His rapid march en route to the Little Bighorn averaged nearly 30 miles (48km) a day, so his assessment appears to have been accurate. [210], Soldiers under Custer's direct command were annihilated on the first day of the battle, except for three Crow scouts and several troopers (including John Martin (Giovanni Martino)) who had left that column before the battle; one Crow scout, Curly, was the only survivor to leave after the battle had begun. Bradley, James H.: Journal of James H. Bradley. The Battle of the Little Bighornalso known as Custer's Last Standwas the most ferocious battle of the Sioux Wars. ON THE FOURTH day of May 1876, we moved out of our quarters and passed in review, marching around the post and thence towards our first camping-place three miles below Fort Lincoln. Custer's scouts also spotted the regimental cooking fires that could be seen from 10mi (16km) away, disclosing the regiment's position. Some Indian accounts claim that besides wounding one of the leaders of this advance, a soldier carrying a company guidon was also hit. [232], Photo taken in 1894 by H.R. 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. Indians. The Journal of American History. Cut off by the Indians, all 210 of the soldiers who had followed Custer toward the northern reaches of the village were killed in a desperate fight that may have lasted nearly two hours and culminated in the defense of high ground beyond the village that became known as Custers Last Stand. The details of the movements of the components of Custers contingent have been much hypothesized. The Lakota asserted that Crazy Horse personally led one of the large groups of warriors who overwhelmed the cavalrymen in a surprise charge from the northeast, causing a breakdown in the command structure and panic among the troops. It became apparent that the warriors in the village were either aware or would soon be aware of his approach. Private Daniel Newall mentioned the problem". [81] Other native accounts said the fighting lasted only "as long as it takes a hungry man to eat a meal." . [116], Indians leaving the Battlefield Plate XLVIII, Six unnamed Native American women and four unnamed children are known to have been killed at the beginning of the battle during Reno's charge. Custer's Last Stand The Battle Of The Little Bighorn 1876 Battlelines Unpunched | Toys & Games, Games, Board & Traditional Games | eBay! Red Horse pictographic account of Lakota casualties in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1881, Red Horse pictographic account of dead U.S. cavalrymen in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1881, Role of Indian noncombatants in Custer's strategy, Other views of Custer's actions at Minneconjou Ford, Civilians killed (armed and embedded within the Army), Lever-action repeaters vs. single-shot breechloaders, Model 1873 / 1884 Springfield carbine and the U.S. Army, Malfunction of the Springfield carbine extractor mechanism. [93], Under threat of attack, the first U.S. soldiers on the battlefield three days later hurriedly buried the troopers in shallow graves, more or less where they had fallen. PDF Greasy Grass - Map - Custer Battlefield 65, No. Another officer and 1318 men were missing. White Cow Bull claimed to have shot a leader wearing a buckskin jacket off his horse in the river. For the army, far more was at stake than individual reputations, as the future of the service could be affected. How many people died in the Battle of the Little Bighorn? 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. Archaeological evidence and reassessment of Indian testimony have led to a new interpretation of the battle. In 1876, Custer scanned the horizon in search of Square Butte and other landmarks that would identify the route he followed with Stanley and the 1873 survey expedition. All 210 U.S. soldiers who followed George Armstrong Custer into the Battle of the Little Bighorn were killed; Custer also died. The troops found most of Custer's dead men stripped of their clothing, ritually mutilated, and in a state of decomposition, making identification of many impossible. [84], I think, in all probability, that the men turned their horses loose without any orders to do so. Custer's Last Stand: Little Big Horn - US Hwy 212, Crow Agency, Montana. Hoxie, Frederick E.: Parading Through History. Each of the heavy, hand-cranked weapons could fire up to 350 rounds a minute, an impressive rate, but they were known to jam frequently. 18761881. After about 25 rounds are fired from the M1873 revolver using black powder, the cylinder binds on the cylinder pin. Map of Battle of Little Bighorn, Part III. In the last 140 years, historians have been able to identify multiple Indian names pertaining to the same individual, which has greatly reduced previously inflated numbers. ), Ultimately, however, much of the understanding of this most famous portion of the battle is the product of conjecture, and the popular perception of it remains shrouded in myth. Comanche alone survived. Peter Thompson's Story of Custer's March to the Battle of the Little ", Gallear, 2001: "by the time of the Little Bighorn the U.S. Army was standardizing on the Springfield rifle and carbine [and] saw breech-loading rifles and carbines as the way forward. 