Thanks so much for watching, Hugo, and for your kind words! There is so much to this story-- I'm glad it has held your interest all these years.

@@SiobhanFallon7 I look forward to more of your videos. Truly,, good work. Thank you once again.

@@hugonarvaez2944 Thank you! That makes me want to do another one soon. Much appreciated!

I hope you do come out with more videos. i don't know if I can wait another 30 years! Hahaha hahaha. What am I saying of course I will, the TRUTH" has no expiration date.

@@hugonarvaez2944 Ha! Indeed!

Yes, some things just don't change. And it's hard to know what was deliberately done versus how the human mind started to edit memory to defend and justify certain actions.

I have personally witnessed a case of the Army's policy of "blame the dead guy." I was a civilian emergency desk dispatcher for the Army's Military Police, in garrison in Virginia. One of our desk sergeants, newly returned from Iraq, was seriously emotionally messed up, and strung out on psychiatric meds --- a cocktail of them. We had some good talks while on shift all night. He had a good relationship with his ex-wife, and essentially LIVED for his young son. He was NOT suicidal. But one afternoon when he couldn't be reached, a welfare check at his off-post apartment revealed a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, with liquor bottles nearby. I am convinced it was a spontaneous but permanent bad decision. But the Provost Marshal Office pinned a discrepancy in ammo count on him. I am sure someone accidentally left a magazine in their pocket when they left shift on day, and made sure no one ever found out they did such a careless thing.

@MarieHammond that is a tragic story, wow. Thank you for sharing. I hope he is at peace and I'm glad you share his story and remember him so kindly 🙏

the withdrawl from Afghanistan was a wise move, let those people govern and protect their own country, 20 years and they still have corruption in their police and army ranks, no-shows, etc, President Biden moved us out of there and we're better for it. Afganistan hasn't fallen into disarray

The departure from Vietnam was the same. I just hope we don't desert the Ukraine the same way!

Many great points that should definitely be considered, Johnny. Thank you!

You obviously do not comprehend how the Indians fought. There were no Indian Generals. No Indian can tell another Indian what to do. A leader like Crazy Horse will by his own actions demonstrate his bravery and then the others will or will not follow his lead. Each tribe or family unit had men whose actions were respected by those who knew and trusted him. The LBH, the Rosebud and Fetterman fight were probably the only times during the Plains Indian wars enough warriors were present for that kind of haphazard, disorganized fighting technique to succeed against an organized column of soldiers. LBH was the perfect storm for the Indian method of fighting. Custer stumbled into far more Indians than he believed was even possible. He also encountered Indians who were willing to stand and fight which was another extremely rare occurrence. Without doubt the Indians deserve credit for their bravery and skill but tactics were not practiced by the Indians at the LBH. Each warrior fought as he saw fit to do.

Very good points..

I suggest you read James Donovan's book A TERRIBLE GLORY. He dissects every one of the excuses offered for Reno's conduct. Reno told a number of egregious lies at his court of inquiry, such as that he had no idea where Custer was, that he was unaware that Custer was in a serious fight, that the pack train did not arrive until 90 minutes after Benteen reached Reno Hill (a claim contradicted by Reno's own battle report), that he believed Custer would support him from the rear, and that he had no idea what had happened to Custer until two days after the battle.

All good points. But Custer did listen to his Indian scouts, the ones who told him he had to attack and attack fast, rather than wait til the following morning as Custer had intended (a dawn attack with his columns in place like at the Washita). Some scouts recommended they attack before their enemy could flee, some said there were too many enemy and they couldn't win. Custer unfortunately listened to the advice that any aggressive military commander would follow, but it led to his death and many others.

He was trying to win! That meant capturing a significant number of the non combatants. Not splitting his force meant mission failure. I believe that he was going for a win right up to the point he had to stand on the defensive. At that point he could have had Benteen and Reno right at hand and still been wiped out.

Great point and example. It's so hard to balance all the contradictory statements, sometimes made by the very same individuals 🤦‍♀️

Grant’s administration is widely known for its corruption.

Ha ha, yes! Other officers would remark about the strained relations between Benteen and Custer; that Benteen clearly hated Custer, but the Custer tried to mollify Benteen. Thank you for watching and continuing to tell me what you think! It's always great to hear from you.

I agree. You make so many excellent and well-thought-out points here. Thank you for laying them all out for us 🙌🎉🙌

This was a story that was invented after the battle to justify Reno's retreat. The prosecutor (aka the recorder) at the RCOI, Lt. Jesse Lee, rejected the claim, noting that when the pack train arrived at Reno Hill, very little ammo was distributed. "So it appears," said Lt. Lee, "that Maj. Reno's command was not so badly in need of ammunition after all" (RCOI transcript, vol. 2, p. 239, p. 635 in 1951 compilation).

@@michaelgriffith5566every personal narrative that I have read of the event records that they were running short of ammunition. In light of the limited amount of ammunition carried by each trooper, including that on their horse, and given the length of the battle, it would be remarkable if the didn’t require replenishment . The amount of ammunition carried by each trooper would only have lasted 10-15 minutes of sustained slow firing.

