The Grisly Epilogue of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out. The field of battle is never a pretty sight. #custer, #littlebighorn, #custer’slaststand @Havoscar
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I’ve visited many battle sites but Little Big Horn was, to me anyway, the loneliest as it sits out on the prairie. I wondered as I was there if any soldiers, knowing their impending doom, looked about and thought, I’m dying for this? I suggest you visit it in the offseason when you’re the only one there. It makes a powerful impact.
Yes, I visited in the dead of winter. I was alone. It was a profound experience.. like I could feel the ghosts, one of the best experiences in my life.
I have. You're spot on.
I took my elderly parents there once. I remember my plain-spoken father lookin around and saying, "Custer should have left the Indians have this damn place."
@@jeffreyvaughn1838 Feeling the 'spirits, the forever eternity tortured souls of the Un-saved, is very common on sites of mass tragedies. "We don't know what we don't know", exemplified. "Eternity, an extremely extended long time".
'Believers' fully understand such, and are exempt... by Grace.. ;}
@@blogengeezer4507 Amen; Jesus is Lord.
I have been to Little Big Horn. If you have the time take the bus tour. The guides are VERY knowledgeable. Many interesting facts are revealed during the ride!
A bus tour, they have bus tours... I've been there many times and never seen a bus tour.
My wife and I visited the Battlefield in 2016. We drove through it. I'm glad we did because you couldn't get off the tour bus to read all the signs. You could almost feel the tension and commotion going on there so many years ago.
To Julie Hudson, the reason students know several men went into the ravine was the army burial parties saw the bodies in a ravine down from Last Stand Hill. Therefore if the bodies were still there then (4 days after the battle) they had not been taken into the village.
That's great plains country, vast, desolate and incredibly beautiful. But the one thing that hit hardest for me was the chilling realization that _there was no cover_ anywhere
One of my Great grandfathers was a cowboy on a cattle drive to Bozman. On his way back, he heard about the massacre and went to the battlefield and helped bury the dead soldiers.
After what they did they should’ve been left for the animals to feed on
@havoscar…. More great Little Bighorn videos. Thank you !!!!
Within 5 years, the victorious Indians had been scattered, defeated and placed on reserves where they still are today. They won one battle but lost the war.
😅
yeah, the american government free the slaves and enslaved the free
What is your point?
And America is so much poorer for it.
You mean reservations. And, they are much worse off because of it.
I stopped there in 2011 on a cross country motorcycle trip. Not a big believer in ghosts or spirits, but there was something there.the hair on my neck stood up a few times. Never experienced that before.
Yes you are correct that was a bloody battle and not surprising there is alot of Spiritual activity on that battle ground I also felt that
Erie feeling like as a alot of people have 🙁
I’ve heard that building is haunted n lots of stories of spirits n footsteps and noises at night
The Eiffel Tower and St Mark's Square did that for me...sharing such an intense scene is amazing and pleasant.
Yup.
I visited the Civil War battlefield at Spotsylvania, Virginia one afternoon when no one else was there. It was summer and I could hear thunder off in the distance that sounded a lot like artillery. I had the same creepy feeling that you describe.
I very much doubt that Custer escaped mutilation. Likely the story of him found sleeping at rest with a smile on his face was for the benefit of Elizabeth Custer.
I remember hearing/reading the exact opposite, but I might be mistaken.
Custer is guilty of disobeying orders and consequently the death of his soldiers but, the criminal government at that time, made him a super eroe
It’s not hard to find documentation that he was mutilated. Nobody wanted to upset his wife’s “delicate sensibilities”. She must have been a bit of a fool to believe Custer was the only one not mutilated.
Custer was very much despised among the Indians. In a raid under his command against the Southern Cheyenne a large number of non-combatants had been killed. That earned him the nickname "squaw killer".
A simple browser search of "Custer's ears" or "Custer's penis" might enlighten the ignorant.
When one considers the horrendous loss of life
In civil war this was only
A minor skirmish!
It is the second most researched and written about battle in US History. Only Gettysburg is more famous.
But more books have been written about Little Big Horn than about the Gettysburg battle ...!
"the horrendous loss of life" ? Local people protected their land against violent intruders and killed a handful of them before being anihilated at last. The right to defend ones home is something every American is proud of. They did exactly that. They were Americans long before Europeans came and claimed to be proud Americans.
Sure. But it was not "minor" to the people directly involved, on either side. (It never is...)
@@josephshields2922 Interesting that Custer fought at both.
I'm stopping again because I think every Battle of bighorn students knows that there were soldiers that went into that ravine but they could never find the bodies maybe finding parts of soldiers in the camp means they captured some and took them back do the village and I'm sure it wasn't pretty
Counts from Indians that they did take soldiers into their camp. So you’re right on that point. During Reno’s retreat they said some troopers were Lassoed off their horses and drug back to the camps. They talk about it in this vid
😢 suffering 😢
Never got their plan correct..nor timetable meet up other group soldiers were early but beaten back one day too soon then custer and 3rd part was a day late..plus calvary used single shot rifles..to indians repeaters and knew the area for their numbers were too much for this fighting custer wanted...no chance at all...turned into defense Fter defense loosing troops each time till small group was push to hill top and who to say custer was alive by that time..
