'Their Shots Quit Coming" (2002) - Battle of the Little Big Horn NPS Museum Film

[@davidbeal8054]

That was the best, most informative 17 minutes I've ever heard about the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Great job.

[@joshuaabeaver3644]

as a combat vet and a military history guy, you nailed it on this video. putting eyes on the field of battle brings the words of my book to life. well done!

[@MagSeven7]

This is an excellent video and description of what occurred at the Little Big Horn. I visited the battlefield a few years ago. It was very emotional to stand where it took place and see the many headstones scattered throughout the valley. What was incredible was Benteen and Reno were only about 4 miles away yet had no idea where Custer was or what was happening to his command. I understood when I stood near the monument and looked out to the distance and could only see the next hill. I could see nothing past the next hill! Thanks for the video.

[@Hambone571]

It’s been said that each might have seen the dust from the other, and thus wrongly assumed they were coming to each other’s aide.

[@MagSeven7]

@@Hambone571 I've read that theory too. After reading many books about the battle, I also wonder, as some say, Custer was actually mortally wounded during the initial fighting near the river and was carried up to the last stand hill by his troops.

[@bryanclouse9579]

They got only a fraction of what they deserved.

[@jamesbednar8625]

@@MagSeven7 That is my belief as well - Custer was wounded at the river crossing during the beginning phases of his portion of the battle. Custer may not have been killed at beginning of the battle but seriously injured, thus contributing to the breakdown in command and control. Read many books and have visited the battlefield numerous times and always learn something new.

[@thomasfoss9963]

@@MagSeven7 Yes, that is the latest historical findings--- He was seriously wounded in the coulee before the main battle--- He was brought to Last Stand Hill-- At least this piece started with the facts-- That the Indians land was trampled on by a host of miners, trappers, and loggers---- When gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the attacks escalated with more immigrants flooding into the area-- The cavalry was sent to force the Sioux onto the reservation, leading to Custer's poor leadership and hasty decisions--- These Germans and Irish immigrants didn't stand a chance against the experienced Sioux warriors------

[@daveday4251]

Lived at Yellowtail Dam, on the Crow reservation, graduated from Hardin High. Beautiful country, well worth the time to visit, while you still can…

[@risensei]

THIS is how you teach honest history, well done.

[@MJ-we9vu]

One of the things that honest history fails to mention is that the only Native Americans fighting for their land that day were the Crow scouts with Custer. That was Crow territory the Sioux invaded.

[@2persons]

@@MJ-we9vu you think those crow were proud to be there? I suppose you can't help it.

[@CSAFD]

Soon I will be here no more You'll hear my tale Through my blood Through my people And the eagle's cry The bear within will never lay to rest Wandering on Horizon Road Following the trail of tears White man came Saw the blessed land We cared, you took You fought, we lost Not the war but an unfair fight Sceneries painted beautiful in blood Wandering on Horizon Road Following the trail of tears Once we were here Where we have lived since the world began Since time itself gave us this land Our souls will join again the wild Our home in peace 'n war 'n death Wandering on Horizon Road... " I still dream every night Of them wolves, them mustangs, those endless prairies The restless winds over mountaintops The unspoilt frontier of my kith n'kin The hallowed land of the Great Spirit I still believe In every night In every day I am like the caribou And you like the wolves that make me stronger We never owed you anything Our only debt is one life for our Mother It was a good day to chant this song For Her Our spirit was here long before you Long before us And long will it be after your pride brings you to your end "

[@godfreyberry1599]

Ben, a simply wonderful observation with universal relevance - excellent.

[@CSAFD]

@@godfreyberry1599 it’s a song called “Creek Mary’s Blood” by Nightwish

[@tylerbob4853]

Follow Christ Jesus. It's the only way to everlasting life. Peace 🕊️🕊️🕊️

[@kaylamarie8309]

Beautiful

[@howardblasingame7961]

Thanks for posting

[@Somewhat-Evil]

THIS is what's played at the museum? - Sitting Bull was a tribal Holy Man, not a war chief with a following of braves. His time with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show created some confusion among early historians. Crazy Horse, Gaul, Rain in the Face, Two Moon, Lame White Man, and numerous others commanded the various bands of warriors. - General Crooks column held the field after The Battle of Rosebud. He chose to withdraw after the battle due to the wounded needing care and low remaining supplies of ammunition. Crook believed his force had engaged the main body of "hostiles" and the other two columns could safely finish the job. The Bureau of Indian Affairs had given the Army bad information. There was roughly three times as many "hostiles" as reported. - The single shot Springfield trapdoor carbine was an effective weapon that was both more powerful and outranged the Winchester repeaters used by the Lakota. However, the terrain along the Little Bighorn allowed the warriors to get in close where a superior rate of fire mattered.

[@bobporch]

No doubt white dudes run this museum. @SomewhatEvil is correct in saying Sitting Bull was not a chief. He was the spiritual leader of the Lakota. He did not take part in the battle, but looked to the safety of the women and children that Custer would have slaughtered given the chance. Custer was a true hero during the Civil War, but I have no pity for how he ended his career. Unfortunately, he lead so many others to their deaths with him.

[@noretreat151]

@@bobporch… even today, the death of a greedy politician is not deserving sorrow.

[@johnandrews3547]

@@bobporch Wrong you are chief. EVERY Indian was a combatant....every savage a fair target. A female red-devil can bash a man's skull or pull a trigger, same as the little savage red devils. If fact it was the split tail savages that were excellent butchers. The women and children did the vast majority of brutal mutilations after the fight.

[@ourv9603]

The battle at Little Big Horn is a perfect example of the price you will pay if you underestimate your enemy. !

[@31terikennedy]

Nope it was do the treachery of Benteen and Reno with the backing of Grant.

[@noretreat151]

@@31terikennedy.... Benteen had a hated revenge desire towards Custer for the refusal to reinforce troops and Maj. Elliott who were in pursuit of fleeing warriors at Washita... later to be found stripped and mutilated.

[@davidpallin772]

@@31terikennedy And they would have met the same savage end as Custer. By then Custer was being annihilated.