@@clydeosterhout1221 Then why was so little ammo distributed among Reno's soldiers after the ammo packs began to arrive to Reno Hill? Harper and Roberts, among others, refute the claim that Reno's command was running low on ammo. Most of the soldiers fired only sporadically during the 15-20-minute skirmish line, and they fired even less ammo during the brief time (5 minutes) they were in the timber. As Harper notes, given the duration and rate of fire up to that point, it is hard to imagine how Reno's soldiers could have used most of their ammo by the time they reached Reno Hill. Way back at the RCOI, the prosecutor, Lt. Jesse Lee, did not buy Reno's tale of low ammo. He recognized this was another one of the lies Reno told to try to excuse his refusal to quickly go to Custer's aid. Another Reno lie was that the pack train did not reach Reno Hill until 90 minutes after Benteen arrived, yet several witnesses said it arrived much earlier, and even Reno's battle report said the pack train came "shortly after" Benteen did. Why do you suppose Reno markedly changed his story about the pack's arrival time at the RCOI and claimed that it didn't come until 90 minutes after Benteen showed up? People lie for a reason.

@@michaelgriffith5566 the personal accounts differ from what was said at the hearing. First person accounts are generally considered to be most accurate. Those left in the brush after the Reno retreat reported that they were almost out of ammunition even though they did very little or no fighting after the collapse of the skirmish line. I t I’d very hard to reconcile the personal accounts given immediately after the battle with the accounts given at the trial. By the time the official hearings took place all of the parties involved had an agenda, and plenty of reasons for presenting their own version of the battle.

Wow! Thank you! That was unexpectedly kind praise. I always steel myself a bit before reading these comments because I never know what some one will say (like "This woman's voice is so irritating I can't stand her"-- ha ha ha which I have gotten more than once!!). I very much appreciate you reaching out. I am working on a new video now-- stay tuned!

So wonderful to hear!! This was the first power point I ever put together and it was quite a learning curve. But I have come to love using it. Thanks so much for your kind words!

Lots of backseat drivers probably agree with you.

Thank you so much!!

WOW. Such a lovely message to read first thing in the morning (I'm in Cyprus and 7 hours ahead of NC)! I am honored you are sharing these with your daughter and that she is interested! I have a 15 year old too, and I am always pushing her to study/ read things outside the school curriculum. This RCOI was my first PowerPoint and video talk EVER, so it is especially amateur 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️ but so happy you enjoyed it. THANK YOU!

Trying to get another mini one up in the next few days-- about Godfrey. Please let me know if you or your daughter have any suggestions on what/ who I could do in the future 🙏

Why thank you!! If you are willing to give it another try and see it on sale, I recommend Utley's Chicago Tribune RCOI. It's all the articles put together and therefore there are descriptions of the officers and crowd's laughter/ gasping at testimony and backstories etc. It's a much more fun read than the dry court transcripts. 💕📚

Thank you!

Thank you! Wow, that's quite a lineage! And very kind words. My dad's from Drommahaire but it's been too long since he ( or I) have been back. So good of you to watch and reach out, Niall!

@@SiobhanFallon7 Anytime, Siobhan! The next time you do get here the drinks are on me! I've been to the Little Big Horn once, but gettting from Dublin to Montana's sorta tough! I get to Gettysburg though (been there three times). Myles Keogh was General Bufords ADC, fought with him on thr first day of the Battle of Gettysburg and he was with him when he passed due to contracting typhoid.

I live just outside of Gettysburg now, in Carlisle, PA. Would love to meet up sometime. I ought to put you in touch with a friend of mine who often plays Keogh in movies and documentaries and is a respected LBH scholar.

@@SiobhanFallon7 OMG! I drove close to Carlisle. Talk about a small world! We'll definitely have to stay in touch coz I may be in Gettysburg next September.

Captain Keogh, Capt. French and Capt. Benteen are the three best commanders in the regiment. Captain Keogh is having issues going into the campaign, he is one of the three heavy drinkers in the 7th Cavalry (likely due to his best friend General Buford's death in the Civil War). It is Keogh that stays by Buford when he passes away. Tom and Weir are the other two hard core drinkers, Libbie was working on both to give it up time and again. Reno is called a moderator drinker before the Little Big Horn operation, he like many becomes a heavy drinker after the battle.

I think I was in the audience at Harrisburg that day! Great conference! Thanks for the kind words, Patrick. Since you seem to be interested in LBH, here's my recent video. I'm still learning the ropes. Takes time to become a Jim Hessler but I'll keep at it ;) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9KBd9x53ZfYqH0.html

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9eJeqhiucyrY6M.html

Thank YOU!!! Very kind of you to comment. Please know I'm putting a new one out this weekend...

Very true!

ensure

@@perniciouspete4986 and we have now “herd frum the werd pulese!

Right! And whatabout the butcher Grant?

I agree , Custer was very rash , at the Battle of Trevilian station in 64 he rushed into Gen Thomas Munfords rear area ended up surrounded an facing anillation , Gen Gregg came saved him there , there was no General Gregg on the big horn...

Yes! My dad is from Leitrim!

Yes I agree with all of the above!! Spielberg would get it right 🙌🙏

Andy, let me know if you have any suggestions for future videos, or which of my other videos you like. I'm working on one now about Reno's other court martials/ problems with the ladies... Thank you for watching, commenting, and offering your insights!

Yes, I agree, Michael. Much of his Casualties occurred during that disorganized retreat.

@@SiobhanFallon7 As far as Custer and his decisions. It's known that he wanted to rest the 7th on the 25th but Custer was afraid that the command had been spotted because the Indians had found a dropped box of supplies and were going through this box when the detail sent to retrieve this item came upon the Indians. I don't think he had a choice but too attack.

@@michaelewert8310 I agree with that too, Michael. He has to seize surprise or the Narive Americans would slip away.

