Battle Analysis of the Battle of Little Bighorn Essay

Document E, called the “Massacre of Our Troops,” is an article from the New York Times published on July 6, 1876. It is written by Muggins Taylor, a scout for General Gibbons, and therefore, the account of events is from a white man’s perspective. As stated in the document, “Gen. Custer found the Indian camp of 2,000 lodges on the Little Horn, and immediately attacked it” (Doc E). This clearly depicts his harsh treatment of Native Americans as he attempted to kill them so Americans could possess their land. The Indians were surrounded by Custer’s regiment and merely reacted to his initial attack. Additionally, Document K, which is from the perspective of Crazy Horse, describes the situation that his tribe was in. Crazy Horse states, “They say we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us. Our first impulse was to escape but we were hemmed in and we had to fight” (Doc K). While most people believe that the Indians savagely attacked the white settlers, they truly had no choice. Custer’s troops had surrounded the Indian village leaving them with no option but to fight back. Custer planned an attack on the Native Americans portraying his deplorable treatment of the Native

Following the civil war the Army was downsizing. Custer was a captain in the regular army. In July 1866 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel made second in command of the 7th Calvary at Fort Riley Kansas. As the settlers, along with the railroad, were pushing west, there were conflicts with Indians. Custer’s mission was to tract down these roving Indian, war parties. This was a new type of war for Custer. It was guerrilla warfare. Custer tried to track down the Indians as if they were the confederates. He would camp on hill tops so he could see all around him. At night, his men would build big fires. The Indians would see this and flee. This lack of success drastically brought the morale down in Custer and his men. Before long, a group of 15 men deserted, Custer ordered them to be tracked down and shot. He then went on a forced march with his men just so he could spend a day with his wife regardless of the repercussions to his career. Major General Hancock gave a court martial to Custer for the execution of his men without trial. Custer was suspended in pay for one year.v

George Armstrong Custer was a United States cavalry officer who served with distinction in the American Civil War and was the youngest ever brevet brigadier general at age twenty-three (History.com Staff, 2009). Custer had various disciplinary issues throughout his career ranging from abandoning his post for romantic reasons to leaving the field without searching for a slain reconnaissance unit (History.com Staff, 2009). His expedition in 1874 that led to the discovery of gold, was in violation of the treaty of 1868 wherein the Black Hills were recognized to belong to the Sioux Nation. Custer was known to have a reckless temperament and was often at odds with superior officers. Nevertheless, as a Lieutenant Colonel assigned to the Seventh Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Riley, Kansas, Custer was tasked to lead the force against Sitting Bull’s alliance (History.com Staff, 2009).

After the Civil War ended, Custer was offered the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the command of the 7TH Cavalry Regiment4. Custer served in many campaigns the U.S. Cavalry conducted including Major General Hancock’s campaign against the Cheyenne and the Battle of Washita River against the Black Kettle5.

One of the war’s first battles was the Battle of First Bull Run. Today's site of the Battle of First Bull Run is a tranquil pasture surrounded by trees and a split rail fence. Instead of the neigh

Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an Army expedition in the Black Hills (present-day South

Imagine standing with twenty eight thousand Union soldiers staring at thirty two thousand Confederate soldiers all young and scared of what lies ahead because five thousand won't be alive when the battle is over. The North will lose the battle and they will realize that this won't be as easy as they thought. Three generals were showcased in this battle Union General Irvin McDowell Confederate Joseph E. Johnston Confederate P.G.T. Beauregard . The battle of Bull Run was a defining moment in the Civil War. It helped the North realise what they were up against. It also showcased 3 simi-famous generals.

Custer lost the battle because he underestimated the number of people on the Indians side. He went in there thinking it would be easy. Clearly, it wasn’t.

Col. George Armstrong Custer was given a order to explore the Black Hills within reservation boundaries. He was also ordered to map and find a comfortable place with enough resources to plant a future military post. While Lt. Col. Custer was exploring the hills words of found gold were being spread by geologists. This lead to Miners and Entrepreneurs invading the land for profit of gold, which violated the treaty directly. When the US tried giving the Lakota prices to buy Black Hills they rejected it, which led to a deadline in January of 1876. It was said that all Sioux report to the reservation on January 31, but when there was no response in return, the task was handed off to the military. (Little Bighorn Battlefield National

The Battle of Little Bighorn may have been a defeat but the brave men who became patriots that fought for their country will forever be named for their devotion. Those men gave their lives to save future generations. The men that would give their lives for ours should be honored for their bravery. We are the people they fought to save and for that we owe them our approval. They started their journey with the march.

But Custer being flamboyant and brash confronfronted the Native Americans, thinking that his technologically advanced soldiers could take them out no problem.

With the whites moving in on the Black Hills in search for gold, they wanted to buy it from the Lakota people. Crazy Horse moved and set up camp around the area and led raids on the miners. With these attacks, the whites decided to build more forts in the Lakota area, and force all of the Lakota people into agencies. Crazy Horse and the people who had followed him believed that they had to drive out the whites, and that the buffalo would return.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as “Cluster’s Last Stand,” which was fought on June 25, 1976 in Montana, U.S. The outcome was indulged for the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne tribes, who presumably will defeat the U.S Army under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and its 7th Calvary. This trounce defeat by the tribes, will consider Indians bloodthirsty by the demise of their enemy. The Indians overwhelmed the 200 men by a cluster of 3,000 men. This insisted the battle was lost by the west, and will always be known as “Cluster’s Last Sand.” A battle that only lasted shortly, and took part of the “Great Sioux War of 1876,” will consider Indians unpredictable in the battle field.

The first two campaigns led by Crook, Terry, and Gibbon were failures for the US. The first big altercation occurred at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Led by Lt. Col. Custer, the Seventh Cavalry encountered a large village on the west bank of Little Bighorn. The US troops were defeated there, and about 260 men were killed, including Custer (The Battle of Little Bighorn). This also became known as “Custer’s Last Stand3.”

Grant’s administration attempted to purchase the Black Hills from the Sioux after the discovery of gold, but the Sioux, considering it sacred land, rejected the offer. In early 1876, after a number of tribes missed the deadline to move to reservations, the U.S army, including Custer and his cavalry, were dispatched to force the Native Americans into the reservations. On June 24th, Custer’s scouts arrived at an overlook known as Crow’s Nest, fourteen miles east of the mouth of the Little Bighorn river where the other 2 columns were stationed. The scouts reported a Native American village about 15 miles in the distance. Custer planned an ambush on the morning of June 26th, but after hearing a report of several hostiles discovering the trail left behind by his troops he decided to attack the next