That is not true; every soldier was accounted for, and the Indians would not have taken any prisoners. Indians didn't take prisoners...
Yep.... Sitting Bull warned them Not to do this or they would face disaster
Custer's rank at the battle of Little Big Horn was Lt. Col. He was awarded Brevit General during the Civil War but upon cessation of the war he reverted by to his original rank.
Civil War officers were often referred to by the highest rank achieved as a courtesy.
I was there in 1971. There was no fencing around the stones then. You could walk out there amoung the head stones if desired. The place was much less commercialized then.
Sounds a bit like our Stonehenge here in England .
I was lucky years ago to walk amongst the stones .But they are long since blocked off from the public .
Sad day for both sides.
Stupid wars
One lost the battle,and one lost everything!
The Indians reservations have casinos tax-free making millions and millions of dollars
Yes and no. They actually escaped to Canada but could not longer survive because of reduced game for there way of life. They returned voluntarily to the US reservation.
Good
You forgot wounded knee. The rebuilt slaughtered chief big foots band. ,crazy
Horse and sitting bull were murdered. O others rounded up lockup on reservations
Some made it to canada ,the nez perce were hoping for their hrlp during thrir up rising @josephshields2922
Not exactly correct ... Custer's widow was told that he was not mutilated . However a arrow was forced into his private parts destroying it ... The soldiers were so mutilated and dissected, head from body, arms and legs cut off from the body, and completely naked , that is was nearly impossible to identify anyone. One trooper has a glass eye, and that eye was shattered by an arrow, that is how he was identified. Relatives were told one thing out of kindness, totally without substantiation from the battlefield . A grave marker was set up for a Mother who came to see where he had fallen . In reality his body was never found ...
What you are relating are stories not historical facts ...
Custer's widow was never one to let the facts get in the way of a good story... while she isn't as bad as Buntline... she is part of the reason a good deal of American ' history ' is mostly fiction
This is not exactly correct. Many witnesses reported Custer's body intact. Many soldiers were not mutilated while others were scalped and mutilated. Tom Custer was only identified by a tattoo on his arm. It is assumed that he was mutilated to that extent because he killed so many of them, as evidenced by the number of cartridges found around him. Chief Gall later said that if all the soldiers had fought as hard as those on Custer Hill, they would have left the field without final victory. Also, the women never came up to the field because it was too far off from the village and they were packing to leave quickly. They looted and desecrated the bodies of Reno's command that fell nearest to the village. Kate Bighead did circumnavigate the entire battle while it was underway, looking for a cousin she feared killed in the fighting.
Quite a bit in this is not based on fact. Just one example: not all 5 companies under Custer were annihilated.
Previous post is correct, saying this is storytelling...based on a few known facts.
@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 Afraid not, there are many secrets about this battle. Soldiers follow orders... Who said many soldiers were not mutilated, when so many soldiers bodies were never even found...
That is not true; the historical record shows Custer had two gunshot wounds, one in his left temple and one in his left breast. Either one would've proved fatal, one faster than the other. He has blood coming from his ears where the Cheyanne women had used Buffalo bone sewing needles to pierce his eardrums so he would hear them in the next life. Custer had met with the Cheyanne Indians months before the little big horn. He was told if he came for them, he would die. Indians didn't mutilate bodies to do it. There was spiritual reason for it. They, too, believed in an afterlife, so if they cut off the trigger finger, that person couldn't shoot them; if they poked out their eyes, they would be blind; if they slit the thigh muscle, they wouldn't be able to chase them. It doesn't matter what his widow was told. Glass eyes didn't exist in 1878.. c'mon man.
While not mutilated to the same degree as many of his troopers, George A. Custer was most definitely treated to "special attention" in the aftermath of the battle. The truth was withheld from Libbie, but it is easy enough to discover on the web today.
TRUE FACT !!!
How would the Indian natives know who Custer was as, in identifying him? No newspaper, or photos back then, none of them would have had a clue it was Custer.
The Indian account of the battle said that when Custer's troops tried to cross the river to attack the village, they discovered they couldn't cross because of thick mud along the river bank due to recent heavy rains. The Indians had been camped there for nearly two months and knew where they could and could not cross the river. It was during a pause while trying to find a crossing point a sniper's shot rang out and hit Custer in the chest. At this point he was either killed or mortally wounded. His troops then made a retreat where the Indians said the soldiers began arguing amongst themselves. In all probability they were arguing over whether to continue the fight to support Reno's charge into the village, or go into a full fledged retreat to save themselves. While they argued and their horses were scared off by the Indians, the Indians formed a circle around them, leaving no hope for escape. The fact Custer had five companies with him (C,E,F,I, and L ) and four of the five commanders of those companies were found around Custer instead of scattered on the battlefield with their respective companies would seem to lend credence to this version. Perhaps there were discussions about who was in charge with Custer incapacitated. Only Miles Keough was found in a different location, while Tom Custer, Algernon Smith, James Calhoun and Yates were found with Custer.
