On this day in history : Battle of the Little Bighorn

Whart

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Oct 8, 2021
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We are headed there in late September….one of those “ Bucket List” visits on our list. A part of our history that has always interested me. Please suggest any other must see areas that you recommend within reasonable distance of the site, Thanks !
 
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razpsu

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Oct 19, 2021
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Not much of a battle. Custer had what 250 men that were slaughtered by over a thousand plus Indians.
 

1995PSUGrad

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Oct 30, 2021
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When I was a kid we moved into an old farmhouse (on a farm) in upstate New York. Thumbtacked to the wall in the stairway leading down to the (dirt) basement was a newspaper clipping from an area paper that reported Custer's death in the Battle of Little Big Horn. The paper was from a few months after the battle, I want to say September or October. I assume that news traveled slowly back then and I doubt the paper was published daily, maybe monthly. The paper was in rough shape and we were always told not to touch it because it would probably fall apart. When we moved out of the house years later, I never even thought to take it with me.
 
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LionJim

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Oct 12, 2021
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When I was a kid we moved into an old farmhouse (on a farm) in upstate New York. Thumbtacked to the wall in the stairway leading down to the (dirt) basement was a newspaper clipping from an area paper that reported Custer's death in the Battle of Little Big Horn. The paper was from a few months after the battle, I want to say September or October. I assume that news traveled slowly back then and I doubt the paper was published daily, maybe monthly. The paper was in rough shape and we were always told not to touch it because it would probably fall apart. When we moved out of the house years later, I never even thought to take it with me.
The news of the battle broke on July 4, 1876.
 

Bones80

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Oct 19, 2021
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We are headed there in late September….one of those “ Bucket List” visits on our list. A part of our history that has always interested me. Please suggest any other must see areas that you recommend within reasonable distance of the site, Thanks !
Well worth the trip. Plan to spend some time there walking around. It was good to see not only where Calvary fell but Indian markers are there as well.
 

BrucePa

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Oct 12, 2021
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Waterloo and Little Big Horn are now the most common metaphors for failure.
 

psuro

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Oct 12, 2021
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Also on June 25

1910 - the US passed the Mann Act - meaning women cannot be transported across state lines for immoral purposes.

So keep all your immoralizing within your own state, ya freaks!
 

Roar More

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Oct 30, 2021
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Waterloo and Little Big Horn are now the most common metaphors for failure.
Except Boney actually had a chance to win. Custer? Not so much.

But while you are in the area, Devil's Tower is relatively close.
 

northwoods

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Oct 30, 2021
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Well worth the trip. Plan to spend some time there walking around. It was good to see not only where Calvary fell but Indian markers are there as well.
Agree. The Indians were on the "right" side after being lied to and displaced too many times. Having Congress renege on allowing them to retain their sacred Black Hills home and land once mining and other American interests wanted it was the last straw. Unfortunately, I guess that's not how kids will be taught history anymore though in states like Texas :)
 

northwoods

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Oct 30, 2021
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Not much of a battle. Custer had what 250 men that were slaughtered by over a thousand plus Indians.
Most modern historians now put that figure at closer to 1500 - 2000, as many Indians left their frontier reservations to join the so called "hostiles". Also, the Sioux were joined by Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors (Custer's advance scouts who first alerted him of the large encampment were the enemy of the Sioux, the Crow). There is a lack of consensus on many aspects of the engagement, but what I find interesting is that the number of Indians killed seems to be agreed upon by most historians at only about 125 - 150. I suspect that was due to the lack of cover, higher ground, and organization by Custer's troops (several split up into smaller groups and tried to run/ride to safety).
 
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Oct 12, 2021
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Another historical anomaly: Our wedding, 6-25-1976, 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EDST. Custer's last 30 mins. 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MST. The same exact 30 minute period, 100 years later. We survived that half hour, 46 repeats successfully. I've used that lead in for speeches and presentations many times with success as well.

This point was unknown to us until our first anniversary when the historical event section of the local newspaper made mention of it being the 101st anniv. of Custer's last adventure. Then the research began, twenty years later the internet became available to us and more research occured. My wife is ambivilant about this subject, fortunately.
 
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