[@31terikennedy]

@@davidpallin772 Do your homework. Grant interfered with Custer like he interfered with Burnside at the Crater.

[@bobbybooshay8641]

Nothing to do with underestimation champ. Reno was drunk and blew it. Try picking up a book for once in your life.

[@mikekennedy4572]

Very well done. Excellent explanation of what happened in the battle.

[@johnrudy9404]

The initial description of the make up of the regular soldiers is important. Most were were in the army for the pay and had no interest in fighting Indians. Custer was a strict disciplinarian, almost sadistic in his actions toward minor soldier infractions. Most hated him, by all accounts written. Custer also had the worst illness a commander can have, being lucky. This time he was not. Splitting your command, poor communication, poor assessment of the order of battle, refusal to take heed of scout reports doomed his command. Sheridan would, after this battle, assemble a counter force that would be in number dwarfing the indian nation. War is hell. W.T. Sherman.

[@paulhomsy2751]

I agree with everything you said except that Custer was "lucky". Luck is preparation meeting opportunity and... recognizing the opportunity. Luck smiles on energetic doers. Luck is a word that is all too often misused. Success is often called luck when in fact it is the result of hard work. People who work hard come accross opportunities and know what they're looking for. This isn't to diminish your post but if Custer was called "Lucky" it's quite often the word used by jealous people. He was a difficult, cruel man but certainly a doer. The day he and so many soldiers lost their lives was the result of a few poor tactics, such as separating troops to attack on several fronts which proved to be a bad decision but more importantly he and his men were outmatched and outnumbered by a very determined courageous enemy.

[@dahshkeeNYer]

It's funny, but Napoleon considered it essential for a commander to be "lucky". He would often ask of people recommending another officer, "Yes, but is he lucky?" It seems to me that Custer thought himself invulnerable. That he had "The Right Stuff." A man of destiny. A gallant American hero. It must be said that he always lead from the front, that his troopers were literally behind him in charges, so Custer had more than enough courage. But after his charge at Gettysburg, there were troopers who wrote home saying "this damn fool will get us all killed someday." They were right, but off by thirteen years. Was he courageous, or just reckless? Brave, or ignorant? Heroic, or foolish? Myself, I think he got what he asked for and righteously deserved. I just feel sorry for the men who died with him who didn't deserve that.

[@robkunkel8833]

Luck is also being lucky. You can have luck without all of the preparation of which Paul speaks. His comment is an inspirational speech. We probably heard something like that in basic training or in scouting. Objectively, though, luck is luck …. nothing more nothing less.

[@stephenburke5967]

You really haven't a clue.

[@noretreat151]

“why don’t the Presidents fight the war”? B.Y.O.B > System of a Down

[@LondonFogg]

Probably the best presentation on the battle I have ever seen !!!

[@chrise.cullen1902]

The best version I’ve heard of this battle!

[@frankosullivan1331]

I have seen hundreds of documentaries and videos of the battle of little big horn. I have never seen this particular one before but must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Excellent video.

[@lonnieparsons5058]

To stand on last stand hill, gazing at the grave markers while the wind blows the prairie grass about, is a moving sight. If you shut your eyes, you can imagine the battle as it unfolded. Grave markers show the trail of death in the ravine as the troopers retreated to the high ground. The monuments for the troopers, their horses, and the Native American warriors pay homage to what happened here on that hot dusty day. I was struck by the loneliness and finality of the event. The only other time I felt this way was when I standing on the sunken road gazing up at cemetery for the Union Infantry interred on the bluff above in Fredericksburg. If you are a student of history as I am, it is easy to get wrapped up in the armchair quarterbacking analysis of tactics and other details. The big picture is much harder to see. The desperation of the Indian tribes to protect their ancestral home and families opposed by the US Calvary with orders to subdue the savages. There were no winners here, Custer and his men gave their lives, the Warriors won the battle but lost the war.

[@bobbertee5945]

While ive never been to this battlefield, i very much want to go, upon reading the history behind this conflict, you feel for the Indians, and completely understand why they fought so hard. It really is the history of the geography of our country, this countries population was growing, the growing gold fever, { in which the indians didnt help the cause, they helped spread the rumors} the European immigrants were moving west looking to settle and being killed or run off by the Indians, but it was their land for centuries...... I feel for them...

[@LondonFogg]

Well put Lonnie. This visit has been on my bucket list for years.

[@lonnieparsons6068]

@@LondonFogg It was an amazing spot to visit. The park service balances the battle with monuments to both sides. You should make the pilgrimage.

[@davidfreeman2795]

What a great educational and informative video I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more like it

[@marvwatkins7029]

Very well done. Fine graphics.

[@johnday6392]

A man called James Pym was with Reno. Pym was born and bred in my village, Garsington, Oxfordshire, England, He was awarded the Medal of Honour for his courage in crossing open ground under heavy fire to the creek to fetch water for his badly wounded and thirst maddened mates,This he did several times untill he himself was wounded and could no longer go. When he died in the 1890s the US army took his body back to lie with his pals in the Little Bighorn cemetary.

[@thewwiiprofessor5808]

By 1874, at least half of the US Army on the frontier were immigrants. Approximately 20% were Irish followed by about 10% Germans.

[@michaelrichardson6051]

Crook lost his nerve after the Rosebud. He still had over 1000 men and plenty of ammo. If he had kept on coming north Crazy horse could not have concentrated all his men on Custer. He would have had to split his forces or retreat or surrender. Crook and his men were in Wyoming fishing or playing baseball while the 7th was being chopped to pieces. He was just as much to blame for this catastrophe as Custer.

[@doctorgarbonzo2525]

True & this was the key element! Crook & Column were told that there were about 500 hostiles! 06/17, Crazy Horse mounts a furious attack on Crooks camp @ Rosebud, but are turned back, Crook was wounded & his Men were shaken & would contribute nothing to the coming campaign, One week later! Gen Gibbon, Terry & Custer arrived @Yellow Stone River & plan strategy, They are all unaware of Crooks near disaster & Rosebud & the true strength of the Sioux ,Cheyenne alliance that awaits them, It was observed that Terry told Custer! Don't be greedy, But wait on us! Custer ambiguously replied! No I will not!

