LEGENDS OF THE OLD WEST | Little Bighorn Ep4: “Custer’s Last Stand”
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- čas přidán 28. 09. 2021
- LEGENDS OF THE OLD WEST presented by Black Barrel Media. Major Marcus Reno’s charge turns into a retreat and the survivors are trapped on a hill above the Little Bighorn River. At the other end of the valley, Custer leads a charge against the village in an attempt to capture the women and children. But more than 1,000 warriors overwhelm Custer’s companies before returning to the soldiers who are stuck on Reno Hill.
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Color photo by Matt Loughrey of My Colorful Past - Zábava
Custer in the hill saw Reno fight, and yelled waving his hat: we got them knapping boys! 😂
The production is krazy good . Always perfect background music. We struck gold when we found this channel. Good day y'all.
Love love love your work: this episode is so beautiful in the opening words, your art is so appreciated and something so good for this old/young girl
♠️💙🖤🤗
This has been epic so far. Fantastic story telling. I've throughly enjoyed this series. Great job.
I have always admired Custer, even in defeat. Listening to this thrilling account, made me feel the terror of being among those tired and confused troops on that fateful day. Your podcasts are one of a kind. Good work.
Indeed, I imagine Custer and his 200 plus 7th Cav wondering where the hell the twice ordered Benteen and his troops with the spare ammunition were and not arriving for reinforcement. In the court enquiry two years later Benteen and Reno were very lucky not to be court-marshalled, in my opinion.
Yes I think Custer died for your sins
white arrogance...
Exceptional podcasts on the Custer Battle. Your detail, historical accuracy and voice presentation is 10 out of 10. I’ve enjoyed your episodes so much i found the others like ‘ Red Clouds War’ and viewed them all. You are an epic story teller my friend.
Chris you and your team are criminally underrated thank you for great story telling
Absolutely incredible
Thank you, sir. I find this documentary series very interesting
Wonderful...exceedingly well researched - i know, I've been researching this over 45 years, and masterfully narrated. Yours is one of my very favorite channels - thank you!
Absolutely awesome content.
The begining is the best representation of what I have read in books on the subject. Well done again.
Good, good stuff. Accurate details too, but I'd like to add a few things. It should be known that, before Major Reno "ordered" his disastrous and ignominious retreat from the timber, he had suffered very few casualties. Aside from Bloody Knife, I believe Reno's battalion only lost two or three other men. Once in the timber, Reno and his men found themselves in one of the best protected areas on the entire battlefield. So embedded were Reno's troops within the cover of the timber that, at one point, Sioux warriors tried to set the woods on fire. Unfortunately for them, the verdure was too green and moist; it wouldn't catch fire. But, fortunately for the warriors, Reno gave them a gift by scrambling out of the protection of the woods, crossing the river with its steep banks, then climbing up the bluffs east of the river.
The narrator made mention of this, but I'd like to add to it.... Custer, or someone with Custer, did appear on the eastern bluffs, waving his hat at Reno's battalion. I'm not so sure Major Reno saw it, but Lieutenant Godfrey certainly did, and I believe Godfrey likely told his inebriated commander about it. In any event, for reasons unknown, Reno expected Custer to be following up behind him. Custer told Reno that his (Reno's) column would be supported by the rest of the regiment; as such, Reno assumed Custer must've been nearby. Not seeing his commander anywhere, and thinking he was alone with just 150 troopers, one could certainly appreciate Reno's predicament. Or can we?
Three years after the battle, during Reno's Court of Inquiry, the Major said something akin to this: 'When I didn't see him (Custer), I believed then that he likely went to the north end of the village". If Reno did think that, his actions proved otherwise. Then again, Reno was drunk - of that, there is no doubt. As far as his retreat is concerned, it was just plain madness. As any Indian fighter of the day could attest to, running from a large band of bellicose warriors - running from a well-fortified position - is absolute insanity. In the end, one does wonder how the battle might have ended had an officer like Captain Tom Custer or Capt. Myles Keogh rode in the place of Major Marcus Reno? Were that the case, I do believe the 7th Cavalry would have had a victory that day.
