list of soldiers killed at little bighorn

One 7th Cavalry trooper claimed to have found several stone mallets consisting of a round cobble weighing 810 pounds (about 4kg) with a rawhide handle, which he believed had been used by the Indian women to finish off the wounded. Map of Battle of Little Bighorn, Part VI. The regimental commander, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis, was on detached duty as the Superintendent of Mounted Recruiting Service and commander of the Cavalry Depot in St. Louis, Missouri,[34] which left Lieutenant Colonel Custer in command of the regiment. Reno advanced rapidly across the open field towards the northwest, his movements masked by the thick belt of trees that ran along the southern banks of the Little Bighorn River. Donovan, 2008, p. 191: "a solid weapon with superior range and stopping power". The United States government acknowledged that Native American sacrifices also deserved recognition at the site. On Custer's decision to advance up the bluffs and descend on the village from the east, Lt. Edward Godfrey of Company K surmised: [Custer] expected to find the squaws and children fleeing to the bluffs on the north, for in no other way do I account for his wide detour. [92], Other archaeological explorations done in Deep Ravine found no human remains associated with the battle. Custer intended to move the 7th Cavalry to a position that would allow his force to attack the village at dawn the next day. The site of the battle was first preserved as a United States national cemetery in 1879 to protect the graves of the 7th Cavalry troopers. ", Philbrick, 2010, p. 73: "The biggest problem with the [Gatling] gun was transporting it to where it might be of some use [in the week preceding the Battle of the Little Bighorn], the Gatling, not the mules, proved to be the biggest hindrance to the expedition. Knowing this location helps establish the pattern of the Indians' movements to the encampment on the river where the soldiers found them. [67]:282. [citation needed] The destruction of Keogh's battalion may have begun with the collapse of L, I and C Company (half of it) following the combined assaults led by Crazy Horse, White Bull, Hump, Chief Gall and others. Vol. Donovan, 2008, p. 191: "Army appropriations were at an all-time low, and a key factor in the Springfield's favor was its low production cost.". ", Donovan, 2008, p. 175: "Custer refused Terry's offer of the Gatling gun battery. [100][101] The Army began to investigate, although its effectiveness was hampered by a concern for survivors, and the reputation of the officers. ", Lawson, 2007 p. 50: "Custerrefused Major James Brisbin's offer to include his Second Cavalry Regiment [200 troopers], told Terry "the 7th can handle anything it meets. Soon the number of warriors amounted to only about 600. Reported words of Lieutenant Colonel Custer at the battle's outset.[74]. Around 5:00pm, Capt. Reno credited Benteen's luck with repulsing a severe attack on the portion of the perimeter held by Companies H and M.[note 5] On June 27, the column under General Terry approached from the north, and the natives drew off in the opposite direction. Many orders might have been given, but few obeyed. Hatch, 1997, p. 124: "This defect was noted by the board of officers (which included Major Reno) that selected the weapon in 1872, but was not considered particularly serious at the time. Gen. Alfred Terry's column, including twelve companies (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, and M) of the 7th Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's immediate command,[29] Companies C and G of the 17th Infantry, and the Gatling gun detachment of the 20th Infantry departed westward from Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory on May 17. Army According to this theory, by the time Custer realized he was badly outnumbered, it was too late to retreat to the south where Reno and Benteen could have provided assistance. [61] From this position the Indians mounted an attack of more than 500 warriors against the left and rear of Reno's line,[62] turning Reno's exposed left flank. [172] Metal cartridge weapons were prized by native combatants, such as the Henry and the Spencer lever-action rifles, as well as Sharps breechloaders. Among the Plains Tribes, the long-standing ceremonial tradition known as the Sun Dance was the most important religious event of the year. Taken November 2011. Custer's remaining companies (E, F, and half of C) were soon killed. [92]:3948 Over the years since the battle, skeletal remains that were reportedly recovered from the mouth of the Deep Ravine by various sources have been repatriated to the Little Big Horn National Monument. In Custer's book My Life on the Plains, published two years before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he asserted: Indians contemplating a battle, either offensive or defensive, are always anxious to have their women and children removed from all danger For this reason I decided to locate our [military] camp as close as convenient to [Chief Black Kettle's Cheyenne] village, knowing that the close proximity of their women and children, and their necessary exposure in case of conflict, would operate as a powerful argument in favor of peace, when the question of peace or war came to be discussed.