[@bobporch]

He also had plenty of wounded that needed to be taken care of. He was beaten by a very large force and dared not split his command to take them for medical attention and he couldn't take them with him.

[@michaelrichardson6051]

@@bobporch the Army was not beaten at all. The Sioux and Cheyenne left the field. Crook had a total of 1200 fighting men which included Calvary, infantry, civilians and Indian scouts. They suffered a total of approx. 53 killed or wounded. Bury the dead send the wounded back with one detachment andcontinue his part in the pincers movement and maybe the 7th does not get massacred.

[@bobporch]

@@michaelrichardson6051 First of all the 7th was not massacred. Only Custer's battalion was wiped out. The 7th was still a regiment with 400 fighting men after the battle. If you want to claim Crook scored a victory, fine. Why did he turn around and retreat if he didn't get a bloody nose from Crazy Horse. As you noted he had a mixed column. It could only move as fast as the infantry. Once Custer knew he was spotted do you think he was going to just wait around? If you wish to cast blame for Custer's defeat, you might consider that the Lakota and Cheyenne had something to do with it.

[@michaelrichardson6051]

@@bobporch did you forget the casualties on Reno Hill? They were in a life and death struggle of their own on the 25th and 26th.

[@larryburton314]

Very good presentation. I really enjoyed the moving forces indicated on scene maps.

[@adriantschetter7083]

This was awesomely done thanks for the video

[@JackDiamond21]

Im a Dakota, I had relatives at this battle, and this was such an eloquent and straight to the point take on this. It honored the memory of all the Americans that died that day. I'm currently sitting on my couch in Canada. Again, this was a great take on this. Yea your people conquered us, but has any other people in US history inflicted such damage upon the US Army, not bad for people who chose to live in tipis. I get it bad stuff happened, there are bad people in all cultures. No one is innocent, what can we do moving forward from here on, so that this type of thing doesn't happen again? I'm tired of living with hate in my heart, when is enough going to be enough and we can finally live side by side rather than secluded in specific groups. Who cares who was here first, and what happened when it was discovered, can we just live god damn it?? This is what being free is, is to live!!! We are all prisoners to this decades long dispute that needs to be set aside for good. It only brings up pain and anger for me and my people, and it in return rubs you people the wrong way and we are back to hating each other. We have been locked up too god damn long, let's be free now!! Your mind is a prison live with your heart, it's so hard to do these days. We all need to let that shit go, I'm tired of it I want to live. Is that too much to ask for?? All we all want, all anyone wants is to be free. We are all in this together, listen to us when we say "this is our land" we mean you people too. This is our land, we need to live in peace. This was so hard for me to say cause all I want to do is hate you people. America, is ours when are we finally going to grow up and realize this?? Our land, our water, our America!! Let's live together now for the future generations, they are watching us.

[@johnandrews3547]

Good speech Cochise, now, go forth and stop killing each other, drinking everything in sight, slapping up your squaws, beating your children and wrapping yourselves so tightly in the paralyzing grip of victimization, and self-pity. It ain't manly chief. And move all those vehicles on blocks from your trailer lot. That is a good place to start.

[@nomadpi1]

You write that no other people in history inflicted such damage on the American army. You need to research the Japanese and German's damage to the U.S. Army. America isn't "yours." A pagan, nomadic, hunting culture only owns the clothes on their backs. The land belongs to those who can hold it. Hate if you wish or love if you wish. You're depressed. Your depression is based on your self-image as a victim. Get off the depressants; stop the "I'm a victim" thinking. You're a capable person. I know this from your writing. I have Sac-Fox and Comanche relatives. Two of them are wasting their lives because they sit and maon like you. Get out of it. get a life that has rewards.

[@zyxmyk]

That was really great. Thanks for you stirring words.

[@doctorgarbonzo2525]

Excellent Presentation! Truly one of the best accounts & documentary's of this important piece of history This helps articulate the scene 9 days before, Crooks withdraw & retreat @ Rosebud clearly changed & contributed to the outcome for the Cavalry plans @ Little Big Horn,

[@doctorgarbonzo2525]

I envy the Dead!

[@Defender78]

excellent narration for sire, but the graphics seem like theyre from a 1992 cable documentary tho

[@durwinpocha2488]

Sitting Bull remembered, "gone forever was the free life. I have seen nothing that a white man has that's as good as the right to move in the open country and live in our own fashion." Recollect that the man called Chief Sitting Bull, travelled to the big cities of the east coast and Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. I believe that Chief Sitting Bull was absolutely correct.

[@doverbeachcomber]

But no matter how romantically this nomadic life is portrayed, no matter what gauzy curtain of nostalgia is pulled over it, the fact remains that its day was done-in the Americas, in Europe, in Asia and Africa. Roaming “free” over sparsely populated countryside had become, in modern parlance, unsustainable.

[@johnandrews3547]

t The red man was a dead culture. they had evolved as far as they were able to. A superior civilization won the day.

[@nomadpi1]

He was reminiscing for his youth. He gobbled up civilization as fast as he could. He sold autographs. He was a bonifide hypocrite.

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

It's important to remember that Custer wasn't some arrogant rookie. Despite his age, he was the champion of many Civil War battles, and seen as a national hero, at age 25 promoted to Major General on the battlefield. (Which he of course reveled in.) His unrelenting pressure on Lee's army hastened the surrender, and Custer was awarded the table the surrender was signed on (now in Smithsonian.)

[@k1e2n3w4]

Custer got what he deserved.

[@nigelsmith2457]

He wasn't awarded the table. Sheridan bought it for $20 and gave it to Libbie Custer as a gift. In addition, Custers idiocy almost extended the civil war when he rode up to the confederate lines and demanded Lee's surrender during a ceasefire. It was considered an act of aggression and was met with a direct rebuke and threat from Longstreet.

[@Flagrum3]

Something many don't talk about is Sitting Bull's warning to his people after the ritual vision, where he saw soldiers falling from the sky upside down. He warned them that they must not desecrate the soldiers or take anything from them, as it would bring destruction to all his people. One wonders what would have been the final outcome if they had listened to him, and also if he carried that throughout the rest of his life.

