UNITED STATES ARMY
AVIATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
(USAACE)
Fort Rucker, Alabama 36362-5092
January 2015
AWOAC HISTORICAL CASE STUDY
BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN
CW2 JEREMIAH SUTHERLAND
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA
TITLE: Battle of Little Big Horn
WRITTEN BY:__________________________________________________________ CW2 JEREMIAH SUTHERLAND, AWOAC RC15-002
REVIEWED BY:________________________________________________________ CW3 ELIZABETH M. MARCEAUX, SGL, AWOAC, A Co. 1-145th Avn Regt
APPROVED BY:________________________________________________________ CW4 KENNIE R. KELLY, Chief, AWOAC, A Co. 1-145th Avn Regt
…show more content…
History
The Little Bighorn River area is located in the eastern Montana territory. The river valley has substantial rolling terrain. Deep draws provide natural paths up the hills and tall grasses provide additional cover from all directions. The terrain offered the Native American tribes multiple escape routes. The Native American tribes also had the distinct advantage of being familiar with the terrain. The US cavalry was spearheading part of a three-pronged operation to force the tribes back to the reservation. Colonel John Gibbon, Commander of the 7th Infantry and the 2nd Cavalry moved east towards Fort Ellis on 30 March. Brigadier General George Crook, Commander of the 3rd Cavalry and companies of the 4th and 9th Infantry, moved north towards the Powder River area on 29 May. Brigadier General Alfred Terry’s column, containing the 7th Cavalry and companies from the 17th infantry, moved westward from Fort Abraham Lincoln on 17 May. In early June Terry and Gibson, link forces near Rosebud Creek. Terry made the determination that Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer, would take the 7th Cavalry and proceed south, following Rosebud Creek. The 31 officers and 566 enlisted men of the 7th Cavalry departed south on a reconnaissance mission on 22 June 1876. For some this would be their final mission in US military service.
Planning and Preparation
The army elements of the three-pronged operation were to converge on the likely
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).
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.
Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an Army expedition in the Black Hills (present-day South
Custer began exploring careers in railroads and mining. Following the death of his father-in-law in May of 1866, Custer returned to his home in Monroe, Michigan, that is when he had considered running for Congress. He was very involved in the American South in the aftermath of the Civil War such as taking part in public discussion. Later on, Custer was assigned lieutenant of the newly created U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment, headquartered at Fort Riley, Kansas, Custer was also appointed brevet major. He took part in Major General Winfield Scott Hancock’s expedition against the Cheyenne in 1867. Following the Hancock campaign Custer was punished for being AWOL after abandoning his post to see his wife. He was suspended from the service for one year as punishment. It appeared “Custer’s Luck” had finally ran out. But at the request of Major General Philip Sheridan, who wanted Custer for his planned winter campaign against the Cheyenne, Custer was allowed to return to duty in 1868, before his suspension had expired. Custer’s Luck had saved him
After moving 42 miles in three days, Custer realized that “directly west, in his front, are the very Indians the columns [were] searching for.” He massed his forces and deployed scouts to confirm the enemy's position. Before dawn on June 25th, they found “6,000 to 7,000 natives . . . encamped about 15 miles away . . . in the expansive Little Bighorn Valley.” Post-battle analysis confirmed “at least 2,000 warriors” in a settlement that “cover[ed] nearly two miles.” During this reconnaissance, Custer believed the enemy had discovered his column, and hastily began his attack, “fearing the natives might escape.”
On June 25, 1876, a battle was fought on the territory of Montana. This battle became known as the battle of Little Bighorn. The battle took place because Natives refused to move off territories that they were told to move from into native reserves. When they refused the U.S Army was dispatched to confront them. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong led the troops into battle. Native warriors from Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne outnumbered the Army. June 25,
The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Massacre at Wounded Knee were both significant and terrible events that took place in American history during the 1800’s. These two eyewitness documents provide information and details about two important Indian battles against American troops. These events occurred 14 years apart but both were the result of the Sioux Indians being unsatisfied with their freedom taken from them.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought along the ridges, steep bluffs, and ravines of the Little Bighorn River, in south central Montana on June 25-26, 1876. The combatants were warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, battling men of the 7th Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry. In 1868, many Lakota leaders agreed to a treaty, known as the Fort Laramie Treaty that created a large reservation in the western half of present day South Dakota. They further agreed to give up their nomadic life which often brought them into conflict with other tribes in the region, with settlers, and with railroad surveys. Agreeing to the treaty meant accepting a more
“The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The battle, which occurred on June 25 and 26, 1876 near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, was the most famous action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.”i Was this battle led by a courageous General or a desperate man is search of being seen as an American hero by the eyes of America?
This paper will examine the British and American Southern Loyalist defeat in the Battle of Kings Mountain and discuss the assumptions the British made including loyalist support, logistic support, and terrain advantage.
The battle of Wounded Knee was considered one of America's most unforgettable moments in history. It all started in December 15 1890, when reservation police tried to arrest famous Sioux chief, "Sitting Bull" whom they mistakened for a "Ghost Dancer" and he was killed during the process of the arrest, infuriating the Indians at Pine Ridge.
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.
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 Battle of the Alamo is probably the most famous battle to take place in the history of, and in the state of, Texas. The battle has given Texans the will to persevere against tough odds and the courage to endure through seemingly impossible situations for many generations. Many a Texan would draw inspiration during the fights following the defeat at the Alamo. This inspiration eventually led them to victory during the Texas Revolution following the Battle of San Jacinto. Had the Texas military correctly utilized their intelligence and combat assets available to them at the time, they would have been able to properly reinforce the Alamo. This would have allowed Texan leadership to develop an effective strategy to defeat the Mexican army
Texans are full of pride and have been since the term Texan was created. The Texas revolutionary war was a great battle between Mexican Republic and the Texas Colonists. The Texas Revolution was also known as the Texas War of Independence. What will be discussed throughout the research paper are the battles that took place throughout the revolutionary war. The paper will explain how these battles shaped the way Texas Independence was won and how it shaped the future for Texan colonists. The battles of Gonzales, Goliad, The Alamo, and the final battle of San Jacinto played the biggest roles in the Texas Revolution