There are many facts and myths regarding Custer and the Little Bighorn:
1. Myths About the Battle
Contrary to what is depicted in the many movies and paintings, there were no sabers at the battle. When the 7th Cavalry left fort Abraham Lincoln it did indeed have sabers, but these were collected and boxed at Custer's command before the column left the main unit under General Terry. Custer wanted to ride fast and as silently as possible. The sabers created a noisy clatter when a mounted unit was moving rapidly. The fact that Custer decided against carrying the sabers also marks the end of a custom in the mounted unit. The pistol had proven to be the weapon of choice in by the rapidly charging cavalryman. Some, have said that Capt. Keogh might have smuggled his favorite ceremonial saber, his good luck charm, with him and into the battle. But it was never drawn and was discovered among his belongings by Indians pillaging the belongings of the slain soldiers on Custer Hill.
Custer did not carry his long golden curly locks into the battle. In deference to Mrs. Custer, who prior to the departure of Custer's command from Ft. Lincoln, had a dream in which she saw an Indian standing over her dead husband with a freshly acquired blond scalp in his hand, Custer had his long curls sheared prior to departing.
2. Was Custer’s command completely destroyed?
Contrary to popular belief, Custer did not lose all of his men at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. It has been stated that when he departed General Terry's camp on the 22nd of June 1876, he had 31 officers, 585 enlisted men, 40 Indian scouts and 20 packers, guides and other civilian employees. This totaled 648 potential combatants.
Shortly before engaging the Indian encampment, Custer split his command into three battalions. Major Reno had companies A, G, and M, about 140 men, and was directed to attack the southern most end of the village in the valley. Captain Benteen had companies H, D, and K, consisting of about 125 men, and was directed to explore the area in a southwesterly direction and to "pitch into anything that he might find." Captain McDougall was assigned with B Company t guard the pack train.
Custer took for himself the five companies of C, E, F, I, L, estimated to include approximately 212 to 231 men. Numbers not accounted for in each battalion included the Indian scouts and the packers.
Only those men of Custer's immediate command perished to the last poor soul. The men of Benteen's command and those survivors of the Reno "charge" lived to tell their tales.
3. Was Custer really a General?
George Armstrong Custer was a Second Lieutenant when he graduated from West Point in 1861. Because of his daring, though by some accounts reckless, deeds during the Civil War, he quickly gained favor with his commanders and was given a succession of field or brevet promotions, such that by June 26, 1863 he had attained the brevet rank of Brigadier General of volunteers. In 1864 he was promoted to major General of volunteers. After the War he reverted to the permanent rank of Captain. He then entered the painstakingly slow promotion process that was customary in the small regular army. When he led the Seventh Cavalry into the Valley of the Little big Horn, he had attained the permanent rank of Lt. Colonel. As was customary at the time, he was affectionately referred to as the "General" by those who liked him in honor of his former brevet rank.
4. A Custer Survivor?
It is not unusual for "survivors" of last stands and massacres to surface once interest in such events increases. The battle of the Little Big Horn is no exception. One historian of the battle collected well over 70 such tales of "sole survivors," all of which have been later disproven. When later questioned, the Indian participants in the battle insisted that none of Custer's command escaped.
As one may recall, Custer split his command of approximately 625 men into three segments, one under Captain Benteen, one under major Reno, and one under the direct command of Custer himself. Only Custer's immediate command was wiped out. There were, indeed, many survivors from the columns under Reno and Benteen that maintained a defensive position on Reno Hill until relieved by the troops under Generals Terry and Gibbon.
The troops in the valley fight under Major Reno last saw what they thought was Custer on one of the ridges overlooking the Little Big Horn valley, waving his hat in the air as if to encourage their attack of the lower end of the village. After that, Custer disappeared behind the bluffs, never to be seen alive again.
The last soldier to see Custer alive was probably trumpeter Martin, who bore the famous "Be quick...Bring packs" message intended for the Benteen column. Martin was an Italian immigrant with only basic English language skills who left the Custer column before it engaged the Indians. It might have been felt that Martin might not have been able to communicate the urgency of the situation, which led Lt. Cooke to hastily write the message and give it to Martin. Previously, just as Custer decided to turn to the right after leaving the Lone Teepee, a Sergeant Kanipe was given a message to deliver to Major Reno to encourage his effort in the valley.
Of the many claimants to being the only survivor of Custer's column, a Mr. Frank Finkel, tenaciously claimed that he was the only true survivor of the Custer Massacre, his horse having bolted when the left flank of "C" Troop was attacked by the Sioux. A bullet from one of the attackers struck the butt of his rifle and a splinter from the wood stock struck him in the face. This caused blood to run into his eyes and all but blinded him. Another bullet struck his horse in the flank making it rear and plunge and run right through the Indians. Finkel was hit twice more as the horse ran, once in the side and another in his foot. He eventually made his way to safety and returned to civilization at Ft. Benton.
There are some Indian accounts of crazed horses and soldiers bolting and running away from the battle, but all were reported to have been killed. Even though Finkel had some believers, most took him to be an entertaining old man seeking notoriety. However, Dr. Charles Kuhlman, the noted Custer Battlefield historian, made a critical analysis of Finkel's story and concluded that some of what Finkel had said could only have been known by someone who had actually participated in the battle. A careful search of the roster of the 7th Cavalry, however, shows no listing for a Frank Finkel. Kuhlman suggests that Finkel might have been using an alias(Frank Hall), as it was common on the frontier for those evading the law or for other unclear reasons to join the army under an assumed name. The records likewise fail to show a Frank Hall as a member of the 7th Cavalry in June, 1876. Troop D, which was not with Custer, had a Curtis Hall and an Edward Hall, the latter of whom is listed as not having participated in the battle. Had Finkel been using the alias of Hall, a Hall would have been listed among the killed in action. Both Halls are listed as having survived the battle. It is interesting to note that in the monograph by Kenneth Hammer entitled "Little Big Horn Biographies," there is a listing for an "August Finckle," a Sergeant in Company C, who was listed as killed in battle on June 25. He was born in Germany, had previously worked as a clerk, and had grey eyes, dark hair, and was six feet tall. Could this have been our man?
The only person accepted as the survivor of the Custer column once fighting had begun was Curly, the young Crow Indian scout. He had been one of the many scouts assigned to the Custer column. Perhaps because of his youth, or as a last attempt to get a message to Benteen, Curly was dispatched from the column. Curly described riding a short distance from the command and then stopping and turning around to actually see Custer's men engaged in heated battle. Curly did not actually participate in the fighting. Some, however, stated that Curly was actually in the fight, but when it appeared that no one would survive, he gutted a dead horse and hid inside the carcass until after the hostiles had left. Be that as it may, Curly was later heralded and wined and dined as the only true survivor of Custer's command.
5. Isaiah Dorman: A requiem for the black man at the Little Big Horn
On the afternoon of June 25, 1876 as Major Reno lead his hasty "charge" out of the clump of trees to which his initial attack and skirmish line had been reduced, several men of his command both alive and mortally wounded were abandoned. One such man, Isaiah Dorman, lay dying, partially pinned under his dead horse. He had formerly served his country well as an army scout and interpreter. Now he was to give the most precious gift that a patriot can give to his country- his life. Who was this wasicun sapa, this "black white man" as he was known to the Sioux?