[@paulhomsy2751]

It wouldn't have changed anything, the survivors would have still been pushed into reservations on long forced marches. The reality of the battle is that the soldiers identified as fiercely courageous were spared scalping, clubbing and dismembering, the others didn't fare so well. The warriers were followed by their women who continued the desecration of the downed soldiers and who according to some accounts were quite creative in inflicting the worst to the wounded soldiers who could no longer fight. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2LKcnhvhZ53gZI

[@Flagrum3]

@@paulhomsy2751 You can't know that, unless you are All knowing. Which you definitely are not.

[@bobporch]

@@Flagrum3 Actually he is correct, Troll. Sitting Bull lived a long time after the battle. His vision is described in numerous books about the battle and is considered factual by scholars of Custer.

[@Flagrum3]

@@bobporch You've misconstrued my comment. I am not denying Sitting Bull had a vision. I was just wondering about the consequences of his people not adhering to the warning he gave them from the vision, and whether that haunted him the rest of his life.

[@bobporch]

@@Flagrum3 I did not misconstrue your insult of @Paul Homsy.

[@dennisbrooks8566]

The last sand of the plains nations not Custer's .

[@richardbowers3647]

Well, of all things, the US government required a hero & Custer, even thought deceased, was elected!!!

[@msjoanofthearc]

Bravo for our brothers and sisters of indigenous warriors!

[@georgestokes5116]

one little win thats all they got.

[@IngoWolf-q8z]

Do you include all the Crows, Kiowas and many other tribes that were butchered by the Lakota.

[@dunbar555]

been there. will never forget

[@stephendoughty3798]

I’m impressed this is a great piece

[@catman8670]

Had terry, crook and Custer approached in unison with cannon, Gatling guns positioned on high ground, a different story I’m sure.

[@derrellthomas239]

Probably, but there was a shitload of NATIVE AMERICANS there to defend their country.

[@MJ-we9vu]

You want to tell us how they could have approached close enough to set up cannons and Gatling guns without the village seeing them?

[@normanacree1635]

I believe Custer deployed the troops so as to 'trap' the Sioux. Guess that was a slight error in planning. On the other hand, Custer had not seen Indians actually fighting, only running away. What a shock he was in for.

[@michaelgmoore5708]

You are right, the 7th Cavalry was completely under gunned and undermanned.

[@johnandrews3547]

@@derrellthomas239 It was not THEIR country. The Lakota were squatters on Crow ancestral lands. The thugs of the Lakota nation were renegade outlaws, arrogant and violent...hated by almost every other plains tribe. They got served in the end. They are still paying for it to this day and will continue to pay.

[@catmanpc9166]

Great vid. Thank you.

[@emilsabatini4038]

I must make my journey to pay honor to those who fought and those who died at Little Big Horn before I make my journey 2 the other side! Omitakuyape !

[@poky1958]

This is a wonderful, narration of honor to Custer and his forces and to the Native American tribes who united to achieve victory.

[@normanacree1635]

I have trouble 'honoring' an idiot whose ego basically led to the senseless deaths of not only his command but the native Americans he was trying to rout.

[@johannuys7914]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@nealboswell8786]

Pretty well done. Thanks.

[@michaelnichols7276]

Excellent forensic analysis, of a. Complex scenerio. If Custer had brought them gaitling guns he could have had Victory His lack of intelligence, of the Terrain, their weaponry, etc costthem their defeat.

[@i_am_a_freespirit]

I like to see more of the trail of tears...i did my general studies on this, my husband was Native American Indian, he belonged to the tribe of the Blackfoot. Had nothing to do with the trail of tears, but my LOVE and fascination with Native American Indians want me to learn as much as possible about ANY of the tribes. In my opinion, white men in their greed is causing ALL our dilemmas, even to this day and age. WHY CAN'T WE LIVE IN PEACE?

[@vernwallen4246]

Contact Loretta Lynn,she can tell you a lot about the"trail of tears".

[@tylerbob4853]

White men in their greed is causing all our dilemmas? Really? What a stupid ignorant comment. You ask why we can't live in peace? I have your answer. It's called sin. It has nothing to do with race. Sin, that's why Christ Jesus had to come. Follow Jesus and repent of your sins. That's the only way to heaven. Peace 🕊️🕊️🕊️ to you.

[@georgestokes5116]

yep

[@mikewood7597]

Greed comes in all colours.

[@Mike-ky9jz]

Fantastic video. New subscriber.

[@eddieomahony507]

That tune is the garryowen....all the way from Ireland to south dakota

[@rexamian8708]

Brilliant…thanks….U.K.

[@sidviscous5959]

The past is never dead. It's not even past." - Wm. Faulkner

[@bobporch]

Faulkner is dead.

[@carlray4809]

THANKS MUCH , I DIDN'T KNOW ANY OF THIS. ❤🙏

[@Phishean]

Custer Declined use of the 2nd cavalry in addition to the 7th. He also declined use of Sabers and Gatling guns..huge! What could have been an easy Route became a defeat that cost he and his troopers lives. of course Reno and Benteen's Insubordination really helped as well...not to mention the Indians.

[@johnandrews3547]

Visit the battlefield and THEN talk to me about sabers.

[@Phishean]

@@johnandrews3547 its a picturesque large battlefield for so few combatants. Mobility was the key. So imagine Custers force is now doubled in Size from the 7th and 2nd Cavs. Having Sabers making hand to hand combat more lethal. yes it "could " have been an easy Route.

[@johnandrews3547]

@@Phishean The only thing sabers would have accomplished is the troopers being hacked into even smaller pieces by the savages and then bartered for whiskey.

[@Phishean]

@@johnandrews3547 maybe you are right. .Fighting hand to hand with a pistol butt or closed fist is superior to a saber.

[@johnandrews3547]

@@Phishean Well to settle this (word to word)...the US Army...the 7th Cav. Commanders and General Custer all agree with me. You lose.