8081: The Gatling guns "were cumbersome and would cause delays over the traveled route. "[110], Marker indicating where General Custer fell among soldiers denoted with black-face, in center of photo, The Lakota had formed a "Strongheart Society" of caretakers and providers for the camp, consisting of men who had demonstrated compassion, generosity and bravery. The federal government was forcing the Native Americans to move to reservations. Knowing this location helps establish the pattern of the Indians' movements to the encampment on the river where the soldiers found them. For a session, the Democratic Party-controlled House of Representatives abandoned its campaign to reduce the size of the Army. Many men carried older gunsmuzzleloaders, for which some molded their own bullets; Henry and Spencer repeaters; Springfield, Enfield [rifled muskets], Sharps breechloaders and many different pistols. "In the early morning hours of June 25th, 1876, the large village of Lakota's and Cheyenne's was observed from a high promontory in the Wolf Mountains. An additional 50 carbine rounds per man were reserved on the pack train that accompanied the regiment to the battlefield. The orders, made without accurate knowledge of the village's size, location, or the warriors' propensity to stand and fight, had been to pursue the Native Americans and "bring them to battle." According to Dr. Richard Fox in. Both failed Custer and he had to fight it out alone. 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. After a night's march, the tired officer who was sent with the scouts could see neither, and when Custer joined them, he was also unable to make the sighting. 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). Free shipping for many products! [53]:380 Chief Gall's statements were corroborated by other Indians, notably the wife of Spotted Horn Bull. Fox, James Donovan, and others, Custer proceeded with a wing of his battalion (Yates' E and F companies) north and opposite the Cheyenne circle at that crossing,[48]:17677 which provided "access to the [women and children] fugitives. Marsh converted the Far West into a floating field hospital to carry the 52 wounded from the battle to Fort Lincoln. It was located near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Bighorn rivers, about 40 miles (64km) north of the future battlefield. Many of these men threw down their weapons while Cheyenne and Sioux warriors rode them down, "counting coup" with lances, coup sticks, and quirts. [46] Fearing that the village would break up into small bands that he would have to chase, Custer began to prepare for an immediate attack. Later, looking from a hill .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}2+12 miles (4km) away after parting with Reno's command, Custer could observe only women preparing for the day, and young boys taking thousands of horses out to graze south of the village. In a subsequent official 1879 Army investigation requested by Major Reno, the Reno Board of Inquiry (RCOI), Benteen and Reno's men testified that they heard distinct rifle volleys as late as 4:30pm during the battle. As a result of the defeat in June 1876, Congress responded by attaching what the Sioux call the "sell or starve" rider (19Stat. [177], Of the guns owned by Lakota and Cheyenne fighters at the Little Bighorn, approximately 200 were repeating rifles,[178] corresponding to about 1 of 10 of the encampment's two thousand able-bodied fighters who participated in the battle. Map of Indian battles and skirmishes after the Battle of Little Bighorn. [224][225][226], A modern historian, Albert Winkler, has asserted that there is some evidence to support the case of Private Gustave Korn being a genuine survivor of the battle: "While nearly all of the accounts of men who claimed to be survivors from Custer's column at the Battle of the Little Bighorn are fictitious, Gustave Korn's story is supported by contemporary records." [38] Assuming his presence had been exposed, Custer decided to attack the village without further delay. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Custer's Last Stand The Battle Of The Little Bighorn 1876 Battlelines Unpunched at the best online prices at eBay! First of all, Custer and Brisbin did not get along and Custer thus would not have wanted to place Brisbin in a senior command position. [25], The battlefield is known as "Greasy Grass" to the Lakota Sioux, Dakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and most other Plains Indians; however, in contemporary accounts by participants, it was referred to as the "Valley of Chieftains".[26]. ", Donovan, 2008, p. 175: "Reno had taken one [Gatling gun] along [on his June reconnaissance], and it had been nothing but trouble." On the morning of June 25, Custer divided his 12 companies into three battalions in anticipation of the forthcoming engagement. It is where Custer gave Reno his final orders to attack the village ahead. That tactic proved to be disastrous. Custer's battalions were poised to "ride into the camp and secure non-combatant hostages",[49] and "forc[e] the warriors to surrender". In 1908, Edward Curtis, the famed ethnologist and photographer of the Native American Indians, made a detailed personal study of the battle, interviewing many of those who had fought or taken part in it. The Sioux refused the money subsequently offered and continue to insist on their right to occupy the land. If they dida thing I firmly believethey were tortured and killed the night of the 25th. Every soldier of the five companies with Custer was killed (except for some Crow scouts and several troopers that had left that column before the battle or as the battle was starting). ", Lawson, 2007, p. 53: "Although each soldier was also issued a sword or saber, Custer ordered these weapons boxed before the strike force departed [up Rosebud Creek] the lack of swords would prove to be a disadvantage during some of the close fighting that lay ahead. [92], After the Custer force was soundly defeated, the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne regrouped to attack Reno and Benteen. The route taken by Custer to his "Last Stand" remains a subject of debate. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (1946) and Indian Memorial (2003) commemorate the battle. United States. Earlier in the spring, many of those Native Americans had congregated to celebrate the annual Sun Dance ceremony, at which Sitting Bull experienced a prophetic vision of soldiers toppling upside down in his camp, which he interpreted as a harbinger of a great victory for his people. Indian accounts spoke of soldiers' panic-driven flight and suicide by those unwilling to fall captive to the Indians. [118] Indian accounts also noted the bravery of soldiers who fought to the death. [204][205], Gallear addresses the post-battle testimony concerning the copper .45-55 cartridges supplied to the troops in which an officer is said to have cleared the chambers of spent cartridges for a number of Springfield carbines. Lawson speculates that though less powerful than the Springfield carbines, the Henry repeaters provided a barrage of fire at a critical point, driving Lieutenant James Calhoun's L Company from Calhoun Hill and Finley Ridge, forcing it to flee in disarray back to Captain Myles Keogh's I Company and leading to the disintegration of that wing of Custer's Battalion. A significant portion of the regiment had previously served 4 years at Fort Riley, Kansas, during which time it fought one major engagement and numerous skirmishes, experiencing casualties of 36 killed and 27 wounded. It is also where some Indians who had been following the command were seen and Custer assumed he had been discovered. From the south and Fort Fetterman in Wyoming Territory came a column under the command of Gen. George Cook. with portrait and map. While officers were nestled in their wall tents with warming stoves, enlisted me huddled under ponchos around campfires or shivered in their wet three-man pup tents. Custer's force of roughly 210 men had been engaged by the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne about 3.5 miles (5.6km) to the north of Reno and Benteen's defensive position. Later accounts from surviving Indians are useful but are sometimes conflicting and unclear. [citation needed]. 1982 Native American Chief Crazy Horse Custer's Last Stand Little "[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". The intent may have been to relieve pressure on Reno's detachment (according to the Crow scout Curley, possibly viewed by both Mitch Bouyer and Custer) by withdrawing the skirmish line into the timber near the Little Bighorn River. So, protected from moths and souvenir hunters by his humidity-controlled glass case, Comanche stands patiently, enduring generation after generation of undergraduate jokes. [note 11] Several other badly wounded horses were found and killed at the scene. This would be inconsistent with his known right-handedness, but that does not rule out assisted suicide (other native accounts note several soldiers committing suicide near the end of the battle). 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. Dynamometres ressort 283 de 1N 25N ", Hatch, 1997, p. 184: "It has been estimated that perhaps 200 repeating rifles were possessed by the Indians, nearly one for each [man in Custer's battalion].". Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. "[citation needed] Abandoning the wounded (dooming them to their deaths), he led a disorderly rout for a mile next to the river. Writers of both pro- and anti-Custer material over the years have incorporated the theory into their works". ", Gallear, 2001: "These guns were crudely made for Indian trade and were given out as a sweetener for treaties. Nearly 100 years later, ideas about the meaning of the battle have become more inclusive. Rather than seek safety in flight, the Sioux and Cheyenne stood their ground, determined to either live or die in freedom. General Custer at the battle of the Little Big Horn, June 25, 1876. Some historians believe Custer divided his detachment into two (and possibly three) battalions, retaining personal command of one while presumably delegating Captain George W. Yates to command the second. Comanche was taken back to the steamer. Lincoln and London, 1982, pp. Andrist, Ralph K., "The Long Death: The Last Days of the Plains Indian". [187], Two hundred or more Lakota and Cheyenne combatants are known to have been armed with Henry, Winchester, or similar lever-action repeating rifles at the battle. In this formation, every fourth trooper held the horses for the troopers in firing position, with 5 to 10 yards (5 to 9m) separating each trooper, officers to their rear and troopers with horses behind the officers. Names Custer, Elizabeth Bacon, 1842-1933. . 