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Custer

Custer The West's most famous battle pitted glory seeking Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry against 3,000 warriors under the leadership of Chief Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull had been told to report to the Sioux reservation by the end of January 1876. when he chose to stay on his land that had earlier been promised to him and his people in a treaty, the government, or mostly the War Department declared Sitting Bull and his people hostile and planned a large scale military advance. Sitting Bull sent messengers to the Sioux, the Cheyenne, and the Arapaho, including the tribes that were on reservations, trying to get the tribes to unite against the advancing white troops. An assembly of over 10,000 Indians chose Sitting Bull as the war chief of all the camps combined. (This was the first and last time one chief was the head of a organized Indian war party that consisted of many Indian tribes.) During the time it took to organize the Indian war parties, Sitting Bull needed to move his huge camp every couple of days in order to find enough grass for the horses. Lieutenant Colonel Custer led his 7th Cavalry, they were assigned to locate and drive the Indians into the other two large forces that awaited in the south and northeast. Custer was specifically told not to engage with the Indians; but he had made a career out of bold cavalry charges, and with the possibility of a promotion and political career he could not resist. He pushed his troops with the thoughts of defeating the Indians before General Alfred Terry or General George Crook could arrive to help him. On June 25, 1876, the army knew that Sitting Bull's camp was nearby on the Little Bighorn River. Custer made his first big mistake when instead of keeping his regiment together, he split his troops up into four squadrons. He was hoping he could make contact with the enemy. Custer with his five troops of men, totaling 215, and Major Marcus Reno, who was in charge of 112 men did just that. army scouts found the Indian camp on the west bank of the Little Bighorn, and Custer made his second big mistake. Instead of waiting for the other reinforcements to arrive, Custer decided to attack both ends of the Indian camp. While Major Reno crossed the Little Bighorn and attacked the camp from the south. Remember now that this was an Indian camp with over 3,000 warriors. When major Reno's troops lined up in front of the Indian village the warriors mounted their horses and rode out to defend their women and children. Before the battle even started Reno's men were already retreating toward the river, after realizing the enormous odds they faced. At this point, Custer took his troops toward a place at the bottom of Medicine Tail Coulee. But ten warriors opened fire in order to keep Custer and his troops at bay. Indian accounts say that Custer, who was riding in the lead, took a bullet on the left side of his chest. Indians had stopped fighting Major Reno's forces in order to help the ten that were fighting against Custer, this allowed Reno's troops to recross the river and get to the high ground. Arriving at the Medicine Tail Coulee by the hundreds, the better armed Indians found protected positions to fire at Custer from. Custer had lost total control of his troops. The panicking soldiers ran around trying to find safety at a higher position. About 40 soldiers, including Custer, made the famous "last stand" behind the cover of fallen horses, but after a final flurry of hand-to-hand fighting, all 216 men lay dead, this was after no more than an hour of combat. The dead troops were then stripped for trophies and loot, scalped, and then mutilated. While this was happening Major Reno, and the other two squadrons got together and established a defensive line against the powerful Indian war party. Late in the afternoon the Indians attacked the remaining troops, but the troops held the advancing braves at bay. The next morning 15 volunteers and four sharpshooters made there way to the river under heavy fire from the Indians, to bring water back to the wounded soldiers. Those 19 men were later awarded the Medal of Honor, as were five other soldiers. those 24 men represent the highest total of Medal of Honor recipients for a single action in the history of Indian wars. There were attacks and counterattacks throughout the morning of June 26, but Sitting Bull made camp and moved off towards the southwest in the afternoon. The next day General Terry's relief column arrived.(Remember these were the people that Custer was supposed to wait for.) With a total of 256 dead, the 7th Calvary had suffered over a 51 percent loss rate, against estimates of three dozen all the way to three hundred Indian deaths. Custer had lead his troops to the worst defeat experienced by the U.S. Army in the West. Many dead troopers had been mutilated by the Indians. The soldiers found Custer's dead body among his fallen comrades. Custer had two bullet holes in him, but he was not mutilated. However a Cheyenne woman, gave another account after the battle. She said that two Cheyenne women came upon Custer's body on the battle field and punctured his eardrums with a pointed sewing tool. Custer had been told years earlier in Oklahoma if he ever made war on the Cheyenne again, he would be killed. He did not listen. With punctured eardrums, he would hear better in the afterlife. I personally feel that what happened to Custer and his men was justified by the Indians. They were only defending there land which the United States Government had issued to them. This was only the beginning of the crappie foreign policy that the United States government just can not get right. (The only survivor of Custer's immediate command was Captain Keogh's horse, Comanche-which was found only a few yards away from all the broken bodies.) Bibliography:

Word Count: 1008