The Winning of the West: Custer vs. Crazy Horse | Part 2

With the American Civil War coming to a close in April 1865, George Custer, cavalry commander in the Union army, and a man of dubious political leanings for a unionist officer, was sent to Texas. Reckless, daring and bloodthirsty, the conclusion of the war came as a disappointment to him. Then, having allied himself with the new, anti-Reconstruction American president, Andrew Johnson, Custer alienated himself from one of the most important men in the country: Ulysses S. Grant. As such he found himself exiled to the murderous but dull post of Kansas. There, he and the 7th Cavalry were charged with handling the looming conflict with the Cheyenne; an indigenous people of the Great Plains, whose lives and culture had been radically jeopardised by modernisation, and the encroachment of the railroads into their lands. While some Cheyenne were inclined to negotiate with Washington, their more zealous warriors, the ‘Dog Soldiers’, were determined to fight and destroy the settlers, sending bloodthirsty raids into federal forts. The campaigns that followed saw acts of terrific violence, culminating in a terrible, brutal massacre…
Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Custer’s first forays into the gruesome and tragic American Indian Wars: his political missteps, southern adventures, romantic rollercoasters, and battles with the remarkable horse-riding, buffalo hunting Cheyenne.
Watch the other episodes here: kzbin.info?list...
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[@nigeh5326]

Love the chemistry between Tom and Dominic always adds to the podcast. Same as the ‘we have ways’ podcast presented by James Holland and Al Murray (aka the pub landlord). Keep them coming gentlemen 👍

[@mastermason552]

I live in Montana, and it's really fun to listen to this story told from a British perspective. I'm a fan of the rest is history anyways. Top historians Tom and Dom

[@KeepingTheIronThroneWarm]

Please consider doing an episode on Huey Long. Easily the most colorful politician in US history. Loads of humor.

[@coldwar45]

Second this

[@vincentmcdermott3412]

Third this!!

[@bengray4149]

Gripping stuff! Holland's camp take on the already camp Custer versus Sandbrook's blood & guts portrayal makes for a white-knuckle, blood-spattered gallop through this fascinating period in world history. Nice work from the lads at TRIH.

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

Nice to see two Brits bumble head on through the sensitivities of native issues that would tie Americans in knots

[@kmdn1]

Super refreshing! Americans would be way too scared to have an honest discussion because its so popular to only and always paint white american settlers as evil. Eye roll

[@ToddSauve]

Only some. But if you want to see ridiculous come to Canada. 🙄

[@frankboer7130]

Shermans father was a great admirer of Tecumseh,as were alot of the people who fought against him.

[@gerryenglish3122]

Good account of the massacre of Black Kettle’s camp in the film Little Big Man. Brilliant podcast, thanks chaps!

[@tonykehoe123]

“ like a bison “ …..comedy gold !

[@notgay89]

This is all very revealing about Custard. I always thought it was a pastry filling.

[@MrIrishscouse]

😂

[@andy_travis]

❤

[@Truffle_Pup]

Dad? Is that you?

[@user-py8sm4js5p]

That's your idea of humour? What an efwit.

[@frankboer7130]

no matter who you are half the people will love and the other half will hate you.

[@verenamaharajah6082]

I’m afraid this Irish man completely misunderstood the ladies use of the word ‘wretched’. It wasnt a slur, she wasn’t describing the Irish as wretched, she was describing the deplorable state or condition of the poor half starved people who were forced to escape the potato famine by emigrating.

[@tomtaylor6163]

These podcasts are so good

[@tomtaylor6163]

Wow , I’ve been to Sand Creek Massacre Site. It’s way out in middle of nowhere. I was the only person there at the time. I only stayed a few minutes the place mad me feel so sad. Never gonna go back the place is a bummer

[@user-ml9bw2ib5v]

The Native Americans were equally brutal and vicious… unfortunately for them, they just did not win. Mankind has the capacity for great cruelty or kindness, regardless of race…

[@nathaniel4334]

Love the banter

[@marymclaughlindavis1670]

Love the podcast. Also love how you say Washita. Americans pronounce it wash-ee-taw. Thanks for great podcast.

[@phillipwilcox6377]

his brother won not one, but two, Medals of Honor during the ACW

[@gerryenglish3122]

Superb podcast

[@richardshowers]

I think it so kind of class 3b to let Dominic use their library corner.

[@Liz-lr1ch]

What a bromance

[@afwalker1921]

Didn't Crazy Horse also have a dog named Byron? I remember reading this...

[@marblackCanada]

The British were much more insidious here in Canada, used manipulation signed treaties, did not live up to the terms of course. The North West Mounted police had move into the West to bring law and order not the British Army. So we didn't have the wars or massacres, but result were the same the Natives forced onto receivers, treated as third class citizens under the British and then Canadian Government. Difference today Native Canadians are having a large influence on our politics , in the US it is like they do not exist.

[@jonathonjubb6626]

We didn't get to rule so much of the world by being "nice"...

[@robertcottam8824]

So, of course, you’ll be returning the stolen land on which you live, no doubt… Toodlepip.

[@Dru517]

There’s a big difference between Canadian natives and American natives. Ours were gnarly as fuck. Plus we had the crazy ass Mexican Aztecs In the south. The plains Indians were the greatest light Cavalry in history. They fucked us up a lot. The Canadians didn’t go through this to that extent.

[@marblackCanada]

@@Dru517 The results are basically the same.

[@pjd6977]

​@@Dru517 you're chatting absolute bollocks. The Indian tribes didn't care about European drawn border. As for them not being as fierce I'd ask you to look at the war of 1812.

