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 …show more content…
and chaos in the faces of the troopers and that the battle was so massive that no one man could see it all. But the Native American’s stories were not considered credible. So who then told the tails? The attack occurred on June 25, 1876, between the 7th Cavalry Regiment led by Col. George A. Custer and the Indians of the Northern Plains including the Cheyenne, Sioux, and Arapaho. Led by their Chief and spiritual leader Chief Sitting Bull and his Indian warriors’. Some events happened before this event that shaped the outcome of the battle. It started back in 1874 when the US found gold in the Black Hills North Dakota and the government ordered the Sioux onto small reservations. When the Sioux refused, they were declared hostel and they invade the territory.. Sitting Bull was tired of the US government for multiple ignored treaty violations, The US's refusal to stay off of their tribal lands and forcing his people to remain on the reservations. The actions of the US government upset many of the other tribesmen as well, causing them to leave their reservations to join Sitting Bull. However, tactical blunders and faulty intelligence work by the 7th Cavalry would lead his troopers to their deaths. The 7th Cavalry troops consisted of 600 skilled men trained with the US ARMY Cavalry Tactics manual 1874.
Armed with the Springfield model 1873 carbines, Colt single action .45 Caliber pistol and saddle saber. The carbine did have a more significant range of 1600 yards and better accuracy than the Henry and Spencer repeating rifles. But the Springfield was prone to jamming. The copper round would expand from the heat of the weapon during repeated use. While the Henry and spencer rifles were 3 times as effective at close quarters and rapid reloading then the Springfield. Giving an advantage to the Tribesmen. Another advantage given to the Northern Plains Tribesmen by LTC Custer was declining to use the Gatling guns. (A rapid-fire weapon used during the war) Being that they were too hard to move through the road leading to the Little Bighorn River. The road was very hazardous, with vast stretches of mountain terrain and a maze of bluffs and ravines to navigate through. The Northern Plains Tribesmen consisted of 10,000 well trained hunters, training most of their lives against humans and animals. Skilled with close quarter weapons and armed with Henry and Spencer lever-action repeating rifles, tomahawks, clubs, knives and the
bow-and-arrow. On the morning of June 25th LTC Custer reached the ridges across the river. More than 10,000 Indians had gathered along the Little Bighorn River. Custer was informed by his scouts that he should wait, but he was determined to attack. As MAJ Reno road down to attack the Indian village while. Custer’s Crow Indian scouts spotted an encampment to the west. Riding down to a valley called Medicine Tail Coulee, he split his troops into 2 groups. Sending the right team with CPT Keogh to secure higher ground, Custer rode with the left group down to the river where he met light resistance encountering minimum fire from across the river. The reason for this was because most of the warriors were still fighting MAJ Reno. Custer then turned north with 210 men when he reaches the top of the hill to pursue the women and children. Custer started to see all of the warriors swarming up out of the valley from the south. Moving and using the terrain fighting individually. The 7th cavalry soldier was trained to fight from a distance and on hoarse back. Army tactics were set up to control men and fire power. Dismounted the limitations of the troopers tactics were realized. No mobility and having the need for someone to hold the horses cut down their firepower. The Indians were, in fact a better armed and better equipped to fight at close range than the soldiers of the 7th Cal Reg. As the Indians close in on Custer’s right wing the soldiers on the hill who were wounded or did not attempt to flee were starting to bunch together in panic. Allowing the Indians to get closer and closer finely overrunning the Troopers. The type of weapons and the amount of firepower that they had was the key to defeating the US Cavalry. Evidence does show that most of the killing done was using the traditional war club and bow-and-arrow. Running up to the bunching soldiers and either stabbing them or clubbing them to death. None of Custer’s group survived the battle at little big horn. Not all of the 7th cavalry died during the battle of the little bighorn battle. Col. George A. Custer made a lot of fundamental errors. Acting alone, Force marching his troops through the mountains arriving tired and week and underfeed. The total numbers of Native Americans on the reservations were not properly accounted for. He thought that the Indians would run and scatter. He was hugely outnumbers, and over-confident. Had little to no information on how large the enemy force was. Dividing his forces
Panzeri, Peter. 1995. Little Big Horn 1876: Custer's Last Stand. 8th Ed. New York, NY: Osprey Publishing.
Backwoods, bold, brave, flamboyant, hero, independent. Ethan Allen has been described with many words like these since before and after his heath. Ethan, born in 1738 on January 21, was the eldest child of Joseph and Mary Allen. In total, the Allen family had eight children: Ethan, Heman, Heber, Levi, Zimri, Ira, Lydia, and Lucy. Out of all of the Allen children, Ethan was the most successful and, quite obviously, the most memorable. When Ethan was one, his family moved from Litchfield to Cornwall, Connecticut. At the very young age of seventeen, Ethan’s father, Joseph died, making Ethan have to quit school. Two years later, Ethan joins the Litchfield County Militia and fights in the French and Indian war. At twenty-three years old, Ethan creates
Epple J. C. (1970). Custer’s battle of the Washita and A history of the Plains Indian Tribes
The 7th Cavalry Regiment's destruction at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876 is the subject of over a century of debate. LTC George A. Custer failed to exercise four key responsibilities that were expected of him as the regiment’s commander. He failed to understand the problem and environment, visualize a feasible solution, clearly describe it to his subordinates, and effectively direct his forces. These four aspects of mission command are integral to the operations process and help Soldiers understand and execute their commander's intent. Custer's failure to properly fulfill his role in the operations process resulted in his death and a strategic defeat for the nation.