There are many stories from the Sioux history describing a large, "black white man" who was welcomed in their villages as early as 1850. He was known as Azinpi or "Teat," meaning teat or nipple, which in the Sioux language sounds like Isaiah. This man had worked as a trapper and trader. He was known to travel both with a horse and a mule, and seemed to want to avoid contact with the white settlers. Little else is known of Dorman, and there is no known picture of him. Although not certain, it is thought that he might have been aformer slave of the D'Orman family of Louisiana in the late 1840s. A search of wanted posters of that period shows that a Negro slave by the name of Isaiah was a fugitive. Dorman is known to have first appeared at a white settlement in 1865, after the Civil War was over. At this time he was married to a young woman of Inkpaduta's band of the Santee Sioux. He is known to have settled at Fort Rice, Dakota Territory near the present site of Bismarck. He supported himself by cutting wood for the fort. Soon he became known to the officers of the fort as a jovial, sober, and trustworthy person. He was fond of tobacco, but abstained from the spirits. In the fall of 1865 he was hired as a wood cutter by the trading firm of Durfee & Peck. Due to his size and strength, it was said that "Old Teat" could cut a cord of wood faster than a helper could stack it.
When the post commander and his quartermaster learned of Dorman's ability with the Sioux language and his knowledge of the land, he was hired in November, 1865, by Lt. J, M, Marshall to carry the mail between Ft. Rice and Ft. Wadsworth. Dorman made the 360-mile round trip without difficulty. When he was not carrying mail, he went back to cutting wood. When it became too dangerous for soldiers to carry the mail in 1867, he was again hired at the rate of $50/month, quite a sum for a black man in those days. In September, 1871, he was hired by a Capt. Henry Inman to serve as guide and interpreter for a party of engineers making the Northern pacific Railroad Survey. He was paid $100/month. He next served as an interpreter for the army at Ft. Rice at a salary of $75/month.
When Custer was preparing to set out for the Little Big Horn expedition, he issued Special Order No. 2 requesting that Isaiah Dorman be assigned to him as an interpreter. Dorman, then about 55 years old was eager to have the opportunity to see his Indian friends once more. The rest is history.
Ironically, more has been recorded about Dorman in death than in life. One of Reno's scouts, George Herendeen stated "I saw Indians shooting at Isiah and squaws pounding him with stone hammers. His legs below the knees were shot full of bullets..." Others have described his legs as being riddled with buckshot. By most accounts, he died a slow and painful death. Pvt. Slaper said that he was "badly cut and slashed, while unmentionable atrocities had been committed." A Pvt. Roman Rutten passed Dorman as he escaped from the valley fighting. He described Dorman as being on one knee, firing carefully with a non-regulation sporting rifle. Dorman was stated to have looked up and shouted, "Good-bye, Rutten!" A more fanciful story attributed to Stanley Vestal states that while Dorman lay dying, Sitting Bull happened to pass by and kindly offered his former friend kind words and a drink of water. Sitting Bull is said to have chased the vengeful Indian women away from Isaiah, but after he left, the women returned and Dorman's body was stripped and mutilated. Others have stated that in addition to the mortal chest wound and the wounds to his legs, he was later found with his torso and head full of arrows and according to the memoirs of John Burkman, had a picket pin driven through his testicles. Obviously all of the Indians did not take too kindly to Dorman being with the invading cavalry.
6. The Quest For Water Under Fire
What is it that motivates the common man to perform heroic deeds. Are they born that way? Are they just plain reckless? Are they seeking fame and glory. I would wager that if you were to ask any one who has been given the mantle of "hero" just what it was that made him perform, on his own, without regard to personal safety, the reply would be that at the time, it just needed to be done.
Such was it with the brave men on Reno Hill on the 26th of June 1876. Custer's command had been wiped out, although the men on Reno Hill did not know this. The late spring and early summer had been drier that usual that year, and the weather had been hot and dry, with a thick, choking dust filling the air with every movement of man and beast. The water from the canteens had long since been consumed on the day of the battle and throughout the night. The sick and wounded began to moan and cry out for water, especially those who had lost a considerable amount of blood. By the late morning of the 26th the water was gone. Edwin Pickard (Oregon Journal, July-AUG 1923) stated that "our throats were parched, the smoke stung our nostrils, is seemed as if our tongues had swollen so we couldn't close our mouths, and the heat of the sun seemed fairly to cook the blood in our veins." Some of the men sucked on pebbles dug out from the ground that gave the illusion of containing moisture. A few potatoes were handed out to the men to suck on. Those of weaker resolve had taken to sneaking into the supply packs and stealing canned fruits and vegetables to acquire the nectar that was packed therein. Add to this the fact that incessant sniper fire from the Indians in the nearby ravines and hilltops produced a vexing and sometimes deadly situation. This was especially becoming a problem at Benteen's position where H Troop was holding the perimeter. Benteen felt that with the increasing encroachment on his position by the Indians, that he might be soon facing a charge and a break in his line. He therefore informed Major Reno that he was going to make a "charge" from his position and clear the ravine and some of the hilltops of any hostiles and thereby secure his lines. Using the men of H Troop and with the support of some of the men from M Troop, Benteen personally led a charge forward from his line, into the ravine and the surrounding hills. This sudden activity startled the Indians, who up to this point clearly had the advantage. They quickly retreated towards the river. This then set the stage for the water detail.
Captain Benteen then called for volunteers to go down the hill to the river to secure as much precious water as possible for the unit. Nineteen men volunteered for this task. Four of the men, Pvt. Charles Windolph, Sgt. George H.Geiger, Henry Meckling (blacksmith), and Otto Voit (saddler), all German immigrants as Windolph proudly pointed out in his story, were known sharpshooters and were positioned at intervals on the edge of the hill and overlooking the ravine and the Little Big Horn
River below. They of necessity had to expose themselves to enemy fire, but in turn could provide covering fire to the men as they descended the ravine and filled their containers in the river. The other volunteers were:
Neil Baneroff, Abraham Brant, Thomas Callan, Frederick Deetline, Theodore Goldin, David Harris
William Harris, Rufus Hutchinson, James Pym, Stanislaus Roy, George Scott, Thomas Stevens
Frank Tolan, Peter Thompson, Charles Welch
A call went out for all available canteens, pots and kettles. Anything that would be used to carry water. The distance from Benteen's line to the river was estimated to be about 600 yds. Fortunately, the ravine leading to the river afforded cover for the men who essentially could get all the way down to the river with out being detected or fired upon. Then came the more difficult task of dashing out into the open, exposed to heavy fire from the Indians in the thicket across the river, for the thirty or so yards to the bank of the river. They then had to endure extremely tense moments while the canteens and kettles were being filled and they could do nothing but serve as stationary targets. By some accounts, the water detail completed its mission in twenty minutes. They then scurried back up the hill with their precious cargo. Even though it is said that they did not get all of the water that they needed, the wounded were satiated and the rest of the men could have enough water to relieve their misery.
Miraculously, no one was killed. Six or seven of the men were wounded, the most notable being Peter Thompson who was shot through the hand but still filled and retrieved his water receptacles. All of these men were cited for their heroic act under fire and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. However, the medal at that time was often awarded for lesser acts of bravery than it is now, and when a revision of the requirements for awarding the medal was made in 1911, many of the previously awarded medals were dropped. I am presently checking into this to find out if these brave men were officially maintained on the books as Medal of Honor recipients.
7. Another Water Detail?
There were other men on Reno Hill who claimed that they, too, had gone for water on the 26th of June. One, Pvt Slaper said that he had gone for water but had never been notified that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor. His name is not on any of the "official" listings of the men who participated in the water detail. Slaper also mentions a Jim Weeks as one of the men in his group, another name that does not show up on the water detail roster. How could this be? Was he fabricating his participation just to call some attention to himself? Maybe not. Pvt. Windolph in his memoirs claims that Pvt. Slaper had done some act of bravery deserving of a medal, but did not specifically state that Slaper had participated in the water detail. Also, the name of Sgt. Mike Madden comes up as another of the wounded in the water detail. He was shot in the leg and underwent a field amputation by Dr. Porter. Finally, the name of J.J. Tanner of M Troop comes up in some accounts as the only man killed during the water detail. Most accounts, however, state that no men were killed during the quest for water. How could this be?