Lt. Calhoun's body was found on what is known as Calhoun Hill, along the ridge, where he appears to have put up a stiff resistance. This is far from Last Stand Hill.
@@Havoscar I'm going by what Evan S. Connell said in his book "Son of the Morning Star" and Joe Marshall's book "Soldiers Falling Into Camp".
@@bajikimran2304read some newer books. Much has changed since that book was written, especially after the grass fire in the late 1980"s.
All the company were not with Custer. Both Keogh and Calhoun died with their troops, and Tom Custer was serving as part of his brother's staff. Lt. Harrington was in command of Tom's C Company. Also, if Custer had been incapacitated, Keogh would be next in command and then Yates. Smith is the only officer not really where he should have been, although he could have been wounded in E Company's fight in the Cemetery area. Or, HE could have been the officer shot at the Ford. He was wearing a buckskin jacket, as was Tom and Cooke. George Custer was reportedly NOT wearing his when last seen.
The Indians had not been camped there for two months. There would have been no grass whatsoever for the large horse herd to eat. And, the sanitary conditions would have been horrible. The village had only settled in on the Little Bighorn after the fight with Crook on June 17. At the time of that fight the village was located along Reno Creek.
I read a book on the Indian Wars ,sort of Osprey Series type.Bit surprised to see a photo of a cavalryman that had been killed and showed all the various indignanties that had been visited on his body.No blurring,just yup,that’s how it was!
It was later revealed the level of the Custer's and others mutilation was witheld at the time as it was exceptionally bad.
The native Indians were living in the Stone Age. They hunted and gathered for food. They lived a primitive existence and were not going to climb out of that primitive existence for the next thousand years. The worst part of the native America Indians existence was their brutal way of life. They killed each other, warred, raped, and lived very dark lives. Not everything g about the Native American Indians was bad but much was terrible and cruel. There were injustices done to the Indians but that went both ways.
No one would choose to go back to that primitive existence. I think the reservation system is not helping anyone but I wouldn’t take the land away from the original peoples that was awarded to them.
The past should teach us but we cannot dwell on the past. Romanticizing the Indians is misguided just like romanticizing any people’s history is misguided. We all have to overcome our primitive proclivities. Most of us have been fortunate enough to have been pulled up by the few who came before us. Today, if you look at our world it seems like we could easily slip back into the primitive ways of war, murder, animistic beliefs, and an age of greater ignorance.
I don't see much progress in mankind today- we are still at war over something ridiculous & still treat some cultures as subordinates. Unless you think fancy materialistic items are a step up from being primates then not much has changed.
We are no better. On the west coast many native American's were enslaved and forced to build the missions in California. They were put on reservations, and not allowed to keep their culture. Their children were taken away and put in religious encampments. Many were tortured. In one instance a group of settlers came and shot all the native American children- this was much worse than sandy hook.
@sheldonberg125 please explain why the Catholic Church ( black robes ) had Pazzoro and others destroy knowledge that was available when they " discovered " civilized people and demonize them ? I remember but do not live in the past to have that happen again .
Your arrogance is your downfall and fear grips to this day . Too bad .
@@DarrellPrettyWeasel And to bad that you are as single minded as what you accuse others of,there are more than black robed priests when you have other religious ideology practice the same thing today,and all they do is gather on our streets and scream freedom for people that is not even of our countries backed by white robed bearded Imams,shouting for Jihads in our countries,and corrupting our kid in universities and colleges and schools by telling them our history is lies and we are privliged because of our skin,hmmm
This document constitutes one opinion by men who by this time, wished to explain away and blame Custer for the general failure of the entire Campaign of 1876, which is ridiculous. A complete and thoroughly objective review of all the materials, including the latest analysis of the battlefield archeology, consult Gregory Micno's "The Mystery of E Company."
Custer had no way of knowing that Crook had left the field a week earlier and that Terry and Gibbon were a day behind schedule. His job, as Lt. Godfrey recounts in his dairy (with Benteen's command), was to punish the Indians and drive them back to the reservations via a concerted effort of the entire campaign's forces, and if he had not attacked, he would have been blamed. The reasons for his dividing up his command make perfect sense when studied in detail. Custer sent Benteen out to cover the flank of his remaining forces by making sure that no hostiles were waiting in the ravines he sent Benteen to cover. In the Inquiry, it was revealed that Benteen was dawdling and did not think they would find the Indians that day. It was also well reported that Reno was a drunkard and was drinking on the day of the battle. Beteen disobeyed Custer's orders to come up. Custer waited as long as he could for Bentwen and then deployed his companies into a battle square. The Napoleonic Battle Square was a standard tactic and it is well demonstrated (by Michno) that others including Custer in 1873 had repelled similar numbers of hostiles in 1872 and in 1868, and that if Benteen had brought his troops up as commanded, he would have had more than enough men to discourage the Sioux and Cheyenne that day.
Because of these important facts being left out of this video and discussion, it constitutes a repeat of old, debunked, and/or mitigated through wider, more informed, and objective analysis. I recommend that anyone truly interested in the most objective review of all materials, including Indian recollections and the latest battlefield archeological analysis of the battle, read Gregory MIchno's "The Mystery of E Company."
