Custer's Last Stand: The Battle Of Little Big Horn

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 historical situation at that time, although debatable whether ethical or not, it was common during

Military’s disregard for active peace treaties, would have resulted in a more adequate plan of action for the execution of the continued Westward Expansion. This directly correlates with Custer’s actions on the objective that resulted in his downfall and massacre of his men. Through the analysis of the Battle of Little Bighorn, we can learn many lessons on the application of tactics. Such as, how a simple reconnaissance of the objective could have prevented unnecessary casualties on the battlefield. Regardless of whether the link up with reinforcements would’ve been completed, a proper reconnaissance would have meant the difference between charging into battle with or without the adequate amount of combat