As one reads the many accounts of the water situation on that day, one finds that there may have been more than one movement to get water. In Brininstool's interview with Slaper, there is a suggestion that there were two water details: the first a mad dash to the river without the aid of sharpshooters and the second with sharpshooters was the official one. Slaper includes himself, perhaps in error, in the second detail. Perhaps Sgt Madden was wounded while a participant of the first detail. According to Kuhlman (Legend Into History- p. 136), Tanner was killed by Indian crossfire and his body was later found on the banks of the river in the area where the water detail operated. In Hammer's "Little Big Horn Biographies," it is stated that Tanner was killed in the Benteen charge that took place before the water detail.
Another interesting account of water gathering comes from the Indian account given to Grinnell and mentioned in the "Fighting Cheyennes." A soldier stripped to his underwear rand down the ravine with a cup in one hand and a canteen in the other and threw himself face down at the edge of the river and spent some time filling the canteen and drinking from the cup. He was under constant fire from the Indians, but was never hit. He later got up and returned to the top of the hill unharmed. An article from "Winners of the West" dated June 24, 1926 describes such an incident and names William Nugent of Troop A as the person involved.
To put this in perspective, thirst must have driven ordinary men to new heights of bravery. There might have been one or more unorganized and possibly unauthorized attempts to get water from the river. This is why so many names arise as being participants outside of the "official" list of water detail members.
8. Custer's Insurance Policy
While reading some publications about General Custer, I ran across a short article that mentioned the insurance policies that had been written on Custer and five of his fellow officers. The policies were written by a Mr. I. F. A. Studdart of St. Paul Minnesota. Apparently Mr. Studdart was an insurance agent for New York Life Insurance Company, and covered the northern middle western states.
Custer's policy was written on June 4, 1874 at age 34, with his wife as beneficiary. The policy was for $5000.
Lt. James Calhoun's policy was written on 1 June 1874 at age 29, with his wife as beneficiary- $5000.
Capt. George Yates's policy was written on 19 July 1874 at age 33, with his wife as beneficiary- $5000.
Lt. John Crittenden's policy was written on May 12, 1876 at age 25, with his mother as the beneficiary- $10,000. he must have been single at the time and obviously wanted his mother to be well cared for if he had an untimely death.
Capt. Myles Keogh's policy was written on June 13, 1873 at age 31, with "himself" as the benefactor- $10,000. I seem to have read somewhere that Keogh's policy(and perhaps that of Crittenden) was perhaps of the same face value of the others with the exception of a double indemnity clause for accidental death. One can only guess that Keogh was having fun by listing himself as the beneficiary.
I would assume that New York Life statistics indicated that Army officers on the frontier were a good insurance risk. That these policies were all paid off, would suggest that the policies did not contain a "war clause," as many insurance policies do today. with the war clause, the policy is voided if the insured dies as the result of an act of war.
Addendum(5 May 96):
A brief note by Mr. Bruce R. Liddic in the LBHA Newletter, Vol. III No. 2b, Summer, 1969 sheds further light on the above. The Custer's premium for the policy was $25.56 per thousand, or $127.80 annyally. He states that there was an extra premium of 5% charged for war risk. If this added payment was not met by the holder's death, it was deducted from the value of the policy. This may be part of the reason that Mrs. Custer did not get all of the benefit. As I stated above, Capt. Keogh named himslef as the benficiary. In reality, he next named his friend Lt. Henry J. Nowland who received $1000 and his sister who was still in Ireland, who received $9000. This still does not answer the double indemnity question.
Addendum (June,1996) from M. Greene: As a member of New York Life, I can only tell you what I know through our own brochures. Though the policy on his life was for $5000, the check made out to his wife is clearly for $4750.00. We have surmised that there must have been a $250 loan against his policy. I don't know how it was then, but in modern times, that could have been by the policy holder's request for a cash loan, or an automatic loan if the premium wasn't paid. (You can only do that once a policy has built up cash value.)
9. SITTING BULL: A coward at the Battle of the Little Big Horn?
At the Democratic convention of 1988, the then Governor Ann Richards gave a rallying speech to the assembled delegates with the emphatic refrain "Where's George?", referring the to the absence of the republican candidate's stand on certain political issues.
Some obviously biased writers of western history have voiced a similar refrain in reference to the whereabouts of Sitting Bull during the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Where was Sitting Bull? They have implied that Sitting Bull, at the first sounds of bullets entering the Hunkpapa circle from Reno's approaching troopers, hastily gathered his family members and a few possessions and headed south towards the safety of the Big Horn Mountains. He was described as leaving in such haste that he left a grandson behind! Only after the battle had been won, did Indian runners catch up to him and inform him that the threat from the soldiers was no longer present and that he could safely return to the encampment.
It is known that most of the serious fighting was done by the younger men of the Indian tribes. In most cases he active warrior status occurred between the ages of 15 to 40. Anyone surviving years of intertribal warfare and encounters with the U.S. Cavalry became more notable for the wisdom that they had acquired over the years and many had become leaders as medicine men and chiefs. It was up to the willing young men of the tribes to prove themselves in the filed of battle and to provide for the safety of their people. At the time of the Battle of the Little Big Horn(BLBH), Sitting Bull was about 45 years old, somewhat over the warrior age, but had long been known by some and feared by others for his many brave deeds in the face of the enemy. Had he had enough of war and fighting by 1876? Did he run away in fear at the approach of Reno's men? Was he no longer a respected entity in the Sioux hierarchy? What could have changed his aggressive, war-like nature?
Evidence shows that, to the contrary, sitting Bull was very much involved with the events of the day on June 25, 1876. He had to be. it was the Hunkpapa circle, at the southern end of the Indian encampment that was first to come under attack. Were he to have shown anything less than his former courage, he, his relatives and many in his group might have suffered even more severely at the hands of the invaders.
In his warrior days, Sitting Bull had few equals. His name was given to him by his father on the counting of his first coup at the age of 14. Sitting Bull as a child had been called "Slow" because of his careful deliberate manner of activity. He was by no means slow in the true sense of the word and was apparently very agile and skilled in the ways of the warrior. The following year at the age of 15 he again exhibited his bravery by galloping past a line of Flatheads a la Lt. John Dunbar in the movie "Dances With Wolves" Sitting Bull escaped serious harm from the enemy arrows and bullets, sustaining only a minor foot wound. Because of this and other acts of bravery, he soon was selected for the elite warrior societies, the Kit Fox and the Strong Heart. In another encounter with the Crow Indians in 1856, Sitting Bull accepted the one on one challenge of the Crow chief for a face off. As the two warriors approached each other they fired simultaneously, the Crow Chieftain being killed and Sitting Bull being wounded in the foot such that he would always have a slight limp to his gait. The following year at age 27 he was given the honor of becoming a war chief of the Hunkpapa. From that point on, the many successes in battles and skirmishes with both red an white men further enhanced his reputation for bravery and skill in the art of warfare. There is no doubt, then that sitting Bull was an exceptional warrior among warriors, with many devoted followers. Even in the aftermath of the BLBH, as the plains Indians were being rounded up and forced onto the reservations, a large segment of the Hunkpapa band followed him to Canada and only returned to the U.S. when sitting Bull agreed to surrender. Even at the Standing Rock reservation Sitting Bull held the allegiance of many of his former followers, who were ready to fight to the death with him. So, we are not dealing with a man prone to cowardice or fear, but a man and leader of proven courage and charisma that established him as a force to be reckoned with long after his "retirement" from the field of battle.
Then, where was sitting Bull on the day of the BLBH?