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. [131][132] Wanting to prevent any escape by the combined tribes to the south, where they could disperse into different groups,[47] Custer believed that an immediate attack on the south end of the camp was the best course of action. The regimental commander, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis, was on detached duty as the Superintendent of Mounted Recruiting Service and commander of the Cavalry Depot in St. Louis, Missouri,[34] which left Lieutenant Colonel Custer in command of the regiment. It also serves as a memorial to those who fought in the battle: George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and a combined Lakota-Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho force. Actually, there have been times when I have been tempted to deny that I ever heard of the 7th Cavalry, much less participated with it in that engagement My Medal of Honor and its inscription have served me as proof positive that I was at least in the vicinity at the time in question, otherwise I should be tempted to deny all knowledge of the event. [67]:240 Other native accounts contradict this understanding, however, and the time element remains a subject of debate. Custer chose to attack immediately. et sortie analogique; Dynamomtre digital FL-M capteur exter. Surprised and according to some accounts astonished by the unusually large numbers of Native Americans, Crook held the field at the end of the battle but felt compelled by his losses to pull back, regroup, and wait for reinforcements. Sheridan (Company L), the brother of Lt. Gen. 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. ", Donovan, 2008, p. 191: "[Each] trooper carried 100 rounds of carbine ammunition and 24 pistol cartridges with himas many as 50 on a belt or in a pouch, and the remainder in his saddlebag (the pack train mules carried 26,000 more carbine rounds [approximately 50 extra per trooper]).". The flaw in the ejector mechanism was known to the Army Ordnance Board at the time of the selection of the Model 1873 rifle and carbine, and was not considered a significant shortcoming in the overall worthiness of the shoulder arm. Directions to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Getting There By vehicle Interstate I-90 to Exit 510 (Jct 212), follow signs to park entrance (Battlefield Tour Road 756) See the park map GPS Location N 45 degrees 34 minutes W 107 degrees 25 minutes Address ", 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. [77]:48 They were soon joined by a large force of Sioux who (no longer engaging Reno) rushed down the valley. Custer's Last Stand The Battle Of The Little Bighorn 1876 Battlelines The U.S. 7th Cavalry, a force of 700 men, suffered a major defeat while commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (formerly a brevetted major general during the American Civil War). Terry summoned Custer and the other senior officers to gather around a big map aboard the steamer Far West, moored to the bank of the Yellowstone at the mouth of Rosebud Creek. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, [1] and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought on June 25 in 1876, between the federal troops and the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. All in all, I've found this to an engaging read for the Indian Wars student of history. [191], After exhaustive testingincluding comparisons to domestic and foreign single-shot and repeating riflesthe Army Ordnance Board (whose members included officers Marcus Reno and Alfred Terry) authorized the Springfield as the official firearm for the United States Army. The Sioux Campaign of 1876 under the Command of General John Gibbon. The 14 officers and 340 troopers on the bluffs organized an all-around defense and dug rifle pits using whatever implements they had among them, including knives. Atop the bluffs, known today as Reno Hill, Reno's depleted and shaken troops were joined about a half-hour later by Captain Benteen's column[65] (Companies D, H and K), arriving from the south. Although the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), in effect, had guaranteed to the Lakota and Dakota (Yankton) Sioux as well as the Arapaho Indians exclusive possession of the Dakota territory west of the Missouri River, white miners in search of gold were settling in lands sacred especially to the Lakota. ", Donovan, 2008, pp. [178][188] Virtually every trooper in the 7th Cavalry fought with the single-shot, breech-loading Springfield carbine and the Colt revolver. Its approach was seen by Indians at that end of the village. the Badlands, ND 58645 NPS Photo You can follow the park's cell phone audio tour along the tour road. With Reno's men anchored on their right by the protection of the tree line and bend in the river, the Indians rode against the center and exposed left end of Reno's line. . The other horses are gone, and the mysterious yellow bulldog is gone, which means that in a sense the legend is true. This campsite's prime location near the Little Missouri River makes it likely that all five expeditions stopped here. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer's Last Stand, marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. Dunlay, Thomas W.: Wolves for the Blue Soldiers. Indian Scouts and Auxiliaries with the United States Army, 186090. Sitting Bull's village was multi-tribal, consisted of "a thousand tipis [that] were assembled in six horseshoe-shaped semicircles", had a population of approx. [75] Troopers had to dismount to help the wounded men back onto their horses. [118] Although soldiers may have believed captives would be tortured, Indians usually killed men outright and took as captive for adoption only young women and children. Custer National Cemetery, on the battlefield, is part of the . [67] The great majority of the Indian casualties were probably suffered during this closing segment of the battle, as the soldiers and Indians on Calhoun Ridge were more widely separated and traded fire at greater distances for most of their portion of the battle than did the soldiers and Indians on Custer Hill. [37], Custer contemplated a surprise attack against the encampment the