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 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,
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and also in the Indian Wars. Raised in the cities Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted in West Point in 1858, where he was graduated last in his class. However, with outbreak of the Civil War, all officers were needed, and Custer was called in to serve for the Union. General Custer developed a strong reputation throughout the Civil War. He fought in the first major engagement, and also in the First Battle of Bull Run. His association with many important officers helped him with his career, as his success as a highly effective cavalry commander. Custer was also promoted to the rank of major general and major general of Volunteers. At the conclusion of the Appomattox, in which his troops played a big role, Custer was at General Robert E. Lee's surrender.
“Over the Earth I come.” This is not a statement made in haste but a declaration of war, coming from the mouth of a Sioux warrior, a Dakota. They call him Crooked Lightning. That was the first and only true announcement about the planned uprising from the Dakota Nation. The Sioux Uprising of 1862 was appallingly deadly and destructive considering it may have been avoided if the United States had paid the Sioux their gold on time.
Author and Indian Activist, Vine Deloria makes compelling statements in chapters one and five of his Indiana Manifesto, “Custer Died for Your Sins.” Although published in 1969 this work lays important historic ground work for understanding the plight of the Indian in the United States. Written during the turbulent civil rights movement, Deloria makes interesting comparisons to the Black struggle for equal rights in the United States. He condemns the contemporary views toward Indians widely help by Whites and argues that Indians are wrongly seen through the historic lens of a pipe smoking, bow and arrow wielding savage. Deloria forcefully views the oppressors and conquerors of the Indian mainly as the United States federal government and Christian missionaries. The author’s overall thesis is that Whites view Indians the way they want to see them which is not based in reality. The resulting behavior of Whites towards Indians shows its affects in the false perception in law and culture.
The Taming of the West: Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons of the Frontier 1840-1900.
Author and Indian Activist, Vine Deloria makes compelling statements in chapters 1 and 5 of his Indiana Manifesto, “Custer Died For Your Sins.” Although published in 1969 this work lays important historical ground work for understanding the plight of the Indian. Written during the turbulent civil rights movement, Deloria makes many comparisons to the Black plight in the United States. He condemns the contemporary views toward Indians widely help by Whites. He argues that Indians are wrongly seen through the historical lens of a pipe smoking, bow and arrow wielding savage. Deloria views the oppressors and conquerors of the Indian mainly in the form of the United States federal government and Christian missionaries. The author’s overall thesis is that whites view Indians the way they want to see them which is not based in reality. The behavior of whites towards Indians reflects this false perception in law, culture and public awareness.
Imagine traveling 3,700 miles of mountains and dangerous terrain while confronting the most savage of creatures including 600 pound bears and Native Americans with spears, bows and clubs. Every night you risk almost freezing to death and starvation while having to eat candles and sometimes your own horses just to stay alive. Lewis and Clark had to do just this along with their crew. They had to use three skills to survive through all of this. They had to show courage, commitment and most importantly resourcefulness. Lewis and Clark are some of the Bravest people that ever lived.
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.
It was May 8th, 1864 at an area in central Virginia, to later be known as the Battle of Spotsylvania. Major General John Sedgwick, commander of the Sixth Army Corps of the Union Army, was with his troops as they probed the Confederate skirmish lines. This act was to determine where to place defensive forces. Maj. Gen. Sedgwick stood with his troops as Brevet Major General Martin T. McMahon gave the order for the troops to move right. As the men rose to execute the order, bullets whistled over head causing some of the men to duck. Maj. Gen. Sedgwick laughed and jokingly said " What! what! men, dodging this way for single bullets! What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." He repeated the phrase “They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance”. Moments later Maj. Gen. Sedgwick was struck below the left eye by a bullet from a Rebel sharpshooter, mortally wounding him. (McMahon)
Produced in 1943, They Died With Their Boots On, a Warner Brothers® film, is a horribly inaccurate account of the events that lead to the Battle of Little Big Horn. His early days in war were depicted accurately, however. Boots told of his experiences at West Pointe; the most important experience is, notably, his graduation. He received the absolute worst scores ever recorded at West Pointe upon his commencement. After that point, it all goes down hill. Custer was also a womanizer, but in this film he was quite a gentlemen, being sure to get Elizabeth Bacon’s father’s permission for everything the two did together. Custer was displayed as a very sympathetic and warm-hearted general, while he was, in actuality, not such. Custer was known to be rather a large egoist and somewhat of a rude man. Then, for “dramatic effect”, filmmakers fabricated a conspiracy that Custer’s “enemies” concocted to remove him from opposition. His opponents, executives of a large company which he refused a position in, “lied” about gold in the Black Hills in order to trick thousands of Americans into violating a peace treaty with the Sioux. The truth: there really WAS gold in the Black Hills. Negro slaves were depicted as goofy and silly, added only for comic effect. One lady in particular danced about singing a rhyme, “Rabbit’s foot, work your charm, protect that lady’s man from harm!” after reading the “tea leaves” for a friend. The Sioux Indians were also depicted rather inaccurately. They all wore a single feather in the backs of their heads and yipped and hollered just as “Indians” would do. They screamed and beat their hands on their mouths, all the while speaking English in the manner of a five year-old. Finally, the film’s depiction of Civil War battles, not to mention the battle of Little Big Horn, were laughable. There were twenty, MAYBE thirty men all lined up on either side of the field, and every time the Union soldiers fought, at least two Confederate soldiers or Indians fell, dead. However, when the opposing side fired or attacked, the Union cavalries were nearly impregnable.