It is true, that the battle was carried that day by the likes of Crazy Horse, Gall, Two Moons, and the younger warriors like White Bull. These were the young lions of that battle and they, by custom were to carry the fight to the enemy. Sitting Bull at the first alarm that Reno's men were at the edge of the Hunkpapa camp, did indeed gather up his mother and most of his relatives and took them to safety in the foothills to the west of the river, but quickly returned to gather his war equipment and head out against Reno's men. He invoked courage in the hearts of many of the young warriors and joined the action on the east side of the Reno skirmish line near the patch of timber where the soldiers retreated after the line was broken by the charging Sioux. Sitting Bull was charging and shooting with the others, and after the bulk of Reno's men had "charged" out of the timber to the bluffs across the river, Sitting Bull crossed the river and went up the ravine to help contain the soldiers by maintaining a steady rain of rifle fire on them. With Reno's men contained, Sitting Bull proceeded across the bluffs to Weir Point and down into the Medicine Tail coulee fro where he could see that the battle was indeed going well for his comrades. he then crossed the Little Big Horn and went to the areas where the women and children had gathered in order to protect them from harm if soldiers that might appear from the north. In none of his actions that day did he show cowardice or fear, but only the calm, forceful leadership of a general overseeing the battle. Where was Sitting Bull during the BLBH? he was right there, in the thick of things defending his people and their way of life as he had so often in the past. Next to Crazy Horse and Red cloud, he is one of the most revered Chiefs of the Sioux people.
For more information on Sitting Bull and his role in the battle:
Utely, Robert M. "The Lance and the Shield" 1993, Ballantine Books, New York.
Connell, Evan S. "Son of the Morning Star" 1984, HarperCollins publishers, New York.
Vestal, Stanley. "Sitting Bull, Champion of the Sioux" 1957, University of Oklahoma press, Norman, Oklahoma.
10. Vignettes Of Custer At the Point
Custer and the Rooster
Cadet George Custer lived in the 8th Division barracks facing the quarters of Lt. Henry Douglass' quarters. Douglass kept a flock of chickens and a rooster whose raucous crowing often caused Custer to lose sleep. One night the mischievous Custer slipped out of the barracks and took the rooster from his perch and later cooked the bird over a gas-burner in his room. The feathers were collected and rolled up in a newspaper and one of the other cadets took the evidence out to a trash bin for disposal. Hurrying across the open field to avoid detection, the cadet left a trail of feathers behind him. Fortunately the feathered trail did not lead to Custer and he was never punished for the act. Had Custer's act been discovered, he would have been given sufficient demerits to have pushed him over the limit for that period. This would have led to Custer's expulsion and the end of his military career.
From "To The Point", By George Pappas, Prager Publishers, 1993.
Custer's Burial At West Point
On 10 October 1877, Custer's remains were buried at West Point. A large number of officials and civilians turned out for the event, as well as the entire cadet brigade. The cadets marched at a slow pace with their rifles carried in reverse. Three volleys were fired over the grave, and the cadets slowly marched away.
Two years later a bronze statue of Custer was erected on a knoll across the road from the Mess hall. More than 3000 visitors attended the dedication. Congress had authorized the use of 20 bronze cannon for making the statue. The statue showed a Custer larger than life in full dress uniform and wearing jackboots and holding with arms stretched outwardly a saber in the right hand and a pistol in the left. General Schoefield learned from Mrs Custer, who was very protective of her husband's image, that she had not been consulted about the sculptor, Wilson MacDonald, whom she thought was not notable enough to be worthy of the task. She felt that the face of the statue was too old looking, the uniform improper, and that the statue displayed her husband as being armed like a desperado. She tried to stop the dedication of the statue, but it was too late. Through her persistent efforts however, she succeeded in having the statue removed in 1884 by order of the then Secretary of War Robert Lincoln. For many years the statue was stored in a shed at West Point. Mrs Custer, still not satisfied, requested that the statue be removed entirely from the premises. The whereabouts of the statue is unknown. Perhaps it was donated as scrap metal during WW II. The stone base of the statue was placed at the head of Custer's grave, and Mrs. Custer had a granite obelisk added in 1905.
From "To The Point", By George Pappas, Prager Publishers, 1993.
11. Did Mrs. Custer Hate Reno?
Mrs. Custer's lifelong, and perhaps fanatical dedication to preserving forever the good name of her husband is well known. It is likewise known that she held no good feelings for Major Reno, whom she probably blamed for not coming to the aid of her huband in his dire time of need. It was her opinion that Reno left the field of battle in the valley in ignominious retreat.
An example of her "admiration" for Reno is clearly demonstrated in this letter that is transposed in its entirety. This copy of the letter has been in my files since 1969, and was sent to me by a Mr. Paul singer of Billings, Montana.
Osceola-Gamataw Inn
Daytona_ Fla.
March 19 (l925)?
Mr. J.A.. Shoemaker
Dear Mr. Shoemaker:
General Godfrey has sent me a copy of his letter to you and I join with him in appealing to you not to permit any memorial of any kind to be placed on that sacred battlefield to so great a coward as Col Reno! Please use your influence in preventing any tribute to(so) unworthy a man. He had used influence to be placed on duty in the East when our Regiment of battle Scarred heroes were campaigning from almost the Mexican to the Canadian border. The battle of the Little Big Horn was his first battle and he seemed not to try to hide his cowardice. I beg you to try and avert any move in Congress that would glorify so faithless a soldier.
In writing this I feel almost my husbands hand taking the pen away from me. He was so opposed to my taking up regimental or official affairs but in this instance I cannot refrain from making an appeal. Please take steps to prevent this bill passing. I beg that you well consider what I have written as confidential. Of course you are at liberty to say that I am opposed and have unquestionable reasons for opposition- but this letter is for your consideration- Regretting to trouble you at this time I am
Sincerely yours
Elizabeth B. Custer
P.S
I long for a memorial to our heroes on the battle field of the Little Big Horn but not to single out for honor the one coward of the regiment.
Custer acquired his two favorite horses, Vic and Dandy soon after assuming command of the newly formed 7th Cavalry. Vic, the Kentucky thoroughbred was his battle horse. Vic, because of his speed and quickness became Custer's choice for the fast charges and maneuverings of battle. It was Vic that carried his General into battle on the 25th of June 1876. Libbie Custer and others claim that was killed on Custer Hill, along with his master, perhaps used as a breastwork after being mortally wounded during the fight. Others have listed Vic as a "prisoner of war," emerging from the battle under the ownership of Walks-Under-The-Ground.
Where was Dandy during the battle? Dandy was with the extra mounts kept with the pack train. Therefore, it is assumed that Dandy survived the battle on Reno Hill. Much of what became of him after the return to Ft. Lincoln is revealed to us by Libbie Custer in her book, Following the Guidon.
She states that Dandy was acquired by Custer during the Wichita campaign in Kansas during the winter of 1868 and 1869. Apparently the 7th Cavalry was to be outfitted with new horses for the upcoming campaigns. Five hundred horses were sent to the 7th, and as Libbie tells it, the horses were paraded before General Custer's tent for review. Custer spotted a spirited bay horse that he had selected out of the group, and after trying the horse, decided to purchase the horse from the government, for his personnel use. The horse was described as being of good blood, though not perfectly proportioned, and a little on the small side. The name Dandy was supposed to have been bestowed on the animal because of his spirited manner, and the "proud little peacock airs he never forgot except when he slept." Dandy soon proved that Custer had a keen eye for horses. Dandy endured the harshest cold of the plains winters, and even adapted to the lack of forage in the snow covered plains by digging for grass and eating the bark of the cottonwood trees. This ability to survive in this manner separated the sturdier Indian ponies from the grain fed army horses who would often whither away and die under these conditions. he also survived the dehydrating heat and lack of potable water that often occurred during the dry season. In other words, Dandy was a "trooper." Another characteristic of Dandy was his manner of movement. According to Libbie, he "never walked, but went ...with a little dancing trot that was most fatiguing" to the rider. Many cavalrymen hated this type of mount, that would bounce them
Contrary to what is depicted in the many movies and paintings, there were no sabers at the battle. When the 7th Cavalry left fort Abraham Lincoln it did indeed have sabers, but these were collected and boxed at Custer's command before the column left the main unit under General Terry. Custer wanted to ride fast and as silently as possible. The sabers created a noisy clatter when a mounted unit was moving rapidly. The fact that Custer decided against carrying the sabers also marks the end of a custom in the mounted unit. The pistol had proven to be the weapon of choice in by the rapidly charging cavalryman. Some, have said that Capt. Keogh might have smuggled his favorite ceremonial saber, his good luck charm, with him and into the battle. But it was never drawn and was discovered among his belongings by Indians pillaging the belongings of the slain soldiers on Custer Hill.
