What were 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!

What was Custer's last message?

Be quick. Bring Packs. By any interpretation the message called for troop reinforcement with the extra ammunition as quickly as possible.

Why did they call Custer yellow hair?

In the West, Custer wore a distinctive buckskin uniform, meant to catch the eye of reporters. And he caught the eye of his enemies as well, who began to call him "Yellow Hair."

Why wasn t Custer scalped?

Because of their prominent role in relocating the various Plains tribes, soldiers were prime targets for scalping. At the Little Bighorn, Custer was one of just two soldiers on the field not scalped. For years, historians and admirers claimed this was due to the regard in which his foes held him.

Did Custer's horse survive?

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.

Dumbest US General in History? Custer’s Last Stand

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.

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.”)

Could Custer have won at the Little Bighorn?

Yet it may be the fight's most critical moment. If Custer pushes across the Little Bighorn River and captures the noncombatants, he might still achieve a victory—a costly one, to be sure, but one that could have burnished his fame as an Indian fighter and made him a hero. It is not to be, however.

Who was to blame for Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn?

His poor performance led his superior, Brigadier General George Crook, to file a series of charges against him. The court-martial found him guilty on three counts in January 1877.

How many Indians were killed at Little Bighorn?

Answer and Explanation: The actual number of Indian casualties in the Battle of the Little Bighorn is debated. There are 31 documented deaths among the Indians who opposed the U.S. Army, and about six or seven Indian deaths among Crow and Arikara Indians who were on the side of the Army.

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.

Was Custer scalped or mutilated?

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.

Is Custer still buried at Little Bighorn?

Custer's remains were re-interred at West Point, New York. In 1881, a granite memorial was erected on Last Stand Hill by the War Department. The remains of soldiers and attached personnel buried on the field were collected and re-interred in a mass grave around the base of the granite memorial on Last Stand Hill.

Did Custer have a child with an Indian?

Recorded Native oral history, however, has several sources that say Custer had a son named Yellow Swallow with Meotzi. She considered him her “husband” and she was devoted to him.

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 ...

Who stabbed Custer?

discussed two warrior women who fought at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. According to Cheyenne lore passed down for 146 years, Cheyenne Buffalo Calf Road Woman was credited with killing Custer. Another female warrior, the Arapaho Chief, Pretty Nose, fought there, too.

Are there any descendants of General Custer?

George Armstrong Custer III, 67, who fought to retain his great-grand-uncle's name on a national park in Montana on the site of Custer's Last Stand on June 25, 1876.

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.

Did Custer slaughter Indians?

Within a few hours of the attack, Custer's men had destroyed the village and killed as many as 103 Cheyenne, including Black Kettle and his wife, Medicine Woman. Custer then ordered his men to destroy “everything of value to the Indians,” Warde wrote. That included slaughtering more than 800 horses and mules.

What did the Indians do to the bodies at Little Bighorn?

The Lakota and Cheyenne had stripped most of the cavalry uniforms off the soldiers, taken scalps, and then mutilated the bodies, including severing heads and limbs from the bodies.

Did Custer hang confederates?

He informed Lee that Custer hanged six of his men and 'It is my purpose to hang an equal number of Custer's men whenever I capture them. ' Lee approved the action and so reported to Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon, who responded that he 'cordially approved' the orders.

Was Custer a good soldier?

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.