[52]. It was not until over half a century later that historians took another look at the battle and Custer's decisions that led to his death and loss of half his command and found much to criticize. [102][103], The Battle of the Little Bighorn had far-reaching consequences for the Natives. Although the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), in effect, had guaranteed to the Lakota and Dakota (Yankton) Sioux as well as the Arapaho Indians exclusive possession of the Dakota territory west of the Missouri River, white miners in search of gold were settling in lands sacred especially to the Lakota. Libbie Custer, Custer's widow, soon worked to burnish her husband's memory, and during the following decades Custer and his troops came to be considered heroic figures in American history. Gen. Alfred H. Terry headed west from Fort Abraham Lincoln in charge of the Dakota Column, the bulk of which constituted Custers 7th Cavalry. [207][208][209], Historian Thom Hatch observes that the Model 1873 Springfield, despite the known ejector flaw, remained the standard issue shoulder arm for US troops until the early 1890s. [117] Few on the non-Indian side questioned the conduct of the enlisted men, but many questioned the tactics, strategy and conduct of the officers. [118] Although soldiers may have believed captives would be tortured, Indians usually killed men outright and took as captive for adoption only young women and children. These assumptions were based on inaccurate information provided by the Indian Agents that no more than 800 "hostiles" were in the area. While such stories were gathered by Thomas Bailey Marquis in a book in the 1930s, it was not published until 1976 because of the unpopularity of such assertions. On August 8, 1876, after Terry was further reinforced with the 5th Infantry, the expedition moved up Rosebud Creek in pursuit of the Lakota. [174], Sitting Bull's forces had no assured means to supply themselves with firearms and ammunition. ", Donovan, 2008, pp. [69] The soldiers identified the 7th Cavalry's dead as well as they could and hastily buried them where they fell. The Making of the Crow Nation in America, 18051935. They could fire a much more powerful round at longer ranges than lever-actions.". [citation needed] When Reno came into the open in front of the south end of the village, he sent his Arikara/Ree and Crow Indian scouts forward on his exposed left flank. The question of what happened and why the 7th Cavalry lost so many soldiers in comparison to the pointedly less Native American casualties is [75] Troopers had to dismount to help the wounded men back onto their horses. Custers Ghostherders. [136] Custer as a heroic officer fighting valiantly against savage forces was an image popularized in Wild West extravaganzas hosted by showman "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Pawnee Bill, and others. ", Lawson, 2007, pp. Gallear, 2001: "the .44 rim-fire round fired from the Henry rifle is the most numerous Indian gun fired with almost as many individual guns identified as the Cavalry Springfield Model 1873 carbine. "[133] Facing major budget cutbacks, the U.S. Army wanted to avoid bad press and found ways to exculpate Custer. That tactic proved to be disastrous. From a distance, Weir witnessed many Indians on horseback and on foot shooting at items on the ground-perhaps killing wounded soldiers and firing at dead bodies on the "Last Stand Hill" at the northern end of the Custer battlefield. Gray. The Lone Teepee was an important location during the Battle of the Little Bighorn for several reasons, including:[57][58][59], The first group to attack was Major Reno's second detachment (Companies A, G and M) after receiving orders from Custer written out by Lt. William W. Cooke, as Custer's Crow scouts reported Sioux tribe members were alerting the village. Custer and all the men under his immediate command were slain. [213][214] Michael Nunnally, an amateur Custer historian, wrote a booklet describing 30 such accounts. [65] Though both men inferred that Custer was engaged in battle, Reno refused to move until the packs arrived so his men could resupply. Also, Custer retained the conviction that the Seventh could handle any force of Indians it might encounter, and he may have reasoned that taking the Second Cavalry would leave [Colonel John] Gibbon's column susceptible to attack and defeat". It was the beginning of the end of the "Indian Wars" and has even been referred to as "the Indians' last stand"[104] in the area. As of December 2006, a total of ten warrior markers have been added (three at the RenoBenteen Defense Site and seven on the Little Bighorn Battlefield). The Army's coordination and planning began to go awry on June 17, 1876, when Crook's column retreated after the Battle of the Rosebud, just 30 miles (48km) to the southeast of the eventual Little Bighorn battlefield. Who fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn? Why did the Battle of the Little Bighorn happen? [18], In the latter half of the 19th century, tensions increased between the Native inhabitants of the Great Plains of the US and encroaching settlers. This forced a hasty withdrawal into the timber along the bend in the river. He sent three companies under the command of Maj. Marcus A. Reno to charge straight into the village, dispatched three companies under Capt. The commissioned work by native artist Colleen Cutschall is shown in the photograph at right. There were 4 or 5 at one place, all within a space of 20 to 30 yards. ", Lawson, 2008, p. 50: "Military historians have speculated whether this decision was a mistake. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought at the Little Bighorn River in southern Montana Territory, U.S. Miles, participant in the Great Sioux War declared "[Gatlings] were useless for Indian fighting. Nearly 100 years later, ideas about the meaning of the battle have become more inclusive. [38] Assuming his presence had been exposed, Custer decided to attack the village without further delay. Custer's scouts warned him about the size of the village, with Mitch Bouyer reportedly saying, "General, I have been with these Indians for 30 years, and this is the largest village I have ever heard of. Many of these men threw down their weapons while Cheyenne and Sioux warriors rode them down, "counting coup" with lances, coup sticks, and quirts. Them where they fell to move the 7th Cavalry to a position that would allow his force to attack village... Where they fell Gatling gun battery Montana Territory, U.S a mistake declared `` 133... With superior range and stopping power '' on the river Ravine found no human remains associated with Battle! Gatling gun battery, ideas about the meaning of the Little Bighorn had far-reaching consequences for Natives... The men under his immediate command were slain the Indians ' movements to the encampment on the river where soldiers... Bend in the river the number of warriors amounted to only about 600 helps establish pattern. 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