Reno panicked, pure and simple. Yes, he was unnerved by Bloody Knife's skull splattering brains on him. Any man would have been unnerved by that. But to be the first one out of the timber, leaving about 18 men behind to fend for themselves and not leaving a covering force cost an additional 35-40 dead troopers. Reno's conduct in the battle was disgraceful, yet so many fools try to blame it all on Custer. I give Reno the benefit of the doubt for not attacking the village, instead halting and forming a skirmish line. That proved a very bad move but in fairness he saw hordes of warriors on horse and foot and felt he was riding into a trap (he wasn't but reasonably could have thought so). From what I understand most, if not all the men with him did not dispute his halting and dismounting. His move to the timber also was prudent under the circumstances. After that? He performed like a scared rabbit and should be condemned.
@@TWS-pd5dc I agree that Reno likely made a good decision to halt his command and form skirmish lines. Yet, for all of that, I believe Custer expected Reno to charge right on through the village, and he (Custer) would meet him at the opposite end of it (the north), right where the Medicine Tail Ford is. But once Reno halted his command to form skirmish lines, Custer may have realized the impracticality of that plan because the distance between both of their battalions was now too great. Nevertheless, when Reno subsequently withdrew to the cover and concealment of the timber, Custer must have been pleased because, from that position, Reno's battalion could still support him by acting as a stationary diversion force. Reno's battalion just had to keep the warriors occupied long enough for Custer to maneuver further north, and for Benteen's column to finally enter the battle. Unfortunately, Benteen moved with no urgency, and Reno retreated.
Custer figured from past experience he was dealing with the usual 300 rogue warriors. When scouts told him the village was very big, he figured 450 max. Turns out it was closer to 1,500 warriors, half of them armed with guns. Benteen “slinging the lead” has a lot to answer for too?
@@davekeating. I don't know where you get your information from, but you are wrong. On the 22nd or 23rd of June, en route to the Little Bighorn, the 7th Cavalry bivouacked along the Rosebud after a day's march. Custer ordered an 'Officer's Call', and in that meeting he told his officers that they might expect to meet up to a thousand, to maybe 1,500 warriors. Custer's estimate was pretty damn close to the scholarly estimate of 1,500 to 2000 warriors at the Little Bighorn. For those ignorant people, like yourself, who believe Custer didn't know what he was going up against, I refer you to "The Godfrey Letters, 1876" A then Lieutenant, Edward S. Godfrey, rode with Reno's battalion; he was at Custer's 'Officer's Call' meeting, and he recorded it. Godfrey went on to become a Brigadier General, and died in 1932. Much of what we know about the Little Bighorn battle and campaign comes from Godfrey's letters. Don't believe me? Go look it up yourself. His letters are published and printed as a book.
@@Eadbhard That would be the same Officer’s Call completely unaware of Rosebud battle a week earlier. Custer expected to capture a hundred hostages but was shocked when he saw thousands. Very late in the day to realise his plan was built on sand. This would never happen with a British army regiment. It would know the enemy strength fire power, and their own capabilities. A plan would be communicated, orders given. It would appear many of cavalry were poorly trained and inexperienced. Connaught Rangers would hold the line - no breaking ranks, running and scattering. A bloody Roman legion would have held out longer at the Little Bighorn…
Struck gold with this channel.
Another brilliant episode 👍
Been waiting thank you!
I'm in love with this channel this story.wow I just want to say thank you cause you channel makes my work day just flybye.
Great another episode . thanks
I down right love Black Barrels work. So good!!!!!! I’m hooked every week on these, there do detailed and really gives me visions of those involved in the story and history.
I very much enjoyed this presentation.
Outstanding.
CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS AWSOME PODCAST ONLY HAS 12,000 VIEWS.
Excellent work
Excellent pod cast.... I find all of these videos on the topic each have little nuggets of extra detail.... Thanks...