Custer did not carry his long golden curly locks into the battle. In deference to Mrs. Custer, who prior to the departure of Custer's command from Ft. Lincoln, had a dream in which she saw an Indian standing over her dead husband with a freshly acquired blond scalp in his hand, Custer had his long curls sheared prior to departing.
2. Was Custer’s command completely destroyed?
Contrary to popular belief, Custer did not lose all of his men at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. It has been stated that when he departed General Terry's camp on the 22nd of June 1876, he had 31 officers, 585 enlisted men, 40 Indian scouts and 20 packers, guides and other civilian employees. This totaled 648 potential combatants.
Shortly before engaging the Indian encampment, Custer split his command into three battalions. Major Reno had companies A, G, and M, about 140 men, and was directed to attack the southern most end of the village in the valley. Captain Benteen had companies H, D, and K, consisting of about 125 men, and was directed to explore the area in a southwesterly direction and to "pitch into anything that he might find." Captain McDougall was assigned with B Company t guard the pack train.
Custer took for himself the five companies of C, E, F, I, L, estimated to include approximately 212 to 231 men. Numbers not accounted for in each battalion included the Indian scouts and the packers.
Only those men of Custer's immediate command perished to the last poor soul. The men of Benteen's command and those survivors of the Reno "charge" lived to tell their tales.
3. Was Custer really a General?
George Armstrong Custer was a Second Lieutenant when he graduated from West Point in 1861. Because of his daring, though by some accounts reckless, deeds during the Civil War, he quickly gained favor with his commanders and was given a succession of field or brevet promotions, such that by June 26, 1863 he had attained the brevet rank of Brigadier General of volunteers. In 1864 he was promoted to major General of volunteers. After the War he reverted to the permanent rank of Captain. He then entered the painstakingly slow promotion process that was customary in the small regular army. When he led the Seventh Cavalry into the Valley of the Little big Horn, he had attained the permanent rank of Lt. Colonel. As was customary at the time, he was affectionately referred to as the "General" by those who liked him in honor of his former brevet rank.
4. A Custer Survivor?
It is not unusual for "survivors" of last stands and massacres to surface once interest in such events increases. The battle of the Little Big Horn is no exception. One historian of the battle collected well over 70 such tales of "sole survivors," all of which have been later disproven. When later questioned, the Indian participants in the battle insisted that none of Custer's command escaped.
As one may recall, Custer split his command of approximately 625 men into three segments, one under Captain Benteen, one under major Reno, and one under the direct command of Custer himself. Only Custer's immediate command was wiped out. There were, indeed, many survivors from the columns under Reno and Benteen that maintained a defensive position on Reno Hill until relieved by the troops under Generals Terry and Gibbon.
The troops in the valley fight under Major Reno last saw what they thought was Custer on one of the ridges overlooking the Little Big Horn valley, waving his hat in the air as if to encourage their attack of the lower end of the village. After that, Custer disappeared behind the bluffs, never to be seen alive again.
The last soldier to see Custer alive was probably trumpeter Martin, who bore the famous "Be quick...Bring packs" message intended for the Benteen column. Martin was an Italian immigrant with only basic English language skills who left the Custer column before it engaged the Indians. It might have been felt that Martin might not have been able to communicate the urgency of the situation, which led Lt. Cooke to hastily write the message and give it to Martin. Previously, just as Custer decided to turn to the right after leaving the Lone Teepee, a Sergeant Kanipe was given a message to deliver to Major Reno to encourage his effort in the valley.
Of the many claimants to being the only survivor of Custer's column, a Mr. Frank Finkel, tenaciously claimed that he was the only true survivor of the Custer Massacre, his horse having bolted when the left flank of "C" Troop was attacked by the Sioux. A bullet from one of the attackers struck the butt of his rifle and a splinter from the wood stock struck him in the face. This caused blood to run into his eyes and all but blinded him. Another bullet struck his horse in the flank making it rear and plunge and run right through the Indians. Finkel was hit twice more as the horse ran, once in the side and another in his foot. He eventually made his way to safety and returned to civilization at Ft. Benton.
There are some Indian accounts of crazed horses and soldiers bolting and running away from the battle, but all were reported to have been killed. Even though Finkel had some believers, most took him to be an entertaining old man seeking notoriety. However, Dr. Charles Kuhlman, the noted Custer Battlefield historian, made a critical analysis of Finkel's story and concluded that some of what Finkel had said could only have been known by someone who had actually participated in the battle. A careful search of the roster of the 7th Cavalry, however, shows no listing for a Frank Finkel. Kuhlman suggests that Finkel might have been using an alias(Frank Hall), as it was common on the frontier for those evading the law or for other unclear reasons to join the army under an assumed name. The records likewise fail to show a Frank Hall as a member of the 7th Cavalry in June, 1876. Troop D, which was not with Custer, had a Curtis Hall and an Edward Hall, the latter of whom is listed as not having participated in the battle. Had Finkel been using the alias of Hall, a Hall would have been listed among the killed in action. Both Halls are listed as having survived the battle. It is interesting to note that in the monograph by Kenneth Hammer entitled "Little Big Horn Biographies," there is a listing for an "August Finckle," a Sergeant in Company C, who was listed as killed in battle on June 25. He was born in Germany, had previously worked as a clerk, and had grey eyes, dark hair, and was six feet tall. Could this have been our man?
The only person accepted as the survivor of the Custer column once fighting had begun was Curly, the young Crow Indian scout. He had been one of the many scouts assigned to the Custer column. Perhaps because of his youth, or as a last attempt to get a message to Benteen, Curly was dispatched from the column. Curly described riding a short distance from the command and then stopping and turning around to actually see Custer's men engaged in heated battle. Curly did not actually participate in the fighting. Some, however, stated that Curly was actually in the fight, but when it appeared that no one would survive, he gutted a dead horse and hid inside the carcass until after the hostiles had left. Be that as it may, Curly was later heralded and wined and dined as the only true survivor of Custer's command.
5. Isaiah Dorman: A requiem for the black man at the Little Big Horn
On the afternoon of June 25, 1876 as Major Reno lead his hasty "charge" out of the clump of trees to which his initial attack and skirmish line had been reduced, several men of his command both alive and mortally wounded were abandoned. One such man, Isaiah Dorman, lay dying, partially pinned under his dead horse. He had formerly served his country well as an army scout and interpreter. Now he was to give the most precious gift that a patriot can give to his country- his life. Who was this wasicun sapa, this "black white man" as he was known to the Sioux?
