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General Armstrong Custer's Last Stand

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Ripped from the fabric of American history, the truth of the Old West is far darker and less heroic than depicted when the fresh wounds from the American Civil War were still fresh and the expansion of the railroads encroached on the eroding territory of Native Americans in the name of “progress” and manifest destiny. The slaughtering grounds of Little Bighorn where General Armstrong Custer valiantly fought to the last man deflates into an ignorant move that Lakota warriors, led by Crazy Horse of the Lakota tribe, took advantage of to fight assimilation in the form of constricting reservations. The lawless land of the West where notorious criminals robbed banks and trains, while the heroic sheriffs ignited …show more content…

Set in the backdrop of the Great Sioux War of 1876, the battle was led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull against the might of the American 7th Calvary, who suffered through terrible living conditions while on the Great Plains. As the documentary illustrated, Major Reno’s charge, which was made without the knowledge of the size of the Native American village, ignited the blood bath that ensued when the Lakota resisted fleeing and fought the men. Soon, the other Calvary forces charged into the trap that decimated the men and proved a major defeat, but the victory was short lived as these tribes, already weakened by the destruction of the buffalo, were corralled into reservations. In the aftermath of the slaughter, the media enhanced the arrogant actions of General Custer as a golden example of sacrifice in films and paintings, while highlighting the savage conduct of the Native Americans even though they were defensing their territory. The lawless landscape that emerged in the western towns from the lifeline of railroads were dominated by infamous outlaws within James-Younger gang that was pursued by Pinkertons, whose sole purpose was to bring an end to their disruptive robbing spree. As the film, Long Riders, revealed how reckless their actions had been, with the death a 15 year old kid. The film gave light on how Jessie James was far from an embodiment of Robin Hood, as the gang spent most of the money on alcohol or women of the night. This gang also held deep resentment against

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In the novel Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors by Stephen E. Ambrose (1996); the author tells the full story as to how the parallel cultures of the Sioux and the White Americans had shaped Crazy Horse and Custer into the great leaders that they needed to be. Crazy Horse was a brave warrior, who led many successful hunting and war parties and had the respect of his tribe (Ambrose, 1996). Custer was a Civil War hero, who had been put in charge of protecting the construction of the railroads from the Indian hostiles and later fight the Indians over their actions on the Plains (Ambrose, 1996). The Sioux and the White Americans had different ideas and concepts of warfare; as well as, what constituted a successful

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George Custer was born in New Rumley , Ohio in 1839. He was not one of the brightest in his school. After graduating from high school he was recruited into the U.S Army. He was drafted into a cavalry unit, however he worked up from the bottom and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1866.He was in the military for quite some

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The battle of the Little of Bighorn occurred on June 25th- 26th in southeastern Montana.   The Seventh Cavalry, led by Custer, formulated a plan for a surprise attack on the Sioux and Cheyenne camp.  It was between 1,500-1,800 Native American Indians against 700 US army soldiers. On the day of the attack Custer split his men into three groups in order to attack from different sides and to prevent the Indians from running away.

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The 1870s, the time after the Civil War, was a decade of imperialism, great invention, reconstruction, labor unions and strikes, and the Sioux Wars. Especially The battle of the little Bighorn, was a crushing defeat for the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army under George Armstrong Custer. The 700 men strong 7th Cavalry Regiment were defeated by the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, which were leaded by several important war leaders, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall, Sitting Bull. The reason of the Sioux Wars, and so also of the battle of the little Bighorn, was that the Native Americans fight for their land. The Battle of Little Bighorn was a training point in the relation between America and Native America because

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