The Battle of the Little Bighorn (also known as Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of Greasy Grass Creek) took place on June 25-26 of 1876, during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. General George Custer led 700 U.S. troops into defeat (with more than 250 casualties) at the hands of about 900 Native American warriors, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
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Robert J. McNamara, the About guide to nineteenth century history, has gathered twelve images from the New York Public Library Digital Collections to create an annotated gallery. Some of the images are black-and-white photographs, others are book illustrations, and one is a copy of Walt Whitman's hand written poem "A Death-Sonnet for Custer." Whitman's poem expressed the shock many Americans felt when news of the battle reached them. The poem was published in the New York Tribune on July 10, 1876, and was later included in editions of "Leaves of Grass."
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After an introduction setting the scene of the battle, George Herendon tells his eyewitness account, as reported in the New York Herald. "Herendon served as a scout for the Seventh Cavalry -- a civilian under contract with the army and attached to Major Reno's command. Herendon charged across the Little Bighorn River with Reno as the soldiers met an overwhelming force of Sioux streaming from their encampment."
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Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield is a non-profit association supporting the educational activities of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana. Best clicks include Road to Little Bighorn (a timeline of events from 1400 to 2003 when the Indian Memorial was dedicated) and Custer's Last Stand (a pictorial history.) The archeological digs of 1984-85, 1989 and 1994 uncovered dozens of spent cartridges, fired bullets, and human remains. Explore more in the Archeology section.
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"An examination of ten of the major myths about the Battle of the Little Bighorn follows. The first two myths are widely held fallacies that do not require Indian testimony to discredit; the last eight myths are largely discredited by eyewitness accounts of those on the winning side." The first myth debunked is that all of Custer's men were killed. The second is that Custer did not listen to his scouts. Click on over to learn more.
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George Armstrong Custer, born December 5, 1839, graduated West Point in 1861 and "was an active and daring cavalry officer during the Civil War, distinguishing himself on many occasions." This Civil War site brings us a bio of Custer, along with an illustrated look at his Last Stand. "Never comprehending the overwhelming odds against him, believing that the Indians were 'on the run', and thinking that between himself and Reno he could 'double them up' in short order, Custer had sealed his fate."
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By Barbara J. Feldman. Originally written on Jun 02, 2010. Last Modified on Mar 22, 2011.
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Buy Battle of Little Bighorn Printable for $2.00 or try a FREE trial of the Printables Club
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Honorable Mentions
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
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