[@johnhenryholiday4964]

That is the clearest and most fair recounting of the last stand of Custer.... You must consider that the tribes that fought against him also had their dead as well... We have our history of this battle.... I just wonder where all the guns are stashed that were taken from the cavalry troop after their deaths....

[@wesleytillman9774]

The graphics explaining the battle definitely could have used a boost.

[@geraldwatson4612]

Ive watched a doc that explained the battle by the fallen death as they moved up the hill....

[@bobporch]

They should have hired a 12 year old gamer.

[@davidpallin772]

I feel this was done very well.

[@kenanacampora]

All for gold.

[@bobporch]

Happy anniversary George!

[@bretthines1020]

Well done! Fair to all parties.

[@GeographyCzar]

13:47 - Gaul is basically right; the Cavalry troopers' shots would drift high shooting downhill at those angles. You'd have to be a very experienced trooper to know the precise adjustment to make. Expensive, modern range finders will give you both the range and the adjustment based on the angle and projected bullet trajectory. This is critically important for hunters in rugged terrain. Custer and Mitch Boyer (the Crow scout) would have known how to hit targets in such circumstances, and there is evidence that both of them did so, but I doubt if very many of the others did out of the roughly 100 men in Yate's battalion plus the headquarters security detail. If the US Cavalry had had a lot of advanced target practice with the recently issued Springfield carbines, the Native forces would probably have suffered much greater casualties, but it is known from other historical sources that most of them did not have adequate training because of a shortage of funding. George Custer and Mitch Boyer brought their own rifles to the battle, and had ample opportunity to familiarize themselves with the proper adjustments for such firing angles as they faced that day. They probably accounted for a high percentage of the fatal casualties suffered by the Native warriors who laid siege to Custer Hill. During the final minutes of the battle, the Troopers switched to their revolvers, but by that point panic had set in among the survivors and they hit very few of their opponents. Again, anyone who has practiced panic-shooting with a revolver knows how inaccurate they are at anything over a few paces distance. The average Cavalry recruit probably had no idea how wild his shots would be, and how little time there would be to reload. As a young boy, I always assumed the "Indians" must have suffered far more casualties than they reported after the battle. Now that I have more hunting experience, and my own gun channel here on KZbin, I know better.

[@Rockhoundingcolorado]

Last man in our family killed in indian battles. Was at the little big horn. The first was in 1650.

[@UAPReportingCenter]

Well done

[@christopherarnett2851]

Watch the movie, Little Big Man a very good movie on Custer's Defeat at Little Big Horn.

[@unionrdr]

I have the book the movie was taken from. The movie is better. The book gets bogged down in details too much. The author tells the story in a series of personal interviews with 121-year-old Jack Crab. Like at the beginning of the movie. Th real man's name was Jack Crabtree, a half-breed that insisted he was the lone white survivor of the battle. Many still discount his story. But what if it's true?...

[@peterstubbs5934]

More John Wayne bullshit. A 6ft 4 inch war dodging wanker. Thankfully,, 90% of Hollywood stars had balls and patriotism and joined up. Jimmy Stewart, now THERE`S a REAL American hero.

[@MJ-we9vu]

No, it's not. It's fiction.

[@unionrdr]

@@MJ-we9vu And you know this how? It's been argued back and forth for over a century.

[@jackhopkins4679]

I am a Cherokee Indian in Oklahoma and I will never understand America's part in the trials against Nazi leaders when what Nazis did is what America done to American Indians.Im not making light of what happened to God's people it was terrible but what about the American Indians.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

Comparing the US to Nazi Germany? You need help. BTW how did the Sioux come to gain possession of the Black Hills anyway? Were they there first and then the White Man took it away from them?

[@jackhopkins4679]

@@TWS-pd5dcMy great great grandmother lost 2 children on the trail trail of years not by the weather or starvation but because they were crying and and two soldiers took those children ages 3 and 4 by the legs and swung them against a tree like swinging an axe and bashed their brains out and that happened all the time on that government funded trip now you tell me.Know what your talking about before you speak friend.

[@mochiebellina8190]

The victors are the judges.

[@jonhaynes1577]

@@TWS-pd5dc You are the one that needs to open your eyes and do some research on what you are talking about you make yourself sound like a clue-less uneducated fool in Hitler's book he wrote that the only thing he admired about the United States was the way they took care of their Indian problem

[@jamesselby5875]

The Indians were just as brutal if not more so. But really WW II happened two-thirds of a century later. War is an atrocities that breeds hatred it is the hatred that commits evil against another human. Why can't people just do unto others as they would have done unto them?

[@jamesmnoblesjr9062]

Remember that the Indians were defending their whole way of Life. They fought to the End.The Good and deserving don’t always win….

[@Redbirds1100]

thank you this was a Awesome video!

[@Truly1Tom]

@1:36min This was a picture of He Dog 🐕 💀 who was Kola to Crazy Horse they were members of the same Warrior Society.

[@rdrift1879]

Well told.

[@LM-pm2ir]

Custer and all that died ... were out General-ed ... by Crazy Horse, Gall, Sitting Bull and others.

[@garydavis1845]

Unfortunately Custer had to rely on 2 officers who hated him.

[@daniellastuart3145]

Custer hated them also so and though important it's also overplayed and hides the fact that Custer got it wrong at the battle and in layman's terms screwed up

[@nomadpi1]

Yes. And rely on officers who ranged from incompetent to adept, when sober. Alcohol was considered a medicine then. It's use was considered necessary for many but drunkenness was disparaged,

[@philsooty61]

Great video Custer in my opinion was too gung ho, they where sucked into a trap by a brilliant Indian plan!

[@Phishean]

dont know if it was a Brilliant plan...or the fact that there were so many..

[@johnandrews3547]

You can't have a timid battlefield commander. Custer was picked because he was the best man for the job.

[@thomashester739]

This proves that no matter how big a force .when you ban together you can come out victorious.

[@roytsusui1761]

Thomas Hester, the Indians out numbered them by 3+ - 1 !

[@bobporch]

Really. There were about 3,000 or more warriors and about 650 men in Custer's command. So how does prove your theory?

