ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast General Custer And Little Bighorn

793 Words4 Pages

This review essay helps to contextually establish the history of public perception and/or opinion of who Custer was as a military leader due to a result of the many historical works developed up through those published in 1993. These disparate reviews of General Custer and Little Bighorn were written by various sources, using varying points of view and aspects. Some to assert Custer as an inept leader who was principally responsible for the death of his unit while others attempt to restore the image of Custer to provide a favorable impression and reestablish his name and credibility as a military leader. Some of the literature is taken from the accounts of the Indian witnesses, who from the perspective of the James Potts, offers a more accurate …show more content…

Pro was the character and mindset of a soldier fighting in the Indian Wars. Con was the embodiment of white imperialism. Nelson Miles, who, by historical accounts, serves as the anti-Custer in that he is not flamboyant or arrogant and achieved greater success with more accolades in both the Civil and Indian Wars than Custer, but was never idolized and for the most part forgotten in time. Benteen and Reno who served as leaders under Custer, who played a part in the failure at Little Big Horn, although not singularly completely responsible for the failures. By many accounts, their decisions contributed to many other factors which created overwhelming odds that Custer’s unit could not …show more content…

However, the conditions of the environment, and great distance from civilized establishments made it extremely difficult for Custer to maintain the same type of military discipline within himself or his troops. This aided in the demoralization and combat ineffectiveness of his unit. While this is not necessarily typical of all units fighting in the Indian Wars, it was noticeably true to be captured by historical accounts of both surviving members of his unit and through personal diaries of those who did not survive Little

Show More
Related
569 Words | 3 Pages

Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer executed poor mission command during the Battle of Little Bighorn by failing to create a shared understanding of the operational environment and exercise disciplined initiative. Custer was the commander of a battalion in the Battle of Little Bighorn during the Indian Wars1. Little Bighorn was the location of a nomadic village of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes2. Custer approached the unified Indian village with his force of nearly 650 men from the east and south to act as a hammer. Following Custer’s advance, additional infantry and cavalry approached from the north to act as a blocking force or anvil in support of Custer's movements2.

Read More
1814 Words | 8 Pages

This village was likely between 6,000-7,000 Native Americans, with up to 2,000 warriors amongst them (Stewart, 2009). When Terry received reports of signs of this large village (albeit with no indication to the size of the force), he gave the order for Custer to pursue the village from the south while Gibbons maneuvered north, in order to interdict the fleeing Native Americans (Neumann, 2001). As a brief synopsis, the execution of the mission command philosophy is guided by the implementation of the six mission command principles: building cohesive teams through mutual trust, creating shared understanding, providing a clear commander’s intent, exercising disciplined initiative, using mission orders, and accepting prudent risk (Department of the Army, 2012). In the example of Custer’s infamous last stand, we will analyze his implementation of the principles of building cohesive teams through mutual trust, creating shared understanding, providing a clear commander’s intent, and accepting prudent

Read More
913 Words | 4 Pages

Ashlee Flaviani Professor Ball June 11, 2016 Hist 1302 Research paper rough draft : Sand Creek Massacre Sand Creek was a “small village of about 800 Cheyenne Indians along southeast Colorado” (ushistory.com), the struggle was violent as the need for native land grew more essential. The need for land became such a necessity that logical compromise was no longer an option. Native Americans grew progressively violent when territory became the main question. “By the end of the Civil War the two sides had slipped down a downward spiral of vicious battles until the 1890s” (ushistory.com).

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

There was no climax for the end of Custer’s battalion on Custer Hill and it is likely that no soldier was standing when the victorious Sioux and Cheyenne overran their

Read More
361 Words | 2 Pages

What made him think he could win? Custer was pressurized on the fact that the Indians already knew where he was. He was afraid that if he did not attack quickly, the Indians would split in so many groups that he will not be able to stop them. He was sure that he could win because he had already defeated the Cheyenne by a surprise attack eight years before this battle.

Read More
248 Words | 1 Pages

He has two brothers on is called Thomas Custer and Boston Custer. James Calhoun is his brother in law. General George was in a lot of battles. Two of those battles were Battle Little Bighorn and Washita River.