following morning of June 26, but he then received a report informing him several hostiles had discovered the trail left by his troops. While on a hunting trip they came close to the village by the river and were captured and almost killed by the Lakota who believed the hunters were scouts for the U.S. Army. Some Scouts would have been armed with both types of weapons plus a variety of side arms. [72]:136 In this account, Custer was allegedly killed by a Lakota called Big-nose. Sun Bear, "A Cheyenne Old Man", in Marquis, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 20:40. Hatch, 1997, p. 124: "On a final note: the Springfield carbine remained the official cavalry firearm until the early 1890s". Miles, participant in the Great Sioux War declared "[Gatlings] were useless for Indian fighting. [145][146] This deployment had demonstrated that artillery pieces mounted on gun carriages and hauled by horses no longer fit for cavalry mounts (so-called condemned horses) were cumbersome over mixed terrain and vulnerable to breakdowns. Had the U.S. troops come straight down Medicine Tail Coulee, their approach to the Minneconjou Crossing and the northern area of the village would have been masked by the high ridges running on the northwest side of the Little Bighorn River. [65] The detachments were later reinforced by McDougall's Company B and the pack train. "[196][197][198], Gallear points out that lever-action rifles, after a burst of rapid discharge, still required a reloading interlude that lowered their overall rate of fire; Springfield breechloaders "in the long run, had a higher rate of fire, which was sustainable throughout a battle. [citation needed] When Reno came into the open in front of the south end of the village, he sent his Arikara/Ree and Crow Indian scouts forward on his exposed left flank. [17] The area is first noted in the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. 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. When he and his scouts first looked down on the village from the Crow's Nest across the Little Bighorn River, they could see only the herd of ponies. [85][86], A Brul Sioux warrior stated: "In fact, Hollow Horn Bear believed that the troops were in good order at the start of the fight, and kept their organization even while moving from point to point. Custer Trail Auto Tour follows route through the Badlands toward Montana. Custer Trail Auto Tour follows route through the Badlands toward Montana. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Custer Battlefield Information Brochure Little Bighorn msc16 at the best online prices at eBay! Grant Marsh,", "Grant Marsh Tells of his Part in the Custer Expedition,", Sklenar, 2000, p. 68: Terry's column out of Fort Abraham Lincoln included "artillery (two Rodman and two Gatling guns)". Brig. As the Battle of the Little Bighorn unfolded, Custer and the 7th Cavalry fell victim to a series of surprises, not the least of which was the number of warriors that they encountered. Unnamed Road According to Lakota accounts, far more of their casualties occurred in the attack on Last Stand Hill than anywhere else. 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. United States memorialization of the battlefield began in 1879 with a temporary monument to the U.S. dead. Henry E. Alvord 28 2012 14 Custer's Route to Last Stand Hill Dori Eldridge 32 2016 35 John Blake map comparison Michael Donahue 26 2010 12 John T. Blake Map of July 1883 7 1991 28 Kill Eagle's Map 27 2011 6 Little Big Horn Battlefield 7 1991 12 Little Big Horn Campaign, June 21-27, 1876 17 . Thus, wrote Curtis, "Custer made no attack, the whole movement being a retreat". Vegetation varies widely from one area to the next. This was the beginning of their attack on Custer who was forced to turn and head for the hill where he would make his famous "last stand". In the end, the army won the Sioux war. [18], In the latter half of the 19th century, tensions increased between the Native inhabitants of the Great Plains of the US and encroaching settlers. Graham, Benteen letter to Capt. 2 (Sept. 1978), p. 342. That was the condition all over the field and in the [gorge]. "Custer's Last Stand" redirects here. Along the route, there are waysides where you can pull over to read. Finding a good campsite was no easy task. The Indian Wars are portrayed by Gallear as a minor theatre of conflict whose contingencies were unlikely to govern the selection of standard weaponry for an emerging industrialized nation. Other Indian leaders displayed equal courage and tactical skill. The historian James Donovan believed that Custer's dividing his force into four smaller detachments (including the pack train) can be attributed to his inadequate reconnaissance; he also ignored the warnings of his Crow scouts and Charley Reynolds. "[128] There is evidence that Custer suspected that he would be outnumbered by the Indians, although he did not know by how much. Although Custer was criticized after the battle for not having accepted reinforcements and for dividing his forces, it appears that he had accepted the same official government estimates of hostiles in the area which Terry and Gibbon had also accepted. According to this theory, by the time Custer realized he was badly outnumbered, it was too late to retreat to the south where Reno and Benteen could have provided assistance. Custer State Park to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument - 5 ", Lawson, 2008, p. 93: "The rapid fire power of the Henry repeaters was intimidating, especially to inexperienced soldiers. 0.2% du max.