[@nomadpi1]

Who? The Indians outnumbered the soldiers maybe 5 to 1 at the very least. Estimates run that the Indians has 2000 to 5000 military aged men in that village.

[@jimsatterfield8748]

No mention of Benteen disregarding Custer's famous dispatch?; this message was received by Benteen before he joined Reno.

[@bobporch]

Custer's message was confusing: come quick and bring slow moving mules with the ammo that were lagging behind. The soldier that delivered it was an Italian immigrant that barely spoke any English and could not explain the situation. Custer didn't even write the message. Another officer with Custer knew there would be a problem with a verbal message with this soldier so he quickly wrote a note on a scrap of paper and told him to give it to Benteen. It had a P. S. Bring packs! Benteen sent a rider to the pack train saying to hurry and set of in search of Custer. He didn't disregard the dispatch. He simply could not come quick and bring mules too.

[@MJ-we9vu]

@@bobporch ..Custer's message wasn't confusing at all. Come quick. Bring pacs. Benteen was an experienced combat commander from the Civil War. He would have known Custer wanted ammunition and not the mess kits and camping gear. It would have been easy enough to cut out a few mules carrying ammo or throw those packs on a few troopers horses. Benteen's column heard the fire from Reno's valley fight and when it faded away he thought the battle was over and didn't respond with any urgency.

[@bobporch]

@@MJ-we9vu The packs were not with Benteen and he was sent on an excursion. The mules were at least a mile away and did Benteen even know where. Custer was a fool to split his command into 6 parts and not have each trooper carrying enough ammo for a fight. Also Reno's fight didn't fade away; he was fully engaged until dark.

[@Bisamberg]

We visited LB NB in August 2021, one afternoon and then one day. This year, e will spend one full afternoon at LB this this year - leaving Wall early in the morning, heading to Billings and then beyond. On our second day last year, we attended a 1pm Ranger lecture outside the Visitor Center: a well informed and stirring description of the battle and its background. We did carefully saw/read all descriptive panels at the Visitor's Center, got a few books and drove/stopped at most of the Battlefield landmarks, explained via a hotline - under 100F and humid weather. From what we could weakly understood, this was a complex and mobile battle. According to the lecturing Ranger, it was also rather quick: two hours. In his words, the Sioux were the best Light Cavalry in the world at that time. (This is suggested by this video). From highpoints of the history-loop, looking downwards to the Little Bighorn River, and especially from Custer's Last Stand, I thought: what a place to die. The surrounding prairie appleared to us as a beautiful location/landscape. And in a way, it appeared to be very valuable lands that the Sioux (their participating groups) were not likely to concede without an earnest fight. This video is very good and we will try to retrace it (again) this late August. (Btw, if visiting LB NB, stop at the private General Store close to I-90 on your way out. LB NB closes a bit early).

[@johnandrews3547]

I visited around the same time, but instead of listening to the standard talk of the Rangers, I hired as a personal guide the man who owned Garryowen...the Conoco gas station and Post office and the museum...He charged me an arm and a leg, but we were able to ride horseback through much of the Reno Valley Battle site. His collection of LBH artifacts is the best in the world. Well worth the money.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

professional production - excellent narration

[@billbright1755]

We come in peace. The Indian encampment wasn’t buying their line. The women used bird bone sewing awls to pierce the soldier’s ear drums so that they might hear. In the next life. Please leave us alone.

[@christopherjames5895]

Eventually, a gambler's luck runs out .

[@skipstones9282]

…and if you’re the poor chump that must follow those leaders may God help you…no one else will…

[@Mma-basement-215]

They call it Custer Last Stand but really it was the last stands of the natives to fight for their land they didn't think they were going to fight they were wrong

[@k1e2n3w4]

One of the great moments in American history.

[@tedecker3792]

Several of my family were there as part of Crazy Horse’s band. One was Wasichula, or “ Little White Man”, the half Lakota boy born at Fort Robinson Nebraska. He was the son of a soldier named Conroy and a Lakota woman.

[@daveharris7734]

The Lakota woman was Buffalo calf road woman who was credited as the one who killed Custer. Was it not?

[@stephenhargreaves3687]

@@daveharris7734 No Indian on the field even knew the name of the US Cavalry Regiment attacking them, much less the commander's name, very few, if any, had ever seen Custer in person, identifying him as an individual would have been most unlikely. It's a popular contemporary historical invention. Also the participation of women combatants was not a normal social practice.

[@johnandrews3547]

@@daveharris7734 Bullshit. The savages had no clue who attacked the that day or who they were even fighting. How could they? They (Lakotas) did not know it was Custer until many weeks had passed.

[@biffmarcum5014]

That Reno's charge/retreat turned into a rout is debatable. Had it been a rout I doubt he would have been able to rally them on the hill, they would have all scattered or gone to Benteen.

[@chrisw422]

That must have been one hell of a proud day for the oppressed natives. I don’t blame them at all. They came together as one. Maybe we can all learn from this in America today.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

They came together as one?? Not the Crow and Arikara natives. They were with Custer that day. Perhaps because they were "oppressed" not by any soldiers, but by the Sioux who killed them and took the Black Hills away from them? The same Black Hills that the Sioux claimed as their "sacred" lands?

[@stevemason5173]

God Bless every one of the past and present Native American people. The most loyal, respectful, giving, and "AMAZING" people I have ever met and known. Even back then greed and "SO CALLED" progress was and is destroying so much and will eventually destroy man kind. Why does the American politicians think everyone in the entire world, should live like the white American and speak english language???

[@urgumskurgum7570]

Arrogance.

[@nomadpi1]

Your comment sounds like a rant. If all national language, religion, loyalty, Constitutional Rights are the same, that nation's people get along better than diversified nationalities, with a babble of languages, no legal records can exist if not in the same language. Apparently what Manifest Destiny was designed for never entered your mind. "...even back then greed ...progress" Greed is a human condition and exists in all human beings. Progress is needed to get things done. Even the Indians knew this. The so called "civilized way" (known to Indians as the White Man's Way) was apparently better than maybe finding a buffalo to eat or freezing to death in winter. You've never bothered to read a history book, but Indians faced starvation even in the best of times. A pagan religion doesn't make guns or gun powder. Pray to the god of rocks in one hand and spit in the other. See which one fills up first. Manufactured clothes beat leather skins, mabufactured blankets beat skins, You can't make biscuits without flour. You have to plan ahead and plant wheat at the right time. The list goes on. If you disdain the American Constitution and rights, move to one of those African or Asian nations with "Republic" in its name . See is you're free from greed and progress.

