Was General Custer a good general?

Although Custer struggled in the classroom, he excelled on the battlefield. After joining the Army of the Potomac's cavalry following his graduation, he gained notice for his daring cavalry charges, bold leadership style and tactical brilliance.

Why did Custer fail?

Some believe that Custer's decision to split up his Seventh U.S. Cavalry Regiment in the face of a larger, well-armed enemy put him in a precarious position. Many also point to his failure to gather proper intelligence on the size of the Indian forces.

Was General Custer a good commander?

Custer was a very bold and courageous leader. He was always in front and gave his men the courage to fight as well. He was inspiring to those under him, and that made them such a powerful and effective fighting force. He was very persuasive as well and that brought him very far as well.

Did General Custer get scalped?

It is known that General Custer's body, though stripped of clothing, was neither scalped nor mutilated. He had been struck twice by bullets, either one of which could have been fatal. The burials were made in shallow graves and properly marked wherever identification was possible.

Who was to blame for Custer's Last Stand?

About three thousand Sioux warriors led by Crazy Horse descended upon Custer's regiment, and within hours the entire Seventh Cavalry and General Custer were massacred.

10 Notable Facts About General Custer

How painful is scalping?

Although extremely painful, being scalped alive was not always fatal. A full-scalping would often lead to serious medical complications. This included profuse bleeding, infection, and eventual death if the bone of the skull was left exposed.

Did Custer disobey orders?

Historians generally agree that Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer disobeyed General Alfred Terry's orders and split his command of the 7th Regiment of the U. S. Cavalry which numbered over 650 men total into three battalions: A| M| and G were commanded by Major Reno| D| H| and K were under Captain Benteen's ...

Did any soldiers survive Little Bighorn?

While no US Army soldier survived the engagement, one horse was found alive on the battlefield. The horse, named Comanche, had belonged Capt. Myles Keough, and had suffered no less than seven bullet wounds during the battle.

What kind of person was Custer?

Described as aggressive, gallant, reckless, and foolhardy, Custer has become one of the most celebrated and controversial figures of the Civil War. Born in New Rumley, Ohio on December 5, 1839, son of Emanuel and Maria, Custer was nicknamed “Autie” because of his mispronunciation of his middle name as a small child.

Who was president when Custer was massacred?

History Magazine - The Battle of the Little Big Horn. Ron Wild relates the story of Custer's Last Stand. LATE IN 1875 an order went out from President Ulysses S. Grant in Washington to the various hostile Indian tribes that they were to report to reservations and Indian agencies no later than 31 January 1876.

Who was to blame for the Battle of Little Bighorn?

George A. Custer and Northern Plains Indians (Lakota [Teton or Western Sioux] and Northern Cheyenne) led by Sitting Bull. Custer and all the men under his immediate command were slain. There were about 50 known deaths among Sitting Bull's followers.

What was Custer's reputation?

Custer earned a reputation for both bravery and brashness. He also became known as a publicity hound, taking every opportunity to get himself in front of the cameras and newspapermen documenting the war.

How did Custer feel about slavery?

George Armstrong Custer did not fight for the Union because he disagreed with states' rights. Nor did he fight because he wanted to abolish slavery (during the war he adopted one runaway slave as a servant).

Was Custer a killer?

Here, he describes the 1868 Battle of Washita, in which Custer's 7th Cavalry set upon a Cheyenne camp in Oklahoma Territory: “In the chaos of the initial attack … troops shot down dozens” of Indian women and children, after which Custer “ordered the slaughter of the horse herd. One by one, 875 ponies were shot dead.”)

Did Custer's horse survive the Battle?

When the remainder of the U.S. Army arrived on the battlefield several hours after the Indian attack wiped out Custer's troops, they found the 14 year old horse, badly wounded but still living and standing over the body of Captain Keogh.

Why was Custer demoted from general?

Nevertheless, Custer came into conflict with superior officers. In 1871, he faced a court-martial for failing to follow orders and for being absent from duty without permission. Custer was found guilty of the various charges and sentenced to a year without pay and a demotion in rank.

Was George Custer sterile?

Custer, however, had apparently become sterile after contracting venereal disease at West Point, leading some historians to believe that the father was really his brother Thomas.

What were Custer's mistakes?

Custer was afraid they would slip away and scatter, so he made his first mistake: pursuing his quarry against unknown odds. At noon, Custer halted his regiment between the valleys of the Rosebud and Little Bighorn Rivers and made his second mistake: splitting his troops into three combat groups and a pack train.

Why was Custer defeated at Little Bighorn?

Custer was defeated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn because he made a lot of fundamental errors. He acted alone - even though Gibbon's last words to him were - Custer, don't be greedy. Wait for us. Instead of going round the Wolf Mountains, Custer force-marched his men through the mountains.

Can you survive getting scalped?

Scalping was not in itself fatal, though it was most commonly inflicted on the gravely wounded or the dead. The earliest instruments used in scalping were stone knives crafted of flint, chert, or obsidian, or other materials like reeds or oyster shells that could be worked to carry an edge equal to the task.

Can your hair grow back after being scalped?

Hair regrowth is not a guarantee

However, in the vast majority of cases where hair is pulled from the scalp, hair grows back. If you or I were to reach up a pluck a hair, it will grow back. However, if pulling is repeated many times or is excessive with bleeding a greater chance exists for scarring to develop.

What Indian tribe scalped the most?

Apache and Comanche Indians were both popular with scalp hunters.

What did Custer say about Indians?

For example, Custer describes the contents of an empty Indian lodge that “the Indians had fled before the arrival of the cavalry” (Custer [1874] 1976, p. 40).

What were General Custer's last words?

George Armstrong Custer's last words have also been mythologized. While being swarmed by hostile Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors at Little Big Horn, Montana on June 25, 1876, the colourful 7th Cavalry commander reportedly shouted platitudes and encouragements to his doomed men. “Hurrah, boys!