Imagine if this comment actually had anything to do with the content of the video. Did you even watch the video??
The entire command could have attacked right on cue and still been wiped out. They were outnumbered by least 20 to 1. Even the Brits with all their training, cannons, and breech loading Martini-Henry's (with plenty of ammo) were wiped out at Isandlwana when confronted by massive numbers of Zulu's three years later. Sheer numbers can overcome tactics or even more modern weapons.
@@Havoscar Bless his heart, he doesn't know the difference between prologue and epilogue. Not his fault, his parents were stupid too. 😉
Well described! I've been repeatedly responding to hundreds of morons who simply follow the 'woke' crowd and believe that General George A. Custer was an arrogant fool 'seeking glory'.
A majority of readers never bother to look up his heroics and masterful decision-making during the Civil War!
Those morons should look up what happened to the 'table' on which Lee signed the surrender instrument to General Grant.
Don't be woke!
Look up the facts.
Read, more than you watch...and hear!
Be informed...and that will help you become aware of the facts!
If you say so . . .
Custer was send on a suicide mission by the US Government, and then they covered it up and blamed him for the failure. There were three wings of this campaign that were supposed to meet and entrap the Indians. Custer arrived first because he was cavalry , and his soldiers were not on foot. Custer also did not know about the battle of Rosebud ...
A question: Custer's pocket watch turned up sometime in the 1920s...where is it today?
The Western Heritage Museum in Billings Montana. It was pawned off to a bartender or pawnbroker in the 1930's by a Native American.
The custer massacre At Little bighorn was the 9/11 of its time. Lieutenant Colonel Custer was not mutilated but his brother Tom Custer was. It took about 2 or 3 days for the news to hit the Eastern papers but when it did the outrage and anger towards Indians at the time was fierce.
wrongly so.....Custer wasn't attacked by "terrorists"
@Annus_MMXXIV Pretty myopic of you.
The battle took place on June 25, 1876. It didn't hit eastern papers until July 6. That's more than 2-3 days.
great depictions of natives in their gear with feather headdress and spears and bows, but by this time many braves were armed with the latest repeating rifles. While most could not repair or fix the rifles, they we very adept in the usage.
While a very few Indians had repeaters, they had the never-ending problem of ammunition. They couldn't make it and with the decline of the bison they had nothing to trade with. It's why so many warriors still carried bows and arrows, lances and war clubs. Weapons they could make with the resources they had at hand. They were crude but effective in the hands of men who knew how to use them.
@@johngaither9263 They had many repeaters at the Bighorn, that has been proven over and over again. In fact, they had repeaters, the soldiers did not.
Shame that Guidon is in private hands. It certainly belongs in a museum for all to visit and see if they wish. I understand it's legal but wish at some point in the chain of owners one would leave them to museums in their will.
I figured something like that would be long at West point
READ "Archaeology, History, and Custers Last Battle" - Richard Allan Fox, Jr. - 1988
The battle site was totally re examined after the brush fire which destroyed the areas battl field and surrounding hills.
This is a very good write up of the battle using todays archaeological approach.
The battle site was totally re examined after the brush fire which destroyed the areas battl field and surroi
I read an article about that fire and archological investigation. They found many hundreds on shells from the rifles used at the battle and got a great idea of the ebb and flow of the battle.
Custer was well known amongst the Indians. He was a rock star. He had been shot through the body crossing the river to round up women and children to use as bargaining chips to end the hostilities. He was dragged from the river and back to the command post (hill). He also had a point blank shot to the temple by his own pistol. I doubt he was even alive during the final assault by Indians.
Custer is blamed a lot for battlefield mistakes but no one likes to say they were simply outnumbered and .outgunned by the Indians who had repeating rifles and
According to survivors of Benteen's Battalion, less than 30-40 percent of warriors were armed with repeating rifles.
@@BryanOliver74 600 modern weapons were in the hands of the Indians.. Benteens battalion would not know what happened in Custers battle, as they were not there...
Rifles bought and paid for by the U.S. Government.
The $500 cash on the sergeant is equal to over three years of pay for a soldier of the day.
At the time of his death he was a Lieutenant Colonel not a general.
He was a Bravette, like how biden is a professor or jill a doctor. All 3 luzers.
That was his son or nephew. Several of Custer relatives died there
Very good point!
@@FLANG3265No Custers actual rank was Lt Colonel he was a brevet Major general during the civil war.
@@FLANG3265Custer's nephew.
I've read countless results of Custer's battle at the Big Horn, and I have to say that sometimes you reap what you sow.
Most commentators overlook important details of the situation leading up to the battle.
What *who* sows? Soldiers generally "reap" what their government "sows" at the instigation of wealthy people.
Soldiers do not make government policy, they don't sign treaties, they don't break treaties, they don't organize expeditions, and they don't give themselves orders. They just do their duty, and often die trying.