[@FlyJohnny100]

"Those able to view history with a keen sense of humor will come to understand the rich parade of humanity that binds our past and present. The rest are doomed to repeat it." --Some Guy on the Internet

[@justinsublett5880]

First off, I love, love, love your podcast. But as a person who grew up in the American state of Oklahoma (which used to be called Indian Territory), I have to correct your pronunciation. Lol. Arapaho is pronounced uh-RAP-uh-ho. And Washita is pronounced WAH-shittaw. Accent on the first syllable. The Washita River is a tributary of the Red River in southwestern Oklahoma.

[@tarquinbullocks1703]

Hmm. No offense but would the native Americans of the region endorse your pronunciation?

[@byronevans7526]

The wearing of a barrel was part of the punishment for Union soldiers in the Civil War who were drummed out of the army. Face-branding was, apparently, also used in some cases.

[@fastpublish]

Was Custer's fate a giant act of fragging?

[@MrDellasc]

Grant certainly didn’t love the “Peacock”.

[@wildgoose5964]

Errol Flynn has got a lot to answer for!

[@haakonfantomet7171]

How abaut an ep Max Manus, nr 24,the flame&l lemmen ww2 resistans fighters

[@jonathonjubb6626]

Not paying!! Not paying on KZbin - that's the whole point....

[@ropeburnsrussell]

Hey, T E Lawrence shot his own camel in the head during a charge. These things happen.

[@mattweems7842]

What Custer did to the Cheyanne was a massacre, but it was supposed to be. The colonists learned this way of warfare from the natives. In native warfare the objective of a major attack was to destroy the enemy people, and a camp or town of women and children was a high-reward, low risk target, a big win. If the people managed to flee it was just as good to destroy food stores, they would die just as sure that way (thus killing the horses). English settlers got caught on the losing side of these massacre attacks many times early in colonial history, and learned from native converts that the correct way to respond was in kind. Take a look at King Phillips war and the three other wars like it, two in Virginia and two in New England and you will see how this lesson was learned.

[@MrDellasc]

I have to disagree with you. First off, Chief Black Kettle was told by the fort commander to camp at the Washita, and had an American Flag on his teepee, and those Indians were massacred. Have you ever read up on the Vikings and how they conducted warfare? Most Indian tribes adopted conquered people into their own tribes (especially the Cheyanne and Sioux). The Visigoths and the German tribes were also brutal in grit warfare. The leadership of the European Americans would’ve been very aware of their own history (Anglo/Saxon/Vikings).

[@mattweems7842]

@@MrDellasc Nope - do not agree. The colonists in the north were trying to make a more perfect christian society and were shocked at what the natives did and at what they themselves did in response. Also, adopting people into your tribe works just fine in conjunction with a massacre. The Mongols had a rule about this, they measured the captives height against the axel of a cart, too tall they killed them, short (young) enough and they were adopted. Black Kettle got screwed, common in war. Besides, we have first hand accounts of natives massacring whites and the accounts are brutal, easily on a par with Custer. Custer hit the wrong camp, but he did the right thing.

[@MrDellasc]

@@mattweems7842 We can disagree to disagree. I can name hundreds of times when we (our European ancestors) massacred tribes in the East US that simply stopped existing by the mid 19th century. Were the native tribes violent and war like? Yes they were. We can probably agree that humans are a species that have been fighting each other since the dawn of man. Aggression is part of human nature.

[@mattweems7842]

@@MrDellasc Yes that's true. But the colonists did not come to North America with a method of warfare where wiping out civilians was the primary purpose of fighting. They learned that from the natives. You may think I am wrong, but if you read the history or warfare and the history of the colonization of North America you will eventually come around to my view.

[@fattshea8085]

​@@MrDellascwell I don't think the average American would know much about the ancient Germanic tribes

[@lottakukeke3146]

Could you please start putting proper subtitles to your videos? I'm sure many would be grateful 😊 Thanks for pods

[@Johnconno]

Boris Johnson is Custers great, great, great grandson.

[@TheClanDad]

What a terrible let down

[@henkvandergaast3948]

You really hate Australians having a love life

[@VaucluseVanguard]

Was interested in what Sherman thought about the indigenous peoples of the US, that the destruction of their culture was inevitable, just a natural phenomenon. It reminds me of what is happening to European culture right now.

[@peterpayne2219]

Wow, you seem to have only the first three parts of this up on KZbin, so the algo keeps trying to show me parts I've already watched again and again? Not really a fan of the games you lot have been playing since you started the Rest Is History Club. You're starting to seem like a couple of right gits, whatever that means.

[@susanharris8406]

Oh, how I wish you had been my teachers. Thank you for this .

[@jbsweeney1077]

The northerners didn't dislike the southerners for being racist. They were every bit as racist.

[@VaucluseVanguard]

If that were the case, why the Civil War.

[@jbsweeney1077]

@@VaucluseVanguard The south objected to increasing tariffs, and seceded. Lincoln responded by invading the south.

[@stephenlight647]

“They” is a word doing an awful lot of work in that sentence. There were, in fact, actual abolitionists in the North. Now, if you want to say that a large part of the North was against slavery, but also did not think the blacks their equal, I could agree. But that would be true of the vast majority of all of humanity throughout history.

[@jbsweeney1077]

@@stephenlight647 Yes #notallnortherners. There were abolitionists in the south as well. eg angelina grimke My point is that Dominic's claim, that the northerners generally would have disliked the southerners because of their racism, is a modern narrative.

[@ToddSauve]

@@jbsweeney1077 If northerners disliked southerners it was because they wanted to secede from the union and also wanted to not only preserve slavery but also expand it westward into the new territories. It gets a tiny bit more complex than that but not much.

[@thekillingfieldsable]

Black Kettle was also the Cheyenne chief at the Sand Creek massacre in 1864.

[@gerryenglish3122]

Good account of the massacre of Black Kettle’s camp in the film Little Big Man. Brilliant podcast, thanks chaps!