There are many stories from the Sioux history describing a large, "black white man" who was welcomed in their villages as early as 1850. He was known as Azinpi or "Teat," meaning teat or nipple, which in the Sioux language sounds like Isaiah. This man had worked as a trapper and trader. He was known to travel both with a horse and a mule, and seemed to want to avoid contact with the white settlers. Little else is known of Dorman, and there is no known picture of him. Although not certain, it is thought that he might have been aformer slave of the D'Orman family of Louisiana in the late 1840s. A search of wanted posters of that period shows that a Negro slave by the name of Isaiah was a fugitive. Dorman is known to have first appeared at a white settlement in 1865, after the Civil War was over. At this time he was married to a young woman of Inkpaduta's band of the Santee Sioux. He is known to have settled at Fort Rice, Dakota Territory near the present site of Bismarck. He supported himself by cutting wood for the fort. Soon he became known to the officers of the fort as a jovial, sober, and trustworthy person. He was fond of tobacco, but abstained from the spirits. In the fall of 1865 he was hired as a wood cutter by the trading firm of Durfee & Peck. Due to his size and strength, it was said that "Old Teat" could cut a cord of wood faster than a helper could stack it.
When the post commander and his quartermaster learned of Dorman's ability with the Sioux language and his knowledge of the land, he was hired in November, 1865, by Lt. J, M, Marshall to carry the mail between Ft. Rice and Ft. Wadsworth. Dorman made the 360-mile round trip without difficulty. When he was not carrying mail, he went back to cutting wood. When it became too dangerous for soldiers to carry the mail in 1867, he was again hired at the rate of $50/month, quite a sum for a black man in those days. In September, 1871, he was hired by a Capt. Henry Inman to serve as guide and interpreter for a party of engineers making the Northern pacific Railroad Survey. He was paid $100/month. He next served as an interpreter for the army at Ft. Rice at a salary of $75/month.
When Custer was preparing to set out for the Little Big Horn expedition, he issued Special Order No. 2 requesting that Isaiah Dorman be assigned to him as an interpreter. Dorman, then about 55 years old was eager to have the opportunity to see his Indian friends once more. The rest is history.
Ironically, more has been recorded about Dorman in death than in life. One of Reno's scouts, George Herendeen stated "I saw Indians shooting at Isiah and squaws pounding him with stone hammers. His legs below the knees were shot full of bullets..." Others have described his legs as being riddled with buckshot. By most accounts, he died a slow and painful death. Pvt. Slaper said that he was "badly cut and slashed, while unmentionable atrocities had been committed." A Pvt. Roman Rutten passed Dorman as he escaped from the valley fighting. He described Dorman as being on one knee, firing carefully with a non-regulation sporting rifle. Dorman was stated to have looked up and shouted, "Good-bye, Rutten!" A more fanciful story attributed to Stanley Vestal states that while Dorman lay dying, Sitting Bull happened to pass by and kindly offered his former friend kind words and a drink of water. Sitting Bull is said to have chased the vengeful Indian women away from Isaiah, but after he left, the women returned and Dorman's body was stripped and mutilated. Others have stated that in addition to the mortal chest wound and the wounds to his legs, he was later found with his torso and head full of arrows and according to the memoirs of John Burkman, had a picket pin driven through his testicles. Obviously all of the Indians did not take too kindly to Dorman being with the invading cavalry.
6. The Quest For Water Under Fire
What is it that motivates the common man to perform heroic deeds. Are they born that way? Are they just plain reckless? Are they seeking fame and glory. I would wager that if you were to ask any one who has been given the mantle of "hero" just what it was that made him perform, on his own, without regard to personal safety, the reply would be that at the time, it just needed to be done.
Such was it with the brave men on Reno Hill on the 26th of June 1876. Custer's command had been wiped out, although the men on Reno Hill did not know this. The late spring and early summer had been drier that usual that year, and the weather had been hot and dry, with a thick, choking dust filling the air with every movement of man and beast. The water from the canteens had long since been consumed on the day of the battle and throughout the night. The sick and wounded began to moan and cry out for water, especially those who had lost a considerable amount of blood. By the late morning of the 26th the water was gone. Edwin Pickard (Oregon Journal, July-AUG 1923) stated that "our throats were parched, the smoke stung our nostrils, is seemed as if our tongues had swollen so we couldn't close our mouths, and the heat of the sun seemed fairly to cook the blood in our veins." Some of the men sucked on pebbles dug out from the ground that gave the illusion of containing moisture. A few potatoes were handed out to the men to suck on. Those of weaker resolve had taken to sneaking into the supply packs and stealing canned fruits and vegetables to acquire the nectar that was packed therein. Add to this the fact that incessant sniper fire from the Indians in the nearby ravines and hilltops produced a vexing and sometimes deadly situation. This was especially becoming a problem at Benteen's position where H Troop was holding the perimeter. Benteen felt that with the increasing encroachment on his position by the Indians, that he might be soon facing a charge and a break in his line. He therefore informed Major Reno that he was going to make a "charge" from his position and clear the ravine and some of the hilltops of any hostiles and thereby secure his lines. Using the men of H Troop and with the support of some of the men from M Troop, Benteen personally led a charge forward from his line, into the ravine and the surrounding hills. This sudden activity startled the Indians, who up to this point clearly had the advantage. They quickly retreated towards the river. This then set the stage for the water detail.
Captain Benteen then called for volunteers to go down the hill to the river to secure as much precious water as possible for the unit. Nineteen men volunteered for this task. Four of the men, Pvt. Charles Windolph, Sgt. George H.Geiger, Henry Meckling (blacksmith), and Otto Voit (saddler), all German immigrants as Windolph proudly pointed out in his story, were known sharpshooters and were positioned at intervals on the edge of the hill and overlooking the ravine and the Little Big Horn
River below. They of necessity had to expose themselves to enemy fire, but in turn could provide covering fire to the men as they descended the ravine and filled their containers in the river. The other volunteers were:
Neil Baneroff, Abraham Brant, Thomas Callan, Frederick Deetline, Theodore Goldin, David Harris
William Harris, Rufus Hutchinson, James Pym, Stanislaus Roy, George Scott, Thomas Stevens
Frank Tolan, Peter Thompson, Charles Welch
A call went out for all available canteens, pots and kettles. Anything that would be used to carry water. The distance from Benteen's line to the river was estimated to be about 600 yds. Fortunately, the ravine leading to the river afforded cover for the men who essentially could get all the way down to the river with out being detected or fired upon. Then came the more difficult task of dashing out into the open, exposed to heavy fire from the Indians in the thicket across the river, for the thirty or so yards to the bank of the river. They then had to endure extremely tense moments while the canteens and kettles were being filled and they could do nothing but serve as stationary targets. By some accounts, the water detail completed its mission in twenty minutes. They then scurried back up the hill with their precious cargo. Even though it is said that they did not get all of the water that they needed, the wounded were satiated and the rest of the men could have enough water to relieve their misery.
Miraculously, no one was killed. Six or seven of the men were wounded, the most notable being Peter Thompson who was shot through the hand but still filled and retrieved his water receptacles. All of these men were cited for their heroic act under fire and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. However, the medal at that time was often awarded for lesser acts of bravery than it is now, and when a revision of the requirements for awarding the medal was made in 1911, many of the previously awarded medals were dropped. I am presently checking into this to find out if these brave men were officially maintained on the books as Medal of Honor recipients.
7. Another Water Detail?
There were other men on Reno Hill who claimed that they, too, had gone for water on the 26th of June. One, Pvt Slaper said that he had gone for water but had never been notified that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor. His name is not on any of the "official" listings of the men who participated in the water detail. Slaper also mentions a Jim Weeks as one of the men in his group, another name that does not show up on the water detail roster. How could this be? Was he fabricating his participation just to call some attention to himself? Maybe not. Pvt. Windolph in his memoirs claims that Pvt. Slaper had done some act of bravery deserving of a medal, but did not specifically state that Slaper had participated in the water detail. Also, the name of Sgt. Mike Madden comes up as another of the wounded in the water detail. He was shot in the leg and underwent a field amputation by Dr. Porter. Finally, the name of J.J. Tanner of M Troop comes up in some accounts as the only man killed during the water detail. Most accounts, however, state that no men were killed during the quest for water. How could this be?
