I have long had a fascination
with the Indian Wars of the great plains during the late 19th
century. From Red Cloud's War to Wounded Knee, I have done much
reading and studying. My main interest is in the Battle of the
Little Bighorn. Also known as Custer's Last Stand, this is an
interesting phase in the history of the United States. More has
been written about the Battle of the Little Bighorn than any other
battle with the exception of Gettysburg. Every year new books
come out that take another viewpoint of what happened that Sunday in
June, 1876.
I have made two trips to the Little Bighorn
Battlefield. The first was in 1999 and the second was for the
125th anniversary in 2001. I hope to make the trek again sometime
soon.
(UPDATE -- Returned from my third trip -- check out the Montana Mayhem page for details!). It's an interesting place and I highly recommend a stop
there if you happen to be in the area. The battlefield itself is
located about 70 miles east of Billings, MT or 75 miles north of
Sheridan, WY. The nearby town of Hardin celebrates Little Bighorn
Days every year during the week of the battle. Make sure you take
in one of the two re-enactments, or better yet, both. The city of
Hardin puts on a re-enactment west of town in a large grandstand
setting. There is also another re-enactment on the Real Bird
property which is at Medicine Tail Coulee, right on the battlefield
itself.
If you have the desire to learn more about the Battle
of the Little Bighorn, let me recommend the following books...
CUSTER'S LUCK by Edgar I. Stewart
TO HELL WITH HONOR by Larry Sklenar
LAKOTA NOON by Greg Michno
VANISHING VICTORY by Bruce Liddic
CUSTER IN '76:WALTER CAMP'S NOTES ON THE CUSTER
FIGHT by Kenneth Hammer (editor) and Walter Camp
George Armstrong Custer also wrote a book
about his experiences on the plains (before Little Bighorn, of
course). The book is still in print today and is entitled
MY LIFE
ON THE PLAINS. Not to be outdone, Custer's wife Libbie wrote
three great books about their life and adventures together: BOOTS AND
SADDLES, FOLLOWING THE GUIDON, and TENTING ON THE PLAINS. Her
books were all written after her husband's death and offer a great
insight into the lives of officers in the 19th century army.
I am also a member of two great
organizations that are dedicated to the study of Custer, the Battle of
the Little Bighorn, and the Plains Indian Wars in general. These
would be the CBHMA (
Custer
Battlefield Historical and Museum Association) and the LBHA (
Little Bighorn Associates).
I can personally vouch for both these organizations and you would do
well to join either or both if you have an interest in this aspect of
US history. Both produce regular publications and provide many
benefits to their membership.
Please check out my photo pages of my trips
to the Little Bighorn Battlefield --
1999 Trip --
2001 Trip
. Click on the thumbnails on each page to get a larger
view. If you want to save them for your own private use, feel
free. If you would like to use any of them on a website, etc.,
please
email me
first. I really don't have a problem with it but would like a
link to the page where you are using the photo.
You can keep tabs with what's going on at
the battlefield by taking a look at the Little Bighorn Battlefield
National Monument's webcams. They can be viewed
here and
here. It's
located atop the visitor's
center and is aimed at Last Stand Hill. It provides a view of the
7th Calvary monument along with some of the markers. White marble
markers are strewn across the battlefield indicating where the soldiers
fell. Custer and many of his men were found at Last Stand
Hill. Their markers are located within the fence that is visible
through the webcam. Recently, red markers have been placed to
show where warriors were known to have fallen. It was the custom
of the Sioux and other plains tribes to remove their fallen warrior's
bodies after a fight. Therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint the
locations where they fell in battle.
For a list of casualties from the Battle of
the Little Bighorn,
click here.
In 2002,
Jim Thompson
and group of broadcasters re-enacted the Battle of the Little
Bighorn on radio. What if radio had been around in 1876?
What if war correspondents travelled with Custer and reported on the
battle as it happened? For an interesting perspective on what it
may have been like, you can listen to an archived copy of this
broadcast.
Click here to listen.
Below are some links to other places on
the Web dealing with Custer, the Indian Wars, etc.
I love talking Custer and the history of
the Plains Indian Wars. Drop me an
email!
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