Battle Of The Little Big Horn :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The journey of exploration to the western territories brought the white man many great things, but they did face some opposition. The US government made plans to explore the Black Hills, after hearing of the gold it contained. This was not an easy task. The Sioux, with strong force, were not giving up their sacred land easily. The only way to gain the territory of the Black Hills was to wage war against the Sioux. The Battle of the Little Big Horn was one battle that the US will never forget. General George Custer led an army of men to take out the Sioux, one of the battalions was completely wiped out including Custer. The Sioux were very strong, but US had a lot more power and technology. Why did we get massacred? This question has been a mystery to many people throughout the years. Sergeant Windolph, of Benteen’s cavalry, and John F. Finerty, from General Crooks cavalry, bring us some personal accounts and memories of this tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many factors that did affect the outcome of this battle. George Custer could be to blame for such a tragedy. He did make the critical decisions that brought his soldiers down. Custer’s personal ambition got the best of him. Windolph explains, â€Å"Custer was partially disgraced because General Terry had superseded him in command of the expedition† (Windolph 174). He felt that he should have received control over the entire expedition. Custer made no secret of his intention to cut loose from Terry. General Terry, General Gibbon, and General Custer were all to meet on June 26, at the Rosebud, and plan their attack. But as soon as Custer struck the trail of the Indians he followed it till he came upon the Indian village on June 25. He disobeyed Terry’s orders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While Terry and Gibbon were meeting in Rosebud, Custer was already dividing his regiment into three separate battalions. Sergeant Windolph, from Reno’s battalion, recalls: The enemy increased so greatly in numbers that we were forced into the timber for protection, but I firmly believe that if, at that moment, all our companies had been together the Indians would have been driven from their village (Windolph 166). If Custer had not separated his troops into three battalions, they might have left victorious over the Sioux. Windolph also states that â€Å"The Indians also stated that the separate detachments made their victory over the troops more certain† (Windolph 161).