[@ronaldbaker4275]

Poor leadership? Maybe being outnumbered 10 to 1 worked against them. Also the poorly trained troops, many immigrants who could hardly understand English and terrain, had a big impact on thr fight. I’ll bet on a 10 to 1 advantage every day of the year. In hindsight, Custers men showed extreme bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. In a 1 to 1 fight the Indians would have been exterminated. The Indians themselves were an enigma. They fought a guerrilla war. Quick raids against wagon trains, attacks on settlers cabins where they cruelly tortured the victims that survived ( including women and children), fired the resolve of the Union soldiers and settlers to eradicate their enemy. That is what war is about. Winning at any cost. Non combatants should always be treated with deference, not horribly tortured while helpless prisoners. I have no respect for those who derive pleasure torturing prisoners.

[@johnandrews3547]

Damn right. Every word the truth.

[@calvinnewborn8452]

Their Rifes were jamming

[@historybuff5739]

I blame Custer's defeat on several factors. 1. The war department not supplying the army with the latest repeating rifles because they didn't want to pay for the more expensive weapons and extra ammunition. 2. The lack of proper training for the soldiers. 3. Last but not least I blame the defeat on Custer himself. He was arrogant. He wouldn't listen to his scouts and he greatly underestimated the Indians fighting abilities. The Indians were defending the families and their homes. The soldiers were poorly led and poorly supplied. Never underestimate the enemy.

[@johnandrews3547]

Wrong on all three counts. Stike three....yer out.

[@historybuff5739]

@@johnandrews3547 why am I wrong on all three accounts? Inlighten me.

[@XxBloggs]

Excellent video

[@VilhelmHammershoi1666]

My great great great uncle died at the battle of the little bighorn, he was camping in the field next to the battle ,he went over to investigate , where the noise was coming from

[@rakarije]

ozbiljno ?

[@Hambone571]

Curious, if he died there, how would you know what he was doing there and what he did?

[@georgestokes5116]

should have stayed where he was

[@bobporch]

To lighten things up a little: I saw a sign in a store on a reservation I once stayed at with a friend. It read: "Oh how we long for the old way of life, the women did all the work and there were no taxes. Beat That."

[@SunofYork]

Sounds like a trumpository manifesto ! But now there are more women than men....and they can vote

[@bobporch]

@@SunofYork Now that Native Americans are considered both human and citizens, so can they.

[@SunofYork]

@@bobporch We have come a long way, but there are always reactionaries trying to take us us back... We won't go back... I fight skull measurers and various Fascists and Nazis online every day and they are from the US and UK and Germany etc They openly advocate the "final solution" etc... We were approached in Milwaukee by Nazis "You two have blue eyes, you should join us".... Science tells us that the species ' homo sapiens ' are around 150k years old max..and that is like yesterday in evolution... so 'people are people'....

[@bobporch]

@@SunofYork People are usually surprised when I inform them that race is a false construct. It does not exist, at least genetically. There is more diversity between the various indigenous peoples of Africa than there is between a black African and blue eyed, blond Swede. Don't take my word for it. Check out the research of Stephen J. Gould. The sign I mentioned was on a reservation where my college buddy was the son of the hereditary chief. I'm from the East and went to college out West. When my friend went home for a weekend, he would often take me with him.

[@SunofYork]

@@bobporch Your post fits with the science.. Indeed, comprising a 6 foot 8 inch 320 lb Nigerian to a 80 lb pygmy Bushman is a good example of diversity... That is before one looks at physical and mental and intellectual diversity even within families... And the lessons are : "People are people" and "take em one at a time"

[@douglastaggart9360]

Another interesting note is Gary Owen the tune associated with the 7th cavalry was actually the regimental tune of the British 27th Lancers Custer heard it and adopted it for the 7th cavalry.

[@bennygarr5468]

That was really awesome actually feel the panic😪

[@ronniegibson5924]

Respect to the brave true American Indians who fought to survive but to this day fight for what is truely there's these people were not Animal they just tried to protect there way of life

[@AtomicExtremophile]

When Saddam Hussein used you a human shield he was considered a coward...yet this was 'brave' Custer's plan at LBH! I grew up with Custer as a bit of a hero, then I learned the truth. On that day he happily sent Reno's smaller command to engage the braves, so that Custer would not have many braves to fight - because they'd all be fighting Reno. Benteen did the right thing in supporting Reno. Reno lost a third of his command getting to the defence site, no way he'd hold out against all those braves alone. If Benteen had gone to Custer, he too would have been wiped out.

[@richerich9238]

My favorite part....when Buster gets killed

[@dudley5658]

I’m not a military strategist but I would have advised Custer to leave them Indians alone.

[@nunyabuziness8421]

If Custer would have just waited and took along the Gatling guns he had available to him that Massacre would have never happened instead he chased Glory and killed his own men

[@curtiskretzer8898]

The question isn't "how did it happen?"but how was it that the Natives didn't keep it going instead of fracturing to be taken advantage of later?

[@georgestokes5116]

what do you mean keep it going

[@markmullin4246]

@@georgestokes5116 To keep fighting! Dullard

[@johnandrews3547]

Because they (red savages) have the minds of small children, that is how.

[@curtiskretzer8898]

@@johnandrews3547 heard this for more than IPs of 🇺🇲

[@calvinnewborn8452]

" Son of Morning Star."

