Christopher Williams
History 102: American History Since 1877
April 27, 2014

The battle of Little Big Horn was a very significant battle in American history. Many of the battles in American history show the strength of the American military and the smarts of the leaders at that time. On the contrary, when it comes to the battle of Little Big horn it was one of the few low points in American military history. Even though history will prove that General Custer was one of the best General and leaders to ever lead but this battle is one of the low points of his career. This battle goes to show just how important it is to plan properly and ensure that you follow instruction that are given to you from your superiors.
To begin the Battle of Little Bighorn took place at the river in Montana Territory on June 25, 1876. This was the first problem for the American Fighters because they had a very little knowledge of the terrain and the actual skill level of the Indians. Whenever you are a part of anytime of battle it is very important to ensure that you have as much intelligence as possible but that was not the case with General Custer. General Custer felt as though because of his war knowledge and his reputation that this would be another show of force in which him and his men would just run over the Indian and take exactly what they came from. As history shows whenever a military unit is overconfident they tend to become complacent which ultimately lead to failure of the mission. This is why in the military today discipline is the cornerstone of being a soldier because it is that discipline that will ensure that every mission is looked at as a very serious matter and will be approached with upmost dedication and focus.
Tension really began to rise when it was discovered that it was gold on the Indian land. Once this was confirmed they decided that it was best to have the all the Indians on a reservation. The Indians reluctantly went to reservations but not in the time that the U.S. government wanted them to so therefore three columns of U.S. military was deployed one of which was led by General Custer. General Custer was known to be one of the best leaders in the military and an even better fighter. He was known for his bravery and quick wit on the battlefield to overwhelm and out strategize his opponents. The one thing that General Custer wasn’t aware of was the fact that the Indian had a great leader as well that went by the name of Sitting Bull. Many would say that due to the outcome of this battle that Sitting Bull was the better of the two men at least during this battle. Once General Custer got close he saw that he may have been outnumbered but decided to continue even though he was given orders to wait for support. This was another one of his mistakes because no matter much of a warrior you feel you or what type of skills that you may have you always have to ensure that you follow orders. This was a show of overconfidence and arrogance on Custer’s part because as a great leader you have to know when to lead and when to follow. Once he realized that he was outnumbered he decided to divide his troops up into three different forces. This may have seem like a good idea at first but in retrospect it only thinned out if forces even more. This made is forces even more vulnerable because the Indian outnumbered them in every way from every direction. Their lack of knowledge was very evident when Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Reno realized that they would not be able to just straight through on the attack but would have to go through many different hardship just from nature because of the terrain which they were not aware of. The other squadron was led by Reno and was directed to charge from the southern which is exactly what did but was only able to fight for about 10 minutes before he realized that he it was no way possible that he and his men had a chance at winning this fight. With no possible way of winning he instructed his men to retreat back when now gave the Indians the offensive which was the first show of preparedness and eager to fight. Now with Reno and his soldiers being force out they noticed that they were being attack

from the other side of village so they then decided to take the fight to them so they crossed the river and for them to the high hill very fast. The Indians were just too overwhelming for these forces this it were it shows again that Custer should have wait for the main party to arrive so that they would have enough soldiers to help combat so many well trained Indians. The Indians knew the terrain so well that they were able to maneuver how they wanted to while Custer and his men struggled to find paths and ways to reach the Indians. It was long before Custer was completely surrounded and outnumbered by a three to one ratio. This completely showed that the Indians were ready and had taken complete control of this battle at this point with help in site for Custer. Then then began to rain down gunfire relentlessly until Custer was all out of ideas and tactics to use to defend himself and his men. In Custer last strategy he ordered all of his soldier to shoot their horse and use them to act as a wall to protect them from the onslaught from the Indians. This may have seem like a great idea but in actuality it really wasn’t because it no made him and his men stagnant they were not able to move. The fundamental of war is to be able to shoot move and communicate. With this decision it was almost impossible for him to be move so therefore at this point they became an easy target for the Indians because they knew where they were and were able to fire at them relentlessly. The tactic of the horses only lasted for about one hour the impact from the bullets eventually tore through the horses and began to kill off all of the men including Custer himself. With Custer and his men being completely killed off the Indians then turn their attention to the other squadrons. At this time the other they had become united as one squadron but they were still in treat mode. Eventually the Indians broke off the fight allowing them to escape but the damage had been done and they sent a clear message that they were prepare to defend their land. The Indians were confident in their ability to battle after this because they had took down one of the best battle leaders at the time in less than a day. The reason they were able to do this is because they knew the terrain and were prepared to attack from every angle. Custer and his men were not expecting this type of reaction from them they were expecting more of a rollover and fear type of reaction but they Indians felt as though they were fight for everything that they had. Once the battle was over the Indians decided to stripped the bodies and mutilate all the uniform soldier. The Indian believe that this would cause the soldiers spirits to basically stay on earth and that this would prevent their souls from going to heaven. Ironically the Indians stripped Custer but did nothing further to Custer thinking that he was not a soldier because he didn’t wear the uniform some looked as this as throwing salt in the wound or adding insult to injury. Even though this was not the case the many were upset by this action and wanted revenge for this action while the Indians were just following religious beliefs. After these action it became here that something had to be done about and that Americans would not take this laying down and wanted some revenge immediately. In conclusion, this battle was looked at as one of the biggest defeat in American history and too many American today it still is. Even though the Indians were happy about they win during this battle this only made Americans bitterer and want to really send a message to the Indians. With the death of a Civil War hero on the hands the whites would initiate an all-out war on the Indians which eventually became too much for the Indians to withstand and eventually leading to their defeat. Their powerful victory at Little Bighorn would be their last victory against the whites who would eventually end up defeating the Sioux nation and completely taking over the Indian reservation all together. All in all, even though Custer was a Civil War hero his inability to have patience and follow order would ultimately lead to his demise. He underestimate the Indians ability and their strength in number then when you take in account of this lack of knowledge of the terrain it was obvious from the outset that they were fighting a losing battle.

Bibliography
Connell, Evan S. Son of the Morning Star (1984); New York Herald (July 1876); Utley, Robert M. Cavalier in Buckskin; George Armstrong Custer and the Western Frontier (1988).http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custercont.htm
Battle of Little Bighorn. http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn
"Battle of the Little Big Horn." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (April 27, 2014). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3045300163.html
"Battle of the Little Big Horn." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2014 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3045300163.html