This expedition was conceived by Sherman and Sheridan, and okayed by President Grant, because powerful men in the East wanted the "Indian problem" solved so they could profit from opening the West. Not a damn one of *them* risked their lives.
Roughly 40% of the 7th Cavalry was made up of recent immigrants (the majority Irish and German). The Panic of '73 had devastated the economy (yeah, bankers and speculative financiers again), and jobs were very hard to find, so they signed up with the Army rather than starve.
Lt. Col. Custer didn't conceive of this expedition or organize it; he wasn't even supposed to go on the expedition because Grant was angry with him (for testifying before the Clymer Committee investigating corruption in the awarding of contracts to supply the BIA with food and goods to the Natives on reservations, starving them...Grant's brother Orville was implicated). Sherman, Sheridan, and General Alfred Terry (the actual commander of the expedition) interceded on Custer's behalf because they needed him with the 7th Cavalry.
@@retriever19golden55 And so the statement stands, "you reap what you sow."
@@kcalhoun32it stands for your fate as well as all of us.
@@retriever19golden55 Truth. Grant's policies.
Good video 👍
If there were soldiers that had been killed in the village, then there were survivors of the battle, yes? Didn’t survive much longer than that, but they survived the battle. Or am I not understanding?
If they kept going, instead of splitting up and running..you never know how far they would have went
They would of all died
I heard they found trooper heads in camp fires, that had burned out.
Girisy for all. I've have in life learned and was fascinated about history the West , the battle there.. Sad how history unfolds when its terribly resulted in blunder, All in all hopefully a learning lesson for all. One question I have , With great respect for Sitting Bull, Knowing his deep trances, and visions , in wound sacrifices on his arms being exhausted. he stayed in the Village when battle took place. I wonder if he after batttle rode up to Custer's area on the hill to check it out. before they headed to Canada?
Combat fatigue, battle fatigue, shell shock, were names given to mental conditions soldiers suffered from exposure to the trauma of battle before more scientific study of the condition during and after the Vietnam war termed it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The condition had been noticed for centuries, but there were no effective medical treatments available or enough scientific knowledge about diagnosis. An important result of extensive study of the condition was the the knowledge that the onset of the condition often occurred months or even years after the traumatic event(s). Your snide remark about the men burying Custer and his command seeing terrible things but apparently not being affected by the experience is irrelevant. They may well have been mentally affected, but exhibited symptoms months or years later.
Spot on 100%. My PTSD surfaced years later. PTSD can surface decades after the trauma. This apparently happened with Audie Murphy.
There were couple survivors .my ascendant sgt. John ryan. He was first sharpshooter/ sniper. He owned a custom hand built french sharp's mclellan sniper rifle. they say he was capable of1500 yard kill shots.. He wrote four or five books throughout his military career.
And why weren't the dead at Little Big Horn photographed? The dead in the Civil War were. They were also published in newspapers. History needs to record and preserve such things.
At the time of his death his rank was of Lieutenant Colonel.
I road a book called black elk speaks.black elk was a participant in that battle.he was a ghost dancer.
I read the book also. By John G Neihardt.
I also read this, most of was spiritual gibberish, but it had a good account of little big horn.
Can't say that Custer didn't deserve it.the atrocities he committed against the true American people was horrendous
Can you elaborate on those atrocities you say Custer committed
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I was a Marine infantry officer from 1968-1972. I did Vietnam tour in 1969-70. My wife & I visited the Custer battlefield site in 2018. One thing was obvious: it was a complete ROUT of Custer’s cavalry. Small groups of his men were buried where they fell in groups of 8-10 soldiers. Battle was strung out for 4-5 miles, leading up to Custer hill where Custer & his remaining troops died. It was a testimony to Custer’s arrogance that cost him & 270 soldiers deaths.
It is doubtful that Custer's body was left in that state.
What I always wondered was who got Custer's scalp and where is it now?
I figured the Guidon would be at West Point instead of a private collector...
Another error in this video: Benteen was aware of the fighting going on, but it was unclear to him if Custer needed him for reinforcements.
Doing the Atlanta Braves tomahawk chop chant!
By that time Custer was no longer a General
The reason for taking scalps is why G Custer’s was left alone. Custer killed himself and his scalp had no value for that reason.
There is no evidence Custer killed himself.
Thank you very much for this information. Unless I have been looking in the wrong places, I have not found a whole lot of information on what injuries were inflicted on the bodies of Custer's men. I have often wondered what effect this had on the troopers who saw and buried the bodies. In the reports that have been passed down that I have seen, the soldiers reporting seem very indifferent and unaffected by the horrors they describe. I know that if the same atrocities were done to US soldiers today by our enemies, a lot of soldiers who would see this would eventually suffer from PTSD. It seems like this did not happen to soldiers back then.
The symptoms associated with PTSD most certainly did exist back then but it wasn't called PTSD. PTSD, as we now call it, didn't become a recognized illness until the Vietnam war around 1968-69. At the time of the American Civil War and the wars on the plains afterwards there was a condiditon often referred to as "Soldiers Heart". The symptoms of "Soldiers Heart" were pertty much the same as those now associated with PTSD. Even as far back as ancient times, documents can be found that describe conditions similar to PTSD among soldiers. "War neurosis", "Combat Fatigue", "Shell Shock" among others are early names for PTSD. So yes, soldiers have been affected by what they did and saw for as long as humans have been at war.
