list of soldiers killed at little bighorn

The battle, which resulted in the defeat of U.S. forces, was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876. [137], General Alfred Terry's Dakota column included a single battery of artillery, comprising two 3-inch Ordnance rifles and two Gatling guns. Many orders might have been given, but few obeyed. [65] The soldiers dug crude trenches as the Indians performed their war dance. [151][152][153][154] Custer insisted that the artillery was superfluous to his success, in that the 7th Cavalry alone was sufficient to cope with any force they should encounter, informing Terry: "The 7th can handle anything it meets". [71] As the scenario seemed compatible with Custer's aggressive style of warfare and with evidence found on the ground, it became the basis of many popular accounts of the battle. "[42], As the Army moved into the field on its expedition, it was operating with incorrect assumptions as to the number of Indians it would encounter. Calloway, Colin G.: "The Inter-tribal Balance of Power on the Great Plains, 17601850". 7879: "Apparently, Terry offered [Major James] Brisbin's battalion and Gatling gun battery to accompany the Seventh, but Custer refused these additions for several reasons. Some Indian accounts, however, place the Northern Cheyenne encampment and the north end of the overall village to the left (and south) of the opposite side of the crossing. Its approach was seen by Indians at that end of the village. Soon the number of warriors amounted to only about 600. Three companies were placed under the command of Major Marcus Reno (A, G, and M) and three were placed under the command of Captain Frederick Benteen (H, D, and K). The companies remained pinned down on the bluff, fending off the Indians for three hours until night fell. Instead, archaeologists suggest that in the end, Custer's troops were not surrounded but rather overwhelmed by a single charge. WebWASHINGTON Historical accounts of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn report that many of Gen. George Custers 7th Cavalry soldiers shot themselves to avoid being killed by Stands In Timber, John and Margot Liberty (1972): Calloway, Colin G.: "The Inter-tribal Balance of Power on the Great Plains, 17601850". WebGeorge Lell Corporal H, wounded then died June 26 William H. Lerock Private F John Lewis Private C Herod T. Liddiard Private E Werner L. Liemann Private F Little Brave Indian Scout Edward W. Lloyd Private I Louis Lobering Private L George E. Lord (with Custer) [126] Defenders of Reno at the trial noted that, while the retreat was disorganized, Reno did not withdraw from his position until it became apparent that he was outnumbered and outflanked by the Native Americans. Events leading up to the confrontation were typical of the irresolute and confusing policy of the U.S. government toward Native Americans. Hatch, 1997, p. 184: "not a wide disparity" in arms of the opposing forces. Each trooper had 24 rounds for his Colt handgun. Companies C, D, and I of the 6th Infantry moved along the Yellowstone River from Fort Buford on the Missouri River to set up a supply depot and joined Terry on May 29 at the mouth of the Powder River. WebAll soldiers in the five 7th Cavalry Regiment companies personally led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer were killed, and the seven surviving companies suffered Field data showed that possible extractor failures occurred at a rate of approximately 1:30 firings at the Custer Battlefield and at a rate of 1:37 at the Reno-Benteen Battlefield. Survivors of the assaults fled north to seek safety with Keogh's Company I they could react quickly enough to prevent the disintegration of their own unit. Some historians believe that part of Custer's force descended the coulee, going west to the river and attempting unsuccessfully to cross into the village. The Indian Wars were seen as a minor sideshow in which troops armed to fight on European battlefields would be more than a match for fighting any number of Indians.". Within days, Crazy Horse surrendered at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the June 25 and 26, 1876, Battle of the Little Bighorn, near Crow Agency, Montana, in the United States. WebThe soldiers killed 136 and wounded 160 Sioux. Dunlay, Thomas W.: Wolves for the Blue Soldiers. WebReynolds and Dorman died at the Little Bighorn. [75] Troopers had to dismount to help the wounded men back onto their horses. Hatch, 1997, p. 124: "The controversy results from the known failure of the carbine to [eject] the spent .45-55 caliber cartridge [casings]. [105], Oglala Sioux Black Elk recounted the exodus this way: "We fled all night, following the Greasy Grass. WebIsaiah Dorman. They had been preparing for war by collecting Winchester repeating rifles and plenty ammunition. He perished at the Battle of Little Bighorn, the only black man killed in the fight. [citation needed]. Map of Battle of Little Bighorn, Part III. Other historians claim that Custer never approached the river, but rather continued north across the coulee and up the other side, where he gradually came under attack. [97], The first to hear the news of the Custer defeat were those aboard the steamboat Far West, which had brought supplies for the expedition. It was in fact a correct estimate until several weeks before the battle when the "reservation Indians" joined Sitting Bull's ranks for the summer buffalo hunt. Flaherty, 1993, p. 208: "By 1873, Indians 'used the traditional bow and arrows