Great job
Studies I encountered mentioned that soldiers using dead horses as cover was inaccurate as battlefield examinations didn't back it up, they also claim the shot to Custer's temple was inflicted by either himself or my his brother as he also had taken a shot to the chest that knocked him down
A lot of people seem to miss represent Custer's last message. I've 👀 seen a photo of it."Come quick ,big camp, bring up the ammunition ".Benteen obviously should have pressed on with or without Reno.& then a final opportunity to join his commanding officer was when about a 1000 Warriors left the Reno hill ,obviously to join the Custer fight 🤔, so follow them up ? Reno & Benteen turned an attack into a non invasive defence, how can a commanding officer guess that.A courts Marshall was warranted. The first 2 words of Custer's order would have condemned Reno & Benteen to the Gallows, " Come quick" ,not Come on ? Don't try & rewrite history.
Whenever Custer divided his forces he sent others to engage the enemy whilst he moved away - until it was too late that is and he was defending from a hopeless position
First he sent Benteen off with a smaller force and vague orders, against advice to the contrary, to "scout" but also potentially face a large Indian force because he didn't know where they were at that stage
When he did know where the enemy was he sent Reno, with a smaller force of the less experienced men to attack the huge camp whilst he avoided contact
Then he sent Yates with a small force to Ford B with the purpose of engaging the enemy whilst he kept going with 3 companies
That quickly went wrong so they re-grouped but then he left Keogh to engage the enemy whilst he headed North, away from where he thought the enemy was, to capture unarmed women and children. Eventually he had no choice but to fight. Some might think he was trying to distance himself from the actual fighting!
Maybe that's what the leader does but I can't help but think he would have been better leading the initial engagement instead of Reno, sending others to cut off the Northern escape route. With an additional company or 2 and Custer in charge the initial engagement would likely have been decisive and it would have prevented the warriors disengaging and heading North. He would also have stayed closer to Benteen and the Packs and been able to re-form with them quickly, or send Benteen North in support.
I know everything is easy with hindsight but he should have stayed at the centre of the action rather than drift to a distanced position where he couldn't personally direct the action
I just returned from Moab & Yellowstone. It was very cool to note landmarks such as the Platt and Big Horn rivers. I was also able to stop by Ft Laramie on the way back. Very rich history out there in the Wild West!
You should definitely driven the battlefield in Montana! There are so many informative plaques at so many locations.
@@conniecrawford5231 Definitely going back that way next year to hit the Rubicon Trail. Will make it a point to take that route! Thx for heads up. Started Empire of the Summer Moon for the *second* time around yesterday. This is the book (ok..audiobook...I'm a cretin, I admit it) that really hooked me on Indian culture and the Wild Wild West. My 2A illness even diverted to that route, as I've pretty much benched my modern smokeless smokewagons for strictly black powder as of late. Covid had a play in that as well I must admit....but HOLY MOLY is it a freakin blast (no pun intended). Didn't know what I've been missing there.....hooked for sure.
I wish they taught history like this while I was in school all that adhd goes out the window when your being entertained and educated lol
Now I understand why military training cites Custer as an example of what not to do. The amount of bad decision-making is staggering. All ego and no humility. Also, the constant underestimating of the enemy almost defies logic.
This gives a little more context to the way he was referenced in Deadwood. David Milch called him a psychopath in an interview. Lol.
Not true Jack, Custer’s plan was good. He was let down by two subordinates who did not keep to the plan or support him with the ordered troops and ammunition packs. They survived and were extremely fortunate not to have been court martialed.
@@drstrangelove4998 Custer was extremely aggressive. That worked well, until it didn't. With his impulsive decision at LBH, he underestimated the number of enemy, their firepower, and their desire to fight.
He also ordered Benteen on a wild goose chase far away from the battle, then reversed orders to provide support. By the time Benteen returned, Custer had already lost momentum. Custer was far more concerned with the enemy getting away, than he was with getting himself killed. His own orders, strategy, and gut-level instincts failed on this day.
All in all, he was an incredible General. I just wouldn't want to fight under his overly aggressive command. He could have "picked his battle" much more carefully.