I'm sure many did.. Captain Weir definitely had PTSD
It happened they didn't understand it; so they didn't talk about it.
Richard Hardorff's two volumes, The Custer Casualties Vol. I and II, are the best source. Hardorff has compiled eyewitness accounts of the bodies, comparing similarities and differences between the accounts. Interesting reading, I recommend it.
As for PTSD...not all the casualties of the battle died that day. There's a long list of suicides and deaths by alcoholism in the following years.
It happened. Look what the 7th cavalry did at Wounded Knee.
Custer's Last Ego Trip
By 1876 most Native Americans knew what paper money was. The ones at little bighorn escaped from reservation in the Dakotas so I am sure they knew they could buy guns, food, coffee, or Whiskey with it so I am skeptical about them throwing it away. I am also skeptical about a soldiers carry $500. That was a down payment on a farm in those days. These guys got paid less than $30 a month and usually spent their paycheck before they got the next one and many were immigrants.
And yet, these are first person narratives. Do we actually pretend to know more than the people on the ground at the time?
@@Havoscar I agree with that,but the same people will accept the native oral account rather than any thing said that in their minds puts them in a negative light about them,all this negative things about Custer is acceptable but not about the native American,he was a fool,a bigot an egotist and on and on,seriously it then makes you wonder why he was made a general in the civil war in the Union army if he was that incompetent,or how the union even won that war with the mindset that opens up to,numbers not knowing the terrain and weapons and bad communication,is some what a factor in all of this,but they judge by today political correctness rather than hear what you are relaying to them in first hand accounts as you have just said from people actually there just after the battle,I am no historian but I was soldier it seems to me no matter where or what you fight win or lose,they just love to kick you down and pick on the men who do the fighting,and Custer paid for it with his life it reminds me of an old Rudyard Kipling poem called Tommy and what civilians think of you when the fighting is over,so it is easy for them that lived and paint the dead as bad,just like politicians always do,loved the video would like to see more,thank you,oh and yes they where called their old civil war ranks as respect for their service in the civil war,I even see that in the comments the armchair historians contesting even that by given him the Lieutenant Colonel,they will always find some thing to gripe over.
I tried to add thoughtful comment yesterday (I’ve been there 3 x in last 30 yrs. It not posted. It wasn’t rude, political, vulgar or inflammatory - what’s the point of commenting if you’re just speaking into the wind?
Greetings! If it wasn't political, vulgar or name calling of other viewers it should have been posted. Please accept my apology if it was mistakenly deleted and consider submitting again. I value your feedback. Feel free to call me an ignorant, untalented jerk (it goes with the territory) but no profanity. I already know what you might have in mind along those lines. Go in peace.
Your reply is much appreciated. I should probably “copy & paste” into Word so I keep text if something like this happens - it’s rare.
Custer left behind two Gatling guns because he thought that the carriages would slow his movements through the Indian countryside. Wonder what would have happened if the Indians heard and saw the results of the rapid fire of bullets during the battle on Custer’s hill?
"wallacebell4311," Clearly, a rhetorical question. Even though wildly outnumbered, those two Gatling guns when operated by proficient [accurate and fast] shooters, their lethal effectiveness could conceivably be equal to a hundred soldiers' each. The tally: hundreds of dead Sioux and Cheyenne; dozens of dead U.S. Army soldiers; the Indians racing off to regroup, formulate a 'Plan B' while the other companies of soldiers would have time to respond to the 'bring help' and 'be quick' S.O.S. pleas coming from Custer.
Too bad a few of Custer's underlings didn't interject with offers that they insist they carry the state-of-the-art weapons, said soldiers so FEARFUL were they of the atrocities awaiting them, if captured individually or defeated as a unit.
The carriages demonstrably were an issue, and are part of the reason Reno's horses were blown. They had taken one on a reconnaissance just before the fight and it caused massive issues.
Not saying it was the right decision, but it certainly was a sound one if you consider Custers actual orders.
Would not have done any good.
The main problem was the carriages' frailty, on such a rough terrain would've been very difficult to train these (very) heavy guns. Our army had 3 of them at Doghali, but jammed almost immediately (a likely sabotage ?), and we lost about 500 men against the ethiopians.
Probably the same as the British artillery and rocket battery at isandlhwana did.
The one question I have is custer and miles were out tuned with repeating rifles how did they come up with so many rifles .
Metis traders got them what they needed.
Thanks fer the great INTELL!
Interesting audio, but the graphics were inconsistent with the audio. Too much AI, and pictures of skeletons - the bodies would not have been skeletons so soon after the battle.
Lieutenant Colonel Custer, not General Custer.
Brigadier
His regular Army rank at the time was Lt. Col. "General" was a courtesy title from his brevet rank in the Civil War volunteer army.
He was still called general out of courtesy.
