Custer's Last Stand

Several things will always be puzzling about the battle that is universally referred to as "Custer's Last Stand." General George Armstrong Custer had an ego the size of the western prairie, yet he also had a great deal of respect for the Indians he was trying to hunt down and kill. I have visited the site of that battle and you can see for miles from that point. Therefore, it is hard to understand how he would have been so foolish to ride into a battle that he could not win. Yes, it is clear that he aspired to the presidency, but people don't achieve that office by losing battles, especially to the Indians. Conversely, it is also strange that the Indians, who had achieved one of their few decisive victories against the white interlopers, would have disbanded so quickly. They still vastly outnumbered the American soldiers and could have pressed home an even greater victory. And yet, almost immediately after the victory, the Cheyenne left the war group, and a defeatist attitude set in among the Indians. When a small group of Cheyenne that refused to settle on a reservation tried to rejoin the Oglala, Crazy Horse refused their participation. Those Cheyenne then approached the American Army and offered to help them hunt down Crazy Horse and his band. Crazy Horse then chose to surrender and lead his group onto a reservation. Therefore, within a year of their great victory, the mighty Sioux nation was restricted to reservations and rapidly dying as a culture. While there are some aspects, such as the conversations between the soldiers, that are fictionalized, the bulk of the story is historically accurate. The personalities of the principals are accurately captured, the speech attributed to Custer, his officers, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse are all consistent with other biographical material that I have read. Henry tries to avoid making value judgements on the circumstances, although it is hard not to criticize the rapacious actions of the whites as they are destroying the Indian culture and largely exterminating entire villages. This is an excellent description of one of the turning points in the Indian wars of the western expansion of the American nation. For in their great victory, the Indians found only defeat, effectively giving up the fight, although in their defense, had they not surrendered, they probably would have been exterminated as a people.