@@LAWSON08 Uhh, just what was Custer's "impulsive decision" at the LBH? What decision are you talking about, and why do you say it was impulsive?
Custer ordered Captain Benteen on a "wild goose" chase, eh? Why would he do that? Any ideas? Do you even know why Custer ordered Benteen's battalion on a scout in the first place?
Yes, Custer was concerned with the enemy getting away. The fundamental goal of the entire campaign was to find the Indians and prevent them from escaping. This was Custer's concern, General Terry's concern, Colonel Gibbon's concern, as well as General Crook's concern. What the hell is your point?
Custer led and won countless Civil War battles; he fought the Plains Indians for ten years, and had a successful victory at the Washita River in 1868. Along the Yellowstone River in 1873, Custer and the 7th Cavalry expertly battled off the same Indians they would fight three years later at the Little Bighorn River. With all that being said, what makes you think Custer's "orders", his "strategy", and his war-like "instincts" just suddenly failed him on June 25th, 1876? Can you explain?
Can you give an example why you wouldn't want to fight under Custer's "overly-aggressive command"? Better yet, point out where and when Custer was "overly-aggressive", because I can't place it. While you're at it, if you were in Custer's position, how the hell would you pick this battle "more carefully"?
I don't think you really know what the hell you're talking about, Lawson.
@@Eadbhard Every place on CZcams regarding LBH I read the same myths pushed. "Custer erred in dividing his forces" "Custer disobeyed Terry's orders". "The 7th cavalry was outgunned by the warriors" "Reno saved his men" "Benteen was the hero". It's mind boggling. Custer's biggest mistake in my opinion was not scouting the village better. I realize he felt time was a factor, but in the end a better checking would have possibly made him better prepared. But Reno's panic and Benteen's dawdling were much bigger factors in the defeat. I doubt if Custer and the 7th would have won that day, I think the odds were too great. That said, there were many battles where warriors vastly outnumbered troopers and were still defeated. We'll just never know.
@@TWS-pd5dc Do not be confused by most of the crap you see and read on CZcams. CZcams is a place for amateurs and their half-baked, biased opinions. Do you really think even half of these CZcamsrs ever did any serious research about Custer and the Little Bighorn? No.
See, Custer has the misfortune of being one of American history's most notable scapegoats; he's also one of the most misaligned and misunderstood figures in American history. With very few exceptions, historians, scholars, and writers don't criticize and lambaste Custer in their books and journals. But go on CZcams, and you'll see idiots calling Custer a murderer, a rapist, a baby-killer, a psychopath, a fool, an egotist, and on and on and on. Why do you think that is? Simply put, CZcamsrs know next to nothing. As the old saying goes - the less people know, the more they'll always suspect.
You're correct about "not scouting the village better", but time was definitely a factor. Custer initially planned to attack the village on the morning of June 26th. On June 25th, he wanted to rest his regiment all day and, yes, he wanted to scout the village better, as well as reconnoiter the surrounding terrain with his scouts.
But sometime during the late morning hours of June 25th, Custer, his officers, as well as all of his scouts, came to the sudden realization that the regiment had been observed by wandering Sioux and Cheyenne hunting parties. Custer had to act immediately. A full reconnaissance was no longer an option, nor was an attack on the village at dawn the next day. Custer could not delay; he had to attack the village as soon as possible. If he did not, the village would disperse and flee, or the warriors in the village would try to ambush his regiment.
For all of that, if Custer was quick enough, he still might gain the advantage by surprising the Indian camp. In that, he was successful. Since a full reconnaissance was not possible, Custer deployed Captain Benteen's battalion on a "scout to the left". Benteen's men would act as a reconnaissance-in-force, and they would reconnoiter the area southwest of the village; nevertheless, Custer still expected Captain Benteen to consolidate his battalion with the rest of the regiment once the shooting started.
In my opinion, an opinion based upon years and years of study and research, I believe the 7th Cavalry would have had a victory that day if Major Reno held his position in the valley. If his battalion remained within the cover and concealment of the timber, I believe they would have acted as a perfect diversion. The timber on the valley floor was the best protected place on the battlefield. Major Reno could have held out there long enough to allow Custer to move north and possibly capture some noncombatants...then, had Benteen moved with any kind of alacrity...yes, I believe the 7th Cavalry could have won that battle.
