General George Armstrong Custer: The Greatest Failure In History

On the 25th of June 1876 on the ‘greasy’ grass of Dakota the Battle of the Little Big Horn occurred. Sioux and Cheyenne Indians defiantly left their reservations, outraged over the continued intrusions of whites into their sacred lands in the Black Hills. They gathered in Montana with the great warrior Sitting Bull to fight for their lands. Determined to resist the efforts of the U.S Army to force them onto reservations, Indians under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse wipe out Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and much of his 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. This essay with try to determine why the U.S. Army lost this, every so important battle against the Sioux.

George Armstrong Custer’s role in the Civil War Dallin Hodgkin Mountain View High School What does a man have to do to leave a mark in world history? What kind of man does he have to be?

The 1870s, the time after the Civil War, was a decade of imperialism, great invention, reconstruction, labor unions and strikes, and the Sioux Wars. Especially The battle of the little Bighorn, was a crushing defeat for the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army under George Armstrong Custer. The 700 men strong 7th Cavalry Regiment were defeated by the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, which were leaded by several important war leaders, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall, Sitting Bull. The reason of the Sioux Wars, and so also of the battle of the little Bighorn, was that the Native Americans fight for their land. The Battle of Little Bighorn was a training point in the relation between America and Native America because

“Custer's Last Stand” was a victory for the Indian people, but as a result of their win, they brought a lot of attention to themselves which angered the American people. As a result, the US government treated the Native Americans more hostile, allowing John Gibbons to go and attack the Nez Perce Indians, didn’t follow through with their agreements dealing with land and took land away, and kept expanding westward while continuing to grow America East to West. Directly after new got out that the Indians had not only won the battle, but had slaughtered the American army, John Gibbons rounded up every available man and went after the Nez Perce Indians, whom he thought were the easiest and head of attack. Many innocent woman and children died on

Scribbles on Scrap: A Mission Command Analysis of the Battle of the Little Bighorn The massacre at the Little Bighorn in 1876 was one of the most recognizable battles in American history. The defeat of the 7th Cavalry Regiment and the slaughter of 268 Soldiers by the Sioux serves as an enduring subject of study for contemporary military professionals. The basic modus operandi for command principles in the times of the Indian Wars loosely mirrors the mission command philosophy of today; however, if we still lay credence to the efficacy of the mission command philosophy, how was it that a conventional force under the direction of a battle proven leader was defeated by an irregular enemy? In the end, Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer’s complacent

The combatants were the warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the men of the Seventh Cavalry, guided by General George Custer. The tribes had come together for a variety of reasons. The lands surrounding the river were plentiful, and they regularly gathered there for their annual sun dance ceremony, where Sitting Bull had prophesied a great victory for his people. When news spread of Custer’s arrival to the land, Sitting Bull (Lakota) and Crazy Horse (Oglala) quickly took control and devised a plan for victory. Elsewhere, Custer split his forces, leaving him with command of just five companies.

The difference in the two accounts is the prelude to the battle. According to Lakota Chief Red Horse, he with many Sioux Indians were only moving across the land in attempts to find a place to settle. When they did settle next to the Little Bighorn River, there were many Native Americans with them ten different tribes and eleven including themselves. The account from the military standpoint was the Sioux, and Cheyenne were hostile over the Black Hills and was corresponding with Sitting Bull. From the event of the Sioux Nation on the move, the U.S. Calvary dispatched three units to attack.

“Robert E. Lee (1807-70) served as a military officer in the U.S. Army, a West Point commandant and the amazing general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War 1861-1865. In June 1861, Lee gained command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he would lead for the rest of the war. Lee and his army achieved great success during the Peninsula Campaign and at Second Bull Run and Fredericksburg, with his greatest victory coming in the bloody Battle of Chancellorsville. In the spring of 1863 Lee invaded the North only to be defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg. With Confederate defeat a near blowout, Lee continued on, battling Union General Ulysses S. Grant in a series of battles in Virginia in 1864-1865 before he finally surrendered

Quite a number of the Confederate’s generals were hurt, dead, or dying which made Lee one of the few generals who were capable of leading the army. In a letter to Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederates, Lee requested him to replace him as general. Document C explains that Lee felt like he not only failed the South, but he also failed himself when he lost The Battle of Gettysburg. Document C states, “I therefore, in all sincerity, request Your Excellency to take measures to supply my place. I do this with the more earnestness because no one is more aware than myself of my inability for the duties of my position” (277).

There have been many prominent leaders that have molded America into what it is today, Lee is one of them. Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia, January 19, 1807, although one historian believes has was born one year earlier (Wikipedia.com 1). Little is actually known about his childhood, and Lee scarcely mentioned it as an adult. His father, Henry “Light Horse” Lee, left him and his family at a young age and never returned. In 1825, Robert E. Lee attended West Point and graduated second in his class in 1829. He never received a single demerit in his four years there. This training shaped him into the great leader he became.

His education was hunting skills and learning how to survive. He was a very powerful man. He stood up to the U.S government. He earned Chief in his tribe. Sitting Bull held numerous war parties.

General Douglas Macarthur is one of the most prominent, notable and influential leaders in the history of the United States and the United States Army. “He was a thundering paradox of a man, noble and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of me and the worst of men…(Muller).” He was a patriot who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and numerous other military campaigns in between. Throughout his tenure, he would fill a plethora of duty positions all around the world. He was a trail blazer; a leader who was admired for his relentless tactics and leadership skills.

You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.” Said General Lee. General Lee was an excruciatingly hard opponent and proud general of the South. The Gettysburg Battle was a major turning point because of the loss, even the proudest, most ambitious general they seem to have is trying to give in and be replaced.

One of the most famous examples of this is Pickett’s charge. Although many historians say that the crushing defeat the result of a multitude of factors, all of it traces back to General Robert E. Lee. On July 3rd, 1863, General Lee, pressured by the incoming reinforcements and a dwindling food supply, ordered General Longstreet to take the combined forces of Major General

General Meade, Union, had a “loss of one-quarter of his men” (Eyewitnesstohistory.com). Although there were was a