and war club along with firearms such as the muzzle-loading Leman rifle, issued as part of treaty agreements, and rapid-fire Henry and Winchester rifles, obtained through civilian traders'. [61] From this position the Indians mounted an attack of more than 500 warriors against the left and rear of Reno's line,[62] turning Reno's exposed left flank. The improbability of getting that message to the hunters, coupled with its rejection by many of the Plains Indians, made confrontation inevitable. Sturgis led the 7th Cavalry in the campaign against the Nez Perce in 1877. Thus, wrote Curtis, "Custer made no attack, the whole movement being a retreat". Who fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn? ", Lawson, 2007, p. 50: "[Custer] turned down General Terry's offer to bring the three Gatling guns, because they would slow down his movement. At noon on June 25, in an attempt to prevent Sitting Bulls followers from escaping, he split his regiment into three battalions. [citation needed] The destruction of Keogh's battalion may have begun with the collapse of L, I and C Company (half of it) following the combined assaults led by Crazy Horse, White Bull, Hump, Chief Gall and others. Lt Edward Godfrey reported finding a dead 7th Cavalry horse (shot in the head), a grain sack, and a carbine at the mouth of the Rosebud River. Graham, Benteen letter to Capt. [78][79][80] David Humphreys Miller, who between 1935 and 1955 interviewed the last Lakota survivors of the battle, wrote that the Custer fight lasted less than one-half hour. The other entrenched companies eventually left Reno Hill and followed Weir by assigned battalionsfirst Benteen, then Reno, and finally the pack train. The total population of men, woman and children probably reached 6,000 to 7,000 at its peak, with 2,000 of these being able-bodied warriors". "[91], Custer's Last Stand by Edgar Samuel Paxson, Recent archaeological work at the battlefield indicates that officers on Custer Hill restored some tactical control. While investigating the battlefield, Lieutenant General Nelson A. The outcome of the battle, though it proved to be the height of Indian power, so stunned and enraged white Americans that government troops flooded the area, forcing the Indians to surrender. And p. 114: Custer told his officer staff days before the battle that he "opted against the Gatling gunsso as not to 'hamper our movements'", Sklenar, 2000, p. 92: Custer "on the evening of 22 June[informed his officer staff]why he had not accepted the offersof Gatling guns (he thought they might hamper his movements at a critical moment). The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought at the Little Bighorn River in southern Montana Territory, U.S. (The gun would eventually upset and injure three men.)" Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1873. ", Gallear, 2001: "A study of .45-55 cases found at the battle concludes that extractor failure amounted to less than 0.35% of some 1,751 cases tested the carbine was in fact more reliable than anything that had preceded it in U.S. Army service. [53]:379 Given that no bodies of men or horses were found anywhere near the ford, Godfrey himself concluded "that Custer did not go to the ford with any body of men". They immediately realized that the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne were present "in force and not running away.". The other horses are gone, and the mysterious yellow bulldog is gone, which means that in a sense the legend is true. 8081: "The Gatlings had major drawbacks, such as frequent jamming due to residue from black powder", Philbrick, 2010, p. 73: "Military traditionalists like to claim the gun was unreliable, but in actuality the Gatling functioned surprisingly well. Army intelligence had estimated Sitting Bulls force at 800 fighting men; in fact, some 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors took part in the battle. He described the death of a Sioux sharpshooter killed after being seen too often by the enemy. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Six other troopers had died of drowning and 51 in cholera epidemics. From his observation, as reported by John Martin (Giovanni Martino),[44] Custer assumed the warriors had been sleeping in on the morning of the battle, to which virtually every native account attested later, giving Custer a false estimate of what he was up against. Charles Windolph, Frazier Hunt, Robert Hunt, Neil Mangum. 65, No. Map of Battle of Little Bighorn, Part VII. Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custers Last Stand, (June 25, 1876), battle at the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory, U.S., between federal troops led by Lieut. While such stories were gathered by Thomas Bailey Marquis in a book in the 1930s, it was not published until 1976 because of the unpopularity of such assertions. All told, between one-third and one-half of the gathering warriors had a gun. In 1878, the army awarded 24 Medals of Honor to participants in the fight on the bluffs for bravery, most for risking their lives to carry water from the river up the hill to the wounded. "[28] At the same time US military officials were conducting a summer campaign to force the Lakota and the Cheyenne back to their reservations, using infantry and cavalry in a so-called "three-pronged approach". There is a marker for Boyer in the Deep Ravine on the battlefield, but this is in error. The remainder of the battle took on the nature of a running fight. "[90] In a letter from February 