In a way, Custer won his last battle. Within one year of the battle, the nation was galvanized against the Red Man and every Indian involved was either dead or confined to a reservation. The Plains Indians' greatest victory transformed into their greatest defeat. A tragic irony...
Due to poor leadership - mutilating bodies & dancing seizing the chance to sue for peace.
Sadly, terrible wrongs were commited by both sides & the signed treaties were oftentimes ignored.
@@a.leemorrisjr.9255 Reading books by participants (Drannan, Kit Carson, Fanny Kelly) The frontier had little right & wrong (just winter, hunger/ thirst, illness, violence & The will to survive)
@@washingtondale I have no argument(s) with that. It was another place & time and right or wrong "might" oftentimes made "right." I can only hope we learned not to keep repeating it. People cannot be held accountable for that which their forbearers done, they're dead & already gone on into judgment. But we are accountable for what we do or don't do here & now.
Sadly caucasian don't understand peace. KNOW THE POWER OF PEACE.
80 or 400 plus,,No body travels thru the heart of Sioux Country
Had Custer had an additional battalion of troopers with him on his enveloping maneuver along the bluffs east of the Little Bighorn, the battle would have certainly had a different outcome..... There may have possibly been some survivors that could have made it out and back to Reno's perimeter. We'd be studying valid AAR's of Custer's command, rather than speculating over its demise.
Custer's downfall? 1.) Really didn't know the terrain. 2.) Underestimated the strength of his opposing forces. 3.) Was offered artillery support including GATs, but refused saying it would slow him down. 4.) After he divided forces, led his rank(s) straight into midst of massive war party forces. The hindsight is 20/20. Was either a great native victory or bloody massacre depending on how one cares to view it.
@@a.leemorrisjr.9255 And all speculation aside, in the end, one thing is absolute - The 7th Cav was outgunned and outfought - man for man.
@@RW4X4X3006 "We fought them hard, we fought them well, out on the plains, we gave them hell." Run to the hills - Iron Maiden
@@a.leemorrisjr.9255 Downfall? 1). True, Custer was not familiar with the terrain surrounding the village, but he can't be blamed for that. On June 25th, Custer planned to rest his regiment all day; he also planned to do a reconnaissance of the area with his scouts; then he planned to attack the village on the morning of June 26th. For all of that, Custer received information from his scouts that his regiment had been observed. In short, the Indians in the village were aware of Custer's presence; as such, Custer had to act quickly and decisively. Attacking the village in the morning was no longer an option, nor was a reconnaissance. If Custer still wanted to achieve the element of surprise, he had to attack the village as soon as possible. His scouts even advised him to do so. In frontier warfare, sometimes gaining the element of surprise outweighs the benefits of doing a reconnaissance, especially since a reconnaissance will sometimes spoil the element of surprise.
2). Custer did not underestimate the strength in numbers the opposing forces had. Custer well knew he was going up against a big village. He expected that he might meet up to a 1000, or maybe 1500 warriors; everyone knew this. For all of that, Custer did "underestimate" the resolve and spirit of the warriors at the Little Bighorn. Again, Custer cannot be blamed for that. Like every officer who fought Indians on the Great Plains, Custer absolutely expected the Indians would run once he attacked their village. This did not happen. In an unheard of anomaly, the Natives at the Little Bighorn stood their ground and fought.
3). The gatling guns would have been useless to Custer if he had brought them. Given the terrain the 7th Cavalry had to traverse to get to the Little Bighorn, there was no way the gatling guns would have kept pace with the rest of the column. When Custer was forced to attack the village on June 25th, the gatling guns would have been way, way behind, probably lumbering way behind the column's pack train. Custer could not have waited for them, especially since the Hostiles were aware of his proximity to their village.
Downfalls? Maybe. But, given the circumstances, Custer did everything he could have done at the Little Bighorn.
