The Last Days of George Armstrong Custer

by Thom Hatch

  Custer’s telegram to Grant can be found in virtually every biography and book about the Little Bighorn.

  Chapter Eight

  First Blood

  Notable sources for the life of General Alfred Terry include: Pacifying the Plains: General Alfred Terry and the Decline of the Sioux, 1866–1890, by Bailey; The Field Diary of General Alfred H. Terry: The Yellowstone Expedition—1876; and The Terry Letters: The Letters of General Alfred Howe Terry to His Sisters During the Indian War of 1876, edited by Willert. In addition, nearly every volume published about the U.S. Army’s campaigns against the Indians on the Northern Plains includes references to Terry. His official report of the Little Bighorn Campaign can be found in 44th Cong., 2nd sess., House Exec. Doc. 1, part 2, and Annual Report, 1876, United States War Department.

  The best information about John Gibbon includes Gibbon on the Sioux Campaign of 1876, by Gibbon, which reprinted his articles from the April and October 1877 American Catholic Quarterly Review; and On Time for Disaster: The Rescue of Custer’s Command, by McClernand. Generous mentions about Gibbon’s role in the Little Bighorn Campaign can be found in Custer’s Luck, by Stewart and Custer and the Great Controversy, by Utley.

  The Powder River fight is nicely covered in The Reynolds Campaign on Powder River, by Vaughn. Additional information can be found in Battle of the Rosebud sources mentioned later, as well as every book about the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

  The most famous and interesting account of Crazy Horse’s life is the fictionalized Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas, by Sandoz. Another fascinating biography, which fills in blanks with dramatic and believable speculation, is Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors, by Ambrose. Other credible sources include: The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History, by Marshall; Crazy Horse: The Life Behind the Legend, by Sajna; Red Cloud’s Folk, by Hyde; Spotted Tail’s Folk, by Hyde; Crazy Horse, by Brininstool; “Crazy Horse’s Story of the Custer Battle,” edited by Robinson; “Oglala Sources on the Life of Crazy Horse,” by Hinman; and “An Indian Scout’s Recollections of Crazy Horse,” by Grouard.

  The Grattan massacre and subsequent events that affected Crazy Horse can be found in transcripts of interviews with Indian and white residents of the time, along with letters, newspapers clippings, and comments by Judge Daniel Ricker in the Eli Ricker Collection, Nebraska State Historical Society. More convenient sources include: Spotted Tail’s Folk, by Hyde; Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and the Indian, 1848–1865, by Utley; Red Cloud and the Sioux Problem, by Olson; and “The Grattan Massacre,” by McCann.

  Two excellent biographies of Sitting Bull top the list: The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull, by Utley, and Sitting Bull: Champion of the Sioux, by Vestal. Also see: Sitting Bull, by Adams; Sitting Bull, by Dugan; Cry of the Thunderbird, by Hamilton; and A Sioux Chronicle, by Hyde.

  The best (and definitive) source for the Rosebud battle is Battle of the Rosebud: Prelude to the Little Bighorn, by Mangum. See also: The Reynolds Campaign on Powder River, by Vaughn; Campaigning with Crook, by King; and With Crook at the Rosebud, by Vaughn. For the Indian account, see Soldiers Falling into Camp, by Lefthand, Marshall, and Kammen.

  Chapter Nine

  The March of the Seventh Cavalry

  The best source for Grant Marsh and the Far West is The Conquest of the Missouri: Being the Story of the Life and Exploits of Captain Grant Marsh, by Hanson. See also: Crittenden’s History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River.

  A sympathetic biography of Reno is Faint the Trumpet Sounds, by Terrell and Walton. Author George Walton joined with Reno’s great-nephew and the American Legion in 1967 in the successful petition to have Reno’s record reviewed. The result of that review can be found in the June 1, 1967, edition of The New York Times. Johnson also wrote “Reno as Escort Commander.” Perhaps the one author most blinded by the facts of Reno’s betrayal is Ronald H. Nichols, who has written articles and books vigorously defending Reno. These include: “Marcus Albert Reno,” The Reno Court of Inquiry, and the biography In Custer’s Shadow: Major Marcus Reno.

  Reno’s Powder River scout can be found in every book about the battle. In addition, see “The Reno Scout,” by Stewart and Luce.

  Sources for Terry’s final order to Custer can be found listed and discussed in the narrative and sources of chapter 17: “Clearing the Smoke from the Battlefield.”