@@SiobhanFallon7 thanks for the great presentation. Also for your prompt replies. Maybe someday do a comparison of the LBH and Isandlhwana January 22nd, 1879.

@@michaelewert8310 that's a little outside my lane at the moment but darn, that is definitely quite a fight!! I'd like to learn more about it someday. Right now I'm brushing up on the Washita fight of Nov 1868 and almost done with two presentations about it, and also working on one about the Powder River Fight on March 17, 1876. I think both play into the Little Bighorn... please stay tuned! And thanks for the kind words! You clearly know the Little Bighorn fight yourself!

And Benteen did his best to ensure Custer’s command remained separated by scandalously dragging his feet on the back trail and at the morass despite written and verbal orders from Custer to come on quickly. His glib and evasive testimony marks him up as a smart arse, and should never have been allowed to stand.

Benteen was a coward.

@@donarchambeault4547 I think "coward" is one of the last words I would use to describe Benteen. He was angry, jealous, and resentful of Custer. Those emotions definately affected his actions.

​@Dr Strangelove true. But that was rhinos fault. He was superior and Custer wasn't clear about where he was going. So they didn't known where to meet up with him.

Not true... Benteen walked around the the rifle pits exposing himself to sniper fire trying to encourage the men to hold steady and not waste ammunition... also led a charge down a Coulee for the water carriers to get water as the wounded suffered the most and were dehydrated brutally from blood loss....several troopers later commented on Benteens bravery and think they would have been wiped out also if not for his common sense of practical duty....by the time Benteen arrived to assist Reno, Georgie boy was playing a harp in the regimental heavenly orchestra.

Bloody knife did his job. Custer knew what he was up against. Reno stirred up the hornets perfectly. Custer got wiped out anyways. Win some, lose some. Carpenters get splinters, Firemen get burns, Soldiers get shot. Occupational hazard.

If Custers plan was to get non combatants, why did he not make everyone aware of that and why split your forces? Together if they stayed behind the ridges and scouted it out then made clear and concise plans maybe it would've ended differently but maybe not.

Or so some say. It's really impossible to know what happened thie day. We still don't have any idea what happened on January 6th, so how can we truly know about something that happened nearly 200 years ago? Too bad Custer didn't live to give his accounting. Benteen and Reno were clearly going to try to exonerate their culpability while Custer would surely have done the same. Ultimately it was a total waste as the Sioux went back to their reservations. Red Cloud was brilliant as he went to New York and saw what the enemy was. He realized that progress was imminent and that tho they could put it off, it would only cause the loss of many lives and simply piss off the infinitely superior enemy more which would hurt his people. The smartest thing a leader can do is do what is what is best for his people, even if it means bending the knee and letting go of ego.

Oh Martin, what a message!! You made my day! Thank you!

Thank you so much!

@Coll Maxwell A further thought: It was a flawed battle plan. It failed to conform to superior orders, though not directly in violation of those orders. It was high risk, but lacked military necessity. Each flaw in the plan bore fruit by way of disadvantages which culminated in disaster. In the end, the U.S. Army was left with a question: what is the duty of a subordinate commander when unexpectedly faced with a mission of forlorn hope, under circumstances in which military necessity had not existed, and the concept of operations had likely become untenable? Maj. Marcus Reno was faced with such a problem on June 25th 1876 at the Little Bighorn River, facing thousands of Native American warriors. He had been ordered to “charge” a large Indian village with the assurance that his mission would be supported by the remainder of the 7th Cavalry. What became all too apparent to Marcus Reno was that the larger than foreseen size of the enemy encampment rendered his mission suicidal; with little hope tactical achievement in any form. The annihilation of his battalion appeared an almost certainty, with little chance of effecting the planned diversion sufficient for his commander to position the remainder of the regiment for an attack upon the village. Reno chose to defend, rather than to complete his attack. In this way he could hope to preserve his command while simultaneously diverting the enemy, in some conformity to his commander’s plan. Was he correct in doing so? This was the question faced by the U.S. Army in 1879 at a court of inquiry over Maj. Reno’s conduct at the Battle of the Little Bighorn River. The Army answered that Reno was correct in doing what he did. The strength of the verdict lay in the fact that Reno was acquitted despite the fact that subsequent to going on the defensive, he lost his composure when a bullet exploded Custer’s best scout’s head and brains in the major’s face. Thereupon, Reno ordered a questionable and costly retreat; but, thereafter conducted the defense competently. The army’s inquiry into Maj. Reno’s conduct became entangled in questions over Captain Benteen’s failure to come to Custer’s aid, despite Benteen having received oral and written messages from Custer to “come quick, bring packs.” Benteen chose to join Reno and subordinate his battalion to Reno’s command, rather than to go to Custer’s aid. Reno’s reputation has endured an abiding rebuke for not then bringing the united command to Custer’s aid, himself. But, it is clear that Reno had no duty to move his command to Custer’s position; and, moreover, to have done so would have been in direct contravention of his orders to divert the enemy south of Custer’s position. At most, Reno might be criticized for not re-assembling what was left of his battalion and charging the southern perimeter of the village a second time, but that would be expecting a lot of any soldier. The Board of Inquiry correctly assessed that the culminating point had been reached, and while Maj. Reno might not have conducted himself with exceptional heroism nor aggressiveness, his conduct was acceptable. Benteen was lucky that the official inquiry was not directed towards his conduct. His defense that he had complied with his orders by reaching the regiment, and was bound to subordinate himself to Maj. Reno was thin. But, his retreat from Weir Pont in the face of Custer’s bugle call in the distance was as indefensible as the bugle call, itself. Since the inquiry was of Reno and not Benteen, the army escaped having to face that conundrum.