@@Eadbhard I respect your points as they are well taken. Even the best laid plans can go awry in battle. Could Custer have done different? Who can say for certain.
If you know the enemy and you know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and you know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
Sun Tzu
Custer underestimated his enemy, overestimated his own forces capability and had no knowledge of the battlefield. There was only ever going to be one outcome . . . massacre.
Thanks for a great pod cast
Nonsense. Had Reno not panicked and Benteen not dawdled and ignored a written order to advance, the "outcome" could have been very different. Do a little research on this battle before making ridiculous statements.
Granted it was another place & time, the era of "Manifest Destiny," but unarmed kids, women, & elderly folks were not combatants.
A. Lee Morris: Yes, it was another place and time. As a matter of fact, it was the American Frontier. What's your point exactly? Are you comparing modern attitudes and ideologies with those of the western frontier in the 19th century? Good luck, tool box.
@@Eadbhard Tool box? What are you, some sort of wise ass? Was simply stating the way it was. But one doesn't have to agree with or condone it. Our nation has a rich & colorful history that took place in a short time period, but sadly there were plenty of wrongs & injustices just as well, some of the scars of which are still with us today. They'll probably never be redressed.
Guys - read Drannan 31 years on the plains to see how bad it was (Shoot on sight, murder sleeping enemies, burning, lynching (always scalping) Plenty of barbarous blame to go around) lucky we live now
I'm also confused by your statement. The troopers tried to round up the non-combatants, and take them hostage in order to make the warriors break off the fight and either surrender or leave. Seems that would have reduced casualties, no? I know at the Washita women and children were killed, but that was mainly in the crossfire, with warriors and non-combatants running in panic, I don't think the fighting warriors even were able to mount their ponies. Typically of the myth-pushers it's been said "Custer killed women and children". I think that's patent nonsense. At the Washita his orders were "Kill all fighting Indians, women and children to be spared where possible". Makes sense to me. Bear in mind some women fought as warriors as did young boys. There likely were instances of atrocities by the troopers (intentionally killing non-combatants) but there really isn't any recorded proof of how many times that happened at the Washita. Yes, once would be too many, for sure. I understand a scout witnessed some innocents being summarily executed by troopers, He brought it to Custer's attention, asked "Is that what you want?'. Custer is said to have replied "No, ride over there and stop it. Put the women and children in a large Teepee and have a guard assigned". Possibly this story is false but it may well be true also. Custer did capture about 100 non-combatants at the Washita and brought them back. He likely exaggerated the number of warriors killed, lumping them in with the non-combatants also killed. But, such was the military back then.
@@TWS-pd5dc It is true. At the Washita, Seventh Cavalry troopers did place many women and children in lodges for their own safety, and these tipis were guarded and protected by some of Custer's men. As well, many scholars and historians believe Custer's Osage scouts were responsible for most of the noncombatant deaths at the Washita. The Osage were hereditary enemies of the Cheyenne, and when it came to killing, most Native warriors did not discriminate - men, women, children, the elderly - all fell beneath their tomahawks.
George Armstrong Custer did not butcher women and children. At the Washita, he ordered his men to capture the women and children, not kill them. Conversely, four years before the Washita battle, a Colonel John Chivington attacked some of these same Indians in their village near a place called Sand Creek in southeast Colorado. Whereas Custer ordered his men not to kill the women and children at the Washita, Colonel John Chivington told his men to kill them all, because "nits make lice". The massacre at Sand Creek was a disgusting, bloody carnival of madness where white troops purposely and systematically slaughtered, scalped, and mutilated hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho women and children.
Unfortunately for Custer, in this day and age, many ignorant people tend to confuse the Washita battle with the Sand Creek massacre. Moreover, since Custer is famous, and many ignorant people are familiar with Custer's name - but they have never heard of a Colonel John Chivington - they tend to use Custer as their "fall guy". Custer is a "crazy psychopath" and "murderer of innocent women and children", but "Colonel John Chivington? Who is he?"