As one reads the many accounts of the water situation on that day, one finds that there may have been more than one movement to get water. In Brininstool's interview with Slaper, there is a suggestion that there were two water details: the first a mad dash to the river without the aid of sharpshooters and the second with sharpshooters was the official one. Slaper includes himself, perhaps in error, in the second detail. Perhaps Sgt Madden was wounded while a participant of the first detail. According to Kuhlman (Legend Into History- p. 136), Tanner was killed by Indian crossfire and his body was later found on the banks of the river in the area where the water detail operated. In Hammer's "Little Big Horn Biographies," it is stated that Tanner was killed in the Benteen charge that took place before the water detail.
Another interesting account of water gathering comes from the Indian account given to Grinnell and mentioned in the "Fighting Cheyennes." A soldier stripped to his underwear rand down the ravine with a cup in one hand and a canteen in the other and threw himself face down at the edge of the river and spent some time filling the canteen and drinking from the cup. He was under constant fire from the Indians, but was never hit. He later got up and returned to the top of the hill unharmed. An article from "Winners of the West" dated June 24, 1926 describes such an incident and names William Nugent of Troop A as the person involved.
To put this in perspective, thirst must have driven ordinary men to new heights of bravery. There might have been one or more unorganized and possibly unauthorized attempts to get water from the river. This is why so many names arise as being participants outside of the "official" list of water detail members.
8. Custer's Insurance Policy
While reading some publications about General Custer, I ran across a short article that mentioned the insurance policies that had been written on Custer and five of his fellow officers. The policies were written by a Mr. I. F. A. Studdart of St. Paul Minnesota. Apparently Mr. Studdart was an insurance agent for New York Life Insurance Company, and covered the northern middle western states.
Custer's policy was written on June 4, 1874 at age 34, with his wife as beneficiary. The policy was for $5000.
Lt. James Calhoun's policy was written on 1 June 1874 at age 29, with his wife as beneficiary- $5000.
Capt. George Yates's policy was written on 19 July 1874 at age 33, with his wife as beneficiary- $5000.
Lt. John Crittenden's policy was written on May 12, 1876 at age 25, with his mother as the beneficiary- $10,000. he must have been single at the time and obviously wanted his mother to be well cared for if he had an untimely death.
Capt. Myles Keogh's policy was written on June 13, 1873 at age 31, with "himself" as the benefactor- $10,000. I seem to have read somewhere that Keogh's policy(and perhaps that of Crittenden) was perhaps of the same face value of the others with the exception of a double indemnity clause for accidental death. One can only guess that Keogh was having fun by listing himself as the beneficiary.
I would assume that New York Life statistics indicated that Army officers on the frontier were a good insurance risk. That these policies were all paid off, would suggest that the policies did not contain a "war clause," as many insurance policies do today. with the war clause, the policy is voided if the insured dies as the result of an act of war.
Addendum(5 May 96):
A brief note by Mr. Bruce R. Liddic in the LBHA Newletter, Vol. III No. 2b, Summer, 1969 sheds further light on the above. The Custer's premium for the policy was $25.56 per thousand, or $127.80 annyally. He states that there was an extra premium of 5% charged for war risk. If this added payment was not met by the holder's death, it was deducted from the value of the policy. This may be part of the reason that Mrs. Custer did not get all of the benefit. As I stated above, Capt. Keogh named himslef as the benficiary. In reality, he next named his friend Lt. Henry J. Nowland who received $1000 and his sister who was still in Ireland, who received $9000. This still does not answer the double indemnity question.
Addendum (June,1996) from M. Greene: As a member of New York Life, I can only tell you what I know through our own brochures. Though the policy on his life was for $5000, the check made out to his wife is clearly for $4750.00. We have surmised that there must have been a $250 loan against his policy. I don't know how it was then, but in modern times, that could have been by the policy holder's request for a cash loan, or an automatic loan if the premium wasn't paid. (You can only do that once a policy has built up cash value.)
9. SITTING BULL: A coward at the Battle of the Little Big Horn?
At the Democratic convention of 1988, the then Governor Ann Richards gave a rallying speech to the assembled delegates with the emphatic refrain "Where's George?", referring the to the absence of the republican candidate's stand on certain political issues.
Some obviously biased writers of western history have voiced a similar refrain in reference to the whereabouts of Sitting Bull during the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Where was Sitting Bull? They have implied that Sitting Bull, at the first sounds of bullets entering the Hunkpapa circle from Reno's approaching troopers, hastily gathered his family members and a few possessions and headed south towards the safety of the Big Horn Mountains. He was described as leaving in such haste that he left a grandson behind! Only after the battle had been won, did Indian runners catch up to him and inform him that the threat from the soldiers was no longer present and that he could safely return to the encampment.
It is known that most of the serious fighting was done by the younger men of the Indian tribes. In most cases he active warrior status occurred between the ages of 15 to 40. Anyone surviving years of intertribal warfare and encounters with the U.S. Cavalry became more notable for the wisdom that they had acquired over the years and many had become leaders as medicine men and chiefs. It was up to the willing young men of the tribes to prove themselves in the filed of battle and to provide for the safety of their people. At the time of the Battle of the Little Big Horn(BLBH), Sitting Bull was about 45 years old, somewhat over the warrior age, but had long been known by some and feared by others for his many brave deeds in the face of the enemy. Had he had enough of war and fighting by 1876? Did he run away in fear at the approach of Reno's men? Was he no longer a respected entity in the Sioux hierarchy? What could have changed his aggressive, war-like nature?
Evidence shows that, to the contrary, sitting Bull was very much involved with the events of the day on June 25, 1876. He had to be. it was the Hunkpapa circle, at the southern end of the Indian encampment that was first to come under attack. Were he to have shown anything less than his former courage, he, his relatives and many in his group might have suffered even more severely at the hands of the invaders.
In his warrior days, Sitting Bull had few equals. His name was given to him by his father on the counting of his first coup at the age of 14. Sitting Bull as a child had been called "Slow" because of his careful deliberate manner of activity. He was by no means slow in the true sense of the word and was apparently very agile and skilled in the ways of the warrior. The following year at the age of 15 he again exhibited his bravery by galloping past a line of Flatheads a la Lt. John Dunbar in the movie "Dances With Wolves" Sitting Bull escaped serious harm from the enemy arrows and bullets, sustaining only a minor foot wound. Because of this and other acts of bravery, he soon was selected for the elite warrior societies, the Kit Fox and the Strong Heart. In another encounter with the Crow Indians in 1856, Sitting Bull accepted the one on one challenge of the Crow chief for a face off. As the two warriors approached each other they fired simultaneously, the Crow Chieftain being killed and Sitting Bull being wounded in the foot such that he would always have a slight limp to his gait. The following year at age 27 he was given the honor of becoming a war chief of the Hunkpapa. From that point on, the many successes in battles and skirmishes with both red an white men further enhanced his reputation for bravery and skill in the art of warfare. There is no doubt, then that sitting Bull was an exceptional warrior among warriors, with many devoted followers. Even in the aftermath of the BLBH, as the plains Indians were being rounded up and forced onto the reservations, a large segment of the Hunkpapa band followed him to Canada and only returned to the U.S. when sitting Bull agreed to surrender. Even at the Standing Rock reservation Sitting Bull held the allegiance of many of his former followers, who were ready to fight to the death with him. So, we are not dealing with a man prone to cowardice or fear, but a man and leader of proven courage and charisma that established him as a force to be reckoned with long after his "retirement" from the field of battle.
Then, where was sitting Bull on the day of the BLBH?
