighorn is one of the most, maybe even the most, controversial battle in American history. General George Armstrong Custer led his 210 troops into battle and never came out. Miscalculations, blunders, and personal glory led Custer not only to his death, but also being the most talked about soldier in this battle. But all the blame doesn’t just go on Custer’s shoulders; it also goes on Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno, who both fought in the battle. Both the Captain and the Major both made serious mistakes during the fight, most notable Major Marcus Reno being flat out drunk during the course of the battle. All of these factors have led The Battle of Little Bighorn to being the worst lost to any Plains Indian group in American history.
The journey of exploration to the western territories brought the white man many great things, but they did face some opposition. The US government made plans to explore the Black Hills, after hearing of the gold it contained. This was not an easy task. The Sioux, with strong force, were not giving up their sacred land easily. The only way to gain the territory of the Black Hills was to wage war against the Sioux. The Battle of the Little Big Horn was one battle that the US will never forget. General George Custer led an army of men to take out the Sioux, one of the battalions was completely wiped out including Custer. The Sioux were very strong, but US had a lot more power and technology. Why did we get massacred? This question has been a mystery to many people throughout the years. Sergeant Windolph, of Benteen’s cavalry, and John F. Finerty, from General Crooks cavalry, bring us some personal accounts and memories of this tragedy.
I wonder if the waters at the Little Bighorn River was as red as the hillsides in Montana after one of the most tragic events in American history took place. How could a bunch of savages defeat a highly trained and highly mobile cavalry officer and his command? On June 25, 1876, Col. George A. Custer and the 7th cavalry disobeyed orders and attacked Chiefs Crazy Horse and Chief Sitting Bull and his Indian warriors. Was it Col. Custer’s larger than life attitude that lead him and his men to their deaths? Was it a heroic last stand? What do we know about the troopers of the 7th Cavalry? Were they the crack troopers of legend? Did it even happen the way the history books tell us? The Grandfather of Joe Medicine Crow said that there were panic
The battle of the Alamo is a symbol of patriotic sacrifice and bravery when faced with unbeatable odds. The battle of the Alamo made the Alamo the symbol of Texan independence.
The Wounded Knee Massacre politically altered the relationship between American Indians and the US government with long lasting repercussions. The massacre took place roughly one hundred years before the AIM was formed , on December 29, 1890, as the last battle of the American Indian war, a massacre took place at the Lakota Pine Ridge reservation near South Dakota. The US 7th Calvary intruded upon the reservation as a means to disarm the Lakota of their rifles. It is speculated that a deaf tribal man refused to give his rifle to American authorities, in response the Calvary point blank shot the man leading to chaos as the few Lakota warriors shot out as a defense mechanism before they were quickly outnumbered. (Nelson) The definition of a massacre is a killing of many unresisting human beings under circumstances of aristocracy. The incident at Wounded Knee is...
Custer’s Last Stand, also known as the Battle of Little Bighorn, was a much disputed battle between the American army and 2000 Native Americans of joint tribes. While the violence can be blamed on both parties, it must be said that it was caused by the Americans, and that the Natives were, to an extent, justified in their actions. The battle was between a mass conglomerate of western Natives and the 7th Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
On November 27, 1868, Lt. Colonel George A. Custer and the Seventh U.S. Cavalry attacked Chief Black Kettle and the Cheyenne at Washita River. The war between the U.S. and the Plains Indians began when whites continued to encroach on native territory to the point where hostilities grew too large at the discrepancy of cultures. After tireless work to create peace treaties with one another, congress failed to quickly dispatch supplies to reservations and the Native populations became increasingly
The revitalization movement political-religious movements promising deliverance from hardship, the end of outside mastery, and another understanding of the human condition taking into account customary social qualities, basic in social orders experiencing extreme anxiety connected with pilgrim triumph and serious class or racial misuse. A noticeable case is the Ghost Dance of Native Americans, who trusted that their custom would bring about predecessors and buffalo groups to return and white individuals to clear out. In spite of the fact that a peaceful type of challenge, it finished with the slaughter of more than 200 Sioux men, ladies, and youngsters by the U.S. armed force at Wounded Knee , S.Dak., in 1890. Payload cliques are another type
In the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull and him united forces which led to
On June 26, 1876, General George Armstrong Custer and his army were defeated by the Native American forces led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at the Little Bighorn River in southern Montana. The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of the worst military disasters in American history. This paper will examine the causes for this disaster.