This is the first I've heard of 'Custer's bugle call' being heard from Weir Point, did that really happen? I doubt it would have mattered since overwhelming indian forces chased them back to Reno-but it would have been an interesting challenge to 'We believed Custer's command was already annihilated.'

@@pimpompoom93726 I regret I cannot find my source for the bugle call. I recall it came from an account given by a soldier located at Weir point. However, if it happened, then the issue is not any difference a charge by Weir and Benteen would have made in rescuing Custer, but the implication of defiance of a direct order. As for the timing of Custer's annihilation, I think Weir being at the point thirty minutes before Custer's end can be established with a credible degree of probability. Sitting Bull said that the flag planted on Weir Point (by Benteen) was observed by Indians prior to the final moment. I think Weir saw the whole battle; from C Company charge upon Greasy Grass ridge to the end.... and made no move to advance.

@@pimpompoom93726 I found one source: Two Moon: "At last about a hundred men and five horsemen stood on the hill all bunched together. All along the bugler kept blowing his commands. He was very brave too. Then a chief was killed. I hear it was Long Hair (Custer), I don't know; and then five horsemen and the bunch of men, may be so forty, started toward the river. The man on the sorrel horse led them, shouting all the time. He wore a buckskin shirt, and had long black hair and mustache. He fought hard with a big knife. His men were all covered with white dust. I couldn't tell whether they were officers or not. One man all alone ran far down toward the river, then round up over the hill. I thought he was going to escape, but a Sioux fired and hit him in the head. He was the last man. He wore braid on his arms ".

@@brucebutler2746 wrong..

Thank you so much!! I'll be putting up a new one this weekend!

Great questions. Col King of the 9th Infantry was the head judge, with Lt Jesse Lee, also of the 9th INF, served as the psuedo-prosecutor or judge advocate. I am not familiar with all the procedures behind court of inquiries or how different officers are chosen to sit as judges or counsel. I will look into it! Thanks for the suggestion!

@@SiobhanFallon7 Great video! I plan to watch it again after a few months.

@@williewonka6694 THANK YOU!!

Much appreciated, Larry!

Wow! Thorough, insightful, and extremely well presented! I personally believe some of the blame lies with General Terry. He knew the impetetuos and occasionally irrational decision making nature of George Armstrong Custer and probably should have issued orders not to engage until the full weight of his own (Terry's) infantry columns might be brought into a fight. Custer, for his part, acted on tactics that had served him in the past: isolate and threaten the noncombatants, and the warriors will submit. In this case, however, there were simply too many warriors! Reno and Benteen realized this quickly and took the only actions they could to preserve their commands. Outnumbered 10-1 on both fronts, I don't see that Reno or Benteen had any choice but a defensive redoubt. "Esprit de corps is a strong incentive." True, but panic, fear and survival proved even stronger in this case. They knew they were not dealing with an enemy who took any prisoners. Benteen performed admirably here, exposing himself constantly to enemy fire and walking from position to position to encourage the troopers. Major Reno, in contrast, hunkered down to avoid the melee. Both, I believe, had generously imbibed in their alcohol rations. But alcohol affects people differently. Thanks for bringing some much needed insight to this episode of history. In a nutshell, I believe the Army acted to protect it's reputation here and not to focus any blame for the disaster.

No, I don't know anything about that, John, but would love to hear more.

I'm pretty certain that this campaign was a 3 prong attack with Crook, Gibbon and Terry in command of each division. If you're suggesting that Custer was the 4th prong I don't think that is accurate. He was not in command of anything except the 7th cavalry and after much begging, Terry had given him written and verbal orders to scout but to avoid engaging these Indians. Custer he ignored those orders and attacked so he split his command of roughly 700 men into 3 groups and later, he divided the companies under his immediate command so that he could attempt to cross the river through Medicine Tail Coulee, which was a nearly irreversible move. The other members of his command took positions upon the high ground above the river. When his immediate command reached the place where MTC emptied into the river they were swarmed by the Sioux and Cheyenne and it was there, many believe, that Custer was shot in the chest and badly wounded. After being shot he was dragged or carried up the hill adjacent to MTC and he eventually wound up at the top of the hills upon which so many of his troops died. Some historians speculate that it might have been his brother Tom who shot him in the temple as an act of mercy against Indian rage. At the moment or point of that attempted crossing, as much testimony indicates, most of the Indians who were shooting at Reno raced to that crossing spot to fight troopers trying to enter their village and Gall along with Crazy Horse, watching where Custer and company were headed after their aborted attempt to cross the river, rode North and crossed the river to attack him from that position. Reno's nerve apparently did fail right after crossing the river in his attack on the Southern end of that village but who knows what he saw when he finally got a look. Over 1,000 furious Indians raging down upon a small command would terrify anyone but I'd be willing to bet that if the truth was known Reno's nerve may not have slipped until he wisely realized that Custer was nowhere to be seen and was not going to support him as he stated he would. Pure fear is a terrible thing to experience and I think that Reno got a great taste of it. Benteen had been sent on a ridiculous scout with no support and his discovery of the disarray on Reno Hill, by the time he made it there with Indians finally attacking in force, would pause any reasonable commander so that he could assess the circumstances, the situation and the odds. Reno was not in command mentally and Benteen realized that so he assumed control of the situation on that hill and saved the lives of most of those men. I don't have any bones to pick with any of these men but after all of my reading and study of that fight, I feel that Custer and his entire command should have been willing to wait for Terry and Gibbon like they had been ordered and for that matter I think that Crook failed miserably after being hit at the Rosebud. His losses were minor and he did not prosecute his orders either. I guess he found out that fighting the Sioux and Cheyenne in war was a little different than rounding up small bands of hostiles in the deep Southwest. From a battle strategy point of view, it's my opinion that Custer should have sent a detail immediately to Terry advising him of his situation and his need for immediate support with dispatch from Terry to Gibbon. Then Custer and his entire command should have crossed Reno Creek South of the village and presented their position in a show of force to those Indians on more of a flat plain on the Southwestern flank of that village. And then, regardless of whom was Hell bent to fight, he would have had his entire command on flat ground with no rivers or deep creeks as a hinderance. The Indians would have been pinned against the LBH River and those bluffs and regardless of where they attempted to go, would have faced large combat forces.