It is true, that the battle was carried that day by the likes of Crazy Horse, Gall, Two Moons, and the younger warriors like White Bull. These were the young lions of that battle and they, by custom were to carry the fight to the enemy. Sitting Bull at the first alarm that Reno's men were at the edge of the Hunkpapa camp, did indeed gather up his mother and most of his relatives and took them to safety in the foothills to the west of the river, but quickly returned to gather his war equipment and head out against Reno's men. He invoked courage in the hearts of many of the young warriors and joined the action on the east side of the Reno skirmish line near the patch of timber where the soldiers retreated after the line was broken by the charging Sioux. Sitting Bull was charging and shooting with the others, and after the bulk of Reno's men had "charged" out of the timber to the bluffs across the river, Sitting Bull crossed the river and went up the ravine to help contain the soldiers by maintaining a steady rain of rifle fire on them. With Reno's men contained, Sitting Bull proceeded across the bluffs to Weir Point and down into the Medicine Tail coulee fro where he could see that the battle was indeed going well for his comrades. he then crossed the Little Big Horn and went to the areas where the women and children had gathered in order to protect them from harm if soldiers that might appear from the north. In none of his actions that day did he show cowardice or fear, but only the calm, forceful leadership of a general overseeing the battle. Where was Sitting Bull during the BLBH? he was right there, in the thick of things defending his people and their way of life as he had so often in the past. Next to Crazy Horse and Red cloud, he is one of the most revered Chiefs of the Sioux people.
For more information on Sitting Bull and his role in the battle:
Utely, Robert M. "The Lance and the Shield" 1993, Ballantine Books, New York.
Connell, Evan S. "Son of the Morning Star" 1984, HarperCollins publishers, New York.
Vestal, Stanley. "Sitting Bull, Champion of the Sioux" 1957, University of Oklahoma press, Norman, Oklahoma.
10. Vignettes Of Custer At the Point
Custer and the Rooster
Cadet George Custer lived in the 8th Division barracks facing the quarters of Lt. Henry Douglass' quarters. Douglass kept a flock of chickens and a rooster whose raucous crowing often caused Custer to lose sleep. One night the mischievous Custer slipped out of the barracks and took the rooster from his perch and later cooked the bird over a gas-burner in his room. The feathers were collected and rolled up in a newspaper and one of the other cadets took the evidence out to a trash bin for disposal. Hurrying across the open field to avoid detection, the cadet left a trail of feathers behind him. Fortunately the feathered trail did not lead to Custer and he was never punished for the act. Had Custer's act been discovered, he would have been given sufficient demerits to have pushed him over the limit for that period. This would have led to Custer's expulsion and the end of his military career.
From "To The Point", By George Pappas, Prager Publishers, 1993.
Custer's Burial At West Point
On 10 October 1877, Custer's remains were buried at West Point. A large number of officials and civilians turned out for the event, as well as the entire cadet brigade. The cadets marched at a slow pace with their rifles carried in reverse. Three volleys were fired over the grave, and the cadets slowly marched away.
Two years later a bronze statue of Custer was erected on a knoll across the road from the Mess hall. More than 3000 visitors attended the dedication. Congress had authorized the use of 20 bronze cannon for making the statue. The statue showed a Custer larger than life in full dress uniform and wearing jackboots and holding with arms stretched outwardly a saber in the right hand and a pistol in the left. General Schoefield learned from Mrs Custer, who was very protective of her husband's image, that she had not been consulted about the sculptor, Wilson MacDonald, whom she thought was not notable enough to be worthy of the task. She felt that the face of the statue was too old looking, the uniform improper, and that the statue displayed her husband as being armed like a desperado. She tried to stop the dedication of the statue, but it was too late. Through her persistent efforts however, she succeeded in having the statue removed in 1884 by order of the then Secretary of War Robert Lincoln. For many years the statue was stored in a shed at West Point. Mrs Custer, still not satisfied, requested that the statue be removed entirely from the premises. The whereabouts of the statue is unknown. Perhaps it was donated as scrap metal during WW II. The stone base of the statue was placed at the head of Custer's grave, and Mrs. Custer had a granite obelisk added in 1905.
From "To The Point", By George Pappas, Prager Publishers, 1993.
11. Did Mrs. Custer Hate Reno?
Mrs. Custer's lifelong, and perhaps fanatical dedication to preserving forever the good name of her husband is well known. It is likewise known that she held no good feelings for Major Reno, whom she probably blamed for not coming to the aid of her huband in his dire time of need. It was her opinion that Reno left the field of battle in the valley in ignominious retreat.
An example of her "admiration" for Reno is clearly demonstrated in this letter that is transposed in its entirety. This copy of the letter has been in my files since 1969, and was sent to me by a Mr. Paul singer of Billings, Montana.
Osceola-Gamataw Inn
Daytona_ Fla.
March 19 (l925)?
Mr. J.A.. Shoemaker
Dear Mr. Shoemaker:
General Godfrey has sent me a copy of his letter to you and I join with him in appealing to you not to permit any memorial of any kind to be placed on that sacred battlefield to so great a coward as Col Reno! Please use your influence in preventing any tribute to(so) unworthy a man. He had used influence to be placed on duty in the East when our Regiment of battle Scarred heroes were campaigning from almost the Mexican to the Canadian border. The battle of the Little Big Horn was his first battle and he seemed not to try to hide his cowardice. I beg you to try and avert any move in Congress that would glorify so faithless a soldier.
In writing this I feel almost my husbands hand taking the pen away from me. He was so opposed to my taking up regimental or official affairs but in this instance I cannot refrain from making an appeal. Please take steps to prevent this bill passing. I beg that you well consider what I have written as confidential. Of course you are at liberty to say that I am opposed and have unquestionable reasons for opposition- but this letter is for your consideration- Regretting to trouble you at this time I am
Sincerely yours
Elizabeth B. Custer
P.S
I long for a memorial to our heroes on the battle field of the Little Big Horn but not to single out for honor the one coward of the regiment.
Custer acquired his two favorite horses, Vic and Dandy soon after assuming command of the newly formed 7th Cavalry. Vic, the Kentucky thoroughbred was his battle horse. Vic, because of his speed and quickness became Custer's choice for the fast charges and maneuverings of battle. It was Vic that carried his General into battle on the 25th of June 1876. Libbie Custer and others claim that was killed on Custer Hill, along with his master, perhaps used as a breastwork after being mortally wounded during the fight. Others have listed Vic as a "prisoner of war," emerging from the battle under the ownership of Walks-Under-The-Ground.
Where was Dandy during the battle? Dandy was with the extra mounts kept with the pack train. Therefore, it is assumed that Dandy survived the battle on Reno Hill. Much of what became of him after the return to Ft. Lincoln is revealed to us by Libbie Custer in her book, Following the Guidon.
She states that Dandy was acquired by Custer during the Wichita campaign in Kansas during the winter of 1868 and 1869. Apparently the 7th Cavalry was to be outfitted with new horses for the upcoming campaigns. Five hundred horses were sent to the 7th, and as Libbie tells it, the horses were paraded before General Custer's tent for review. Custer spotted a spirited bay horse that he had selected out of the group, and after trying the horse, decided to purchase the horse from the government, for his personnel use. The horse was described as being of good blood, though not perfectly proportioned, and a little on the small side. The name Dandy was supposed to have been bestowed on the animal because of his spirited manner, and the "proud little peacock airs he never forgot except when he slept." Dandy soon proved that Custer had a keen eye for horses. Dandy endured the harshest cold of the plains winters, and even adapted to the lack of forage in the snow covered plains by digging for grass and eating the bark of the cottonwood trees. This ability to survive in this manner separated the sturdier Indian ponies from the grain fed army horses who would often whither away and die under these conditions. he also survived the dehydrating heat and lack of potable water that often occurred during the dry season. In other words, Dandy was a "trooper." Another characteristic of Dandy was his manner of movement. According to Libbie, he "never walked, but went ...with a little dancing trot that was most fatiguing" to the rider. Many cavalrymen hated this type of mount, that would bounce them