  Custer’s last letter to Libbie can be read in Merington’s Custer Story, 307–8.

  Everything you need to know about the weapons carried by the soldiers can be found in the following sources: Custer Battle Guns, by duMont; The Springfield Carbine on the Western Frontier, by Hammer; Firearms in the Custer Battle, by Parson and duMont; “The Army’s Search for a Repeating Rifle,” by Chamberlain; “Firearms at Little Bighorn,” by duMont; and “Cavalry Firepower: Springfield Carbine’s Selection and Performance,” by Nichols.

  Mark Kellogg’s battlefield notes (May 17 to June 9), which were delivered to Bismarck druggist John P. Dunn, with whom Kellogg played chess, are in the possession of the North Dakota State Historical Society. His final dispatch, published in the New York Herald July 11, 1876, has been reprinted in The Custer Myth, edited by Graham. For a well-researched chronicle of the life and death of Kellogg, including a reprinting of his diary, see I Go with Custer, by Barnard. See also: “Custer’s ‘Mysterious Mr. Kellogg’ and the Diary of Mark Kellogg,” by Hixon; “The Mark Kellogg Story,” by Vaughn; “Colonel Custer’s Copperhead: The Mysterious Mark Kellogg,” by Saum; “Mark Kellogg Telegraphed for Custer’s Rescue,” by Knight; and “The Custer Campaign Diary of Mark Kellogg,” by Watson.

  Charles Varnum’s unfinished memoir was published as I, Varnum: Autobiographical Reminiscences of Custer’s Chief of Scouts, edited by Carroll and Mills, and Custer’s Chief of Scouts, edited by Carroll. Also of interest are: “Interview with Charles A. Varnum, May 1909,” in Custer in ’76, edited by Hammer, and “Varnum: The Later Years of Custer’s Last Lieutenant,” by Kanitz. Varnum wrote: “I Was There: Colonel Charles A. Varnum’s Experience” and “Fighting the Indians.”

  The army had learned over the years that the main problem that plagued cavalry columns when fighting hostile Indians was a lack of mobility. Therefore, excellent intelligence from reconnaissance was essential in order to locate and surprise the Indians in their camps, where they were vulnerable. White frontiersmen who were wise in the ways of the Indian were of great help, but Indian scouts—usually bitter enemies of the hunted—who knew the terrain and could assist in bringing the command within striking distance, were indispensable.

  Fifty-one Indian scouts commanded by Second Lieutenant Charles Varnum accompanied the Seventh Cavalry on the Little Bighorn Campaign. These scouts rode ahead of the cavalry column on the approach into the Valley of the Little Bighorn and reported about the numerous fresh trails that they encountered, which appeared to be leading toward a single objective.

  On the morning of June 25, evidence of Sitting Bull’s huge village, some fifteen miles ahead, was confirmed by the scouts. At that point, many of the Arikara scouts refused to accompany Custer any farther and others were dismissed, their job of locating the village accomplished. In the ensuing battle, two Indian scouts were killed (Bob Tailed Bull and Little Brave) and two were wounded (Goose and White Swan).

  For more about the scouts, see: Wolves for the Blue Soldiers, by Dunlay; The Arikara Narrative of the Campaign Against the Hostile Dakotas, June 1876, by Libby; “The Crow Scouts: Their Contributions in Understanding the Little Big Horn Battle,” by Sills; and “Did Custer Believe His Scouts?” by Church.

  Chapter Ten

  Into the Valley

  The author, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, felt obligated to defend the diminishing reputation of the Seventh Cavalry, which has suffered at the hands of modern historians who have unfairly condemned these men for their service. The Vietnam conflict may not have been popular for whatever
reasons, but military personnel served in that affair with as much honor and patriotism as had their fathers in World War II—and nearly sixty thousand gave their lives. The average soldier or Marine was not versed in the geopolitics of the matter, only that he was fighting to free people from a brutal Communist regime with a murderous and ruthless dictator. They were indeed marching in their father’s footsteps and those of the country’s military forefathers, including the men of the Seventh Cavalry, who helped make the West safe for Americans with their participation.

  A detailed discussion and list of sources with respect to Custer’s separation of his command can be found in chapter 17: “Clearing the Smoke from the Battlefield.”

  Girard’s quote “Here are your Indians…” comes from page 84 of Nichols’ Reno Court of Inquiry.