[@joebombero1]

To understand the end of the nomadic plains Indians you need to go back to the Scythians, Burghars and Turks in European history. Like the Native American plains tribes, they were a free nomadic people, but fought and struggled for generations to get out of this nomadic lifestyle and become a part of the Roman Empire. This "freedom" of nomadic tribes comes at a cost. If your tribe is strong, it can be a good way of life. If your tribe suffers disease or continued warfare with neighboring tribes, you will be easy prey for Huns or Mongols and the memory of your people will be erased. The Roman Empire created this civilization we enjoy worldwide now, organized education preserving the sacrifices and achievements of our ancestors, modern medicine, transportation, end of high infant mortality, intestinal parasites, ignorance and generational famines. A good perspective of what life was like for at least some of these tribes is described in Cabeza de Vaca's book of his enslavement and captivity by Native Americans in the 1500s.

[@michaelgmoore5708]

Really crazy that the 7th. Cavalry didn't have Winchester 73 repeating rifles and Gatling guns. Single shot rifles were in useless. Captain Benteen was pretty successful as a high ranking officér in later years.

[@robertmuzikar5241]

I read somewhere that the army rejected the idea of purchasing the repeating rifles for their troops, since they assumed that the soldiers would just fire faster and carelessly, using up much more ammunition than the single shot rifles. Ammunition was carried in wagons and the army was concerned about the logistics of carrying so much more ammunition. The "Spencer" rifles the soldiers carried was more accurate at greater distances then the Winchester 73, though the ratio in firing rate was about 13 to 3 or 4 - favor the Indians that had the 73. Custer was offered two Gatling guns, but thought they would slow him down, so he rejected the offer. I was wondering what a few smaller canons would have had on the impact of the battle shooting grape shot?

[@unionrdr]

Custer was a glory roader. He thought winning this battle would get him the presidency. Even if they had 6 battalions to even it up a bit (A battalion being 300-1,000 men), they would have had to avoid splitting up so much to even think of victory. The Indians did just like the Germans of the 3rd Reich...divide, surround and conquer...the blitzkrieg, or lightening war.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

Wrong! The soldiers were the ones who divided. Custer was caught out in the open plains with no cover, that's why his 200 men were wiped out. How come the warriors couldn't finish off the remaining 400 men after almost 2 more days?

[@unionrdr]

@@TWS-pd5dc because they got about half, including Custer in the river valley early on. Likely figured they made there point. Besides ammo concerns on both sides.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

@@unionrdr You should read up on this battle, sorry. Custer had about 650 men with him that day, including civilian scouts and packers for the supply mules and about 35 Crow and Arikara scouts. Indian scouts were not expected to fight but many of the more loyal ones did. Custer had 210 men with him, all killed. That's far from "half". Reno lost about 35 men, so on the hill with Reno and his men were Benteen's 125 men, plus another 120 or so from the pack train. Approximately 400 or so men. Warriors in the Custer fight took very few casualties, probably no more than 100. That left minimum of 1200 who tried to wipe out the remaining 400 troopers. Another day and a half later the warriors withdrew (they had spotted Terry's column). That dispels another myth of the battle repeated here: The soldiers were outgunned, warriors had repeating rifles that were superior to the single shot Springfields the troopers had. Fact: The Springfield had better range and accuracy than any repeating rifle, which explains why the troopers held off 3 times the number of warriors for another 2 days.

[@unionrdr]

@@TWS-pd5dc The Indians had about 5000 by many accounts. And yes the troopers rifles had longer range, but single shot no good at close range against repeaters.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

@@unionrdr 5000 is wildly exaggerated. I'm thinking no more that 2500. Still bad odds for the 7th cavalry. That said, the soldiers might have at least gotten a draw out of the action that day had Reno and Benteen performed better. Custer made a few mistakes that day but Reno and Benteen were equally to blame. Still, it's highly doubtful that anything the 7th did that day would have made victory likely. One of the many "what if's" about this still controversial battle.

[@waynebent4543]

There is a real but sad lesson here. Standing for your conscience is valid, but violence over what you believe you possess is in vain. The Jews had this lesson with the Romans at Jerusalem. The indians in America. Your conscience is God, and He must be kept in the soul, but the dirt is transitory and things change. One must always be willing to give that up. If they don't they die. Your dirt is a gift and only for a limited time.

[@richardofoz2167]

Question for all you Custer nerds out there: When I was a kid (mid 50s) I visited a Ripley's-Believe-It-Or-Not exhibit purporting to show a necklace made from the trigger fingers of all of Custer's men killed at the battle. As a credulous kid in those innocent times, I believed it, and was enthralled to see it. As an older, more sceptical adult in these jaded times, I'm inclined to disbelieve it. Was right then, or now? Has anyone else ever heard of such a thing?

[@richardofoz2167]

@@urgumskurgum7570 so you really don't know, do you? probably this and probably that...unh huh

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

It is unfortunate that an industrialised nation came across an essentially stoneage culture. But as was described, this is history as it happened.

[@pleaseyesnostfu]

Do a U.S. Navy a U.S. Marines and a U.S. Air Force uniform video please

[@georgestokes5116]

just type that in youtube and it will come up i did

[@roytsusui1761]

I believe that sergeant major Plumley said it best when he told LTC Hal Moore," Custer was a pussy sir". 👍💪😎

[@larryjessee6504]

He led like 19 charges in the War between the States

[@billcollins2798]

I get so sick and tired of "historians" telling us that there were some 1,500 to 2,000 warriors in the village. Reno, Benteen, as well as others, were Civil War veterans who knew at a glance the number of men on a battlefield, and Benteen asserted that there were 3,000 warriors that opposed them.

[@kukuri007]

The soldiers had the firepower. The warriors had rate of fire on their side. The .45-70 carbines had enough power to drop anything on this continent.

[@lddcavalry]

Custer didn’t try to hold the ford.

[@SeanRCope]

Even Reno, an alleged drunk managed to save his command. Custer wasted five companies for nothing but a paragraph in a history book.

[@bobporch]

Actually Benteen saved Reno's command.

[@doctorgarbonzo2525]

It was observed! Custer ignored Terrys orders to wait for him, Custer replied ambiguously! No I will not!

[@angelicupstart1977]

A paragraph ?

[@johnandrews3547]

More has been written about Custer's glory than any other battle in American History..except Gettysburgh...maybe. People will remember custer's name for eternity pal.