I see this comment so often I wonder if you're getting paid for it. Like we get it. But your dick isn't growing because you've made a comment that a ton of other have. Congratulations
@@lioness7582 Yes, as all Civil War veterans were.
Well done.
Custer suffered from PTSD as well ! See service record !
With the hindsight we have today, these descriptions are what happens when revenge is taken on those who have behaved with barbarity on men, women and children.
Anyone who is stupid enough to disrespect General George Armstrong Custer does not know the history of the man. Few men today has his courage when having to face his enemy and carry out his assigned duty .
To disparage Custer and his brave 7 th Cavalry is a disservice to Custer’s and their memory, and takes away from the Indians their glorious victory that day. No shame in defeat.
Long live the storied 7th cavalry.
Libby Custer was given the table
At Appomattox , which was used for Lee’s surrender.
Why? Because she was told her husband was a main reason the south lost so many battles .
Libby Custer is buried at West Point - next to a grave with General Armstrong Custer’s name etched on stone.
I was told this is the most visited
Grave at West Point . Fresh flowers were at this profound site.
Custer was an idiot! Nothing more than a brash, brazen fool. Deal with it.
Custer made a fatal mistake that cost him and his men their lives. The Indians set up a trap for the army by making Custer think that the warriors were not around to defend their village. Custer and his men thought that since they were nowhere to be seen, they could charge into the camp and slaughter women, children, and the elderly. What a surprise they had to discover that the warriors were waiting for them. The army made a habit of doing these things and many of the villages were destroyed and women, children, and the elderly were slaughtered. Very tragic for both sides.
Look up the papers with the Freedom of Information Act. Historical information is stored there.
The "Dream Time" was over anyway.
What the hell is a skull doing on a cross?
All of your history is presented to you in illustrations, even though we had photography at the time. You should ask yourself why all the illustrations, when it's way easier to take a photo.
@se461 Wounded Knee was 14 years later.
A perfect example of Ego leading and ignoring Intel.
He had no intel that was the issue, plus being detected by opponents. There was the issue.
That's a modern myth. Fred Chiaventone, a combat vet, an acknowledged expert on guerilla warfare, and a former instructor at the US Military College, wrote a novel about the battle called A Road We Do Not Know. In the foreword, he tells of participating in an Army Staff Ride at the Little Big Horn. Everyone on the exercise was an officer and a combat vet. They were given only the information available to Custer on June 25th, 1876. Chiaventone relates that, to their surprise, every one of them concluded that they would have used the same tactics that Custer used.
@@retriever19golden55 And they also would have died due to overwhelming numbers.
I really love what you're doing here it's really awesome however there was mutilation done to Custer but not as severe as the rest that's because some Cheyenne women recognize him and said somehow that he had fathered a child with a Cheyenne lady they put an awl through his ear so he would hear better in the next life but that was hidden for a long time because they didn't want to hurt Libby custer. There was also an arrow shaft that was shoved up his penis. However yes he was not mutilated in the manner of many soldiers in which the manner of Plains Indians mutilated their dead enemies
Custer was bleeding from the ears because he was shot in the head and his brain was bleeding. The blood had to go somewhere.
Complete nonsense.
The arrow story being suppressed to spare Libbie's feelings is likely true, but the Cheyenne women recognizing Custer and the awl story is hogwash. None of the Natives knew Custer was there, they thought the troops were Crook's, whom they'd fought to a standstill on the Rosebud ten days before. Doubtful the man they knew as Longhair would have been recognized, since he was balding and had very short hair at the time (likely why he wasn't scalped).
Monahseta, the Cheyenne woman he supposedly had a child with, was already pregnant by her husband when she was captured at the Washita. Custer and his wife wanted children but never had any because Custer was sterile from contracting an STD as a cadet at West Point (likely the result of the treatment more than the disease).
It's likely Tom Custer had a child, but not George.
@@stephenburke5967 What part?
Custer was no longer a general but a Lt Colonel.
I think Custer shot himself when he knew all was lost.
Good question custer was shot in heart and shot himself in head .can't happen I think most shot himself in heart and then shot by Indian. If anyone has pistol and bullet caliber you can match bullet to gun groves .another indians collect more for rifles for distance
He was an arrogant fool. He believed he could use women and children as human shields as he did at the Washita. That’s why he sent Reno to attack the southern villages to draw away the braves. However, he then realised that the village was huge and his 210 troops couldn’t possibly handle all those thousands of women and children, so he called for Benteen, leaving Reno stuck and unsupported. Fortunately, Benteen wasn’t an idiot and supported Reno and dug in for the upcoming onslaught. If Custer with five companies couldn’t hold off the braves from a defensive position (general Miles stated he greatly admired Custer’s troop dispersal and position) then Benteen with tired horses, only three companies and the slow pack train would have been also wiped out trying to get to Custer.
Sadly, the Native Americans won the battle, but lost everything.
One thing that still gets me, apart from the Custer the great Indian Fighter myth, is Deep Ravine. Post battle many reported many dead in Deep Ravine, yet many Custerphiles won’t accept it because those men were reported running away from Custer’s command, and the slightest hint that white Americans would run away from battle offends them lol
A little known fact the Calvary had single shot carbine's. The Indians had repeating Winchesters
well the "eroe" Custer refused the 2nd cavalry and Gatling guns + left behind those sabers well needed in face to face combat
That is very well known !