@@58landman Correct. Custer was to command the troops out of Fort Lincoln until he had testified before Congress about corruption in Grant's administration towards the handling of the Indian agencies and the command was given to Terry. Grant wasn't going to allow Custer to be involved the LBH maneuvers and stripped him of the command. Terry and Sheridan got him reinstated to lead the 7th. My issue is everyone fails to mention the Rosebud fight and their involvement, Thanks.

@@michaelvaristo5238 You're right but my opinion is Crook's well intentioned involvement did not occur. I have a feeling that Crook was very surprised at the welcome he received on the Rosebud and may not have quite known what to do. I believe that he should have pushed the remainder of his column toward the LBH and escorted his dead and wounded to some area of safety with reasonably good water and forage for their stock.

Crook was not defeated. He held the field at the end of the fight.

@@marka1142 That he did! Completely unable to move....

Not only did Reno disagree with his report, Not only did Benteen change his letter from all of Custer's troops to none of his troops got in the vailley or village, only those two could not hear firing or see the fighting, they forget that Reno had a sgt get in the advance and put a guidon in the village before being killed, they forget that Korn made it back to Reno as did Thompson who Knipe told Walter Camp to find as he could tell the story. Bloody Knife was made a liar although he got to the far west with a red blanket, a sioux blanket, his tribe used a lighter color and made them more into ponchos with hoods and sleeves. Camp Notes say all this. Distances greatly distorted by Benteen, IN his RCOI testimony benteen says they travelled from sunlight four hours, and not sure if he is including this with the eight miles before the splitting of the command... -many goofs get the command being broken into divisions as at one point Benteen is giving the advance after getting his troops ready and moving this 8 miles or four hours... which at a slow walk for a horse would be close... but not really as four miles per hour times four hours would put the entire company in the Big Horn valley. 12.4 miles down an easily followed Lodge Pole Trail... What did happen was time, distance, maps and testimony was white washed

Couldnt have said it better

And the problem with that is........? Custer had been repulsed, he did move off to the north, he did leave everyone behind and he was responsible for his own death. That all checks out.

Im not sure you understand the nature of the Cavalry Trooper of the Indian Wars. They were not blindly obedient robots and combat isn't as cut and dry as we like to think it is.

Lots of problems in your statement, first it is the older men who could not hear the shooting to the north. 2nd the pack train (so many problems having the pack train. 3rd Wier leaves near right away and getting to Weir point the fighting is over, 4th The other troop moving up to Weir first moved forward to enter Medicine Tail Coulee, Weir had to signal them to hurry back, as over 900 Indians were coming his way. By the time Benteen and Reno get to Weir point they knew they had to go on the defensive, it is Reno that orders everyone back to Reno hill. This took time as the pack train was on the trail north to Weir point by then. The skirmish line had to slow down the advancing Indians in large numbers. Also remember this the heavy drinkers in the 7th Cavalry are Keogh, Weir and Tom, Reno is called a moderate drinker at the time of the Little Big Horn Battle. Reno is shocked when Capt. French drinks what is left in his flask (it sounds like there is a lot left when he handed French the flask), when the command moved up to bury the bodies of Custer's command. Reno until the time of his being court marshalled out of the Army was known for not being a coward, this is when the Custer Myth goes into full gear to dishonor them that failed to save a fool. Custer already had two messages in hand the Indians were coming out in force to fight and met Reno. Yet Custer runs fall to the north out of support range of Reno and Benteen. Custer was told by his scouts and Benteen to keep the troops together, this being twice in under 12 hours before the battle. Only dividing his force does Reno, Benteen and the mule train have so many live. Had the command stated together the mule train is a sitting duck and would have been overruned with ease. It is after the battle many become very hard drinkers in the command ranks, the battle played on many souls.

Always as been, always will be. It works best when many of the involved are no longer with us to challenge testimony.

The way of the military propaganda at a base level. Blame the dead because they can’t defend themselves, prop up the survivors no matter how culpable they may be.

"What made Major Reno run away when he did I cannot positively know, and he didn't tell me...To turn one's back on Indians without being better mounted than they is throwing away life. When he started to that hill he had told me, not one minute before, that he was going to fight - it was in reply to a question of mine." - Captain Thomas French, Company M, 7th Cavalry (after the Little Bighorn).

It could be the Indian warriors were superior in their strategy. You think whites would admit this? Crazy horses testimony on the battle sounds most credible.