  A detailed discussion and list of sources with respect to Custer’s order for Major Reno to charge the village can be found in chapter 17: “Clearing the Smoke from the Battlefield.”

  Estimates on the number of warriors available to fight the Seventh Cavalry from military sources include: Colonel John Gibbon, 2,500; Second Lieutenant Luther Hare, 4,000; scout George Herendeen, 3,000; First Lieutenant Charles DeRudio, 3,000–4,000; and Captain Myles Moylan, 3,500–4,000. Second Lieutenant Charles Varnum reported not less than 4,000; Second Lieutenant George D. Wallace at first estimated the number at 3,000 and then at the 1879 Reno Court of Inquiry testified that there were 9,000. Captain Frederick Benteen initially set the number at 1,500 and then in later years arrived at a figure of 8,000–9,000.

  Estimates from historians include: Stanley Vestal, 2,500; Frazier Hunt, 1,800–2,000; Lewis Crawford, 2,000–2,500; Fred Dustin, 3,000–3,500; full-blooded Sioux Dr. Charles Eastman, not more than 1,411; Edgar I. Stewart, 3,000; Robert M. Utley, 2,000; Jeffry D. Wert, 2,000; and George B. Grinnell, 4,500–6,000.

  Perhaps the best—and most logical—estimate of the number of lodges in the village has been provided by John S. Gray in his Centennial Campaign: The Sioux War of 1876:

  Northern Cheyenne—120

  Oglala Sioux—240

  Blackfoot, Brulé, and Two Kettle Sioux—120

  Sans Arc Sioux—110

  Miniconjou Sioux—150

  Hunkpapa Sioux—235

  Yanktonnais and Santee Sioux—25

  Gray estimated the total number of lodges at one thousand but does not include any Arapaho, who were known to have members of their tribe in the village.

  It has been said that each lodge would be home to two warriors, perhaps more if the older boys were involved. Add to that the wickiups on the north end of the village that housed young warriors who did not live with their families; subtract those men who had reached “retirement” age, which was said to be sometime before their fortieth birthday.

  Whatever the exact number of warriors, it would be safe to say that their number far exceeded that of Custer’s troops that day.

  Sources for these numbers are culled from the pages of the works by the author listed. In addition, an excellent commentary with plentiful references can be found in Custer’s Luck, by Stewart.

  Biographical material and statements about the battle by Lakota chief Gall can be found in a chapter devoted to him, “The Story of War Chief Gall of the Uncpapas,” contained in The Custer Myth, edited by Graham. That chapter is followed by “General Godfrey’s Comments on Gall’s Story.” For biographical material, see: The Lance and the Shield, by Utley; Sitting Bull, by Vestal; Indian Notes on the Custer Battle, by Barry; “Custer’s Last Battle,” by Godfrey; and “Gall: Sioux Gladiator or White Man’s Pawn?” by Mangum.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Crimson Trail

  As Custer and the Seventh Cavalry engage the hostiles each specific movement will not be referenced because there is an accepted consensus of the big picture about how the battle unfolded—only the presentation, time lines, intentions of the players, and conclusions differ.

  The issues that have become a matter of contention—such as disobedience of orders and separation of command—have been covered in depth with sources in subsequent chapters.

  To provide the most pertinent and accessible sources for comparison with this version, however, the following works are listed for additional reading. It must be noted that every biography has its own interpretation of the battle.

  There is no lack of material about this famous battle for the serious researcher or casual reader. In fact, this bibliography is one of the most voluminous in American history. A number of books, however, rise to the top of the list.

  Perhaps the best single volume, although it may be somewhat studious for the beginner, is Gray’s Centennial Campaign. Gray’s well-researched study utilizes time lines, detailed documentation, and careful reasoning and analysis to reconstruct the battle. Gray then expanded on his earlier work in Custer’s Last Campaign: Mitch Boyer and the Little Bighorn Reconstructed.

  Another notable book—a personal favorite for its informative yet entertaining readability—that will satisfy both the researcher and casual reader is Custer’s Luck, by Stewart.

  One book that has been exhaustively researched and presented in a highly satisfying manner is A Terrible Glory, by Donovan. This book will be a welcome addition to the library of the casual reader or the serious researcher. Also, a vivid portrayal comes from Philbrick’s Last Stand.