They also had Spencer’s, and Henry’s
Some of the warriors had repeaters, many had older guns or none at all.
The Springfield carbines the soldiers had were much more accurate at a distance than the repeaters, which were better for close combat. Many of the troopers were killed with arrows, many with clubs or knives when the fighting was hand-to-hand.
It wasn't which weapons the warriors had, it was how many warriors there were on difficult terrain unfamiliar to the Army, with no cover.
@@Antonio-j1g Custer absolutely was a legitimate hero in the Civil War.
The officer in charge of the 2nd Cavalry agreed to go only if General Alfred Terry, commander of the entire expedition, went along in command over Custer. Terry wasn't in the best of health and preferred to stay with the steam ship as long as he could. Custer was to be a fast-moving scout/strike force (that's why Terry sent such a large force). Please stop with the Gatling guns. They were pulled by condemned cavalry horses and even less able to keep up with a column of cavalry than Custer's pack mule train (habitually miles behind the main column). The rough terrain would have necessitated the same frequent stops to push and pull the gun carriages over obstacles that Terry's men had to deal with.
The battle was fast-moving over miles of terrain containing ravines, bluffs, and coulees. The Gatlings, had they made it that far, would have been abandoned out of necessity. The sabers, though, probably would have been good to have. Only Mathey and DeRudio brought theirs to kill snakes, but neither was with Custer's five companies.
I agree Reno could have used them on his hilltop defense site, but how they could have been hauled up those steep bluffs that pack mules struggled to negotiate is another story.
Yeah, the Gatlings would have saved Custer, because they would have delayed his arrival until after the village had packed up and left.
I think he was a Major General, but you would address him as General when speaking to him. I am not 100% certain, though.
Why did they wait so long to bring what was left of Custer's body back? As it is, they think (?) they brought the right bones back.
And the first nations people are still fighting for their rights 😢
I know the great grandson of sitting bull he lived in Northern Michigan and the man was huge about 7 foot tall
Defeated people don't have rights. Be grateful to be allowed to live.
That Custer flag belongs in the Smithsonian
Custer's revenge
i have read that crippling an opponent after dearh cripples them in the afterlife. Whether that is truly First Peoples belief it has been repeated. Our aversion to touching the dead causes us to be outraged by such stories. The same sentiment that glorified Custer and made him a national hero obscures the lessons of the past.
They were not wild animals, but much worse than that....
Custer had earlier left a unit of soldiers to die. When he could of saved them but chose glory.to chase down some indians.
Other than the men who died with Custer. Custer doesn't really get any sympathy from me or many others. Bentin not coming to his aid.(His reasoning was sound) Was a bit of kerma.
The term savage" has meaning
That's a term I avoid. They weren't "savage," they had a different culture.
Look at their culture and accomplishments. They built nothing permanent. There are no stone pyramids or temples. No gold, silver or precious stone treasures and no writing or documentation of anything except oral histories passed on from one holy man to the next. If they do not represent savagery, then I do not know what does.
And just who was the savage!
Thanks,, //Lars
The Natives had more repeating rifles than the army. The leaders hated Custer and were slow to respond. Custer chose to leave Gatling guns at the fort. The result was not a surprise.
Tom Custer had his head smashed into a thickness of no more than a quarter
That’s horrific 😢
That wasn't very nice.
The US army had a history of murdering unarmed women and children. What did people expect?
Excellent video and very informative. Much better than the usual AI voice 20 minutes of useless deatil concerning this topic.
NAPOLEON met his demise on Sunday June 25th at Waterloo 61 years earlier .
True.
Napoleon didn't meet his demise at Waterloo. He lost the battle but he died on May 5th 1821.
Custer was definitely mutilated and died a very painful and gruesome death, he led his men to their deaths, supposedly only a handful at the beginning of the battle saw how it was going and they deserted their post and the army which in my opinion was smart, if you followed custard on anything you would surely to die of something
"custard"?
Well, after years and years of Indians being robbed and evicted from their native lands, I doubt there would be no disastreous consequences... That is what unjust wars produce!...
It’s interesting to say the marble white bodies. I thought by that point they had been sitting outside for a day or two. Seems like they would’ve been burned in the sun
maybe the indians after killing them, they painted them white? 😢
Why did they cut off the names from the clothing?
for souvenirs
Maybe to avoid proving they took part in the battle if they were found with the items? I don't really know. It's a good question. I'll ask someone who knows more than I.
I certainly regret the fact that the battle took place, but sympathize with the state of mind of the victors. Seems I've heard that native Americans haven't exactly
benefitted from the coming of the white man....or escaped post-battle mutilations, either, in other cases. 🤕😧
And to think most of custers men were alive still at the point of scalping then killed😢
No intel, compounded by a total lack of situational awareness...and interestingly duplicated at the Il Drang valley in 1965 vietnam....
The great tribes of northern plains !