@@vincecallagher7636 I think out numbering the 7th Cavalry by about 15-1 was the reason. And the Indians had no strategy on 25 Jun1876 as they were completely caught by surprise by Reno’s attack on the village. All they did was react and use their overwhelming numerical and firepower superiority to win the day.

@@Redwhiteblue-gr5em Superior courage, superior markmanship, superior riding skills, superior knowledge of the terrain, superior military prowess, superior motivation, superior competence. They just straight up beat them. 15:1 is ludicrous. The Army put 2500 soldiers in the field. That's more combatants than the Indians had.

@@zipperpillow Custer’s battalion that was wiped out to the man had about 215 men. That is fact! You have zero understanding of the actual battle.

@user-yd3fq3jr2t thank you thank you thank you! I hope you find other videos of mine worth watching too 🙏 I appreciate your kind words so much.

I tend to agree with you about Benteen's actions that day. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment 🙏

Thank you! Here is another, but this one is actually about a gorgeous and intelligent woman (and that's definitely not me ;) ). I appreciate the kind words though. :) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9KBd9x53ZfYqH0.html

Thank you!!

This was my very first try!

@@SiobhanFallon7 impressive. I have a question. Why wasn't Custer scalped and mutilated like the others on the field? I find info on that.

@sunnyjacksmack that's a loaded question. A Sioux at the fight said as he was cutting off Custer's finger, Cheyenne women came up to him and asked him to leave the body alone, as he was their relative. It's hard to pinpoint the accuracy of this, but I'm not ruling it out. White Cow Bull's story, I believe. And if you look up Antelope Woman/ Kate Bighead's story of the LBH fight given to Dr. Thomas Marquis, you will find a connection there. I think I cover some of this in my Custer and the Captives Washita series... It is something I have been researching for awhile and I intend on doing an independent video at some point. You can Google Kate Bighead's story . White Cow Bull too. The Astonisher website has them all.

@@SiobhanFallon7 You are very kind indeed to respond in such a thorough manner. You gave me a better answer than I have been able to find on my own. I will follow your advise and research the paths you suggest. As always i will be looking towards your further reports; you have a way of making the past come human and very real. Thank you kindly for you immediate response. God bless you.

Yes, Benteen certainly does confront Custer a lot-- in Benteen's telling of the events! Which is often the only account we have of such things and maybe we ought to take it with a grain of salt. According to Benteen he was willing to fight with just about every one. Maybe he was-- he did have a problem with authority and was in troube once in the CW for contradicting a superior. He is quite a character, and so fascinating because of it. But man, I would not want to be responsible for or in charge of him in any way or form!

@@SiobhanFallon7 You're not.

WOW! thank you so much, ha ha, that made my day!!!! More coming soon...

So kind of you to say, Greg! Please let me know if you like any of my other videos, too, when you get a chance!

Maybe stop reading about it?

Gosh, thank you so much. This was my first effort so I get very mixed comments. Yours is a lovely one! Hope to hear from you again!

I'll explain my comment further. You covered, what could have been, a very 'heavy' subject with an easy to follow, methodical approach. The balance you achieved through the written testimony of the witnesses and the history of the relationships between them was fascinating. This video has brought me to realize that this battle is much more than 200+ men riding bravely to their deaths. I'm subscribing. 🙂 @@SiobhanFallon7

@@colinglen4505 you just made my day! Hope you continue finding subjects here that interest you :)

The prosecution usually reserves a little of its time to the end so it can rebut the defense's final argument.

Yes indeed, good point and it is curious. But Lee has the last word, at least on that day.

I appreciate the kind words! I think I'll be reading about LBH for a very long time ;) I spent my junior year of college in England and loved it. I just posted a new video about General Custer's wife, Libbie. If you want to take a look, here it is... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9KBd9x53ZfYqH0.html

@@SiobhanFallon7 thanks for the link Siobhan, I’ll take a look with great interest!

Great points! Few people also do not connect Crook's fight on the Rosebud with the Little Bighorn a week later, and how that impacted the battle.

Everyone but Custer is to blame? Where do the excuses end?

Thank you so much!

Custer was known to be foolhardy and make rash decisions that endangered his men. He was known to be reckless and get soldiers killed

Yes, it is the one of the many conundrums that I think contributed to a lot of participant guilt. Many of them later said they ought to have gone to the sound of the guns, though they acknowledged they would probably have died if they did.

Respectfully disagree. Over 2 days they could not even defeat the last remaining remnants of cowardly drunken Reno and his men combined with the evil cowardly hateful jealous Benteen's intact battalion on an open hill! Had Benteen obeyed orders in a timely fashion, and Custer, having caught the natives off guard to a large degree by the latter letting women and children go relatively unprotected, Custer at least would have made it down into the valley's far end to hold them hostage with a large reinforced Benteen there. That was his original plan and m.o. according to military historians. Custer's near last thoughts must have been bitter; thinking and perhaps outwardly cursing Benteen for the blatant betrayal.

@@timothyernest6429 sounds like your condoning the potential massacre or the holding hostage of women and children Custer had in mind and blaming others, calling them cowards for its failure. Bit of a shakey position to take. These men barely survived as it was ( many winning medals in the process) they would have all died if not.

@@SiobhanFallon7 Time and distance crossing that landscape would have doomed any attempt to salvage the situation. From that vantage point (Reno Bluff) - understanding the situation would have been impossible until it was mostly over. A defensive stand was all that could be sustained.