Read More
618 Words | 3 Pages

Crazy Horse or Cha-O-Ha (“In the Wilderness” or “Among the Trees”) was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S. Federal Government to fight them for encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people. This leads to a victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876. Four months after surrendering to General Cook in May of 1877, Crazy Horse was fatally wounded. He was wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present day Nebraska.

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

A leader’s breaking point in battle is often when he surrenders. In this moving speech, Black Hawk reaches his breaking point. In 1832, Black Hawk had no choice but to surrender, and in his speech he detailed the history of lies and betrayals. Black Hawk uses his last strength of power to inspire his people to keep on fighting. In his speech, Black Hawk evokes emotion to unite the Indians and a shift in point of view to imply that now it’s their time to fight the battle.

Read More
681 Words | 3 Pages

The victory at Little Big Horn turned out to be the eventual downfall of the Sioux nation with the eventual pressing of the American government and the discovery of gold in the Black Hills to be a major downfall. As the Sioux continues to define its existence, the American government can never repay the harmful destruction that the ideas manifest destiny, the hypocritical egalitarian policies while practicing subjection, and the utter destruction of an entire culture. As Charles Eastman states to Senator Dawes in the climax of the argument prior to the massacre of Wounded Knee Creek in regards to the Sioux “Must they adapt, sir, to the point of their own extermination?” As the Sioux fight on the tragic state of the treatment of the Sioux continues to pay a heavy price for the one victory long

Read More
1803 Words | 8 Pages

The US was at war with the Sioux Indians now and sent a war hero to Sioux territory. This man was named General Custer and he led the calvary with anywhere between 205 and 230 men depending on the day. Custer was one of those men who had a big head, he loved to brag, and, well, he had the right to since he became the first 23 year old to become a general in the US Army. When he was sent to South Dakota, Custer had one thing in mind and that was to find and fight any Sioux tribe in sight. Historians believed Custer was so focused on getting to the Sioux Tribes so he could run for president someday.

Read More
384 Words | 2 Pages

Hundreds of woman children and old men died in a bloody massacre spoken of by Black Elk and President Harrison in the Wounded Knee Massacre document. Both men had very different accounts of what occurred and who was at fault as well as visions of the future of the Sioux Native American Tribe. Entry 2: The Battle of the Little Bighorn

Read More
625 Words | 3 Pages

Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution, the people have the right to bare arms. The two greatest marshals of the Old West were Wyatt Burp and Wild Bill Hiccup. General George Custer extinguished himself at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Read More
935 Words | 4 Pages

In this reading it talks about after the battle, the Indians came through and stripped the bodies and mutilated all the uniformed soldiers, believing that the soul of a mutilated body would be forced to walk the earth for all eternity and could not ascend to heaven. Strangely they stripped Custer's body and cleaned it but did not scalp or mutilate it. He had been wearing buckskins instead of a blue uniform, and some believe that the Indians thought he was not a soldier and so, thinking he was an innocent, left him alone. Because his hair was cut short for battle, others think that he did not have enough hair to allow for a very good scalping. Immediately after the battle, the myth emerged that they left him alone out of respect for his fighting ability, but few participating Indians knew who he was to have been so respectful.

Read More
1198 Words | 5 Pages

There he was, all alone walking through the forest on a cold December morning. Cutting paths for future settlers, and hunting game for his family. “Crack.” He stops as he hears a twig snap under someone or somethings’ foot. Before he can even turn his head they’re on him.

Read More
658 Words | 3 Pages

Choosing Home I had chosen Sitting Bull’s speech he gave for he was honest and true in every word he spoke that is why it is a short speech he went straight to the main ideas. In Sitting Bull’s speech, “The life my people want is a life of freedom” he explains why he and his people wish to live freely. Bull also explains his beliefs as a Native American from the Sioux nation he believed that he was put here on earth for a reason. Bull’s speech compares his people to those of white color. He expresses the unfairness to be told to live on a reservation “The life of a white men is slavery” (Bull 169).

Read More

More about Compare And Contrast General Custer And Little Bighorn

Open Document