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After reno left custer to charge the village and Keough and Cooke rode with reno for a while. I think if custer would have put Cooke in charge of renos 3 companies that all of the command would have gone into the village.
But was Crazy Horse at the Reno fight? Have read he arrived late owing to taking time getting ready and was told ''you missed a good fight'' but replied ''one is coming bigger than this one over there pointing toward the north''.
Happy anniversary George!
In all I've read & herd about this battle it appears no one really new what to do except the Indians. The unknowns beleaguering Custer were, in the end, overwhelming. Risking so many lives with so little critical info was true folly.
The real folly is not in the things you describe, but in your spelling.
You tell a pretty good story but it seems you have mixed up stream flow direction twice in the the last episode like maybe your thinking the map is on the wall and downstream is toward the bottom
Is there any account of how many indian warriors there were?
I understand its believed that the Native Americans moved Custer's remains after he was shot up to last stand hill after the battle.
some people believe it happened early on or near the end. I understand that the only thing they didn't take was their fallen foe's money as they didn't have any use for it.
Why would they have moved Custer's remains? Odds are, at the Little Bighorn, the Indians likely would not have recognized Custer, let alone known who he was.
A few months after the Little Bighorn, soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry attacked a small Sioux and Cheyenne camp at a place called Slim Buttes. In the camp, the soldiers found many articles taken from the Little Bighorn battlefield - clothing, weapons, personal items, etc, etc... Another thing they found was money, lots of money. Almost the entire 7th Cavalry payroll was found in that small village at the Slim Buttes. In short, you understand wrong. The Sioux and Cheyenne, in the year 1876, obviously had some use for their "fallen foes' money".
Down goes Custer ! ..Down goes Custer !!
He took plenty of savages before he went.
@@eugenesant9015 . Probably took plenty pack mules before he went as well
@@eugenesant9015 . What else could be expected of that type of thief ?
@@jessecaldwell9970 its people like you that repeat garbage, you know nothing of the movements and lack of support GAC had from Fred and The drunkard Marc , Garryowen
@@patrickroy3380 I agree completely, Fred & Marc were extremely lucky not to have been found guilty of cowardice, court-martialed at the Army Court of Enquiry. Garryowen!
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When u got to shot your mode of transport to try to protect yourselves you must realise your doomed they should have mounted and ran
That young man was way too young to be commanding a regiment to begin with. Yea he was brave but his ego killed his men.
excellent work gentlemen! it's true that custer has been called a psychopath, and maybe he was. what he certainly was, is a man of his time ,a warrior....and aren't all great warriors a bit of a psychopath? lol he had just walked away from the greatest killing field of all time...the civil war...how could a man not be effected by that?...military success had been the road to the white house for a century...if he had won this battle....he would have likely been our next president....despite his shortcomings ...custer was A MAN....not a coward ...not afraid of anything...even when he should be lol...in this day and time of "toxic masculinity"... it's no wonder he's being derided...HE WAS A MAN OF HIS TIME....WHEN MEN WERE STILL MEN!!!
I agree with you Dave, Custer was not a madman. His book ‘My life on the plains’ is a thoughtful and intelligent book which even shows some admiration for the Indians.
Custer was born for battle. The man had his faults, but he was in his element whenever it came to fighting. By the way, G.A.C. never aspired to be the President of the United States; that's just a myth. No, he was not a psychopath, but he was utterly fearless. He was a man of his time; as such, he should be viewed through a Victorian Age lens, not with presentism.
@@drstrangelove4998 You are correct. The view that Custer hated, and didn't respect, the Native is a crock of buffalo crap. Besides General George Crook, Custer was one of few American officers who had any empathy for the Native American. One time, Custer's Indian scouts held a ceremonial dance for him and some visiting VIP's. When the rite was finished, Custer pointed out to his scouts that they had forgotten to include a part of the ceremony. Somewhat surprised, the Natives looked at each other and laughed. They said maybe Custer should have been an Indian.
@@Eadbhard maybe he should have been an indian lol hey! you guys all have a great day!