  A must-have volume for students at any level is The Custer Myth, edited by Graham. This work offers eyewitness testimony from both white and Indian participants, letters, reports, and other fascinating miscellany, including a comprehensive bibliography, albeit outdated. In the same category is The Custer Reader, edited by Hutton.

  Another invaluable source of testimony is Custer in ’76, edited by Kenneth Hammer, and to a lesser extent Camp on Custer, edited by Liddic and Harbaugh.

  Other reminiscences of note from soldiers can be found in Troopers with Custer, by Brininstool; Diaries of the Little Big Horn, by Koury; I Fought with Custer: The Story of Sergeant Windolph, edited by Frazier and Robert Hunt; and I Buried Custer, edited by Liddic. An interesting memoir written by Richard A. Roberts, who was Captain George Yates’ brother-in-law, is Custer’s Last Battle.

  For accounts by Indian eyewitnesses, as well as the Indian side of the story, see: Custer’s Fall, by David Humphreys Miller; Soldiers Falling into Camp, by Kammen, Lefthand, and Marshall; Warpath, by Vestal; Barry’s Indian Notes on the Custer Battle; and Killing Custer: The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians, by Welch.

  The official documents can be found in General Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn: The Federal View, edited by Carroll, and The Little Big Horn, 1876: The Official Communications, Documents, and Reports, with Rosters of the Officers and Troops of the Campaign, by Overfield.

  An examination of the day-by-day activities leading up to the battle is the subject of Little Big Horn Diary: Chronicle of the 1876 Indian War, by Willert and Van Ess.

  An analysis of the legends created by the battle—although most have been debated in every volume about the battle—is best told in Custer’s Last Stand: The Anatomy of an American Myth, by Dippie; Custer and the Great Controversy: The Origin and Development of a Legend, by Utley; and Custer and the Epic of Defeat, by Rosenberg.

  Other worthwhile sources about the battle not listed elsewhere can be found in the bibliography.

  The best sources for confirmation about what weapons were carried that day by the Sioux and the Cheyenne can be found in Archaeology, History, and Custer’s Last Battle, by Fox. See also: Archaeological Insights into the Custer Battle, by Fox and Scott, and Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Conner, Fox, Harmon, and Scott.

  For more about scout George Herendeen, see: “George Herendeen, Montana Scout,” by Johnson. His accounts of the battle, which were originally published in the New York Herald on July 8, 1876, and January 22, 1878, have been reprinted in The Custer Myth, edited by Graham. See also “Interview with Ge
orge Herendeen” in Custer in ’76, edited by Hammer.

  Jackson’s biography is William Jackson, Indian Scout, by Schultz. His account of the famous battle can be found in Battles and Skirmishes of the Great Sioux War, 1876–77: The Military View, edited by Greene.

  Girard is the subject of “Interview with Frederic F. Gerard, January 22 and April 3, 1909,” in Custer in ’76, edited by Hammer; “F. F. Girard, Scout and Interpreter,” by Lounsberry; and “F. F. Gerard’s Story of the Custer Fight” in The Custer Myth, edited by Graham. Girard’s criticism of Major Reno at Little Bighorn can be found in the February 22, 1879, edition of The Bismarck Tribune, and his quote accusing Reno of drinking can be found in Hammer’s Custer in ’76, 232.

  Ryan’s quote about Reno’s indecisiveness is on page 293 of Barnard’s Ten Years with Custer.

  More about Isaiah Dorman can be found in: “Isaiah Dorman and the Custer Expedition,” by McConnell; “Custer’s Negro Interpreter,” by Ege; Ege’s “Braves of All Colors: The Story of Isaiah Dorman Killed at the Little Big Horn”; Custer’s Black White Man, by Boyes; and Troopers with Custer, by Brininstool. The quote by Sioux chief Runs-the-Enemy can be found in The Vanishing Race, by Dixon.

  Material about Donald McIntosh can be found in “Donald McIntosh: First Lieutenant, 7th U.S. Cavalry,” by Lyon. McIntosh is also the subject of numerous references in The Custer Myth, edited by Graham.

  Biographical material about Hodgson can be found in “In Memoriam. Lieutenant Benjamin H. Hodgson,” by Remak and “Who Buried Lieutenant Hodgson?” by Tuttle. The quote about Hodgson’s death is in Of Garry Owen in Glory, by Chandler. A more flowery version was written by Captain Charles King in his “Custer’s Last Battle,” which was reprinted in The Custer Reader, edited by Hutton.