21, 1910, Private William Taylor, Company M, 7th Cavalry, wrote: "Reno proved incompetent and Benteen showed his indifferenceI will not use the uglier words that have often been in my mind. He sent three companies under the command of Maj. Marcus A. Reno to charge straight into the village, dispatched three companies under Capt. Find out why George Custer failed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 25 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Little-Bighorn, Legends of America - The Battle of Little Bighorn, Montana, National Park Service - Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument - Context and Story of the Battle, Battle of the Little Bighorn - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. [223] A few even published autobiographies that detailed their deeds at the Little Bighorn. WebAmong the force of more than 200 men wiped out by the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors on June 25, 1876, were Custers 18-year-old nephew, Henry Reed, brother-in-law by Neil Asher Silberman 3/23/2018. WebMajor Marcus Reno - Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) National Monument Montana Major Marcus Reno Major Marcus Reno Marcus Reno was born on 15 November 1834, in Carrollton, Illinois. As of December 2006, a total of ten warrior markers have been added (three at the RenoBenteen Defense Site and seven on the Little Bighorn Battlefield). Hatch, 1997, pp. Locke on Battle Ridge looking toward Last Stand Hill (top center). Donovan, 2008, p. 440: footnote, "the carbine extractor problem did exist, though it probably had little impact on the outcome of the battle. Archaeological evidence and reassessment of Indian testimony have led to a new interpretation of the battle. When the army examined the Custer battle site, soldiers could not determine fully what had transpired. 40, 113114. Hatch, 1997, p. 124: "On a final note: the Springfield carbine remained the official cavalry firearm until the early 1890s". [14]:82 Historian Douglas Scott theorized that the "Deep Gulch" or "Deep Ravine" might have included not only the steep-sided portion of the coulee, but the entire drainage including its tributaries, in which case the bodies of Bouyer and others were found where eyewitnesses had said they were seen. ", Donovan, 2008, p. 175: "Custer refused Terry's offer of the Gatling gun battery. ", Gallear, 2001: "Officers purchased their own carbines or rifles for hunting purposes[however] these guns may have been left with the baggage and is unclear how many officers actually used these weapons in the battle. Hatch, 1997, p. 124: "Scholars have for years debated the issue of whether or not the Model 1873 Springfield carbine carried by cavalrymen, malfunctioned during the battle and [whether this] was one reason for the defeat" and "No definitive conclusion can be drawn [as to] the possible malfunction as being a significant cause of Custer's defeat. Lawson, 2007, p. 48: "[Three] rapid-fire artillery pieces known as Gatling guns" were part of Terry's firepower included in the Dakota column. While some of the indigenous people eventually agreed to relocate to ever-shrinking reservations, a number of them resisted, sometimes fiercely.[19]. The trees also obscured Reno's view of the Native American village until his force had passed that bend on his right front and was suddenly within arrow-shot of the village. He had died a couple of days after the Rosebud battle, and it was the custom of the Indians to move camp when a warrior died and leave the body with its possessions. In defiance of the governments threats, bands of Lakota and Northern Cheyenne Indians (along with a smaller number of Arapaho) who had refused to be confined by reservation boundaries came together under the leadership of Sitting Bull, a charismatic Lakota who called for resistance to U.S. expansion. There were about 50 known deaths among Sitting Bulls followers. Modern archaeology and historical Indian accounts indicate that Custer's force may have been divided into three groups, with the Indians attempting to prevent them from effectively reuniting. As a result of the defeat in June 1876, Congress responded by attaching what the Sioux call the "sell or starve" rider (19Stat. [166], Historian Robert M. Utley, in a section entitled "Would Gatling Guns Have Saved Custer?" [117] Few on the non-Indian side questioned the conduct of the enlisted men, but many questioned the tactics, strategy and conduct of the officers. [211] The phenomenon became so widespread that one historian remarked, "Had Custer had all of those who claimed to be 'the lone survivor' of his two battalions he would have had at least a brigade behind him when he crossed the Wolf Mountains and rode to the attack."[212]. Around 5:00pm, Capt. The Journal of American History. In cholera epidemics Fort Robinson, Nebraska the remainder of the Gatling gun battery made confrontation inevitable eventually Reno! The Deep Ravine on the Great Sioux war of 1876, he split his regiment into three.! Collecting Winchester repeating rifles and plenty ammunition [ 75 list of soldiers killed at little bighorn Troopers had of! Charge straight into the village which means that in the Battle, which resulted in the campaign against Nez., Neil Mangum Bighorn, Part III, Historian Robert M. Utley, in a sense legend... Number of warriors amounted to only about 600 Lieutenant General Nelson a force and running! Gatling Guns have Saved Custer? 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