Complete conjecture on your part. Had all the orders been followed the Indians could never had massed against any group t once. A three pronged attack against a surprised village would have probably been successful.

Thanks so much!! I'll have another out this weekend!

Custer had intented to attack on June 26 at dawn, but his scouts and some officers were certain that the Lakota/Cheyenne had spotted Custer's column, and while it was not unanimous, many of Custer's Native scouts urged he attack at once while there was some small element of surprise. So Custer, following Army understanding of "Indian fighting" at the time, chose to immediately attack before the Lakota and Cheyenne could scatter and disappear. Custer was not aware that General Crook had been handily beaten (or at least fought to a close draw) less than a week earlier at the Rosebud. And while hindsight shows us that Custer ought to have scouted the area better, this was a difficult task with such a tremendous swath of land, and the Natives being remarkably fast at packing up and village and vanishing, and Custer's attack was not so different from other successful Army attacks that were fast and often a surprise for both sides. In comparison, summer of 1876, Colonel Gibbon's column had been chasing the Lakota for months and never managed to bring anyone to battle for all the fine scouting he managed to do (and outright taunting the Lakota/Cheyenne had done to Gibbon's troops). However, I WHOLLY agree with your comment about the luckiest folk by far being those with the supply train!!!! ;)

Custer used sound tactics and demonstrated a keen perspicacity at the Little Bighorn. A man of his martial prowess doesn't just suddenly screw-up during a battle. Custer had his faults, but when it came to fighting and warfare, the man was in his element. He was not careless and rash, he was prudent and methodical. Custer lost at the Little Bighorn because of peculiar circumstances, not because he used poor judgement . Given the unusual conditions he faced that day, he did everything he could have done.

Son of the Morning Star reputation was based on the Washita massacre where Custer attacked a Cheyenne Village with the village flying an American Flag... but he did attack at very early morning

@@Eadbhard Ignored his scouts. Bit off more than he could chew. Retreated in the wrong direction. Sometimes lucky, sometimes not. He wasn't superman.

@@tbcoachniblick1208 Black Kettle's village on the Washita was not flying an American flag. Four years earlier, when that diabolic and degenerate officer, Colonel John Chivington brutally massacred Black Kettle's, and the Arapaho chief, White Antelope's, camp along Sand Creek, their village was flying an American flag with a white flag underneath it.

Donovan's Terrible Glory's notes are THE BEST on the RCOI. His research is unbeatable.

Thank you! I intend to do more...

I case you are really wanting more... here's another, ha! Thanks again for the support and motivation to try again. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n9KBd9x53ZfYqH0.html

Thank you for chiming in! There's so much testimony to wade through (23 days worth!) and I can't include it all in these short videos. But I agree with you, at the very least both Benteen and Reno admitted at the Reno Court of Inquiry that they did not have confidence in Custer. Always great to hear your insights, Zing!

I don't know what I would do. But I like to think that the United States military demands her officers and soldiers follow orders regardless of feelings of personal hatred etc, human emotions aside. Which is why we still debate Benteen and Reno's actions today-- that undercurrent of animosity makes us doubt the military soundness of their decisions that day 🤷🏼‍♀️

That's a valid point How does one seperate wheat from chafe

Very true. That's why the Indians' accounts of the LBH often vary wildly but all have truth. Some of the Indians rode out to meet Reno; some went to fight Custer -- those were essentially 2 different battles. Some fought from the start; others, like Crazy Horse, joined the fight late. The battlefield is spread out over 4 miles by about a half mile and there were people all over that space. It's like the classic fable of the blind men describing the nature of the elephant depending on the location of their contact with it.

It truly is.

Much appreciated, Darrell! Thank you for taking the time to comment! 🙏

Ha, yes we could!

@@michaelgriffith5566 thanks, Michael! I appreciate your insight. Please take a look at my other videos and let me know what you think ! 🙏

@ completely annihilated is a tautology; redundant; annihilated is in the perfective sense and as such does not need “completely” as a qualifier.

LOL.. I agree Totally and Completely are useless modifiers.. still we often use them. I wonder if some English Grammar Genius has studied that class of words. ?

@@jeffclark7888 Same goes with the word "very". As in, "I'm very pleased."

@@Eadbhard true.

@@od1452 agree.

Great points!! This is why I read the transcripts alongside the Utley Chicago Times Account, which is a collection of the Chicago Times newspaper reporting that happened each day. Here the journalists do sometimes mention when the lawyers are being agrressive or the witnesses are being testy or flustered, and when the audience laughs. It allows me to see the moment better than just reading the sparse words on a page.

Only around 25% of the Native Americans were armed with repeating rifles. Most only had a bow and arrows, which were actually quite effective, as they allowed indirect fire to be placed on the semi-entrenched troopers. The trapdoor carbines used by the troopers were more accurate and longer ranged than the repeating rifles used by the Native Americans, which is one of the reasons that Reno was able to hold out. The troopers with Custer were attacked at a much closer range, thus nullifying the troopers advantage. The Trapdoor Springfield was an effective firearm, and remained the primary service weapon during the Spanish American war in 1898.

Good point. Thank you.