@@davemccormickmusic ‘s right about fate: had you or I been born then & Indian, white or black (very different perspective)
I have read, in more than just one article, that Custer was one of the first hit in the ravine and was helped along/dragged to where he was found. Many have quoted that the warriors would take out leadership first to cause confusion. Also that Custer and Reno were both engaged at the same time and that Custer was very much done fore before Crazy Horse came and mopped up. Two ways were said how Custer made his way to the river, one by going through Cottonwood Cooley and the other straight away over the “saddle” and high ridge. Time line had to fit the narrative of the government and cavalry. Either way Custer got his ass kicked!
Warriors might have targeted leaders first when they fought other tribes, but that tactic doesn't really work when fighting white soldiers, e.g. Custer gets shot, Captain Tom Custer takes over; Tom Custer comes to grief, Captain Myles Keogh takes command; Myles Keogh gets it, Lieutenant Cooke is in charge; and so on and so forth.....
What the hell is Cottonwood Cooley?
@@Eadbhard That's fine when the man at the top tells subordinates what his plan is?
@@Eadbhard ... Custer had divided his companies so much that they had no line of sight, let alone command and control. The officers got swarmed and killed off too quickly to pass on command. The soldiers were left to themselves and they broke and ran. It was a buffalo hunt, that the Native Americans knew how to conduct perfectly. There are many accounts from the Native Americans that they killed Custer at Medicine tail Coulee but that they didn't know it was him at the time. Why would they lie? They won the battle after all.
@@louisavondart9178 Yes, with the exception of maybe the Lakota warchief, Rain-in-the-Face, the Natives at the Little Bighorn did not know Custer from Adam; they may have heard of him, but they would not have recognized Custer for who he was. That being said, how would they even know when and where they killed him?
"Why would they lie?" Who said they did? But some of the warriors actually did lie when they revealed their accounts of the battle. They did this merely because they feared some kind of retribution from the whites.
In his account of the battle, the Oglala warrior, White Cow Bull, said this:
"One white man had little hairs on his face, and he wore a big hat, a buckskin jacket, and he was riding a fine-looking sorrel with a blazed face and four white stockings... this man in the buckskin jacket seemed to be a leader of all these soldiers, for he shouted something and they all came charging at us."
This soldier, this officer, was not Custer. More than likely it was Lieutenant Sturgis. Sturgis' body was not found on Last Stand Hill like Custer's body was. In fact, Lieutenant Sturgis' body was never found; however, a decapitated head, which appeared to be his, was later found in the village. A flannel shirt with his initials(JGS) embroidered on it was also found in the village.
Custer may have been shot or killed at the Medicine Tail Coulee, but it's a doubtful theory. After Major Reno retreated and essentially quit the whole program, and with no sign of Benteen's battalion arriving, Custer probably realized he was in trouble.
As a last ditch effort, he led his wing farther north near the river (Ford C), and attempted to capture some noncombatants, but he encountered heavy resistance even there. This is evidenced by the fact that the newspaperman, Mark Kellogg, lost his life near the river at Ford C (by all accounts Kellogg usually kept close to Custer). Also, not a few descriptions report numerous shell casings from a Remington sporting rifle around, and underneath, Custer's slain body. Custer carried a Remington .50 - caliber sporting rifle at the Little Bighorn.
So….they received pretty much the same they had dealt the Indians when they massacred their villages…..
custer died in the river before the last battle , his body was drug up to last stand hill . truth.
Not True. 1. Would you drag his body all that way with thousands of pissed off Indian on your ass? 2. custer used different ammunition then the standard use and forensically the shells were found on last stand hill. So that theory is full of shit.
Yep, because nothing makes more sense than dragging a dead body along for two miles during a running firefight and stacking it on top of several dead bodies on Last Stand Hill, does it?
Lost me at most savages looked for Custer lol only a few of the southern Cheyenne might have know who he was . They thought they were fighting crook again and only months after the battle the savages depending on the what people wanted to hear spun their stories. Basic Factual history, Garryowen
It is implied they might have recognized the 7th insignia. Word probably spread fast enough after Washita and other incidents.