All really great questions! Not sure about white trappers fighting with the Natives at Little Bighorn-- I don't think there has ever been verified cases rather than tall tales. I do know that there were whites in the villages at Sand Creek (as well as George Bent, who was half white, half Cheyenne, and spoke fluently in both tongues), and there was a Mexican man at the Washita village who was married to a Cheyenne woman. And surely plenty of Native Americans spoke English to some degree. So who knows? About the Army looking into LBH-- I think that was one of the complaints amongst those who supported Custer. There had been an indepth court case after the Fetterman Fight/ Massacre-- so why not after LBH? About the NA fighting tactics... frankly I am not that strong on the military side of this fight. Still learning so very much and working out in my head how I think the battle played out. What do you think?

Thanks for your reply..learning so much about this darker side of America / Native history. Very well presented piece by the way! I am hooked on learning more. Just sent off for a few books on the subject..

@@cgdeery it's addictive! But fascinating. Keep me posted!

Thanks for the kind words!

Jake, my view is it was less Custer’s Luck which failed, but his two useless subordinate officers.

@@drstrangelove4998It would appear that Benteen,although very competent,hated Custer and appeared not to rally to the call;When Custer's book came out called" My life on the plains" Benteen chose to refer to it as "My lies on the plains!" He never forgave Custer for how he dealt with the Washita incident.

Good eye! Thanks for pointing that out.

THANK YOU!! 🙏 I think I've come a long way since posting this first one 🤦🏼‍♀️😉 Very good of you to comment. 🙏 Let me know if you like any of ny other videos if you get a chance, GAR! I'm working on one about Myles Keogh now... ☘️

@@SiobhanFallon7 That's great I think he was a very interesting person.

WOW!!! Excellent synopsis of the battle, O D! YOU know this fight! Thank you for the kind words and for your insights.

Well thought out, and quite plausible. Makes much more sense to me than many others thoughts that Custer was just a plain idiot. He was anything but that. He held faith in his fellow officers to complete their orders and they didn’t. I’m a 67 year old lady from the Volunteer state of Tennessee and I’m so interested in history’s verdict. Thank you for this. 🤗

@@tngranny2b I agree. Thank you!

A standard analysis of the battle that does not consider human psych or the testimony of those, the Native Americans, who were the survivors and victors of the battle. Outing aside theories and concentrating on facts the last man to see Custer and his command was Trumpeter Martini the courier who was to carry the last fateful message to Benteen. His recollection, to paraphrase, was Custer ‘ let’s get back to our station’ leading a charge down Medicine Tail Coulee towards the village. The Native Americans then report how, at the village ford, the charge is stopped mid stream when the leading rider is shot from his horse.. From this point the command appears to fracture into two separate battalions and the battle becomes a mele. Now, nearly 150 years later, it is becoming more apparent that the narcissistic Custer, believing in ‘Custer’s Luck’ and his own invincibility never trained his subordinates to perform, as we do today, without his input. A simple tactical exercise. We can speculate, though it’s fairly obvious, that it was George Custer who was the rider leading and unhorsed at that crossing. With his demise the entire command falters, flounders and is lost. It divides into two battalions… (Three companies with Captain Yates and two under the command of Captain Keogh ). The separation proves deadly in the terrain and the commands are annihilated. Mostly in the order described above and by Archaeological research. As to the Reno Courts Martial it was a very obvious PR stunt designed to exonerate Reno and paint Custer as the villain. Disobeyed orders etc. The false map of size of the village. The number of ‘hostiles’ greatly exaggerated by both Benteen and Reno. There was no way the administration was going to find Reno or Benteen at fault. It closed ranks and only called ‘friendly’ witnesses to the stand. (As a postscript Martini always denied telling Benteen ‘ the Indians they are ‘skedaggling’..just an example of how the truth was twisted).. Would the battle have been won if the charge hadn’t been stopped at the ford. Very possibly. The village was panicking and if Custer had joined with Reno it’s more than likely the warriors and their families would have run. It’s a pity that both adjutants died with their notes at the bighorn. Just think that’s where the real secrets..the truth..lay. But it’s still all speculation..we will never really know.👵🇦🇺🇺🇸

@@madlenellul3430 I don't believe I have the Battle nailed down. I do pay attention to the Warriors memories . ...Particularly after the Custer wing splits off. They are key in order to attempt to understand what happened. Cultural differences are also a consideration. Human memory being imperfect means Native peoples are not perfect either. I think it will always be a mystery, and I suspect that is part of the reason many find it intriguing . Thanks for your insight .

I will try to find an answer to this! Good question!

@ Jack! This is great stuff. Thank you. How sad his house is no longer standing. I believe there had been a fire that destroyed a good many things and his family assumed the "Come On" order was lost as well. Fortunately, Benteen had already given that final order from Custer to a friend of his, Price, and it eventually made it's way to the West Point Collection, where is remains to this day.

Don't think so. Reno and his men would have been overcome in short order by the Sioux from the southern end of the village. Their only hope was to reach the high ground and hold it. Which they did!

I need to save this to my phone. Couldnt have said it better myself. Now lets not even start to get into Benteen’s blatant disregard of a direct order.

Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Very good of you to reach out. One of my go-to books is Colonel Graham's Custer Myth. And Grahams wisely writes: “…A retired Major General remarked to me that we of the present generation are too prone to judge by present day standards, and, in consequence, to misjudge… If therefore we must judge at all, let us appraise the worth of Custer, of Reno and Benteen, and all the others of that “Old Army” which had so great a part in winning the West, by their achievements, which were godlike, rather than their failures, which were human.” Colonel W.A. Graham

Yes. It must have been traumatizing. I think the whole valley and timber fight must have been awful to make seasoned vets act the way they did and forget their military training a discipline. Great points, Donald.